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Chapter : 13
At her answer, Ellen broke into a crooked smile. He must have mistaken it for a sign that Zenaida was falling for him.
As if to drive the point home, his characteristic sly yet gentle question followed.
“What’s the favor?”
The faint madness lingering in his tone subsided, and the killing intent vanished. Zenaida let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly and continued speaking.
“When I ask for help, you’ll help me unconditionally. No matter what the condition is.”
It was an unfair contract.
Who knew when or how often she might call on him—no sane person would accept it lightly.
But Zenaida, brimming with confidence, stared at Ellen with a resolute expression.
Sensing she wouldn’t be easy to deal with, Ellen began to scheme, trying to tilt things even slightly in his favor.
He subtly closed the distance between them and asked in a soft, coaxing voice,
“Can’t I at least know the conditions in advance?”
“I don’t know when I’ll need you.”
At this blatantly one-sided proposal, Ellen scoffed and mocked her.
“You’re selfish.”
“So? Will you do it or not?”
It was an insult, but Zenaida didn’t respond to it. She only pressed him for an answer.
Their silent battle of wills dragged on for a while.
Ellen stared at her intently before finally nodding in acceptance.
Just as she tried to step back, he suddenly pulled her back into his arms. When Zenaida slightly furrowed her brow, he laughed as though amused and whispered teasingly,
“Fine. Then let’s do it that way. When you need me, let the spirit’s power flow into the ground. I’ll always be by your side.”
The words were tender, yet strangely chilling.
“Alright. I understand.”
After hearing her reply, he released her and walked toward Kaiden, who had been watching him warily.
Zenaida quickly reached out, but it was useless.
Ellen remained perfectly calm as he brought the tip of his blade to his own chest.
Kaiden glared at him with an irritated expression. Seemingly pleased by the reaction, Ellen smiled smugly and taunted him.
“I’ll be going now. Don’t make that face when you’re not even a real married couple.”
Watching him provoke like that, Kaiden tightened his grip on the sword hilt. But when Zenaida slowly shook her head, signaling him not to kill, he loosened his hold.
And in that brief moment, Ellen vanished like smoke.
Silence lingered between the two who remained.
As a meaningless breeze tousled only their hair—
Kaiden’s lips parted slightly.
Seeing that, Zenaida waited, wondering if he had something to say. But in the end, he said nothing.
He sheathed his sword, stared at her for a few more seconds, then turned away.
‘It looked like he wanted to say something.’
For a moment, Zenaida wondered what he had meant to say, but soon buried the question deep in her heart.
Even if she asked, he wouldn’t answer.
She watched until his figure disappeared completely, then finally began to move.
After that day, the next time Zenaida and Kaiden faced each other was inside the carriage heading to the imperial hunting grounds.
The two, who had carefully avoided one another within the estate, exchanged an awkward escort.
Thud.
The carriage door closed lightly, and the wheels began to roll.
Zenaida habitually drew back the curtain and looked outside.
They had tacitly agreed to maintain a purely formal relationship. She would have to grow used to this silence.
Yet she couldn’t fully tear her gaze away from him. Today, he would be participating in the monster-hunting tournament—the one where monsters went berserk.
Just as she had twisted the future after her regression, cause and effect might change again. But that was merely a possibility, not a certainty.
‘If things have already started, it’ll be too late.’
Kaiden, who had hunted monsters in the North, had more experience than most. But the problem was the monsters “going berserk.”
When that happened, their abilities increased explosively.
There was no telling what kind of variable might emerge.
‘Can I slip away unnoticed?’
It would be difficult at the start, but if time passed and the atmosphere relaxed, it might be possible.
‘I can’t fail.’
Kaiden might feel uncomfortable receiving help and refuse it. To him, she was nothing more than the emperor’s confidant.
Helping him while maintaining distance—it was a tricky condition. Without realizing it, she bit at her finger. She knew it was a bad habit, but whenever she grew anxious, her hand moved toward her mouth.
Then a low voice called her name.
“Zenaida.”
She hastily lowered the finger she’d been about to bring to her lips and looked at him. Kaiden’s gaze flickered briefly to her fingernails before returning to her eyes. Zenaida’s pupils trembled slightly.
With a gentler expression than the day before, he asked,
“What has you so deep in thought?”
Her mouth felt dry as she swallowed nonexistent saliva and offered a flimsy excuse.
“…I’m just nervous.”
She couldn’t tell Kaiden the truth. This was the best she could do.
At her unconvincing answer, Kaiden said nothing and turned his gaze toward the window. Zenaida held her breath, clutching her dress tightly.
‘Did he believe me?’
If only she could read his thoughts.
Kaiden must never know. Only then could he finish the tournament safely, without getting hurt.
Soon, the carriage carrying the two of them arrived at the hunting grounds.
Zenaida headed for the VIP seats, escorted by Kaiden. There, nobles who had arrived earlier were gathered, along with the emperor and Felix.
Felix noticed them and greeted them warmly.
“You’re here.”
They greeted him in return and took their seats.
Kaiden was about to leave her side to head toward the tournament grounds when Zenaida quickly grabbed him to stop him.
He widened his eyes and looked at her. For an instant, time seemed to stop as they reflected in each other’s eyes.
‘What’s something appropriate to say to a husband from a political marriage?’
After a brief moment of thought, Zenaida carefully chose her words and spoke a single sentence.
“Please do your best.”
Don’t harbor pointless suspicions. Don’t try to shoulder everything alone. Don’t get hurt.
She had countless things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t say the rest. Too many eyes were watching.
At her words, Kaiden smiled gently and whispered softly,
“I will, my lady.”
While the participants prepared for the hunt, priests from the Papal State of Vedes spread a large protective barrier centered around the VIP seating. Zenaida looked around with a puzzled expression.
‘All the way from the Papal State?’
There were already priests stationed within the Empire.
At the unexpected consideration, the emperor smiled toward Zenaida and murmured,
“His Holiness must have taken great care knowing my daughter would be attending.”
Zenaida responded with a polite smile.
“Since Your Majesty is attending the tournament, it’s only natural that the Papal State would be attentive.”
As they passed the time with such meaningless conversation, the tournament participants began appearing one by one.
Zenaida clenched her hands beneath her dress, then spotted Kaiden in the distance, fully prepared to participate.
He stood at the front, clad in finely crafted armor.
A white horse reserved only for royalty. His tall stature compared to the others. The calm confidence and faint chill emanating from his expression. All of it combined to create an uncommon presence.
The noblewomen in the VIP seats turned their attention toward him.
Zenaida stared blankly at him before hurriedly turning her head away.
Her foolish heart began to race.
Her mind screamed that she must not love him, yet her heart sent signals of its own, telling her to love him anyway.
Even though she had resolved in this life to save Kaiden and end things with death.
Zenaida swallowed the sigh that rose to her lips and bit down on her lower lip.
This was the imperial hunting ground within the capital, where the monster-hunting tournament was held.
The emperor was nearby, along with countless nobles. She had no desire to invite unnecessary rumors.
She was prepared to die for Kaiden—couldn’t she endure this much?
Grasping her reason, Zenaida straightened her back.
Soon after, the announcer stepped forward and shouted loudly,
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!”
With that, he briefly explained the rules of the tournament.
“You will hunt the monsters within the grounds and bring back the spoils. If you are injured and unable to continue, fire a signal flare, and the imperial army will depart immediately. Please note that the imperial family bears no responsibility for injuries or deaths that occur during the tournament.”
With the grim explanation, the announcer offered one final chance.
“If anyone has changed their mind, you may withdraw now. Honor is important, but life is more important.”
A brief silence fell.
Not a single participant withdrew.
The announcer smiled brightly and shouted once more,
“Then I wish you all good fortune!”
One by one, the participants began to depart.
Kaiden was the first to head into the hunting grounds.
