Ian Kamel Aksen Fevernheim.
He was the son of the Fourth Empress, who had been the least favored. His position among the princes was always at the very bottom.
Despite his genius swordsmanship and exceptional intellect, he pretended to be ignorant and weak. He lived quietly, holding his breath, trying not to stand out.
When the Emperor’s health deteriorated, the princes one after another jumped into the political struggle to claim the throne.
As expected, he was the first to be trampled.
Weeds that get in the way should be pulled before they grow too large. Ian was handed over to a slave trader as if being discarded when he was thirteen.
That was the greatest mistake made by those blinded by power.
Eight years later.
The boy who had neither power, backing, nor courage returned with a path carved in blood.
The eyes that had been sold to a distant foreign country and waded through mud were no longer those of the naive boy from eight years ago.
Ian knew exactly how much power he had, and knew how to use it skillfully. He created opportunities by knowing when to retreat and when to push forward, advancing one step at a time.
[I’ve truly missed you, my brothers.]
The heads of his brothers fell one by one, the throne rebuilt upon a sea of blood, and finally the stained crown he wrote for himself. His return ended with perfect predation.
It was a slaughter prepared over a long time. But he didn’t rule by force alone. His skill in making people his own was also exceptional.
‘Whenever one encounters Your Majesty’s sincerity, there’s never any other option.’
During the long journey back to the imperial palace, people lined up to follow him with their lives. Even Dion Cedrick, currently his aide, was one who had been hooked during that journey.
If Ian were to point a sword at him, Dion would tremble but readily offer his neck, thinking there must be a good reason for it.
That remained unchanged even now, five years after he ascended to the throne.
Well aware of this, Dion tried to ask calmly.
“A trip… you say? If you wish to take rest, I will prepare the villa in the city of Zerden.”
“No. Somewhere farther.”
“Then to the Doha region by the coast…”
“I’m going to the Empire of Instantia. Right now.”
The Eastern Empire of Instantia was a country distant both geographically and diplomatically.
After the previous emperor, who had aggressively expanded territory, stepped down, they had signed a peace treaty disguised as diplomatic negotiations, but that was all.
The small kingdoms caught between thanked only the rough strait that divided the two continents. The strait was a kind of implicit promise that matters crossing continents, whether trade or diplomacy, should not be made too complicated.
Yet now he wanted to go there.
‘Two bombs in a row is too much!’
The list of ‘(Annoying) Eccentric Behaviors of His Imperial Majesty’ that Dion had been secretly jotting down since the first bomb dropped was now torn to pieces after the second bomb.
He couldn’t take it as a joke either. Our Majesty, who lacks even a drop of flexibility, never utters empty words.
Dion, sighing deeply inside, barely managed to receive the order.
“I’ll try to expedite preparations as much as possible, but it will take considerable time to prepare tributes and an envoy.”
“Then I’ll go quietly, without anyone knowing. With Eden, we should be able to cross the strait without getting wet.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“For an aide to the head of a country, you’re quite slow. I’m talking about going incognito.”
Dion’s complexion, which had already turned yellowish, now turned so blue it was pitiful to see.
Last time you asked for all the maps of the northern regions of Instantia, and now this. Did you bury a treasure chest there or something?
It was just when the chaotic period had passed and the political situation had stabilized. Such matters couldn’t be handled recklessly.
“Your Majesty, please reconsider. If you were to be discovered, not only would your dignity be compromised, but there would be repercussions for Rihalt as well.”
“How stuffy. Can’t I even take a vacation? Besides, as long as you keep your mouth shut, it would be harder to be discovered.”
Dion tried to object, but Ian stood up as if to forbid any further argument.
“Prepare to depart tonight. Don’t worry about my absence, Heidi will take care of it.”
He threw his coat over one shoulder and strode toward the door.
Just then, Heidi appeared, slipping through the door as it opened, and naturally added:
“Yes, Dion. Don’t worry and go pack your luggage. I’ve occasionally served as regent when my brother was on the battlefield, haven’t I? It’s not like it’s the first time. I was quite a decent ruler, you know.”
“That was an unavoidable situation. What if some variable occurs and your return is delayed longer than expected!”
“This is also an unavoidable situation. Anyway, I have plenty of ways to pass the time, so don’t worry. You worry too much.”
“And Your Highness worries too little! How can I not worry!”
Though Dion cried out anxiously, his outcry was lightly dismissed. Ian passed by Heidi, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll try to return within three months.”
“Why so soon? Thirty years would be no problem.”
Heidi slapped Ian’s hand away and sat on the desk with a bright smile. She was already using the edge as if it were her own place, her gesture skillfully nonchalant.
“Is this place mine now? Ugh, how dreary. Brother’s aesthetic sense doesn’t match mine at all. I’ll be sitting here for at least thirty years, so I should change this desk first.”
There was only one person with a dejected face in the room.
The poor aide pressed his throbbing forehead. Seeing how well they got along, it seemed they had been plotting for quite some time.
Ian had already left the room. Dion exhaled a muffled breath.
Heidi approached and handed him his coat, patting his back. It was less a gesture of comfort and more a signal for him to leave as well.
“Your Highness…”
Dion gazed at her pitifully like a rain-soaked puppy, but Heidi firmly shook her head.
Eventually, as she pushed him toward the door, he asked while being gradually pushed out:
“Your Majesty, please tell me honestly. Why are you going? Is it perhaps Beelzebuth’s—”
“That’s part of it. Among other things.”
“But how could you not have given me any hint all this time!”
“Because I knew you’d jump around like a bug-eyed grasshopper. You found out before departure, so it’s fine. At least I didn’t leave you behind.”
Dion showed signs of being somewhat upset but soon acquiesced.
“Since it’s already happening, I won’t question further… but what do you mean by ‘among other things’?”
“Well… actually, in my opinion, the ‘among other things’ is the Beelzebuth matter, but it’s too long and bothersome to explain it all. There’s just someone I need to find.”
“Who on earth do you need to go all the way to the Eastern Empire for…”
Heidi’s steps stopped abruptly at the door. As a puzzled Dion turned his head, Heidi pushed him out the door.
“There’s just something, though my brother denies it, I’m certain of it.”
“Oof! W-what is it?”
Dion regained his balance with tangled legs. Meanwhile, Heidi also came outside and pulled the double doors closed.
Turning around while humming a short tune, she grinned.
“What do you think it means when someone thinks about only one person for over ten years?”
****
At an hour when everyone was asleep, there was a secretive movement at the back of the imperial palace.
A dark group disguised in commoner’s clothes instead of shining armor moved busily, relying on a single dim lantern. They were Ian and the select few knights who would accompany him on his journey.
Heidi, who had dragged Dion like a bundle, was also among them. She briefly waved her hand toward Ian, who was mounted on a horse.
“Have a good trip. If things go wrong, you don’t have to come back.”
“Somehow I feel like I’m entrusting the fish to the cat.”
“As you know, I’m quite perfect in many ways. Looking at it from any angle, the throne suits me best, don’t you think?”
“Your introduction is too long. What is it you want to say?”
The smile that had been hanging on Heidi’s lips stretched sourly.
“So if you don’t want to lose it, make sure you find your first love and come back.”
“I’ve told you many times, I’m just repaying a debt.”
“But why do I feel like my brother is going to find a lover, not a benefactor?”
Ian also raised the corner of his mouth toward the still smirking Heidi. An invisible power struggle tensed between them. Only Dion’s face, watching the two from a distance, grew more haggard.
“It seems you’re quite worried about your brother who’s embarking on a long journey. Should I interpret that as you not wanting to get back your beloved Helios?”
“Are you joking?”
“Actually, I’m not interested in the position; it’s just tiring. I might just leave the secular world and not return.”
Having recorded yet another defeat today, Heidi pouted her lips.
“Alright, alright. Getting all petty over your only sister making a little joke.”
Despite her grumbling, she double-checked the saddle’s knots. When she stroked Helios’s side soothingly, the horse made a pleased purring sound.
Heidi picked up the reins and handed them to Ian.
“Anyway, whether you’re repaying a debt or pursuing love, just find them properly. You know well… that not a single second was wasted on your way to getting here.”
Her face showed a strange mix of expectation, worry, and slight impatience.
Ian turned his head and murmured as if reminding himself:
“Don’t worry. I will definitely find her.”
With that answer, Ian dug in his heels. Soon, the sound of hooves accompanied the dark silhouettes as they gradually faded away.
As the cityscape grew dimmer and they entered the plains, Ian looked up at the sky.
A pitch-black night without a trace of faint light. The night when he had to part from her was exactly like this too.
‘Helena. I’m finally coming to you.’
Three weeks before she announced her divorce in Evergale. Across the sea on the Western Continent, a secret wave was rising.
