Bon Appétit

“I don’t want to be out of line, but you don’t even meet my expectations.”

“Is that so?”

Legion replied in a calm voice. The emperor seemed displeased with his carefree attitude. He looked at Legion and spoke sarcastically in a low voice.

“I don’t like looking up at you.”

Legion, standing looking at the emperor, slowly bowed down and knelt down on the dirt floor. He lowered his body, but he didn’t look servile.

“Are you comfortable with this?”

Even though he was dissatisfied with Legion’s nonchalant question, the emperor nodded.

“It’s more comfortable.”

Sitting on the rock again, the emperor asked Legion. It was something he wanted to ask and wonder about all the time.

“Why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

Why did he betray him, whom he had pledged loyalty, and why does he keeps moving and not meet his expectations? He wanted to ask many things, but there was only one thing he was curious about right now.

“Didn’t you make the princess run away?”

“She ran away alone. I’m afraid I didn’t do anything.”

Luana managed to run away on her own. The only thing she did to Legion was kicked his leg.

“Is the empire’s number one knight missed to catch a mere ordinary woman?”

The emperor asked back with a ridiculous expression, but Legion’s expression did not change.

“She kicked my leg.”

“Leg!”

He laughed with astonishment.

“She kicked me hard.”

“No matter how hard she kicked you! Do you think it makes sense?”

“It’s possible.”

His stomach was boiling with anger, but Legion still didn’t budge. Since she kicked his leg, it was natural that he missed the princess. That can’t make sense! The emperor touched his head.

Luana.

What about her makes a man like Legion change like this? He is so disappointed.

“Sir Legion, you’re not what you used to be. You’ve changed.”

Changed.

That’s not wrong.

Indeed, he wouldn’t have shown this attitude in the past because the only thing he knew in the past was to serve the emperor and offer his loyalty. But now, it was different. There is someone more precious to him now, and he would do anything for that person.

“I might’ve changed.”

The emperor looked at Legion with a complex expression.

“Do you love her?”

Legion replied firmly to the emperor’s question.

“I love her.”

“Is that why you changed?”

The emperor mumbled to himself and held his chest while frowning. He looked troubled in a different way. He seemed to know it without even having to put it into words.

“Has your Majesty changed too?”

At Legion’s question, the emperor lowered his gaze.

“Me?”

“Don’t you love Princess Ingrid?”

“I love her?”

The emperor burst into laughter. He found out that the Legion had changed because of love. But was he like that, too? He doesn’t know. He didn’t want to change. But he could feel his heart flutter when he thought of Ingrid.

“Is this how you change because of love?”

Legion did not answer. He just watched the emperor ask and answer himself.

“Don’t know. I don’t know.”

What should he do if this painful heart is truly love? The things that have already been done are not things that can be undone just by regretting them. He destroyed the kingdom of his beloved and killed her bloodline. How can you solve that?

“I have no regrets. So I can’t change.”

Even if he loved her, that was all the emperor could do.

“So,”

The emperor clenched his fist. If he can’t go back, he’d instead move at that time rather than regret it. He will seize Ingrid, keep her by his side, and swallow her anguish.

“If you do that, you’ll never win her heart.”

“But it doesn’t matter.”

The emperor said arrogantly.

“Because I’m an emperor. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Legion did not feel the need to persuade the emperor. If Luana is around, she may feel restless and want to fix the emperor’s twisted mindset. But he didn’t bother to meddle in it.

‘There’s nothing you can’t handle? That’s just arrogance.’

To get here, Legion faced several unmanageable situations and struggled to get to the top. Many things in the world are difficult to deal with. But he didn’t want to persuade the emperor, so he shut his mouth.

“Sir Albert.”

“Yes.”

“Keep Sir Legion locked up.”

Sir Albert approached as soon as he ordered, but Legion gracefully declined.

“I will go directly to search this time. In which direction?”

“Haa.”

The emperor sighed as he watched Legion move, following Albert. But he soon realized that he was worth taking advantage of.

“Put up a post on the town. Yes, the content should be like this.”

And soon after, the paper was posted on the town’s central square bulletin board.

People were very curious about the content, but since the person who posted it was a soldier of the Empire, it took time for people to gather, and among them was Luana.

[Those who deceive the empire by partnering with other countries are put to death.]

It wasn’t clearly written who it was, but she thought she would know who it meant.

‘Legion!’

Luana stamped her feet in bewilderment and looked around in surprise. Fortunately, people seemed to focus on the bulletin board, and Luana didn’t care. When she was about to turn around with confidence, she bumped into someone.

“I’m sorry.”

Luana, who was about to walk past, paused at the refreshing scent that poked her nose familiarly.

“Gerald?”

Why is Gerald here? Luana stared at him with her mouth wide open.

“Luana.”

Familiar purple eyes curved and greeted Luana. Luana quickly grabbed Gerald’s hand and left the place. She was looking for a witch, and she was lucky.

“Gerald!”

“Luana, I’m not going anywhere, so speak calmly.”

In the meantime, Gerald stroked Luana’s cheek with a gentle touch.

“I heard you’ve been kidnapped, so I was going to search for you, but I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I ate well and slept well. No, it’s not this! Gerald! I need the power of a witch!”

“Power of a witch? Do you mean help?”

“Yes, can you lend me some help?”

“As long as it’s for Luana.”

“Oh, my God, thank you so much!”

“No need to be thankful. It’s for Luana.”

After not seeing him for a while, Gerald seemed to have changed a bit. She doesn’t think he had ever been this willing to help Luana without her saying why. Luana tilted her head, but it wasn’t urgent, so she just let it go.

“Well, what can I do for you?”

“We need to save Legion!”

“Him?”

‘Why do you want to save a man who was given the title of “the strongest of the empire” who doesn’t seem to die even if you kill him?’

For a moment, Gerald looked confused. Luana calmly explained what had happened so far.

“…So now he’s being held captive by the emperor.”

‘Isn’t it usually the other way around?’

Gerald held back his question. If the emperor were a dragon (the villain), then the knight would save the princess. But now, the princess was working hard to rescue the knight.

“Yes!”

“Are you sure he’s being held?”

“Yes! That’s not enough, and his life was threatened! Did you see the town’s bulletin board?

“I saw it.”

“It was written there.”

Gerald also saw the post, but the content was too abstract. There were enough points to interpret differently depending on the viewer. And she was right.

At the same time, there was someone who looked at the same bulletin board and thought differently.

***

“Sister, I’ll give you magic powder.”

Before leaving with Cain, Luana said that and gave her a pouch of some purple powder.

“Use it when you’re in a hurry.”

At first, she thought she was handing poison or medicine. But it wasn’t. The powder was precisely what Luana said. It was a magical powder that changed her appearance. When Ingrid found out, she looked at Luana, surprised.

“How do you have this?”

At that, Luana shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“Because I’m a witch.”

“What?”

“I’m a witch.”

“You mean the witch who flies on a broomstick?”

“I don’t fly with a broomstick, but I’m a witch.”

Ingrid was surprised that her only sister was a witch; she could even use magic. As she admired her in many ways, she opened her mouth with a puzzled look.

“I didn’t make it. I’m not talented in this kind of thing. I’m a gourmet witch.”

“Is it what I’m thinking…?”

“Yes. I can only make delicious food.”

“Then, isn’t this powder valuable to you, too?”

“This amount is fine.”

If something happens, she can go back to the kingdom later and beg him to make more. Gerald, who cherishes his friend’s daughter very much, will do so. Luana was guilty of asking for too many things from Gerald, so she thought she had to do something.

“Because this is all I can do.”

Saying that, Luana laughed. And thanks to her sister, Ingrid escaped the emperor’s siege. Cain was hiding somewhere else, but at least she could roam around as she pleased. So she headed to the town to find out the information and found something unexpected.

‘Luana is being held by the emperor.’

The emperor knew exactly what was Ingrid’s weakness. Although they had not spent a long time together, Ingrid cherished Luana, who shared the same blood. Because she was the last family she had.

The emperor knew that fact well and chose to hold Luana captive.