***
“Your Highness, do you know what a truce is? It means that His Majesty can spend more time with you!”
Although Monia’s definition of a truce seemed very strange, the conclusion was somewhat similar, so let’s leave it like that.
The news Monia brought was too shocking.
“Now that there’s a truce, His Majesty won’t go to the battlefield and will stay in the palace.”
They said Delight decided to cease the war with Ilnord and call for a truce.
What is this sudden news?
After Luciel and Delight fought so much, Delight seemed busy for a while.
I thought he was preparing to go to war again and was seriously considering the future situation.
And then suddenly there’s a truce. It’s all so confusing.
“Maybe His Majesty put so much effort into this war because he wanted to come back and spend time with you, Your Highness. So, he declared a truce.”
Monia was so excited that she said something nonsensical.
But could it be?
‘Is it because of me?’
No way, what am I thinking?
When Delight sees me, his eyes light up like a madman, so that thought crossed my mind without me realizing it.
This is definitely just an overthinking.
No matter how much he adores his child, the Emperor of the Empire wouldn’t do that.
“Shall we go now?”
Monia said as she picked me up.
“His Majesty asked to bring you, Your Highness.”
No wonder they dressed me in more extravagant clothes today.
We headed to Delight’s office.
It seemed he was too busy to come to me, so he asked to bring me to him.
“Ollia!”
As soon as Delight saw me, he hugged me tightly.
With his head down, it was clear to anyone that he wasn’t holding me, but rather holding on to me.
His eyes looked hollow, unlike usual, indicating he might have been working overnight for several days.
Haah.
Night work is hard, so I should give him a hug.
When I stretched out my arms, they reached Delight’s cheeks.
Feeling the soft touch, I gave them a little squeeze.
“I made such a big decision to see you, Ollia, but I don’t have time to come see you. This is ridiculous.”
Delight murmured, complaining.
“In Ilnord, they can’t even guess why His Majesty declared a truce.”
“They shouldn’t know. That way, they will stay tense not knowing what I am up to.”
… Listening to their conversation, my suspicions became more certain.
Did my existence really influence the decision to declare a truce?
If it so, it was a good thing.
If the existence of Delight’s family can gave him another option, and if he stopped the war that he had continued without rest cause of something like that.
‘If that’s the case, I should… try to be a better daughter to Delight.’
I clenched my fists.
Once, as a master, I raised my disciple.
Now, the roles were reversed, and I became Delight’s daughter, but how different could it be?
Anyway, spending time together is the same.
I should tolerate Delight’s arrogance a bit.
Accept some of his odd behaviors.
Make sure he doesn’t want to miss the time spent with me in the palace.
Before I knew it, Delight was holding me with one arm and looking at documents again.
The desk was piled high with documents.
They were plans to cope with the changing situation due to the sudden truce.
There seemed to be letters from the Ilnord Empire as well.
‘For now, a truce is the best option.’
Even if Delight had the upper hand against the Ilnord Empire, achieving a complete victory would be difficult.
The fact that the Ilnord Empire ruled the continent for the longest time wasn’t just a coincidence.
Several conditions were necessary to bring down that great empire.
And only the emperors of Ilnord knew all those conditions.
Except for one person who became an exception.
‘So, they tried so hard to kill me…’
Every time I thought about the past, I could only sigh.
In fact, even if I found out, achieving those conditions was almost impossible.
‘So, Delight, who doesn’t know what the conditions are, can’t bring down Ilnord.’
I poured my life into the Ilnord Empire, but now I don’t want to get involved with it again.
The image of the former crown prince, who must now be the emperor, still vividly comes to mind.
Ugh, just imagining it is repulsive.
***
At the same time, in the Ilnord Empire.
After a long period of war, the Ilnord Empire was running out of everything.
There were no more resources for wizards, knights, soldiers, or supplies, but good news reached them. The Promian Empire declared a truce first and said they would reorganize internally.
If the Promian Empire really stopped the war, the Ilnord Empire would be relieved.
“Anyway, what we needed was time. Now that we have it, it’s good for us.”
“I heard a princess was born recently. Could it be because of that influence?”
“Do you believe in such absurd rumors? There must be another motive.”
The Emperor dismissed the Crown Prince’s speculation with disdain.
It wasn’t even worth considering. It was more plausible that they stopped the war due to a problem with the dragon that recently visited the Promian Empire.
“Why don’t you find out what’s going on with Serdin?”
The Emperor recalled the young prince held hostage.
Every time the Emperor thought of the Promian Empire, a wrinkle appeared on his forehead.
There seemed to be no way to win at the moment.
The best thing for the Ilnord Empire was to find out as much as possible about the other side and extend the truce to buy time.
The Emperor was deep in thought when the Crown Prince cautiously spoke up.
“Your Majesty, I’m worried that if we get caught secretly communicating with Serdin through the magic circle… the truce might be jeopardized.”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed at the Crown Prince’s concern.
Indeed, adding unnecessary elements of anxiety in the current situation was not ideal.
“We should avoid any confrontation with the Promian Empire until we are fully prepared.”
The Crown Prince’s intention was clear, despite his seemingly thoughtful words: to sever the connection with Serdin.
Although his younger brother had been taken hostage in his place, the Crown Prince felt no gratitude for his sibling’s sacrifice.
Just thinking of Serdin made him feel disgusted.
He recalled the humiliating time when he was held hostage and had to beg for his life.
Because of his miserable state as a hostage, he had to owe a debt to the illegitimate child he normally ignored.
The memory of that humiliation still clung to him and tormented him.
“Still, thanks to that kid, you were rescued. How fortunate.”
His mother, the Empress, had said that, but knowing this made Serdin even more difficult to bear.
Especially on the day they exchanged hostages.
The Promian deliberately did not prepare proper clothes for him, making him appear disheveled and dirty.
That moment, when Serdin looked at him calmly in his clean attire, felt like being covered in filth.
He should have felt honored to take the Crown Prince’s place!
The Crown Prince struggled to keep his face from contorting as he spoke.
“Besides, I’m not sure if that child can do anything properly there. If Serdin gets into trouble, it will become even more dangerous.”
What could a mere child do properly?
His usefulness had ended with his sacrifice in place of the Crown Prince. It was now time to sever ties appropriately.
The Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with the Crown Prince.
“Indeed, it would be too much to expect that child to handle things properly.”
“Your Majesty, what should we do then?”
The Crown Prince subtly expressed his anticipation as he awaited the Emperor’s answer.
“It’s better to eliminate potential problems.”
The Emperor made his decision.
***
Every three months, Serdin would receive a secret letter from Ilnord.
Today was that day.
On such days, Serdin would wait by the window all day long without moving.
And today, just as always, while staring blankly out the window, a light appeared on the hidden magic circle, revealing an envelope.
“It’s here…!”
The letter he had been waiting for so desperately had arrived.
The magic circle would only last for 30 seconds, and when it disappeared, the envelope would vanish too.
Serdin quickly opened the window and grabbed the envelope.
A bright smile, never seen before, appeared on Serdin’s face.
He could receive at most three or four letters a year from his homeland.
These letters couldn’t contain detailed information as the Promian Empire might intercept and read them.
In the stifling life of a hostage, receiving these letters was the moment Serdin longed for the most.
Although the content was always trivial, Serdin read and reread the letters over a hundred times.
Despite reading them so many times, he handled them so carefully that they never wore out.
The excitement of receiving a letter didn’t subside easily. With trembling hands, he carefully opened the envelope to avoid damaging it even slightly.
[I will send a letter at an appropriate time later. Until then, it would be best not to send any letters.]
There was not a single word asking how he was doing. No superficial expressions of concern or longing. No explanations about the necessity of the situation.
It was simply a unilateral notice of discontinuation.
“What does it say? Does it say that the prince is very worried about you? That you should hang in there a bit longer and endure well…?”
“…………”
The letter slipped from Serdin’s hand and fell helplessly to the floor.
Rushing to the window as if to throw himself out, Serdin saw the magic circle fading away.
