Episode 59

I looked down at Lian’s outstretched white hand, then raised my head.

Meeting his unnatural eyes was an unsettling experience, but I forced myself to look at him directly, without flinching.

I spoke to him as calmly as I could, but with sincerity.

“When I found out what you did to Marquis Senwood, I was furious. I hated and resented the fact that you committed such a horrific act.”

Lian watched me intently, listening to my words that slowly unfolded. His pupils gradually began to return to their original state.

“But then I thought that I shouldn’t be angry. You did it for me. You paid too high a price because of me. So, I tried to understand you.”

I thought that, though you express your emotions awkwardly and in an unconventional way, you were someone who would go to great lengths, even at the cost of your own life, to protect those you cared about.

As the acting Emperor, managing the Empire, I had come to rely on you.

Knowing you only had four years left felt unbearably harsh, and I was prepared to discuss finding a way to help you, setting aside talk of marriage or oaths. I believed that the time we’d spent together had built a relationship worth preserving.

“But now, I no longer know who you are.”

The moment you chose to threaten me instead of offering one of your quirky, kind gifts, the relationship we had built crumbled completely.

A sigh filled with sadness escaped with my last words.

Even Lian, with his lack of empathy, seemed to sense it, as a slight frown marred his beautiful brow.

“I’ll think about which is worse—everyone around me being killed or marrying you—and I’ll give you my answer. For now, go home.”

“Your Majesty—”

I ignored his call and turned away.

I had no idea what expression he wore or what thoughts crossed his mind, but Lian stood there like a statue for quite some time.

I stubbornly kept my back to him, waiting for him to leave.

But after a long hesitation, Lian spoke the worst words he could have chosen.

“There is one of my puppets close to you, Your Majesty. If you plan to use the dog to hunt the serpent, I suggest you reconsider.”

“You shouldn’t have said that, Lian.”

“I thought you might say that, Your Majesty.”

His final words were tinged with the usual playful tone, but there was a trace of self-mockery in his voice.

I didn’t respond, and I listened as Lian’s footsteps slowly faded away.

After the sound of the door closing, I heard Aiden’s worried voice.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Aiden strode quickly toward me, lowering himself to check my condition.

“I’m fine.”

“How could you send me out? What would you have done if he had used the serpent’s power?”

Aiden examined me closely, like a dog sniffing its owner after a trip outside.

Was he really trying to check if I’d been affected by the serpent’s power?

“I suppose I shouldn’t have sent you out,” I said with a chuckle, finding his behavior amusing.

But Aiden’s face grew serious at once.

“Something happened, didn’t it? What did that scoundrel do?”

“Calm down, Aiden. Nothing happened,”

I said, lightly tapping his cheek as his eyes started to darken with fury.

I still hadn’t decided how to handle the situation with Lian, so I couldn’t say anything yet.

Aiden’s fiery gaze froze the moment my hand touched his face. Then, when I tapped his cheek again, his face flushed, and he started to move awkwardly, almost like a machine malfunctioning.

The man could be quite amusing at times.

Watching Aiden stutter and fumble was entertaining, but dealing with Lian had drained me mentally. I was exhausted.

I returned to the sofa and sank into it heavily.

I asked the maid for a very strong tea and then, noticing Aiden’s cautious glance as he slowly sat in front of me, I asked,

“Aiden, if you and Lian were to fight, who would win?”

Aiden looked at me as if questioning whether I was serious, then responded in a slightly offended tone.

“Your Majesty, I’m the strongest in Belpator.”

“Vitrain?”

“I told you, I’m the strongest.”

“No, I’m asking, if Lian and Vitrain fought, who would win?”

“Both the Duke of Kidmillan and I have been wielding swords since birth. I don’t think Lord Zernia would stand a chance against either of us.”

So, was Lian’s bold claim that he could kill the dog and the eagle just a bluff?

But it didn’t feel like mere bravado. He must have had something in mind to make such threats, yet I couldn’t even begin to guess what it might be.

I decided to drop the speculation and ask the person directly.

“So, how would someone go about killing you? Would it require an ambush?”

“My hearing is quite sharp, so an ambush wouldn’t be easy.”

“Then, poison?”

“My sense of smell is also keen, so that would be difficult too.”

What is he, really? A dog?

I looked at Aiden with an incredulous expression, and he returned the look, equally puzzled.

“Are you planning to kill me?”

“No, I’m worried someone else might.”

“Did the serpent say he’s going to kill me?”

Aiden squinted his eyes, perceptively catching on. I avoided his gaze and looked around the office, scrambling for another question.

“With your sharp hearing, you didn’t hear the conversation we just had in here?”

“The office is specially designed so that even a dog’s hearing can’t eavesdrop.”

“I see.”

“It feels like you’re avoiding the question.”

I couldn’t lie, so I pretended to be fascinated by the office’s interior. I hadn’t noticed before, but the wallpaper colors differed on each wall.

And now that I looked closely, the armrest decorations on the sofa were different on each side—one had a snake, the other an eagle. As I scanned around, wondering where the dog was, I saw it carved boldly into the backrest.

Aiden, apparently amused by my desperate distraction, chuckled softly.

“I won’t die, Your Majesty.”

It would be a problem if Aiden died.

I spoke earnestly to the perceptive and loyal dog.

“Don’t die, Aiden.”

“Of course, I’ll never die.”

His reliable answer reassured me. I smiled brightly at him, pleased, and his eyes gleamed with determination, as if he’d come back even if he were killed. I liked that too.

Aiden, Vitrain, my maids, the nobles of the Empire, the knights of the Imperial Guard—they mustn’t die.

Not because I refused to marry someone.

I had told Lian I would consider whether to marry him or let him kill those around me, but he must know.

He must know that I would never allow innocent people to die.

So, the choice left to me was either to spend the next four years with Lian as he wished or to kill the mad serpent.

Neither option appealed to me at the moment.

And that was the biggest problem.

Even after witnessing the true nature of the mad serpent, I found I didn’t want to kill him, despite his short remaining lifespan and bluster.

How much of his threat was real? Who was the puppet he mentioned?

Does Lian really have a secret weapon to kill Aiden or Vitrain?

I couldn’t tell how much of the liar’s words to believe, and the uncertainty only deepened my dilemma.

* * *

The day after Lian’s deranged threats, the final round of the Royal Guard Tournament, which had been postponed, was finally taking place.

The last sixteen contestants, all of whom would be appointed as commanders of the Royal Guard, were tense as they prepared for battle. However, today was the day the captain would be chosen, adding to the pressure.

As requested by the nobles earlier, I had opened the Imperial Arena to the public.

It seemed as though every noble in Brincia had come.

Not only were the nobles present, but the citizens of the Empire had also gathered, filling the general seating to the brim.

“Is today some sort of festival in Belpator that I wasn’t aware of?”

I asked Aiden as I sat in the special box that offered a clear view of both the arena and the crowd.

The captain of the Guard, who had been busy assembling the security forces since morning, leaned in and whispered,

“It’s the first time Your Majesty has appeared before the citizens of the Empire.”

“I doubt they came just to see me,” I replied, gesturing with my chin toward the crowd, who were buzzing with excitement.

Aiden had no choice but to agree.

“It’s not often they get to witness such a spectacle.”

“A spectacle…”

The notion that watching comrades fight each other to the death was considered entertainment, and how quickly tragedies were forgotten, was astonishing.

The seats that should have been occupied by the Senwood family were now taken by the nobles who had carved up their estate.

I turned my head away in bitter contemplation, only to lock eyes with Lian, who had been watching me.

He wore a serene smile, but as soon as I looked at him, he broke into a wide grin and winked.

Is this really the time for you to be winking at me?

Have you forgotten the chaos you caused just yesterday?

A surge of irritation flared up inside me, remembering how I had lost sleep all night, plagued by the thoughts of that madman.

“Your Majesty, it’s starting.”

Aiden’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts of Lian.

As I turned my attention back to the arena, the Imperial Stadium erupted with the roar of the crowd.