As Laurencia’s eyes wavered, the man added tempting conditions like driving in a wedge.

“I know you can’t trust me. But wouldn’t I still be better than him who already betrayed you? If you really can’t trust me, just watch me for a while. Whether I’m useful or not. During that time, I’ll do whatever you order. If you want me to be a dog, I’ll be a dog. If you want to use me as a sword, I’ll do that too. I’m telling you I’m that useful.”

The man with wide blue eyes raised the corners of his mouth confidently, seemingly begging her to believe him.

His brazen expression was absurd, yet no scoff came out.

Because inexplicable trust welled up from his every action, expression, and manner of speech.

An absurd belief that he would truly solve everything if she just gave the order.

Her wavering lasted only a moment before she suddenly recalled when she first met Jedrian.

He too had initially drawn attention with unusual behavior, just like that slave.

Despite his lowborn status, he was always confident and unrestrained, leading wars to victory with his natural intellect until he finally caught the emperor’s eye.

Moreover, that cold and utterly cruel man always gave her warm smiles that made her heart flutter.

That same man had violated her and betrayed the emperor.

The emperor, who collapsed from the shock, still hadn’t regained consciousness, and in the meantime, Laurencia was forced into an engagement with an old king from another country and driven out of the empire.

Recalling that fact, her eyes instantly turned ice cold.

How long had it been since that happened, and here she was wavering again?

‘Still foolish, aren’t you, Lauren.’

Laurencia rebuked her pathetic self.

Nevertheless, her thoughts leaned toward keeping that impudent man nearby for a while to confirm whether his brazen attitude was mere bravado or genuine.

If by any chance he truly could remove Jedrian, nothing would be better—it was a gamble worth taking.

Even if things went wrong, the price would be paid with his life, so she had nothing to lose.

Having made up her mind, Laurencia concealed her thoughts and asked the man waiting for her answer.

“What do you want from me?”

Whether it was the words he’d been waiting for, the man who smirked slowly stood up.

Then with a shameless face, he stated what he wanted.

“Make me your real lover.”

Her sharp golden eyes instantly crumpled at the absurd words.

It was a completely unexpected condition.

What kind of scheme was this now?

Just because she knew his purpose didn’t mean her guard was down. She didn’t believe everything he said either.

She still didn’t know exactly what his identity was. She also kept in mind that this too might be Jedrian’s scheme.

So she’d been on edge about that possibility, but suddenly—a lover?

She almost let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.

If she had that much power and authority, his request might not have sounded so strange.

But hadn’t he clearly seen? What situation she was in?

A princess in name only—having clearly witnessed how Jedrian treated her, what did he plan to do by becoming her lover?

When she looked at him with suspicious eyes, he added an explanation.

“To stay close without arousing anyone’s suspicion, being your lover is the best position. I hide my identity in your shadow, and you use me to take what you want. What a safe relationship.”

“How dare you act so arrogant when you don’t even know what I want?”

“Isn’t it to drive away the darkness and make the noble sun rise again?”

Noble sun.

Laurencia’s golden eyes trembled greatly as she immediately recognized who he was referring to.

“Take me. You won’t regret it.”

The man’s eyes, suddenly serious, reached her directly.

Laurencia’s lips, which had been staring at him with cold eyes, slowly opened.

“What is your name?”

At that question, the man who immediately prostrated himself with disciplined movements looked up at her with a loyal expression.

“Knight Ashar. Ashar Ratan.”

The blue eyes clearly revealed beneath his black hair emitted a vivid blue light, different from when she first saw them.

* * *

Laurencia’s expression was quite serious.

She belatedly worried whether giving that extremely suspicious man the room next to her reception room connected to it had been the right decision.

Considering what reaction Jedrian would show when he found out, and what harm might come to her if the man’s identity was discovered, she wondered if she’d done something foolish.

Had she decided too carelessly?

In fact, there was only one reason she decided to keep him by her side, even knowing it might be dangerous.

Those eyes.

The moment their eyes first met, she felt her heart being squeezed.

Laurencia had seen eyes like that before.

Eyes that had writhed in unbearable pain, gradually becoming numb until emotions dried up so completely that even death was no longer frightening.

A few years ago, when she became the queen consort of Asram, her eyes had been exactly like that.

Betrayed by someone she trusted, her country stolen, her father’s safety endangered, forced to marry an old king whose face she’d never seen—her reality was so miserable she’d been half-mad with pain and rage.

But as time passed, her emotions gradually dried up, and her cunning human heart ultimately chose peace by letting everything go.

Living like an idiot, like a doll, forgetting resentment and revenge—then she met again the man who had completely burned away her emotions.

In that moment, emotions she thought had completely died out revived like fire. Rage surged and vengefulness boiled.

In the midst of that, she saw eyes there that resembled her own.

Eyes unafraid of death, yet with a clear purpose for living. The eyes of a beast whose hunting instincts had revived upon finding prey.

Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t look away.

But if there was one difference, it was that she hadn’t dreamed of revenge. More precisely, she had the heart but lacked the ability, so she couldn’t even dare try.

She had no army to face Jedrian, no faction to plot with, and above all, her father’s safety was in Jedrian’s hands, making it difficult to even meet anyone.

In such circumstances, an unexpected weapon had fallen into her hands.

He seemed light, but the k*lling intent occasionally revealed in his expression was proof that hot vengefulness boiled in his heart.

Also, in his emotionally dried eyes, determination to risk even death was clearly present.

Which meant the probability of him being Jedrian’s pawn was lower than him being a spy as he claimed, and if their purposes aligned, he was prepared to dive into death without hesitation on her behalf.

What a useful weapon this was.

So she took the gamble.

On a man of unknown identity.

To sit quietly and aim for the miracle he might seize and bring back.

If contrary to expectations he proved useless, she could just eliminate him then.

But now that she’d set things in motion, inexplicable anxiety kept rising.

“I should first find out about Silvarnel’s situation.”

Just as she was thinking of someone to investigate what happened to Ashar’s homeland, she heard the voice of a maid waiting outside.

“Your Highness, the Chief Chamberlain has arrived.”

At the unwelcome visitor’s appearance, her expression instantly turned cold.

There was only one reason he would come all the way to the princess’s palace.

Shortly after, the Chief Chamberlain who entered bowed deeply and conveyed the expected words.

“Your Highness, the Lokan requests your presence—”

“I understand, so leave.”

At the cold dismissal, the Chief Chamberlain closed his mouth, bowed politely, and left the room.

Letting out a short sigh, Laurencia closed her eyes tightly and brainwashed herself as always.

That it was nothing.

That she was just being bitten a little painfully by a beast.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, an unexpected voice flew in.

“I suppose you don’t plan to give me a chance.”

Her golden eyes snapped open toward the sound.

Unlike before, Ashar, now dressed quite decently, leaned crookedly against the wall at the entrance to the passage connecting to his room.

She’d only given him clothes because his n*ked appearance was utterly hideous, but just wearing a scrap of cloth made his atmosphere feel completely different.

“Is it acceptable?”

As though seeing through her thoughts, the man who stood straight suddenly spun around once and asked.

At that bizarre behavior, Laurencia’s expression mercilessly contorted.

At that expression, Ashar also frowned and grumbled like throwing a tantrum.

“My, to make such an expression upon seeing your lovely lover.”

At the man’s terrible attempt at charm she’d never seen before, her face crumpled even more.