Following behind Freddy, Rosé glanced around suspiciously.

Something felt wrong.

“Are you sure he said to meet me here?”

“Yes, just a little further.”

The sight that unfolded before her was pure chaos.

“A-Ah… My lady, she’s really trying to kill us today. Hiiik!”

Natalie clung to Rosé’s dress, trembling violently. The scene before her was beyond horrific.

“Help me! Please, help me! Aaaaargh, my hand!”

A massive axe came crashing down, severing a man’s arm. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering in every direction.

Natalie collapsed on the spot.

“Natalie! Natalie, wake up!”

Her limp body was quickly carried away by soldiers and placed back into the carriage they had arrived in.

Rosé glanced worried at Natalie’s unconscious form but continued walking, following the butler.

Men were covered in blood, their faces half-mutilated.

Soldiers wielding gruesome tools—hooks, hammers, and other brutal instruments.

Agonizing screams, like the wails of the damned in hellfire.

She wanted to block out the horrific sounds of suffering, but Rosé forced herself to keep walking, keeping her composure.

“Kiyaaaah! Ptooey!”

A giant man spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground and clapped his hands together before lifting a hammer as large as a human head.

“Heh…”

Noticing Rosé, he grinned grotesquely, revealing yellowed teeth as if he had spotted something amusing.

She quickly averted her gaze.

“AAAAARGH!”

Another sharp scream rang out.

Rosé clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

‘Why did he bring me here? Maxim Lankert, just what are you thinking?!’

She glanced around, wondering if he was watching her from somewhere, but she couldn’t see him.

Instead, she noticed a group of soldiers gathered to one side.

They had been watching her from when she arrived, their gazes dark and leering. When her eyes met theirs, they snickered amongst themselves.

“Is this a normal place for a meeting?”

She asked Freddy, who was leading the way.

“No, I simply follow His Majesty’s orders.”

“Why would he want to meet me here?”

“That, I do not know. It is not my place to question His Majesty’s intentions.”

“Of course.”

Rosé realized there was no point in questioning this rigid butler further.

She wasn’t sure if Maxim Lankert intended to frighten her, but she instinctively knew he didn’t mean to harm her.

‘I won’t let this get to me.’

A place like this could make even the most rational person panic or lose themselves at the sight of blood.

She didn’t know what he was aiming for, but the more he tried, the clearer her mind needed to be.

It was undoubtedly an unpleasant scene, but not unbearable.

She had seen worse.

She still remembered the time Kasiax had gouged out a royal servant’s eye with a dagger right in front of her.

Cutting out someone’s tongue for speaking out of turn was routine.

Even when she had been pregnant.

And the most horrifying sight she had ever witnessed—the severed, blue-tinted head of her father hanging in the air.

The memory surged up, and something hot rose in her throat. Rosé closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

“Well, well. Looks like the Stern lady is about to faint.”

A mocking voice chuckled beside her, snapping her eyes open.

A man with fiery red curls and a long scar slashing across his eye.

His hollowed cheeks made him look gaunt, but his frame was lean and solid.

Rosé ignored his unsettling gaze and continued following Freddy.

Suddenly, a heavy sword sheath swung into her line of sight.

“…!”

She halted, her breath catching as she turned to look.

The man swaggered, deliberately blocking her path.

“I’m the one who saved you from becoming wolf food. Shouldn’t I get a thank-you?”

Freddy, who had been walking ahead, scowled in irritation. The lunatic Tullio was causing trouble again.

Before Freddy could intervene, Rosé let out a small scoff as if she had finally realized something.

“Oh. That time.”

Tullio’s face twisted.

“So, you were the one who struck me so hard from behind that my head nearly split open.”

Tullio grinned, raising one side of his lips.

“Getting torn apart by a wolf would’ve been less painful. But still, thank you.”

His expression darkened with amusement.

“You’ve come all this way. You should at least enjoy the show. It’d be a shame if you left too soon. Want to see someone’s guts used for jump rope?”

Turning to the soldiers, he snickered, making them burst into laughter.

“No thanks, I’m busy. Keep going with your executions. Whether you use intestines for jump rope or tug-of-war, that’s your business.”

“I’m just the overseer. I don’t get my hands dirty. These bastards aren’t even worth it.”

“Oh, so your mouth works harder than your hands. You even have time to pull people aside for a chat. Well then, enjoy your work.”

Rosé smiled sweetly before turning away, as cold as the wind that cut between them.

The soldiers behind Tullio snickered.

“She said your mouth works harder. Kekeke.”

“Pffft, should we start calling him Chatterbox Tullio instead of Madman Tullio?”

The men clutched their sides, laughing until Tullio’s expression turned murderous.

“Bastards. You wanna die?”

His threat silenced them instantly. But their lips still twitched, barely holding back their laughter.

On the battlefield, he was a warrior who impaled enemy heads on spears and smeared his face with their blood.

It was that savage madness that earned him the name Madman Tullio.

Even his own allies avoided him when his bloodlust took over, his eyes rolling back as he painted the battlefield red.

She had just trampled over the very man who was feared by all.

Tullio stared at Rosé, who was already walking away in the distance as if he had just taken a heavy blow.

“You really took a hit there, didn’t you, our dear vice commander?”

When Tullio turned, he saw that Richard had somehow appeared beside him, arms crossed, watching the woman.

Tullio and Richard had been close since childhood, having trained as knight squires. However, Richard became the commander of the knights while Tullio took the role of vice commander.

Their swordsmanship was almost identical in skill, separated by only a thin margin, but due to Tullio’s hot temper and reckless nature, Richard naturally took the position of commander.

And Tullio, who was well aware of his volatile personality, accepted this without complaint.

Richard narrowed his eyes as he watched Rosé’s retreating figure.

“She doesn’t seem ordinary. It’s about time His Majesty secured an heir. Frankly, it’s already overdue.”

Tullio snorted in amusement.

“Don’t make me laugh! You know how much His Majesty despises the Stern women. I’ll bet she’ll be gone without a trace in a few days.”

“Think about all those women who collapsed on their knees just from looking at His Majesty’s face. She’s not the type to run away so easily.”

“If you ask me, that woman will end up just like the former madam. For the country to remain stable, the women brought into the palace must be chosen wisely. A Stern woman is absolutely out of the question.”

At the mention of the former madam, both Tullio and Richard fell silent, their expressions darkening as memories of a grim past surfaced.

Annoyed by the gloomy atmosphere, Tullio spoke up first.

“Still, Southern women are small and fit snugly in your arms.”

“You crude bastard. Worry about yourself first. What woman in her right mind would share a bed with you? Your face is already nasty enough, and on top of that, you’re always scowling like a pile of dung.”

At Richard’s jab, Tullio snapped in irritation.

“Why the hell are you picking on my face again? You know I hate judging people based on looks!”

When Tullio furrowed his brow and lunged toward him, Richard turned away with an expression that said, I’m avoiding this mess because it’s disgusting, not because I’m scared.

“Forget it. Not worth talking about.”

Despite his fuming, Tullio trailed after Richard, refusing to let it go.