Emma awkwardly hid her damaged hands behind her back. Watching her, Caden clicked his tongue.

“Stop acting like a child… or worse.”

His words trailed off, making it hard to catch the end, but she didn’t dare ask him to repeat it.

‘Not just a child, but a brat? He’s openly treating me like a servant now.’

The harsh choice of words bothered her, but she couldn’t argue. All she could do was smile and nod as if everything was fine.

‘At least he pays generously. If he says jump, I’ll just have to jump.’

Caden was Emma’s most important benefactor after her family. Compared to someone kind but stingy, Caden was the better option.

With an awkward smile plastered on her face, Emma nodded vigorously. Seeing this, Caden’s expression gradually softened.

But only for a moment.

“Lady, may I introduce myself properly?”

The golden-haired man with a soft smile spoke to Emma, and Caden’s face instantly darkened again.

“Uh…”

Emma hesitated, glancing nervously at Caden.

‘No matter how you look at it, these two seem like enemies…’

She had no desire to get caught in the middle of their feud.

As Emma struggled to endure the tense atmosphere between the two men, Caden clicked his tongue again.

“You’re acting like a dog that needs to relieve itself… Tsk.”

Everything Emma did seemed to annoy him. Instead of waiting quietly for his return, she’d spoken to the likes of that man, and worse, she couldn’t take her eyes off his flashy appearance. Who knew what they’d been doing, stuck together like a pair of cockroaches, while he was gone?

It disgusted him.

‘That sly bastard.’

Just remembering the two of them standing so close made his blood boil. Emma was usually efficient and capable, but there were moments, like now, when she acted clumsily.

Caden couldn’t stand her carelessness. If it were in front of him, he could tolerate her occasional foolishness. But in front of others? Absolutely not. She bore the title of his secretary, and this behavior was unacceptable.

‘Being distracted by the face of some stranger…’

It was a hopeless case of being overly drawn to appearances. Emma had always looked at him with admiration, her eyes glued to him as if she were bewitched. It wasn’t just once or twice that she stared at him as if entranced, often accompanied by embarrassing words of praise.

But today, the gaze that had always seemed to follow him was directed elsewhere, and it was infuriating. If her confession of love had been genuine, this wouldn’t be happening.

Grit.

Without realizing it, Caden ground his teeth. Emma instinctively flinched at the sound and hunched her shoulders.

‘Why is she so startled? She’s not a baby bird.’

Her already small frame seemed even smaller, which made him feel both pity and irritation. Caden lightly pushed Emma back behind him and shot her a sharp warning look.

‘Don’t even think about talking to this guy.’

Emma pressed her lips together and nodded silently. Her cautious glances at him were satisfying enough. Only then did Caden’s mood improve slightly, and he gave a small nod. He quickly turned his gaze away from Emma, glaring instead at the man in front of him.

Marcus Lindgren. Once his closest friend, now as good as an enemy. It was a face he’d hoped never to see again.

“Tell me why you’ve followed me all the way here. And stay away from my servant.”

“…Servant?”

Marcus let out a disbelieving chuckle. Caden’s fiery gaze bore into him, but Marcus merely shrugged, completely unfazed.

“Thanks to someone cutting off my entire arm, I ended up like this. But what’s wrong with your eyes? You’re calling this beautiful lady your servant?”

“…Ridiculous.”

Caden muttered a curse loud enough for Marcus to hear. He hadn’t expected her makeshift disguise as a man to fool anyone, but calling her a “beautiful lady”? Marcus’s nonsense was infuriating.

‘What’s beautiful about her? I thought living in the palace would’ve refined his taste, but it seems even that’s gone downhill.’

He couldn’t understand how Marcus could lie so blatantly without batting an eye.

“Marcus Lindgren. I’m warning you, stop spouting nonsense and leave. Or should I cut off your other arm as well?”

“…Hic!”

Emma gasped at Caden’s chilling threat.

‘Wait. Marcus? Isn’t that the name of the person who sent assassins and courtesans after His Grace? And didn’t he just say Lindgren…?’

Emma’s eyes widened as she glanced between Caden and the golden-haired man. She suddenly realized who the man was. In the Sweld Empire, only one group of people bore the surname Lindgren.

‘He’s royalty. Marcus Lindgren… He must be His Highness the Prince! Did His Grace really cut off the Prince’s arm?’

She had heard that the Prince had been injured during the war with Myers a few years ago. But this was the first she’d heard that the Duke, an ally, had been the one to sever his arm. If it were true, it would explain the hostility between them.

It was hard to believe, but the Prince himself had said so, and Caden hadn’t denied it.

‘But still…’

Emma had seen Marcus’s arms with her own eyes, and they appeared perfectly intact.

‘Wait, now that I think about it, His Highness’s right arm…!’

The Prince’s arms and hands looked whole, but he had only been using one arm the entire time. In her earlier distraction, she hadn’t noticed, but now it seemed clear that one arm wasn’t moving at all.

‘Could it be illusion magic?’

While magic couldn’t restore a lost arm, it was possible to make it appear as though it were there. It was said to be a high-level spell that only powerful mages could cast. If the man in front of her was truly the Prince, it was entirely plausible.

‘What on earth happened between them?’

Though her curiosity was piqued, Emma suppressed it. She had a bad feeling that getting involved would only lead to trouble.

‘Why do I have to suffer because of their issues?’

Whatever history the two men shared, it wasn’t her concern. All she wanted was a warm dinner and a peaceful night’s sleep. Even that modest wish seemed like too much to ask.

She felt utterly drained. At this rate, she feared she’d be crushed under the weight of the tension between them.

“Ah…!”

Her legs wobbled, and Emma nearly collapsed.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

Before she knew it, Marcus had stepped closer and extended a hand to her. But he didn’t get a chance to touch her.

A large hand shot out and grabbed Emma by the nape, pulling her back.

“Ah!”

The hand belonged to Caden. Like handling a toy, he dragged Emma behind him and immediately reached for his sword.

Schwing—

The silver blade gleamed brilliantly as it was drawn, radiating a powerful aura.

“…!”

Emma froze like a statue. She wanted to stop Caden, but she couldn’t even scream. All she could do was open and close her mouth like a fish.

‘No matter how angry you are, you can’t harm the Prince!’

Her mind flashed red with alarm.

“I told you, if you want your other arm cut off, just say so. There’s no need to flaunt your bad habits with the one arm you have left.”

At Caden’s provocation, Marcus’s blue eyes turned icy cold.

“Try it, if you can.”

Despite the threat, Marcus showed no sign of fear. His confidence only made the tension between the two men more suffocating—for Emma, who felt like she was about to die.

This was going to end in bloodshed, she was sure of it.

‘No! You’re my source of income! You need to stay safe until I pay off my debts! Please don’t do this!’

The thought of Caden, her financial lifeline, going to prison for harming the Prince was unbearable. Marcus’s provocations suggested he had something up his sleeve.

‘He looks like a fragile young man, but… could he actually be incredibly skilled?’

Marcus had a history of sending assassins after Caden. Whatever his intentions were in coming here, it couldn’t be good.

But no matter what, Emma couldn’t bear to see Caden get hurt. It wasn’t just about the money. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside her.

“You…”

“Lady, what are you—?”

Caden’s voice, filled with rage, and Marcus’s startled tone overlapped.

Emma had no other choice.

‘It’s not like I want to be stuck in the middle of this!’

Spreading her arms wide, Emma stepped in front of Caden. The moment she did, Caden swiftly sheathed his sword.

“What are you doing!”

Caden’s thunderous voice roared like a storm.

He rarely raised his voice, even when growling or speaking coldly, so hearing him shout like this was shocking. The sound rattled her ears and left her mind blank.

Behind her, Caden’s murderous aura stabbed at her like needles, freezing her in place. Emma couldn’t even turn around.

Her legs felt weak, as if she might collapse at any moment, but she couldn’t back down now.

She planted her feet firmly, determined not to waver.