“We have no time, so let’s hurry.”

Elze carefully ascended the stairs covered with blue carpet, following the attendant’s guidance. The heavy sound of a door creaking open echoed around her.

She hesitated before walking through the arch-shaped corridor draped with blue fabrics. As the sound of heels clicking against marble grew closer, the King of Talis’s anxiety became palpable. When she reached the middle of the hall, she bowed her head respectfully.

“Yes, raise your head.”

The king stopped moving and gestured lightly. His gaze as he stared at her seemed unfocused, as if deeply troubled.

“…I’ve heard your mother is gravely ill. Leaving such an ailing mother behind must be causing you no small amount of worry.”

When the king emphasized the word ‘mother,’ Elze’s startled expression gradually settled.

She hadn’t thought about her mother who would be left alone amid the chaos. As her mother’s face came to mind, her throat tightened, making it difficult to swallow.

‘But why suddenly mention my mother…?’

Unable to hide her confusion, Elze raised her head. The king was examining her face closely, as if checking the effect of his words.

She tried her hardest to hold her breath against the vague sense of unease. Then the king’s eyes became clearer, as if a veil had been lifted.

“The country will take responsibility for her care, so you needn’t worry about that.”

Elze blinked blankly at this unexpected consideration. Then, suddenly coming to her senses, she awkwardly bowed her head.

‘At least there will be someone to look after mother. That’s fortunate.’

Her tense body relaxed as relief gradually set in. Her throat burned and tears welled up in her eyes. The king, who had been looking down at her leisurely, signaled to his attendant.

“So you just need to do your job without any concerns.”

The words came before she could collect her emotions. At the mention of ‘job,’ her body stiffened with tension.

“The Emperor’s interest in you may be fleeting. Use that fleeting moment as an opportunity to get close to him somehow. And then kill him.”

The approaching attendant slowly opened a wooden box. Elze hesitated as she looked down at the vial inside. A dark red poison was eerily sloshing around.

“It would be even better if you could bear the Emperor’s child and then kill him.”

Shocked to her core, she desperately moved her lips.

His orders were completely destroying the order in her mind. Surely the Emperor had shown mercy by only demanding one maid. Why would the king risk such danger now?

“If you succeed, I will give you as much gold and treasure as you want. I will also help your mother recover from her illness.”

Elze, who had been moving her lips, abruptly stopped. It was because of the king’s frowning expression. He clicked his tongue a couple of times, as if her muteness was ominous.

“Instead of foolishly moving your lips, I hope you’ll behave wisely in front of the Emperor.”

The king, who had now taken her mother hostage, gave her an icy stare without hesitation. He seemed to be saying that she didn’t need to understand the decision he had made.

Suddenly, she felt as if someone was pulling her body down, draining her strength.

“You may go now.”

The king no longer waited for her response. At his signal, the attendant firmly pressed the poison into her hand.

* * *

As they came out of the castle, fragments of light dazzled her eyes, as if the dark clouds had cleared.

She frowned and looked around. Knights with swords at their waists were lined up in formation. The menacing aura emanating from their eyes made her body instinctively shrink.

“Her eye color is as bright as Your Majesty’s.”

As Elze turned toward the voice, her eyes met the Emperor’s. His golden eyes slowly scanned her face. Under the gaze that weighed heavily on her body, she quickly lowered her head, feeling breathless.

“…Was her hair originally blonde?”

The duke who had dueled with the prince crossed his arms and muttered quietly, as if piecing together a puzzle from his memory.

“Stop worrying and just do your job.”

She could still feel the burning gaze on her. As she lowered her head even deeper, veins bulged on the back of the Emperor’s hand.

‘He clearly doesn’t like something.’

Elze stared at his large hand and swallowed dryly. Perhaps he had just realized that choosing her had been a mistake.

‘I wish that were the case.’

If the Emperor were to reverse his decision now, even the king’s orders would disappear completely. Elze clasped her hands desperately and waited for his action.

The firm hand that had briefly stroked his empty ring finger gradually moved away. When she raised her head, she saw the Emperor talking with knights in blue cloaks about their departure. The faint hope on her face disappeared.

“It was definitely a different color…”

The duke who was lingering near her frowned. Elze stared blankly at the duke’s behavior, which she couldn’t understand. His deeply absorbed appearance seemed childlike, creating a sense of distance from how he had looked during the duel.

‘Could this be related to why they’re taking me?’

Elze carefully examined his expression. Then, startled by a presence she felt beside her, she instinctively stepped back.

“Give me your hand for a moment, please.”

Regardless of her fearful appearance, the approaching soldier grabbed her shoulder. Then he began tying a rope around her wrist. His actions were relentless, as if it was natural for a prisoner to suffer such humiliation.

Elze slightly winced around her eyes at the gradually increasing pain. When the rough texture touched her delicate wrist, her skin quickly swelled and turned red.

“Follow me.”

The soldier who had been glancing at her gestured with his head. As she walked with her head bowed timidly, he entered the center of the formation and stopped. Then he skillfully tied the rope to a horse’s bridle before quietly disappearing.

Left all alone, reality gradually sank in.

How terrible was the life of a war prisoner that adults had told her about? The stories always began with being tied to a horse and walking day and night without rest. The thought of becoming the protagonist of such a story filled her with fear.

‘…Being afraid won’t change anything.’

With her head deeply bowed, she tried to calmly accept the fear washing over her.

As she struggled to control her anxious heart while keeping her gaze fixed on the ground, she heard approaching footsteps. The Emperor irritably grabbed her wrist and caressed the reddened skin.

“Your wrist has already swollen.”

Though his voice was suppressing anger, his touch was careful.

“Roah, what were you doing while her wrist got to this state?”

In the heavy atmosphere, Elze raised her gaze with difficulty. As his lips closed firmly inward, his indifferent face looked sharper than before.

“Ah…”

At the Emperor’s question, Roah turned his head and stared at her wrist. He seemed to have just noticed his appearance, having been deeply lost in thought until now. Roah, awkwardly rubbing his forehead, bowed his head.

“I failed to notice. I will be more careful in the future.”

“What were you thinking…!”

The Emperor raised his voice and gripped her wrist firmly. Squirming from the pain, Elze carefully twisted her wrist. She felt the slight flinch of his solid hand. The Emperor examined her face for a moment before loosening his grip.

His gaze, which had lingered on her wrist for a while, gradually moved up and stopped at her lips. As his eyes slowly calmed, she finally became aware of her trembling lips.

‘…I must hide it.’

Suddenly, the king’s warning not to move her lips came to mind. Elze rubbed her lips hard enough to hurt. Despite her efforts, the trembling showed no signs of stopping, and she eventually had to bite her lip hard enough to draw blood.

“…It seems my gaze is horrifying to you.”

Though his face showed no expression, bitterness remained in his voice like sediment.

He untied the rope from her wrist and handed it to the soldier. Whether it was directed at Roah or herself was unclear, but in any case, he was still unable to hide his discomfort.

“Your dislike of me won’t change anything. The moment you became entangled with me, your fate was already decided.”

He lifted her in his arms and placed her on the warhorse. Then he stared at her with such determination that it seemed uncompromising.

“You will spend your entire life by my side until you close your eyes for the last time.”

His cold, deep eyes came alive with a strange heat. Feeling as if she was being gradually ensnared, she averted her gaze with a frightened face.

He lightly mounted the horse and wrapped his arm around her waist. As their bodies suddenly pressed together, she sat up straight.

Though his hand was placed on her dress, she could feel his body heat on her bare skin. The warmth that bloomed in her abdomen and spread throughout her body felt uncomfortable. His body pressed close made him feel more intimidating, leaving her mind blank.

‘I don’t understand any of this.’

She couldn’t comprehend the decisions of both the king and the Emperor. If she could clear up even a little of her confusion, perhaps she would be less afraid. No matter how much she turned her thoughts around, she remained confused without resolution.

The Emperor, who had been looking at her slightly trembling shoulders, hesitated before rubbing her cheek. It was an awkward gesture.

“The Talis Kingdom has already abandoned you, and now I am your fence. So you must accept me and get used to me.”

She looked up at him hesitantly.

His voice was too cold to be reassuring, yet his caressing touch, though awkward, was gentle. It felt as if the Emperor couldn’t quite figure out how to treat her.

‘…What does he want to do?’

As she blinked awkwardly, feeling strangely that they were both struggling, he carefully wrapped his arm around her waist.