Chapter 1 – The Tribute from Aden (Part 3)

“I’ll do it.”

Kyle said.

“What do you mean?”

Montrey, who was standing by Kyle’s side, asked cautiously.

“This is an herb or…”

It was clear that she had ingested some kind of herb.

Having grown up enduring numerous poisoning attempts, Kyle had quite a bit of knowledge about herbs.

‘But what if it was intentional?’

What if Seia had willingly taken poison? What if she chose death over becoming the Crown Princess of Hellis? What if she failed?

“It’s a symptom of ingesting the wrong herb.”

Kyle paused for a moment. Whatever Seia’s plan was, revealing the truth would not help her.

“She must have taken it to cure motion sickness.”

Kyle’s fabricated explanation seemed to ease some of their suspicions.

“Shall we call for a physician?”

“It will take at least two hours to reach the nearest village. In the meantime, if the Tribute were to…”

If she were to die.

The knight swallowed his words.

“The stalk is slender, and the leaves are red.”

Kyle said.

“It’s about the size of a dagger and has a pungent smell, so it should be easy to find.”

The knights looked puzzled.

“I will find it, Your Highness.”

Montrey replied, and only then did the other knights start moving efficiently.

The forest at the border was rich with various herbs, so it wasn’t a difficult task.

Given its distinctive appearance, it didn’t take long for a knight to find the herb.

“I found it!”

Kyle gently laid Seia on his lap and looked down at her face for a moment.

Her bright purple hair, like the twilight sky. Her long, delicate light-colored eyelashes.

The girl he thought couldn’t be more perfect had grown into an even more perfect woman.

‘Running away alone will never lead to victory.’

Kyle remembered her words. He had never forgotten the determined look in her eyes.

‘She wouldn’t have done this to herself.’

Kyle thought.

As the priest quickly blessed the herb, the attendants hurriedly ground it and mixed it with water to make a potion.

“Give it to me.”

Kyle reached out for the potion, unable to take his eyes off Seia’s face.

“But Your Highness, if she drinks the liquid while unconscious…”

The priest said worriedly.

“I know.”

Kyle snatched the wooden cup containing the potion.

Then he lifted Seia, who was lying down, and made her sit against his chest.

Everyone held their breath and focused on the prince’s movements.

“Y-Your Highness…”

Kyle brought the wooden cup to his mouth and drank the potion. The knights’ eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected action.

Kyle held Seia with one arm and brought his lips to hers.

The knights turned their heads in shock.

It was taboo to witness a member of the Imperial Family kissing or being intimate with someone.

Kyle ignored their reactions and held Seia’s chin, making her open her mouth.

Then he let the potion flow into her mouth.

His goal was to make sure she swallowed the potion, but Kyle couldn’t help but be distracted.

Her lips were incredibly soft.

Kyle reluctantly pulled away.

He felt a strange sense of euphoria.

He gently tilted Seia’s back to help the potion go down. This was something the physicians often did for him when he was a child.

“Ugh…”

Suddenly, Seia opened her eyes.

At the same time, she leaned forward and started coughing violently.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Kyle felt relieved for some reason.

The herb he had given her was meant to induce vomiting.

When he had been poisoned as a child, the physicians would brew it and make him drink it to help him vomit everything out.

“Tribute! My goodness!”

The attendants quickly rushed to Seia.

Kyle slowly turned his gaze to observe their reactions.

***

“Tribute, wake up!”

Having vomited a bit of clear stomach acid, Seia closed her eyes again.

The attendants didn’t know what to do and supported her as she collapsed.

“I’ll take care of her.”

A man said. It was a voice she hadn’t heard on the journey.

‘He’s not one of the knights.’

Seia barely resisted the urge to open her eyes and see who he was.

Kyle lifted Seia and carried her back to the carriage.

With no other options, the attendants and knights had no choice but to leave Seia in Kyle’s care.

The man was carrying her with considerable care. He gently laid her on the long seat inside the carriage.

‘Now.’

Seia suddenly opened her eyes. At the same time, she pulled out a dagger hidden in her sleeve and brought it to the man’s neck.

“Who are you?”

Seia said.

“…You don’t remember me.”

The man replied calmly.

Seia finally took a good look at him.

Jet-black hair and a sharp expression. He seemed familiar.

But she had never seen such a large man before. If she had, she would have remembered someone with such a strong impression.

“Is it Aden’s custom to point a knife at the person who saved your life?”

Seia was about to retort when the man quickly grabbed her wrist and took the knife away.

Then he covered her mouth with his other hand as she tried to scream.

As the man leaned in, their faces grew closer.

With their bodies pressed together, she could hear his heartbeat in her ears.

Seia vaguely remembered how she had drunk the potion and the circumstances when she woke up.

Why his face was so close when she opened her eyes, and why his lips felt hot.

“Well, I suppose there’s no need for a thank you since you weren’t really trying to die.”

Kyle said teasingly.

Seia glared at him silently.

“Your Highness.”

Montrey whispered to Kyle.

He seemed puzzled that Kyle hadn’t come out immediately after putting Seia down.

“The Tribute has awakened.”

Kyle said nonchalantly as he let go of Seia.

With that, the attendants hurriedly gathered water and towels and rushed to the carriage.

Seia sat up and leaned out of the carriage.

“Tribute!”

Seia raised a hand towards the attendants.

“I’d like to thank the knight who saved me.”

At her words, the attendants stepped back.

At the same time, the knights, who had never seen Seia since they left Aden, began to murmur.

“Now I see why they locked her in the tower.”

“She looks like a witch who can enchant people.”

The knights whispered. To them, Seia was a woman with a hair color and eye color they had never seen before.

“Mind your words; she is soon to be the Crown Princess.”

Montrey said, and the knights quickly fell silent.

Kyle leaned against the carriage door and looked down at Seia.

Seia sat on the seat with her back straight.

“What did you mean by that earlier?”

Seia asked sharply.

Kyle gazed into her sharply shining golden eyes for a moment.

“Weren’t you trying to fake your own death? Using a drug that makes your pulse almost undetectable.”

Seia frowned at Kyle’s words.

“Why would I use such a scheme?”

Kyle studied Seia’s expression. She didn’t seem to be lying.

“If a physician declared you dead after arriving at the village, you would have escaped.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Then your attendants must have known about the plan in advance…”

Kyle looked at the Aden attendants standing in the distance, unsure of what to do as they waited for Seia.

“They’re all in on it.”

“Are you accusing me of trying to escape?”

Seia retorted as if she had been insulted.

“If not, were you really trying to die?”

“I have many things left undone, and if I just sit still, I’ll become the Empress. Why would I commit suicide?”

Seia said sarcastically.

Kyle could sense the underlying bitterness in her words.

She genuinely believed that dying was better than becoming a woman of the Empire.

‘But she’s not the type to act on such feelings.’

“Then I’ll go interrogate the Tribute’s attendants.”

Kyle straightened up from his leaning position.

Seia hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.

“That’s not a knight’s responsibility. I’ll handle my subordinates myself.”

“Ensuring the Tribute’s safety is the most important thing. What could be more important than servants trying to assassinate the Tribute?”

“I’m fine, so don’t interfere any further.”

Seia snapped. Despite her words, Kyle could sense her anxiety.

‘It seems the Tribute really didn’t know.’

Kyle thought.

Perhaps another faction trying to kidnap her had bribed the people of Aden.

‘But who would dare target the Crown Prince’s fiancée…’

“What is your name, to be so rude?”

Seia asked.

“…Name?”

“If I’m to be your master eventually, is there any reason to hide your name?”

Seia seemed to have grown up with the same fearless nature she had as a child.

He remembered the scene where she threatened Tristan with a shard of glass, overlapping with the image of her pointing a dagger at him.

“Kyle.”

Kyle said in a nonchalant voice, suppressing a laugh.

“Then excuse me, Tribute.”

“Wait.”

Seia called out as Kyle pretended to turn away. It was clear she still didn’t remember who he was.

“Swear that you won’t speak of my attendants.”

Even an Imperial Knight who disregarded Aden would consider it an honor if a noble lady, soon to be the Crown Princess, asked for a vow.

But Kyle asked cynically.

“What will you give me in return for keeping your secret?”

Seia looked flustered for a moment, then quickly erased her expression.

She was skilled at hiding her emotions.

“I’ll give you your reward later.”

Kyle took a step forward with that statement.