Chapter 29

The carriage stopped in front of the Imperial Palace. Karina, accompanied by a knight, headed toward the main gate. The guards, as if expecting her, guided her inside.

“The Crown Prince is in the annex.”

Following the guards, Karina suppressed a sigh. She wondered how she had ended up coming back to this place.

It was the day after the Imperial event had concluded. As Karina was reading in her room as usual, she suddenly received a letter from the Crown Prince. The contents were simple: he inquired about the condition of her ankle injury and asked her to visit the Imperial Palace.

‘It can’t really be about my ankle.’

The thought left her feeling uneasy. As Karina entered the annex, she asked the guard,

“Do you know where the Crown Prince is in the annex?”

“He should be in the meeting room on the second floor at this time.”

The guard, who answered politely, began ascending the stairs. Karina closed her mouth and followed him.

However, it was halfway up the stairs that she heard a loud shout from one of the windows on the wall.

“The soldiers are currently training… Please don’t pay it any mind” 

The guard explained awkwardly. Karina, who hadn’t thought much of it, glanced outside the window and froze. She spotted familiar faces in the training grounds. Noah and Kaya were standing there, leaning against the wall.

Unlike the others, who were lined up in neat rows, several higher-ranking individuals surrounded the two. Even at a glance, the atmosphere seemed tense. Karina opened her mouth to call the guard.

“Excuse me….”

Just as she spoke, one of the knights kicked Noah in the stomach. Kaya, standing beside him, was grabbed by the collar and was about to be struck in the face. Karina’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. Staggering back in shock, she bumped into the guard, who belatedly looked out the window.

“Right now, over there… right now….”

She was so shocked that her words wouldn’t come out properly. The sight of Noah writhing in pain lingered in her mind. But she wasn’t given much time to hesitate.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting.”

The Crown Prince’s secretary, who had appeared at the top of the stairs, urged them with a businesslike tone. Karina had no choice but to follow her. As they headed deeper into the second floor, they came to a slightly worn door.

When she entered alone, Essis, who had been standing in front of a large window, turned around.

“You’re later than I expected.”

“…I apologize.”

Karina, replying lifelessly, walked to the central table with Essis’s permission.

The others had been ordered to wait in the hallway, leaving her in an unexpected one-on-one meeting with Essis. Karina sat down in a chair, staring blankly ahead. She was still shaken by the violent scene she had witnessed.

Essis, who had been quietly observing her, suddenly asked,

“How is your ankle?”

It was, strictly speaking, the purpose of today’s meeting, but to Karina, his concern didn’t feel genuine.

‘It looked like they were beaten badly.’

More than anything, the state of her ankle was the least important matter right now. She had no idea what might be happening outside.

In the end, Karina committed the rudeness of brushing past the Crown Prince’s question.

“Forgive me, Your Highness. May I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“I heard that soldiers are training outside, but I think I witnessed an act of violence.”

Fortunately, Essis didn’t seem to take offense. Anxiously, Karina described what she had seen. The knights who committed the violence might face punishment, but it couldn’t be helped. Noah was Essis’s knight, and Kaya was a woman. She couldn’t simply ignore what had happened.

However, Essis’s reaction to her story was strange. He nodded indifferently throughout, and as soon as she finished speaking, he let out a faint laugh and said,

“Ah, so that happened.”

Karina doubted her ears. His tone was not only lukewarm but completely devoid of interest.

She had no idea how to continue the conversation.

As Karina sat there, unsure of what to do, Essis asked her a second question.

“Have you ever raised a beast before? Not petty things like dogs or cats, but real beasts.”

Though the question seemed unrelated, Karina instinctively thought of Edel and averted her gaze.

“Well, to be honest, I’ve never raised one properly either. Unless you count hunting.”

Essis continued as if her reaction didn’t matter. His expression softened, as if reminiscing about the past. But soon, his face returned to its usual indifference.

“Still, the fundamental purpose is the same, so you could consider it a similar act. In that sense, I think I’m doing quite well.”

“…Excuse me?”

When Karina, not understanding immediately, asked for clarification, Essis replied leisurely.

“Whether it’s hunting or taming, it’s all about subduing beasts, isn’t it?”

Only then did she understand the meaning of his words. Karina’s face hardened completely at what followed.

“A bit of violence, yes. You could say it’s an essential part of the process.”

He was saying that the reason he used violence against Noah and Kaya was to tame them. As if they were nothing more than animals.

“…They’re not beasts.”

Without realizing it, Karina refuted Essis’s words. A surge of indignation welled up from deep within her.

Despite her rudeness, Essis remained calm. On the contrary, a flicker of interest crossed his eyes.

“Then what are they?”

Essis stepped away from the window and walked over. His face drew closer to Karina’s, seated at the table

“I’m asking what you think they are.”

“Well, of course….”

Karina, about to answer without hesitation, stopped herself.

Noah and Kaya were, of course, human. Even a child who had barely learned to speak could distinguish that. Yet, Karina hesitated, unsure of why. Essis, meanwhile, stepped away from her.

His green eyes sparkled like jewels in the sunlight. A mischievous smile played on his lips.

“If you want, I’ll tell you.”

His voice, brimming with vitality, felt out of place in the stillness of the room.

“What kind of lives Noah Velcarid and Kaya Kipen have lived until now.”

It was undoubtedly the face of someone enjoying himself. Even amidst the strange dissonance, Karina didn’t speak. Still, she was curious about the truth.

That was the only reason.

***

Blood trickled down the back of a hand. A man, trembling, clutched his ear. Kaya, who had been lying on the ground nearby, stood up abruptly and spat something out.

“Colt! Your ear….”

Someone pointed with a horrified expression. The man, called Colt, removed his blood-soaked hand and stared at it.

His hand shot back up to his ear in a panic. More than half of his earlobe was missing. Kaya chuckled softly beside him. Orlando, a fellow knight, approached her angrily and grabbed her shoulder.

“You crazy woman!”

“Ah, ouch. That hurts.”

Kaya replied nonchalantly, twisting Orlando’s little finger backward. The moment his finger bent toward the back of his hand, a scream erupted. Kaya immediately tripped him, sending him to the ground.

“My arm, my arm…!”

“It’s not that bad. I barely twisted it.”

If she twisted it a little more, it might become unusable, but it should still be tolerable. Kaya yawned loudly.

From the beginning, she had felt that these so-called knights lacked spirit. Just look at them now. After beating people so mercilessly, they couldn’t even take a single hit without whining.

As she enjoyed the brief moment of leisure, she felt movement beneath her. Kaya whispered softly.

“Do you know? If I twist it back here, you’ll never be able to use your arm again.”

“No, please, anything but that.”

“It’s true. I’ve done it myself before.”

She had only meant to scare him, but Orlando shook his head so frantically he seemed ready to faint. Colt, who had been trying to stop the bleeding from his ear, reached for the hilt of his sword.

“Kaya.”

Kaya turned her head. Noah, still standing in his original position, was looking down at her.

Kaya shrugged and stood up. As she stepped back, the knights all took defensive stances.

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop.”

“Good job.”

Noah offered brief praise. Orlando, looking at Colt while still on the ground, thought to himself.

‘What a shame. If we’d just waited a little longer….’

If they had stayed still, they would have attacked first. Clicking his tongue in regret, Orlando glanced at Noah.

“Don’t kill them.”

His tone was gentle, as if soothing a child. Kaya, who had been blinking blankly, smirked.

Hearing such words from the man who had taught her how to kill was a little amusing. She still couldn’t forget her first impression of the slaughterer she had met four years ago.

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

Kaya grumbled, resting her head on her hands. Noah was smiling as usual. Perhaps his demeanor had softened compared to back then. The persistent smile he maintained was, in its own way, impressive.

Noah silently gestured toward his own face with his fingers. Tilting her head, Kaya scratched her cheek. Dried blood clung to her skin.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean? Oh, them?”

Kaya pointed lazily over her shoulder with her thumb, as if gesturing at stray cats.

“I’ll think about it. If I run, they’ll catch me and kill me, won’t they?”

Fortunately, the knights no longer approached Noah and Kaya. Kaya strolled leisurely toward the wall. Sitting down on the dirt floor, she lay down on her side, drawing wary stares from everyone.

Kaya tugged at her own earlobe with her hand. Colt’s face flushed red with anger.

“Hold it in, Colt. Look at your wound!”

“The Commander will punish her. Calm down for now!”