Driven by a single resolve — to uncover the truth behind the Emperor’s killing of her parents and restore their honor — Isabel married Cedric and took Margaret’s hand, all so she could remain in the capital city of Anita.

However, this decision also bound her to the duties expected of her as the lady of the Francia household.

Regardless of her reasons for marrying, the truth remained: she was now married. Believing that she owed Margaret a debt, she thought it was only natural for her to continue the family line.

Yet this belief was mercilessly shattered on their wedding night.

After fleeing from her on their wedding night, Cedric never touched her again.

And Isabel, in turn, could never bring herself to summon him to her bedchamber.

And so, three years passed.

“Michel is gone, and Cedric is the only bloodline left in the family, is he not?”

Then how was she supposed to continue the line…?

As though sensing Isabel’s tangled thoughts, Margaret grasped her hand firmly.

“If you are keeping your distance from Cedric because you think I hate him, then don’t. The day I brought you into my home and joined you to Cedric, I buried all personal feelings I had toward him. I now see him as the true master of this family. So if it is because of me, then stop avoiding him.”

“That’s not it.”

Isabel lifted her head and looked at Margaret.

Those blue eyes, so much like Michel’s, were looking at her warmly.

For some reason, guilt washed over her.

She had been able to survive in Anita because of Margaret’s help, and yet she still had not even given the Francia family a child.

She knew well that people in the Francia household had much to say about it. But none of those words had ever reached her directly.

Margaret had surely blocked them all this time.

That made it even harder to meet her eyes.

“Then give birth to an heir as soon as possible and continue the family line. Three years is more than enough waiting. If there is still no news this year, I’ll cast aside even Empress Aina’s hand and move into your home myself until the two of you conceive.”

Margaret spoke in a teasing tone, almost like a playful threat, but Isabel knew perfectly well that she meant every word.

But…

Even if she tried now, it was already too late—Cedric was completely bewitched by Anna. And if Margaret were to discover that he had taken a mistress…

Margaret, who had lived her entire life harboring deep hatred for Cedric’s mother, Sabina—if she were to learn that Cedric, Sabina’s own son, had followed the same path—her fury would be beyond imagination.

As Isabel wrestled with how she could possibly explain Anna to Margaret, a sudden—

Crash!

A tremendous noise came from outside, as though something had shattered.

“Aah!”

Startled by the sudden commotion, Isabel rushed outside, and froze in horror at the sight in the middle of the street.

A wagon packed with sl*ves had been completely smashed, and masked men were brutally slaughtering the sl*ve traders.

People screamed and scrambled to hide in corners, fleeing from them in terror.

Blood splattered even at Isabel’s feet, and she recoiled in shock.

Then—

Thud!

Someone struck her shoulder as they ran past.

Startled, Isabel flinched, then realized belatedly that the one who had brushed against her was one of the young sl*ves from the wagon.

The child’s appearance was utterly unlike that of an Imperial citizen.

Clearly, they were of the ancient race.

‘What in the world is happening…?’

As she looked around at the chaos, her eyes suddenly met someone standing among the crowd across from her.

‘Arkin…?’

Arkin was staring at her with an expression so blank it felt unfamiliar.

His eyes were cold as frost, so cold that just meeting them made her whole body feel as though it were freezing.

Just then, the sound of the city guards rushing in could be heard.

For only a brief moment, Isabel looked away, and by the time she looked back, Arkin was gone.

The masked men had scattered with him just as quickly.

All that remained were the wrecked wagon and the sl*ve traders, now cold corpses.

“My heavens, what on earth happened here? In broad daylight, no less.”

Margaret, who had come outside only belatedly, covered her mouth at the horrific sight.

Steadying her, Madame Romela explained.

“They’re infamous sl*ve traders. It seems someone must have borne them a grudge. They’re said to be the most vile among their kind. They force so-called barbarian women into pregnancy and then sell the children born from it for outrageous prices.”

At those words, Isabel turned sharply to Madame Romela.

‘Come to think of it… all the sl*ves who fled were children…’

Isabel knew that the ancient races—called barbarians within the Empire—were bought and sold as sl*ves, not only on the Iron Island and the Sl*ve Island, but even within the capital, Anita itself.

But she had never imagined something this horrific was happening.

Margaret, too, seemed deeply disturbed, her expression tightening.

“My goodness… such a dreadful thing…”

“You should go back inside. This could turn dangerous.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Following the two back inside, Isabel found her thoughts drifting to Arkin.

She had never once truly considered the matter of sl*ves before, but now, her heart felt heavy.

❖ ❖ ❖

“You are as beautiful as ever, my lady!”

As they stepped into a room deep within the basement, those waiting inside—lit by flickering yellow candlelight—rose to their feet at once.

Dexter, with an eyepatch over his right eye, greeted them first with a hearty voice.

Margaret returned his greeting with an amused smile.

“And you seem to grow darker by the day.”

“Haha! When one spends his days braving the rough seas, it’s only natural!”

Dexter was the captain of a pirate crew that operated in the Carian Sea, south of the Calium Empire.

Before the land became corrupted, he lived a simple life as a fisherman, helping his father, a shipbuilder. However, when the land became tainted and the surrounding seas lost their vitality, life became difficult for them.

Ultimately, with nothing left to sustain them, Dexter took the ship his father had built and turned to piracy.

As his raids began to disrupt tribute shipments bound for the Empire, the Emperor ordered his capture.

However, recognizing his potential, Margaret secretly summoned him to Anita instead.

At first, Dexter — harboring deep resentment towards the nobility — remained wary of her. Yet when he saw that she was protecting not only him, but also the families of his crew within the Francia domain, and when he discovered that she had quietly redirected food and resources from the southern continent of Werdia to support the people of the Empire, he realized that she could be trusted.

He made his choice.

He became her right-hand man of his own volition.

Thanks to Dexter, Margaret was able to secure safe trade routes with Werdia.

He was the one she trusted the most of all those around her.

“It’s been a while, Lady Isabel! You grow more beautiful with each passing day!”

“Isabel’s beauty is a given, so spare us the flattery.”

At Margaret’s teasing remark, Madame Romella let out a soft laugh.

Margaret cast a brief glance at Dexter, who cleared his throat awkwardly, then turned to Kuma.

“I heard a rumor that one of your arms had been severed. It seems it was exaggerated.”

At her words, Kuma burst into laughter and raised the very arm in question.

“Fortunately, I still have it intact.”

“That’s a relief. I had been considering replacing you if it were true.”

“You would cast me aside so easily? That’s a terrifying thought! The Caligo Mercenary Corps cannot exist without me!”

Excited, Kuma slammed his massive fist against the table, causing the small underground room to tremble.

“Yes, yes, I know. It was a joke. Now leave the table in peace. In a land where even wood is scarce, every object must be treated with care.”

At Margaret’s lightly scolding tone, Kuma quickly regained his composure and withdrew his hand.

Furrowing his brow, Dexter asked.

“Was it a monster that injured you? But monsters haven’t harmed people, have they?”

At that, Kuma’s expression turned serious.

“That used to be the case. But recently, they’ve begun injuring people as well. Their behavior is growing increasingly violent. And the monsters that once appeared only around the Forest of Abundance are now spreading beyond the central regions.”

“…Is it truly that severe?”

At Isabel’s question, Kuma nodded grimly.

“Yes. That’s why I’ve joined forces with Marquis Louise to form a suppression force. We’re traveling across the Empire to assess the situation.”

Since the corruption of the land began, monsters had started appearing in the Forest of Abundance, located in the Empire’s central region.

They were grotesque creatures, their forms covered in a black, viscous substance—ranging in size from the palm of a hand to as large as a house.

Yet they had not harmed people. They merely emitted strange, unsettling cries and destroyed their surroundings.

Any injuries were usually the result of terrified people fleeing in panic—not because the monsters attacked them.

But now, they had begun to harm humans as well.

“With Marquis Louise overseeing matters, there is no need to worry excessively.”

“Very well. If there is any new information, report it to me immediately through Romela.”

“Yes, my lady. However… there is another matter of greater concern.”

“A greater concern?”

“Marquis Louise has reported that the situation in the Ice Forest is not normal.”

“In a land where barbarians flee to survive… something unusual, you say?”

“Marquis Louise dispatched an elite unit to the Ice Forest, but more than half returned as corpses.”

“Were they torn apart by the barbarians?”

“They were found with their throats cut by blades.”

“What?”

“…Blades? The barbarians… using swords?”

Isabel, who had been listening in silence, suddenly grew serious.

The people known as barbarians were, in truth, an ancient race and the original inhabitants of this land. They had once lived here as its rightful people, but fled into the Ice Forest after being unable to endure the oppression of the Calium Empire.

Initially, the Empire tried to pursue them, determined to wipe them out completely.

However, the Ice Forest was a barren wasteland. Anyone who fled there would either starve or freeze to death. Meanwhile, the treacherous mountain ranges claimed the lives of the Imperial soldiers who chased them.

Believing that the ancient race would eventually perish in such a merciless land, the Emperor finally abandoned the pursuit.

Instead, he ordered the construction of the massive Laken Wall in front of the Ice Forest.

And yet—

Swords?

How could they possibly forge and wield weapons in such a place?

“Marquis Louise said he would investigate further and report back. For now, we should wait.”

Moreover, the Ice Forest was nothing but endless ice.

There was no possibility of iron ore being found there.

“Well, even if the barbarians are stirring, do you think they could ever cross the wall? At best, they’ll crawl out only to be captured as sl*ves. The nobles will be delighted, haha!”

They were, after all, nothing more than savages—no different from beasts.

As Kuma said, everyone believed that they could never overcome something as simple as a wall.

And so, they remained complacent.