Thinking that Brick had contributed to her family’s deaths made her regret the days when she had shown him affection, following her mother’s example. Yerena cursed at Brick, full of hatred.

“You killed my parents and my brothers! Someone like you killed my, my family……”

“I-I am your family too!”

Brick, who had been looking wronged with his shoulders drooping, raised his eyes at Yerena’s words. He couldn’t tolerate hearing words from Yerena’s mouth that seemed to draw a line between them.

“A-Although only half, I share the same blood as you, Sister. So I am your f-family too.”

“No!”

“……”

“You’re not my family! You’re just a filthy illegitimate bastard who helped kill my family!”

“……”

“My brothers were right! Father was right! That woman’s blood doesn’t lie…… I shouldn’t have trusted you!”

The moment she became certain of what Brick had done, Yerena left no affection for him. As she cursed and poured out her hatred, Brick staggered as though even standing was difficult.

“It’s n-not my fault.”

He suddenly raised his voice. Then, moving close to Yerena, he spoke rapidly despite his stammering.

“Sister. You sh-shouldn’t blame me. I never told the imperial army to k-kill Father, the Queen, or my brothers. As I s-said earlier, I just d-delivered a few letters. That’s all.”

“……”

“A f-few pieces of paper…… If the country could c-collapse from just that, it would have ended up like this s-someday anyway. So you…… shouldn’t blame me.”

“……”

“Especially y-you shouldn’t blame me! I…… I even th-thought about giving you, a woman, the throne instead of me g-going to the Empire, but you……”

It was increasingly absurd to listen to. Finally unable to contain herself, Yerena abruptly stood up. Her fists, clenched so tightly they trembled, were bloodlessly white.

“Then do that.”

“Si-Sister?”

“I’m saying you should go to the Empire instead of me! Give me that position! I can’t tolerate someone like you succeeding my father’s place, so do it!”

Brick, who had been sniffling and trying to take credit, froze his face when Yerena sincerely told him to go to the Empire. Then he began to spout nonsense, making excuses and claiming he was more suited for the Sedas throne.

“Don’t misunderstand, l-listen. Y-You’re blind, Sister. You c-can’t properly rule the country. I-I’m more suitable for that position.”

“……”

“I’m n-not doing this because I’m g-greedy for the position. And I won’t let you stay in the Empire forever. I’ll offer something else to the Empire to ensure you c-can return. So please treat me kindly like before. So I c-can work hard to bring that time closer.”

“……”

“Come on, Sister…… D-Don’t be angry and s-smile for me. I want to see you smile at me.”

Brick reached out toward her, arbitrarily thinking that his words had calmed Yerena. But as soon as Brick’s warmth touched her skin, Yerena swung her hand.

“Get out!”

While this was a natural reaction from Yerena’s perspective, Brick couldn’t understand her. If she was going to the Empire as a prisoner, shouldn’t she try to stay on his good side? Just as he had tried to please the queen and Yerena until recently, shouldn’t his sister now accommodate him?

“Si-Sister! You sh-shouldn’t treat me like this. As the king of Sedas…… I c-command you. Sister. Quietly……”

His sense of injustice turned into anger. Brick tried for the first time to subdue someone using his newly acquired position. But Yerena didn’t care about his new status.

“Let go! Don’t touch me!”

Bang.

“Ugh!”

Brick, who had been gripping Yerena’s arm tightly, was thrown onto the table. His face and upper body were pressed down, and his arm was twisted behind him. Brick made choking sounds like he was dying.

“She said she hates it. Did you not learn even the minimum courtesy toward ladies?”

Frederick, who had subdued Brick, completely abandoned any pretense of politeness. As he pressed down harder on the struggling Brick, Brick, now frightened, tried to act tough.

“H-How dare you!”

“……”

“I-I am the king of Sedas…… Sedas! A mere knight……”

“You’re using your newly acquired position quite well. But what can you do? It doesn’t work on me.”

“L-Let go! I said let go! M-Mother! Mother!”

Brick finally burst into tears and called for Bianca. Frederick looked incredulous at his behavior. At nineteen, he might be considered young, but for a king to cry and call for his mother—this was a bit much.

His anger and contempt turned into dismay at the other’s pathetic behavior. Frederick released his grip on Brick and shoved him aside. Brick rolled ridiculously on the floor.

“Your Highness. If you don’t want to make a more embarrassing spectacle, go back. It seems those over there won’t help you either, so go find your mother.”

Frederick spoke to Brick, who was glaring at him with his head raised. Brick, trembling with humiliation, looked at the doorway at Frederick’s words. Through the half-open door, the attendants serving him, the new king, were peering in. But no one stepped forward to stop Frederick’s actions or to help Brick.

“Y-You all……”

Brick now glared at the attendants. The attendants flinched at their master’s expression, then very slowly and hesitantly approached to support him.

Frederick crossed his arms and let out a hollow laugh as he watched the attendants creeping like snails. Only after receiving his glare did the attendants quicken their pace to support their king. Brick pushed them away like a child throwing a tantrum but eventually stood up with their help.

“Take him away quickly.”

Frederick ordered briefly. The attendants quickly turned their backs and practically dragged Brick away. Brick, with a dazed face, was being pulled along when he suddenly turned his head back and shouted:

“Si-Sister! T-Tell that man to stop! I still have th-things to say…… I can’t leave you like this!”

Brick’s voice was desperate, but Yerena covered her ears as soon as she heard it. It was disgusting. Terribly revolting. Though she couldn’t see, the fact that she was in the same space as him made her shudder with revulsion.

“Ah……”

The stress, far exceeding her threshold, made that day vividly resurface. Yerena put her legs up on the chair where she sat, kept her ears covered, and buried her face in her knees. Tears came involuntarily again.

Her prominently thin body became even more noticeable due to her posture. Frederick fixed his gaze on her exposed bare back and unconsciously reached out his hand. But soon realizing he was an imperial knight, he lowered his arm.

‘It would be deceptive for me to offer comfort.’

Besides, he had somewhat anticipated what would happen today. He was one of those who had heard his lord’s command to use the princess’s nanny to let the princess know what the new king of Sedas and his mother had done.

Frederick generally believed that one should know the truth, painful as it might be, but at this moment, he questioned whether that was the right thought. The princess, who already seemed precarious, appeared to have suffered even greater emotional damage from the truth she had just learned. But as a member of the imperial army, that is, as an invader, he was not in a position to comfort the princess.

“Sob…… Mo-Mother.”

And so Yerena cried alone sorrowfully until she fell asleep from exhaustion. As if the sky had seen her tears, a drizzle began to fall. And the rain that started like that drenched the blue roof of the palace and continued to fall for a long time.

The rain falling quietly without wind somehow felt melancholic.

* * *

She didn’t know how she spent the remaining days. Yerena alternated between crying, getting angry, being dazed, and suddenly trembling.

Upon receiving Frederick’s report on Yerena’s condition, Roshan immediately sent a physician. And after hearing the full account of the conversation between Brick and her, he showed no particular reaction. But Frederick, who had delivered the situation, felt that his lord’s mood seemed strangely good.

Apart from the commotion caused by Brick and Yerena, time passed without any notable incidents. The imperial army had now completely prepared to depart. The morale of the imperial troops was high with the thought of returning home the next day and purses fattened by war.

“Is there nothing else you want to pack? Your luggage seems too sparse.”

“There’s nothing, so stop paying attention to me.”

Yerena spoke sharply without even turning her head toward Frederick who was addressing her. Though her voice could have been taken as confrontational, Frederick simply shrugged once and looked at her.

Sitting on a couch by the window with her head turned outward, Yerena was feeling the sunlight and wind. In the hot weather, the occasional cool breeze that brushed her ear and made her hair flutter looked like a painting.

‘She’s beautiful.’

Frederick couldn’t help but admire her. The white nape beneath her softly flowing platinum blonde hair, the princess’s profile drawn with flowing lines—his heart raced for no reason.

“Bring her out! Tell the princess to come out! Right now! I must at least slap that wretched girl’s cheek!”

But Frederick’s appreciation didn’t last long. A sharp voice bursting through the open window, high-pitched curses tearing and scattering the air interrupted him.

‘Is that the fool’s mother?’

Frederick immediately recognized the voice of Brick’s mother, Bianca. The woman who had actively provided the Empire with information from the kingdom through her stupid son. Frederick privately called her the red rat.

‘I don’t care if it becomes a vassal state of the Empire or degrades to a mere territory. I just want to give this place to my son and see the king and queen die!’

Her goal, expressed while aiding in the downfall of her own country, was so dirty and personal that even the rigid Knox would sometimes join Frederick in calling her a rat.

“Yerena! Won’t you come out? An elder of the family is calling, and you won’t even respond?”

Frederick frowned at Bianca’s continued cursing. In a way, it was impressive. She was boldly shouting in a place where even her son, who had become king, arrived timidly and nervously. But she couldn’t do more than that. Frederick’s subordinates were not to be trifled with, and the maids of the woman who had become the king’s mother were weak. Bianca was about to be thrown out.