She felt nauseous despite having eaten nothing. Breathing became even more difficult. Even though she couldn’t see, she felt dizzy and had difficulty maintaining her balance.

Eventually, Yerena’s upper body slumped forward. Seeing her serious condition, Hayden supported her without hesitation. Seeing that sight, Roshan, who had been watching Yerena, very slightly furrowed his brow.

Her tenuous grip on consciousness was weakening. Yerena weakly pushed Hayden away. And before her consciousness faded further, she pushed away her fear and displayed her hatred.

“Someday I will……”

“……”

“I will definitely k-kill you.”

For words from a conquered kingdom’s princess, they were truly fearless. Hayden unconsciously glanced at his lord’s reaction, worried about the princess.

“With my own hands……”

The princess, completely unaware of the expressions of the two men surrounding her, continued speaking while shedding tears of resentment, then suddenly went limp. Hayden, who had been watching her, stretched out his arm to prevent her from collapsing.

Just as Hayden was wondering what to do, a large hand naturally took the small body from him.

“Hayden. Call the physician.”

The brief order fell. Hayden felt somewhat dazed by his lord’s command. His suddenly empty hands felt hollow. But since Roshan’s orders took highest priority in his life, he bowed without delay and went outside to call for a physician.

As Hayden’s presence faded away, Roshan moved his face a little closer to the unconscious woman. The scent of the layered lilies he had crushed under his boot days ago brushed his nose.

For some reason, he felt a ticklish sensation. Roshan remained in that position before speaking for the first time since entering the room.

“……Do as you wish. That might be interesting in its own way.”

* * *

Appetizing food was laid out on the table. The still-steaming soup, finely chopped meat, fresh green vegetables, and fresh fruit stimulated appetite just by looking at them.

Though unable to see, Yerena smelled the food. But she threw away the spoon someone handed her and turned her head away.

“She’s really something.”

At that, the man who claimed to be in charge of her escort today strode over and roughly grabbed her hand. Yerena frowned at the touch that showed not the slightest consideration. But Frederick did not loosen his grip as he threatened her.

“Eat while I’m asking nicely.”

“I hate this! Do you think my life belongs to you people now too?”

“You just realized that now?”

Yerena shook her disheveled golden hair and tried to pull her hand away. But she couldn’t match Frederick’s strength. He sharply countered her pointed words. And before Yerena could resist, he struck first with harsh words.

“Don’t make that face. I’m advising you that this country will remain intact only if the princess goes to the Empire alive. Or would you prefer the kingdom to be completely erased from the continental map?”

His condescending, sarcastic tone was irritating. But as soon as Frederick mentioned the kingdom, Yerena froze, her breath caught in tension. Seeing her reaction, Frederick smirked, as though he had anticipated it.

“Please stop being stupid and selfish. This war happened in the first place because you didn’t come to the Empire, princess.”

“……”

“This was inevitable anyway, so why didn’t you just come to the Empire obediently when our great Emperor demanded it? Then the kingdom would have been safe, and your family would have been safe too.”

As Frederick’s words continued, Yerena’s body gradually lost strength until she finally went limp. Only then did he release her and bent down to pick up the dropped spoon. He wiped the spoon with a cloth prepared at the corner of the table and placed it back in Yerena’s hand. Unlike before, Yerena didn’t throw the spoon away. Instead, she stared blankly and muttered in a diminished voice.

“……I didn’t know.”

She had learned about the emperor of the Empire demanding her as a concubine and her father refusing it, leading to war, only recently—and through Frederick, who was now forcibly putting a spoon in her hand.

‘Father. The Empire is too powerful compared to our kingdom. Even if it’s an unreasonable demand, wouldn’t it be better to accept it……’

‘Yerena, my daughter. This is not for you to worry about. And we’ve sent an envoy, so good news will come soon. So don’t worry and go to bed now. Hmm?’

Her father had never once told her that she was involved in this war. Her mother and brothers were the same. They all just said that diplomatic disputes had arisen, that the Empire had made unreasonable demands and picked a fight, leading to this situation.

“What? What are you saying?”

“I didn’t even know you made such a demand for me! I just…… I only knew that you invaded using trade disputes as an excuse.”

If she had known earlier, if she could have prevented this tragedy, she would have gone to the Empire as a concubine, slave, or in any status. Despite being raised like a flower in a greenhouse, she had learned enough about her responsibilities as a royal and loved her homeland, the Sedas Kingdom, and her family. She had been prepared to sacrifice herself to protect all of that.

But her family, who loved Yerena dearly, never revealed the truth to her. Yerena found that painful and hurtful. She even felt resentful.

“So what?”

As she trembled and bowed her head deeply at all the events she couldn’t prevent, Frederick crossed his arms and spoke in a voice as crooked as his posture.

“I’ve heard the rumors. That the King of Sedas cherished his only daughter immensely. It seems he couldn’t bring himself to ask his daughter, whom he loved so dearly, to become a concubine and save the country. But so what? What are you saying? That you’re innocent because you didn’t know?”

It was unexpected for Frederick too that Yerena knew nothing. But even so, what difference did it make? The kingdom had already been conquered, and all the royals except for her had gone to the next world. In the midst of all this, Frederick found Yerena irritating and annoying as she dwelled on her own tragedy and protested that she would follow her family.

“Ignorance is also a sin. Instead of blaming others for not telling you, blame yourself for not finding out sooner. Isn’t it pathetic that while holding the position of princess, you didn’t know about something that involved you, especially something with your country’s fate at stake?”

As his emotions rose, Frederick became even more vicious. Yerena remained silent at his words. Then, after a long while, she raised her head, her thin shoulders trembling.

“……Yes. You’re right. It’s my fault.”

Her voice, completely devoid of strength, was laden with endless guilt. Frederick momentarily flinched when he saw her blue eyes, hardened from her inability to see. Though she readily admitted it, he somehow felt worse. As bad as it could possibly get.

“Let me ask one thing.”

As Frederick remained silent, feeling like he was endlessly falling, Yerena spoke with a voice more composed than before, even changing her speech pattern to be more formal, but with a very sad face. Seeing this, Frederick felt an unpleasant ache around his collarbone and slightly bit his lip.

“Where are my father and mother?”

Frederick inwardly sighed. Though he was cruel to the defeated, he couldn’t be harsh to a child asking about her dead parents. Swallowing the intensely bitter taste in his mouth, he answered straightforwardly.

“There’s a room in the kingdom’s underground where the dead crown prince and second prince of Sedas are laid. They’re in the room next to it.”

“Ah……”

Yerena’s brothers, who died before her parents, had their bodies barely recovered at the time. Bodies with clear sword marks, backs with arrows embedded, and their blood that had hardened and turned black…… Yerena recalled the moment she saw her brothers’ bodies and finally shed tears.

Perhaps because she couldn’t see new things, memories of the past refused to fade. Instead, those memories floating in the black space became clearer day by day. After her brothers’ deaths, Yerena, who had once again repeated her parents’ deaths, asked with a trembling voice.

“Are, are my parents resting peacefully? Perhaps……”

“The imperial army is not cruel to dead enemies. The king and queen were placed in coffins after a brief funeral procedure. The formal funeral procedures will be carried out by the new king of Sedas.”

Frederick’s voice as he answered was somewhat softer. Compared to his attitude so far, it could almost be called gentle. However, Yerena paid no attention to the change in the person right in front of her. After wiping her tears with her sleeve and composing her face with her fingers, she completely turned her head toward Frederick, who seemed somewhat dazed.

“……Sir. Let me ask one more thing.”

“……”

“If I go to the Empire alive, will the others be safe? Will they no longer suffer at the hands of you horrible people?” 

Frederick snapped back to reality at the criticism of the imperial army, himself included. His chest rose and fell slightly as his face flushed, and he sharpened his tone.

“Where is there an army that behaves more politely in occupied territory? You still haven’t come to your senses, it seems.”

Yerena waited silently for an answer with her eyes downcast, despite his thorny voice. With her hands slightly clasped, she looked as forlorn as dawn mist dispersing. Feeling as if he was witnessing an ancient mural fading in the sunlight, Frederick was about to turn his back but instead heaved a deep sigh, turned his head sharply, and spoke.

“I’ll give you the answer you want to hear. If we take you back to the Empire, the kingdom will become somewhat free. Of course, it will still be under the Empire’s interference, but at least it won’t remain occupied by a foreign army as it is now.”

“……I see.”

Yerena didn’t show any particular reaction to Frederick’s words. But Frederick could tell. That the princess would now obediently follow their will.

“If you understand, then eat. In your current state, you’ll die on the way back to the Empire. Then the peace of the kingdom that you desire will also end, princess.”

He pulled the now-cold soup closer to the princess with a sound. Then he reached out his hand for the princess who might not know exactly where the food was.