Ihis held her cheek, which was beginning to swell red, and looked at Mahie.

Violence like this was extremely familiar to her.

Whenever things did not go the way he wanted, he would always take his anger out on Ihis.

It did not particularly affect her, either.

She only thought that she wished the throbbing pain in her cheek would quickly fade.

“D*mn it!”

As if his anger had still not subsided, Mahie began huffing and puffing alone like a wild bull.

Ihis quietly kept her mouth shut and waited for his next words.

After spitting out a few more curses, Mahie suddenly grabbed her by the collar.

“Did you find out absolutely nothing? Is what Cahilid said really true?!”

“Ugh…… Yes…… That really was all.”

When Ihis had said she wanted to go to the dinner, at first, that was what he had thought.

If Cahilid had an illness that needed to be cured, Mahie could use it as a weakness, and he could also use Ihis to build trust with him.

But he had been mistaken.

Cahilid’s illness was not that serious, and above all, he had never imagined he would have to move Ihis’s residence somewhere close to him.

He had already intended to restrain himself from t*rture for the time being now that Cahilid had just arrived, but……

What if Cahilid kept looking for Ihis like this?

Could Cahilid be acting this way in order to coax Ihis and obtain information from her?

When it came to lacking trust in each other, Cahilid and Mahie were exactly the same.

“Ihis.”

Mahie released the hand gripping her collar and seized Ihis by the shoulders.

“You did not say anything unnecessary, did you? About the things you are doing to help me, for example.”

Father, Cahilid already knows everything.

“Yes.”

Ihis forced herself to hold back the hollow laugh that threatened to escape and answered.

“I merely treated his body.”

Mahie’s eyes, fixed on her, were heavy with deep distrust.

It was only natural.

Even after hearing those brainwashing words—the glory of Erbereje—tens of thousands of times, Ihis had always suffered.

And the one who knew that better than anyone was Mahie himself.

So he must know as well.

He must know just how joyful Cahilid’s proposal was for his daughter.

“The glory of Erbereje.”

Mahie seemed to bite his lip for a moment, then continued with an extremely serious face.

“Do not forget that it alone is our purpose, our hope, and the dream we must achieve.”

He dressed it up in plausible words, but……

“If you refuse to follow my will, I will not let you off, no matter how useful you may be.”

In the end, it was nothing more than a threat.

“Watch Cahilid. He was the one who requested this first, so unless something extreme happens, you should not draw much suspicion. If he seems to be plotting something or contacting the outside, report it to me immediately.”

To Mahie, Cahilid was his only justification for rebellion.

But for Cahilid, that was not the case.

It was impossible to know when another family on bad terms with House Erbereje might approach him.

In other words, there was a high chance he might betray them.

“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“Do not worry. When have I ever gone against your wishes, Father?”

Mahie still did not seem to fully trust her, but he released the hands gripping her shoulders and shouted loudly.

“Aila!”

No sooner had he spoken than Aila, who had been waiting outside, entered the study.

She was the maid Mahie had assigned to her earlier.

“From now on, you will be responsible for looking after Ihis.”

He said looking after, but what he meant was watching her.

This much could not be helped.

Ihis silently looked at Aila as the maid bowed her head to her.

“Help her move rooms. Make it look as presentable as possible. Cahilid will be visiting.”

“Understood. Let us go, Princess.”

Ihis slowly followed Aila and thought,

……Mahie Erbereje.

The glory of Erbereje that you dream of so desperately will, in the end, vanish like foam.

And it will be by Cahilid’s hand.

What kind of father was he?

Even Cahilid had not expected it.

That the witch of Erbereje would help him in this way.

“Father beat a dog in front of me and wounded a cat. Perhaps those children knew that one wrong move could kill them, because even in front of Father, who was so much larger than them, they screamed with all their strength and bared their claws.”

“Ha.”

As Cahilid mulled over what Ihis had said, he let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.

In my eyes…… you look the same, Lord Cahilid.

“What a sharp-eyed wench.”

No one had ever said such a thing to Cahilid.

Because everyone had only ever feared him.

It had been that way when he lived in the Imperial Palace, and it had remained that way after he came out into the world.

A sword he wielded mercilessly against anyone who got in his way, regardless of age or gender.

And on top of that, the unique sense of intimidation that overwhelmed everyone around him.

No matter who looked at him, Cahilid was a ruler who stood above others, not some worthless husk who merely followed someone else.

And yet she dared say something like that to me?

She could not have been unaware that whether I sent assassins or acted personally, I could get rid of her.

And yet Ihis, promising that she would not cause him any harm, seemed so terribly naive that Cahilid found it absurd.

“It’s not as if I have anything to lose.”

The fact that Ihis’s healing power had an effect even on his rampaging magic was a completely unexpected gain.

Had she not even hidden that fact from Mahie?

Ihis was clearly useful enough to him.

So he would continue watching her.

The excuse of an illness that did not even exist was for his own sake.

To monitor whether she would reveal anything about his magic to Mahie, and to find out what true intentions she was hiding.

Of course, it was not as though he had no guess at all.

I want House Erbereje……

Those words of Ihis’s, which had been cut off by Mahie’s appearance.

“To escape?”

No matter how much she was called the witch of Erbereje, surely she would not want to live by carving off pieces of her own flesh and feeding them to others under her father’s coercion.

Surprisingly, Cahilid understood that feeling well.

Because there had been a time when he, too, had lived that way.

“After making full use of my magic until now, you intend to throw me away?”

Use? That is far too narrow-minded a way to think of it, Cahilid.

Once, long ago.

“Who was it that gave usefulness to you, born so wickedly, and helped you preserve your life? It was me. Your father. The master of this Empire!”

The Emperor.

As Cahilid recalled the conversation he had once had with his father, his face turned as cold as ice.

“If you gave usefulness to me, born wicked, then are you not a human being even more wicked than I am? I was the one who helped you preserve your life. I dealt with nobles who dared to climb beyond their station, and I even used my magic to act as your assassin.”

“Drag that wretch out!”

“Drag him out.”

“Kill him.”

“Now!”

At his father’s voice, which kept echoing in his ears like a refrain, Cahilid frowned in irritation.

Unfortunately for the Emperor, however, Cahilid had escaped the Imperial Palace without any difficulty.

“No matter where he runs, track him down. Find him, no matter what……!”

In the first place, it was not true that he had been cast out of the Imperial family.

Cahilid had left the Imperial Palace of his own will.

“Yes……”

In the end, no one would be able to stop him.

No one would be able to go against his will.

Cahilid believed that without the slightest doubt.

Except……

Ihis Erbereje.

The woman who had slipped into his otherwise perfect plan.

Only that woman was the variable.

Far in the distance, beyond the window.

As Cahilid watched Ihis enter the main building, carefully hugging her few belongings to her chest, his red eyes gleamed.