“Any other demands?”
"There's none."
Alicia answered without hesitation.
“Is that all?”
Cabelenus lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest.
Alicia glanced at him cautiously and nodded slowly.
"Pretending to be virtuous is foolish. Or perhaps the Princess of Neustein is deluded enough to think of herself as some noble priest, after having betrayed her father with her own hands?"
"I'm not pretending to be virtuous; I'm just being realistic."
"What if I told you I could do more for you?"
Born and raised as a natural conqueror, the man rarely spoke of mercy, but when he did, there was no falsehood in his words.
Cabelenus understood the weight of his words and always bore the consequences of what he said.
Whatever Alicia might ask for, he was ready to comply with most of it. Yet, Alicia's lips remained firmly sealed.
Eventually, unable to bear the silence, Cabelenus spoke first.
"Usually, when mercy is offered, people tend to ask for more."
"You said you might show mercy, but it’s not like I received a clear promise of anything specific. I don’t want to set myself up for false hopes."
Alicia's lips, chapped and cracked to the point of being scabbed over, let out a shallow breath.
Watching her, Cabelenus unconsciously clenched his fist.
“Why did you betray your father?”
Cabelenus uncrossed his legs and tilted his chin.
His upper body was leaning a little further forward than before.
"Because it wouldn’t end unless he died."
"Didn’t you consider fighting until the very end?"
"I thought that since this was a war we couldn’t win, it would be better for it to end quickly so that fewer people would die. And..."
Alicia’s eyes briefly twisted with emotion.
“And?”
Cabelenus asked in a low voice.
It was the same back then.
Those eyes left a deep impression on him.
They weren’t the eyes of a daughter betraying her father, but eyes filled with raw, desperate emotion.
The man was curious about that.
“…I wanted him dead.”
Alicia took a short deep breath and continued speaking.
"He was someone who deserved to die."
“Deserved to die?”
Cabelenus pressed Alicia for her answer once more.
However, this time no response came.
With her head lowered, she fell silent, seeming to have no intention of saying anything more. Unable to bear the heavy silence, the knights stepped forward.
Cabelenus stopped his men from intervening. His gaze remained fixed on one spot.
Her dishevelled hair, the humble clothes that could be mistaken for a maid’s, and her calloused hands — evidence of a hard life.
Cabelenus stared at this woman, who seemed so pitiful compared to the luxuries he possessed, before slowly raising his hand.
She was the first survivor since his conquest of Neustein Castle.
・・・・・
It had been a long time since she experienced warm water.
Alicia gazed at the steam filling the bathroom with hazy eyes, slowly wiggling her toes.
She moved her fingers around, then quietly observed the veins beneath her pale skin, before closing her eyes to listen to the steady thumping of her heartbeat.
She was alive.
All those who had struggled to live were dead, yet she, who had wished for death, was the only one to survive.
It was a life she found disgustingly tiresome.
Alicia’s head dropped weakly.
A woman with reddish-brown hair was reflected on the surface of the water, surrounded by floating rose petals.
‘His taste is peculiar. What does he hope to gain with this wretched body?’
Recalling the man who sat arrogantly on his throne, controlling everything with a single hand, Alicia let out a deflated laugh.
Rumours were already spreading that the princess of a fallen kingdom would warm the bed of the killer.
‘Maybe it’d be better to just bite my tongue and end it all.’
Her life, which she deemed worthless regardless of when it might end, could perhaps be better off ending now. But...
Alicia's gaze grew distant.
If it was going to be like this, she shouldn’t have made that promise.
It was an old promise that made even ending her life impossible
'If only I could fall asleep like this and never wake up.'
As her breath became so faint that it seemed it might cease altogether, Alicia curled up even tighter.
Thoughts and emotions kept flooding in, but she forced herself to ignore them.
From the start, the princess of a fallen kingdom did not have many choices.
・・・・・
“You may move now.”
The maid smiled as she looked at Alicia, now fully dressed.
Alicia stared at the mirror with a detached expression, showing little interest.
Every time she turned her head, the large pearls hanging from her ears tinkled.
The necklace that paired with the earrings emphasised her slender neck, and the soft fabric, which seemed like it would dissolve at the touch of the hand, revealed her body line, drawing the gaze.
Compared to her previous state, where it was unclear whether she was a maid or a princess, this was certainly an improved appearance.
"You are truly beautiful."
A lie.
Alicia let the maid's routine compliments pass in one ear and out the other.
Alicia knew her place all too well.
No amount of adornment could erase the traces of hardship in just a day or two.
Even with oils, Alicia's hair remained brittle, and her hands were no different.
Knock, knock—
The sound of knocking broke the silence, followed by the door opening.
Expressionless, Alicia rose from her seat.
A few armed soldiers entered the room.
“Are you ready?”
The soldier with a stiff beard like pig bristles asked.
The men blatantly looking down at Alicia were not looking at her as a person.
Their gaze was no different from that of someone appraising livestock.
What difference was there between herself and a beast now?
Alicia’s lips twisted slightly.
There was no reason to be offended in the first place.
The only thing that made her scoff was how obvious the intent behind her silhouette-revealing outfit was.
・・・・・
The room was eerily quiet.
Alicia glanced back at the tightly closed door.
As soon as she entered the room, the door shut tightly, as if it had been waiting for her.
Now, there was no place left for her to escape to.
Only after hesitating for a while and confirming that there was no sign of anyone in the room did Alicia finally take a step.
Of all places, it was this room.
Alicia nervously scanned the chambers.
It was the largest and finest room in the kingdom.
The space filled with luxuries so opulent they left one speechless was once a glory reserved for the ruler of Neustein. But now, that glory belongs to a foreign conqueror.
Alicia carefully perched on the edge of the bed.
The bed, stuffed with expensive cotton, was soft — an incomparable luxury to her straw-stuffed mattress.
Alicia sat down and stood up several times, unable to adapt to the unfamiliar sensation, and eventually sank to the floor.
Leaning against the bed frame, she gazed blankly at her reflection in the windowpane, hugging her knees to her chest.
Gazing at the unusually crimson sunset, even the cool breeze blowing through the open window seemed to reek of blood.
Why her, of all people?
The beauty of the princesses of Neustein was so renowned that even in foreign lands, their fame was widely whispered about.
If it were merely a woman he needed, it would have been better to spare her elder sisters.
Among the princesses, Elena was regarded as the most beautiful, so it was baffling that Alicia, who felt too plain to even deserve the title of 'Princess of Neustein,' would be chosen.
However, Cabelenus had sent the beautiful Elena to the guillotine and summoned Alicia to his bed.
‘Well, how could I ever hope to understand the mind of a killer?’
Alicia closed her eyes.
The bed frame against her back felt hard and cold.
But that was precisely what she was used to.
・・・・・
“My Lord, about that woman…”
“That woman?”
Cabelenus, resting his chin on his hand, signed the document.
After the large-scale purge, many became compliant.
Since it was not feasible to kill everyone in the first place, it was now necessary to start preparing for compromises.
“The Princess of Neustein.”
Before Gazeff could finish speaking, Cabelenus’s hand, which had been signing, came to a stop.
“What about her?”
"They say she is ready."
Gazeff gave an awkward smile at the golden eyes fixed on him.
Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since he began serving Cabelenus, dealing with his superior was still not an easy task.
Cabelenus von Schwarhan Blanche was a man with the eyes of a beast, always poised to seize his prey.
In the Blanche Empire, there was no one who didn’t know the significance of his name.
The Wolf of Schwarhan, Lord of the North, Blood-Crazed Killer.
Even though he was given countless nicknames, those names were proof of Cabelenus’s lineage.
Cabelenus was the ruler of Schwarhan, a land known as the ‘Land of Harsh Winters,’ and also a Blanche.
He was the second son of the late Emperor and the only brother of the current Emperor.
No matter his appearance, his noble blood remained unchanged.
“Where is she now?”
"I’ve had her sent to My Lord’s chambers for now."
“My chambers?”
Cabelenus’s voice dropped slightly.
However, the change was so subtle that even his loyal aide failed to notice it.
“Aren’t you going to take her?”
Gazeff spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
This was the same Cabelenus who had sent all the beautiful princesses of Neustein to the guillotine without a change in expression.
It was hard to fathom that he would take an interest in such a shabby woman.
But the man in front of him was Cabelenus.
A born ruler who was entitled to grasp whatever he desired.
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
“I beg your pardon, My Lord.”
At Cabelenus’s curt response, Gazeff quickly bowed and apologised.
"It seems I’ve been too rash. I’ll have the bedroom cleared right away."
Cabelenus hated repeating himself.
Rather than feeling regret over all his preparations going to waste, it was better to quickly remove the Princess of Neustein.
Gazeff turned to summon a servant.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Cabelenus, who had been silent, tilted his head slightly.
“What is the matter?”
Gazeff stood still, unable to discern his superiors’ intentions.
“Bring her here.”
It was after some time had passed that Cabelenus opened his mouth.
“You mean this place?”
“No.”
Cabelenus stroked his chin for a moment before standing up.
“I’ll go there myself.”
The Lord of the North was actually moving personally to see a princess of a fallen kingdom?
Gazeff instinctively narrowed his brow and observed Cabellenus, but he couldn't read anything from the man's impassive face.
・・・・・
Why was she sleeping like that instead of using the bed?
Cabelenus frowned slightly as he saw Alicia curled up asleep on the floor beside the bed. She was wearing nothing but a thin, translucent nightgown.
She was clearly a woman who was ready for a one-night encounter.
‘This woman can’t seem to present herself normally, not even once.’
Surely, she must have understood what such an appearance implied. Yet here she was, peacefully sleeping in the chambers of the man who had destroyed her nation.
From their very first meeting, he had sensed that there was something distinctly unique about this woman.
“Alicia Neustein.”
That was likely her name.
Cabelenus leaned his chin on his hand, recalling the name Gazeff had mentioned.
At that moment, Alicia's closed eyes trembled.
Even with her eyes heavy with sleep and a dazed look, there was still nothing beautiful about her gaze.
It was a colour that resembled rusted metal — dull and unattractive.
But her voice wasn’t so bad.
Though her voice was hoarse and low from sleep, Alicia's mumbled words rang in Cabelenus's ears as clearly as the sound of a bell.
That was why Cabelenus just silently stared at her.
“...”
“...”
Despite the sharp gaze fixed on her, Alicia couldn't shake off her drowsiness, blinking several times before her eyes snapped wide open.
The peculiar golden eyes with their narrow pupils still felt unfamiliar, but Alicia could not shake them from her memory.
Gasp.
Instinctively, Alicia tried to move back, but she bit her lip tightly when she felt her back touch the bed frame.
She quickly shut her mouth, barely stopping herself from screaming.
“When did you come — n-no, I mean…”
Unsure of what to say, Alicia's lips trembled several times before clamping shut.
Her back throbbed from the rough impact, but the gaze looking down at her consumed all her attention, leaving no room to feel the pain.
"You slept well."
Cabelenus tilted his head as he watched Alicia, who was silently screaming.
Alicia, unsure of how to handle the man whose expression she couldn't read, found herself nervously biting her lip. Suddenly, she realised something and gasped.
He was watching.
The moment Alicia registered what those eyes as if holding two suns, were focused on, her cheeks turned bright red.
Cabelenus’s gaze was fixed on Alicia's lips.
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