Blayden lifted his upper body from the chair’s backrest and pushed the wooden cup on the table toward her.
“Drink. It’s strawberry tea.”
Leni instinctively shook her head.
“No, thank you.”
“If you want to see your father, drink it.”
Her heart fluttered.
“If I drink it, will you take me to my father?”
It felt like she had seen a single ray of light in the darkness, but Blayden didn’t answer.
Anyway, she had no real choice.
If she resisted without drinking, she might suffer worse.
Thinking of Blayden, who had dragged her to the table, Leni hesitated but then lifted the cup.
The cool tea was sweet and slightly tart.
After taking just one sip, her guard lowered, and she gulped it down quickly.
She hadn’t realized it, but her body had been thirsty.
Setting the now-empty cup down, Leni licked her lips.
A sigh escaped her, and at that moment, her eyes met Blayden’s.
His blue eyes suddenly darkened, and goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.
Leni bowed her head and placed the cup in the corner of the table.
“Where is my father? Is he alright?”
She clasped her hands together, hoping for mercy, but only silence came in response.
Leni waited.
This was not the time to act recklessly.
She had to avoid provoking him.
If she could meet her father, she was willing to be as obedient as needed.
She would even kneel if necessary.
The thought was so dreadful it brought tears to her eyes.
Only the sound of burning candles filled the room.
Cautiously, Leni raised her head.
Her eyes met Blayden’s dark gaze.
He stared at her leisurely but persistently, as if waiting or calculating something.
It was ominous.
“You drank the tea, so you’ll meet your father…”
Leni opened her mouth, but her tongue tangled.
Suddenly, her head felt heavy, and a dizzy pain crushed her crown.
“Ah…”
She clutched her head.
The world spun around, her vision blurred.
Her legs gave way, and as she collapsed to the floor, her heart shattered.
I was deceived.
He’s not my savior.
My father… was just bait.
Leni struggled desperately to get up, but her consciousness grew hazy.
Beyond her heavy eyelids, luxurious portraits of the king and queen blurred.
Blayden lifted the limp Leni and laid her on the bed.
The sleeping potion he added to the tea worked quickly.
Maybe because she was small and fragile, the dose was quite strong.
If things went as expected, she’d be out cold until dawn.
“You were so fierce, but when you sleep, you’re so gentle.”
Blayden gave a bitter smile as he looked down at Leni’s peaceful, closed face.
“I’ll kill you!”
The cheek cut by the pin still stung.
The attack from this tiny girl had shaken him to his core.
Who are you?
Because of the curse he’d had since age seven, his body didn’t feel pain.
Even when whipped or burned with a branding iron, he felt nothing.
Having grown that way, when he went to war, no weapon frightened him.
Sword, spear, arrow — they might kill him, but they couldn’t hurt him.
People unaware of his secret whispered that the spirit of war had possessed him.
But the wound from this small hand seemed to set his blood boiling.
He nearly showed weakness in front of those who despised him.
How did such a small hand break through the protective barrier surrounding his body?
Leni didn’t seem aware of the incredible power she had over him, which made it more suspicious and unsettling.
There were rumors that Martin Skalson had learned shadow spirit dark magic.
Since he was supported by King Tigrinu and possessed superhuman magic, no one dared touch him.
Maybe he even taught magic to his daughter.
Even if this little girl used magic, it still didn’t fully explain things.
He had been attacked before by all sorts of spirits.
He’d even been hurt by wolves controlled by shadow spirits.
Despite serious wounds, he felt no pain, which only worried those around him more.
He found it suspicious that she wandered through the castle’s secret passages and was generally troublesome.
Maybe he needed to keep her close and watch her for a while.
“You always scratch where it itches whenever we meet.”
Blayden recalled the first day he saw Leni.
Five years ago, in the spring at Zeto Square, he was surrounded and beaten by young nobles of Aequilium.
Though he would have easily defeated them one-on-one, these kids, backed by their family’s influence, ran wild.
He just curled up from the kicks flying at him from all directions.
He ignored the insults and gritted his teeth even when animal excrement was dumped on him.
The way for the weak to survive is to become utterly weak — to wear the mask of a foolish, fragile, and cowardly person.
Until the opportunity for revenge ripens, that mask must never be revealed.
Those were the days he held a knife in his heart and kept quiet in the shadows.
It was then that Leni stepped up for him.
Among the people who took pleasure in watching his misfortune, she ran out and shouted,
“Why are you hitting him? What crime has he committed?”
The crime of losing a war.
The crime of losing a kingdom.
The crime of having a tyrant father.
The crime of being born after his mother was killed.
If you count it, there were many sins.
But the child protected him as he bowed his head in self-loathing.
“If he’s guilty, let him stand trial. It’s cowardly for many to bully one.”
Was she brave or reckless?
This child who worried about her own safety, wanting to help someone treated like a bug — what did she believe in to be so bold?
Blayden brought his hand to Leni’s face.
Her flushed cheek was warm.
“Solenia Radelyon. So that’s your name.”
Thinking of the girl who dreamed of romance and passion in the forest, longing for her first kiss, he let out a bitter laugh.
She should have lived reciting beautiful lines in pretty clothes.
Didn’t I warn you?
If you meddle in others’ affairs, your life will be short.
After chasing off the attackers five years ago, Leni approached his bloodied self.
“Are you okay?”
He disliked the white cloak wrapped around her small body.
He stepped back, afraid his dirty hands would stain it.
But Leni came closer and willingly offered her hand.
She checked his wounds and filth with concern.
“You seem badly hurt. Should I take you to a doctor?”
He couldn’t say a word and only looked at the black spider emblem embroidered on the hem of the pure white cloak.
Even then, your hand was warm.
He should have just pushed her away and turned around.
Why did he lift his head to look at you?
He shouldn’t have known those kind eyes.
He often remembered those eyes that teared up on the battlefield.
Thinking of you made him want to survive and greet tomorrow.
“What I want is an apology. Not money.”
Right.
You probably didn’t understand the meaning behind the gold coin I offered.
Such things are meaningless!
Blayden withdrew his hand from Leni’s face.
Three days after meeting her, the war began.
On the battlefield, he heard soldiers talk about the Skalson troupe.
The white cloak decorated with black spiders was a symbol of royal patronage.
Her beautiful and mysterious violet eyes.
He never considered that brief encounter fate.
He had no time to keep the kindness of a nameless girl in his heart.
Someone like you could have been executed without regret.
“You are the one who tried to kill the princess! You needed the excuse of rebellion to stop her marriage, didn’t you?”
Suddenly, their fates became entangled.
Ha!
To accuse the prince of murder before all the high officials!
Because of your naïveté, my own situation has become desperate.
The prince made me a scapegoat to avoid the stigma of betrayal.
Kalian Olaus, pretending to worry about his sister in front of nobles.
He’s no longer an innocent boy.
In this hateful silence, in this foolish slave, just when I was sighing that the war was over, my luck turned bad before I could even stretch my legs.
What’s done is done.
Since I survived, dream a sweet dream, kid.
This is as far as I’ll cut you any slack.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe in kindness without a price.
Blayden pulled a pass from Leni’s sleeve.
After confirming she had fallen asleep, he got up and blew out the candles covered with copper lids one by one.
Soon, the silence in the darkened room sharpened.
Bathed in moonlight by the window, Blayden crossed the creaky old floor.
A section of the wall in the corner opened, swallowing his shadow.
When the wall closed, only the sound of quiet breathing filled the room.
***
Kalian, accompanied by four royal guards, crossed the tranquil Quiesa Garden bathed in moonlight.
Following a step behind him was Boren, the priest.
After passing the Tower of Time and crossing the arched stone bridge over the pond, a grand granite building appeared.
It was the Tarsewin Temple, where priests and priestesses resided.
Two wolf statues stood guard at the temple entrance.
Kalian washed his hands with the water flowing from the wolves’ mouths and entered the temple.
In the innermost room at the highest part of the temple, Martin Skalson lay on a bed.
Seeing Martin lodged here, Kalian asked Boren, who stood behind him,
“Do these two have some connection?”
“When Sir Skalson was a warrior of the Aequilium tribe, I was the royal messenger for King Kiabek Odin. We often met for various negotiations.”
Martin tried to sit up.
Kalian motioned for him to remain lying down and approached the bed.
“I heard you lost consciousness.”
“Yes. On my way back from an audience with Your Majesty, I felt dizzy and collapsed.”
Martin’s voice was hoarse, but he forced himself out of bed and bowed properly.
“How long did you stay in His Majesty’s chamber?”
“Long enough to play a game of chess. It was a close match.”
If the players were evenly matched, that would have been quite some time.
“I heard His Majesty also collapsed. How is His condition?”
At Martin’s question, Kalian gave Boren a displeased look.
Officially, Tigrinu was said to be weakened and had retired early from the banquet.
This was a measure to prevent unrest among the nobles.
Yet Martin Skalson seemed to know the king’s true state.