When Frennila first arrived in the capital, she was struck by culture shock.
The towering stone walls that seemed impenetrable to any attack, and the spires that appeared to reach the very sky.
The market was filled with an overwhelming crowd, and the streets were bustling with people enjoying various fields of study and culture.
Werhig would have loved this.
Her sister had always admired the empire’s culture and longed to visit the capital.
Yet, here I am, visiting before her. Life is truly unpredictable.
However, what shocked her more than the cultural differences was the way the empire’s people viewed foreigners.
‘What’s with that outfit? Are you a foreigner? Get out of the store; you’re bad for business.’
‘I smell something strange. Is it because of them?’
‘Mom, look at that.’
‘Jiji, don’t look at that!’
The empire’s people looked down on foreigners with contempt.
Frennila understood why the empire’s citizens might look down on them.
Perhaps it was pride in living within such a grand civilization.
Although it was unpleasant, Frennila did not feel diminished.
She believed that living in harmony with nature was also admirable and splendid.
However, encountering direct discrimination was a different story.
“Refusal, you are refused!”
“Huh? Then you can’t enter. Are you okay with that?”
Frennila felt shame and humiliation.
At the checkpoint before the palace gates, she faced blatant discrimination.
Those who entered before her—nobles of the empire, servants coming and going, and diplomats from other kingdoms—were only subjected to a light inspection of their belongings.
She expected the same procedure.
“Take off all your clothes.”
But when it was her turn, the conditions changed.
The palace guard looked down at her arrogantly with a sinister expression.
Why only us?
If it were a rule applied to everyone, she might have understood.
But why were they subjected to different standards?
“Leave if you don’t like it. There are others waiting behind you!”
“Ugh.”
Frennila didn’t know what to do.
This was clearly an insult to them.
But it was also their loss, and holding back tears, she steeled herself.
With trembling hands, she began to undo her outer garments one by one.
“Hey, you bastards. Who told you to break the rules? Do you want to die?”
A boy with a gentle voice but harsh words stepped forward.
He stopped her from undressing and then approached the guards, delivering a swift kick.
“Ugh, why is the Third Prince here?”
“Ah! You, idiots. Are you out of your minds? Huh?”
Thud, thud, thud!
Rhythmically punctuating his words, the boy kicked the guards’ shins.
It seemed he was the empire’s Third Prince.
The guards, unable to lift their heads, were being beaten mercilessly.
Thanks to this, Frennila understood the situation.
There was actually a magical inspection device at the palace entrance that could check belongings without requiring anyone to undress.
Any ambiguous items were inspected by hand.
Though she wanted to protest thoroughly, she decided to let it go.
The immediate action taken by the Third Prince seemed more effective than anything she could do.
Thud, thud, thwack!
“Ugh, huff. If I catch you again, you’re really dead. Huff.”
The Third Prince, breathing heavily, issued a warning.
Though it didn’t seem dangerous, coming from a prince, it was no laughing matter.
The guards, though unharmed, repeatedly apologized with stiff expressions.
Thanks to this, Frennila and her group could enter the palace without further humiliation.
He could have ignored it, so why did he step forward to help us?
Frennila was curious but decided to simply be grateful without questioning her benefactor.
“Third Prince, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Frennila. Thank you.”
“Ah, don’t mention it. More importantly,”
As she bowed her head in thanks, the Third Prince brushed back his disheveled hair and spoke nonchalantly.
But something about the way he looked at her was slightly unsettling.
‘Is it because I’m a foreigner?’
He was the first person in the capital to show her kindness, but past experiences made her wary and shrink back.
However, contrary to her worries,
“Haniola, Frennila. Dianke.”
“…!!!”
In an instant, Frennila’s eyes widened in surprise.
Her awkward expression, trembling body, flushed face… and the tribal language, not the empire’s tongue.
All of it conveyed her emotions, and contrary to her worries, what came out of his mouth was,
“Nice to meet you, Frennila. Please take care of me.”
Though his accent was a bit rough, she could clearly understand. It was her native language.
Hearing her homeland’s language in a foreign land created an instant sense of familiarity.
Frennila, excited, clapped her hands lightly in delight.
She wanted to talk to him more.
But contrary to her wishes, the Third Prince, seemingly in a hurry, excused himself and disappeared into the palace.
Ah, he must be very busy.
It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do.
Watching his retreating figure, she said,
“Decalito Arastia, Kenneth.”
“Thank you for your help, Kenneth.”
Leaving her words of gratitude, she moved on to complete her tasks.
Perhaps after finishing her business, she could have a chance to exchange a few more words with him.
That was Frennila’s first encounter with Kenneth.
…Of course, the first encounter Kenneth remembered with her was when he was thrown into a boiling cauldron, but Frennila was unaware of that.
*
‘I almost died.’
It was a stroke of luck that he arrived just as Frennila was about to enter the palace.
Those damn guards almost created a life-or-death situation.
His heart was pounding.
Was it these kinds of incidents that piled up and made him want to overthrow the empire?
Even he thought the way the empire treated foreigners was too harsh.
He had taken three calming pills instead of two, chewing and swallowing them, but the tension from the sudden situation and the remembered fear of death couldn’t be overcome by mere pills.
Shiver, shiver.
While beating the guards, moving his body helped somewhat, but after calming down and facing her one-on-one, it felt like standing before a predator.
His breath caught, and his body wouldn’t obey.
He had learned some of her tribal language in his past life to gain her favor, but it was impossible now, so he quickly fled the scene.
The expressionless harbinger of death, Frennila.
Her emotionless gaze as she nocked an arrow was said to be a death sentence, earning her the nickname.
Still young, she had a gentle and elegant image, contrary to her fearsome nickname.
What had turned her into such a fearsome figure?
Or was she always like that, and he just hadn’t realized it yet?
With unanswered questions, he headed to the audience chamber.
*
“A plague, an unknown plague, is spreading. Please help us, I beg you.”
The girl pleaded for help, informing them of the dire situation in her homeland, but no one sympathized.
Instead of sympathy,
“Why should we help you? You filthy savages!”
“Do you think this is some safe haven? We allowed you to see His Majesty’s face because you voluntarily offered tribute, and now you make demands? Do you want to be imprisoned?”
“Have you forgotten the last incident? Shameless creatures. The filth is spreading, so get out of our land now!”
The empire’s nobles responded to the girl’s desperate plea with pure insults and mockery.
He wanted to gouge out their eyes and tell them to shut up, but he couldn’t.
Despite his preparations, he was still politically weak.
But thinking about it, it’s unfair.
I didn’t say anything, yet I’m being lumped together with them.
There’s nothing more unfair than being insulted just for belonging to the same group.
“I’ve heard the report. An unprecedented disease transmitted through human wounds.”
As Emperor Cadea III spoke, the chamber fell silent.
The emperor looked down at the foreign girl with an indifferent expression.
Above all, the supreme ruler’s judgment is absolute.
“Foreign girl. Your people are nothing more than a nuisance to our empire. Why should we help you? If you all die from the plague, it would be the most beneficial outcome for the empire.”
Emperor Cadea III rejected the girl’s earnest request.
Then, the eunuch beside the emperor stepped forward and issued the order to expel her.
“You should be grateful that His Majesty has granted you an audience. Foreigner, leave.”
The girl, who had come to the capital clutching at straws, was filled with despair.
Seeing that expression, a sense of crisis rang alarm bells in his head.
‘If only you had helped us back then!’
Now?
The lowest point, the perfect time to buy.
Honestly, from an outsider’s perspective, the emperor’s decision might seem wise.
Helping foreigners doesn’t guarantee future benefits for the empire.
If they disappear, it would remove a threat.
But they don’t disappear.
Somehow, they return stronger.
And their sharpened blades turn toward the empire.
“Your Majesty. May your son Kenneth dare to offer a humble opinion?”
Actually, it wasn’t okay.
Originally, only adult royals could participate in court meetings.
He had managed to attend under the pretext of observing, but anything more was an overreach, even for a royal.
But, even at the cost of overstepping, he needed to be involved with Frennila.
The emperor, who had been bored throughout the meeting, showed a hint of interest at his appearance.
“Permission granted.”
Unexpectedly, the emperor readily accepted his bold request.
“My opinion may contradict Your Majesty’s. But despite that, I wish to help them.”
He charged forward.