Chapter 1

On the continent, one of the greatest powers was the Paveln Empire.

Among its imperial family was one particularly unusual man.

His name was Kite von Grasias.

The younger brother of the late emperor and the Grand Duke who guarded the northern frontier, he was famous for three things.

The first was his extraordinary swordsmanship, so great that people called him the Empire’s Sword.

The second was his angelic beauty.

And the third…

He was known as the Empire’s Mad Dog and a walking disaster.

His personality was absolutely terrible.

His face looked like an angel’s, but everything he did was closer to that of a devil.

He would break someone’s arms or legs over a trivial argument, and he had even started bloody conflicts after clashing with foreign envoys.

His reputation suited him perfectly.

Because of that, everyone who approached him because of his handsome appearance eventually ran away.

And yet…

Apparently, there was still someone reckless enough to try.

Looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling, Kite muttered,

“What kind of perverted bastard pulled this stunt?”

He didn’t know what had been done to him, but he seemed to have been asleep for quite some time.

Normally, he suffered from severe insomnia and barely slept at all.

Since he had finally gotten a proper night’s sleep for the first time in a long while, his head felt unusually refreshed.

That didn’t make him feel any better.

After all, falling asleep had not been his choice.

He slowly sat up and looked down at himself.

The first thing he noticed was the grotesque pair of handcuffs tightly locking his wrists.

They were made from thick, solid metal, but the inside was lined with soft fur.

The problem was…

The fur was bright pink.

A ridiculous shade of pink that would stand out no matter where it was placed.

He couldn’t believe such a color even existed.

Even less that he was wearing it.

A curse escaped his lips.

It certainly wasn’t the sort of language an imperial prince and Grand Duke should use.

But Kite couldn’t have cared less.

He finally calmed down only after shouting more than half the swear words he knew.

First, I need to get out of here.

With that thought, Kite immediately put all his strength into his arms.

Nothing happened.

Neither the handcuffs nor the chains attached to them moved even the slightest bit.

Anyone trained in swordsmanship naturally learned hand-to-hand combat as well.

On top of that, Kite had always been exceptionally strong since childhood.

Yet no matter how much force he used, the restraints remained completely unmoved.

Apparently, they weren’t made of ordinary metal.

Something like this isn’t easy to obtain.

Whoever had kidnapped him had clearly prepared for it.

He had wiped out every fool who had ever tried to challenge him before.

Yet somehow, another fearless idiot had appeared.

“So that’s how it is.”

His reddish lips slowly curled upward into a smile.

It was such a beautiful smile that it seemed capable of brightening the room.

But it was nothing more than poison.

Anyone who knew him would have fled in terror, convinced that a demon had descended.

Because whenever Kite smiled…

Hell always followed.

Many people’s lives had been ruined after seeing that smile.

That was why they always said,

“No matter how beautiful he is, you should never get involved with that crazy bastard, Kite.”

***

A quiet prayer echoed through an empty hallway.

The one praying was Evelyn, the only granddaughter of the late Baron Frilly.

“Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother… who are in heaven.

Lord Arunda, who created this world.

Lord Grasen, the founder of the Empire.

And every other god that exists in this world…

Please… bless me.”

She called upon everyone she could think of.

Her grandparents.

Her parents.

The Creator God.

The Founding God.

Every deity whose name she knew.

But no matter how desperately she prayed…

Reality refused to change.

Evelyn leaned her forehead against the wall.

Thunk!

Pain shot through her head.

At the moment, she preferred the pain.

She didn’t want to face reality.

Because behind the thick wall…

He was there.

The Empire’s Mad Dog.

Grand Duke Grasias.

I was lucky.

A woman with no power, no money, and no influence had actually managed to kidnap him.

…Or maybe she was unlucky.

If she had really been lucky, she would have failed.

Why did someone like him even get captured?

She wanted nothing more than to cry.

“Grandfather… was this really the right choice?”

She wished she could ask her grandfather.

Though by now…

He was peacefully resting beneath the earth.

***

Evelyn’s life had once been peaceful.

There had been a time when she suffered greatly after losing her parents.

But not long afterward…

Her grandfather came for her.

And he raised her.

Baron Frilly wasn’t wealthy, so they couldn’t live like proper nobles.

But Evelyn didn’t mind.

Her parents hadn’t been well-off either.

She was perfectly content.

Besides…

Her grandfather knew a great many things, and he taught her everything he could.

How to hunt animals in the wilderness for meat.

How to tell edible plants from poisonous ones.

How to dispose of corpses.

How to build traps.

All kinds of practical skills necessary for survival.

He also taught her how to read and gave her a proper education.

He was such a kind and gentle grandfather.

Evelyn loved him dearly.

But happy days didn’t last as long as she had hoped.

He had simply grown too old.

She gathered every medicine and health tonic she could find for him.

But nothing could stop time.

“I don’t have much time left.”

Every time he said those words, it felt as though her heart were breaking.

As she gently held his frail hand, now thin as a dry branch, she secretly wiped away her tears.

“No.

You’re going to live for a very, very long time, Grandfather.”

Whenever she said that…

He would smile with a strange expression.

“Come to think of it…

Have I ever told you that story?”

“What story?”

She had heard it well over a hundred times.

Even so, she pretended not to know.

Then her grandfather continued.

“The story of Grand Duke Grasias.”

“No.”

“Then I should tell it to you.

Back when I fought on the battlefield…

Grand Duke Grasias saved my life.

It was a tremendous kindness.”

As he searched through his memories, the old man slowly closed his eyes.

“Yes…

It was during winter.

The snow was falling while we fought the barbarians at the Iron Wall.”

The story went on for quite some time.

She had heard it so often that she could practically recite it herself.

Still…

She enjoyed listening.

Some parts didn’t quite match up anymore.

But she didn’t care.

Her grandfather looked so happy while telling it.

“But…

Wouldn’t the Grand Duke have still been very young back then?”

“He was.

But the imperial family carries the blood of the gods.

Among them…

The Grand Duke inherited that divine blood more strongly than anyone.”

Whenever Evelyn asked questions, her grandfather eagerly answered them.

Then, as though something had suddenly come to mind, he told her something he had never mentioned before.

“If…

I should die…

Leave this place.

I’ve hidden your belongings in the cabin we often visited.

I don’t have much wealth…

But others will still covet what I own.

I want you to live freely.

And if you can help Grand Duke Grasias…

That would make me even happier.”

“You’re not going to die!”

Evelyn protested.

But her grandfather merely smiled.

Eventually…

Those peaceful days came to an end.

***

On the day her grandfather was buried…

Their relatives arrived.

Their eyes shone red with greed as they stared at Evelyn.

Thinking he might have hidden away some fortune…

They searched every corner of the mansion.

Their greed was horrifying.

And at that moment…

Evelyn understood.

I have to do exactly as Grandfather told me.

She went to the cabin.

Inside the hidden bag were money, various tools…

And a letter.

***

We are special people.

That was how the letter began.

Long before the Empire was founded…

There had once been a tribe that worshipped the God of Prophecy.

The people of that tribe possessed the ability to see the future.

As time passed, the tribe disappeared into history.

Their blood mixed with that of ordinary people.

Their power gradually weakened.

Even so…

The bloodline survived.

Once in every generation…

A single child was born with the gift of seeing the future.

In my generation, that person was your grandmother.

The next one… was my son.

Only then did Evelyn finally understand.

The meaning behind the strange dreams she had always had.

The things she saw in those dreams…

Eventually happened in reality.

Sometimes they didn’t.

But only because the places she dreamed about were somewhere far away from where she lived.

As a child…

There had simply been no way for Evelyn to know that.