Chapter 6
I recognized the man’s identity immediately.
“…The smell of blood.”
He was the same man I had met three years ago, right after I killed the Pope.
His eyes still aren’t completely red.
Members of House Osbaldun of Blood only gained eyes as crimson as blood after taking a human life.
Yet even though he was already an adult, his eyes were still pink.
It made him seem as though he stood somewhere between a boy and a man.
His eyes were undeniably pink, but his black pupils stood out sharply in the center, giving him a gaze that was strangely gentle yet commanding.
His jet-black hair was so dark that it blended perfectly with the night.
Come to think of it… was this the time when House Osbaldun of Blood was wiped out by House Catobleta of Mist?
Ahak, probably the last survivor of his family, was dying right in front of me.
Even if I had killed the head of House Catobleta…
The family itself still existed, so Ahak’s fate wouldn’t have changed.
So he watched his parents, siblings, servants, and knights—everyone he had grown up with—die before his eyes…
I slowly let out a breath.
And despite all that… he still didn’t kill a single enemy because of his vow against killing?
…Huh?
A strange curiosity filled me as I looked at Ahak.
Breathing heavily, he stared up at me, who stood with the moon behind me.
“…So this is the day I die.”
His voice was low and rough.
Every time he opened and closed his eyes, the faint pink shimmered in the darkness.
Because I possessed jewel-like eyes myself, I often admired my own beauty whenever I looked into a mirror.
But perhaps…
His eyes were even prettier than mine.
“…Am I looking at a demon?”
His words dragged weakly.
Even from this distance, I heard him clearly.
Those who reached the highest level of swordsmanship developed abnormal senses.
I stopped idly swinging my legs.
Ahak’s gaze met mine.
Although he lay collapsed on the ground, barely able to move, his eyes still carried the dignity of a ruler.
That contradiction irritated me.
House Catobleta of Mist raised troublesome poison assassins.
The wounds left by their swords always looked as though the flesh had been burned.
I could see the scars that even his black uniform couldn’t hide.
Blood had pooled beneath him into a large puddle.
It doesn’t seem like he recognizes me.
Either he had lost too much blood and his mind was fading…
Or perhaps I simply hadn’t left much of an impression on him.
His eyes didn’t show recognition.
Only burning hatred.
I didn’t know what it felt like to watch your entire family be slaughtered.
Talesset had taken my mother and older sister from me…
But I had never witnessed everyone I loved die all at once.
I lightly jumped down from the castle wall.
“Do you believe in fate?”
“…?”
He had apparently already decided I was a demon.
He didn’t even question how an ordinary human could leap down from such a high wall so effortlessly.
“Haven’t you ever read stories about a princess in danger being rescued by a prince who appears at the perfect moment? Fairy tales like that are everywhere.”
Since I remembered we were the same age, I spoke casually.
Suddenly, I remembered what my maids had once whispered about Ahak.
“People say he’s the most honorable noble in the Empire.”
“Legend says only the most virtuous person can discover a holy relic, Miss.”
Those words overlapped with everything I had learned while studying holy relics.
Because I was wearing a pure white dress, the hem slowly turned red from his blood.
House Stelshernin was the richest family in the Empire.
The inheritance I had already received was unimaginably large by ordinary standards.
This dress was probably even more luxurious and expensive than the Empress’s wedding gown.
Yet I didn’t care.
I knelt on one knee so our eyes met.
Blood soaked into the muddy ground beneath us.
“Are you… human?”
“And if I’m not?”
I smiled brightly as I answered.
It felt like too much of a waste to simply let someone this handsome die.
I was rarely generous with compliments about appearance.
But Ahak was even more beautiful than my father.
“…”
His eyes had already become dull.
They were the eyes of someone whose consciousness was fading toward death.
Honestly, an ordinary person would have bled to death long ago from injuries like these.
I did hear that members of House Osbaldun of Blood recover unusually fast.
Thanks to the power flowing through his bloodline, he was somehow still alive.
I looked toward the forest behind him.
It was impressive enough that he had escaped the relentless pursuit of Catobleta’s poison assassins and made it this far.
Though he’ll still die in another five minutes.
Would it be too much to call it fate that I happened to find him?
“Should I save you?”
I asked gently as I brushed my palm across his cheek.
Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, staining my fingers.
Perhaps it was my imagination…
But even his blood seemed slightly pink.
Normally, when men saw me smiling warmly at them from this close…
They fell for me almost instantly.
So he really is saving himself until marriage.
Even while dying…
There wasn’t the slightest hint of attraction in his eyes.
I slowly withdrew my hand.
Then I raised it toward the sky.
As I sang a melody that sounded like a funeral hymn, something tore through the distant sky.
A phoenix flew toward us.
“Save him.”
The phoenix—a magical beast that only House Stelshernin of the Sun could tame—
Flapped its blazing wings.
Following my command, it shed a single tear over the man.
One drop was enough.
From that moment on, Ahak’s wounds began to heal.
After scattering flames from its wings, the phoenix elegantly flew away once more.
Its tears only appeared once every five years.
A single drop had cost five years.
But it guaranteed that the man would not die.
“…If you’re not a demon… then what are you…?”
I quietly looked at Ahak after he finally lost consciousness.
I brought the man back to my castle in the middle of the night.
“Oh my… he’s so handsome.”
Since his eyes were closed, none of them recognized Ahak immediately.
The emblem on his uniform that identified House Osbaldun of Blood had already burned away.
I didn’t bother telling them who he was.
“I picked him up because it felt like a waste to let him die.”
“You did the right thing, my Lady.”
“Handsome men deserve to live!”
Even my maids were unusual.
Despite me bringing home a man covered in blood, none of them seemed shocked.
I liked bright castles.
So even in the middle of the night, every room was brightly lit.
Magnificent chandeliers illuminated the spacious bedroom.
Trays overflowing with desserts covered the tables.
“Hmm… I had to take off his clothes because the blood had dried. That doesn’t count as harassment, does it?”
“Of course not, my Lady.”
“Even though he’s lying in your bed?”
“He’s the first man ever to lie in your bed. He should consider it an honor.”
The smiling maid was completely on my side.
While eating the cherry on top of my cake, I quietly looked down at Ahak.
Under bright light instead of darkness…
He looked even more dazzling.
He had the unmistakable elegance of true nobility.
Every feature of his face radiated wealth and refinement.
Well… he is the legitimate eldest son.
Looking at a man who had enjoyed every privilege since birth made me feel strangely complicated.
I had never looked at someone and thought,
His bone structure is beautiful.
But…
Even his body is beautiful.
His skin was covered with sword wounds.
Yet his elegant frame and lean muscles somehow made the scars seem less noticeable.
“I never thought the poison assassins of House Catobleta of Mist could make a mistake…”
As I touched the blue geometric pattern engraved across Ahak’s chest with my fingertip, it suddenly reacted.
Hummm—
The pattern pulsed.
A small cut appeared on my finger, as though I had been sliced by paper.
A bead of blood formed.
I casually sucked the blood from my fingertip.
“Is it a poison insect?”
“Yes. A particularly vicious one.”
“How did he end up being attacked by Catobleta’s poison assassins?”
“That’s enough curiosity.”
I smiled kindly.
Realizing she had crossed the line, the maid hurriedly lowered her head.
“Everything will happen according to your will, my Lady.”
House Catobleta was probably still searching for Ahak.
Keeping his survival secret was the safest choice.
After all…
I had gone to the trouble of protecting him.
If he died anyway, it would hurt my pride.
“It looks to be at least a Superior-grade poison insect.”
I calmly finished my diagnosis.
The Poison Insect of Mist.
It was a curse.
Without warning, it could suddenly turn its host into a murderous lunatic consumed by madness.
No one knew when it would activate.
Only one method of suppressing the poison insect was known.
But if Ahak truly intended to remain a virgin until marriage…
That method was useless.
I took Ahak’s hand and examined it carefully.
These calluses…
He’s held a sword for at least ten years.
If someone like him suddenly lost control because the poison insect awakened…
He might slaughter every servant inside my castle before dawn…
Then come for me.
A man who had spent his entire life refusing to kill…
If he finally went berserk…
I couldn’t even imagine how terrifying he would become.
Once the madness completely took hold, removing the poison insect became even harder.
“I only picked him up because I thought he might be useful.”
I stood up without hesitation.
The maids respectfully bowed.
“Shall we assign someone to care for him, my Lady?”
“That’s unnecessary.”
“Then…?”
“Put a collar around his neck.”
If the curse awakened in the middle of the night, it would be troublesome.
I needed a safety measure.
“As you command, my Lady.”
Cold sweat covered Ahak’s body as he hovered between life and death.
“This is the first time you’ve ever brought home a man, isn’t it?”
“He definitely doesn’t look like a slave.”
“He seems like the son of a very distinguished family.”
“As expected… even your taste in men is refined, my Lady.”
Even after I left the room, I could still hear the maids whispering in admiration.
All the rude ones had already died long ago.
The people who now served me were all completely loyal.
“My Lady.”
“Hm? Ah, thank you.”
I drew the Rose Sword from the scabbard the knight handed me.
Then I touched the tip of the blade to the bloodstained hem of my dress.
The crimson blood flowed into the sword.
My white dress instantly became spotless again.
“Close the castle gates.”
“And release the guard hounds into the mountains.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“It rained all day yesterday.”
“There will be heavy fog tomorrow.”
I looked out into the dark night beyond the window before turning away.
Since I had given Ahak my own bed…
I planned to sleep in another room instead.
