RTTE 05

Chapter 5

Before the imperial palace, whose grandeur rose as high as the Empire’s lofty prestige.

…They’re taking their time.

Aksid narrowed his eyes as he stared at the palace gates.

The sun had already climbed high into the sky, yet there was still no sign that the gates would open.

Normally, when a delegation from another country visited, an honor guard composed of imperial knights would line up before the gates for a formal reception, or a representative of the imperial family would come out to greet them.

Leaving guests waiting outside the gates was something one might do to an envoy from an enemy nation.

“Your Highness, shall we simply break down the gates and enter?”

Kaidan asked, gripping the hilt of his sword.

Aksid answered shortly.

“We wait until they open.”

“But—!”

Just as Kaidan was about to voice his dissatisfaction, Aksid added in a firm tone, as though driving in a nail.

“Of course, we’ll have to make sure they decide to open them.”

Originally, Winterheim and the Wizer Empire had been allied nations, bound together by the friendship of their founders.

Even if the friendship between the two countries had faded over the long passage of time, basic courtesy was still expected.

More importantly, Winterheim was not a vassal state of the Empire. It was unquestionably an independent nation.

It seemed they intended to keep them waiting just long enough to dampen their spirits.

But Aksid had waited long enough.

As an allied nation, he had fulfilled every obligation courtesy demanded.

“Just give the order, Your Highness.”

Kaidan bowed, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Aksid, who had been silently watching the gates, finally gave his command in a voice as cold as ice.

“Tell them this. If they refuse to open the gates, I will personally go and take the Princess.”

He had not accepted this marriage proposal because he feared the Empire.

The Grand Duchy, which had served as humanity’s bulwark for generations, possessed strength that did not fall behind the Empire in the slightest.

He had merely accepted because he considered the Princess a suitable partner in a marriage arrangement.

He had no intention of tolerating any further disrespect.

Having received his orders, Kaidan approached the guard.

“I believe we’ve shown enough courtesy by now. Do you still have no intention of opening the gates?”

“We have not yet received orders from above.”

The guard answered arrogantly.

Perhaps he believed that being a gatekeeper of the imperial palace gave him considerable authority.

How dare he behave so pompously before them?

Kaidan casually ran his fingers along the hilt of his sword and smiled crookedly.

“That’s a problem. His Highness says that if the gates aren’t opened immediately, he’ll head straight for the Princess’s residence.”

The guard swallowed dryly.

Despite the playful smile on his face, a chilling killing intent radiated from Kaidan as he gripped his sword.

“Are you saying you intend to enter the imperial palace without His Majesty the Emperor’s permission?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

Once the Grand Duke had made his decision, the Empire had only two choices.

Open the way willingly.

Or have the gates broken through.

“C-Can you bear the consequences of such actions?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try us?”

They might have called each other allied nations, but in reality, their relationship was hardly better than that of strangers.

And yet they had come with only around fifteen knights.

What did that mean?

It meant the Empire posed no threat to them whatsoever.

Clink.

Kaidan drew his sword slightly.

At once, the knights who had been standing around leisurely straightened their postures as though they had been waiting for this very moment.

“……”

Their eyes gleamed like predators assessing their prey.

The atmosphere was so vicious that it seemed they might tear out someone’s throat at the slightest provocation.

The guard’s face turned pale.

He stumbled backward, then unconsciously turned his head toward Aksid.

Flinch.

Those black eyes were utterly emotionless and still.

A calm gaze, as though he were looking at an inanimate object, pressed heavily against the guard’s throat and stole his breath away.

The Grand Duke had not remained quiet because he had been intimidated by the Empire’s authority.

He had merely been watching.

That realization suddenly flashed through the guard’s mind.

Without realizing it, he took another step backward and raised a trembling hand toward the top of the wall, signaling urgently.

How long did that suffocating standoff continue?

Creeeak—

The massive gates, which had been tightly shut, finally began to open with a groan.

“Tsk.”

Having lost his chance to cause trouble, Kaidan clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“…You may enter.”

The guard lowered his spear, his face completely drained of color.

Only then was the path opened.

Aksid, who had remained silent behind them the entire time, slowly crossed through the gates.

More than a dozen knights followed behind him like shadows, carrying an ominous and threatening presence with them.

On this day in her previous life—

Lumiere had collapsed as though she had fallen into a swamp from which there was no escape.

As if the spectacular ruin of her first love had not been enough, she was now facing a marriage in which death awaited her.

“……”

Standing before the doors of the Grand Hall, engraved with magnificent patterns, she recalled that day.

The day she had been thrown to the floor in misery, like an animal being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

But more than anything else, what had pierced deepest into her bones was the fact that, until the very end, the man she had loved had seen her only at her ugliest and most pathetic.

The misery she had felt back then had gradually faded with time.

Creeeak…

As the doors slowly opened, it almost felt as though fragments of that day were flickering through the narrow gap.

She saw herself crawling across the floor of the Grand Hall like an insect, her body limp—

and then fainting the moment the Grand Duke appeared before her like the Grim Reaper.

Lumiere let out a short breath, brushing away the remnants of that memory.

Then, with eyes far clearer than before, she stepped inside.

“Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire, I have answered your summons as commanded. May I ask why you wished to see me?”

She smiled leisurely and performed a graceful bow.

The hall immediately fell silent, as though someone had poured cold water over it.

Only a month ago, she had looked little better than a living corpse.

Perhaps because she had gained some weight since then, despite the lingering traces of illness still visible on her face, there was now a strange vitality about her.

No one could take their eyes off her.

Not even Trovitan, who had once shuddered in disgust at the sight of her.

Is that really so surprising?

She had always worn dresses that hung around her like sacks, becoming the subject of ridicule.

And now she had appeared before them looking like an entirely different person.

How long did that peculiar silence last?

The Emperor clicked his tongue as he looked at Duke Trovitan, who stood frozen as though bewitched, before finally opening his mouth.

“A member of the imperial family attempting suicide? If dying was truly your wish, couldn’t you have waited just a little longer? If you possess even the slightest sense of shame, you should at least avoid making us dispose of your corpse inside the imperial palace.”

A faint sneer passed through Lumiere’s lowered violet eyes.

Who are you to lecture anyone about shame?

A man who had merely been fortunate enough to inherit imperial blood, yet allowed the country to rot through incompetent rule and tyranny.

“Your Majesty, I sincerely apologize for causing you concern through my foolish actions. For a brief moment, I allowed weakness to overcome me and brought disgrace upon the imperial family. However, such a thing will never happen again, so please set your mind at ease.”

“Yes. If you understand your mistake, then stop tarnishing the honor of the imperial family and leave. As it happens, your future husband has arrived.”

At the Emperor’s words, Lumiere slowly turned around.

Aksid von Winterheim.

Black hair fell naturally across his forehead.

Sharp, fiercely angled eyes.

A straight, high nose.

Lips pressed together with stubborn firmness.

Unlike the pale-skinned people of the Empire, the large man possessed bronzed skin.

He was walking into the hall alongside his knights.

“……”

Lumiere’s violet eyes rippled softly.

They had never exchanged even a single word in her previous life.

Yet perhaps because she had watched him for so long, seeing him now filled her with the strange warmth of greeting an old acquaintance—and an indescribable swell of emotion.

He looked as intimidating as though he had come to arrest a criminal.

And yet she was happy to see him.

“…Aksid von Winterheim. I am the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Winterheim in the North—and the man who will become your husband.”

The man finally stopped before her and extended his rough hand.

Unlike his usual preference for practical uniforms that allowed easy movement, today he was dressed formally.

…So that’s how it was.

He had actually cared about our first meeting.

A gentle warmth spread through her chest at the realization of something she had never remembered from her past.

Her eyes curved softly.

“My name is Lumiere von Wizer. Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you.”

How long had she waited for this meeting?

How happy was she to finally be here?

Her smile was so beautiful and bright that anyone could see it.

Aksid’s expression shifted ever so slightly at the sight of her.

But only for a moment.

“How utterly ignorant, just as one would expect from a barbarian. No matter how pleased you may be to see your bride, do you not even know that you must first pay your respects to His Majesty the Emperor?”

The sudden interruption froze the entire hall in icy silence.