Chapter 5
“Ah… I was told it was all right for me to take a walk.”
I didn’t sense her presence at all.
That was strange.
Normally, his senses became even more sensitive after an attack.
Carion relaxed the tension between his brows.
“It is rather early.”
“I usually wake up early.”
Without another word, Carion turned and began walking away. Leah hurried after him.
“Your Highness!”
Just as she was about to catch up with him, he stopped and turned around, causing the two of them to nearly collide.
Carion quickly caught Leah by the wrist as she stumbled backward.
Once she regained her balance, an awkward silence lingered between them for a moment.
Carion released her and asked,
“…I heard there are two princesses in Zephyros. Which one are you?”
“I am the only princess of Zephyros.”
“That isn’t what I heard.”
“There is only me now.”
The information Carion knew about the Kingdom of Zephyros was several years old.
What happened in the meantime?
“I need to take this walk alone. I would appreciate it if you would give me some space.”
“…Yes. I won’t disturb you.”
After she left the courtyard, Carion turned around.
He looked down at his hand and slowly clenched and unclenched it.
What was that feeling?
The moment he grabbed her wrist, a refreshing sensation had enveloped his entire body, making it easier to breathe.
Had it merely been his imagination?
Carion forcibly suppressed the urge to chase after Leah and grab her again to find out.
The delegation from the Kingdom of Zephyros arrived at Poema’s Echoing Fortress, one of the Imperial military bases in the northeastern region.
They quietly entered the fortress accompanied by the guards directly under the Commander-in-Chief, who had come out to escort them from afar.
Only a few members of the delegation were escorted to the residence, where they were able to meet Leah.
“Princess!”
“Penny!”
The two embraced, rejoicing at their reunion.
“You’ve been through a lot, Penny. This is your first time coming this far after leaving the kingdom, isn’t it?”
“Are you worried about what I’ve been through? You’re the one who’s never been this far before.”
“Hm? Ah… Right. This is my first time, too.”
“Are you all right? You didn’t run into any trouble coming all this way alone, did you?”
“I’m perfectly healthy, and I’ve been doing well here. I even left a letter telling you not to worry about me.”
“One letter isn’t enough to make everything okay! I was worried sick the entire journey here.”
Leah soothed Penny as she poured out her complaints, then turned toward Kassim.
Seeing how he seemed to have aged ten years in the meantime, Leah felt sorry.
Kassim let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“I can only thank God that I have the privilege of seeing you safe and sound, Princess. If my presence displeases you, please ask Her Majesty to remove me from your service. I would rather withdraw in disgrace than commit the disloyalty of failing to protect you.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the sword and shield of our royal family and kingdom. You have no idea how much I trust and rely on you. I took action precisely because I trusted you.”
“I am relieved to hear that you at least realize you caused quite a stir.”
Leah smiled brightly and, just as she had when she was a child, slipped her arm through Kassim’s.
Kassim tried to maintain a stern expression, but his face had already softened.
“Princess. Did you successfully resolve the important matter that brought you to Poema first?”
“Ah, that…”
Leah gave an awkward smile.
“It is still in progress. I’m sorry for acting on my own.”
“Her Majesty entrusted the entire mission of this delegation to you, Princess. We are merely here to follow your orders.”
If not for Leah, the Kingdom of Zephyros would have met a miserable end.
Therefore, Kassim had no objection whatsoever to Leah being the representative of the delegation tasked with carrying out a mission on which the kingdom’s fate depended.
“Sir, there’s something I need your help with.”
“Just say the word.”
“Request an audience with His Highness the Prince and arrange an appointment. However, I will go alone.”
Carion headed toward the conference room with only three of his closest aides.
Since the Zephyros delegation had requested an audience, he had to meet with them at least once.
But this would be the first and last time.
“As soon as the audience is over, assign a few soldiers and send the entire delegation to the capital.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The moment Carion opened the conference room door and entered, he stopped.
Fwoosh—
A gentle breeze brushed across his face.
He felt a sense of déjà vu.
He had definitely experienced something similar recently.
Just as before, he turned his head in the direction of the wind.
For an instant, the muscles between Carion’s brows twitched.
The Zephyros princess was standing where his gaze fell.
She had been sitting alone at the table, but now she rose.
“Your Highness. The King of Zephyros has entrusted me with the entirety of this delegation’s mission. I am the delegation.”
Carion stared at her with an uncomfortable expression before walking in and taking the seat opposite her.
His adjutant, Cedric, intelligence officer Orbin, and captain of the guard, Luke, entered with him and took up positions at an appropriate distance.
“I have only one thing to say to the representative of the Zephyros delegation. I will provide an escort to ensure that you arrive safely at the Imperial capital.”
“Will Your Highness be accompanying us?”
“I will not.”
Carion answered quickly. He did not want to give that princess any room for hope.
“Are you truly saying that you will have absolutely no involvement in the Kingdom of Zephyros’s journey to present its flag to His Majesty the Emperor?”
“I have already made my position clear to the princess, and I have no intention of changing my mind.”
“The Kingdom of Zephyros has great symbolic value. Our becoming a vassal state would be the completion of this glorious Empire. If Your Highness acts as the mediator, it would be a great achievement for you. Surely you understand that.”
“I already made myself clear. Accomplishing great deeds is of no interest to me.”
“Then please say it plainly. Are you saying that you would rather give up a great achievement than marry me?”
For a moment, Carion flinched at the force behind Leah’s voice.
But…
He had no intention of seeking achievements.
He did not want to gain the Emperor’s favor, nor did he want to attract attention.
Carion had no attachment whatsoever even to his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast.
He had only accepted the position because he knew that if he had nothing in his hands, people from every direction would rush in to tear him apart.
That was what it meant to be one of the Emperor’s five sons when the succession had not yet been firmly decided.
All he had to do was answer yes to her question.
It was the best way to put an end to this troublesome war of nerves.
Yet even knowing that, the words refused to leave his throat.
He could not shake the memory of encountering her in the courtyard at dawn.
What had that strange sensation been?
Would he understand it if he grabbed her arm again?
“…It has nothing to do with marriage.”
Leah thought his words made no sense.
He really doesn’t want to earn achievements? He says he isn’t interested in power, so why don’t his words match his actions? He’ll do the job well, won’t he?
Ten years later, the northeastern region of the Empire that Leah knew from the future was being managed stably, unlike the southwest, where rebellions had broken out repeatedly.
In the northeast, the Commander-in-Chief was an object of awe, completely separate from the eccentric nicknames outsiders had given him.
That was why Enoch, who eventually became Emperor, had killed him.
There had been signs that the reputation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast was beginning to threaten the authority of the Emperor.
“You simply have no intention of achieving anything… How reckless and selfish of you.”
Gasp.
The three men standing behind the prince involuntarily let out startled breaths.
“If an achievement is right there for the taking, something His Highness could obtain simply by reaching out his hand, does refusing it really make you proud? Is it just self-satisfaction?”
“Princess.”
“If I join hands with another prince, that prince will gain something, while Your Highness will lose something. And it isn’t only Your Highness who loses. The people serving under you lose, too. Someone of your position as Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast isn’t alone, after all. You have to think about the people whose fates are bound to yours.”
Carion spoke in a cold tone.
“You certainly aren’t afraid, Princess.”
“I was told that, for someone who stands above others, there are three things that are the worst. The first is being a coward. The second is refusing to listen to honest advice.”
BANG!
Carion slammed his hand down on the table and stood up.
He stormed out of the conference room, and Cedric quickly followed after him.
Orbin watched him leave and thought,
This is unusual. His Highness actually reacted that emotionally.
Leah let out a deep sigh and pressed both hands against her forehead.
Her disheveled hair slipped between her fingers.
Haa… I came here to persuade him, but I only made him angrier.
“May I ask you one question?”
Leah raised her head and turned her gaze toward the unusually large man.
Luke asked without a hint of tact,
“You said there were three worst things. What’s the third?”
“Ah… Well, I don’t know. I just said whatever came to mind. Do I have to think of another one, too…?”
Orbin stared at her incredulously, then couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“Can I ask something, too? Does His Highness have a lover?”
“He has no such thing.”
Orbin was about to say something with his lips to Luke, who had answered so readily, but he simply closed his mouth.
“Oh! Then does he perhaps like men?”
“Absolutely not!”
Orbin answered with a dead-serious expression.
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