Chapter 25
Kuhn closed his eyes as if recalling that day. With the blood-red jewel gone, his once fiercely commanding face now appeared even more beautiful. His beauty was breathtaking, enough to make anyone hold their breath—but to Chloe, it barely mattered. Her eyes and ears were fixed solely on his lips. Her tiny ears became so sensitive she could feel herself growing flushed. Occasionally, when Kuhn breathed, she would finally draw in air as well.
“…In the kingdom, they kept sending knights to persuade me to end the war. Even the day before I decided to bring peace.”
The rest of the sentence was unnecessary to hear; it was obvious that Calis had been that “lucky knight.”
“…I heard that Duke Arjen persuaded Your Majesty.” Chloe’s voice was so weak it was hard to tell whether it was a question or a muttered disbelief.
“Persuade, you say. That pitiful knight, buried under fear, struggled even to speak. I recall that much.”
Although he had met countless knights, this one remained vaguely memorable—not because he was an essential messenger, but because he was unusually weak and clumsy for someone supposedly sent to save the country.
“P-please… spare me.”
“You speak as if I intend to kill you.”
“P-please… could you… end the war?”
A direct plea to stop the war—or perhaps a desperate emotional appeal not to take peace away. Either way, it would have been less ridiculous if said with courage. But the knight, trembling like a leaf, could only repeat the same words while kneeling, even adding unnecessary pleas about returning to loved ones safely.
“…That knight has now become a hero of the kingdom,” Kuhn remarked.
He bore no ill will toward Calis. He understood how noble it was for a knight to risk his life for his country and protect those he loved. He merely found it amusing that someone who had acted so pitifully now paraded as a hero back in the kingdom.
“….”
Chloe remained silent, staring blankly into the void with her stiffened body.
“Sorry if I spoiled the mood. If you’d rather not be here, you may return to your room.”
For a moment, Chloe’s eyes regained focus. She looked quietly at Kuhn, then nodded.
“Then I’ll excuse myself and rise from my seat.”
Determined not to fall out of the emperor’s favor, she left without hesitation. Even when he wished her a good evening, she responded dryly—too weary to afford even a faint smile.
Kuhn didn’t reprimand her. He watched her lonely back until the door closed, then finally relaxed. Though sober, a headache came over him. Something inside his mind felt scattered, disrupted.
At last, he realized the source of the headache: fragments of memories he had buried and wished to forget.
What seemed like an instantaneous decision had actually been brewing for a long time.
Kuhn Friedrich could be considered a man who had mastered everything. Standing at the top of the empire, he had an unparalleled understanding of people and power. Though his selfish birth may have secured his position, eventually, all acknowledged his abilities.
By the year of his eighth reign, the emperor—armed with both military feats and popular acclaim—set a grand ambition for himself: to unify the smaller nations under the empire.
His first target was the neighboring, relatively strong Valont Kingdom. As one of the more powerful minor nations, it was a perfect example to set precedent. Initial negotiations with the Valont king repeatedly failed, but this was all within Kuhn’s expectations. He immediately enacted his next plan: war.
To minimize casualties, the battle began along the Lian River, the border between the two nations. The Valont military, while strong for a minor nation, was weak compared to the empire’s forces. As Kuhn had anticipated, victory was mostly in the empire’s hands.
Yet one day, the deputy commander of the royal knights returned badly injured.
‘This is unusual,’ Kuhn thought. His loss was unexpected, even within the knights. Panic rippled through the ranks. The absence of the deputy wouldn’t significantly alter the victory, so it wasn’t a major problem—but something felt off. The enemy resisted more fiercely than expected, prolonging the war. Military and financial losses could no longer be ignored.
“We must end the war quickly.”
The deputy commander’s injury prompted discussions about Kuhn personally joining the battle.
“Your Majesty, it’s not urgent yet. What if something happens to you?”
“Do you think I am weak enough to die in such a war?”
“Of course not! But even the slightest injury to Your Majesty…” The commander shook his head, imagining horrors.
At that moment, an officer responsible for supplies interjected.
“Your Majesty, rumor has it the enemy princess is personally tending the sick. She’s secretly managing the barracks.”
“So there is no knight protecting her?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do we know how many knights she has?”
“The report didn’t include that. I’ll investigate further.”
Kuhn nodded, satisfied.
The deputy commander, who had remained silent, exclaimed, “Are you planning something else?”
“We’ll kidnap the enemy princess,” Kuhn said firmly.
“Eh?”
“We’ll capture the princess and the knight tending her as hostages.”
Though the empire was already engaged in a difficult war, holding the princess and her knights hostage would force the Valont Kingdom into compliance.
A southern commander expressed concern.
“Even if we capture the princess and the knights, I doubt the enemy will surrender. They are resisting despite the disadvantage, aren’t they?”
“True. I share your assessment. If they yielded over hostages, it would be ideal—but the probability is low.”
“Then…?”
Kuhn glanced around. He aimed to end the war quickly while minimizing casualties. The commanders voiced concerns over the hostages’ safety and potential internal dissent.
“Discussions about saving or sacrificing hostages will be long and contentious. We will exploit that confusion to invade,” Kuhn concluded.
“I’d rather try than do nothing. Who will execute the plan?”
All nodded in agreement. The person responsible had been chosen.
‘This barracks,’ Kuhn thought, checking the map against his surroundings. The officer’s markings were accurate—the building ahead housed the princess.
The princess, disguised, was tending to the wounded. Kuhn approached, feigning injury.
‘Golden hair, blue eyes…’
The scent of blood hit his nose as he stepped inside, but he kept going. A small woman darted toward him, alarmed.
“Sir, are you alright? Oh my, how…!” She dropped what she was holding and lifted his arm onto her shoulder.
He allowed himself to be supported, as if he were weak, and was led to a neatly prepared bed. Soon, a damp cloth was pressed to his face, cleaning away the blood.
The girl instructed him to stay still, then hurried off to bring medicine.
“Where are you hurt? You can’t speak, so don’t strain yourself. Relax and stay awake if possible…”
She chattered nonstop, like a bird he once raised. Her voice was pleasant, and the resemblance to that bird was uncanny.
Her hair, tied with cloth, shone golden; her bright blue eyes glimmered like sapphires.
Chloe Arjen. Damn it, this had to be the princess Kuhn sought.
‘I’ll just pretend to be injured. Tonight, I’ll…’
Kuhn glanced around. There were many knights in the barracks. There was no need to stage a kidnapping in front of everyone. He would wait until dawn when the barracks were quiet. Just until then, he would endure her incessant chatter and gentle care.
“Your Majesty, the enemy princess…”
Yet when dawn came, Kuhn returned to his barracks alone.
“She’s stronger than I expected.”
“…! Her vigilance is impressive!”
“…Indeed. Next time, I’ll try again.”
The plan had failed completely, leaving even Kuhn astonished. To fail a mission so utterly, especially against a princess who seemed naive but clearly had her own scheme… he vowed to succeed next time.
