TOOCM | 003

Episode 3

“Who did you say is here?”

“Princess Reina Eve Mernie has arrived.”

Even after hearing her name, Kaiden couldn’t recall her for a moment and asked puzzledly,

“Did we have an appointment?”

“No way.”

Ben shrugged with a playful grin, prompting Kaiden to frown.

He was already busy preparing to return to the North, and now an unexpected guest?

A royal, no less, felt like an unwelcome intruder.

It seemed that, following the Emperor’s pointless summons, now even a princess was set on troubling him.

“Can’t we send her away?”

“You know the answer to that.”

Ben’s kind smile came with a sharp reply, and Kaiden let out a heavy sigh.

With no choice, he rose and headed to the reception room.

His only encounter with Princess Reina was six years ago at a banquet.

Her frail health and rare appearances at such events explained why.

A delicate frame, lustrous platinum hair.

Pale, almost translucent skin, and soft blue eyes.

She resembled the Emperor greatly, though her disposition seemed to take after her mother.

Of course, this was all his speculation.

They had never had a proper conversation.

With so little connection, her sudden visit’s purpose was hard to fathom.

Arriving at the reception room, Kaiden quietly observed Reina.

Her eyes closed demurely, she seemed deep in thought.

When he made his presence known, she opened her eyes.

Her icy blue gaze held a serene detachment.

Meeting it felt like exposing something within himself unwillingly.

She was far from the harmless, frail figure he recalled, almost like a different person.

“Duke Crencia.”

“Kaiden Crencia, Guardian of the North, greets the radiant star of the Mernie royal family.”

Kaiden offered a light courtesy and sat across from her.

Then, with a resolute expression, Princess Reina spoke.

“I’ve come to ask a favor. Of course, I’m not asking for help without offering something in return.”

“Of me?”

Kaiden tilted his head, questioning.

Was there enough trust between them for a deal?

Moreover, the imperial family kept the Crencia ducal house under tight scrutiny.

Descendants of dragons, they wielded immense power and military might.

Calculating potential traps, Kaiden said to Reina,

“Let’s hear it.”

Then she uttered something unexpected.

“I want you to marry me.”

“?!”

“Cough! Cough! Hack.”

At Reina’s bombshell, Ben, standing nearby, choked as if he’d swallowed wrong.

Kaiden was equally stunned.

“Sorry, did I hear that wrong?”

“No, you heard correctly. If possible, I’d like to marry before my twentieth birthday.”

“…”

Reina reiterated her intent, calmly awaiting his response.

Her boldness was as if she’d come to retrieve something entrusted.

Kaiden, dumbfounded, could barely speak.

“Pardon, but when is your birthday?”

“A month from now.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“…”

Kaiden, at a loss, stared at Reina.

What was this princess suddenly talking about?

A month was barely enough to prepare a wedding.

A royal marriage? Utterly impossible.

And more importantly,

‘Why me, of all people?’

For royals, turning twenty was significant.

The Mernie Empire, founded under divine beasts, remained under their influence.

Royals, upon reaching adulthood, received divine powers.

The Mernie imperial family’s rule owed much to these powers.

Each divine beast’s ability varied by individual, and such powers were, in principle, exclusive to the royal family.

Then, a memory of the Emperor’s words at their last audience surfaced.

“What’s the reason you remain unmarried despite being of age?”

“With frequent monster outbreaks in the North these past years, I’ve had no time.”

“Then shouldn’t you hurry? If something happens to you, it’d threaten the North. For the North’s sake, shouldn’t you secure an heir? I have plenty of daughters.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I have a married younger sibling. Even if something happens to me, the Crencia line won’t end, so rest assured.”

The Emperor had subtly tried to betroth him to one of his daughters.

And now, a princess showed up out of the blue.

It clicked for Kaiden, who gave a wry smile.

It seemed the Emperor planned to marry off his daughter to monitor him.

Using a daughter just reaching adulthood, no less.

Convinced the Emperor was behind her visit, Kaiden’s expression hardened.

The air grew cold, tension palpable.

Standing, Kaiden signaled he was done indulging this game.

“I decline.”

“Duke?”

Reina, flustered, stood to follow him.

She hadn’t expected such a curt refusal.

“Wait a moment. I’m not finished—”

As she grabbed him, he said coldly,

“Now His Majesty’s even sending the princess herself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you pretending not to know?”

Kaiden shot back icily at Reina’s feigned ignorance.

Flinching, Reina met his gaze and said,

“I’m serious. Please tell me why you’re angry.”

She couldn’t be turned away before even starting a proper discussion.

Meanwhile, Kaiden was thrown off by her genuinely clueless expression.

Tamping down his hostility, he asked lowly,

“…Wasn’t His Majesty behind this?”

“No!”

Reina snapped at the absurd misunderstanding.

Startled by her own loud voice, her face flushed red.

Trembling yet determined, she showed surprising courage.

Kaiden, now hesitant, asked,

“Then why propose to me? We’ve barely met, have we?”

It was natural he didn’t understand.

She knew him, but he didn’t know her now.

Rather than offering clumsy help, she decided to leverage her situation to persuade him.

Reina said calmly,

“I want to leave the capital.”

“Then leave.”

“It’s not that simple. Royals must stay in the capital unless they marry. You know that, don’t you?”

At Reina’s point, Kaiden clicked his tongue softly.

Royals couldn’t leave the capital without the Emperor’s permission.

Originally a protective law to prevent misuse of divine powers, it now served as a shackle.

“But why must it be me? And I still don’t see why I should marry you.”

As Kaiden showed reluctance, Reina murmured, head bowed,

“Because you’re the only vassal who doesn’t bow to His Majesty. I want to be free from the Emperor.”

Her candid answer left Kaiden silent.

Free from the Emperor.

A weighty statement.

But without knowing her circumstances, he couldn’t comment rashly.

Mistaking his silence for a tacit rejection, Reina rushed on,

“Of course, I don’t expect you to take me without compensation. I’ve come to honor a past oath with you.”