TPWTL 10

#10. I’ll Help You

A brief remark escaped from between lips pressed by rough fingertips, and Olivia’s eyelashes fluttered faster than butterfly wings caught in a storm. But only for a moment. After casually wiping the corner of her mouth, Olivia replied with complete indifference.

“It’s sweet. I made it sweet on purpose. Now that you’ve had something sweet, go ahead and talk.”

She paused briefly, picked up another snack, chewed on it thoughtfully, and asked,

“What were you thinking about? Assuming what I heard before I died wasn’t a lie.”

“I’m getting stronger.”

Cryer caught the tail end of her sentence. Olivia, staring blankly at him with her mouth slightly open, stammered.

“Str–stronger? You?”

Even without her saying the words, “Stronger than this?” it was obvious what she meant. Cryer just chuckled softly.

“I don’t know exactly what I went through during the four deaths, but…”

Before he could even finish, Olivia shouted.

“You! You brought down the imperial castle! The palace walls crumbled from a single swing of your sword!”

Cryer shook his head in response to her shocked, genuinely horrified outburst.

“Right now, destroying a palace wall in one swing is too much. Maybe a wall between rooms, but not more.”

“What? You’re saying that’s all you can do?”

Neither of them seemed to care that shattering even a room wall with a single swing was far from normal—something only a handful of elite imperial knights could manage. Watching Cryer nod without hesitation, Olivia finally opened her mouth again after a long pause.

“How are you getting stronger?”

She had never seen him train like other knights or even unsheath a sword.

“Well. To be exact…”

Cryer bared his teeth in a fierce grin.

“It feels like things I originally had are being unsealed, one by one.”

Olivia was struck speechless again. Things he originally had? Was he referring to the strength that allowed him to single-handedly start a war and wipe out the imperial knights?

“What were you… before all this?”

“If I knew that, maybe I’d find a clue to break this damn slave contract.”

Just as Olivia was about to respond—
Knock, knock.
A second knock in the middle of the night was followed by the composed voice of Sebastian, the emperor’s closest aide.

“Your Highness the Princess, His Majesty is requesting your presence.”

✦

A few hours later—after the corpse of the knight who had been playing with fire in the depths of the princess’s palace had been dragged away, and the pitch-dark sky had miraculously cleared to a bright, sunny midday—a group of noble young ladies sat gathered around a table. Artfully arranged pastries were laid out on finely crafted dishes.

“This was newly opened…”

“I heard about it from a knight from the North…”

The ladies’ chatter shifted constantly, topics fluttering around as lightly as their laughter. Sometimes they laughed without even talking about the same things. It was a chaotic mix of small talk, and after some time, one count’s daughter lowered her voice to a whisper.

“You know… that knight.”

She didn’t name him, but no one needed her to. In the current empire, when someone said “that knight,” there was only one person that came to mind. The nameless knight from Norden who captivated the princess at first sight and entered the imperial palace. Though she hesitated for a moment, none of the other ladies rushed her. They simply held their breath, ears perked.

“He was seen near the princess’s bedchamber at night.”

“Oh my!”

“Oh my goodness, I knew it!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, gasps of astonishment echoed around the table. Of course, it was true that Cryer had been near Olivia’s chambers that night. It’s just that what people imagined hadn’t actually happened. But since no one knew the true story of that night, their imaginations quickly turned rose-colored.

“Ah… he’s just so dreamy.”

A count’s daughter with pink hair sitting near the center of the table sparkled with dreamy eyes as she spoke.

“Love at first sight. A nameless knight and the princess. A love that transcends status and borders!”

It sounded like something straight out of a play. In reality, Olivia and Cryer’s relationship was far from romantic. If placed on a scale, Cryer would heavily outweigh her. But to those who didn’t know the truth, it seemed like a love defying immense social boundaries.

“There is quite a difference in status. He’s not even a prince of Norden, just a mere knight…”

Before one girl could finish her thought, the pink-haired noble—Angbuh—clasped her hands together and exclaimed,

“That’s why it must be true love!”

The other young ladies closed their mouths one by one, and soon only Angbuh’s cheerful chatter filled the air around the table.

“…Right? Haaa…”

She sighed—whether it was a breath of admiration or frustration was unclear—and when she finally fell quiet, one of the girls across from her hid her face behind a teacup, looking exhausted. As if following an unspoken cue, the others all lifted their cups in unison to conceal their expressions. From beginning to end, Angbuh’s nonstop rambling focused only on the fated meeting and mysterious love between Olivia and Cryer. Remarkably, she never once mentioned the political or diplomatic implications of a scandal involving a princess and a knight.

“And then…”

Just as she had seen others do, Angbuh paused to sip her tea before continuing—

“Good heavens!”

“It’s been so long!”

“My goodness. Truly, it’s been forever.”

A young lady who had been absent for a long while appeared, and everyone welcomed her warmly. No one asked why she had been gone. Most of them already knew that her family had nearly collapsed beyond recovery. The hostess quickly added another seat, and the guest was placed at the center of the table.

“It’s so good you came.”

A close friend sitting beside her grasped her hand under the table. She offered only a faint, bitter smile in return.

“Congratulations!”

Angbuh beamed as she added,

“I heard everything’s been resolved now, right?”

Faced with Angbuh’s bright certainty, the lady reluctantly answered,

“Yes… it’s… been resolved.”

Her voice was weak, her smile even weaker—but it was still an answer. Yet her lack of joy kept others from chiming in with their congratulations. Everyone just looked around nervously. Except for one.

Angbuh, ever cheerful, took her hand and shook it vigorously.

“That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!”

“Y-yes…”

The lady awkwardly returned the gesture, then subtly pulled her hand back. Inside, she was torn. Part of her wanted to wipe off the softness left by Angbuh’s touch. Another part wanted to hold on. Yes… It had always been like this. Her relationship with Angbuh Taren had been a string of accidents and confusion from the beginning.

“I’ll help you.”

Angbuh had overheard her hardships by chance and truly gave her everything to help. Her family had escaped ruin thanks to that generosity. Since it started with money, it could be solved with money. If the Taren family hadn’t been one of the wealthiest houses in the empire—or even the continent—they would have already gone bankrupt. But human greed knows no end. Her parents, who had splurged on luxury and pleasure until the brink of collapse, now pressured her to extract more money from House Taren. She had fled her family like a runaway and never expected to meet Angbuh again at a gathering like this.

“Now that I know you’re okay, I’ll be going.”

Angbuh waved cheerfully as she left, leaving behind a genuine smile to the end. The lady waved back politely. When the last trace of pink hair disappeared—

“Huuu…”

A heavy sigh rang out, followed by many more from tired, strained lips. Then someone spoke in a worn voice,

“She’s… very sincere about love, isn’t she?”

Someone else opened their mouth, then closed it again. After all, saying that the heir of a colossal house was only serious about love bordered on an insult. Still, it was probably what everyone was thinking. At last, one girl, donning an awkward smile, said vaguely,

“Yes… quite a pure young lady.”

Someone quietly asked the girl still staring blankly at the seat where Angbuh had sat,

“Are you really okay?”

Despite the genuine concern in her friend’s voice, she couldn’t bring herself to lie. As she stayed silent, the table fell into quiet once more. Usually, silence implied agreement—but no one could look at her shadowed face and say she was truly fine.

“I… don’t know. The immediate problem’s been taken care of, but…”

She paused to catch her breath as if suffocating.

“I think another problem will arise soon. Because… I now know a way that’s far too easy.”

Maybe she’d already known. That even if this time was resolved, it was only a matter of time before the same issue returned. And next time, things wouldn’t be so easily fixed. Kindness doesn’t last forever. And true generosity expecting nothing in return—least of all. Even if she managed to coax more money from the Taren house like her parents wanted… what then? What about after that?

She stared with dry eyes at the spot Angbuh had vacated. If Angbuh hadn’t reached out to help her back then, she would’ve been wallowing in unthinkable misery—not sitting here now. So she had taken that hand instead of rejecting it.

She gave a bitter smile and pushed away the sweets Angbuh had offered.

“Lady Taren’s goodwill is truly beautiful and appreciated, but…”

She hadn’t wanted to experience the painful truth that kindness, no matter how genuine, could one day bring ruin. With her head bowed, she ran a finger along her teacup.

“How long will Lady Taren’s goodwill last, I wonder…”

Her voice was so soft that even she could barely hear it. The question vanished into the air, reaching no one.