TWQTFA CH 07

Leah had been born a princess of the kingdom, but she had grown up without ever knowing the brutal struggles for power.

After her father passed away, her older brother inherited the throne as was only natural, and her kind older brother willingly took on the role of her protector.

If nothing had happened after that, she probably would have chosen a reasonably suitable husband in the kingdom, married, and lived carelessly for the rest of her life, forever being called “Princess Leah.”

She had prevented the tragic disaster that would have befallen the kingdom, but she could never return to the ignorant version of herself she had once been.

The innocent Princess Leah was dead.

She had experienced firsthand how her entire world could be overturned in a single morning, sending her tumbling straight into the mud.

She would probably have to live the rest of her life carrying the anxiety that the same thing could happen again at any moment.

If that was the price she had paid for living one life and returning, then perhaps it was indeed a price worth naming.

‘Yes. This man must have gone through many difficult things as well. Standing at the very center of power, he probably never has a chance to let his guard down.’

“The reason I need the position of Imperial Princess Consort is because, given my current circumstances, it is the fastest and only way for me to enter the heart of the Empire.”

She felt that she needed to be a little more honest if she wanted to get closer to him.

“I heard that people from vassal states are considered the lowest rank in the Empire’s aristocratic society.”

There was no law in the Empire that explicitly stated that nobles were to be discriminated against.

But there were customs that were more frightening than laws.

The Imperial Family was the Sacred Blood, a status that no one could dare approach.

Directly beneath them were the Gold-Crown Nobles, descendants of the Empire’s traditional prestigious families.

Below them were the Silver-Crown Nobles, who came from local noble families of territories that had been annexed by the Empire and had become almost completely Imperialized.

And at the very bottom were the Iron-Crown Nobles, to which those from vassal states belonged.

The Empire’s aristocratic society had a strong tendency for people to associate only with those of the same rank and to marry among themselves.

For Leah, leaping over the invisible walls within the Empire was almost impossible.

But if she became an Imperial Princess Consort, she would instantly enter the circle of the Sacred Blood.

She would have opportunities to interact with nobles of every rank—the Gold-Crown, Silver-Crown, and Iron-Crown Nobles alike.

If Leah wanted to keep First Imperial Prince Enoch in check, that was the only hope available to her in her current position.

Leah smiled brightly in the face of that hope.

Even when everything ahead looked pitch-black, she smiled. How could she not smile when there was a path right in front of her?

“I need your protection, Your Highness. I don’t need a prenuptial agreement, and I have no intention of forcing you to fulfill the duties of a husband. We only need to be married publicly. I’m proposing that we enter into a marriage contract.”

“…….”

“I understand why you rejected my proposal. I’m someone who intends to jump straight into the middle of the whirlpool you want to avoid.”

Karion had seen countless people throw themselves toward power like moths flying into a flame.

They all pretended to be noble while hiding their desires. He had never seen anyone boldly put their desires on display the way she did.

And so, for the first time, he became curious about someone else’s desire.

“What is it for?”

“I can’t tell you that. If you want to know, marry me.”

Karion let out a faint laugh.

“I haven’t given up.”

Once again, Karion laughed briefly out loud.

Leah’s eyes wavered for a moment.

She had been born a princess, and afterward she had lived as a wanderer, so she had seen countless handsome men.

But she could not help being impressed by Karion’s smile.

The King of Nortia had certainly done an excellent job when he fathered this son.

‘He must have known it, too. It’s just that he wasn’t the type to brag about his son everywhere. How could he not know?’

“I’ll go inside first.”

‘The mood is good right now.’

Before their conversation could drag on and turn into an unnecessary argument, she quickly left.

As he watched her retreating figure, Karion’s hand twitched.

It was instinctive.

He wanted to touch her.

He wanted to find out whether it had merely been his imagination or whether there really was something there.

But he clenched his fist tightly and turned away.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of being disappointed if there was nothing.

If there was nothing, then that would be the end of it.

But if she really was special, he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do.

And so, he chose to look away.

Karion woke from his sleep when he heard a knock on the bedroom door.

The bedroom was completely dark, and it seemed to be close to midnight.

“Your Highness. It’s Cedric.”

When Cedric, who had been knocking on the door, entered, Karion sat up in bed.

“There’s a forest fire. The situation doesn’t look good.”

Karion immediately threw on a cloak and headed up to the watchtower on the highest level of the commander’s residence, which connected to the fortress walls.

From the watchtower, the entire military encampment could be seen at a glance, as well as the bustling center of Poema in the distance.

Between the city and the encampment, vivid red flames burned clearly through the darkness, spreading rapidly.

Poema was a region with many mountainous areas.

And because it was humid throughout the year, forest fires were extremely rare.

But this year, the area had been suffering from a drought for nearly half a year, casting a heavy mood over Poema.

After arriving at the Poema military encampment, the things Karion had paid the most attention to were placating the people through food supplies and maintaining public order.

But he had never considered the possibility of a forest fire.

The dense forests that had grown untouched for decades without a single major fire had now dried out completely, becoming perfect kindling.

“Sound the emergency bell.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The loud ringing of the bell echoed throughout the entire encampment.

Every corner of the encampment that had been shrouded in darkness was suddenly illuminated by lanterns.

Soldiers who had been fast asleep came rushing out in a panic.

The Grand Commander of the Northeast was famous for being strict about military discipline, so the encampment where the Grand Commander stayed was always kept under tight discipline.

It did not take long for every soldier to gather in neat rows.

“Send two hundred soldiers to the eastern ridge. Bring axes! Cut down the trees and create a firebreak!”

“Yes!”

“Send the cavalry to determine where the fire started. Find out whether it was a natural fire or arson!”

“Yes!”

“Send a messenger to the city. Tell them the forest fire may spread toward the city, so they must prepare thoroughly!”

“Yes!”

Following the Grand Commander’s orders, the soldiers began moving in perfect coordination.

They cut down the trees adjacent to the encampment and cleared out the supplies inside the storage buildings.

They carried water over in advance and stored it around the perimeter of the encampment, while also wetting the roofs in preparation for burning embers that might be carried through the air.

Karion climbed back up to the watchtower and surveyed the situation.

The forest fire was spreading rapidly, driven by unusually strong winds tonight.

Fortunately, the wind was not blowing toward the city, but at this rate, it seemed the fire would soon engulf the encampment.

‘Rather than wasting time trying to extinguish a fire we can’t stop, should I order everyone to evacuate?’

His gaze, fixed on the flames, suddenly stopped.

He remembered that there was a small village near the area the forest fire was approaching.

That village was essentially an orphanage.

The village chief and its residents took in children from troubled areas who had nowhere else to go and cared for them, playing an important role in stabilizing local public order.

Karion rushed down from the watchtower and shouted.

“Cedric. Take command of the situation here!”

“Pardon? Yes, Your Highness.”

Karion led an elite group of royal guards and raced toward the village.

The commotion had also awakened everyone from the Zephyrus delegation.

“There’s a forest fire?”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Have everyone in our group gather in front of the main entrance to the commander’s residence.”

“Yes, Princess. Princess! Where are you going?”

“Don’t follow me. Do what I told you first!”

Leah left the room and ran off without hesitation.

Then she grabbed the first soldier she encountered.

“Where’s the highest place around here?”

“Pardon?”

“I said, where’s the highest place!”

Startled by Leah’s commanding presence, the soldier obediently answered.

“If you go up to the top floor of the commander’s residence, there’s a watchtower…”

No one stopped her as she climbed all the way to the watchtower.

Leah looked at the vivid red flames of the wildfire approaching the encampment.

Judging by the fire’s intensity, they had already missed the window for containing it in its early stages.

The wildfire was spreading rapidly with the wind, closing the distance with every passing moment.

At this rate, it would not take long for the flames to engulf the encampment.

“Phew……”

She slowly exhaled and closed her eyes.

Wind blew around her.

She had only just woken up, and her long, loose hair, draped over her shoulders, lifted and fluttered in the wind that wrapped around her body.

The moment she opened her eyes, a ring of intense light appeared briefly in her green eyes before disappearing.

The wildfire, which must have begun with a single spark, spread through flying embers, splitting into multiple fronts as it grew into a threatening mass.

Suddenly, one of the smaller fronts of the fire roared to life as it caught the wind.

The wind was blowing in a direction completely opposite to the one it had been blowing in until now.