Chapter 6
Carion walked briskly with a fierce expression, his fists tightly clenched.
But by the time he reached his office, the turmoil in his stomach had almost completely settled.
He reflected on why he had been unable to control his emotions and stormed out of the room.
Until now, he had lived in the middle of a battlefield where a constant struggle for power was taking place.
An Emperor who kept testing his five sons, half-brothers who were always looking for an opportunity to bring one another down, and wolf packs of people swarming around him in pursuit of power…
There had been more than a few people who pretended to respect him as “His Highness the Prince” while deliberately provoking him. Those around him constantly tested him, searching for the slightest weakness.
Occasionally, some would even make arrogant provocations.
When someone crossed the line, he did not get angry. He simply mocked them and crushed them.
But today, he had gotten angry.
Why?
When he realized the reason, he gave a bitter smile and dropped heavily into his chair.
Because, for the first time, someone had criticized him by telling him, “Don’t live your life that way.”
No one had ever said such a thing to him.
He had never met his mother again after she left the Imperial capital when he was young, and his father never offered his children anything resembling advice.
The people who had been by Carion’s side since childhood were nothing more than servants and guards. After he became Commander-in-Chief, those under his command simply obeyed his orders according to the strict military hierarchy of unquestioning obedience.
Leah’s words kept circling through his mind.
“The people whose fates are bound to yours.”
He truly had no interest in power and did not care if he fell out of the Emperor’s favor.
But if being in such a position caused everyone who followed him to suffer as well…
It would feel worse than falling into a cesspit.
“Cedric.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Cedric, who had been waiting quietly with a tense expression, carefully watched Carion’s mood.
“How are preparations for the next inspection tour?”
“Everything is ready, and we are waiting for your orders.”
Carion sighed before speaking.
“There will be no next tour. We’re going to the capital. His Majesty has issued an imperial decree, so I suppose I have to go this time. We will travel there alongside the Zephyros delegation.”
Cedric answered without showing any surprise.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Nothing more than accompanying them. Make that perfectly clear to the princess.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After leaving the office, Cedric stood there for a moment, organizing the situation in his mind.
His Highness actually changed a decision he had already made.
As his loyal chief adjutant, Cedric was aware of even the smallest flaw in his master.
When stubbornness became involved in a decision, Carion would never change his mind.
Cedric had considered Carion’s continued refusal to obey the Emperor’s imperial decrees a form of stubbornness.
And yet, because of a princess from a kingdom whom he had only met a few days ago, the prince had broken through that stubbornness.
Princess Leah of Zephyros…
Cedric felt that he needed to gather more information and figure out what kind of person she really was.
After Cedric left, Carion suddenly found himself curious.
The three worst things. What was the third?
Perhaps he should have stayed and heard the rest.
But if he went to see her just to ask about it, she might misunderstand and think he had deliberately invented an excuse to see her.
The fact that he was even thinking this way struck him as absurd, and he let out a quiet laugh.
He doesn’t want to earn achievements… This is a variable I never expected.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink.
Leah was at a loss.
If he had simply said, “I don’t want to marry you,” she could have thought of another approach.
Why doesn’t he have any ambition? What am I supposed to do if a capable prince has no ambition?!
Nella had been harsh in her assessment of her own son.
Normally, wouldn’t a mother idealize her child, especially when remembering a child who had died?
Yet Nella had only ever pointed out Carion’s shortcomings.
⌜That boy has a strange, stubborn streak. Once he got his mind set on something, he wouldn’t listen to anyone. That’s what got him killed.⌟
Leah had misunderstood that a little in her heart.
Perhaps he was a son who never quite lived up to his mother’s expectations.
Maybe he took too much after his father.
And so on.
That was why she had been surprised when she first saw Carion and discovered that he was far more impressive-looking than she had expected.
Leah nodded.
As expected of a mother. She really does know her son well.
To be honest, Leah had been a little excited before meeting him.
Ten years later, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast was a figure people had very different opinions about, and he was someone Leah had always wanted to meet at least once.
What interested her was that those who spoke badly of him were people with wealth and power, while those who revered him were ordinary people with little power.
However, he was still a member of the imperial family who represented the Empire’s military, while Leah was the leader of nomads opposed to the Empire. Realistically, there had been no way for the two of them to meet.
So when she heard that he had died, she had felt strangely empty.
Later, after meeting the King of Nortia, she repeatedly wondered:
What would have happened if he hadn’t died?
She regretted not finding a way to meet him at least once while he was still alive.
Even though he was an Imperial, judging by his actions, she had felt that he might have been someone she could reason with.
But after meeting him in person, she discovered that he was an utterly inflexible, stubborn man.
I’ll admit he’s handsome. I know he’s capable, too. But so what?! He’s going to die because of that stubbornness, just like Her Majesty said!
There was a knock on the door, and Penny entered.
“Princess. Sir Milo would like to see you. He’s the prince’s adjutant, the one who came out to meet us…”
“Yes, I know. Tell him to come in.”
Cedric soon entered the room.
He informed Leah of Carion’s decision to accompany them to the capital.
“Why did he suddenly change his mind?”
“His Majesty the Emperor issued an imperial decree ordering him to come to the capital. He had been considering whether to obey it.”
“So he’s killing two birds with one stone. But if His Highness accompanies us, I’ll take that to mean he will also attend when our delegation meets His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty won’t believe an excuse like, ‘I accompanied them, but I have nothing to do with it.’”
“There is no way His Highness would be unaware of that.”
Even after hearing Cedric’s words, Leah still couldn’t figure out what Carion was thinking.
Why did he change his mind? Could it be because of something I said?
If that were the case, she would see him in a different light.
It would mean that the Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast, an Imperial prince, had actually listened to the criticism of a kingdom princess who was trying to turn her country into a vassal state.
Maybe he isn’t as stubborn as I thought.
After Cedric left, Leah felt considerably better.
She still hadn’t received a definite answer about the marriage, but having him accompany them was something at least.
She had moved one step forward. She simply needed to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
As the leader of the nomads, she had lived for ten years unable to see even an inch ahead of her.
Now, Leah decided that she would willingly carry the water to the horse herself.
At sunset, Leah went out into the inner courtyard for a walk and spotted Carion already there.
He seemed to notice her at almost the same moment, stopping and looking at her.
As Leah approached him without hesitation, Carion asked,
“Are you not afraid of me?”
“Everyone must be afraid of Your Highness, then.”
“In the Northeast, I am the person who represents His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Because I know someone who looks just like you.
She was strong and beautiful.
She was also a benefactor whose kindness I could never repay, not even with my life.
Carion saw the intense emotion flickering in Leah’s eyes as she looked at him.
It was the first time he had seen such a passionate emotion in her eyes, which had always seemed so calm and straightforward.
For some reason, his throat suddenly felt dry, and he turned his head away.
“I am only accompanying you.”
“I heard. When are we leaving?”
“As early as two days from now. At the latest, we’ll leave the following day.”
“Ah-ha.”
Hearing the suspicious little response, Carion turned his head.
Leah was already walking beside him.
“You’re the type who takes a long time to make a decision, but once you’ve decided, you act quickly.”
“I make decisions quickly, too.”
Leah gave him a sidelong glance before looking ahead again.
“Yes.”
Carion interpreted her obedient answer as meaning, I don’t agree, but I don’t want to waste time arguing about it.
“To make an inspection tour of the entire Northeast, you have to make decisions and act quickly. You don’t spend several days on a single matter like this. If I hadn’t been held up by the Zephyros delegation, I would have already been on my way to the next—Hah. Let’s stop.”
He suddenly felt embarrassed by himself for getting worked up and going on at length as though he were making excuses, so he fell silent.
“We haven’t even started talking yet. Why stop? Go ahead and say everything you want to say.”
“I don’t give people ammunition.”
“Ammunition? Do you mean that you stop talking altogether because the longer you talk, the more likely you are to make a mistake?”
“…”
Leah felt as though she was beginning to see the defensive wall that the man named Carion had built around himself.
