Chapter 7
Leah had been born a princess of the kingdom, but she had grown up without ever knowing the brutal reality of political power struggles.
After her father passed away, her brother inherited the throne as was only natural, and her kind-hearted brother willingly took on the role of her protector.
If nothing had happened after that, she probably would have chosen a reasonably suitable husband from among the kingdom’s young men, married him, and spent the rest of her life naively enjoying being called a princess.
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 named Leah had died.
She had experienced firsthand how her entire world could be overturned overnight and how she could be thrown straight into the mud.
For the rest of her life, she would have to live with the anxiety that the same thing could happen again at any time.
If that was the price she had to pay for living one life and returning to the past, then so be it.
Yes. He must have gone through plenty of hardships too. 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 Crown Princess 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 if she wanted to get closer to him, she needed to be a little more honest.
“I heard that people from the vassal states are considered the lowest rank in Imperial aristocratic society.”
There was no law in the Empire that explicitly stated that nobles should be discriminated against.
But there were customs more frightening than any law.
The Imperial Family was of sacred blood, a status 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, referring to the descendants of local aristocratic families from regions that had been annexed by the Empire and had become almost completely Imperialized.
At the very bottom were the Iron Crown nobles, and this was where people from the vassal states belonged.
Imperial aristocratic society had a strong tendency for people to associate only with those of their own rank and to marry among themselves.
For Leah, it was almost impossible to leap over the invisible walls within the Empire.
But if she became the Crown Princess, she would instantly enter the sacred-blood circle.
She would be given opportunities to interact with nobles of every rank—Gold Crown, Silver Crown, and Iron Crown.
If Leah wanted to keep First Prince Enoch in check, this was the only hope available to her in her current position.
Standing before that hope, Leah smiled brightly.
Even though the road ahead looked completely dark, she smiled.
How could she not smile when there was a path right before her eyes?
“I need Your Highness’s protection. I don’t need a prenuptial agreement, and I have no intention of forcing either of us to fulfill the duties of a married couple. We only need to be married publicly. I’m proposing that we enter into a marriage contract.”
“……”
“I understand why Your Highness rejected my proposal. I’m someone who intends to throw myself straight into the middle of the whirlpool that you wish to avoid.”
Karion had seen countless people flying toward power like moths drawn to a flame.
They all pretended to be noble, trying to conceal their desires.
He had never seen someone openly declare their desires as boldly as she did.
And so, for the first time, he became curious about another person’s desires.
“What is it for?”
“I can’t tell you that much. If you want to know, marry me.”
Karion let out a faint chuckle.
“I haven’t given up.”
Once again, Karion laughed briefly, this time aloud.
Leah’s eyes trembled for an instant.
She had been born a princess, and afterward she had wandered from place to place, so she had seen countless handsome men.
But she couldn’t help being impressed by Karion’s smile.
The King of Nortia certainly did a fine job when he made this son.
He must have known, too. He simply wasn’t the type to go around bragging about him. How could he not have known?
“I’ll go inside first.”
The atmosphere is pretty good right now.
Before the conversation could drag on and lead to an unnecessary argument, she quickly left.
As he watched her retreating figure, Karion’s hand twitched.
It was instinct.
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 should do.
And so, he chose to look away.
Karion awoke when he heard a knock on his bedroom door.
The room was completely dark, and it seemed to be almost midnight.
“Your Highness. It’s Cedric.”
When Cedric entered after knocking, Karion sat up in bed.
“There has been a forest fire. The situation is serious.”
Karion immediately threw on a cloak and hurried up to the watchtower on the fortress wall, which extended from the highest floor of the residence.
From the watchtower, he could see the entire military encampment at a glance, as well as the bustling center of Poema far in the distance.
Between the city and the encampment, bright red flames were clearly visible in the darkness, spreading rapidly.
Poema was a mountainous region.
And because it was humid throughout the year, forest fires were extremely rare.
But this year, it had been dry for nearly half a year, and the atmosphere throughout Poema had become heavy and gloomy.
After arriving at the Poema encampment, the matters Karion had paid the most attention to were maintaining public sentiment through food supplies and managing security.
But he had never considered the possibility of a forest fire.
The dense forests, which had grown untouched by fire for decades, had become thoroughly dried out and would make excellent kindling.
“Sound the emergency bell.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The deafening sound of bells rang throughout the entire encampment.
The various areas that had been submerged in darkness were suddenly illuminated by lanterns.
Soldiers who had been fast asleep came rushing out in a panic.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Northeastern Army was famous for being strict about military discipline, so the encampment where he stayed was always maintained under extremely tight discipline.
It didn’t take long for every soldier to gather in neat rows.
“Send two hundred soldiers to the eastern ridge. Take axes! Cut down the trees and create a firebreak!”
“Yes!”
“The cavalry will determine where the fire started. Find out whether it was a natural fire or arson!”
“Yes!”
“Send a messenger to the city. The forest fire may move toward the city, so tell them to prepare themselves thoroughly!”
“Yes!”
Following the Commander-in-Chief’s orders, the soldiers began moving in perfect coordination.
They cut down the trees adjacent to the encampment and cleared out the contents of the warehouses.
They carried water from the wells and stored it around the encampment in advance, and they soaked the roofs with water in preparation for flying embers.
Karion climbed back up to the watchtower to assess the situation.
Riding on unusually strong winds today, the forest fire was spreading rapidly.
Fortunately, the wind wasn’t blowing toward the city, but at this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before the fire reached the encampment.
Should I order everyone to evacuate instead of wasting our efforts trying to extinguish a fire that can’t be stopped?
His gaze, fixed on the flames, suddenly stopped.
He remembered that there was a small village near the area where the forest fire was approaching.
That village was essentially an orphanage.
The village chief and residents took in children from troubled areas who had nowhere else to go and cared for them, playing an important role in stabilizing security in the region.
Karion rushed down from the watchtower and shouted.
“Cedric. Take command here!”
“What? Yes, Your Highness.”
Karion took a group of elite royal guards and raced toward the village.
The envoys from Zephyros were also awakened by all the commotion.
“There’s a forest fire?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Have everyone in our group gather in front of the main entrance to the residence.”
“Yes, Princess. Princess! Where are you going?”
“Don’t follow me. Just do what I told you!”
Leah left her room and ran off without hesitation.
Then she grabbed the first soldier she encountered and asked,
“Where is the highest place around here?”
“What?”
“I asked where the highest place is!”
Startled by Leah’s forceful presence, the soldier obediently answered.
“G-Go up to the highest floor of the residence, and there should be a watchtower…”
No one stopped her as she climbed all the way to the watchtower.
Leah stared at the raging red flames approaching the encampment.
Judging by the intensity of the forest fire, they had already missed the window for containing it during its initial stages.
The fire, spreading rapidly with the wind, was closing the distance by the second.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the flames engulfed the encampment.
“Hoo…”
She slowly closed her eyes as she let out a long breath.
Wind began to swirl around her.
She had only just woken up, and her long hair, hanging loosely over her shoulders, lifted and fluttered in the wind that wrapped around her body.
The moment she opened her eyes, a bright ring of light appeared in her green irises before disappearing.
The fire that must have begun with a single spark had spread through flying embers, splitting into multiple fronts and growing into an increasingly threatening force.
Suddenly, one of the smaller fronts of the fire flared up violently as it caught the wind.
The direction of that wind was completely opposite to the wind that had been blowing until then.
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