THCF 03

Chapter 3

“Actually, I had been thinking about it for some time. One is opening the borders. The other is becoming a vassal state of the Empire.”

Lea looked at Aren with surprised eyes.

Lea had already been wondering how she should persuade Aren.

The solution Aren had been thinking about was the same as the best choice Lea had reached after debating with the King of Nortia.

“You had been thinking about it already?”

“Yes. But there was strong opposition. If I had made it public, I thought public opinion would have been divided into extremes and the country would have split in two.”

Lea sighed. She had not known that Aren had been thinking about this at this time.

“But the people who opposed it have all been swept away because of this incident.”

The two looked at each other in silence.

The same thought passed through both of their minds.

Had those who opposed it really done so for the sake of the national interest?

“The current Emperor changed the Empire’s conquest strategy from annexation to the form of vassal states. A vassal state can at least be guaranteed a minimum amount of self-government.”

“Our kingdom is small, and we have no special products that the Empire would want. The Empire’s pressure should be small.”

“Zephyrus is a small desert kingdom, but there is something special about it. It traces its roots back to one of the four ancient kingdoms that ruled the continent long ago.”

“If we say that we want to become a vassal state, the Emperor will welcome us with open arms.”

The brother and sister exchanged words back and forth before looking at each other and smiling.

“Brother. I will go to the Empire.”

There was someone Lea absolutely had to meet.

‘The Northern East Commander, Fourth Prince Karion.’

He was the son of King Nella of Nortia.

⌜Go back to the past. Correct your regrets. Stop the destruction of your kingdom and save your precious people. And then…….⌟

Nella had looked into the distance with eyes full of regret before saying,

⌜Save my son.⌟

Nella’s expression as she said those words was calm.

⌜That is all.⌟

‘Your Majesty. I will definitely save your son.’

Stopping the death of her son was more important than even preventing First Prince Enoch from ascending the throne.

Half a year later, Lea departed with her group as the representative of the Zephyrus Kingdom’s delegation.

“Fifteen people in total? We only have three large rooms left. What will you do? You can sleep if you squeeze together.”

“All the other inns are full. Is something happening?”

“The arena is opening soon. Isn’t that why you came?”

“Ah, the arena. We are on our way to Elios.”

“So you’re just passing through. You picked the wrong time.”

“I suppose we did. Give us the rooms first. How much is it for one day, including meals and feed for the horses?”

“Fifteen silver coins.”

“I’ll pay in advance. Thirteen silver coins. We will leave early in the morning.”

The innkeeper scratched his head vigorously, then smacked his lips before saying,

“Let’s do that.”

Just as they had done until now, the group stood around blankly while Lea bargained.

After putting down their luggage in the rooms, Lea said to Kasim,

“I’m going to look around for a while, so get some good rest.”

“Co, Commander. Again, alone……”

“Don’t worry. The security in this city is pretty good.”

Kasim reached out toward Lea’s back, but he could not say anything and lowered his hand.

He had come as her escort and protector, but instead, he felt like he was the one being protected.

No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand.

Why did a princess who had hardly ever left the royal castle know the geography of the continent so well and have no awkwardness when dealing with the locals?

He remembered the conversation he had had with the King before their departure.

⌜That child has changed. You feel it too, don’t you?⌟

⌜Yes, Your Majesty.⌟

⌜She used to be so afraid that she could not even leave her bedroom after the sun went down. She was such a tender-hearted child that she cried until her eyes became swollen when she saw a baby bird that had fallen from its nest and died. You know that too, don’t you?⌟

⌜……Yes, Your Majesty.⌟

⌜When did the little sister I thought I had to protect start having eyes that looked into the distance? Did Lea become mature because I was lacking as her older brother?⌟

⌜Your Majesty. The Princess has simply become an adult. She is at that age now.⌟

⌜But at some point, I started relying on that changed child. As her older brother, this is quite embarrassing for me.⌟

⌜Your Majesty. The Princess will be truly happy that she can be of help to Your Majesty.⌟

⌜If Lea goes to the Empire, she may be taken hostage. Even knowing that, I have no choice but to send her. There is no one better suited for this matter. Please take good care of her.⌟

⌜Yes, Your Majesty. I will protect the Princess with my life.⌟

Kasim’s firm determination was soon put to the test.

“She’s gone!”

The next morning, Penny came running with a scream, carrying the letter Lea had left behind.

—I’ll go to Poema first. There is something important I need to do there. I roughly drew the route to Poema below. If you just follow it, you should arrive within ten days. See you later.

‘Princessssss!’

He held the letter in his trembling hands and roared only inside his mind.

After climbing onto a hill, Lea looked down at the endless plain.

For the first time since returning to the past, she was alone.

She remembered the days when she had not been able to let down her guard for even a moment in order to survive.

Her relaxed heart tightened again.

The reason she was moving alone was to increase her speed.

She had obtained important information at the market.

‘The Northern East Commander is in Poema right now!’

With the intelligence network of the Zephyrus Kingdom, they had not been able to find his exact location.

So she had planned to go to Poema, the nearest region under the Northern East’s jurisdiction, and search for him there.

But fortunately, he was already there.

She had never seen the Northern East Commander, the Fourth Prince, before.

‘It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are.’

The only thing that mattered to Lea was that he was Nella’s son.

She was prepared to risk even her own life to prevent his death.

‘If I can repay the debt I owe her with just my one life, then it’s a cheap price.’

After traveling for five days, she arrived at the Poema military base.

The security of the base, which she roughly observed by sending spirits, was strict.

Lea wanted to meet the Fourth Prince unofficially.

There was no way she could meet him by requesting an audience without revealing her identity.

‘As expected, I have no choice but to sneak in. Please take care of me.’

She whispered to the spirit.

As if answering her, the wind tickled the back of her neck.

Lea smiled and took a step forward.

The spirit would show her a hidden path that could avoid people’s eyes.

Inside the office of the residence at the Poema military base.

The black-haired man sat leaning back in his chair with his legs resting on the desk, reading the imperial decree brought by the Emperor’s messenger.

—It seems the cold wind of the Northern East has frozen even the Commander’s loyalty. I can no longer even remember what your face looks like. Enter the capital before the full moon and let me see your complexion. I shall give you a cup of warm tea.

A faint sneer appeared in his emotionless silver-gray eyes.

There was no way the Emperor had called him because he really wanted to see his son.

To the Emperor, his five sons were tools that made the stability of imperial power look stronger, as well as replaceable parts that could be switched out at any time.

Karion had not shown himself for a long time, so the Emperor was simply trying to keep him under control before he slipped outside his range of control.

He snapped his fingers.

Whoosh—

The Emperor’s decree flew into the air and then fell to the floor.

Orbin, the intelligence officer, picked up the decree and said,

“Your Highness. You have already ignored two imperial commands. Next time, it will not be messengers who come, but hunting dogs. You must go this time.”

Karion, the Fourth Prince and Commander-in-Chief of the Northern East of the Tera Empire, traveled around the military bases throughout the year to manage the annexed and vassal states in the Northern East.

He had become Commander-in-Chief six years ago and left the capital.

For the past few years, whenever the Emperor called him, he had made up excuses and sent the messengers back.

“It’s noisy outside.”

Karion turned his gaze toward his adjutant, Cedric, and said,

“Go find out what is happening.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Some time after Cedric left, the noise outside grew louder.

He seemed to hear someone shout, ‘This way!’ and the sound of several people running down the corridor echoed.

“Your Highness. You should cancel your next inspection and—”

While Orbin was speaking, the door suddenly burst open and someone entered, then closed the door.

Their face could not be seen because they had pulled their hood deeply over their head.

Orbin drew his sword with a fierce expression.

“Who are you?”

“I have something important to tell His Highness the Prince.”

Orbin froze when he heard the beautiful voice coming from the uninvited guest.

The stranger grabbed the hood and pulled it back, revealing the face of a woman with her hair tied behind her.

Her abundant, sand-colored blonde hair was tied back, but it still covered her shoulders thickly.

Her bright skin seemed to glow on its own.

Her clear green eyes, like pure water, sparkled like sunlight reflected on waves.

‘Oh.’

Orbin was genuinely impressed.

He had seen many beautiful women, but this beauty felt different.

Should he call it healthy, or perhaps fresh?

She immediately caught the eye, and he could not take his eyes off her.

Orbin secretly glanced at Karion.

‘It can’t be, but just in case.’

It could be some kind of romantic trouble between the Prince and this woman, so he could not readily step in.

“I am Lea, Princess of Zephyrus. I acted rudely by avoiding the eyes of those around me so that I could meet Your Highness.”

Karion looked her over as if he were evaluating an object, then asked coldly,

“Princess of Zephyrus?”

“Yes.”

Karion lowered his legs from the desk and stood up.

As he walked toward Lea, she did not move even once.

As the distance between them grew smaller, Lea’s head naturally tilted upward as she kept looking into his eyes.

“An unexpected guest has come. If you really are the Princess of Zephyrus.”

“Someone who can prove my identity is on the way. The delegation officially sent by the kingdom will arrive within a few days.”

“Why is the Zephyrus delegation coming here instead of the capital?”

“Because I have something important to tell Your Highness.”

“If it is something that can be finished briefly in one sentence, then let me hear it.”

It was practically the same as telling her that he did not want to hear it and that she should leave immediately.

Lea was not intimidated by his cold response. Meeting his gaze, she spoke with determination.

“Marry me.”

Oh.

It seemed as though someone could not hold back their admiration.