TSF 07

Chapter 7

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

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

If nothing had happened after that, she probably would have chosen a decent husband from among the kingdom’s eligible men, married, and lived carelessly for the rest of her life while everyone continued to call her “Princess.”

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

The carefree princess named Rea had died.

She had experienced how her entire world could be turned upside down overnight and how she could be thrown 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 to pay for living one life and returning from it, then so be it.

‘Yes. He must have been through many difficult things, too. Standing at the very center of power, he probably never had a chance to let his guard down.’

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

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

“I heard that nobles from vassal states are considered the lowest rank in Imperial 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 Holy 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, who came from regional noble families of territories that had been annexed and had become almost completely Imperialized.

At the very bottom were the Iron Crown nobles, which was where nobles from vassal states belonged.

Imperial nobles strongly tended to associate with people of their own rank and marry among themselves.

For Rea, breaking through the invisible walls of Imperial society was almost impossible.

But if she became an Imperial Princess Consort, she would enter the circle of the Holy Blood in an instant.

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

For Rea, in her current position, that was her only hope of keeping First Imperial Prince Enoch in check.

Rea smiled brightly at that hope.

She smiled even when everything ahead looked completely dark. But how could she not smile when there was a road 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 the duties of husband and wife on you. We only need to be married publicly. I’m proposing that we enter into a marriage contract.”

“……”

“I understand why you rejected my proposal, Your Highness. I’m trying to jump right into the middle of the whirlpool you want to avoid.”

Karion had seen countless people who flew toward power like moths to a flame.

They all hid their desires while pretending to be noble. He had never seen anyone boldly admit to their desires the way she did.

For the first time, he became curious about someone else’s desires.

“What is it for?”

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

Karion let out a small laugh.

“I haven’t given up.”

Once again, Karion laughed shortly out loud.

Rea’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 with his one son.

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

“I’ll go inside first.”

‘The atmosphere is good right now.’

Before the conversation could drag on and lead to an unnecessary argument, she quickly left.

As he watched her walk away, Karion’s hand twitched.

It was instinct.

He wanted to touch her.

He wanted to find out whether what he had felt was merely his imagination or whether there really was something there.

But he clenched his fist tightly and turned away.

It was not 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 no idea what he would do.

And so, he chose to look away.

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

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

“Your Highness. It’s Cedric.”

When Cedric entered after knocking, Karion sat up in bed.

“There’s a forest fire. The situation is serious.”

Karion immediately threw on a cloak and went up to the watchtower on the fortress wall connected to the top floor of the residence.

From the watchtower, he could see the entire garrison at a glance, as well as the busy center of Poema in the distance.

Between the city and the garrison, vivid red flames burned brightly in the darkness and continued to spread.

Poema was a mountainous region.

It was also humid all year round, so forest fires were extremely rare.

But this year, it had been dry for nearly half a year, and the atmosphere in Poema had been heavy and tense.

Since coming to the Poema garrison, the matters Karion had paid the most attention to were calming the people through food supplies and maintaining public order.

But he had not considered the possibility of a forest fire.

The dense forests that had grown for decades without a single major fire had dried out completely. They would make excellent fuel.

“Sound the emergency bell.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The loud bell rang throughout the garrison.

The various parts of the garrison that had been buried in darkness were suddenly illuminated by lanterns.

Soldiers who had been fast asleep came rushing outside.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast was famous for being strict about military discipline, so the garrison where he stayed was always under tight discipline.

It did not take long for every soldier to assemble 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 find where the fire started. Determine whether it was a natural fire or arson!”

“Yes!”

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

“Yes!”

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

They cut down the trees surrounding the garrison and cleared out the supplies from the warehouses.

They fetched water and brought it around the garrison in advance. They also sprayed water over the roofs in preparation for flying embers.

Karion climbed back up to the watchtower to assess the situation.

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

Fortunately, the wind was not blowing toward the city, but at this rate, the fire would soon reach the garrison.

‘Instead of wasting our efforts trying to put out 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 where the forest fire was approaching.

The village was practically an orphanage.

The village chief and residents took in children from troubled areas who had nowhere else to go. By caring for them, they played an important role in stabilizing public safety in the region.

Karion ran 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 commotion also woke the entire Zephyros delegation.

“A forest fire?”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Have everyone in our group gather in front of the main entrance of the residence.”

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

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

Rea left the room and ran out without a second thought.

She grabbed the first soldier she encountered and asked,

“Where is the highest place around here?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked where the highest place is!”

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

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

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

Rea stared at the blazing fire approaching the garrison.

Judging by the strength of the forest fire, they had already missed the window for containing it in its early stages.

The flames were spreading rapidly with the wind, closing the distance every moment.

At this rate, it would not take long for the fire to engulf the garrison.

“Hoo…”

She let out a long breath and slowly closed her eyes.

The wind began to blow around her.

She had just woken up, and her long hair, which hung loosely over her shoulders, lifted and fluttered in the wind wrapping around her body.

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

The fire, which had probably begun with a single spark, had spread with the flying embers, splitting into multiple fronts and growing into a threatening mass.

Suddenly, one of the smaller fronts of the fire flared up violently, carried by the wind.

That wind was blowing in the exact opposite direction from the wind that had been blowing until then.