NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
A storm of emotions surged within him. If she hadn’t noticed, he might have endured it, but A storm of emotions surged within him. If she hadn’t noticed, he might have endured it, but there was no reason to hold back since she had.
“I have no reason to live anymore. No value left. I do not wish to cling to a miserable existence.”
He couldn’t understand why he was still alive, why he hadn’t paid for his sins when he hadn’t been able to protect anything. Regen had no will to live. What could someone like him, with a shattered mana core, possibly do?
He felt like a dragonfly trapped in the grasp of an innocent yet cruel child—released but with its wings torn off. A dragonfly that could no longer fly had no choice but to crawl on the ground like a mere insect. Even if it lived, it was not truly alive.
“Grant me a mercy, and I hope you’ll overlook this.”
Crash. The porcelain vase adorned with flowers shattered into pieces. He picked up the sharpest shard and pressed it against his neck, right where his carotid artery was. Yet, even now, the princess remained unfazed.
“You cannot die.”
The reason became clear soon enough. The shard’s edge grazed his neck but went no further. His arm wouldn’t move, as if something was holding it back.
The princess explained in a soothing tone as if pacifying his confusion. “I commanded you to live.”
“No way…”
“It’s exactly as you’re thinking. I used the power passed down in the Magnarod imperial bloodline—on you.”
It was a threat Regen had never even considered before. He had been an unmatched knight, a force beyond anyone’s control. Even the tyrant emperor, famed for his absolute authority, had once doubted whether he could make Regen kneel. Being robbed of his natural human will was not something he could accept lightly. Hatred, rising from the depths of his being, laced his voice.
“You are merciless.”
“I’m the daughter of the mad emperor.”
Yet, despite such a reply, her next words were strange.
“I want to have a conversation.”
“Conversation?”
“If you still wish to die after our conversation, I will let you.”
It was impossible to figure her out.
“Do you swear that?”
“I swear upon my name.”
“…”
“Come, sit here.” She led him to the table at the center of the bedroom, where food was neatly prepared. “Eat. You must be hungry.”
The only courtesy he could extend was taking a seat. Eating was an act of survival, and for one who sought death, it was unnecessary.
The princess gazed at him steadily. She seemed to be contemplating what to do, so he offered her a suggestion.
“If you truly want me to eat, command me to.”
“I have already given you as many commands as necessary. From now on, I want this to be a conversation.”
Regent thought the princess would give up, but he was wrong. Instead, she personally poured a drink into a glass, placed food on a plate, and pushed it toward him.
“Seeing you reminds me of a story my mother told me when I was little.”
“…”
“My mother stopped eating while she was pregnant with me. Furious at her defiance, the mad emperor tried every means possible to make her eat. He failed dozens of times, but when he finally succeeded, the method was… very effective.”
“…”
“He captured prisoners from my mother’s homeland. And each time she refused to eat, he beheaded one of them before her eyes. Five died that way. Before the sixth could be killed, she finally gave in and emptied a bowl of soup in front of him.”
The tale, spoken in her serene voice, was anything but pleasant to hear. Regen clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
“So you will not command me, but you will threaten me?”
“Threats are better. At least they don’t turn people into puppets.”
The air in the room grew cold and heavy. It felt as though she could order the execution of Lohengrin’s prisoners at any moment. But the first to back down was the princess.
“If you truly don’t want to eat, you don’t have to. My mother threw up everything the moment the mad emperor left, satisfied.”
“…”
“Hmm, maybe I should have told a different story.”
It was absurd, but Regen thought she looked slightly melancholic at that moment. She shifted from the image of a tyrant’s daughter to that of a victim—an enigma he could not decipher.
“What is it that you wish to say?”
At his direct demand, she no longer spoke in circles. The princess was shockingly straightforward.
“I want you to live. Only by living can you plan for the future. Whether for revenge or justice, I will create an opportunity for you.”
“I no longer have the strength to meet your expectations, Princess. If I live, all that awaits me is a pitiful existence.”
“What if I could restore your mana core?”
Regen’s mind snapped into focus. “Is that possible?”
“It is. Restoring a mana core is the fifth stage of imperial power. I have that level of power.”
“…”
“Is there a reason to refuse?”
For the first time, light flickered in Regen’s lifeless eyes. The tyrant’s daughter standing before him was also his savior, the one who could weave back the wings he had lost.
She whispered sweetly. “Live. If you stay alive, opportunities will come. This sense of helplessness you feel now—it’s only temporary.”
“…”
“Please become my sword.”
Like an escort seeking a knight’s vow, she extended her right hand to him. All he had to do was respectfully take that hand, hold it, and kiss it. It was a temptation impossible to refuse.
✦
As I gazed into those golden eyes, I knew—I had almost won him over. With no emblem to seal our oath, I had intended to settle for a mere kiss upon my hand. But then, instead of holding my hand, he merely brushed his fingertips against it before letting go.
When our eyes met again, I could see it clearly—the glimmer of awareness. A surge of alertness that shouldn’t have been there at this moment. It made me tense up.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“There’s no guarantee that I can meet your expectations, so why go this far? Wouldn’t another knight be a better choice?”
His gaze held clarity and meaning. He is trying to determine whether I know his true identity.
Suspicion. Caution. And beneath that, buried like an impurity—fear. Not just the fear of being exposed as a defeated prince. But the shame of having survived alone. For a man who had lived honorably beneath the vast blue sky, his current existence felt like nothing more than a humiliating prolongation. In other words, his true identity was not something he would willingly share.
I must pretend not to know. After all, he wouldn’t remember saving a young imperial princess in the past. We had not even exchanged names back then. As long as I did not bring it up first, there was no past connection between us.
But there was a problem. I needed a reason he could accept for why I had chosen him as my knight. Even the slightest flaw in my reasoning could make him suspect me and withdraw. I couldn’t afford for him to shut himself off.
Think, Rosasia. Think quickly. I needed a justification that wouldn’t render all my efforts meaningless… Ah. Then—it struck me.
I reached for the handle of my teacup, fidgeting with it as I carefully lowered my gaze into the liquid. “Because… you resemble my deceased brother.” I sold one of my sixty-seven deceased brothers.
“…”
I stole a glance at him. Sure enough, his gaze on me wavered. He had a younger sister close to my age. Confirming that it struck a chord, I gained confidence.
“He was very kind to me. In this palace, which felt like a cage, he was the only family I could rely on. Many years have passed since he left me, but I still miss him.”
“…I see.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to accept my brother’s absence yet. But then, I saw you today. So, even if it’s just an illusion, even if it’s a lie… I hope you can fill the void my brother left by my side. Just until I’m ready to let him go, please.”
I turned my head to the side, feigning sorrow. A single teardrop trembling on the edge of my lashes would have been perfect—but, unfortunately, such theatrics were beyond a dried-up person like me.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.