Chapter 1
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The Princess of Hercia
A nighttime vision that hid even the deep blue moon.
The ragged breathing of a human traversing the road alone broke the silence. A single bead of sweat trickled down Rosette's back.
"Hmph, hmph... haah......."
Hours of running atop the fastest steed in all of Hercia. Now she was out of breath and her knuckles were white from how hard she gripped the reins. She was now at her limit. She should have arrived long ago, but there was no destination in sight. As she wondered to herself, she saw several faint flames in the distance.
"Finally... we're here."
A mixture of emotions flashed across her face. Elation that she had finally found this place, and terror that she would have to face this man. The fate of her country resting on her shoulders. As she contemplated him, Rosette's eyes visibly sank.
In the distance, several flames rose in the air, torches held by the soldiers stationed there. Spotting Rosette, they drew their swords from their scabbards at their sides and pointed their sharp blades at her.
"Who are you?"
"Now, wait a minute. She's a woman, isn't she?"
She looked a little tall for a woman, but a woman was a woman. A woman, unarmed, with a slender frame that even a loose cloak couldn't hide. She shouldn’t be here alone at this dangerous time.
The soldiers hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to make of her, and then Rosette spoke in a stern voice.
"I’m Rosette Demianne, Princess of the Kingdom of Hercia. I request an audience with His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the Kaisen Empire."
She held out her credentials and approached the largest of the barracks. She swiped the back of her hand across the thick leather cloth at the entrance and stepped inside, swallowing hard as the air felt sticky. The room reeked of blood and gore.
Theodore Alexius, Emperor of the Kaisen Empire. This was her first meeting with him.
He was sitting at an angle, wiping the blood off his sword, true to his nickname, the Killer of War. His movements were gentle, out of character for his crude-looking hands. His brow furrowed in a small frown at the unexpected visitor.
"Greetings to Your Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the Kaisen Empire. I am Rosette Demian, Princess of the Kingdom of Hercia."
The cloak that shrouded her face was removed and she bowed, revealing her pale, clean face. It was a mature-looking face, but one that was not quite grown up. There was an unusual sense of mission in her serious expression and eyes.
‘It’s boring.’
That was Theodore's first impression of her.
The woman was the one and only Princess Rosette Demianne, the most beautiful flower of the kingdom of Hercia. Silver-haired and silver-eyed, she was so beautiful that people begged for a glimpse of her face, but alas, she made no impression on Theodore.
Despite her astonishing identity, he glanced at Rosette and continued his work in silence. In his indifferent state of mind, he was merely carefully wiping the dried blood from his blade with a damp cloth.
His indifference made it clear that he was not pleased to have Rosette interrupt his time. She hadn't expected hospitality, but his response was colder than she'd expected, and her fingertips tingled with nervousness.
The young and beautiful Emperor of the Kaisen Empire was every bit as sharp and dangerous as she'd heard, and his extraordinary good looks made him unmistakably the most handsome man her kingdom had ever seen.
Rumor had it that women flung themselves at him like moths to a flame to win his hand. But as far as Rosette was concerned, he was a brutal slaughterer, a torpedo boat that had invaded her country, and the blood he so carefully wiped away was the blood of proud Hercians. As she stared at him, the foul smell of blood made her stomach turn.
"What is it?"
It was Theodore who broke the long silence between them. Theodore's voice was a battle cry, "I have no business with you, so tell me what you're doing and get out of here.” Rosette took a small, deep breath and began to tell him what she had prepared.
"As you may have guessed, Your Majesty... I have come to make a request."
One request. There was only one thing she would ask of him.
"Please have mercy on a weak and powerless nation, Your Majesty, and stop this march and protect this green land that my people have worked so hard to build."
"Certainly... it would be a shame to see this beautiful place burned to the ground."
Her face brightened slightly as she felt that his words made sense, despite his cruelty and lack of mercy. Gaining confidence from his response, Rosette continued.
“I will not simply ask you to stop. You must have something to gain. Starting this year, I will triple the annual tribute we paid to the Kaisen Empire. Also, ownership of five mines, including copper, silver, and coal. I will give you all the exclusive rights to expensive crops that only grow in the Kingdom of Hercia. Please look over this list I have prepared, Your Majesty.”
Rosette politely placed the bundle of parchments she had prepared inside her cloak on the floor. Things seemed to be going more smoothly than she had expected.
But the emperor didn't seem to be interested in the parchment she'd dropped. There was a silence that seemed like an eternity, and Rosette's positive interpretation of the current negotiations was soon shattered.
His red lips parted slowly as he considered her behavior.
"Hm."
"Yes......?"
"Why should I do that?"
His piercing gaze seemed to become a razor-sharp blade, sinking into her body. She couldn't say anything to his sharp question, her whole body stiffened like a statue, unable to move, as if caught in a spider's web.
"I'm asking why I should settle for so little, princess, when I could have it all, if I had this land."
"That, that's......."
"If you were going to make a deal with me, you should have brought something solid."
He lifted the sword he'd been cleaning and held it out to the air. Unwiped, partially melted blood dripped from the tip of the blade. The blade flashed with each movement, reflecting the fire. The harsh sound of the blade slicing through the air was loud, almost deafening. He swung it a few more times like that, then set it aside against the wall.
When he finished, he rose to his feet, standing well over six feet tall. Theodore walked slowly toward Rosette. His loose gown swayed precariously as if it were about to come undone, and even his gait resembled that of a graceful beast on the verge of feeding. Rosette stumbled backward as the giant figure slowly approached.
"The strongest will dominate. Naive princess."
"You... you already have so much. Consider the legacy you will leave for future generations......."
Closing the distance, he glanced down at Rosette, who looked away in embarrassment. The loose sash of his robe had come undone, revealing a muscular body covered in scars, large and small. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he spoke.
"A tyrant and cruel conqueror who killed his father and half-brother with his own hands. A murderer. Some say I eat the living, but they're sadly mistaken. I'm squeamish, and... what else?"
He didn't seem to mind the fact that he was revealing his innards. At the sudden visual shock, Rosette jerked her gaze downward, only to find that it was to his lamentably well-defined abs. The body of a warrior, hardened by war. He looked dizzyingly huge and rock-hard.
Even just standing in front of him, Rosette could barely breathe, as if she were being held back by an impenetrable wall.
The old scars visible through his loose gown shifted and twisted with his movements. Then, as he spoke nonchalantly about his reputation, he concluded firmly.
"I don't think it would make much difference to me if there was one more."
His rumors across the continent were all horrifying, and it didn't matter what else was added to the mix. He wasn't wrong, and it was somewhat expected that he would not be easily persuaded. The safety of her family and people was at stake, and Rosette had no place to retreat.
"If Your Majesty shows mercy, I will put my name on the line and serve you faithfully."
"No way... Take the princess and defend your country and your family. You're not talking about something so trivial, are you?"
His interpretation of Rosette's slightly paused expression made her blush.
"From the look on your face, I'd say yes."
She glanced up at his face, puzzling over his intentions, and then looked down again. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she had come this far and couldn't stop now. Her fisted hands inside her sleeves trembled slightly.
"Of course, your face is worthy of consideration... but unfortunately, in the Kaisen Empire, the one who is beautiful is the one who kicks. It doesn't seem like a very attractive offer. However, I will highly commend your courage."
"Oh, of course you do, Your Majesty, for you have everything, but that's not what I'm proposing."
"Well. At the height of my powers, I need nothing more. Even a princess who comes to me on her own like this, I can take as I please."
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