Chapter 2
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The red pupils scanned her lazily, as if staring at their prey, and fear struck again, but Rosette forced herself to put on a brave face and pulled out her secret weapon.
"Yes, that's right. You can take me right here and now if you want, but......."
His eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at her. He gestured for her to speak.
"You won't be a perfect emperor."
As soon as she finished, he began to laugh heartily. What was so amusing about him was that he laughed out loud, and it was so much like that of an innocent boy that it was momentarily disconcerting.
After a long moment, he stopped laughing and reverted to his previous nonchalant expression. No, it was more than that, it was more sharp. It was like he was a different person, and the tension in the barracks was palpable.
"I am perfect now, and my country is strong, expanding its territory day by day, killing or destroying anything that stands in my way, and I don't see the future... being any different."
The cold tone of his voice and the frosty look on his face sent a chill through her body, but it only made Rosette stiffen her back even more. She was a proud Hercian and the kingdom's only princess. Rosette's pupils dilated for a moment, her eyes dazzling.
"I'm not just saying that. I... I can fill the one thing you lack, Your Majesty."
"By what means, Princess?"
"Rather than describe it in words, I'll show you."
With those words, Rosette clamped her mouth shut and stalked away, arriving at the same chair where he had been cleaning his sword just moments before.
The sight of his sword was eerie. The sharp edge of the blade, soaked in the blood of hundreds or thousands of people, had an uncharacteristic aura of foreboding. Facing it, goosebumps rose all over her body.
But Rosette boldly grasped the hilt of the sword and closed her eyes.
Theodore’s brow twitched slightly as he didn't expect her actions.
His magical sword followed its master. It would be difficult for a normal person to even lift it. Much less a woman.
He could have stopped her, but instead, he simply watched. He didn't want to interrupt her amusing act. There was also a hint of curiosity in his red eyes, wondering how the bold woman would handle this conundrum.
He didn't know what she was doing. She seemed to be meditating, gripping a weapon that even a normal knight would be reluctant to touch.
Rosette's brow furrowed inexplicably.
She seemed to be concentrating on something unseen, and it was unfamiliar.
Her focused expression suddenly caught Theodore's attention. His puzzlement was short-lived, however, as something amazing began to happen.
The blade of his sword, stained with red blood, gradually began to reveal its true color, and at her touch, it returned to its original shimmering blue glow with astonishing speed, bereft of the blood that had covered it only moments before. His expression changed strangely at the strange sight.
"Is this a hallucination?"
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Rosette gasped and answered his question.
"No."
He had gotten close enough to hear her answer that he snatched the sword from her hand.
His sword was unmoving in her grasp. The powerlessness of his hand as she handled it as if it were a toy was once again realized. Her eyes were sharper than a well-honed blade as he flicked the sword with a nonchalant gesture, and her small gesture was the sign of a swordsman who had seen countless battlefields.
"No spell, so it can't be magic."
It was a sight he had never seen before. There was a hint of interest in his intense gaze as he scanned the blade, and when he had examined it, he turned his attention to Rosette, his eyes sharp, as if he would allow no falsehoods.
His gaze seemed to pierce her heart. Rosette's shoulders slumped involuntarily. Her hands clenched into tight fists, trying to hide her trembling.
"It's not... magic."
The man's pupils were calm as he looked at her, but that only made her fear him more. Rosette's heart skipped a beat under his all-consuming gaze. When he asked her the next question, she spoke up.
"And what is it?"
"It's called superpower."
Superpower. It was the stuff of legend, and now he understood why she had been so confident. He couldn't take his eyes off the way she stiffened her back and the way her eyes were so clear.
"Superpower......."
One corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Even his shadow in the candlelight was huge, as if it would swallow Rosette whole. Then, with his back to the dim light, he spoke in a low, husky voice.
"Interesting, a princess with superpowers. Surely, I am the one who can put them to the most valuable use."
"Now that I've shown you what I can do, I'll offer you a deal again."
His eyes flashed for a moment as he studied her intently. At his seeming acceptance, Rosette spoke ambitiously, as if determined.
"I will use my abilities to help you and the empire, and when my usefulness is complete... then you can abandon me."
This was really her trump card, her last struggle. Her body overly rigid, her face bloodless and white with strain. After hours of riding and using her powers, she would struggle just to stand. Rosette's appearance was precarious, and her slightly trembling voice and shaky fingertips showed it.
"A princess who sacrifices herself to save her country... how heartbreaking."
"Then......."
"Good. I will return to the Kaisen Empire a week from now, and you will travel with me to the Empire. Prepare to leave with me accordingly, for I am a man of my word."
And he tore up the bundle of parchments Rosette had placed on the floor, the list of tribute she had offered to pay.
“I have bought your ability, so I will consider this small sum as unacceptable.”
"My pleasure. Your Majesty."
With that, Rosette curtsied and turned away from Theodore, his fierce gaze boring into her slender back, but she kept her back straight and her stride steady until she was outside the barracks.
She had succeeded in saving her family, her people, and her country, and her destiny had changed as of this day. Rosette would no longer be the beautiful flower and beloved daughter of Hercia, but rather a hostage of the Kaisen Empire. It would be a long journey, and there was no guarantee when it would end, but it would be for the best. Recognizing it, Rosette's face turned bitter.
* * *
The news of the Kaisen Empire's advance into the Kingdom of Hercia had come like a thunderbolt. Her homeland was a small kingdom, nothing more than a tiny pocket of land.
A step back from the fierce territorial wars, it was a symbol of peace and a fertile land of ancient green. Her small but well-bountiful land has become the prey of a man jealous of her ancestors' blessings.
Theodore Alexius.
Nicknamed the Blood Tyrant, he was the emperor of the Kaisen Empire. The illegitimate son of the previous Emperor, he ascended the throne himself after brutally slaughtering his father and half-brothers. From there, it was only a matter of time before he reached out to swallow up the kingdom of Hercia in a series of territorial wars. Like David and Goliath, it was a battle of mismatched opponents.
It began with the capture of the territory of Rosette's maternal uncle, Count Hunt, and his army took that as a cue to march inexorably forward. Notoriously unmerciful, the tyrant stained everything he passed with blood, and it didn't take long for him to reach the capital.
At this rate, the beautiful country Rosette was born and raised in would be wiped off the map. Not only that, but her family and her people would be in danger. She couldn't allow any more innocent lives to be lost.
So Rosette made a decision: she would sacrifice herself to save them all. If this was the fate of her powers, she would gladly accept it.
What Theodore, the Emperor's illegitimate son and the man who took the throne through treason, lacked was cause and honor. Everyone in the empire cowered before him, fearful of his natural strength, martial prowess, and cruel temper, and gossiped behind him, calling him a lowly emperor with no legitimacy. They called him a cold-blooded beast who had harmed his father and brothers. The arrogant Emperor accepted her offer.
He must have quickly calculated her value in many ways. It was a gamble for Rosette, but she made the deal and secured her beautiful land. When she returned home, she boldly told her parents all about it.
Isis, the queen of the kingdom of Hercia and Rosette's mother, grabbed the back of her neck in disbelief, unable to finish her sentence.
"My God... He's rumored to be cruel....... This is ridiculous, Rosette. How did he let you leave unscathed?”
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