The Price of Saving A Wicked Beast
Translator: Rae
“What is the meaning of this? The advance of Viscount Romeo?”
Fabian shouted at those gathered in the audience chamber for the report. Seeing his obvious agitation, the commander began to explain.
“You may remember the placards that appeared in the capital a few months ago. That Viscount Romeo raised a banner against the current imperial family…”
"I remember that as well!"
He could hardly forget it because it had been something he himself staged. Fabian ground his teeth. He could not understand how something fabricated as a lie had suddenly become reality.
“It is reported that soldiers of the Serrem tribe are advancing alongside Viscount Romeo’s forces. What shall we do, Your Highness? The capital’s current forces are insufficient for defense.”
“What do you mean? The capital’s forces cannot defend?”
The commander opened his mouth to explain, looking troubled.
“Not only in the west, but in the east as well, continuous skirmishes have severely depleted our forces. Because of this, even the troops guarding the capital were drawn out and sent to the eastern and western fronts…”
At the commander’s embarrassed explanation, Fabian gritted his teeth. This too had been part of his own scheme—preparing the easiest way to retake the capital when he stirred rebellion in the North as a last resort.
“How long until the western army reaches the capital?”
“At the fastest, four days—no, perhaps three.”
“If we hold them off in a war of attrition, how much time can we gain?”
“If we expend our forces while holding… about three weeks would be possible.”
Three weeks, and three days. Barely enough time to hope for aid from the North.
“Send urgent word to the grand duchy. My grandfather will dispatch the northern army at once. And the matter of the Selem tribe joining them… confirm it again. It is hard to believe that former enemies have formed an alliance.”
If Serrem had truly joined hands with Viscount Romeo, matters would grow complicated. The thought that the poison he fed the Emperor or the matter of Katarina’s emerald jewelry might be exposed to the world made cold sweat run down Fabian’s back.
“Understood. We will dispatch a courier to the North immediately and send scouts to observe the enemy, then report again.”
Not long after the report reached Fabian, news of Viscount Romeo’s advance spread across the capital. Chaos erupted, and the gates were clogged with nobles and citizens fleeing the city.
Taking advantage of the difficulty in controlling the crowd, two figures wearing deep green robes pulled low stepped into the capital.
[So this is the imperial capital. Nothing impressive. Like savages—there’s not a shred of order.]
Though the voice was quiet enough to be hard to hear, it was clearly not the imperial language. The woman replied coldly to the man.
[Are you judging a city by desert standards? The one sounding more uncivilized is you.]
[What?]
The man frowned in disbelief and began to roll up his sleeve, but the woman hurriedly grabbed his arm.
[You’re not about to expose your skin here, are you? At this rate, the Serrem tribe’s fate will end in this generation.]
[And the Romeo house will probably die out because of you, with your head full of schemes.]
Despite the man’s sarcastic remark, the woman—Rose Romeo—showed no change in expression. She tucked the man’s exposed hair beneath the robe and lightly struck his arm.
[Careful. Someone’s coming. We have far to go, so hurry.]
Watching Rose move as if dissolving into the crowd, the man clicked his tongue. But his grumbling lasted only a moment before he followed her swiftly.
Their movements were so smooth like flowing water that no one remembered the robed man who had stood there moments before.
Arriving at the door, Rose took a deep breath. Seeing her tension, the man impulsively knocked.
Bang, bang, bang! Startled by the rough knocking, Rose widened her eyes. At her reproachful glare, the man shrugged and pouted as if to say, “What of it?”
"I'm coming out."
The door of an ordinary-looking house opened. A young woman stepped out. She peered carefully inside the robes, then made an “ah” expression and quickly stepped aside.
“You must be Lady Romeo. Please come inside. The two of them have been waiting for you for quite some time.”
Guided by Marcella, Rose and the man stepped inside. What looked like an ordinary house was actually connected to nearby homes through a wide underground space. After passing through the maze-like corridors, Rose heard a familiar voice.
"Rose!"
Adelaide, standing beside Killian, rushed toward Rose without restraint. Though only her name had been called, tears welled in Rose’s eyes. The robed man watched in surprise at her rare display.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I am fine, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
At Rose’s unchanged, respectful demeanor, Adelaide smiled with tears in her eyes.
“This is… in Serrem’s terms, the chieftain’s heir.”
[Hey. Introduce me properly. I may not speak your language, but I can understand it.]
The man raised his voice in irritation at Rose’s careless introduction that didn’t even include his name. He pulled back his robe and revealed his face.
[My name is Miguel. Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Highness the Crown Princess.]
Rose looked at Miguel with slight surprise. Though they had spent considerable time together during this affair, it was the first time he had shown such politeness.
[So you do know how to be polite…]
[You’re the one being rude, Lady Romeo.]
Miguel replied in a playful tone, lifting one corner of his mouth.
***
“As soon as we reached the west, we met with Serrem as Your Highness instructed. And we negotiated with them based on the proposal you suggested.”
The long-standing hostility between Selam and the Empire stemmed from the policy of not recognizing them as a nation. Because they were treated as a ‘tribe’ rather than a state, diplomatic relations between countries never formed.
The grand ducal house had proposed granting them borderlands, but to Serrem, the barren frontier was land that might as well not exist. In this respect, Killian’s proposal aligned perfectly with Serrem’s needs.
[Being recognized as a nation is one of Selam’s long-held wishes. My father also has great expectations regarding this.]
If they could not possess fertile lands—only barren desert—they had to exchange with others to obtain what they needed. The more they clashed with the Empire, the more isolated Serrem became. Miguel spoke lightly with a smile.
[To be honest, we’re also a bit tired of the North flaunting their generosity.]
At first, they provided flour and food as symbols of goodwill, but the North waited until Serrem began depending on them. First emeralds, then sacred items of Serrem—even poisons—had to be handed over at the cheap price of mere flour.
The price was absurdly low for a fair trade, but lacking immediate food, Serrem had no choice but to accept what the North offered.
Thus, as opinions about the North became divided within Serrem, an unexpected visitor appeared—the daughter of House Romeo, their historic enemy, Rose Romeo.
Miguel glanced at Rose.
In Serrem’s perspective, Rose was a famous figure. In the desert, women were considered those to be protected. Yet Rose, though a woman, possessed martial skill far surpassing Selam’s warriors.
When she stepped alone into Serrem’s lands, he thought she must have gone mad. But Rose Romeo, once captured, had an even crazier idea.
Miguel’s gaze turned to Killian. Glossy black hair. Mysterious violet eyes that revealed nothing of his thoughts. Having met Fabian before, Miguel began to understand why he always felt inferior to his cousin.
“Miguel, was it? I trust Lady Romeo properly conveyed our conditions.”
[Of course.]
At Miguel’s crisp reply, Killian let out a small laugh.
“Good. Then let us begin negotiations with Serrem.”
***
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