Chapter 39
Narein felt exactly the same emotion in Ron’s gaze as she had back then.
After that, she remembered nothing. She had been swinging her sword like mad until she felt a blunt impact to her head and lost consciousness.
When she awoke, a warm bath and a soft bed were waiting for her.
As if it had all been nothing more than a nightmare.
It couldn’t have been a dream.
Her childhood had been hell.
The only thing that had let her escape that hell and learn the meaning of happiness was her family in the North.
Ron had been the demon who mercilessly trampled on that happiness, as if saying someone like her had no right to it.
Living by his side, breathing the same air, was a constant torment.
Every time she saw Ron’s red eyes, chills like insects crawling over her skin ran through her body.
She endured it, endured it, and endured it again.
For this one moment.
“What are you doing?”
Ron, who had been looking out the window, slowly turned his red eyes toward Narein.
Red and blue—two colors that clashed so violently now locked their auras on each other.
The pressure pressed down on her so heavily it felt like her very organs were being crushed, and Narein frowned faintly.
Yes, this man was strong. Strong, and just as dangerous.
That’s why he provokes me.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m going to kill you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
For the first time, the perpetually relaxed expression on Ron’s face hardened with sharpness.
His eyes grew cold, his lips pressed together, and then the corners of his mouth lifted in a clear, mocking smile.
You? Dare? To kill me?
Reading that intent in his expression, Narein raised her aura even higher.
The pain was enough to make her feel like her body would shatter, but she didn’t care.
After all, she was going to kill this man and die herself.
“Give it up. Ail will be sad.”
The casual words from Ron only provoked her further.
Her blue eyes rippled violently, as if about to overflow.
Clear hostility and murderous intent filled them, and beneath it all lay the hunger to win.
Ron gave a short laugh.
So words won’t stop this.
In daily life, Ron often failed to read the situation and was called an idiot by Ail,
but in moments like this, he could be colder than anyone.
Before Narein could draw whatever she was reaching for from her coat, he moved first.
Boom—!
The carriage shook violently from a sudden impact.
The coachman’s voice rang out, screaming as he struggled to calm the panicked horses.
In that instant, Ron realized he had made a mistake.
He felt the cold touch of metal pressing exactly against his chest.
“This… I saw this during the entrance exam…”
It was a cannon-like weapon, smaller now than the one Narein had carried on her shoulder during the exam—small enough to hide under a coat, almost cute in size,
but Ron knew its power too well to dismiss it.
A click signaled that it was loaded.
Sweat trickled down his forehead.
Damn it. I thought it would be a dagger.
A dagger, he could have blocked. But this was far too…
His thoughts ended there.
Bang—!
With an explosive report, the cannon fired.
Ron saw his own blood spattering before his eyes.
He could feel the iron pellet ripping through his body.
Agonizing pain.
But what remained in his fading vision was Naarein pressing the muzzle to her own head.
“Don’t… do that… Ail will…”
His voice trailed off as his consciousness slipped away.
“Still hasn’t arrived?”
Crown Prince Rozen shot to his feet at the report.
It had already been an hour since he had sent a communication to Ron.
Even at a run, Ron should have reached the palace from the Metailer estate by now.
“Contact Count Poison first. He has warp passes too.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And…”
Bang bang bang!
Rozen was speaking with his temporary adjutant—appointed to fill in for Yen—when a furious pounding rattled his office door, making him frown.
Who would dare knock like that on the Crown Prince’s office…?
Such knocking could only mean an urgent matter.
When Rozen ordered his adjutant to open the door, a royal knight rushed in and prostrated himself.
“My deepest apologies, Your Highness. I have committed a grave sin…”
“Report first.”
The knight’s whole body was trembling.
Rozen clenched his fists, realizing something was seriously wrong.
“C-Captain Ron Metailer has been attacked!”
After getting rough directions to the warp zone from Parcel, we ran straight toward our destination.
It was late at night, and security was tight, but slipping past the patrols wasn’t too hard.
Thanks to Mishi’s sharp senses, she could tell right away when someone was approaching.
“You’ve maxed out your stealth skill, haven’t you?”
“Stealth skill?”
“It’s a compliment. Anyway, see that iron gate over there? Once we get through it, we can reach the bridge.
Cross the bridge, and the warp zone’s right there.
The problem is… we only have one ID badge.”
There were plenty of guards passing by.
The problem was, we didn’t have the strength to take them down.
I’d rushed out here thinking we’d manage somehow, but now that it came to actually attacking those burly brutes to steal a badge, my courage shrank to the size of a bean.
I must have been braver when we were running away earlier.
Just look at those hulking guys—how were we supposed to knock one out and steal…
“Mishi?”
While I was still wondering what to do, Mishi moved first.
In the blink of an eye, like a cat, she struck the back of a passing guard’s neck and knocked him out.
With graceful hands, she cut the badge from his chest.
…What the heck?
Seriously, what the heck? She’s amazing.
I thought Mishi was just beautiful and delicate, but she’s a full-on multi-talented queen who can handle herself too?!
“This is just too unfair from the gods.”
“Hm? What did you say, Ail?”
“Nothing. Just that you’re really good in a fight.”
“Oh, this? Sir Ron sometimes taught me self-defense.”
She scratched her head shyly, and I nearly ascended on the spot.
Even in a tense situation like this, she was gorgeous—how was that fair?
Anyway, now that we had a badge, it was time to run again.
We reached the gate and hid in the bushes nearby.
Two guards stood watch in front—unlike the lightly dressed patrolmen, they wore heavy armor.
They were clearly royal knights.
From here on, I’d need to rely on shameless acting.
Chanting I am an actor in my head a hundred times, I took Mishi’s hand and walked forward calmly.
“Who goes there?”
“Ah, we’re royal staff. We’ve been ordered to pass through.”
“No such report has reached us.”
“Emergency order.”
Lowering my voice and speaking gravely, I watched as the knights exchanged glances.
They asked for my badge, and I handed over the one I’d taken from Parcel.
From what I’d seen, there was no gender marking on it, so I presented it confidently… though a tiny part of me worried there might be hidden markings like braille.
I swallowed hard as they inspected it.
“You may pass.”
Huh. Maybe Parcel had a pretty high rank—
their tone had switched to respectful honorifics, and they let me through without suspicion.
Once past the gate, I turned to look back.
I was fine—now Mishi just needed to get through so we could run.
But she was moving slowly, fumbling for the badge she’d stolen earlier.
The knights moved first.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t let you pass.”
“Excuse me?”
Mishi froze mid-motion, badge in hand, but the knights raised their sheathed swords toward her.
They didn’t draw them, but still—what was going on?
I was about to speak when Mishi signaled me.
Go on ahead.
Her lips clearly formed the words.
No way. How could I go on without her?
When I shook my head, she gave me a small smile, as if to say she’d be fine.
…But I wasn’t fine with that.
If I left her and went ahead, what would the Crown Prince do to me later?
Still, the knights led her away.
I tried to push the gate back open, but it wouldn’t budge—it had been locked from the outside.
So I was trapped in here too.
I stared after Mishi until she vanished from sight, then finally turned toward the path inside.
There was only one road forward.
And when the only road left is forward in a situation like this, the meaning is obvious.
“Damn. No wonder it felt too easy.”
Maybe I’d caught some of Parcel’s foolishness.
When everything falls into place this smoothly, you should suspect something’s wrong.
I sighed deeply.
But there was no other choice—no way back.
Even knowing it was a trap, I had to take that one path.
After walking for some time, a lit bridge came into view.
At the far end was a small island.
That must be the same island we had first warped to.
I trudged across.
Worry for Mishi gnawed at me, but then I remembered—she was a prince.
No one would dare harm her.
The one in danger was me.
Whether to kill me, torture me, or something else entirely,
there had to be a reason they’d separated us.
I could only hope it wasn’t to kill or torture me.
Almost at the end of the bridge, I realized someone was already waiting on the island.
In the darkness, I could only see a silhouette—
until the moonlight brightened, revealing him clearly.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
Hair the color of blue waves.
The King of Aint stood there.
