The Crown Prince of Yalden
The border between Yalden and Ramas. Canna spotted a lone carriage standing in the middle of the plains.
That’s it.
The envoy sent by Yoanna would be waiting inside.
Canna let out a sigh of relief. After parting with Raphael, she had traveled without rest, and thanks to that, she had barely managed to arrive on the promised date.
“Excuse me.”
When the coachman opened the door, Canna quickly stepped inside.
A man was seated within. His posture was so flawless that Canna almost mistook him for a statue someone had placed there.
One of Yoanna’s subordinates, I suppose.
Canna sat across from him and offered a greeting.
“Thank you for coming to meet me.”
The man said nothing. He simply looked her up and down. His gaze was clearly displeased. Yet perhaps because she had successfully joined up with Yoanna’s envoy, she felt no discomfort at all.
“Are you Canna Addis?”
Having finished his inspection, the man finally spoke. Canna smiled and answered.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
He gave a small nod.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I am Alexei Friedrich.”
Friedrich?
If it was Friedrich, that was the royal house of Yalden. And if it was Alexei Friedrich…
He’s the Crown Prince of Yalden.
She hurriedly tried to offer a proper greeting, but Alexei raised a hand to stop her.
“That’s enough. Don’t bother with those cumbersome formalities.”
“I’m sorry. I never imagined His Highness would come to meet me in person.”
It was a natural assumption. After all, Yoanna had clearly said she would send one of her subordinates.
“I planned to come myself from the beginning. The fewer people who know about stealing the Addis ducal lady, the better.”
He muttered with a trace of irritation.
“If things go wrong, we’ll end up in an all-out war with Addis. We must be cautious. This is the utmost secret of secrets.”
“……”
Canna noticed that the other party was displeased with her.
“I understand Yoanna created a new identity for you. What is your new name?”
“Tatiana. Tatiana Evgenia.”
“A typical Yalden-style name. It would be unfamiliar to people from the Empire. Do you like your new name?”
He wasn’t concerned. He was mocking her.
As expected, he dislikes me. Canna realized once more and nodded.
“Yes. It’s fine.”
“From this moment on, I will treat you as Tatiana Evgenia, a commoner of Yalden. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll drop the honorifics.”
He immediately switched to informal speech.
“Listen carefully, Miss Tatiana. Only I, my younger sister Yoanna, and our mother, Her Majesty Queen Yekaterina, know about this matter.”
Alexei interlaced his fingers and rested them on his knee.
“If Her Majesty the Queen had not given her consent, this would never have happened. Therefore, consider her favor an honor.”
Canna listened to him with an expressionless face. And she understood.
This was not simply a matter of Yoanna’s pure goodwill. The Queen of Yalden wanted something from her. That was why they were helping her so thoroughly.
“Is there something you wish to entrust to me?”
When she asked that, Alexei stared at her with an odd look in his eyes. Then he tossed out a question.
“Why do you think so?”
“If both Her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Prince are stepping forward to help, it must be a matter of that much value.”
Alexei let out a dry laugh. Not because it was funny, but because her words had piqued his interest.
“That’s right. But didn’t you save Yoanna’s maid?”
“That was Princess Yoanna repaying a favor with goodwill.”
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to believe this is simply an extension of that goodwill?”
Canna curved her lips.
“It would be comfortable, yes.”
It wasn’t the first or second time a so-called free gift had a monster hiding inside.
There was no such thing as kindness given without a price in this world.
Canna looked straight into Alexei’s eyes and spoke.
“Your Highness, as you can see, I am weak. I have nowhere to go. However, I have no intention of giving up my right to choose my own path. So please tell me what you want from me.”
Alexei uncrossed his legs and sat up straight. A hint of embarrassment flickered across his face.
“I was rude. I apologize. I was arrogant.”
Canna was the one surprised by his straightforward apology. Alexei continued.
“What I want from you is…”
Crash!
The sound of a glass shattering echoed through the room. The Emperor’s eyes widened.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Empress?”
“What are you doing, Your Majesty!”
Glaring at her husband, the Empress shrieked at the top of her lungs.
“The medicine! Didn’t you promise to get me the medicine!”
The Empress was half-mad. Her skin, scratched raw, was peeled and red, and her nails were split and broken.
At her horrifying appearance, the Emperor frowned deeply.
“Empress, I am not a god. I do not have the power to bring the dead back to life!”
Canna Addis was dead. Who could have known she would suddenly take her own life?
If he had known this would happen, he never would have made such bold promises!
“Search the entire continent if you must and bring me the medicine!”
“Empress!”
“Didn’t you receive investment funds!”
The Emperor clenched his fist. He ground his teeth and turned his head away. Damn it. Curses swirled in his mind.
“It’s not just Marquis Merci. All the central nobles have poured enormous sums into Your Majesty’s national projects! Thanks to that, you obtained several times the imperial family’s wealth!”
So now he had to pay the price.
“If you cannot obtain the medicine, I will tell Marquis Merci to withdraw his investment!”
“How can you be so heartless!”
The Emperor slammed his fist on the desk and shot to his feet.
“I am your husband! Will you only be satisfied after dragging me all the way to the bottom?”
“I am Your Majesty’s rightful consort! I am your wife!”
The Empress wept as she pleaded.
“So how can you just sit there doing nothing! I am also your woman. There was a time when Your Majesty also…”
The Empress bit her lip hard.
Had the pain driven her insane? She had almost said something she absolutely never wanted to say.
“Yes, I will drag Your Majesty to the very bottom! So fulfill your promise!”
When the Empress finally stormed out, only a wretched devastation remained, as if a storm had swept through.
The Emperor collapsed weakly onto his throne.
What on earth was he supposed to do? That woman Canna was dead. And no physician could cure the Empress!
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
The Emperor lifted his head. His lover, Teresa, stroked his cheek with a pitying expression.
“You don’t look well.”
“…Teresa.”
He sighed and buried his face in her shoulder. At that moment, her unique languid and sweet scent enveloped him completely.
Ah, yes. This was it.
He burrowed deeper into Teresa’s embrace.
The Emperor loved this fragrance. Teresa’s scent—the one that washed away all worries and anxieties like they had never existed, the one that made him feel as if he were falling into a hazy dream—he loved it more than anything.
Teresa gently stroked his hair and whispered.
“If there is a burden weighing on Your Majesty’s heart, please share it with me. I want to be your strength.”
Her voice was as kind as always. The Emperor’s eyes sank deeply. He murmured.
“The Empress is hounding me to give her the medicine. I don’t know what to do.”
“I see, my poor Majesty. My dear Luke.”
Teresa pressed her lips to his forehead.
“Perhaps I can help you.”
“You?”
“Yes. I met a very skilled physician. When I told her about Her Majesty the Empress’s symptoms, she gave me this medicine.”
With a gentle voice, she placed a glass vial in the Emperor’s hand. He unconsciously grasped it, then tilted his head.
“A physician? Who is it?”
“A woman with an exotic appearance. She said she came from the Eastern Continent. Her medical skills are apparently similar to those of Lady Canna Addis.”
“Suspicious. I cannot give the Empress medicine made by someone of unknown identity.”
Teresa’s lips curved upward.
“It’s all right, Your Majesty. Trust me.”
“But…”
“Something like an identity can be created by Your Majesty. Aren’t you the strongest man in this country?”
Teresa cupped his cheeks. Then she softly pressed her lips to his. The sensation of contact, the softness of her skin—it felt as if his mind was melting.
The Emperor pulled Teresa into his arms. Her scent grew even thicker. That magical fragrance penetrated his nose and eventually took over his mind.
Teresa whispered.
“You’ll do it, won’t you?”
The Emperor nodded blankly.
His eyes were like those of a scarecrow lost in fog.
“I will.”
“Sister!”
Kallen ran along the beach. He ran madly, again and again.
“Sister, where are you?”
Where could she be? The anxiety felt like it was burning his hands and feet.
“Sister!”
He had to find her quickly. He had to hurry.
“Where are you, Sister?”
If he didn’t find her right now, something truly sad would happen.
Something truly sad.
Suddenly, tears welled up. Kallen burst into sobs as he sprinted across the beach.
“Sister, please answer me!”
And finally, he found her.
Canna, sitting alone on the sand.
The moment he saw her, the relief was so overwhelming that a sob escaped Kallen’s lips.
He had found her. He had found his sister!
Kallen ran toward her with all his strength.
It was all right now. Since he had found her, since he had discovered her, he could just hold her tight. And then he would take her somewhere safe.
It didn’t matter where. Anywhere was fine, as long as it was safe.
But strangely, Canna didn’t get any closer.
He was running with all his might, yet the distance wasn’t shrinking. Instead, it was growing farther and farther.
“Sister!”
At that moment, Canna smiled brightly. Then she raised a sharp dagger.
Kallen screamed.
No! Don’t do it!
But suddenly all strength left his body. He couldn’t even move his lips. His arms and legs felt as heavy as if lead weights had been attached.
All he could do was watch.
“Rather…”
Canna whispered. She smiled like a crescent moon.
“I’d rather die.”
Stab! Blood spurted like a fountain, soaking Kallen’s face.
“No!”
He screamed and jolted upright.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
Kallen panted with ragged breaths.
It was his bedroom. Not the beach.
It was his bedroom.
Not the beach.
He wiped his face with his hand. It was a mess of tears.
“Was that a dream?”
He had just had a truly horrific nightmare. A dream of his sister taking her own life.
“Where did the dream start?”
Yes, it must have been a dream. There was no way his sister would die.
“Yes, it was a dream.”
Thank goodness. It was truly fortunate that it was only a dream.
He headed toward Canna’s room. He knew it was late at night, but he couldn’t help it. He stopped in front of her bedroom and knocked.
“Sister, it’s me, Kallen.”
How many seconds passed?
“What is it?”
Canna’s voice came from inside. Only then did Kallen feel complete relief. His legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor.
His sister had answered.
His sister was alive and had answered him.
Tears welled up again. Kallen hastily wiped them away and stood up.
“I’m sorry for coming so late at night. May I come in?”
“I’m going to sleep. Come back later.”
A curt voice. The same thorny tone as always. To him, it sounded more noble and beautiful than the voice of a god. It felt as if the breath that had been stuck in his throat was finally released.
“Yes, Sister. Have sweet dreams.”
He would come see her again tomorrow.
Kallen turned around with a smile. At that moment, his eyes met those of a maid standing across the hallway.
Why is she looking at me like that?
The maid’s eyes were filled with terror, as if she had seen a ghost.
“What is it?”
“Lord Kallen? What are you…?”
“I came to see my sister.”
“Pardon? You mean Lady Canna?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”