EEA Chapter 10

Leaving her in the outer castle, Roylin enjoyed his romance with Rita for two years.

Within the imperial palace, beautiful women from noble families who mingled with royalty spent their time. Social circles were important, but even there, they met with young bureaucrats who commuted to work. Though they didn't converse much with each other, they confirmed their feelings through glances and met separately to share love. Teniac was a country where romance was quite free even for nobles.

Rita was the most beautiful woman among them. The noble ladies mostly thought she would at least obtain the position of the Crown Prince's mistress, and thus eventually become the center of power. As they expected, Roylin was instantly captivated by her.

Roylin led Rita behind a large tree and said:

"Rita, were you here?"

"Roylin, Your Highness, I heard you're going to visit your fiancée, Lady Elgar, soon."

"His Majesty nags too much, so I'm just going for a quick visit. So don't make that face and..."

As Roylin tried to soothe her and touch her body, Rita stepped back and said:

"No woman wants to become a mistress, Roylin, Your Highness."

"I would never let Rita live as a mistress."

"Until I can become completely yours, I would prefer if you didn't touch my body carelessly."

Rita was a virtuous woman. She was Rita Brea, raised as a precious jewel in the prestigious noble house of Brea, a family of mages. She said as she left:

"Even being a gatekeeper of this castle would be fine. My dream is to live happily as one man's wife."

Roylin lowered the hand he had extended toward her.

Until now, Roylin had met all the women he wanted to meet, but he couldn't easily obtain that Rita Brea alone.

She was beautiful enough for anyone to acknowledge.

The reason why he, who should be able to have all the women in the world, couldn't have her was only one:

Ailea.

Roylin was so filled with rage toward her that he could barely stand.

He would kill her. In the most painful way possible. Surrounded by fire, feeling terrible fear, he would burn her to death like that. He resolved.

Time in the outer castle had passed another two years. Whenever Ailea wanted to flee in fear of death, she endured by thinking of how Roylin would hold her family responsible, saying she had run away.

Ailea slowly left her room.

"Blue, where are you? Blue... Ah, there you were."

Ailea found a kitten that had been pawing at the dirt under the castle wall and picked it up with both hands.

A bandage was wrapped around the injured paw of the kitten with dazzling white fur and bright blue eyes. When Ailea picked it up, Blue obediently nestled in her arms and panted. Ailea had found it abandoned and injured and began caring for it after treating it. The cat's situation was so similar to her own that she felt even more concerned.

"It's frustrating, isn't it? You need to get better quickly."

When the cat mewed weakly as if answering, Ailea stroked the cat pitifully with her hand.

Still, these two years had been quite good. Ailea looked around the garden with a pleased expression.

Today she had pinned up her blonde hair that reached her hips with her most cherished hairpin.

Today, the wedding dress had arrived. Soon Roylin would come here, and then Ailea's life would be over.

Looking up, she saw a white bird flying in the sky.

"He'll come about now."

She murmured. And as she expected, Roylin and his subordinates on horseback came galloping toward the outer castle.

This life was slightly different from the last. The biggest difference was that Roylin's visits, which she thought would end after once, had somehow occurred two more times.

Ailea shook her head, not wanting to think about it.

In those two additional visits, Roylin had come all the way to Ailea's room, cornered her, and said nasty things. Like the Roylin of childhood, he teased her for being ugly and laughed. He seemed to enjoy tormenting her more than before.

As Ailea stood quietly holding Blue, mounted men surrounded her. Roylin dismounted his horse.

Ailea greeted him calmly:

"Hello, Your Highness."

"...Didn't I send you a dress?"

"A dress? Ah... it's inside."

"Don't you need to try it on?"

"I've kept it safely stored so it wouldn't get dirty."

She said that, but she was stroking Blue as if she wasn't particularly interested in Roylin. Somewhat offended by Ailea's excessive lack of interest in him, Roylin asked:

"What about that cat?"

"It was injured. I'm treating..."

Ailea, who had been speaking, belatedly remembered that this castle would burn and sent Blue outside.

"Blue, go outside. It's dangerous."

However, the cat, reluctant to leave her embrace, returned to Ailea's arms again. After watching her fail several attempts to send it away, Roylin said:

"I won't marry you, Ailea."

"I see."

"I'm going to kill you."

At those words, Ailea hesitated. Then she looked at Roylin. She held out the cat to him.

"Please let this one out."

"...What?"

"It's pitiful. Please spare this one's life."

Everything was flowing so differently from Roylin's expectations. He thought she would be angry. She should have cried and resented him, asking how he could do such a thing.

She was truly an uninteresting woman, but somehow since being driven to this outer castle, she had strangely gained vitality. Now in late April, the rose vines covering the outer castle were slowly preparing to bloom. The rose fragrance could already be faintly felt.

He had come in rage, but in truth, he found teasing her quite entertaining. Last time when he kept bothering and annoying her, her face that looked like she might cry while glaring at him was rather cute. However, he stopped visiting because he was afraid that if he came more often, Rita might marry another man.

Still, when he sent her the dress, he thought of Ailea being excited wearing the dress he sent. The thought of trampling on her heart and making her cry strangely appealed to him.

But she wasn't excited at all. She wasn't even wearing the wedding dress.

Roylin said:

"There's no one to take care of such a stray cat. This castle is now surrounded by a magic circle. Soon..."

Roylin, who was about to say he would burn it down, looked at Ailea's face as she held the cat tightly. Only now, at the thought that the cat would die because of him, did she finally shed tears. At that sight, Roylin changed his words.

"One month."

"Yes?"

"I'll burn this castle down in a month."

"What... are you talking about?"

Without answering her question, Roylin turned his horse around with his subordinates. Ailea tried to run toward him but stopped when she hit the transparent barrier created by the magic circle.

What's going on?

"Uh... Ah! Blue! I told you I needed to get out!"

Ailea held Blue tightly and felt troubled. She sighed deeply and watched Roylin disappearing in the distance.

But for some reason.

Her lifespan had been extended by a month.

Murray's nagging continued.

"You won't marry this year either! How long do you plan to postpone it!"

Roylin groaned at the Emperor's nagging.

He had planned to say she died in a fire. But he couldn't kill her on the spot.

His resolve wavered when she shed tears over the fact that even though her own body was spotted and patchy like a stray cat, she couldn't save this cat that was obviously far prettier than she was.

He hadn't looked closely before, so he didn't realize it, but her delicate features seemed quite cute. So he even had the thought of confining her in the castle and undressing her once more later to examine her closely.

But once he started hearing his father's nagging, he regretted not killing her right then. Seeing his son who listened with one ear and let it out the other, Murray sighed and said:

"Do you dislike marrying that child so much?"

"It's partly that, but Ailea really isn't feeling well and wants to postpone it, so what can I do?"

"Is it because you have Rita in your heart?"

"Well..."

Roylin closed his mouth. The Emperor also adored Rita Brea. There was no child so pure and beautiful. Her family was excellent too, and there was nothing lacking.

In fact, over the past two years, Murray had secretly leaned toward thinking whether they really had to repay the hero when his beloved son was suffering this much. Murray spoke suggestively:

"If you're really going to keep postponing like this, you might as well find her another man."

Another man?

As Roylin was pondering Murray's unexpected words, one name caught his ear.

"Clint is returning to the castle this time. As you know, since that fellow recaptured Excalize, he should receive a fitting title."

When Clint's name was mentioned, Roylin's expression crumpled.

Excalize, really. It was absurd.

Duke Rishers, who was established in the capital, had two more brothers, and all three brothers went to war, taking turns at the vanguard, and all died in battle. The youngest brother's son grew up and joined the knight order led by Ailea's father Ron, where he led several peers he met there to avenge his family and return. He was only fifteen years old at the time.

That was Clint Rishers, and he was the one who recaptured Castle Excalize in this war. Calise was the ancient Teniac word meaning 'royalty.' Excalize had the meaning of 'equivalent to royalty.'

Equivalent to royalty. Roylin couldn't accept that such a grandiose term was used for just a castle name.

Even when Roylin had thrown Ailea into the outer castle that Clint used, Roylin thought Clint wouldn't be able to return. But to come back to the imperial palace so confidently to receive a title—Roylin felt as sick as if he had swallowed poison. He was a monster beyond imagination with good luck too.

As if to ease his son's mind, Murray continued:

"How about that fellow?"

"Excuse me?"

"He's such a playboy that he probably wouldn't mind a woman who broke off an engagement."

"You mean... to marry Clint and Ailea?"

Roylin frowned, wondering what he was talking about. Then the Emperor said:

"Think about the historical vicious cycle where nobles who obtained Castle Excalize would rebel to massacre the royal family, and after they entered Calise, yet another noble from Excalize would rebel."

Excalize was the pinnacle of architectural achievements that Teniac had created. Being appropriately distant from the imperial palace meant less imperial interference, and the fertile land of the Serton region could collect many taxes. Most importantly, it was advantageous for trade and diplomacy with other nearby countries.

Nobles who had long established themselves in Excalize accumulated tremendous power and naturally developed rebellious intentions. The Emperor continued:

"Of course, from Teniac's standpoint, it couldn't be better, but when you become king later, Clint will be a great threat to you."

"..."

"However, if he marries a woman who broke off an engagement with you, that fact will always be a great flaw for Clint. It will show that fellow is definitely beneath you. Moreover, if that fellow shows any resistance or dislike."

"We could also charge him with treason."

This.

Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone?

The corners of Roylin's mouth lifted slightly.

Clint had been meeting all the beautiful women in the world. If he had to marry such a woman afflicted with a filthy disease by the Emperor's command, what would his reaction be?

Really, he might even commit treason.

"It's a good idea, Your Majesty."

Roylin showed a satisfied expression for once.

Roylin' footsteps quickened as he left the Emperor's office, heading straight toward Rita.

Rita lived in a place close enough to reach by horseback in just 5 minutes east of the imperial palace.

As the Crown Prince entered, Marquis Alex Brea came out to greet him.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what brings you to this humble place?"

Alex Brea, a mage and third-ranking official of the state, served alongside the first and second-ranking officials, protecting the Emperor from the closest position to the imperial palace. Roylin said,

"I've come to see Rita Brea."

"Your Highness."

Alex's expression turned stern.

"Though my family may be lowly, we are not so base as to let our daughter meet with a man who is engaged to another woman."

"Hmm, indeed."

"Even though Your Highness is the Crown Prince and this country encourages free love, it would still not be moral for you to frequent our household."

"What if I were to break off my engagement?"

He asked. Alex, who had been looking at the floor to avoid meeting the royal's eyes, briefly raised his head. Roylin' handsome face was filled with a confident smile as he spoke those words.

Alex realized that Roylin' words were not a joke. He bowed his head and said,

"Please come in, Your Highness Roylin."

When Roylin entered the mansion and knocked on Rita's door, she slowly walked out. Seeing her cold expression beyond the fan that covered her face, Roylin said,

"I've received His Majesty the Emperor's permission to break off the engagement."

"Yes, yes?"

"Now there are no obstacles between us. Right?"

At his confident words, Rita dropped the fan she was holding. Tears welled up in her enchanting eyes. Then Roylin said teasingly,

"Why are you crying? Did you really think I would make you my mistress?"

"I'm so happy..."

"If you were going to be this happy, why did you act so aloof all this time?"

"I was afraid of getting hurt... I couldn't bring myself to approach Your Highness..."

Rita's shoulders trembled. When Roylin reached out and embraced her, she felt incredibly fragile. To think he had caused such a delicate woman such heartache.

Finally, Roylin felt like a troublesome tooth had been pulled. But at the same time, he felt strangely regretful.