IWJACM Chapter 3

Elise was moved to an empty barracks.

Though sparse inside, it was incomparably better than the dark, filthy warehouse. Not only was there a makeshift cot, but a wooden tub had been provided so she could wash.

It was the greatest luxury one could enjoy on a battlefield, yet her situation had become twice as dire as before she was captured.

Grand Duke Kyrstan, the man called a brutal war demon, was undoubtedly far more rational and sane than the rumors suggested.

But he had absolutely no intention of letting her live.

The consideration he'd shown Elise was this: cleaning off the blood and dressing her so her disheveled state wouldn't be displayed before a crowd of men. And giving her an entire barracks to herself while ensuring she received three meals a day without fail. That was all.

But did he really think she could properly eat three meals after hearing those words about peacefully escorting her on her final journey?!

Elise let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.

When she couldn't force down food and sent meals back, no further measures were taken. The Grand Duke didn't come to see her again.

Anxiety gnawed at her rationality.

"If you're going to kill me, just kill me already..."

Elise ground her teeth. If you're going to kill me anyway, cut off my head with a single stroke. Why keep me breathing and still feed me?!

She tried several times to escape, observing the situation outside the barracks. But the guard could not have been more heavily reinforced. Even when she'd lived in the Argan imperial palace, there hadn't been this many guards stationed in front of her quarters.

Since the prisoner wasn't bound, it was inevitable that the surveillance would be twice as strict. Instead of reckless action, Elise listened carefully to conversations drifting in from outside the barracks.

"Is she really the last imperial of Argan?! That princess who was shrouded in secrecy?"

They were talking about her. Elise sat carelessly on the floor and pressed her ear to a gap in the tent.

"His Grace declared it himself, so it must be true."

"Huh, they said she was sickly. Seeing how she split a grown man's body in half like that, seems like that was just empty rumors..."

"What should we do with Sir Roderick's corpse?"

"What else? Burn it. The order is to collect only the bone ash and send it to the Count's household. Tsk, that bastard's fate was truly unfortunate. Of all things, to lay hands on Argan's princess..."

Someone snorted.

"You keep going on about Argan, Argan, but isn't it a fallen nation anyway? The moment the Emperor died, Argan had already perished."

Elise's body froze.

The low, chiding voice grew distant and faint.

"You shouldn't look down on them like that. Don't you know Argan's Galian mythology?"

"Of course I do. The nation of mages who protected the continent from the Mad Dragon. But what good is that prestige now?"

"Whenever it may be, every nation on this continent should rightfully revere Argan. Van Yela also owes the survival of our nation to Argan. Only Ughel's barbarians despise Argan. Do you want to be pointed at as being on their level?"

"Well... the rumor's already spread that we joined hands with barbarians to strike down Argan, so what does it matter."

"Before that rumor tarnishes Van Yela's reputation, we're trying to draw a proper line between us and them, obviously."

Among all those conversations, there was only one thing Elise could clearly perceive.

'The moment the Emperor died, Argan had already perished.'

Andrei, her twin brother, had truly departed this life. Tears welled up suddenly.

Her last shred of hope shattered completely. Andrei's final words telling her to survive had become his last will.

'This isn't the time to cry...'

Elise desperately bit her lip, which had already burst and grown ragged long ago. Andrei, her only shield, was gone from this world.

Now she was truly alone. She had to keep her wits about her.

Elise clasped her trembling fingertips together and listened again to the conversation outside the barracks.

"So what happens to the princess? The war's over, and once we finish dealing with the last stragglers, it'll be time to withdraw all forces. We can't let her live, but we can't just casually kill her either."

"His Grace already sent a messenger bird to His Majesty. News should arrive soon."

Grand Duke Kyrstan seemed to be consulting with the Emperor about her fate. All manner of worst-case scenarios spun chaotically through Elise's mind.

Outside the barracks, a soldier stretched long.

"I see. Once the princess matter is resolved, we can finally return home. Good, I'm sick of this dusty battlefield... Of course, even when our Supreme Commander returns, he'll have to endure His Majesty's nagging for a while."

"Why's that?"

"You know, how His Majesty pecks at the Commander like a fussy mother-in-law whenever he sees him. Telling him to hurry up and bring back at least one sturdy son."

"Ah, that."

"How else would someone that impassive show such clear signs of being fed up every time he returns from seeing His Majesty?"

"But it is a bloodline too precious to let die out. Still, easier said than done, right?"

The knights let out idle laughter for a moment.

"He's not an ordinary man. Where in this world would you find a woman who could withstand a dragon-blooded being?"

Elise waited for them to say more, but the soldiers were soon replaced by new ones. Information about Grand Duke Kyrstan cut off there as well.

Elise hugged both knees with her arms and sank into thought.

'Lord Kyrstan is being pressed for an heir in his own country...'

This was newly learned information. Judging from the soldiers' words, producing offspring must not be an easy matter for him.

Because he was a dragon-blooded being who had inherited the blood of dragons, those transcendent creatures.

Because he wasn't human.

Because there was no woman who could withstand him...

'The rumors were true. He really isn't human.'

A dragon-blooded being. Goosebumps rose on both her arms.

The dragon-blooded beings Elise had seen in books were creatures with hideous half-human, half-beast appearances, low intelligence, and markedly poor social capabilities.

But Rezet Kyrstan was strikingly different from those illustrations she'd seen.

He was beautiful. Hadn't he been a man with perfect physical beauty, like a sculpture of the sun god himself?

Moreover, he was disturbingly indifferent and cold. It was nearly impossible to associate that man with the pictures of those beasts who frequently ran wild, unable to control the Mad Dragon's madness flowing through their blood.

'Ordinary women cannot withstand him.'

In any case, it was unexpectedly valuable information. Elise carved these new facts into her mind again and again.

She needed as much information about Grand Duke Kyrstan as possible, anything at all. One of these things would surely save her life.

Of course, the most likely hope would be for the Van Yela Emperor to show mercy and let her live.

Elise pressed her forehead against her clasped hands as if in prayer and squeezed her eyes shut. Please. Please...

Please let me live.

If you'll only spare my life, I'll do anything.

The Emperor's messenger bird arrived five days later.

The contents of the messenger bird from the Emperor were not at all hopeful for Elise. They fell far from her expectations.

"..."

Elise glared at the face she was seeing for the first time in five days. Rezet Kyrstan was dressed far more neatly and properly than before.

His hair swept cleanly back, Van Yela military uniform, the longsword at his waist—he had the air of someone dressed formally.

Perhaps because of this, he seemed even less human than five days ago when his appearance had been disheveled. The man looked like a plaster statue that had merely been painted human colors.

"There's no need for courtesy."

Elise spat through gritted teeth.

"Drop the hypocrisy. There's no reason for someone bringing suicide tools to a fallen nation's princess to go through the motions of respect, is there?"

"This is a message from His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Van Yela."

Grand Duke Kyrstan completely ignored her barbed words. That expressionless face now gave her chills.

"He grants the last remaining princess of Argan the opportunity to conclude her remaining life on her own terms."

Elise bit her lip and glared at what the messenger held reverently in both hands.

One was a dagger with ornate patterns embossed on it, and beside it was a small black medicine bottle the size of a finger. It was all too easy to guess what the contents might be.

The Grand Duke continued impassively.

"Choose. Will you commit suicide honorably, or will you be dragged to Van Yela's capital and have your head severed on the execution platform?"

Being able to choose the form of one's death was certainly a consideration. Honorable suicide was the most extravagant death a fallen nation's imperial could meet after being dragged away as a slave to another country.

The Van Yela Emperor wouldn't send cheap goods, so that must surely be quality poison.

Naturally, it wouldn't leave any unpleasant traces on the body. The pain would be minimal, and death would come cleanly and comfortably.

It was a consideration allowing her to maintain her final dignity before the enemy.

"Haha..."

Elise suddenly couldn't hold back her laughter.

'Dignity—where would I have the presence of mind to care about something like that?'