TVIQ 17

Chapter 17

“You don’t need to escort me. And why are you coming along in the first place, Your Highness?”

It was strange. Aine was the one who would be meeting the Emperor, not him. She could not understand why he had decided to accompany her.

When she gave him a puzzled look, Cled raised the corners of his mouth and answered in a gentle voice.

“Because I’m responsible for you, of course. From the moment you applied for asylum in the Empire, you became my responsibility. So naturally, I have to accompany you to the Imperial Palace as well.”

“We’re in front of your subordinates. Do you really need to escort me, the commander of an enemy nation?”

At Aine’s point, Cled glanced around.

Everyone was staring at them with the same incredulous expression Aine had.

But Cled merely shrugged, as though he did not particularly care.

“Wouldn’t this actually be better? Surely it’s preferable to having word reach your subordinates that you were treated poorly.”

At the mention of Mary, Aine nodded and climbed into the carriage.

‘Is the Crown Prince going to travel in the same carriage as me?’

And, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, Cled climbed into the carriage as well and casually took the seat opposite her.

Not knowing how many days it would take to reach the Imperial Palace, Aine was already feeling tired at the thought of spending the entire journey in such an uncomfortable situation.

She rested her head against the window and was about to close her eyes and quietly pass the time when she heard Cled’s voice.

But Aine did not open her eyes.

“Before we arrive at the Imperial Palace, I’d like to ask you something. What is your true purpose?”

Judging by how he continued to question her until the very end, he seemed to be an extremely suspicious man.

“Why should I answer you, Your Highness?”

There was no reason for her to tell him everything so readily. So Aine asked why.

“It’s a trade. If you answer me, I’ll tell you what the Empire wants to gain through you.”

Only then did Aine open her eyes.

Was this suspicious man lacking in patience as well?

It was an unnecessary trade. The moment she came face-to-face with the Emperor, they would naturally learn what cards the other side held.

Why, then, did he insist on finding out now?

Lost in thought, Aine looked at the man sitting before her.

“You only need to tell me whether I’m right or wrong.”

As he looked directly at her with unwavering eyes, Aine remembered how exceptionally well he had treated her and her people until now.

She nodded.

Cled raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction before asking,

“That child. Is he the late King’s son?”

The moment Cled asked the question, Aine’s drowsiness disappeared completely.

“Even though it was five years ago, I attended that banquet myself. I met the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Orion there.”

Five years ago, at that decisive moment that had opened the curtain on the war, Cled himself had been present.

“Lavender hair is a rare hair color on the continent.”

That was how he had been able to figure out who the child named Wilhelm had inherited his lavender hair from.

After hearing Cled’s answer, Aine let out a deep sigh inwardly.

She had always believed that Wilhelm’s existence would eventually be discovered.

‘But for it to be discovered already…’

And by this particular man, of all people.

Aine rolled her tongue inside her mouth.

She thought of every possible way to escape the situation—excuses, lies, anything she could use.

But before long, she gave up.

He had asked her after already reaching a firm conclusion.

Even if she lied now, it would only make their relationship more awkward going forward.

‘If this man really intends to remain responsible for me for as long as I’m in the Empire…’

She was not going to stay in the Empire for only a short while.

She might remain there for several months at the shortest, or even several years at the longest.

Aine saw no reason to create unnecessary friction this early.

So, in the end, she admitted it.

“That is correct. He is Wilhelm Aine Orion, the late King’s only son and the next King of the Kingdom of Orion.”

She confirmed that Cled’s guess was correct.

“He really managed to survive. Weren’t you stationed on the front lines until the final battle?”

There was no choice but to explain that Wilhelm had simply been lucky.

Everyone who had protected him was gone, and he had even been forcibly made to consume poison.

If Aine had not pushed through the rain and marched toward the royal palace at full speed, Wilhelm’s condition would have been even worse than it was now—or, in the worst case, he might already have lost his life.

“Then everything makes sense. Even why the Kingdom poisoned that young child.”

But what happened next was beyond Aine’s expectations.

She had assumed that their attitude would change once they discovered that Wilhelm was a prince.

Yet Cled’s reaction remained completely calm.

As though he had read Aine’s thoughts, Cled explained.

“The Kingdom has already been taken over by someone named Vinet, hasn’t it? Even if they were to take the prince hostage, those people wouldn’t care whether he lived or died.”

If anything, from Vinet’s perspective, he would probably hope that the Empire killed him.

His explanation made perfect sense, and Aine finally relaxed slightly before asking Cled,

“You said this was a trade, so is it my turn to ask a question now?”

“What I’m ultimately curious about is what you want.”

“Your Highness has already finished asking your question.”

“Oh, I see. One question for one question.”

“And I’ll have the final word in this trade.”

Cled understood and told her to ask whatever she wanted.

Without even having to think about it, Aine immediately asked,

“Tell me what the Empire wants from me.”

What did the Empire want from her?

As though he had anticipated that Aine would ask exactly that question, Cled answered immediately.

“Would you believe me if I said peace?”

“Peace?”

Aine frowned, unable to understand what he meant by that.

Seeing her expression, Cled chuckled softly and continued explaining.

“His Majesty the Emperor, along with everyone else in the Empire, is simply exhausted.”

Five years ago, when the incident first occurred, everyone in the Empire—from the lowest-ranking commoners to the highest-ranking nobles—had been consumed by hostility toward the Kingdom of Orion.

There had been hardly anyone who had not been furious.

The Emperor had not particularly wanted the war, but he had no intention of refusing the war that everyone else wanted.

After all, the difference in military strength between the two nations was enormous.

They believed the war would end within a year and that they would emerge victorious.

But contrary to their expectations, the war dragged on.

“How much longer are we supposed to continue this war over a single person? Everyone thinks it. But once someone actually says it aloud, the situation changes.”

There had been no trade dispute.

Neither side had initiated raids, arson, or border conflicts.

Before the incident, the Kingdom of Orion had been a pro-Empire nation, and the two countries had actually maintained frequent exchanges.

Yet now, after suffering defeat after defeat in this war, the Empire could no longer find any meaning in it.

“Even so, you couldn’t be the ones to propose peace first. Because the Empire is a nation that has never lost to another country.”

That was why the Empire could not readily propose peace.

How could anyone in a nation that had never once bowed its head be the first to step forward and suggest that they admit defeat, knowing they would be publicly humiliated?

“It may seem contradictory, but that’s exactly how it is.”

They could not propose peace, yet they wanted peace.

Unless their opponent surrendered, it seemed impossible.

But now that Aine had come to them, the impossible was about to become possible.

“Then I understand how the Imperial soldiers must have been looking at me.”

“How were the soldiers looking at you?”

Cled looked at Aine with interest.

Aine, on the other hand, answered casually.

“Most of them looked at me with hatred, resentment, and fear. But some of them looked at me with respect or even hope.”

Something she had not understood at the time now made sense.

By surrendering herself, they had begun to believe that they could finally bring this long war to an end.

“But that isn’t all.”

Instead of denying her words, Cled added one more thing.

“Even if someone is your enemy, when they’re extraordinary enough, people sometimes start thinking of them almost like a god.”

A god?

Aine nearly let out a hollow laugh, but it was difficult to deny his words.

‘From their perspective, I must be someone who has the favor of the gods.’