“Speak up, young knight of Tildyen. Can you guarantee those words?”
As the sharp blade tip pierced the flesh beneath Sisou’s eye, a red line trickled down his cheek.
“Stop… this at once!”
Anya shouted at Royster. It was the first time he’d seen him this enraged. Royster felt a thrill rising from somewhere deep and sinister within. He laughed aloud and thrust the blade in deeper. The vivid bloodstain spread wider.
“Royster!”
Just as Anya finally drew Haebing and lunged toward Royster, Sisou swiftly grabbed Anya’s wrist. Even as blood flowed from his wound, his eyes blazed intensely. He silently warned Anya to stay still.
“Are these wretches showing off in front of me?”
Royster narrowed his brow and snapped irritably. He had only wanted to see Anya fumbling about like an idiot as before, not this pathetic scene. Watching this twisted his mood. Royster refused to acknowledge that Anya had gained such a loyal subordinate.
“Even if I turn this impudent bastard into a blind cripple, will you still remain so obedient then?”
Buppu, standing beside Anya, trembled violently at those words. Royster’s statement was by no means a simple warning. Anya knew his cruel nature better than anyone. If he set his mind to it, he was a ruthless and merciless man fully capable of doing such things and more.
“Stop, stop it.”
The moment he might raise the blade tip even slightly to stab Sisou’s eye, Anya felt extreme terror. Anya didn’t know what to do. He wanted to knock that sword away right now and behead Royster. It was the first time he’d ever wanted to kill someone this badly. The reason he’d been able to kill Royster in the Dragcals’ hallucination was because he’d considered it all fantasy rather than murderous intent, and because he would have died if he hadn’t cut him down.
But what was now pulsing through every corner of Anya’s body was unmistakably murderous desire. He wanted to tear that man to shreds.
“Tsk, how disrespectful to your older brother. Anya, does it upset you that much to see your knight suffer? It’s just one knight, yet you can’t control your emotions.”
“Just one… knight?”
Anya glared at Royster with clenched fists. He’d opened his eyes so wide it felt like tears would come.
“You’re not, not insulting just one knight, you’re clearly, clearly committing an act that insults all of Tildyen.”
At that, Royster let out a short snort. Sir Raniel, did you hear that? Yes, Your Imperial Highness. They’re spouting nonsense now. Raniel Crom, standing like a statue beside him, answered loyally.
“So will you go running to Duke Evernight crying that you’ve been insulted? He never spared you a single glance. My poor, pitiful little brother. Your gaze was so desperate that everyone watching there was truly embarrassed for you.”
Royster pretended to worry about Anya while mocking him, recalling Evernight’s behavior at yesterday’s banquet. Anya’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. He wanted to cover his ears immediately.
“If you insult the Master and Tildyen’s mistress any further, I won’t stand for it!”
Finally unable to bear it, Sisou shouted. And that’s when it happened. In a flash, Royster twisted the direction of his sword and slashed Sisou’s arm. Anya let out a shrill scream.
“N-no, no!”
What happened next occurred in the blink of an eye. Long brown hair swiftly swept past Royster’s eyes as Anya quickly pushed Royster away and embraced Sisou. Royster was pushed back and lost his balance. As he dropped his steel sword to the ground, his shoulder blade was pierced by the sharp blade of Haebing that Anya held reversed. He groaned as blood rapidly soaked through the shoulder of his tunic.
“First Imperial Prince!”
Raniel Crom supported Royster with shocked eyes.
“Damn bastards!”
Even with blood gushing out, Royster shot up in rage. He shoved Raniel Crom aside and spat out rough curses. Then he picked up the sword he’d dropped on the ground again and strode toward Sisou to cut him down.
“Don’t take it out on someone innocent! Honestly, isn’t it because you don’t like me? This is childish!”
Anya blocked Royster’s path and cried out. At the advice to separate public and private matters, Royster poured out all sorts of horrible and filthy words.
“Is that bastard your lover? I hear barbarians’ affairs are disgustingly promiscuous—you’re exactly the type. Not content with spreading your seed to the Duke, I suppose you plan to spread it to that knight bastard too.”
More than half of the tunic Royster was wearing had already turned bloody, and his eyes seemed half-crazed, rolling wildly. And the more so, his red earring somehow seemed to shine, gleaming particularly bright.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Anya straightened Haebing and snapped sharply. He wouldn’t let him harm Sisou—absolutely not. Anya vowed. He would never let anyone get hurt because of him again. No matter what. Strength filled his hand gripping Haebing.
“The brat who used to piss himself in fear now has guts spilling out of his belly. Well then, little brother, will you face me in that knight bastard’s place?”
“You mustn’t, Your Imperial Highness!”
Sisou shouted as if about to intervene immediately. Don’t you realize? An urgent, desperate gaze quickly passed between them.
Anya knew what Sisou was saying. Whether he lost or won against him, regardless of the outcome, Tildyen couldn’t avoid disaster. He was the Emperor’s legitimate son in name and reality, so Emperor Luksus—and the other dukes searching with bloodshot eyes for Tildyen’s flaws—wouldn’t stand idly by.
“First Imperial Prince. This is all my fault, so please punish me.”
Sisou declared firmly and solemnly. And immediately knelt down with a thud before Royster.
“Well, at least the son of a bitch has some sense of propriety. You, who couldn’t even protect your master and dared to let him swing his sword at the Crown Prince, aren’t qualified to be a knight. Hey there, bring the whip.”
Royster’s chief attendant gestured to a servant standing nearby. Soon the servant brought a wooden box. When Royster opened the box, there was a horsewhip inside. Goosebumps rose along Anya’s forearms. The fear embedded in his bones from childhood instinctively raised its head without him knowing.
“Strip, knight of Tildyen.”
Royster laughed while gripping the whip and checking its elasticity by pulling the leather taut.
“Even I, being an imperial prince, can’t commit slaughter against a mere knight, so I’ll settle for giving appropriate punishment.”
“…I’ll accept it gladly.”
Sisou answered obediently in a voice suppressing his fury.
‘No. That can’t happen. It shouldn’t.’
Anya muttered blankly.
He couldn’t allow that sadistic act he’d suffered as a child to be inflicted on that shining knight who was like a brother. How miserable and lonely it had been… He wouldn’t let Sisou experience even a trace of those damned feelings. As if he’d keenly sensed this sentiment, Sisou quietly grasped Anya’s hand. Still kneeling, he looked up at Anya.
“Please go, Your Imperial Highness. Don’t worry about me.”
Sisou showed his usual playful smile.
“I’ll be a mess, so leave without looking back, will you? I think I’d be embarrassed if you were watching.”
Sisou comforted Anya gently to the very end. And without hesitation, he began unbuttoning his tunic. Anya watched Sisou’s actions with blank eyes. None of this situation felt real.
‘Why Sir Sisou? What did he do wrong?’
A powerful question arose, and suddenly a certain fact struck hard at one side of his head. If Evernight had to choose between Sir Sisou and himself getting hurt, who would he feel more sorry for? Probably Sisou, who was more capable and had been with him for a long time.
Anya flinched at what he’d suddenly realized. Moreover… the responsibility Evernight had always spoken of that Tildyen’s mistress must bear.
‘Right, this is something I must take responsibility for.’
He had to acknowledge it. This wasn’t Sisou’s problem but his own. The reason Royster was doing this wasn’t because Sisou was disrespectful, but because he himself was disgusting to look at. He was terribly spiteful that Tildyen might covet the red earring after seeing his swordsmanship. So even if Sisou was punished now, Royster wouldn’t be satisfied.
Anya stopped Sisou’s hand from unbuttoning.
“Your Imperial Highness?”
Anya quietly shook his head.
“It’s, it’s proper for me to protect you, sir.”
And he knelt down beside Sisou. What are you doing! Sisou’s face showed shock as if he were shouting that. Anya ignored it and looked up at Royster.
“It’s all, all my fault for being inadequate, hyung. Please pardon my poor knight’s wrongdoing and punish me instead for failing to look after things properly. The sword that wounded you wasn’t Sir Sisou’s sword but my sword, after all.”
Only then did Royster burst into loud laughter. He came closer and roughly grabbed Anya’s hair.
“Finally we’re speaking the same language.”
He gripped so hard that Anya’s temple ached painfully.
“Let go of that!”
As Sisou rose roughly enough to raise dust, Raniel and other attendants all pressed him down at once.
“Let go! Your Imperial Highness, Your Imperial Highness, you mustn’t! Please don’t… I beg you…”
Sisou thrashed and cried out desperately. Anya smiled at him with all his might to show him not to worry. His particularly spirited and bright smile shattered under the intense sunlight.
“Gag him.”
Royster cast a disgusted look at Sisou pinned to the ground with bodies pressing on him, then ordered. Now, stay still, little knight. Raniel immediately took out a gag from the wooden box and forcibly fitted it on Sisou’s face. Mmph, mmph! As his voice was swallowed up, Sisou clawed at the dirt ground with reddened eyes.
“Strip.”
Royster soon turned to Anya and ordered. Feeling as if he’d returned to years ago when he’d toyed with Anya, Royster willingly savored the deep satisfaction rising from deep within his belly.
