TOPWL 216

The prince returned from the battlefield, lifting the tent flap and stepping inside. Steam rose from the body of the man he had just slain. The sight of the prince, blood-spattered and grim, caused those present to rise instinctively.

“Report.”

A man wearing a monocle began his report on the current situation and prospects as if he had been waiting for this moment. The prince, who had been sitting quietly listening, removed his helmet and let it fall to the floor. One of the attendants swiftly stepped forward to pick it up. Everyone present strained to catch his eye, yet simultaneously exerted every effort not to.

At that moment, someone walked decisively into the tent. It was one of the attendants brought along as an attendant. Pale-faced with distinctive freckles on his cheeks, the attendant stood beside the prince and spoke.

“Commander… a guest has arrived.”

“Tell them I’ll hear their report later,” the prince replied indifferently. Yet the attendant hesitated, as if he had more to say.

“But… that guest is… Her Majesty the Empress.”

At those words, the prince’s expression froze.

“Mother came?”

“Yes. She’s been waiting for about an hour.”

The prince grabbed the attendant by the collar. The attendant’s pale face flushed crimson in an instant.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Ah. Her Majesty the Empress said she didn’t wish to disturb the battle between the generals… I’m sorry.”

The prince released his grip at the attendant’s words. The attendant stumbled and fell awkwardly.

“Tell her I’m coming immediately. No. Mirror. Bring the mirror.”

Another attendant ran outside the tent and returned with a mirror. The prince’s face twisted in the reflection. Eyes sharply arched, hair matted and stiff with blood, a scruffy beard, and fresh wounds scattered across his face. For a man who’d just fought a battle, he looked relatively unharmed, but his appearance was far from presentable.

“What the hell is this?”

“You’ve just returned from battle, Your Highness.”

A general standing nearby spoke soothingly to the prince.

“Damn it. Prepare the bathwater. In the meantime, attend to Mother with utmost care. Tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

“Understood.”

The prince walked swiftly into his own tent. The attendants, who had overheard his command a moment earlier, bustled busily, fetching a bathtub and other necessities.

“Move faster. And you there.”

“Yes?”

An attendant carrying a water bucket paused at the prince’s call.

“Come shave me.”

Hiore said from his seat.

“I… I’ll prepare it immediately.”

The attendant quickly fetched water, soap, and a razor. Hiore, already seated, stretched out his body. After evenly applying soap lather, the attendant skillfully shaved the prince’s beard with the razor. Perhaps finding the attendant’s careful touch too leisurely, the prince frowned.

“Faster… No, just be thorough.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The bathwater was ready the moment the shave concluded. As the prince tossed aside his armor, the attendant cautioned in a careful tone.

“The water is still hot.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The prince sank into the tub, and attendants swarmed to begin washing his body. His skin, stained with blood, gradually regained its original color. Throughout, the prince nagged them, first urging them to hurry, then demanding thoroughness.

After roughly drying himself, the prince donned his finest attire and combed his hair with oil. Light makeup concealed the fresh wounds, transforming him completely from his usual wild, reckless appearance.

“Excellent.”

The attendant said, holding a mirror opposite the prince. But the prince still wore an expression of dissatisfaction.

“The collar of my shirt is creased.”

It was an extremely minor detail, but the attendant immediately bowed his head.

“My apologies. My oversight. I shall fetch the iron immediately.”

“No. We cannot keep Mother waiting any longer. I’ll just go out.”

The prince, jacket draped over his shoulders, pushed aside the tent flap and stepped outside. His expression as he walked toward the empress radiated pure excitement. It resembled that of a child about to receive a cherished gift, utterly innocent, bearing no trace of the man who had slaughtered enemies just an hour prior.

“Mother, I’m here.”

Entering the tent where the honored guest was received, the prince frowned. The Empress stood instead of sitting in her chair. She clearly disliked the chair.

“What is this chair? You should have prepared a proper one!”

Crash! The prince hurled the chair in a fit of rage. Attendants cowered, trembling. One servant cautiously spoke up.

“We presented the chair prepared for honored guests…”

“Is Mother merely an honored guest? You incompetent fool, your tongue is too long. Cut out that tongue of his.”

At the prince’s command, two soldiers dragged the attendant away. The attendant begged for forgiveness, but the prince didn’t bat an eyelid.

“Calm your anger, Hiore. I wouldn’t have sat on any chair brought to me anyway.”

Hiore, who had been raging violently, instantly quieted at the Empress’s words. He seemed intimidated by her cold tone.

“Even if they’re honored guests, they’re murderous maniacs who’ve rolled in the blood of battlefields. I have little desire to sit where such men have sat.”

Knowing every person present had taken a life, the Empress remained unmoved. Hiore rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. Seeing this, the Empress stepped closer.

“Your shirt collar is creased. I taught you to be mindful of such details.”

“My apologies.”

Hiore wore an enchanted expression as the Empress tenderly smoothed his collar.

“But you’ve traveled far. You should sit. This is a brand-new garment, never worn.”

Hiore spread the freshly pressed robe, ironed by the attendants’ skilled hands, over the chair as he spoke. But the Empress paid the garment no mind.

“It’s fine. I won’t be speaking for long.”

“But you’ve come all this way…”

“Hiore.”

The Empress looked directly at Hiore as she spoke. Whenever her full lips called his name, Hiore still felt like a child craving her affection.

“I have a request.”

At the Empress’s words, Hiore’s expression changed as if he’d been doused with cold water.

“Yes. Your Imperial Majesty wouldn’t have come all this way without a request.”

“What are you saying?”

The Empress looked at him with disappointment.

“Speak. I will grant you anything within my power.”

The Empress embraced Hiore, standing on tiptoe. The sudden hug made Hiore stiffen. Soon, the Empress whispered.

“Kill Yudit for me.”

“…Isn’t that operation already underway?”

“Yes. But that rat has been slipping through our fingers like a master. No matter how fine the seed, his origins show through in moments like this.”

“Perhaps we should try a little longer.”

“If I had that luxury, would I have come this far?”

The Empress got angry at Hiore’s words.

“My son fights on a battlefield where life hangs in the balance. It may be difficult for one who has lived his entire life in the palace, but surely he could make the journey once.”

“I didn’t come here to argue. So, will you do it, or won’t you?”

The Empress pouted. Hiore chuckled hollowly at her sulky expression.

“Why the sudden impatience?”

“Must I give a reason?”

“Yes. I must hear it.”

The Empress brushed her hair back in annoyance. The gesture slightly disarranged her neatly pinned-up hair.

“One spy sent by Reginald’s faction was captured. I told them I’d handle it myself, but they must have been anxious. Yet even after being exposed, they’re still alive. The audacity, he even has guards assigned to him.”

“The guards were assigned by Yudit’s faction, right? They couldn’t risk losing such a valuable spy. So?”

“Go kill the spy and kill Yudit. You can do that, can’t you? Huh?”

The Empress spoke with an oddly luminous gaze. Hiore replied, sounding flabbergasted.

“Are you telling me to take the blame for my brother’s crime?”

At Hiore’s words, the Empress replied with a face as cold as ice.

“It’s not like you killed him, so why all the fuss? Besides, if your brother becomes Emperor, he’ll release you that very day.”

“Well… If I were him, I’d choose to kill him to avoid future trouble.”