Chapter 1

Prologue. The Last Blessing

A dim underground space where only a faint candlelight was the sole source of illumination.

The one who woke Reyna, who had been lying there as if dead, was unfamiliar footsteps.

‘Who is it?’

Ever since she lost her sight, her other senses had become extremely sharp, so she could tell.

The person approaching now was not the Emperor.

An unfamiliar presence appearing in a place that only the Emperor was supposed to enter made Reyna slowly rise from her seat.

It seemed the long-stagnant rebellion had finally succeeded, just as her final prophecy had suggested.

‘About ten years, I suppose.’

Once called a princess, now no one would remember her.

Ever since her prophetic powers awakened, she had been blind and imprisoned here all this time.

Prophecy required life force.

And the Emperor had no interest whatsoever in his daughter’s life.

Judging from how he used her power for his grand ambition of conquest, that much was obvious.

“Even if it costs you your life, prove your usefulness. The only thing I can give a useless saintess is death.”

He would force her to speak no matter what.

He had no concern for his daughter growing thinner each time she used her ability.

Perhaps that was why Reyna had spoken a lie when the Emperor let his guard down.

“The Duke of Crensia will die in this war.”

After she prophesied the death of the man he considered a thorn in his side, the Emperor left satisfied.

Without even realizing the true meaning of her words.

After that, the Emperor never came to this place again.

He must have decided she no longer had any power left.

Then…

At the end of the fragile peace she had barely found, death finally seemed to have arrived.

‘So I can finally rest.’

Reyna sat quietly like someone waiting for death.

Soon, footsteps stopped right in front of her.

But the person did not speak immediately, as if assessing her condition.

After a suffocating silence, he spoke.

“Princess Reyna. Can you stand on your own?”

“!”

At the unfamiliar title she had not heard in a long time, Reyna unconsciously lifted her head.

It wasn’t only the title that surprised her.

The person before her was far beyond her expectations.

No one would have expected the supposedly sickly princess to be imprisoned in the underground of the imperial palace.

Reyna gave a faint smile at his question.

“Are you here to say you’re going to rescue me?”

“And if I am?”

“No. You mustn’t. You are the leader of the rebels, and I am the Emperor’s daughter. So maintain your justification. You already know I helped in the Emperor’s war of conquest.”

“…Ridiculous. That’s not my way.”

“Either way, my life is—ah!”

Kaiden ignored Reyna’s words and lifted her into his arms.

She was so light it hardly felt like he was holding a person, and he frowned slightly.

“What have you even been eating? You’re like a dried-up cucumber.”

“I fasted. It makes using my power easier.”

“The Emperor…!”

Kaiden almost raised his voice, then forced himself to hold it back.

“First, we’re getting you something to eat.”

With those words, Kaiden quickly crossed the underground space.

* * *

The rebellion had succeeded.

The tyrannical Emperor and his faction had all been purged, and the Duke of Crensia, the protector of the North, had ascended the throne as Emperor.

But it was only a half victory.

After a drawn-out and grueling struggle for the throne, Kaiden Crensia had lost his most trusted subordinates—leaving him as if both arms had been cut off.

And the ones who cut off his arms were none other than Reyna.

If not for her prophecies, their strategies would not have been exposed, and they would not have suffered counterattacks.

So Kaiden should have hated her.

She was the cause of the deaths of those precious to him; it would not have been strange even if he tore her apart.

But Kaiden did not kill Reyna.

Instead, he assigned her attendants and a physician.

“First, you should eat something. And get treatment.”

Reyna could not understand him.

How could he do this?

The more she received such treatment, the more painful it became.

Even when she said she did not deserve it, Kaiden was stubborn.

When Reyna continued refusing food, Kaiden eventually came himself.

“Are you trying to make me angry on purpose? If so, you’ve succeeded, Princess.”

“It’s pointless. I know my body better than anyone. I don’t have much time left. So kill me and take your revenge.”

At her repeated words, Kaiden snapped irritably.

“Enough with the nonsense.”

Then he placed a bowl of soup into her hands.

“Eat. Even if I want revenge, I don’t have the hobby of avenging myself on someone already half-dead.”

“……”

“Besides, I already know you didn’t do it by choice.”

Reyna fell silent and stared at Kaiden.

No matter how she looked, there was no trace of hostility in him.

How could that be?

Reyna had so many people she resented.

The Emperor who imprisoned her.

Her maternal family who left the capital without her.

Even her missing older brother.

She needed that resentment just to survive.

Reyna grabbed Kaiden’s arm and spoke.

“You… because of me, your family died, your friends died, and your subordinates were lost. So how can you just leave me like this?”

After staring at her trembling hand for a long time, Kaiden met her eyes.

“What a ridiculous question. Why would you think that is because of you?”

“I… I just… wanted to live, didn’t want to be hurt, missed my family… because of my selfishness, I kept driving you into danger with my prophecies.”

Yes. She had acted as the Emperor wished, just to escape immediate danger.

And as a result, Kaiden had lost everything in exchange for the throne he never wanted.

She had overheard servants speaking and knew how much he had lost.

“They say he drinks poison every day and still can’t sleep.”

“They say it’s all mourning for the dead. What’s the point of becoming Emperor if you lose everything you tried to protect?”

Reyna’s pale blue eyes filled with tears.

She looked like a lost child.

“I don’t have the right to live.”

“That’s arrogance, Princess. No one except God has the right to judge whether someone deserves to live. If you’re alive, you have no choice but to live.”

“……”

“If you want to die that badly, then try living instead. Who knows—I might end up wanting to kill you myself.”

Kaiden said flatly as he stood up.

For a moment, Reyna felt an old frustration—that she could not see his expression.

Because she wanted to see it.

‘Is that why the Emperor feared him?’

Unlike his cold words, he seemed to have a rather warm heart.

His sense of responsibility was as strong as his power.

Reyna lifted the soup bowl as he wished and brought it to her lips.

She lowered her head, quietly eating, feeling as if she might cry.

The silently watching Kaiden took the empty bowl and said in a low voice,

“You eat well. I’ll be watching next time too, so stop thinking about starving yourself, Princess.”