The maids cried all night without sleep.
If Bliny hadn’t gotten angry and said that she was noisy, she would have been crying even now.
Bliny, who was caught before boarding the boat in the canal, was taken back to the palace.
The captain of the guard quickly surrendered, but the angry King couldn’t hold it in. The captain of the guard was beheaded in front of the King last night.
Somehow the secretary was beheaded as well. Queen Dileras’s laughter could be heard all the way to the palace.
“Wow, Your Highness... It’s time for you to stop eating... Sob!”
One of the maids came to her senses and spoke. Even that was half crying.
She had been locked in her room since yesterday and hadn’t had a sip of water, but she wasn’t hungry.
“Come to your senses. There’s no food.”
“Yes, Your Highness? There’s no food.”
“I was caught running away, so there’s no way they’ll feed me a meal on time. It’s bothering me. Keep your mouth shut.”
“T-what is that... Then how about we...”
The pale maid asked with trembling lips.
“I don’t know that either.”
Bliny twisted her jawline.
She heard the guards chattering as the captain of the guards’ neck was cut off.
It seemed that Black had forced open the main palace door and entered, saying something about the assassination and demanding that she be handed over.
She thought he had finally decided to face her, but it didn’t feel good to hear that he had killed thirteen of her guards.
They also said that he said that if the Princess of Nauk died, he would lead an army from outside the border.
...Could that be true? No way.
Bliny rubbed the ring on her thumb.
Was he really interested in the Princess of Nauk enough to go to war?
“No way.”
She understood that he was trying to get Nauk back. She didn’t know why he took so long when he could have gotten it back earlier, but he must have gone to Nauk because he wanted to.
She understood why he got married.
She would have done the same thing herself. It would have been the easiest and least expensive. She also knew that he had no particular attachment to their relationship.
He would never have been the kind of man to give his heart to a woman in the first place. He was a ruthless conqueror, and he had no affection for what he conquered.
That was the kind of man he was born to be. So he had to be the same for the Princess of Nauk. He had to get it and then leave without any attachment.
But, wasn’t it?
Was the Princess of Nauk different?
“...Why?”
Bliny brought her thumb to her mouth and bit down on the ring. There were countless scratches on the gold ring.
The maids looked at Bliny’s expression in fear, but Bliny couldn’t see it.
“Why.”
It was at that moment when she clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw ached.
Bang!
There was a rough knock on the door from outside.
“His Majesty the King has arrived! Open the door!”
...Here it comes.
The last moment to bargain for her life.
***
“How could you do that! How! How could you do that to me!”
The King smelled of blood. It was the blood of the captain of the guard and the secretary. She didn’t know how many others he had killed.
“...”
Bliny rested her chin on the couch without saying a word.
“Answer!”
The King grabbed Bliny’s chin and forced her eyes to meet his.
“...After killing so many, are you still angry?”
“Answer! Answer!”
The maids were frozen, pale, unable to breathe. They just knelt down and prostrated themselves with their foreheads on the floor.
“What do you want an answer to?”
“Answer to what! Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, it’s not.”
Bliny lightly ran her fingers down the back of the King’s hand that was clenching her chin.
“I don’t understand what Your Majesty is talking about. What did I do?”
“...What...? What did you do? Are you asking because you don’t know that?”
“How can I know since you don’t tell me? What on earth are you asking?”
The King ground his teeth and spat out.
“The child you are carrying. And the death of Bashad.”
“Does Bashad’s death matter now? Your Majesty was happy.”
“What? When did I...!”
“Not a single tear fell. The funeral was short. There was no mourning or remembrance after the funeral. Are you going to mourn such a death now?”
“...So what you are saying now is that you really had a hand in Bashad’s death?”
“There are those who say that. They must be trying to gain something from you. Who said that?”
The King began to talk, so the odds were in my favor.
“Isn’t it Her Majesty? If it were her, it would be understandable for her to do that. Because she hates me. Because she would want to make someone responsible for her son’s death.”
“...”
There was no denying that Dileras had brought Kleinfelter before the King.
“I can’t accept all those complaints. If you cling to your dead child and ruin your family, you can’t call it complaining anymore. Isn’t that right?”
“Then why... did you run away?”
“The secretary told me to run away. I thought Queen Dileras had sent an army. The main palace was noisy, wasn’t it?”
“...”
The King narrowed his eyebrows.
The quietness was a good sign. The hand clenching her chin also gradually loosened.
“I’m glad Your Majesty came.”
Bliny began to stroke his loosened wrist. The King looked at the subtle gesture with hardened eyes.
“I’m tired. I want to rest now.”
“...The child.”
However, the King did not easily let go of his suspicions.
“Is the child you are carrying of royal blood?”
“Your Majesty.”
Bliny’s gentle expression turned cold.
“Don’t say that. No matter what you tell me, it’s something you shouldn’t say.”
“Answer. Is he of royal blood?”
Bliny didn’t know the answer.
“I don’t think so.”
Bliny knew that regardless of whose seed it was, the child she gave birth to would live a royal life.
“Enough is enough. Unless what Your Majesty wants to see is my neck hanging on the gallows. You know that if I am dragged away like Queen Dileras wants, that’s the end result. Do you really want me to disappear?”
“...”
The King’s eyes wavered like the weights of a scale.
He wished that she wouldn’t disappear.
He wanted that young, fresh body to remain within his reach every day. He wanted the royal bloodline that that body would produce.
But there had to be a price to get what he wanted.
The chieftain of Tiwakan also wanted Bliny.
“One more thing.”
“What else is there?”
“Why did you touch the Princess of Nauk?”
“...”
“The chieftain of Tiwakan says it was because of the gift he brought, but if not, there must be another reason.”
Bliny unconsciously tightened her facial muscles that were about to distort.
“If it wasn’t me...?”
“Really? Even though the assassin gave him your stuff?”
“Of course, someone stole it and tried to frame me. Why on earth would I have any reason to kill the Princess of Nauk?”
That was Bliny’s mistake.
She should have told a more elaborate lie.
“...Then why did you send fifty of the Bashads?”
“...”
She felt a pang at that.
The King king was the one who had turned a blind eye to the death of fifty that Bliny had sent to Nauk.
“If there was no reason to touch Nauk.”
“That is...”
“What is that?”
The King could not deny that Bliny had sent assassins because there had been 50 deaths in the Bashad Army, or rather 49.
However, the King believed there must be another reason. It was not because he wanted to keep quiet about the child’s biological father, as the Tiwakan chieftain claimed.
She could not send troops and assassins without a reason. Bliny had a reason to want to get rid of the Princess of Nauk.
“Is there a reason why I should risk war with Tiwakan?”
“...”
Bliny was desperate, even though she kept her mouth shut. She searched desperately for an answer.
But nothing came to mind. The one reason she wanted to kill Liene was too clear.
“I did not send assassins.”
“Didn’t you send troops?”
“...”
She was speechless.
It was the first time the King had seen Bliny do this.
“Is there a reason why you can’t tell me?”
“...”
She pretended not to know, but she couldn’t hide the way her eyebrows shook.
“Then what the Tiwakan chieftain said must be true.”
“No, that’s not it...”
“Or else.”
When things got tough, habit came out. Bliny’s hand, which was trying to bite the ring without realizing it, bumped into the King’s hand.
“...This ring. I always thought it didn’t suit your hand.”
The King looked at the ring.
A ring that was too loose and thick for a beautiful Princess who would never take it off.
“Is there another owner for the ring?”
“Why are you asking that again?”
“Because you won’t answer.”
“...”
Her words were blocked again.
“Give me the ring.”
The King grabbed Bliny’s hand and tried to take the ring off her thumb.
“Don’t do that.”
Bliny closed her hand.
That gesture was also very strange. Bliny being attached to something like a ring was so unfamiliar. No matter what jewel he gave her, Bliny’s reaction was always the same.
“Give it to me.”
“Why are you acting like a child? What are you going to do with this?”
“I’ll find out who the owner is. Who knows? The head of Tiwacan might know. Didn’t you say he has a connection in Alito?”
Bliny’s face changed.
“No. Don’t act like a fool. Why does it matter who the owner of the ring is?”
Bliny was telling the reason. With her changed face and unstable gaze.
“Hand it over. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you.”
“If you won’t protect me? What are you going to do? Are you going to hand me over just as the Tiwakan chief orders?”
“That’s what will happen. So give me the ring.”
“No. Let’s do that instead. Take me to that man.”
“What? Are you so concerned about the ring?”
The King didn’t know that the ring was Bliny’s collateral now that things had gone wrong.
“Then I have to find out.”
The King tried to force her clenched fingers to take the ring out. Bliny, unable to handle it with her strength, immediately slapped the King on the cheek.
Crack!
At first, there was silence.
No one could believe what had just happened, and their mouths were wide open. The King was no different.
“...How dare you!”
The moment the King was about to explode with anger, Bliny quickly hugged him and whispered in his ear.
“Leave the ring. This is nothing. Do something else instead. Whatever Your Majesty wants.”
“This is... nothing?”
Bliny had never acted so desperately. The King shoved Bliny aside.
“Are you telling me this about nothing? You can’t expect me to believe that.”
The King looked at Bliny, who was staggering and spoke in a voice like a blizzard.
“Come in.”
He was addressing the royal guards.
With a bang, the door opened and the guards came in.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take the ring from the Princess.”
“As you wish.”
The guards, who had experienced the death of their captain the night before, were filled with an unknown venom.
Thud thud!
Bliny looked at the guards approaching her and put her fingers in her mouth.
“...Thud!”
Everyone saw her throat gulp.
“What are you doing! Don’t let her swallow it!”
The King shouted, but it was too late.
Bliny swallowed the ring.
“What? Are you so concerned about the ring?”
The King didn’t know that the ring was Bliny’s collateral now that things had gone wrong.
“Then I have to find out.”
The King tried to force her clenched fingers to take the ring out. Bliny, unable to handle it with her strength, immediately slapped the King on the cheek.
Crack!
At first, there was silence.
No one could believe what had just happened, and their mouths were wide open. The King was no different.
“...How dare you!”
The moment the King was about to explode with anger, Bliny quickly hugged him and whispered in his ear.
“Leave the ring. This is nothing. Do something else instead. Whatever Your Majesty wants.”
“This is... nothing?”
Bliny had never acted so desperately. The King shoved Bliny aside.
“Are you telling me this about nothing? You can’t expect me to believe that.”
The King looked at Bliny, who was staggering and spoke in a voice like a blizzard.
“Come in.”
He was addressing the royal guards.
With a bang, the door opened and the guards came in.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take the ring from the Princess.”
“As you wish.”
The guards, who had experienced the death of their captain the night before, were filled with an unknown venom.
Thud thud!
Bliny looked at the guards approaching her and put her fingers in her mouth.
“...Thud!”
Everyone saw her throat gulp.
“What are you doing! Don’t let her swallow it!”
The King shouted, but it was too late.
Bliny swallowed the ring.
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