Episode 53

Episode 53: I’ll Steal Her Away No Matter What

…What?

I turned toward the voice, my entire body going rigid.

‘King Karssen?!’

Why was he here…?

I’d come thinking this would be a light meal with Leonard and Cedric—just the three of us.

Dinner with King Karssen himself was the last thing I’d expected.

While I stood there frozen, he pulled out a chair for me.

“Please, have a seat.”

What on earth was happening. My mind couldn’t quite accept this bizarre situation, but I forced myself to respond to his gesture.

“Thank you.”

Once we were both seated, the food began to arrive one dish after another, from appetizers to desserts.

Unlike the Empire, which served courses one by one to highlight their flavors, the Calus Kingdom laid everything out at once.

The table was crowded with dishes so delicious-looking I couldn’t help but gape.

Everything seemed tempting; I didn’t even know where to start.

After the cooks left, Karssen picked up a decanter and poured liquor into the empty glasses.

“The Calus Kingdom is famous for its distinctive spirits.”

The drink he poured was a clear, milky white. I took a casual sip—and nearly choked at the strength of it.

Coughing, I saw him watching me with amusement.

“Seems you don’t handle your liquor well.”

“What is this?”

“Our traditional spirit. Winters here are far colder than elsewhere, so everyone prefers stronger drink.”

Stronger because it was cold? That was one thing, but this was on another level entirely.

Just a single sip was enough to make me lightheaded.

If I’d known it was this potent, I wouldn’t have touched it at all.

I’d meant only to be polite when the king offered it, but I’d ended up paying the price.

“You really do have that surprisingly delicate side. You never fail to entertain me.”

Karssen laughed openly at my reaction.

“Please, stop teasing me.”

“I’ll try.”

It sounded more like a promise to keep teasing me.

“If your mouth feels bitter, why not try this?”

He offered me a stew.

I took a spoonful; it was rich and savory, with tender meat and a deeply flavorful broth.

Unlike the harsh liquor, the meal that followed was thoroughly satisfying.

Our conversation, too, was surprisingly easygoing.

Karssen, aside from his sometimes rude manner of speaking, was actually a lively and engaging partner at the table.

From the state of international politics to rumors in high society, he spoke with unforced knowledge on countless topics.

I found myself surprised at the depth of his understanding.

He might have been called the Bloodstained Monarch, but he was clearly no mere brute force warrior.

He was every inch a king.

“Still… I think I’ve underestimated the Pentrian Empire all this time.”

“Underestimated?”

He nodded at my question.

“I used to think it was nothing but a land full of arrogant, narrow-minded fools.”

“You’re not forgetting I’m the Empire’s Empress, are you?”

“I said used to think that way.”

“And now it’s different?”

“It is. Because I met you.”

“I don’t know what role I’ve played in changing your view, exactly.”

“A very big role.”

He laughed soundlessly, then fixed me with a serious look.

“I heard your Emperor has someone else who holds his attention.”

Someone else?

“It’s common knowledge even here in the Calus Kingdom. The Pentrian Emperor is too busy being smitten with another woman.”

Ah. He meant the Imperial Concubine, Fay.

“How is it a flaw that the Emperor cherishes his consort?”

“Oh? Not jealous?”

“You only get jealous of someone who matters.”

“So you’re saying… you have no interest in the Emperor at all?”

“Of course not.”

I answered firmly, with no hesitation.

There was no way I’d ever be interested in Jerome. Not in this lifetime.

Karssen studied me for a moment, then let out a thoughtful hum.

“I don’t understand your Emperor at all.”

I waited, wary of what he was about to say next.

He offered me a sly, meaningful smile.

“If it were me, I’d never leave you alone. Honestly, it might be lucky for me that your Emperor’s so distracted.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Lucky that I’m neglected?”

He nodded emphatically.

“If his attention is elsewhere… that means I can steal you away without consequence.”

“Steal… who?”

“You.”

“…Are you drunk?”

Instead of answering, Karssen’s lips curved into a slow, deliberate smile.

“I’ve decided. I’ll take you from the Empire, no matter what.”

“……!”

Pentrian Empire. The Emperor’s office.

The scratch of a pen busily moving over paper filled the room. Occasionally, there was the sound of a page being turned with a light flutter.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Your Majesty.”

It was Marquis Niclad, his secretary.

“Come in.”

The brief permission was given, and Marquis Niclad entered. Even with his aide present, Jerome didn’t lift his eyes from the documents.

“…How did it go?”

At that dry question, Niclad straightened, reporting stiffly.

“Her Majesty the Empress did not go to the duchy.”

Jerome didn’t react much even to the odd tale of her supposedly heading for the duchy. It was as if he’d expected it.

“Then where did she go?”

“She headed for the Kingdom of Karssen.”

“Karssen?”

Jerome’s brow furrowed.

He’d predicted she wouldn’t go to the duchy. But Karssen?

“What on earth did she go there for?”

“That… we do not know the exact reason.”

“You lost track of her, then?”

“It appears there was an ambush during the border crossing.”

“Ambush?”

The scratching pen stopped. Finally, Jerome lifted his gaze to Niclad. His eyes were cold enough to chill the room.

“Report in detail.”

“Near the border, they were attacked multiple times, beginning with men disguised as merchants.”

“Who were they?”

“Their precise identity is unclear, but they seem to have been trained assassins.”

Assassins targeting the Empress.

Jerome’s breathing grew deep and heavy.

“Continue.”

“Fortunately, Sir Leonard and Lord Cedric were with her and their skills are exceptional. They apparently kept the danger at bay.”

“Those two could handle most threats. The Empress?”

“No injuries or unusual incidents were reported.”

“…So she’s unharmed. And then?”

“Despite repeated ambushes, they managed to cross into Karssen. But there, they appear to have been captured by the border guard.”

“…Captured?”

“Yes. We confirmed they were taken to Karssen’s royal palace.”

A suffocating silence filled the room.

Niclad bit down hard on his lip.

‘How did someone so reckless end up as our Empress…’

The Empress, now a prisoner in a foreign country. And not just any prisoner—caught sneaking in with explosives. A scandal without precedent.

But right now, neither her dignity nor the reasons for her border-crossing mattered.

All that mattered was that the Empress of the Empire was in enemy hands.

Whatever it took, she had to be brought back safely. Punishment could come later.

‘We’ll have to pursue every diplomatic option first…’

He had already reviewed all possible methods before coming here.

War would be the last resort.

But a drawn-out diplomatic battle could take months.

The Empire would suffer significant losses in the meantime.

Surely the Emperor was weighing those costs now.

Tap. Tap.

Lost in thought, Jerome began drumming his fingers lightly on the desk.

The decision was made.

Niclad straightened even further, waiting for the Emperor’s command.

“Niclad.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Order the Imperial Guards to prepare to mobilize.”

“…Mobilize?”

Niclad was visibly shaken.

Not diplomacy, but a military deployment?

“Yes. Immediately. So they can depart at once.”

“Y-Your Majesty. If it’s to rescue Her Majesty, shouldn’t we try diplomatic means first?”

Jerome raised a single finger.

“Six months.”

“…Pardon?”

“Sending envoys, delivering our demands, waiting for a reply—that alone is a month. Then the back-and-forth investigations and negotiations, the final summit—it’s at least six months. And that’s with the use of magic to speed things up.”

Niclad swallowed hard.

Before coming here, he’d calculated all the time and cost required for negotiations using every available resource.

Jerome’s offhand estimate was spot-on.

“You want me to leave the Empress in foreign hands for six months?”

“But if we send the Imperial Guard, it could start a war.”

However slow and tedious negotiations might be, the destruction of war was worse by far.

But Jerome’s mind was made up. He rose from his seat.

“I’ll go myself.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“I’ll personally—”

Jerome’s voice dropped, cold and decisive.

“—strike Karssen.”

His gaze turned steely and dark.

“I will reclaim the dignity of the Imperial House.”