17.

Back in her room, Ateira allowed herself to cry.

She had told the knights that she was tired and needed some rest. Once she lay down under her blanket, the guards left her alone. Pulling the covers tightly over her head to muffle any sounds, she trembled as tears escaped.

Dermin.

Strangely, memories of his younger days came flooding back to her—the time when he had been small and needed constant attention.

Ateira held the pin from the box tightly in her hands, intertwining her slender fingers to ensure no one could take it from her.

After a while, her tears subsided, and she slipped out of bed. She opened the door to the terrace to let the cool air in, worried her eyes might become too puffy. Pressing her cold hands to her eyes, she tried to steady her ragged breathing.

“…”

The pin, a brooch of considerable weight, was crafted from a large ruby surrounded by delicate topaz, and bore the golden crest of the royal family engraved on it. Her thumb traced the intricate design slowly.

Turning it over, she didn’t examine the protective pin cap but rather pried open the back of the brooch.

Inside was a tiny silver vial, no larger than her pinky.

Poison.

Enough, in fact, to kill one person if used fully.

Zellered likely had no idea what he’d given her. In a way, he had unwittingly handed her exactly what she needed.

Dermin.

Would she really get to see him again?

Tears filled her eyes once more, and she closed them tightly to hold them back.

No matter how she looked at it, this proposal was absurd. Even though she had been trained in self-defense, she had never received true assassin training.

The only reason she had managed to wound Leo fric was simple—she had wielded a potent weapon.

Not her hairpin, but her very identity and position. The status of a powerless, conquered princess had made others lower their guard.

It was a tactic she could only use once. Now, she was likely being watched just as closely as Zellered’s knights.

“…Ha.”

Ateira pressed her hand to her forehead, needing to clear her mind and think logically.

Leo fric Helton was a hero renowned across the continent, one of a kind. Since her attack, he’d been guarded closely by his knights, the most loyal men who protected him day and night. Could she kill someone surrounded by his trusted warriors?

And she only had a week.

Impossible.

Sending a massive force to overwhelm him would probably be faster. Though his knights were few, it would still be a costly sacrifice, like swarming a hornet with bees—a devastating loss, but effective.

Surely Zellered or his allies would have considered this.

They must know Leo fric better than I do. This mission is set up to fail.

The hand pressed against her forehead stilled.

In that moment, she realized.

Her true mission was not to kill Leo fric Helton but to fail the assassination attempt.

A dry laugh slipped from her lips as if a fog had lifted from her mind. She felt foolish for the brief moment she’d spent genuinely considering how to succeed within the timeframe.

Quickly, she sorted through the situation.

Someone wanted to dispose of Leo fric Helton, or at least exile him to some remote border post by marrying him off to her.

But he wasn’t cooperating. And with her unexpected attack, the situation had only grown more complicated.

Why not send more soldiers to finish him off? Because they didn’t want it to be a blatant act. Leo fric was a celebrated hero, who had ended the war and brought peace to the continent.

…But a hero can fall from grace.

If people turned their backs on him, that would be enough.

If he had a scandalous stain on his reputation, an unworthy action they could publicly denounce, it would open the door to justifiable punishment.

Killing the princess sent as a symbol of peace would certainly tarnish his name. And as the bride chosen by the king, her death would be seen as a clear act of defiance.

Not to mention, Ateira was an honorary priestess linked to Akalem, which would provoke a furious backlash from the temple.

Once he became a public disgrace, those who saw Leo fric as a threat would revel in the opportunity to “decide his punishment.”

How could she get Leo fric to kill her?

Ateira had already tried to assassinate him once. A second attempt would surely be met with lethal force, not only by Leo fric but by his guards as well. They would not try to capture her mercifully. If the knights fought her seriously, survival would be out of the question.

“So that’s why he told me to do my best.”

The expectation was clear—give it everything she had, and die.

She was nothing more than bait for Leo fric.

Afterward, no matter how much Leo fric protested that she’d attempted to assassinate him, who would believe that a sheltered princess had genuinely posed a threat to a legendary hero?

And in the end, the public would hear only the tragic tale of a helpless princess cut down by a hero’s hand, conveniently ignoring whatever Leo fric and his knights might try to argue.

“…”

Ateira sank back deeply into the sofa, her thoughts spinning. The only part of the plan that didn’t add up was the one-week deadline.

“So that’s why he didn’t answer.”

When she had asked if completing this mission would guarantee a reunion with Dermin or if he would at least ensure her brother’s safety, the count had dodged the question.

There was no need for him to promise anything. He likely never intended for her to see Dermin. They were just using her life—and her brother’s—as leverage.

But what if I succeed in killing him?

If she somehow managed to accomplish the impossible and kill Leo fric, it would still be a victory for the count. Either way, Leo fric would be out of the picture.

Ateira reassembled the ornament, restoring it to its original form.

Dermin.

I may never see you again.

The pin itself was no proof that Dermin was alive. She knew that. He might already be dead.

That would explain why the count had been evasive about arranging a meeting.

But still, she had no choice but to accept this mission. Even if there was only a thread of hope, she had to try, because sitting idle would change nothing.

She opened the cover on the pin and fastened it to her high collar.

Ready to use whenever necessary.

* * *

Leo fric and his knights arrived at the dining hall, where a large door swung open in front of them. A servant from the baron’s house greeted them with a respectful, though somewhat strained, smile.

Leo fric, passing the servant with a wary glance, abruptly stopped. Jinpetsu, following closely behind, accidentally bumped into him.

“Excuse me, si…”

Jinpetsu’s reflexive apology trailed off as he took in the scene before him.

At the far end of the long dining table sat a woman, impeccably dressed and composed.

“You’re here, sir,” Princess Ateira greeted him with an elegant smile.

“…Your betrothed has arrived,” the baron’s servant announced with a slightly trembling voice.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Sometimes a single sentence can leave everyone speechless. The servant’s statement had exactly that effect.

The knights exchanged bewildered glances, silently asking one another questions that none of them could answer. The only sound in the room was Princess Ateira’s gentle voice, which cut through the silence.

“Aren’t you going to sit? The food will get cold.”

Though perfectly polite and soft, her tone held an undeniable edge. It almost sounded like, “What are you standing around for?”

Perhaps it was the natural authority of someone born to command others. Leo fric felt a flash of genuine admiration.

She was dominating the space effortlessly. Strangely, she seemed even more intimidating now than when she had held a dagger. This was a different side of her from the night she had encountered Nephi.

Leo fric couldn’t recall feeling this kind of atmosphere even when facing members of the Thornfeld royal family. It seemed to be her own innate presence, not just her status.

“…Forgive me for my rudeness,” Leo fric said, glancing at Jinpetsu, who desperately eyed him, as if to ask, ‘Should we sit?’

With a nod, Leo fric took his seat.