Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch10

10.

As a child, his mother had treated Kite like a doll and wanted him to act that way. She had wanted Kite, born of her own womb, to become Emperor—so she tried to leave a favorable impression everywhere. In that process, Kite's will was never reflected. Still, until he grew to a certain age, he had loved her—she was his mother, after all.

Kite had done anything to please Saraen, his mother. And by the time he realized it was wrong, it was already too late—after he had earned the hatred of Kali, his only brother and the first successor. After Saraen died of illness, Kali treated the orphaned Kite with cruelty.

He banished the young Kite to the frontier, forcing him to face brutal barbarians and monsters. Not a day passed without his life being in danger. There, he fought alone until, somehow, he met Seren.

Thus he drifted from one dangerous battlefield to another. Amid those blood-soaked days, he acquired insomnia and mistrust—but he also built achievements that no one could deny.

No one had imagined that the small, fragile prince would go that far. They didn't know that the emperor's son, driven to the brink of death, possessed such extraordinary talent in swordsmanship.

Kali tried to suppress Kite's accomplishments as much as possible, but it wasn't easy. The Empire was a militarily strong nation, and as a result, military officers began to favor Kite.

When he first realized that, he found it tiresome. He didn't want to build a faction and earn Kali's enmity. In Kite's eyes at the time, Kali was a formidable man—one who might even kill him if it came to it.

But that wasn't the case.

Born first and made successor, Kali was nevertheless a weak man. That was why he was suspicious of everyone around him and didn't even trust his only son. He spread false rumors about his young son, Leonhardt, and imprisoned him, fearing he would steal his position.

Did he really need to fear such a man? Once Kite thought that, he began to change. He actively rallied allies and built his power. And just as he was about to move against Kali, Kali died.

He had fallen from his horse while hunting. It was an absurd accident—but people didn't believe it. They believed Kite had killed his brother, the Emperor, in pursuit of power. And they thought he would return to the capital and claim the throne—but Kite did not.

"I don't want a position like that."

Those who had clawed viciously for the imperial seat still lingered in Kite's memory.

He placed his imprisoned young nephew, Leonhardt, on the throne and became his guardian.

Since then, he had lived as everyone knew. He acted somewhat excessively, deliberately earning the reputation of being unfit for the Emperor's seat.

But he didn't resolve everything through violence alone.

Since his mother had given him beautiful looks, he might as well use them.

Kite put on a pitiful expression as he looked at the maid. The maid, who had been retreating like a frightened squirrel, stopped in her tracks.

Beauty worked everywhere.

---

I'm losing my mind.

For the first time in her life, Ibelin learned something about herself.

She was utterly weak to the vulnerable expression of a beautiful person. Even though she knew full well what Kite had done, her retreating body came to an abrupt halt.

How could a human look like that? A straight brow, eyes like lakes, a well-shaped nose, and rosy lips...

"...I'm hungry."

Her heart plummeted at his sullen voice.

No—for a beauty like that to say he was hungry! Her reason screamed at her to come to her senses, but her heart wouldn't obey. Ibelin began to edge forward.

"You won't hit me, will you?"

"I don't hit the weak."

By a Swordmaster's standard, most people in the world would be weak. For a moment, she remembered him breaking the young marquis's leg.

"To be precise—I don't touch those who haven't trained in combat skills."

Only then did Ibelin feel relieved and step closer.

"You truly won't hurt me?"

"Yes."

Kite smiled gently, as if to say trust me. Ibelin approached him like a mouse lured by cheese in a trap. And at last, she reached the side of the tray.

In that instant, Kite moved swiftly, grabbing the hem of Ibelin's clothes and yanking it toward him. Her body was pulled off balance in a flash—and in that moment, Ibelin quickly drew the dagger she had concealed. She cut the caught fabric, rolled across the floor, and put distance between them.

When she came to her senses, she was back at the door.

"A maid, you said?"

Kite let out a hollow laugh at the sight of her.

"I am a maid."

"And you move like that?"

"My grandfather taught me self-defense."

"That's self-defense?"

After showing movements like a knight who had trained for years? Kite couldn't believe her words.

"It's self-defense. Grandfather said even this much wouldn't beat the local thugs."

"Where exactly did you live?"

"Out there—in the provinces."

Ibelin answered honestly. But Kite did not believe her.

---

She had dodged a Swordmaster's attack—yet claimed she couldn't beat a local thug. Kite grew curious about the maid's grandfather. Just what kind of man raised his granddaughter like this?

"Thugs that skilled exist in the provinces? No—if they were that skilled, they wouldn't be thugs in the first place."

"At any rate, I can't help you eat now."

The maid no longer stammered. At that, a faint chill ran down Kite's spine.

"What's your name?"

"Mary."

"That's a dog's name."

It was clearly a fake name, but the maid refused to give her real one. Well, she had kidnapped an Archduke of the Empire—it was only natural.

The maid bowed her head briefly, closed the door, and disappeared. All that remained was the food on the tray.

Kite took a sip of the drink first. As a Swordmaster, he had reached the pinnacle of the body and was highly resistant to poison. Moreover, he had trained specifically against it—so he drank with confidence.

"Tastes good?"

There was nothing strange in the drink. It was simply very good—cool, sweet, and slightly bitter, perfectly suited to Kite's palate.

"What did they put in this?"

The slightly cooled stew was also well-simmered and delicious when eaten with bread. At least he could tell there was no intention to starve him.

After finishing the meal, Kite looked around the room again.

Strange.

For a room holding a Swordmaster captive, the atmosphere was odd. The metal bed was fixed to the floor so it couldn't be moved—that alone seemed fitting for a cell. But the rest was strange.

The mattress and blankets on the bed were fluffy, clean, and soft. Their color was a warm pale yellow, and the edges were trimmed with lace. The pillows were the same. A short distance away stood a bookshelf filled with dozens of books.

It showed consideration for passing long hours without boredom. Even the bathroom, just barely usable, was neatly arranged, equipped with soap and various conveniences.

Around then, Kite began to wonder if the purpose of his kidnapping might be different from what he had assumed.

---

Seren stared grimly at the clock on the wall. Kite had said he was going to overturn an information broker—but half a day had passed and he hadn't returned. Just in case, Seren had made inquiries nearby, but there was no trace.

"Are you worrying too much?"

When Alex said that, Lucen shot him a glare.

"Lord Kite has many enemies. It's not strange for the Vice-Commander to be concerned."

"But isn't there no enemy stronger than Lord Kite?"

"There are two other Swordmasters."

"Even so, one is too old and retired, and the other is less skilled than Lord Kite."

"You really have shallow thinking."

At Lucen's sigh and retort, Alex bristled.

"It's not wrong!"

"It's not right either!"

As the two began to growl at each other, Seren slammed his palm on the table.

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