Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch 105

105.

Her stomach churned. But it wasn't unbearable. The light receded, and the pressure that had been crushing her body vanished as if by magic. The scent of ancient dust and earth seeped into her nostrils. Only then did Ivelin slowly open her eyes.

The first thing that came into her view was a vast space where not a single ray of sunlight reached. Only the torches stuck precariously into the walls, their flames flickering perilously, illuminated the place.

And there, standing in the heart of that deep darkness, she saw a man. His peculiar, silver-glinting eyes were fixed directly on Ivelin.

It was the Unknown.

"You have arrived."

A dry voice. The Unknown she met again in reality was much changed from before. He seemed far more solitary and hollow than he had then. For a mastermind trying to plunge an empire into chaos, he looked desolate. Like a specter trapped in the past.

"Welcome, Lady Ivelin. Or should I now call you Your Highness, the Grand Duchess?"

Another person walked out and stood beside the Unknown. This one was a face she was seeing for the very first time. His face was brimming with triumph and elation. And behind him stood a young man who seemed utterly out of place in these surroundings. He wore lavish formal attire, his hair neatly combed back. His arrogant expression and demeanor made it clear he held the highest rank here.

And Ivelin's guess was not wrong. For he was none other than Rihart, the First Prince of the Teyrin Kingdom.

"My name is Pavltin. You may call me Sir Pavltin. I deeply regret having to receive you in such a rough manner on what should have been a blessed engagement day. However, as we ourselves are not particularly pressed for time, I hope you will understand that we were forced to resort to somewhat drastic measures."

What a preposterous way of thinking.

"So you do admit it's a rough manner."

Without a trace of fluster, Ivelin coolly brushed the dust from her skirt with a pat-pat. Pavltin's brow furrowed at her attitude, which was utterly unbelievable for a prisoner dragged into the enemy's stronghold.

‘Does this woman still not grasp her situation?’

Just as Pavltin, filled with bewilderment, was about to approach Ivelin—

"You'd better stop right there."

The Unknown warned in a low voice. His gaze was not directed at Ivelin's calm face, but at her voluminous dress.

"And why is that?"

As Pavltin snapped irritably, the Unknown elaborated.

"Do not go near her. That woman is armed right now."

Despite his warning, Count Pavltin scoffed. Just because a noble lady carried weapons, he, trained as the head of the intelligence department, never thought he would lose to her. Perhaps the Unknown, who had no direct experience in combat, was simply fearful, but he was different.

‘Me, lose to a mere woman?’

Pavltin ignored the Unknown's warning. Just as he stepped closer to Ivelin and reached out his hand— Ivelin, instead of evading, boldly gathered her skirt and lifted it.

"You needn't bother with binding me. I am, after all, a guest who walked here on my own two feet."

Clang—

The leather belt strapped around Ivelin's thigh came undone and fell to the floor. Along with it, an array of weapons cleverly concealed all over her body began to pile up on the ground, one after another.

Three fully loaded magazines, over a dozen sharp daggers, and even smoke grenades to obscure vision in an emergency. It was lethally impressive, barely believable that all of it had come from the body of an ordinary, delicate noble lady. And the firepower was formidable.

Pavltin, who had stepped forward so confidently, came to an abrupt halt. His thick lips gaped wide in shock.

"Wh-What in the world is this?!"

He wasn't the only one startled.

"She was carrying all of that on her person?"

Even the prince standing behind, Rihart, stared at the weapons on the floor with a dazed expression. Ivelin finally produced a gun, holding it lightly between her fingers as if flicking it, and then tossed it casually toward Rihart's feet, where he stood visibly shocked.

As the gun clattered loudly in front of his shoes, Rihart froze stiff on the spot. He was so startled that he couldn't even scream, which he considered a small mercy.

Ivelin watched the scene and lifted her chin.

"Is this enough to put you at ease? Oh, don't misunderstand. If I had intended to attack, I would have done so long ago. Still, with this much, I trust you'll treat me as a proper guest, won't you?"

At her bold declaration, Pavltin's expression hardened. Rihart, however, forced a smile and spread his arms wide.

"If you came as a guest, then we must treat you as one."

He seemed eager to appear magnanimous, though the fear was already evident. Nevertheless, as befitting his title of prince, he cleared his throat, straightened his attire, and continued.

"You have quite a sharp tongue, but it's not bad. With abilities like that, it's no wonder Kite chose you. But tell me, what do you think you can achieve just by becoming the Grand Duchess?"

Ivelin had no idea what he was getting at now.

"Currently, Kite has no ambition for the emperor's throne. That's why he gave the position to his nephew, choosing to remain in the shadows himself. However."

This time, Rihart stepped forward. Pavltin, horrified, tried to block him, but Rihart shook his head.

"Do not stop me."

"That woman might do anything."

"If she were going to, she wouldn't have taken out her weapons. Isn't that right?"

Ivelin nodded.

"So it seems."

Thus, Rihart stood before Ivelin. His hair, though not as bright as Kite's gold, reminded one of a wheat field, and it wasn't unpleasant. He also had vivid green eyes, different from Ivelin's own, but rather pleasant to look at. He would certainly be considered handsome by most standards.

"If you're born, isn't it only natural to desire higher things? So I'll say it plainly. Become my bride. I will rise to the emperor's throne. Then you shall become the Empress."

Ivelin was so stunned she couldn't answer right away. As she blinked blankly, she caught sight of the Unknown behind them, wearing a peculiar expression. It seemed this was a situation even he had not anticipated.

"Your Highness!"

Pavltin cried out in horror.

"This is absurd! She's from an enemy nation, a mere daughter of a insignificant noble house from the frontier! The position of Empress should be occupied by someone of noble birth!"

"But she has ability."

Rihart met Ivelin's eyes as he spoke.

"The power to see the future. A power that could potentially be passed down through bloodlines."

He could simply imprison her like the Unknown and extract only her prophetic abilities. But if Ivelin became Empress, and if the bloodline of that foresight flowed through the imperial family—wasn't that a magnificent prospect just to imagine? The imperial house would gain a new power permanently. A power that would never betray them.

Rihart did not fully trust the Unknown. He knew all too well the manner of his prophecies and his past. People are more easily swayed and betray than one might think. Pavltin, with his harsh assessment of the Unknown, might not consider such thoughts, but Rihart was different.

"Surely you can't be truly in love with that Kite."

Rihart was well aware of Kite's reputation. That was precisely why he could say it. What use was charm when his personality was like that?

"I'll give you time. Isn't time the one thing people need to fall for someone?"

Rihart extended his hand to Ivelin, who still hadn't come to her senses.

"Now then, shall we move to a different place?"

Ivelin found herself moving as Rihart led her, almost unconsciously. Before meeting Kite, she had never imagined a future with anyone. Circumstances had been too dire for that. But now, being proposed to here by the prince of the Teyrin Empire, she felt a strange sensation.

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