Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch 79

79.

On the highest seat, the Emperor of Teyrin sat.

Tap, tap.

His aged hand tapped the armrest—a simple act that instilled fear in those kneeling below. The Emperor was notoriously cruel, showing no mercy for mistakes.

"Strange."

He had infiltrated the northern barbarians, intending to unite and use them—it had taken considerable groundwork. Yet look at the results.

Most of the infiltrators had been killed by Kite, Pabeln's accursed Swordmaster; the few survivors were dragged to the northern fortress. Trained to resist torture, they wouldn't talk, but it didn't ease his mood.

"Very strange."

He looked at one of the kneeling figures—Unknown, a white-haired, silver-eyed seer. Created from experiments on those with seer bloodlines, his prophecies had rarely failed. Yet lately, things kept going wrong.

"Unknown."

He answered, head bowed.

"Yes."

"Anything to say about this?"

"Apologies—sometimes prophecies weaken before a great storm. That may have caused this."

"I dislike assumptions—but yes."

He twisted his lips in a smile.

"A Swordmaster qualifies as a great storm. But you know there have been other errors—anything to say about those?"

He'd been useful—but his worth seemed to be fading. Though artificially created, he'd been invaluable. Unknown spoke again.

"I can speak of that too."

"Let's hear it."

"Your Imperial Majesty—Pabeln has one like me."

His tapping stopped.

"A seer?"

"Yes. Unlike me, that seer is legitimate—beloved by the gods, glimpsing the future at will."

The Emperor leaned forward.

"Who is it?"

"Ibelin El Frillie—daughter of a baron in Pabeln's provinces."

"Ho?"

His displeased face now showed greed. A proper seer! Far beyond Unknown, who damaged himself to see the future. Pabeln had such a seer?

I want her—I want her!

He had to have what he desired.

"Tell me more."

"Yes."

Unknown bowed deeper, revealing information about Ibelin—and that she was Kite's fiancée.

"The fox!"

That was his assessment of Kite. If he were merely strong, he'd have been killed long ago—but he wasn't. Taking a provincial baron's daughter as fiancée couldn't be pure love—why hadn't he suspected?

What a pity.

If such a man were his son.

Teyrin didn't follow primogeniture—they passed titles to the strongest child. So the four princes constantly vied for favor, often violently.

None of them impressed him.

Truly a pity.

Kite was his enemy—how many times had he saved Pabeln's young Emperor?

He spoke slowly.

"I want that new seer."

The man at the front answered.

"Whatever Your Majesty desires, we'll achieve."

"Yes—find a way."

Simple kidnapping wouldn't work—Kite pathologically protected his own. He'd left most of his knights with the Emperor, even though the Imperial Knights were there.

Ibelin would be no different. A seer was a perfect tool—he'd protect her.

But he must take her—that was how he'd lived as Teyrin's Emperor. And he had a good idea. His princes were fighting bitterly for the crown, offering much to earn his favor.

A new seer could join them. Currently, the four princes were divided into two factions: the first and fourth princes (same mother), and the second and third (different mothers but seemingly aligned).

"Summon the first and second princes."

He ordered, leaning back lazily.

---

Having finished everything, Ibelin and Kite headed back.

"Achoo!"

She sneezed—Kite, riding by the window, approached.

"Are you alright?"

She waved reassuringly.

"I'm fine."

"Not a cold?"

"No—I'm tough."

She smiled, and he relaxed, smiling back.

The maid watching made a subtle expression. Since returning from the north, they'd grown much closer. They'd always acted like fiancés, but something was different.

Especially Kite—he constantly watched over Ibelin, attending to her first. Every rest stop, he'd rush to her with food or sit beside her, chatting intimately—it made even the maid's heart flutter.

They're in love.

A good thing. Her master, once thought unmarriageable due to his madness, now seemed to have found a proper partner. Considering Kite's past, Ibelin might be a little wasted on him—but they suited each other.

She smiled contentedly. She'd have left them alone, but Kite insisted on guarding outside.

She wasn't the only one to notice the change.

Alex felt it too.

"Our lord has changed!"

His shout made the other knights laugh.

"You'll get scolded."

"Then I'll run to Lady Ibelin."

They shook their heads, amused. With the northern mission resolved, everyone was lighthearted.

"Try running."

Kite appeared beside Alex.

"AAAH!"

Laughter burst out.

"You'll spar during breaks."

"If I can't fight properly in an emergency?"

"I didn't raise my knights to be weak."

Alex deflated.

"So mean."

"Do you know what 'mean' means?"

"I do!"

They joked and traveled—if all went well, they'd reach the capital within a week.

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