The colliding blades trembled slightly.

They tested each other’s strength, then pushed away in a semicircle. Each was forced back one step.

Clang clang!

They struck each other’s blades sharply in the air. Kazan’s heavy sword and Harchen’s nimble sword were evenly matched.

Kazan’s sword attacked proactively from various angles, but Harchen deflected them like branches swept by wind.

As Kazan unleashed the killing intent steeped in his sword over long years, the blade moved on its own. His massive body exhaled rough breaths compared to the sword energized by several preemptive strikes.

Harchen smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.

He raised his gloved right index finger, twirling it above his head.

Tap tap.

He immediately stomped his right foot and swiftly swept Kazan’s openings with his sword.

He swung dazzlingly, slashing diagonally through the air.

The sword tip grazed Kazan’s shoulder, side, waist and thigh. It was close enough to stab, and there were openings.

However, Harchen spun his body once more, slashing diagonally through the air as if acting in a play. As he lowered his raised right hand horizontally, he tapped Kazan’s neckline with his left hand.

‘Emperor…?’

Eden glared at Harchen with widened red eyes. He had read Harchen’s intention.

Following Eden, Calip and Lean also realized their lord’s intent.

Harchen was now reenacting Patricia’s swordsmanship.

He raised his left hand high in the air and swung his sword dazzlingly, reading and calculating his opponent’s space and sweeping the empty spots.

Anyone who had seen Patricia’s sword even once could never forget it.

Harchen seemed to be wielding his sword symmetrically as if mirroring Patricia, or as if embracing and becoming one with her.

‘Emperor… just what are you.’

Harchen was punishing Kazan with Patricia’s sword.

Eden was displeased that the emperor hid his own sword skills to recreate Patricia’s, but it showed a broad understanding of her.

The emperor had a long-time lover princess.

But from the emperor’s manner of surveying the West Tower, and now unleashing his grudge against Kazan with Patricia’s sword, Eden could be certain of his deep affection.

Eden couldn’t even be jealous of him.

However, the sadness flowing to the ground fell endlessly, accompanied by intense pain as if tearing out wet innards.

“Huh. Kuk.”

Harchen watched coldly as Kazan’s breathing became ragged, his deep green eyes gleaming.

Kazan swung his sword using his bulky upper body, but his lower body became heavy and followed slowly.

Meanwhile, Harchen abandoned his imitation of Patricia’s swordsmanship.

The faint smile that had remained on his face vanished completely. With a cold and arrogant expression, he struck forcefully with his sword, driving Kazan back.

Kazan hunched his shoulders and was pushed back by the fierce attack.

Shik shik.

The sound of metal slicing the air made a sharp wind noise.

With precise calculations, he decisively predicted Kazan’s movements, slicing his space with the sword and narrowing the gap.

Clang clang clang!

Harchen nimbly transferred the sword from his left hand to his right, striking Kazan’s waist with the back of the blade.

“Kuhuk.”

Kazan regrasped his slipping sword. His blade trembled. Harchen struck his sword fiercely.

Clang.

Kazan’s sword fell to the floor. As the strength left his legs, Kazan’s body tilted and sat down on the sword.

The sharp tip of Harchen’s sword pressed against Kazan’s Adam’s apple.

“Ha, Harchen.”

Harchen looked down at him expressionlessly, applying force to his hand. Red drops of blood formed on Kazan’s flushed, thick neck.

“L-look here. Harchen, you’re my son-in-law.”

Son-in-law? Did he have a daughter? Not the silver armor he dragged around as a war trophy?

Harchen clenched his jaw, swallowing his words. The moment they left his mouth, he would undoubtedly inflict unstoppable violence on Kazan.

He tilted the blade. Instead of the sharp sword tip pressing against the Adam’s apple, the forged edge now pressed against Kazan’s fleshy chin.

“Harchen, sp-spare me. Abdication, I’ll step down from the throne voluntarily.”

He hadn’t intended to kill him from the start, but seeing his shameless, cowardly attitude to continue his pathetic life made him want to eliminate him.

However, he stopped when he saw the blue eyes beneath the thin blond hair plastered to his skull.

Harchen clenched his fist tightly. A cracking sound came from the thick-knuckled hand inside the cream-colored leather glove.

Harchen looked down at Kazan with an arrogant expression and smiled coldly.

The interior of Gratia Hall stirred.

People who had been covering their mouths and holding their breath spoke in hushed whispers, unable to speak loudly.

“Emperor Kazan’s abdication!”

“Emperor Karsik’s victory!!”

Harchen spun around and received his jacket and cravat from Eden. At the same time, a sharp scream split the air.

“Aak!”

“My lord!”

“Eden…!”

Ladies collapsed from all directions.

Kazan, who had picked up his sword from beneath his legs, exerted animalistic strength to stab at Harchen’s back with his sword. In an instant, Eden, who was standing close by, pulled out a dagger and deeply stabbed Kazan’s lung. Dark red blood splattered onto Eden’s chest and face.

“E-Eden. You insolent bastard.”

Eden grabbed Kazan’s thick arm with his left hand and twisted his right hand holding the dagger. The spurting blood scattered.

“This is the rondel dagger Your Majesty bestowed upon me.”

On the day they conquered the Turk Kingdom after crossing the western border of Tane, Kazan summoned the crown prince and Eden to his quarters.

Eden’s attitude of guarding the silver armor bothered him.

Even during the sword duel, Eden had reduced his own sword control space in consideration of the silver armor’s sword.

Seeing that action, Kazan realized Eden knew the silver armor was not the crown prince. Kazan sent the silver armor away and bestowed a dagger on Eden.

“If there’s any sign of her being discovered as a woman, kill her before that happens.”

It was a rondel dagger with a platinum-decorated handle inlaid with green emeralds. At that moment, Eden nurtured the spark of rebellion against the emperor.

Eden wiped Kazan’s warm blood that had splattered on his face with his glove.

“Your Majesty, I have finally fulfilled my long-cherished wish. I can die without regrets now.”

Eden bowed respectfully, placing his forehead on his bent arm, towards Kazan who glared at him while clutching his wheezing lungs.

“The emperor is in danger.”

Gratia Hall became chaotic.

People trying to observe the situation more closely, gentlemen supporting fainting ladies who were vomiting, palace doctors rushing in with wooden boards for bleeding control, the guard battalion arresting Eden for attempting to assassinate the emperor on the spot.

Cutting through that forest, Harchen stared directly at Patrick. Though they were at a distance, their gazes were unwavering. Harchen approached Patrick with large strides.

“Patrick, I’ll ask you, answer clearly.”

“Please inquire.”

“Who was the person the empress tried to assassinate? And who killed the empress?”

Patrick clenched his molars tightly before releasing and answering.

“The former was Patricia. The latter was also started by Patricia, but I hear the Hun hunters assisted.”

“So now my wife is… her condition?”

“She’s slightly injured and receiving treatment in the Hun hunter village…”

Harchen grabbed Patrick’s collar and pulled him right up to his face.

“You dare, only now telling me this.”

“I apologize.”

Patrick learned for the first time that green eyes can also burn red. Harchen, his eyes blazing, released Patrick’s collar and spun around.

“Calip!”

Calip, Lean, and his other knights followed Harchen out of Gratia Hall.

“We ride to Riswan without rest. If it’s too much for you, rest and catch up.”

They left Tane Palace on black war horses, disappearing like moths flying into fire without even ashes remaining.

*

Two women standing under a cherry tree in the fall sunlight tilted their heads back to look up.

“Sigh, why do I have to pick these anyway.”

Bark and Bee, perched on the thick branches of the cherry tree, plucked the small red fruits with their large hands and placed them in baskets hanging from their arms.

“Lady Risha, don’t you agree?”

Carolina, adjusting her wide-brimmed hat, whispered in Patricia’s ear.

“It seems that way, but also not.”

“Look closely, forget the hair color, and though the build is a bit larger, the pointed jawline and sharp nose bridge, the upturned eyes that seem to slant upwards when viewed from below like this, and the corners of the mouth that become more prominent when smiling. He really resembles Prince Patrick.”

“Lady Rina. You remember Patrick’s appearance very well?”

At Patricia’s words, Carolina pressed her flushed cheeks and smiled brightly.

“It’s not a face easily forgotten.”

“Sigh, then why don’t I look alike? Patrick and I look quite similar?”

“That’s what I find strange too.”

“Haha, perhaps because you miss Patrick, even someone similar looks that way to you? Ah, Bark! There are many on the right side.”

Annoyed by her pointing, Bark plucked a small cherry and tossed it at Patricia’s forehead.

“Ouch, what are you doing?”

“My hands are too big, it slipped.”

“That joke went too far. To an injured person.”

Carolina glared at Bark and spoke in a sharp voice, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the red juice from Patricia’s forehead.

“You want some too?”

Bark found the two ladies looking up with their mouths open like baby birds waiting for food from their mother quite cute, so he lowered his gaze and the cherry slipped from his hand.

Carolina had left by carriage to return to the palace, and Bark was secretly irritated at having no excuse to detain her, but before half a day passed, the royal carriage climbed back up the slope.

Carolina had gone to the palace with the coachman and brought casual dresses and wide-brimmed hats for Patricia and herself, intending to stay for a few days in earnest.

“Since Lady Risha will be staying here until Harchen comes to get her personally anyway, I thought I’d stay together.”

At Carolina’s words, Bark pursed his lips, barely holding back laughter.

“Your Majesty.”

Annie ran under the cherry tree. Behind Annie, Kay came carrying buckets in both hands.

Annie had greedily filled them to overflowing with water from the stream flowing down from the waterfall and handed them to Kay.

“Please come down now.”

No sooner had Annie’s words fallen than Bark and Bee leapt down from the tree.

Annie washed the cherries using the two buckets.

Unable to wait for Annie’s slow hands, Carolina dipped her white, neat hands into the bucket and took out a few cherries.

She handed the cherries to Patricia with her white hands dripping water. Then she held them out to Bark as well.

For a moment, Bark slapped her white hand away.

“Huh? Why?”

Suddenly flushed up to his neck, Bark stood up abruptly and climbed up the hillside.