‘Persistent bastard……’

Cledius frowned as he blocked Lebel’s attack. No one had ever withstood his sword for so long. In many ways, this man was irritating and bothersome.

If Lebel had been someone swayed by material things like money, he would have long declared forfeit, taken the prize money, and left the arena.

Why would he refuse when they offered to treat it as a win and give him money even if he gave up?

But he gladly accepted the Emperor’s declaration. He even knelt down, saying it was an honor. That point grated on Cledius’s nerves.

‘What does he think he is, acting so noble?’

With each clash of swords, he could feel it. This man was desperately parrying Cledius’s sword. If he lost his weapon, he looked ready to bite like a beast with his teeth.

When he tried to exploit an opening, it was already blocked or dodged.

Attacks and defenses born from instincts honed through countless battles enveloped his body so dizzyingly.

As if planning a final attack, Lebel leaped quickly towards Cledius. In that moment, Lebel’s upper left arm was exposed defensively.

Finally. A satisfied smile spread across Cledius’s lips. It was a spot without armor, perfectly positioned for the poison to seep in.

Just as Lebel’s shoulder area was torn and his arm was sliced,

“No!”

A sharp scream rang out from under the canopy. Everyone’s gaze turned to where the cry came from.

There stood Ilarid, gripping the railing of the spectator stands.

A gust of wind blew, scattering the hem of Ilarid’s dress. The breeze felt after so long under the sunlight should have been welcome, but no one felt any refreshment.

Amidst the heavy silence, the outcome of the match was determined.

The Emperor’s sword had fallen to the ground. While he succeeded in cutting Lebel’s arm, Lebel’s blade tip was at Cledius’s neck.

If Lebel had gone just a bit deeper, Cledius’s neck would have been pierced. Kailem and the rest of the imperial guards all breathed sighs of relief.

Lebel’s movements were so fast and precise that even Kailem couldn’t predict them.

‘I never thought he’d sacrifice part of his body to aim for the opponent’s vital point……’

Kailem couldn’t hide his inner turmoil. The significance of Lebel’s wound meant a slowly approaching death.

But there was no use regretting what had already passed. Above all, wasn’t it the Emperor’s order?

“I’ve lost.”

Cledius raised both hands and stepped back. He smiled with satisfaction as he watched the blood dripping from Lebel’s arm.

The plan had succeeded.

Ilarid stood covering her mouth with her hand. She seemed quite flustered by her sudden outburst. Her trembling gaze wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to settle.

‘What… did I just do?’

She had always thought maintaining composure was natural and familiar. She believed she had ingrained it into her instincts enough to laugh off even Cledius and Selina’s childish provocations.

But the moment Lebel was injured, a great wave surged through her calm heart.

Had she taken him in more deeply than she thought? Instinctively, the thought ‘No’ came first, and it burst out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Even from afar, the red blood dripping from Lebel’s arm was clearly visible. Ilarid slowly returned to her seat. She could hear whispering around her, but she deliberately ignored it, waiting for the referee’s announcement.

The actual injured party seemed unfazed. Lebel kicked at the dark, round stain on the ground as if it were nothing.

The single word Ilarid had shouted earlier still echoed in his ears. Who was that cry meant for? The Emperor, or……

Soon, the victory flag fluttered towards the mercenary group.

The long-awaited result was sweet. The mercenaries rushed into the arena, letting out cheers they had been holding back.

“I knew our captain would do it!”

“The best man in our Likas Mercenary Group is the captain. I always argued it was me, but just for today, I’ll concede!”

Even the newly joined members joined in, trying to lift Lebel in celebration, but he frowned and waved them off.

“Bring me some cloth for bleeding.”

“Hey guys! The captain needs cloth! Hurry up and bring it!”

The members bustled about, gathering around Lebel. He began to staunch his wound while trying to escape from the excited members crowding him.

“…Huh?”

While the mercenary members were loudly shouting and moving ahead, Luth noticed a shiny object on the ground.

His mercenary instincts kicked in. This was a rare item worth quite a bit.

Luth quietly picked up the golden object rolling on the sandy ground. It was a high-quality locket pendant with intricate engravings. He examined both the front and back, but there was no name of the owner visible.

Should I open it? After a moment’s hesitation, Luth shook his head. Opening someone else’s belongings went against his principles.

“…Need to find the owner…”

Surely someone who participated in the match here must have dropped it. It wasn’t the captain’s, so it must belong to the imperial guards or those high-ranking people. But many people had already left the arena.

“Luth! Hurry up! We’ll leave you behind if you don’t come!”

Eddie called out loudly to Luth. After moving his lips silently for a while, Luth put the pendant in his pocket and ran towards where the mercenary group was gathering.

**

Ilarid sat motionless in her seat. At times like this, the whispers around her seemed especially clear.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Her Majesty the Empress so shaken.”

“It’s natural, given that His Majesty the Emperor’s life was in danger.”

“Surely not. They’re like sworn enemies…”

“Shh, your voice is too loud.”

“But His Majesty’s heart already belongs to the Imperial Consort, so isn’t this also a tragedy? Such a pitiful person…”

Fortunately, or perhaps not, all the gathered pro-Emperor nobles seemed to think Ilarid’s actions were out of concern for Cledius. No one appeared to think that Ilarid had been looking at Lebel.

Lynette approached and offered a glass of cold water. Her expression darkened as she observed Ilarid’s complexion.

“Your Majesty, you seem quite shocked. Shall we return now?”

“Yes, let’s go back.”

Just as she was about to turn after taking a sip of water, her eyes met with Cledius, who had just climbed onto the spectator stands. The nobles seated in the stands all stood up to greet the Emperor.

“Your Majesty!”

Seizing the moment, Selina threw herself into Cledius’s arms. She put on a tearful display in the Emperor’s embrace.

“Are you hurt anywhere? I was so worried the entire time I was watching…”

Cledius gently stroked Selina’s head in his arms. But unlike usual, he seemed somewhat awkward. Selina, too busy shedding tears, failed to notice that he wasn’t looking at her.

“…Everyone must be tired from watching such a tedious match. I’ve prepared a separate place in the banquet hall, so please wait there.”

It was a polite way of asking them to leave. The nobles all withdrew from the Emperor’s side, but Selina alone remained, clinging to Cledius’s waist without moving.

Count Diobe gave Selina a meaningful look. He was frustrated with his second daughter who neither noticed nor followed the Emperor’s wishes. But she remained unmoved, burrowing deeper into Cledius’s embrace as if she would never let go.

“The Imperial Consort should withdraw as well.”

He muttered without looking at Selina. She had expected him to look at her at least once, maybe kiss her forehead and speak earnestly, but he showed no such affection.

Finally, Selina hesitantly withdrew from Cledius’s embrace. Ever since witnessing Ilarid’s smile before the match began, Cledius had been acting strangely.

She watched the Emperor and Empress’s movements as she stepped back. The two met each other’s eyes, but there was no affection or warmth to be found.

‘…It can’t be.’

There’s no way any affection remained between them. To Ilarid, Cledius was no different from an enemy, and Cledius had always shown only contempt and blatant humiliation towards Ilarid.

But both Ilarid’s cry and the way Cledius looked at Ilarid were full of questions for Selina.

“Imperial Consort, how can you behave so tactlessly there! I thought I would die from nervousness.”

As they moved away from the spectator stands, Count Diobe followed behind Selina with quick steps, unleashing a stream of complaints as if he had been waiting for this moment. Selina kept looking back towards the shaded spectator stands, as if somewhat regretful.

Now only the Emperor and Empress remained in the shadowed seats.

“…I never thought the Empress would worry about me.”

Cledius approached Ilarid with a faint laugh. A similar but different laugh escaped Ilarid’s lips as well.

They say delusions are free, and the Cledius before her fit that saying perfectly. Along with an overt sneer, her green eyes blazed.

“I was just lamenting that your breath wasn’t cut off in that moment.”

As expected of the Empress. Cledius had held a sliver of hope that she might still have feelings for him.

And as usual, he directed a blatant sneer towards Ilarid. He was certain that the Empress, who always endured humiliation stoically, would do so this time as well.

“It seems our compassionate Empress was worried sick about injuries in such a barbaric match. If it wasn’t meant for me, did that man appeal to you so much?”

“What if he did?”

A fearless retort flowed out. At Ilarid’s unhesitating response, Cledius froze in place.

The virtuous Empress. Ilarid, who always endured all insults and contempt like a wooden doll. She was now looking straight at Cledius with her head held high, smiling.

She had changed.

Ilarid was still like a calm lake. With an unwavering expression, she approached Cledius, leaned in, and whispered softly.

“From now on, you’ll have to look for him in my bedchamber.”

For a moment, Cledius reached out and grabbed Ilarid’s shoulders. He must have unknowingly used force, as Ilarid frowned and let out a soft groan.

“What do you mean, Empress? Such nonsense…”

She shook off Cledius’s hands with all her might. As Cledius lost his balance and staggered, his golden hair, which had always looked beautiful, scattered in front of her.

To think such a person could be shaken by this much. A smile crept onto Ilarid’s lips again. He was clearly anxious about Lebel becoming her ‘shadow’.

Being the Emperor, he must know how many ‘shadows’ the past royals had kept. Not just the Emperor’s, but the Empress’s ‘shadows’ as well.

And Ilarid knew too.

Among the documents she had found, staying up night after night, there were traces of the budgets past Empresses had used for their ‘shadows’.

Of course, it was quite a headache to find them since they were secretly diverted and not openly revealed.

Upon discovering this fact, Ilarid savored a slow satisfaction. Cledius might also know about the hidden lovers of past Empresses, but it didn’t matter now. Rather, it was better that way to slightly irritate him.

Ilarid tilted her head to the side and looked up at Cledius. The sight of this man, who usually seemed like the apex predator, gradually crumbling was quite a spectacle.

“Why so serious?”

Ilarid smiled in the exact same way Cledius had been staring at her earlier, lost in thought.

“It’s a joke.”