Prince 1, who had closed his eyes tightly, opened them slightly upon hearing the sharp sound of metal colliding. Right in front of him, something shiny had fallen to the ground.

“This, this is…”

Prince 1 reached out with his still trembling hand to pick up the object. It was the medal that had been attached to the left chest of his conquering attire. The metal medal, engraved with the emblem of the Lisandro imperial family, was so distorted by the bullet that its form was unrecognizable.

Momentarily elated at surviving thanks to the medal made of robust metal that the bullet couldn’t penetrate, Prince 1, upon realizing a horrifying fact, felt his chest sink.

“Could it be…”

The bullet was precisely embedded in the center of the medal. It seemed intentional, as if the bullet had been deliberately aimed and fired. Moreover, he wasn’t in a motionless state.

“In that short moment, hitting a moving target without any error…”

“Monster…”

That was the only thought that came to Prince 1’s mind. Recoiling at the sight of the Grand Duke calmly walking towards him, Prince 1, sitting on the ground, moved backward.

“The winner of the duel is Duke Elyos.”

Emperor Lisandro declared the winner. The outcome had already been decided when Prince 1 bent down to avoid the bullet.

“Stay away…!”

“It’s all over now.”

Extending his hand towards Prince 1 with a graceful and restrained dignity, Duke Elyos’ appearance contrasted sharply with Prince 1’s. The gentlemanly gesture of offering his hand to the defeated opponent after the duel elicited subdued applause from onlookers.

With a pale face, Prince 1, who had been staring at the extended hand, unknowingly reached out. Kairon took Prince 1’s hand and gently pulled him up.

In the moment of closeness between the two, a cold voice echoed in Prince 1’s ear.

“Your honor, your power, everything is over now.”

“…”

“Like that medal you’re holding in your hand.”

Now, Prince 1 finally realized what the Grand Duke had shot at wasn’t his real ‘life’ from the beginning.

Panicking, Prince 1 looked around. He felt the disdainful gazes of the participants who had witnessed his cowardly and despicable behavior in the duel.

Above all, what dragged Prince 1 down to the depths of despair…

“Father…!”

It was Emperor Lisandro’s gaze. In his eyes, which had been so coldly indifferent to his son, there was not a trace of pity left.

Having already erased the existence of Prince 1 from his sight, Emperor Lisandro spoke, looking only at the Grand Duke.
“Congratulations on winning the duel. I, too, will do my best to restore the honor of the Grand Duke. The actions of the Second Prince will be thoroughly investigated, and he will be held accountable for his sins.”

“I trust Emperor Lisandro’s fair judgment. It is regardless of blood relations.”

“Of course. Even if they are my own children who have shed blood together, I will not blindly cover up their wrongdoings. Especially for a child who has tarnished the honor of the aristocracy.”

Emperor Lisandro’s last words fell upon the First Prince with a harsh and piercing gaze. Faced with the ruthless words of the emperor, the First Prince hesitated and sank back into his seat.

What remained for him, left like a defeated soldier, was… nothing but the medal that had been crushed as pitifully as himself.

“Is that… true?”

Idel, with eyes expressing disbelief, asked Vien again. Seeing Vien nod with a puzzled expression, Idel, despite the pain in her remaining body, struggled to get up from the bed.

“Lady Vien! You shouldn’t move!”

“No, I have to go.”

Idel, awakened from her sleep, couldn’t stay still upon hearing the news that Kairon had gone to duel the First Prince for the sake of his honor.

“A duel… It’s such a dangerous thing to stake your life on!”

Although she had only learned through books, Idel knew that a duel, one of the long-standing traditions, was an honorable fight where lives were at stake. Someone could get hurt, and sometimes, lives were lost.

“Moreover, because of me…!”

Thinking that Kairon was in a dangerous situation because of her, Idel’s mind had only one thing left besides that.

“I have to go to her!”

“Lady Vien…!”

Forgetting the dull pain in her remaining body, Idel, limping on her injured right leg, walked towards the door, guided by Vien. In the moment Vien followed, trying to support Idel and stop her steps, the bedroom door opened.

“No way… Did you come to meet me?”

Seeing Idel standing at the door, Kairon, who was momentarily surprised, smiled faintly at the corners of his mouth.

“You… Oh…!”

When Idel, feeling a sudden release of tension throughout her body upon seeing Kairon safe, lost her balance for a moment, he quickly embraced her waist with one hand.

Although Vien, who was quick-witted, bowed her head and closed the door, the gazes of the two were solely focused on each other. Idel’s emerald green eyes, capturing only the sight of Kairon, were scrutinizing him.

“Are you safe? Are you not injured?”

“As you can see.”

Fortunately, he was as sturdy as usual. Only now, Idel’s eye pupils, which had been widely opened in relief, became moist and teary.

“Why… Why did you do that? A duel for my honor. Why risk such a dangerous thing for that reason…?”

“Because it’s worth staking my life for.”

“What does that… mean?”

“Your existence… means that to me.”

“…!”

In an instant, a tear droplet that had accumulated in Idel’s wide-open eyes fell with a ‘pop.’ As Kairon kissed her tear-stained cheek shortly, he swallowed the deeper sincerity that was about to burst out immediately.

He decided to temporarily suppress his raging emotions. If she were to discover his true feelings, she might be frightened and run away.

Holding the still-stiffened Idel in his arms, he pondered the first thing he needed to do upon returning to the Ufiter Empire. He had already instructed Gregory to revise the wording of the contract.

I’ve decided to give her freedom in three years.

After the contract period ends, and you can leave the Grand Duchy and be independent.

“Ugh…”

Then, suddenly, another past arrogance came to his mind, and he burst into a laughter mixed with self-ridicule.

“Kairon…?”
Idel, lying on the bed all of a sudden, looked at Kairon with a perplexed expression. Her shallow, shaking pupils and fluttering eyelashes seemed pitifully lovely, as if she couldn’t understand a single word, lost in confusion.

“You… Are you okay?”

“Actually… I’m not okay.”

“Did you get hurt during the duel? Where does it hurt?”

“It seems like withdrawal symptoms.”

“…!”

Idel’s face, which had shown deep concern at his answer, momentarily stiffened and then quickly blushed. It was a conversation with a strange sense of tension.

“Don’t worry.”

Unable to speak again as her mind became distant, Idel’s cheek was gently stroked and caressed by him.

“I’ll endure until your body recovers.”

Suddenly, lying beside her, he skillfully embraced her stiffened body, whispering softly into the reddened ear of the blushing woman.