Chapter 2. Elmir’s mere princess
***
"What are you doing........?"
She tried to pull away, squirming as if something unclean had touched her skin, but Kayan wouldn't let go.
The corner of his mouth remained upward, but there was a coldness in his eyes.
He placed the mask in her hands as she struggled like a fish out of water.
For a moment, their gazes clashed sharply.
Ihedia stopped moving and stared up at him.
"...."
He left the North Palace without a word.
***
That evening, Elmir Palace hosted a grand banquet for the Anut envoys.
Despite the heavenly sounds of music and the dizzyingly sweet scent of flowers, the ballroom was as dry as a bitter cold.
The Elmirs could hardly contain their laughter as the table was set like a work of art.
"Why don't you give us some of Elmir’s finest pearls?" (Kayan)
"That's about it......."
"From what I've heard, all the pearls that are priceless and most desirable come from Elmir, and isn’t there a pearl of Elmir’s that is the finest of all here right now?" (Kayan)
All eyes turned to the masked woman.
Elmir’s Pearl.
That's what they called her, for she was once a beauty that shook the land.
A sharp silence enveloped the ballroom at Kayan's provocative words.
An icy chill radiated from his deep blue eyes, which seemed to hold a winter sea.
A thin twitch formed at the corners of Patrick's mouth, the young King of Elmir.
How dared he (Kayan), who didn’t know his place, wanted the Princess?
Patrick felt like running up to him and ripping out his tongue and throwing it to the dogs.
And now he felt a sudden surge of compassion for his sister, who was no better than a tattered doll?
Hell no.
Because the commander-in-chief of a beastly horde barely worthy of being called an empire had stomped on Elmir’s royal authority to the ground in front of everyone.
'That arrogant bastard!’
Patrick bit the flesh inside his mouth and barely swallowed his anger.
It was no secret that today's ceremony, ostensibly to unite the two nations, was really a way for the Anut to round up the Elmirs and spite them.
Predictably, Kayan was well intentioned and openly mocked the Elmir royal family throughout the banquet.
Nevertheless, Patrick had to suppress his fiery temper and smile the entire time.
It was foolish to expect common sense and mercy from a wolf clan so infamous that even a nine-year-old child breathed murder.
Five nations had already fallen to their brutal swords.
Elmir could not be the sixth.
"Haha. Lord Bayate’s joke is too much.”
Patrick chuckled, trying to defuse the situation.
Then a faint murmur of Elmirean sighs came from around the ballroom.
A king who just laughed and fussed in the face of the enemy commander's senseless provocation.
It was the moment when an already tattered national dignity was dragged through the mud.
Meanwhile, the faces of the Anut were covered with a despicable grin.
None of them would consider Patrick a proper king.
Mere prey before a predator.
Kayan was not amused by King Elmir’s demeanor, even as he put on his best smirk.
"Since you so kindly offer me a gift, I have selected the most precious of Elmir’s items, is that not to your liking?” (Kayan)
The relaxed voice, at odds with the tense atmosphere, was aimed at the king again.
Patrick was shaking with the intimidation of Kayan Bayate.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Your Majesty, but I thought you were sincere in your desire to make peace with Anut." (Kayan)
Static again.
The opposite of peace was war.
There was a clear fear in the eyes of Elmir’s ministers.
Elmir, once a great power, had been reduced to a poor, insignificant, weak nation.
Still, Elmir had survived the Anut bloodbath for one reason.
The pride of the Anut, and the greatest red wolf of all time, Emperor Raquil the Great.
"Stop the wanton slaughter and tyranny, and lead their souls to the holy land of Anut."
Until his death, Raquil was deeply troubled by his nation, which grew stronger by the day.
He realized that he could never fully rule the vast land by simply killing and stealing.
Now they would have to work to build an empire and establish some semblance of order.
Anut's current ruler, though lacking in qualities, had inherited his father's power in the name of carrying on the will of the good emperor.
That was why he sent diplomatic envoys to countries that would have otherwise been wiped out without recognition.
Of course, it wasn't really diplomacy in the usual sense.
Their intention was to take Elmir’s place with a piece of paper and a few words.
They wanted to give Elmir extremely unfavorable terms, and if the King didn’t accept them, they'd start a war over nothing.
But Patrick was determined to prevent that, even if it meant selling his only sister.
‘Yes, I can give up as much as that insignificant wench.’
Patrick's gaze flicked to Ihedia, who sat slumped across from Kayan.
For some reason, he'd been subtly urging him to bring the masked princess.
How could he be so eager for such an ugly woman with half a face?
The other half of her face was pretty good, but why would Kayan Bayate want her? Why?
He didn't even know.
"Hmph, are you suggesting a marriage alliance?" (Patrick)
"Oh, nothing too grand." (Kayan)
Kayan tilted his head slightly, one corner of his mouth lifting.
Queen Lena, who was beside King Patrick, thought that even such a haughty smile as Kayan's was beautiful enough to consume a woman's soul in an instant.
Even the incongruity of his crude behavior seemed charming in the face of an elegant nobleman.
Kayan's eyes scanned Ihedia's body with precision, as if he were appraising a gemstone.
"Unfortunately, the precious pearl has been scratched, greatly reducing its value." (Kayan)
He said, swirling his glass playfully.
"It's just as well. I've been short-handed around the house lately. I might end up living in Anut anyway, so what's the harm in getting some experience beforehand?" (Kayan)
"..."
"After all, it's hard to find a proper owner for a defective item. If you bow your head and let Bayate become a human being, we'll treat you well, but if you're taken in by other ferocious Anuts, you might be treated very harshly." (Kayan)
At that, the Anut envoys chuckled in amusement.
The Anuts did not kill the women of their conquests, but enslaved them.
Women, especially those of royalty, were often taken to the Anut palace or to the mansions of public figures, where they lived as sex workers or menial servants.
They would suffer the shame of serving the enemies who had killed their families and destroyed their country.
It was a cruel practice that mercilessly crushed the last remaining pride of royalty.
And then there was the fact that she was described as a "defective object”.
No one would be surprised if they beheaded her right now.
"How dare you......"
Patrick's face flushed with anger.
His fists clenched, and he glared at Kayan.
Then, as if in anticipation, the Anut emissaries raised their hands to the hilts of their swords in unison.
A stroke of the sword here would be the end of Elmir.
Feeling threatened for his life, Patrick instantly became a meek lamb and ducked his hands under the table.
Beside him, Queen Lena leisurely watched her husband's ridiculous behavior and took a sip of her red wine.
At the same time, her eyes sought out the gaze of the unruly beast.
Kayan didn't give a damn about King Patrick's mood.
His keen eyes were only for Ihedia.
The black wolf of Anut, whose power rivaled that of an army, and the broken princess of Elmir, who was of little significance.
The unlikely pairing intrigued Queen Lena to no end.
"How gracious of you to be so concerned about my sister's future. I'm not feeling well enough to sit for long, so I'll leave it to Ihedia to conclude tonight's banquet, and I hope you both have a good time." (Patrick)
King Patrick was desperate to save the last of his pride.
It only made him look more ridiculous in the eyes of the people as he tried to feign dignity.
The banquet hall erupted in laughter as the Anut laughed at the king's cowardice behavior.
Patrick stormed out the door, blushing.
Kayan watched as Ihedia's long lashes fluttered.
Her dead, doll-like face showed no emotion, but she must have been overwhelmed with shame.
‘Where's that cockiness?’
Kayan sipped his drink, sending bitter arsenic toward her.
Watching the scene, Queen Lena smiled kindly and spoke softly to the Anut delegation.
"Although His Majesty has left first, there will be no shortage of liquor and food for those of you who have traveled so far, so please enjoy yourselves."
Kayan gave a small snort as he looked at the queen, who was acting as if nothing was wrong.
All the jewelry she was wearing right now would pay for a year's worth of Elmir’s taxes.
King of Elmir, the idiot, was stuck in his wife's skirt and not taking care of the people.
Even without Anut, Elmir was a nation that would soon destroy itself.
Kayan's hawk-like gaze turned back to Ihedia.
‘For a mere princess of Elmir’.
He was struck by a subtle sense of favoritism as he watched her sit like an ancient statue.
He wondered how long she would be able to keep it together.
Kayan said after downing the contents of his cup in one gulp.
"My glass is empty."
Kayan's gaze remained fixed on Ihedia.
When a nearby courtier stepped forward to pour him a drink, he stopped her.
His sudden action caused everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and turn to look at him.
"Would you please come and fill my cup?"
There was no subject, but it was clear to whom he was speaking.
A Princess of a nation to pour drink.
The rudeness stung.
They waited in silence for her response, as if they had made a promise.
"Are you saying that a barbarian's request cannot be granted?"
The Anuts, who drank from goblets made from the skulls of infants and walked on human skins instead of carpeting, were commonly referred to as savages for their brutal behavior.
When Kayan used the word himself, sarcastically, the mood turned ugly.
***
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