CHAPTER 502: IF STORY - THE INITIAL DRAFT (10)

0% After the merit ceremony, time in the empire, which had once felt frozen, began to flow rapidly again.

“Lady Serena, good morning.”

“You’re already at work?”

“The documents for your approval today are...”

The one responsible for this renewed momentum was none other than Serena.

“...Haaam.”

Having more sleepless nights than restful ones lately, she entered her office, holding a cup of coffee.

“You should take it easy.”

“You’ll fall ill at this rate.”

The moment she sat down, groggy from exhaustion, and reached for her stamp and pen, a few people voiced their concern.

“...I’m fine.”

Shaking her head, she replied with firm resolve.

“There are five key policies that need approval today. I can’t afford to slack off.”

“Ugh...”

“Accept it. Reform always demands sacrifices.”

As she said, the cost of pushing forward reforms was steep.

“If it weren’t for Lady Serena, we’d all be dried up and dead by now.”

“Right? It’s been days since she last got proper sleep.”

“If anything happens to her, we’re all finished...”

Without Serena’s unparalleled administrative prowess at the heart of the reforms—and without the Hero standing behind her—this level of progress would have been impossible.

“...Then, should we just... keep that report hidden?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just handle it ourselves...”

The officials, well aware of this, decided to conceal a certain newly arrived report—one that would undoubtedly provoke Serena in the worst way.

“...What report is that?”

“”...!!!””

But they had completely overlooked how sharp Serena’s hearing was.

“L-Lady Serena, this is...”

“Hmm, let’s take a look.”

In the blink of an eye, Serena had appeared behind them, snatching the report from their hands before returning to her desk.

As more and more people nervously watched her reaction, an ominous atmosphere settled over the office.

“...Tsk.”

A low but distinct grinding of teeth echoed through the room.

“Honestly... His audacity is beyond words.”

Breaking the tense silence, Serena rose from her seat, her expression cold as ice.

- Incident in the Imperial Prison: Hostage Situation.  Perpetrator: Aishi Winter Cloud.  Currently no contact with headquarters.

“... They should have just died quietly.”

Reflected in her piercing gaze was the message she had just read.

- Hostage is presumed to be Frey Raon Starlight.

.

.

.

.

.

“...Hmm.”

As I regain consciousness, the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.

So I’m still alive.

A truly surprising revelation.

Aishi Winter Cloud, Princess of the Cloud Kingdom and Supreme Commander of the war.

And yet, the Empire has chosen to keep me alive until now.

If it were me, I would have had my head cut off the very day I was captured to eliminate any future threats.

- Clank...!

I attempt to sit up with that thought in mind, but the chains binding me hold me firmly in place.

“...”

Letting out a sigh, I slowly open my eyes.

My vision takes in the dim underground cell, devoid of any light, with its cold iron bars standing solid before me.

How long has it been since I was imprisoned here?

“...What, you’re awake?”

Just as my perception of time was slipping away, a voice reached my ears.

A guard had approached my cell unnoticed and now peered at me through the bars.

“I have an announcement for you.”

“...An announcement?”

The tone felt oddly different from usual, prompting me to furrow my brows in suspicion.

The guard, stepping into the cell, placed a tray before me with a sneering grin.

“Your sentence has been decided. You’ll be executed tomorrow morning.”

Ah, so it has finally come.

That was my first thought upon hearing those words.

“They’re still debating between hanging and beheading... but regardless, it will be a public execution. The entire city will witness your death.”

“To say such things to a prisoner awaiting execution... The Empire truly is barbaric.”

I forcibly calmed my racing heart, letting a cold smile spread across my lips as I shot back my retort.

But the guard’s expression remained unchanged.

“Think of it as a personal touch for a war criminal of the Empire.”

Saying that he stepped closer and pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the shackle on my right hand.

“...What are you doing?”

“It’s tradition. No matter the crime, a prisoner is always unshackled for their last meal.”

For a brief moment, I considered lunging at the guard with whatever utensil was provided—but upon glancing down, I realized there were none.

“Of course, you won’t be given any utensils this time.”

As I sat there staring blankly at the pitiful excuse for a meal, the guard lightly patted my shoulder before standing up and walking away.

“There are plenty of people who’d enjoy watching you in this state... but I’m not one of them. Call when you’re finished.”

“...”

“You should take your time eating—it is, after all, your final meal.”

The moment the guard disappeared, I twisted my body with all my strength, but the chains binding my remaining limbs held me firmly in place.

- Shhhh...

Summoning what little freedom I had in my right hand, I attempted to gather mana—but before long, my head drooped in resignation.

“...This really is the end.”

The suppression device the Empire had placed on me prevented me from gathering enough mana for offensive magic.

The only thing I could attempt was a curse.

If I could recall the correct magic formula, I could still cast a fatal spell by directly touching a vital point, such as the heart.

But the guards were thoroughly trained to prevent that.

Even that smug one just now had kept his distance the moment he freed my hand.

“...Ugh.”

So this is it.

The end has truly come for me.

Honestly, I had always known this day would come.

That the Empire would never let me, the defeated enemy commander, live.

That they would seek to make my death as humiliating as possible, holding me accountable for the war.

I had expected all of this.

- Tremble...

And yet, why is my body shaking?

Why is my skin so pale, my mind going blank?

I thought I had buried fear deep within me long ago.

Am I, in the end, nothing more than a coward who lost everything?

“Hey... This is unacceptable.”

“Let me pass.”

As I sat there, head hung low, lost in my own thoughts, an unexpected opportunity presented itself.

“You have no right to be here—“

“And now even a mere prison guard thinks he can defy me?”

“...Ugh.”

A man stood before my cell, gripping the collar of a guard who looked utterly flustered.

“I still retain the right to personally select the slaves I’ll use in my residence.”

“B-but...”

“I took a liking to her. Someone of my status deserves a slave of at least royal blood.”

“T-that woman is scheduled for execution tomorrow! No matter who you are, you can’t just—“

“Step aside.”

“Urk!”

Wearing a smug expression, the young noble shoved the guard aside and forced his way into the cell.

“You there.”

“...”

Before I even had time to think, I began gathering mana into my right hand again.

“You should be grateful. It’s not every day a mere princess is given the honor of serving my house as a slave—“

“D-don’t go near her!!!”

The flustered guard, realizing the danger, tried to intervene, but—

- Crackle—!!!

“No!!”

It was too late.

“Urgh...!”

“Ah...”

Using the last remnants of my strength, I grasped his heart in my palm.

“If you want to live, do exactly as I say.”

With his body trembling violently, I whispered coldly into his ear.

“First, lead the way out of this cell.”

“...Haha.”

“Did you just laugh?”

If only I had noticed his smirk a little sooner...

That would have been truly fortunate.

.

.

.

.

.

“Damn it, do we really have to just stand by and watch...?”

“...If we act rashly now and something happens to Frey, things will get complicated.”

The escape had gone surprisingly smoothly.

“But it’s Frey we’re talking about! You remember that trial from a few months ago, don’t you, senior?”

“Of course I do. No matter what happened, his final sentence was house arrest, his title as Duke remained intact, and the one who ensured his right to choose a personal servant was none other than the Emperor.”

“Ugh...”

It was because the boy I had taken hostage turned out to have an extremely high status—something I hadn’t expected.

“So... what do we do now?”

“For now, we have no choice but to report this to our superiors and wait for further orders. That guy won’t be leaving this place either way.”

“One way or another, we’re screwed.”

“Sigh... Why the hell did he even come to our prison...”

Frey Raon Starlight.

Even I had heard his name before.

As the leader of an enemy nation, it was impossible for me not to know the person who had done the most damage to the Empire from within.

“S-Someone save me! Help me!!”

“...Shut up.”

“Eep...!”

That was why, until I broke through the perimeter with him as a shield and even crossed the magic-laced walls, he was nothing more than a useful pawn to me.

“B-But...!”

“I told you to shut—“

“...If you go that way, you won’t be able to escape.”

And that was why—

“...What?”

“You don’t know the layout of this place, do you?”

—the moment his expression suddenly changed the instant we got outside the perimeter, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.

“W-What are you...?”

“Ugh.”

“Who are you?!”

Flustered by his sudden shift in demeanor, I reflexively twisted the small ice dagger I had lodged into his heart, using the last of my mana.

“T-Talk. Who the hell are you—“

“...Calm down for a second.”

But instead of reacting with pain, he simply placed his hands on my shoulders and whispered.

“Doesn’t something feel off?”

“W-What...?”

“You, a foreign leader, just broke out of prison, but look at them—they’re acting far too composed, aren’t they?”

Despite his strange attitude, his words made sense.

I found myself nodding instinctively, at which point he smiled and pulled out a worn map from his pocket.

“This is...?”

“Now do you understand why?”

What he showed me was a map of an island.

“No way, the place this prison is located—?”

“Yeah. It’s this island.”

Even with a ship imbued with navigation magic, it would take at least ten days to sail to the nearest mainland.

This isolated, remote island—this was where I had been imprisoned.

“You weren’t trapped in a prison. You were trapped on this island.”

“...”

“By tomorrow, a group of Mages will teleport in en masse, subdue you, and drag you to the execution platform.”

There was no deception in his voice.

I had been completely and utterly played by the Empire.

“Ugh...”

“S-Sorry, but... that really hurts...”

“S-Shut up.”

As rage began to bubble up inside me, I instinctively tightened my grip on the dagger.

Frey staggered slightly, a strained expression on his face.

“You... Y-You’re still my hostage. That means...”

“Yeah. Right now, I’m your hostage.”

And yet, he took another step forward.

- Squish...

“H-Huh?”

“...So hold on tight and don’t let go.”

Step by step, he walked toward me.

- Drip...

“W-What are you doing...?”

The dagger I had stabbed into his heart sank deeper into his flesh.

My hand, which had been gripping the hilt tightly, slipped forward as his body pressed against it.

“Haa... Haa...”

“Wh-Who the hell are you...?”

“Push it in even deeper.”

His words made me freeze.

Frey, bleeding from the mouth, his face completely drained of color, locked eyes with me and spoke.

“That way, those soldiers won’t be able to act recklessly.”

Dumbfounded, I stared at him, unable to process his actions.

Frey, still barely managing to smile, continued speaking.

“Your bluff is running out, isn’t it?”

“D-Don’t talk nonsense...”

I denied it instinctively.

But he was right.

I had barely managed to burst through the perimeter by creating flashy ice formations, but...

I didn’t have enough strength left to move them anymore.

- Tremble...

The truth was, I barely even had enough strength left to keep holding onto the dagger lodged in his heart.

“Well, whatever. How about we take a break?”

“...?”

“In that forest over there.”

Just as I was struggling to keep my grip on the dagger with my numbing hands, he suddenly suggested something completely out of place.

“My chest feels so cold from your dagger. I think I need a break...”

“...”

As I listened to his absurd proposal in stunned silence, two realizations dawned on me.

“S-Sorry, but... did you have to use an ice dagger? Couldn’t you have just stabbed me with a regular one...?”

First, the curse I had placed on his heart was spreading much faster and more severely than I had anticipated.

And second—

...No way.

The back of this man, walking ahead with a dagger buried in his heart—

For some reason, it was starting to look familiar.