Previously
Knights arrive expecting to find Irenia's corpse but are shocked to find her alive and Caesar calm; the news of the 'miracle' spreads, confirming the marriage. Empress Cornelia is displeased by Irenia's survival and spitefully assigns the couple to the Emerald Wing, a dilapidated and neglected palace.
“I merely worry that the poor sanitation here might harm His Highness’s health.”
She had evidently expected me to refuse the arrangement and raise a fuss.
Instead, my unexpected reply caused Countess Elvira’s practiced smile to waver slightly.
“The palace servants will be attending to this place shortly. We truly did not anticipate this turn of events.”
“Very well. Please convey my gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress for her consideration.”
I saw the countess off, keeping a smile on my face to the very end.
In a palace this vast, there had to be plenty of habitable quarters, yet they had shunted me into this abandoned corner. It was an insult, a petty attempt to break my spirit and remind me of my place.
“Haah…”
Still, truth be told, this sort of treatment paled in comparison to what I had endured in the Flores estate.
It was laughably trivial. The sheer brazenness of their intentions could not have been clearer had they tried.
“It doesn’t seem all that different here.”
The maids assigned to the Emerald Palace arrived to inform me that my bath was ready.
“Your Highness, we are here to assist you with your bath.”
I shook my head, keeping my eyes averted. I had no desire for anyone to see the marks left behind from my ordeal.
“From now on, there is no need for you to accompany me when I bathe.”
They withdrew quietly, and once I was certain they were completely gone, I sank into the warm water. My exhausted body began to melt beneath the heat.
When I stepped out, I found them waiting for me.
“Dinner is served, Your Highness.”
“And where is the prince?”
“He will arrive shortly.”
The countess had informed me that I would be sharing the Emerald Palace with Caesar. At the very least, having him beside me would offer some measure of protection.
No matter what was whispered about him, imperial blood still ran in his veins.
I took a seat at the long table to wait for him.
It did not take long to realize just how naive I had been.
“Dear gods!”
I should have known the moment I heard the clinking of iron chains.
I leapt to my feet in shock. Caesar was being hauled inside, shackled and dragged along like a beast.
“Ah… aaagh!”
A leather muzzle was strapped over his mouth, smothering whatever words fought to escape behind the mask.
His bound body was battered and covered in wounds, with not the slightest sign that anyone had tended to them.
What kind of humiliation was this?!
“How could anyone treat a human being like this?!”
I rushed toward him, but a guard stepped in to block my path.
“Step back, Your Highness. He might harm you.”
At that moment, Caesar jerked his head up.
His eyes blazed with fury, as if spitting fire.
His breath came heavy and ragged, his voice breaking into a guttural growl.
His left hand—darker than his right—twitched violently as black veins surged across his skin, and the thick iron chains stretched taut before snapping apart with a sickening crack.
“Damn it!”
He broke partially free, and the guards scrambled to ready their suppression batons—metal rods ending in crescent iron forks.
Poised as if to strike, Caesar grew increasingly wary.
“Aagh…!”
Caesar lost all reason, his bloodshot eyes glinting with madness.
They swarmed him, striking him with the metal poles until he crashed to the floor.
While he was pinned and helpless, one of them pressed a cloth over his mouth.
He seized, thrashed, and then slowly went limp.
“Ah…”
The cloth must have been laced with an anesthetic, for he staggered under its weight before falling dead still.
I watched in horror as the guards hoisted him up without a shred of care and shoved him back into the chair, binding him with fresh chains.
One of them wiped cold sweat from his brow.
“We advise you not to touch the chains or the muzzle.”
“Unless you’re looking to lose a few fingers.”
He handed me a small vial containing what looked like the same sedative.
“For your safety, Your Highness. If anything happens, throw it in his face.”
They hurried out of the room.
Then the servants entered, laying food across the table without sparing me a single glance or word.
I was left alone with him in absolute silence.
“What is this…?”
I looked from the meal to him, wondering how on earth he was supposed to eat with that muzzle on.
The puzzle did not take long to solve. The muzzle was not entirely solid; it had small grated openings wide enough to slip food through.
How did I figure it out?
Because the food before him had been served with a pair of tongs rather than standard cutlery.
Small cubes of meat, and a pair of tongs… The intention was unmistakable.
“What is this madness?”
I shook my head in revulsion. Did none of them even consider treating him like a human being?
I cast my eyes about, but there was no one to turn to. I felt as though I were drifting adrift on a shoreless sea.
“Caesar…”
I resolved to wake him. This would be the second time.
Perhaps on our wedding night, he had been drugged into silence the very same way.
I drew closer to him as he lay unconscious.
“Ah…”
A deep sigh slipped past my lips. I looked down at his face, marred with cuts and bruises.
“Dear gods…”
None of those marks had been there this morning. They were fresh, stark, and impossible to ignore.
“This is insane…”
Dizziness washed over me. Remembering the way he had just been dragged in, I needed no further proof that those guards were the culprits.
“No matter what, no one deserves to be treated like this!”
Even if he was cursed, he was still an imperial prince. There was a bare minimum of dignity owed to a person.
Yet they treated him like an animal—worse than one, even.
A suffocating lump rose in my throat. I knew all too well how cruel it was to be treated as though your existence held no worth.
“…Ah… uh…”
His body began to writhe, accompanied by a faint groan.
I reached out tentatively and touched his shoulder. He flinched violently as though scorched by fire, his frame trembling all over.
“Ah… ah…”
It would have been natural to recoil at the sight of him, yet for some reason, the fear had vanished. His shallow, broken breaths seeped through the slats of the muzzle.
“…Caesar.”
I called his name softly. It felt as though someone, at least, had to do it. Caesar struggled to draw breath, panting heavily.
“Ah…”
Our eyes met.
The moment I looked into his gaze, a sharp ache squeezed my chest, and a dull pang pierced my heart.
He had understood my words last night; I was certain of it. So perhaps… perhaps this time, everything would be alright too.
I reached out carefully, keeping my movements as small and deliberate as possible.
“I’m going to take this off now.”
Truthfully, I was terrified. It would be a lie to claim otherwise. His eyes were nothing like they had been yesterday; they burned with hatred, spitting sparks of pure hostility. That raw defiance, coiled and ready to tear apart anything that dared draw near, was genuinely frightening.
Still, I couldn’t accept it. No, this was wrong. Whatever had happened, no human being should ever be treated this way.
Steeling myself, I placed my fingers on the clasp holding the muzzle in place.
The moment I drew near, Caesar’s body shuddered violently. With every twitch, the iron chains screeched with an ear-piercing grind.
Click. A faint sound echoed as the latch released. Sensing the restraints around his face loosen, Caesar shook his head violently, much like a large dog shaking off water.
It had been pulled so tight that the straps left deep indentations in his skin. Now that the obstruction over his mouth was gone, it looked as though an unbearable weight had been lifted from him.
“Grrr…”
He bared his fangs once more, a low rumble vibrating in his throat like a predator’s growl. Yet I still remembered… I remembered the Caesar from last night, peaceful and gentle.
Right now, he was simply terrified. And so, I called his name once more.
FADE OUT