Subjugating the Female General (19)
Count Schmalz, who had been watching Sirian in silence all this time, approached Dong-hyun and whispered in his ear.
"Your Majesty. You ought to take that woman for yourself."
The suggestion was unexpected. Dong-hyun wondered if Count Schmalz had taken a personal interest in her.
"Hm? Why?"
"That woman's skill is no ordinary thing. You can tell by the way she moves. She is my equal — or perhaps even greater. Rather than leave a woman like that here, I believe it would be better if Your Majesty took her into your keeping."
Count Schmalz was not a man of many words. For him to go this far meant he was certain of something.
"Peterson? Has this woman been placed under any bindings?"
"None whatsoever. In truth, whenever she is with me, she is in a position to take my life at any moment. She simply does not, because if I die, her younger sister dies with me."
"What's this woman's name?"
"Sirian Claire."
Looking at Sirian's body, she still appeared healthy — just as Count Schmalz had said, she did not seem injured. Ordinarily, when enslaving a knight of this caliber, the standard practice was to sever the muscles in the hands and feet so they could not resist. And yet here she stood, intact.
"Her muscles are unharmed, then?"
"My convictions are quite firm. Every woman is at her most beautiful when she is still fresh."
"Would it be all right if I took Sirian Claire with me?"
"Pardon?"
Peterson, who had been in high spirits, suddenly looked flustered. Then he seemed to start turning the matter over in his mind with great care.
"Everything in this imperial palace is mine, is it not? Even Princess Diona over there?"
"Th-that... I beg you... please do not take Diona from me. You may take Sirian."
Only then did he give a proper answer. Just as Diona seemed to have fallen in love with Peterson, Peterson appeared to harbor the same feelings for her. Dong-hyun found himself thinking that perhaps Diona was Peterson's weakness.
"Sirian. Put your clothes on."
At Dong-hyun's words, Sirian dressed herself.
"Peterson? Take Sirian's younger sister to a room in the imperial palace."
"Understood. I shall obey your command."
Having been thoroughly put in his place by Dong-hyun once already, he offered no argument. Perhaps he simply wanted Dong-hyun to leave as quickly as possible.
"Good. I'll drop by from time to time. Seems I've still got plenty to learn."
"Of course. How could I refuse?"
Beads of sweat were forming on Peterson's forehead.
Dong-hyun and Count Schmalz left the underground dungeon. Sirian followed cautiously behind them.
"Count Schmalz. Have you taken a liking to that woman?"
Count Schmalz, whose face was ordinarily expressionless, looked incredulous for the first time.
"Not in the slightest. I love only my wife."
A romantic, unexpectedly.
"Is that so?"
"I truly mean it. Her talent is simply too precious to waste."
"That much?"
"Indeed. Employ her as Your Majesty's personal guard. No one will ever be able to do you harm."
At that voice full of conviction, Dong-hyun turned to look at Sirian following behind. He could not sense anything of that caliber from her at all. Even under Dong-hyun's gaze, Sirian's expression remained blank. From her perspective, nothing had changed except that the hand holding her leash had switched owners.
But making her his personal guard? Was that not like carrying around a time bomb that could go off at any moment?
Holding that thought, Dong-hyun entered his bedchamber. Count Schmalz did not follow him inside, remaining outside, so the only one who entered the bedroom was Sirian.
Dong-hyun sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. With her blue hair pulled tightly back, her appearance was strikingly beautiful. There must have been a reason the previous emperor had targeted her.
Only when Dong-hyun looked at her did Sirian begin to fidget restlessly. Every possible thought must have been racing through her mind, starting with whether this meant she was supposed to undress.
"Do you hate the Krantz Empire? No... of course you do."
The words that came from Dong-hyun's mouth were completely unexpected. Sirian looked startled, as if she had not seen that coming either.
"That is correct. I wish to kill every living creature in the Krantz Empire, down to the stray dogs in the streets."
But Sirian made no attempt to hide her true feelings, spitting out the venom without restraint.
"But I wasn't the one who did those things."
"Are you not that man's son..."
Rage was unmistakable in Sirian's tone.
"My father is my father, and I am myself."
"Your father murdered my father and countless people of my country. My own family numbered among them — and still you say such a thing?"
Her voice sounded as if she were barely holding back a flood of fury.
"Is that so? Hmm... I suppose so. I suppose it is. Then let me ask you again. If I told you to protect me, would you? Even if it meant giving up your life?"
Sirian answered without a moment's hesitation.
"If you guarantee my sister's safety, I shall save you even at the cost of my own life."
"I see. That's what your sister means to you."
He felt a pang of pity.
"Then shall we go see your sister?"
"What?"
"Your sister should already be out of the underground dungeon. Let's go see her together."
Sirian's pupils trembled wildly.
"Do you... do you have any idea what I might do to you...?"
"Is that so... Should I bring Count Schmalz along?"
"Do you believe that knight could stop me?"
"Count Schmalz is an extraordinary man himself."
"But he is no match for me."
Her voice was utterly certain.
"Is that so? Then we'll go without Count Schmalz."
"What??"
Peterson had held Sirian's leash and shaken it. He claimed to have broken her, but it had not been true submission. Dong-hyun thought he might find the answer in Sirian. In a situation where he would have to subjugate countless women going forward, Dong-hyun himself needed to understand. Peterson had given him the clue, but Dong-hyun was looking at something beyond Peterson. Perhaps this was why Serién had sought him out in the first place.
"Let's go."
Dong-hyun led the way out of the bedchamber, and Sirian hurried after him in a fluster. Seeing Dong-hyun emerge, Count Schmalz moved to follow as well. But Dong-hyun stopped him.
"Count Schmalz, you may take the rest of the day off. Spending a little more time with your beloved family wouldn't be a bad thing."
Dong-hyun said this with a smile. Count Schmalz paused for a moment. It felt as though Dong-hyun was plotting something, and an uneasy feeling crept over him. If Dong-hyun were killed by Sirian, the fallout would reach him as well — he was the commander of the Krantz Knights, after all.
And yet, somehow, Count Schmalz found himself wanting to trust Dong-hyun. He had not noticed it before, but lately he had had the sense that Emperor Ailes had changed somehow. For the better, of course.
"Understood."
Count Schmalz bowed at the waist in salute and turned to leave. The one startled by this was Sirian.
He's sending the Imperial Guard away just like that? Is this man actually insane?
Regardless of what Sirian thought, Dong-hyun's footsteps did not stop. Following the maid's directions, a room for Sirian's sister had been prepared not far from the emperor's bedchamber. The maid in front handed Dong-hyun the key.
Seeing this, Sirian's palms grew damp with sweat. The thought occurred to her that if she killed the emperor and the maid and seized the key, she might be able to rescue her sister.
But then what? Could I get my sister out safely?
If it were her alone, she could escape easily enough. But her younger sister could not fight, so escaping with her in tow might prove difficult. The emperor surely knew that, which was why he assumed she would not dare try anything.
Of course. How underhanded...
Sirian was leaping to conclusions and deceiving herself all on her own.
Dong-hyun unlocked the door without hesitation. When they opened it and stepped inside, Sirian's younger sister, who had been sitting in the bedroom, sprang to her feet.
"Sister!!!"
The younger sister ran to Sirian the moment she saw her and threw herself into her arms, weeping. Sirian shed tears as well, and the two clung to each other, sobbing. For a full five years, they had only been able to look at each other's faces, never sharing each other's warmth. Only now could they feel each other's body heat, touch each other, and confirm that the other was all right.
The younger sister would have known what suffering her older sister endured simply because she herself was still alive. But she had not had the courage to die, and so she had gone on living, shamelessly. And Sirian had endured every cruelty and humiliation with only her sister's safety in mind.
While the two held each other and wept for a long time, Dong-hyun simply watched. Then a cold killing intent flickered in Sirian's eyes. The thought had occurred to her — perhaps if she quietly assassinated the emperor, they might be able to escape.
"Do you want to leave?"
"What...?"
"I'm asking if you want to take your sister and leave."
"And if I do...?"
Sirian hid her sister behind her back before speaking.
"I'll let you go."
"What??"
Sirian continued to be thrown off by Dong-hyun's words. Every single thing that came out of his mouth defied prediction.