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Narea cast me a questioning look before safely returning to the Holy Kingdom of Lium.

The bait had been thrown.

Surely, they would take it and come asking.

Duke of Whitewood dragged the battered Centriol by the nape and handed him over to the military.

They, too, would safely return to the Holy Order.

Meanwhile, matters related to mysticism would soon surface on a global scale.

"You've been through a lot, young man."

"I did a little, yes."

Duke of Whitewood raised her hand and tousled my hair roughly.

"As I thought, I have a good eye for people."

She looked at me with eyes sparkling as if seeing a promising hero.

It was overwhelming.

Please don’t.

"So now, it’s time for you to receive proper punishment for what you’ve done."

Clank

Once again, cuffs were fastened around my wrists.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t finished serving my sentence yet.

The capital of the Hysirion Empire.

I was being taken to Syrion.

* * *

The capital of the empire, Syrion, was the most advanced and populous city in the world.

The city was built in layers, centered around the massive imperial palace.

The closer you were to the palace, the more extensive the infrastructure became.

There were rows of noble estates belonging to pro-imperial factions.

Above all, the number of personnel active within the palace was immense.

From gardeners, maids, and attendants to knights, squires, and administrators managing affairs—

The resources they consumed daily fueled Syrion's economy.

Thus, Syrion continuously produced a wide variety of goods to match its consumption.

It was truly the leading city of the new era.

Inside the imperial palace of Syrion,

carriages were entering.

Only two carriages entered,

but no one dared to dismiss them.

Whenever these carriages moved forward, the maids stopped their work and bowed their heads.

This was because the carriages bore two distinct emblems.

One was the symbol of Duke of Whitewood, one of the empire's four dukes—a pure white tree.

The other bore the blue hawk emblem of the empire’s greatest mage tower, the Blue Tower.

The appearance of the empire's current hero and its greatest mage caused nothing short of an emergency within the palace.

Inside one of these carriages,

I sat across from Duke of Whitewood, my wrists bound in cuffs.

Would the people outside even realize?

That the one inside the carriage was a criminal who, by imperial law, could be executed on the spot?

If it became known that such a criminal was sitting face-to-face with Duke of Whitewood, it would cause an uproar.

"Young man."

"Yes, Your Excellency Duke of Whitewood."

"Are you nervous?"

I wasn’t nervous at all.

Both Duke of Whitewood and the Blue Tower Master were personally escorting me to the palace.

At this point, it was safe to assume I wouldn’t be executed.

Still, time would be needed to revise some of the existing laws.

In the meantime, I was just contemplating what I should do.

"No, I’m brazen enough not to be nervous."

"Kuhuhu, as expected. If you dare to use me, you must at least have that much nerve."

I’d given a response that pleased Duke of Whitewood.

It seemed she had quite taken a liking to me.

The empire hadn’t had many individuals making heroic strides recently.

She was keeping an eye on me, someone walking the path she desired.

‘Originally, this was supposed to be Lucas's role.’

I was essentially filling in for him.

Rattle!

At that moment, the carriage came to a stop.

"Your Excellency, we’ve arrived at the imperial palace. May I open the door?"

Duke of Whitewood’s aide knocked on the door and asked for her instructions.

"Yes, go ahead."

As Duke of Whitewood responded crisply, the aide opened the door.

He then glanced at me, his expression briefly souring before correcting it.

The aide, a stickler for propriety, likely disapproved of my lack of decorum toward Duke of Whitewood on our first meeting.

However, with Duke of Whitewood present, he couldn’t openly express it.

"Let’s get out."

With the aide’s assistance, Duke of Whitewood elegantly stepped out of the carriage.

No matter her inner nature, outwardly, Duke of Whitewood exuded a mystique worthy of being one of the empire’s finest.

The maids who had bowed their heads inadvertently held their breath at her appearance.

But as I, still cuffed, followed her out, they looked puzzled.

It seemed my circumstances hadn’t yet been reported to them.

Looking behind me, I saw the Blue Tower Master and Sharin alighting from the other carriage.

Sharin, following her foster father, wore her usual sullen expression.

Given her disdain for him, it was expected.

When our eyes met, her expression softened slightly.

Then she stuck out her tongue at me.

It was just like Sharin to act that way, even in this situation.

"...Sharin?"

Caught by the Blue Tower Master, she immediately straightened her face,

adopting a languid expression as if nothing had happened.

She might be even more brazen than I was.

"Your Excellency Duke of Whitewood, Lord Emperadion Sazaris of the Blue Tower, thank you for visiting the imperial palace."

The palace’s chief steward stepped forward and greeted the two.

The elderly man belonged to a family that had managed the palace for generations.

Given his position directly assisting the emperor, he held significant authority within the palace.

"Oh, you’re working hard. I’ve already requested an audience with His Majesty, so please guide us."

"Yes, His Majesty prepared a meeting in advance upon receiving the news."

"Let’s not keep him waiting. Otherwise, His Majesty might grow as old as I am."

Duke of Whitewood quipped as she promptly followed the steward.

She was likely the only person who could speak of the emperor that way.

"Your Excellency Duke of Whitewood, is there anything you need me to do?"

"Not particularly. I only brought you here to make a point, so you just wait until the results are out."

I had no reason to meet the emperor personally.

Thus, I was escorted to a private room by a maid.

"Lord Hannon Irey, please wait in this room."

The room the maid opened was clearly a guest room.

It was undoubtedly the most luxurious room I’d ever been in.

‘It seems I’m being treated as a guest accompanying Duke of Whitewood.’

However, given my status as a criminal, guards were stationed outside my room.

The cuffs on my wrists also remained.

I obediently sat in a chair and waited.

All I could do was hope that Duke of Whitewood and the Blue Tower Master would make a convincing case for me.

‘At least I have a moment to catch my breath.’

The moment I had that thought,

for some reason, the outside felt unusually noisy.

A sense of foreboding began to creep over me.

“Y-Your Highness!”

And as expected, foreboding rarely misses its mark.

My head jerked up in surprise.

The sound of a confident stride, as if it were their own front yard, and someone who could be addressed as "Your Highness" in the imperial palace.

There was only one person who fit that description.

Clatter!

The door burst open without so much as a knock.

And through it walked a man, his steps as self-assured as those heard outside.

His red-gold hair shimmered as it caught the light.

Eyes that were a strange mix of crimson and blue glimmered ominously.

Those eyes brimmed with a confidence that no one could shake.

A man born and raised as a prince his entire life.

The imperial successor who shared the empire’s power with the third princess, Iris Hysirion.

The First Prince,

Lukraizen Hysirion.

This madman had appeared before a criminal, wielding his status as the First Prince.

Behind him, knights and retainers followed, their faces blank with astonishment.

None of them dared stop the First Prince’s movements.

Thus, they could only swallow their tears, envisioning the trouble that would arise from this event.

“I greet His Highness, the First Prince of Hysirion.”

I quickly stood up and offered my greeting.

Even I was taken aback by the situation.

‘I knew the First Prince had taken an interest in me.’

Since the moment Hannon’s report had reached him, the First Prince had surely been keeping an eye on me.

On top of that, I had wielded ancient dragon magic.

That he would attempt contact was expected in such circumstances.

But for him to personally show up so brashly—now that was unexpected.

The prince scanned me from head to toe before waving his hand.

“That’s enough. I didn’t come here expecting excessive formalities from someone in shackles.”

With those words, he casually pulled out a chair in front of me and sat down.

“Sit down, Hannon Irey.”

And then he called me by the alias I had been using.

The First Prince was the kind of person who, fully aware that I wasn’t actually Hannon Irey, would still call me by that name.

I quietly sat back down, maintaining the posture I had risen with.

The prince leaned back against his chair and exhaled briefly.

“Finally, a break from work. Thanks for giving me an excuse to escape.”

Unlike Iris, the First Prince worked directly in the imperial palace.

Determined to ascend the throne, he lived each day buried under a mountain of paperwork.

In that sense, coming to see me was a kind of escapade for him.

“I’m glad to have been of help to Your Highness.”

“Haha.”

At my brazen reply, the prince chuckled deeply.

Those piercing eyes were unnervingly intense, but he made no attempt to hide their gaze.

It was as if he intended to pierce through me entirely.

“Hannon Irey, every time I hear about you, I find myself overwhelmed with curiosity. I kept wondering, who is this audacious person who dares to act so boldly?”

In truth, I stood at the very epicenter of the Hysirion Empire’s turmoil, representing Lucas in the process.

Such actions gradually shook the very foundations of the empire.

And as someone at the center of imperial power, the First Prince was undoubtedly aware of this.

“But seeing you in person now…”

A smile curved his lips.

“You’re far more interesting than I’d imagined.”

“Joking isn’t one of my talents, Your Highness.”

“That audaciousness—yes, that’s it. The fact that you show no fear before me either means you have someone powerful backing you or you’re just insane.”

The First Prince was a realist.

For him, the future only held value if a solid foundation was laid in the present.

This was his philosophy.

Thus, he worked tirelessly to fortify the present, aligning himself with influential figures.

However, even he didn’t shy away from investing in the future.

An example of this was supporting magic research to rejuvenate Nia Cynthia’s youth.

Building the present while preparing for the future—this was the kind of man he was.

Hence, people referred to him as “The Prince of Stability.”

“And I quite like madmen. My specialty lies in building the present. Future reforms are not my forte.”

The First Prince knew his strengths well.

Therefore, while he excelled in certain areas, he wasn’t afraid to relinquish tasks he wasn’t skilled at.

Instead, he entrusted those areas to competent individuals.

“Madmen, however, are often the ones who reform the future. From where I stand, you’re no different from those types.”

“It’s an honor to have Your Highness think so highly of me.”

“Indeed.”

The First Prince declared firmly:

“But remember, I only like madmen who are willing to fall under my command.”

His love was selective.

The reason the First Prince still held his position as the imperial successor was not just due to his talents.

It was also because he was as ambitious as the Duke of Robliage.

The throne was a seat of desire.

A place to protect the nation and strive to make it the best in the world.

Therefore, the throne required someone with immense ambition.

Thus, the First Prince was a man who would do anything to fulfill his desires.

If someone didn’t belong to him, he would not hesitate to cut them down.

The emperor was not human.

The emperor transcended human norms, a being who wielded the world.

Only then could the nation prosper, and only then could it have the means to benefit its people.

That was the role of the emperor.

And so, the First Prince posed his question to me:

Are you mine, or someone else’s?

There was no turning back once a choice was made.

The overwhelming charisma of the First Prince weighed down upon me.

Even a single word could mean my neck.

But the First Prince didn’t know.

After losing the ability to feel love due to the Veil Bandages,

I had long since abandoned all fear.

Fear was a defensive mechanism to preserve oneself.

“Your Highness.”

For someone like me, who didn’t care for self-preservation, his charisma had no effect.

If he wanted to frighten me, he’d need to embed murderous intent into his very being, like Sentriole.

“I believe there’s an issue with your question.”

The First Prince’s eyebrows twitched.

He couldn’t believe someone had the audacity to point out a flaw in his question.

But there I was, smiling brightly, shamelessly in front of him.

“Shouldn’t Your Highness explain what merit there is for me to take your side?”

If you want to rein in the dragon, pay the price.