IBMH 10

“Even Though He Was Imprisoned, There Is No Malice”

10.

When he was young, it was because his mother had treated Kaite like a doll and wanted him to act a certain way. She wanted her own son to become emperor, so she constantly tried to make connections everywhere. Kaite’s will was never taken into account in the process. Still, before he grew up enough to understand things, he had liked her as his mother.

Kaite did everything to earn the favor of his mother, Saraen. By the time he realized it was wrong, it was already too late—he had already fallen out of favor with his older brother, Kali, the first heir.

After Saraen died of illness, Kaite was left alone, and Kali treated him cruelly.

He was driven out to the borderlands while still young and forced to face savage barbarians and monsters. There was not a single day when his life was not at risk. Until he happened to meet Seren, he spent his days fighting alone.

He kept moving from battlefield to battlefield. In days where blood never dried, he gained insomnia and distrust of others, but Kaite continued to achieve undeniable feats.

No one imagined that such a small and fragile prince would go that far. No one knew that a prince facing death had such talent for swordsmanship.

Kali tried to suppress Kaite’s achievements as much as possible, but it was not easy. The Empire was a militarily strong nation, and because of that, officers who favored Kaite began to appear.

At first, Kaite thought it was just annoying. He did not want to build a faction and attract Kali’s hatred. To Kaite, Kali had seemed like a powerful man who could kill him at any moment.

“But that wasn’t it.”

Although he was the eldest son and the heir, Kali was a weak man. Because of that, he was always suspicious of others and could not even trust his only son.

He feared that his young son, Leonhardt, would take his place, so he spread rumors and even imprisoned him.

Did Kaite really need to fear such a man?

Once that thought appeared, Kaite began to change. He actively gathered power and built his own faction. And finally, just as he was about to move against Kali, the emperor died.

He had fallen from his horse during a hunt. It was an absurd accident, but no one believed it.

People thought Kaite had killed his brother to take power. They expected him to return to the capital and become emperor, but Kaite did not.

“I don’t want a place like that.”

People who once obsessed over the throne still remained in Kaite’s memory.

Instead, he placed his imprisoned young nephew, Leonhardt, on the throne and became his regent.

After that, he lived as others knew him. He sometimes acted excessively just to make people judge him as unfit to be emperor.

But he did not solve everything with violence.

Thanks to his mother, he was born with a beautiful face—and he decided to use it.

Kaite looked at the maid with a pitiful expression. The maid, who had been backing away like a frightened squirrel, suddenly stopped.

Beauty works anywhere.

‘This is insane.’

Evelyn had, for the first time in her life, discovered her own weakness.

She was helpless against the fragile expression of a beautiful person.

Even though she knew everything Kaite had done, her body had frozen.

How could a person look like that?

A neat forehead, eyes like a calm lake, a well-shaped nose, and slightly reddish lips.

“…I’m hungry.”

At that sulky voice, her heart dropped.

No, how could such a beauty say he was hungry?!

Her rational mind screamed at her to wake up, but her heart did not listen.

Evelyn slowly started moving forward.

“You won’t hit me, right?”

“I don’t hit the weak.”

By a Swordmaster’s standards, most people in the world would count as weak.

Then she suddenly remembered him breaking the leg of a noble’s son.

“Specifically, I don’t touch people who haven’t learned combat skills.”

Only then did Evelyn feel relieved and moved closer.

“You really won’t hurt me?”

“Yes.”

Kaite smiled gently, as if to reassure her.

Evelyn approached like a mouse drawn to cheese in a trap.

Finally, she reached the tray.

At that moment, Kaite quickly grabbed her sleeve and pulled.

Her body was dragged forward in an instant.

Startled, Evelyn quickly pulled out a hidden dagger.

She cut off the grabbed sleeve, rolled on the floor, and created distance.

When she came to her senses, she was back near the door.

“Weren’t you a maid?”

Kaite let out a dry laugh.

“I am a maid.”

“But you move like that?”

“I learned self-defense from my grandfather.”

“That’s self-defense?”

That movement was closer to a knight who had trained for years.

Kaite could not believe her.

“Yes, it is self-defense. Grandfather said this level wouldn’t even beat a local thug.”

“Which town did you grow up in?”

“Over there in the borderlands.”

Evelyn answered honestly. But Kaite did not believe her.

How could someone dodge a Swordmaster’s attack and still say she couldn’t beat a thug?

Kaite became curious about her grandfather.

What kind of person raised her like that?

“There are thugs that strong in the borderlands? No, then those guys shouldn’t even be thugs.”

“Well, I can’t help you with the meal anymore.”

The maid no longer stuttered.

That made Kaite feel a slight chill down his spine.

“What’s your name?”

“Mary.”

“That’s a dog’s name.”

It clearly sounded fake, but the maid refused to give her real name.

Well, she had just kidnapped a duke of the Empire. That made sense.

The maid bowed slightly and left, closing the door.

Only the tray remained.

Kaite took a drink and sipped it.

Swordmasters were resistant to poison due to their physical refinement. He had also trained against toxins, so he trusted it.

“…It’s good?”

There was nothing strange in the drink.

It was simply delicious—cool, sweet, and slightly bitter in a way that suited him perfectly.

“What did they put in this?”

The slightly cooled stew was also well-cooked and went well with bread.

At least it was clear they did not intend to starve him.

After finishing the meal, Kaite looked around again.

This is strange.

A room meant to imprison a Swordmaster, yet the atmosphere felt odd.

The metal bed was fixed to the floor so it could not move.

That alone looked like a prison, but everything else was strange.

The mattress and blanket were soft, clean, and warm-looking.

The colors were gentle yellow, with lace edges.

The pillow was similar.

There was also a bookshelf with dozens of books.

It felt like an attempt to make sure he would not get bored.

Even the small bathroom was clean and well-maintained, with soap and various supplies.

At that point, Kaite began to think:

Maybe the purpose of this kidnapping was different from what he expected.

Meanwhile…

Seren stared at the clock on the wall with a stiff face.

Kaite had said he was going to deal with an information broker, but half a day had passed and he had not returned.

She had searched nearby, but found no trace.

“Isn’t it a bit too much to worry?”

Alex spoke, and Rsen glared at him.

“Kaite has many enemies. It’s not strange for the vice-commander to worry.”

“But there isn’t anyone stronger than Kaite, right?”

“There are two other Swordmasters.”

“Even so, one is already retired due to age, and the other is weaker than Kaite.”

“You really don’t think things through.”

At Rsen’s sigh, Alex snapped back.

“That’s not wrong!”

“That’s not right either!”

As the two began to argue, Seren slammed her hand on the table.