Eyan returned to Emperor Darius Solvarn and Princess Amara, his expression carefully composed, though the echo of his earlier outburst still lingered in the air.
"My apologies for the commotion," he said, his tone clipped but respectful. "I hope you are not offended by my friend's behavior."
The emperor shook his head quickly. "No, Your Majesty, we are not offended." His gaze flickered toward Amara, who sat pale and trembling, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
"Yes… Your Majesty," she added softly, her voice unsteady. "We are not offended at all."
"That is good then," Eyan replied, though his jaw remained tense. "I should discipline him more severely."
The emperor shifted uncomfortably. "Discipline more? Your Majesty, you already struck him hard enough…"
"No," Eyan interrupted coldly. "He deserves more beating."
Darius swallowed, his eyes betraying unease. "Your Majesty, you have quite a temper. I had only heard of your anger before—but now I have seen it with my own eyes.
Look… even my daughter is shaking from what she witnessed."
Eyan's gaze moved to Amara. Her wide eyes darted away instantly, her face pale with fright.
His expression softened, just a fraction. "Did my actions frighten you? If so, I apologize."
Amara's lips trembled. "No… Your Majesty, I am fine."
Eyan exhaled, the edge in his voice returning. "Emperor Darius, if you do not mind, let us discuss this matter of marriage tomorrow. I am not in a mood fit for such talk tonight."
"Yes… of course," Darius agreed at once.
"Good. I will have Hans escort you both to your chambers. Rest well."
The emperor inclined his head. "Of course."
Eyan gave a final nod before turning sharply on his heel and leaving the hall.
The moment the door closed behind him, Amara's knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
"Amara, my daughter," Darius murmured, kneeling beside her, "are you all right?"
"My body is shaking," she whispered, clutching her skirts. "I was so afraid of his rage."
Her father placed a hand on her shoulder, his own breath uneven. "You are right. I was too.
He is powerful, Amara… terrifyingly so. And that is exactly why we need this marriage alliance.
If Emperor Eyan becomes your husband, our kingdom will gain unimaginable strength."
A faint smile curved his lips, though his eyes still carried the shadow of fear. "Now, all we must do is wait for his answer."
---
Eyan strode down the corridor, his mood dark as storm clouds. The guards straightened instantly at his approach, their eyes lowering.
"Open the door," he commanded, his tone sharp enough to cut.
The guards exchanged a nervous glance, but neither dared to hesitate. "Yes, Your Majesty," one muttered, fumbling with the heavy lock until the door swung open.
"Now both of you, out," Eyan ordered, his voice dropping lower, more dangerous. "And don't let anyone near this room until I say so."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The guards bowed hastily and vanished down the hall.
Eyan stepped inside and slammed the door shut behind him. The air was thick, oppressive.
Luca sat on the floor, blood smeared across his face, his head lowered but his eyes burning with defiance.
Eyan rubbed his own face."Why are you still sitting like that? Heal yourself with your magic."
Luca lifted his gaze, glaring without a word.
"I said, heal yourself," Eyan snapped.
"You bastard," Luca growled.
"Yes," Eyan's lips curved into a cold smile. "Right. I'm a bastard. But what about you?" He stepped closer, his voice cutting like a blade. "Do you want to know what you are, Luca?"
Silence. Rage simmered in Luca's eyes, but he didn't speak.
"You're an idiot," Eyan spat.
"What?"
"Yes. A complete idiot. You ruined everything."
"I did? Or was it you?" Luca shot back, his voice rough with anger. "Why did you agree to marry that stupid princess Amara?"
"Who said I agreed?"
Luca's eyes widened with disbelief. "Do you have a problem remembering things? Eyan, it was you who said it."
"And do you have a problem hearing things?" Eyan's tone turned mocking. "Are you deaf? I never said I would marry her. I said I'd think about it."
"So you are going to marry her." Luca's voice shook with fury.
"And what about sister-in-law? Eyan—you're already married. You already have a wife."
Or are you planning to marry that princess Amara and make her your wife and keep Sister-in-law hidden as…"
His lips curled bitterly. "…as the Mistress of Emperor Eyan?"
The words had barely left his mouth when Eyan's hand shot forward, seizing Luca by the throat and slamming him against the wall.
His voice dropped to a deadly growl. "Mind your tongue when you speak of Eva, or I'll kill you where you stand."
Luca coughed, choking under his grip, but still forced the words out. "what about you? You just received a marriage proposal in front of her, and what did you say? I'll think about it. Do you have any idea how much she must be hurting right now?"
"She's not hurt," Eyan shot back, his grip tightening. "She doesn't care about my marriage."
"But she's your wif—"
"She's not my wife."
Luca froze, eyes widening. "…What?"
"Eva is not my wife. She's the wife of Kyel.
She married Kyel, not Eyan." His voice trembled with suppressed emotion, though his expression remained stone-cold.
"So she won't get hurt, even if I marry Princess Amara. Do you understand now?"
He released Luca with a violent shove. Luca staggered, clutching his throat, struggling to catch his breath.
The silence was heavy, choking the room. Luca's eyes widened as the truth sank in.
"…I forgot," he whispered. "She doesn't know."
"Exactly." Eyan's gaze darkened, his jaw clenched. "But she was about to know. Because of you."
Luca's voice faltered. "I was angry."
"Angry at who?"
"At you! Because you didn't reject the proposal, and sister-in-law was sitting right there!"
Frustration boiled over in Eyan, his fist slamming against the wall beside Luca's head. "How many times do I have to say it? Just because I didn't reject the proposal doesn't mean I'll accept it either!"
"Then… you're not going to accept it?"
"Why would I?"
Eyan's voice broke into something raw, his fury finally cracking. "I already have Eva. No woman—no princess, no one—can take her place. I love her. And Only her."
Luca furrowed his brows, clearly unsettled. "But in the past, you always rejected marriage proposals coldly, without hesitation."
"Why didn't you do the same this time? Why did you say you would consider it?"
Eyan's expression darkened, though his voice remained calm. "Do you really want to know why?"
"Yes," Luca urged, leaning closer.
"Because Princess Amara Solvarn stood for Eva," Eyan said, his words firm and edged with weight.
"She defended her when the envoy insulted her pride. She did what neither you nor I could do in that moment—we sat there and watched Eva endure humiliation in silence. To repay the kindness she showed to Eva, I chose not to reject her on the spot."
Luca blinked, then let out a breath. "Oh… that's the only reason?"
"What else?"
"Well," Luca hesitated, a sly grin tugging at his lips, "I thought you were scared of Emperor Darius. That's why you didn't reject it."
Eyan gave a low, incredulous laugh. "Scared of him?"
"Yes."
"Luca," Eyan's tone sharpened, his gaze piercing, "it seems you don't know me well enough. If you did, you'd already know that. I could erase the southern country from the map without even lifting a finger. Fear has never been in my nature."
The weight of those words sent a chill through the air, but Luca only smiled, half-amused, half-nervous. "Yes, you're right. I forgot how brutal you are."
Eyan's lips curved faintly. "Now you're smiling. Are you really that happy?"
"I am," Luca admitted without shame. "Very happy."
Eyan's eyes flicked to the faint bruise darkening on Luca's face, and he asked almost casually, "Did it hurt a lot, when I struck you?"
Luca's pout was immediate. "Yes, it still hurts. You didn't hold back, Eyan."
"If sister hadn't come to my rescue, you might have killed me."
Eyan stilled at the word, his brow arching. "Wait… now that you've said it, I just remembered.
What exactly is this 'sister and brother' thing going on between you and Eva?"
Luca gave a small shrug, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Oh, that."