Thinking this, I finally spoke:
"Braska, I've been taught many things since childhood—but there's one lesson that's always stayed with me: 'You can change anything in life, but never your neighbors.'"
I looked him straight in the eye.
"So tell me—if I ever betrayed you, wouldn't your people rise up and wage war against my Empire? Don't deny it. I know you too well. You won't let my Empire be—you'll keep finding ways to strike back. And then what? How long do you think I could withstand the cost of that kind of conflict? Even if I survive the damage, how many years do you think I'll be able to keep enduring it?"
I didn't know whether it was the weight of my words or the raw truth behind them, but Braska slowly nodded.
"I agree," he said. "If you manage to cure my clan's Vice Leader and bring me the name of the person behind all this, I will support you. However—there's one condition."
Condition.
Of course. Everyone had one these days. First Adriana, now Braska. Who's next? The palace gardener?
But still, I didn't think much of it. What could he possibly demand? A contract? A written oath? I was ready for all that. I nodded and casually reached for a glass of water.
"I want you to marry a girl from our clan. That is my only condition—for my full and unconditional support."
I choked.
The water went down the wrong way, and I coughed violently, barely keeping it from spraying all over his face.
Clearing my throat, I forced a shaky laugh.
"You must be joking. Maybe you said something wrong, or I heard it wrong. Haha… my ears might not be work—"
He cut me off.
"Listen, Prince. I can't trust your kingdom. For years, your people treated ours like beggars. They didn't even see us as human. We've been humiliated, neglected, forgotten. And now you show up, knowing about the Vice Leader's condition—a state secret even some of our own don't know about—and you expect us to believe it's just out of goodwill?"
He paused, his voice colder now.
"Even if your intentions are pure, trust doesn't come that easily. Not to us. In our clan, trust is built through relationships—real ones. So here's what I'm offering: marry one of our girls. If the prince of a great empire joins with our clan, becomes family to us… then our people will believe in you. They'll be willing to follow you. And your people will begin to see us not as outsiders, but as allies. It won't happen overnight. But it will happen."
His words crashed into me like waves, one after another. I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
Marriage?
A deal I thought would be sealed with a signature was suddenly asking for my life to change forever.
"I… Tomorrow morning. We'll focus on healing the Vice Leader first. Then… we'll talk about this."
Braska didn't push. He simply nodded, stood, and said, "Yes, think it over. We'll speak again in the morning."
As soon as he left, I collapsed onto the bed. In my head, Prince was already screaming.
"How DARE he?! A tribal leader—thinking he can form a bond with ME?! And you just sat there like a fool, letting him say all that? You should've let me out! I'd have ripped him to pieces for even suggesting it. He doesn't want to help—he wants to trap us!"
Normally I would've tuned him out, but this time... I felt it too.
"You think I liked sitting there, listening to that?" I snapped. "If he hadn't said it, I might've offered something similar myself. Because helping a man become the head of a county and helping someone rise as the Emperor are two very different games. The second costs lives. Thousands."
I stared at the ceiling, my voice lowering.
"That's why I wanted to offer a deal first. To make him feel secure. But when he turned the tables and demanded marriage… I don't know. Something inside me snapped. I swear, I could've burned down the entire clan in that moment. If I don't get a cigarette right now, I might do something I regret."
Prince scoffed.
"You don't need a cigarette—you need to wipe them all out. Every last one. If someone dares challenge your authority, make sure they never get a second chance. Finish them off. You hear me, Chris? You forgive him now, he'll think it's okay to disrespect you again. End this while you still can."
But I didn't reply.
I was too furious, too restless. I searched through my storage ring, then my bag—nothing. Not a single cigarette.
"You don't even have one cigarette on you," I muttered bitterly.
Prince replied, unfazed.
"Why would I? I don't smoke."
"You could've told me earlier," I snapped. "I've been digging through my stuff like an idiot."
He snickered.
"Maybe if you'd actually listen to me once in a while, you wouldn't be in this mess."
I wasn't in the mood to argue anymore. I needed nicotine. Now.
I stormed out of the room, eyes scanning the quiet surroundings for anyone still awake. At first, there was no one.
Then—
"Cale?"
A familiar voice called out.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep?"