Luazan kept acting like a caring brother, even though his sister had just given her heart to a servant.

“I know that you care very much about him. Even though he is now the son of a traitor, he used to be the second most noble bloodline after the imperial family.”

Aran didn’t know what her brother was saying. 

But for some reason, her heart was really beating fast.

“Our parents wanted you to be happy, so I want to fulfill that wish for them.”

“What do you mean…”

“I’m planning on reinstating his name and authority, and after that, let him marry you. And because of that, the opposition won’t be very strong.”

“Do you mean it?”

Her face was full of happiness.

“But you know that saving your own life won’t bring back his honor.”

Aran nodded her head.

“I thought, ‘Why not send him to the western border to build an army?’”

“Western Border…”

The sound of silver dishes hitting the floor over and over again was loud.

“Isn’t that the place where war prisoners and sinners are sent? That place is brimming with demons, and it has a harsh climate. I don’t want that for him…”

Aran asked Luazan angrily and glared at him.

No matter how clueless she was, she knew that the western frontier was a bad place.

A cold and empty place. 

It was also a place where monsters and barbarians showed up often, making it hard to stay alive.

Less than two or three out of every hundred people who went there came back safely. 

Most of them died of cold or hunger before they could fight the monster properly, and if they were lucky enough to live, the monsters and barbarians killed them anyway.

In the end, no sane person volunteered to go there, so as a temporary fix, people on death row, people who had committed crimes similar to death row, and prisoners of war were sent to guard the western border.

Sending Enoch to a place like that…

Just thinking about it made Aran’s whole body shake with fear. 

She lost her appetite so she just stared at her food.

“Aran…”

“Besides, he hasn’t gotten better yet. I appreciate your worry, but I’ll act like I didn’t hear it.”

Luazan gave a low laugh at her quick response.

“Your love for him seems to be even more special than I thought. But he doesn’t have anything to worry about. Maybe I should introduce myself to the man who will marry my sister.”

“…”

“As you said, the western border is dangerous, but all you know is from a long time ago. Now, the monsters are almost under control, and the barbarians aren’t as strong as they used to be. And if he takes me up on this offer, I will make sure he is safe.”

Luazan tried to convince Aran, but she wouldn’t budge. 

She didn’t want to send Enoch to a place where he might get hurt.

“Think it over. Those who came back from there were all seen as heroes, no matter what they had been before. Roark will experience the same thing.”

“We can’t send him to the battlefield, regardless of his status.”

Dylan, who was impatient, fired at the opposition, which was stronger than he had expected.

“Aranhrod, you’re still a kid. What do you know about bringing back a traitor’s honor?”

“Are you saying that just for honor, he should put his life up as collateral?”

Aran also did not give up. 

The two brothers, who usually see Aran as a gentle sister, were surprised inside.

“Instead of living a miserable life like this, it’s the least you can do for him.”

“Dylan…”

Dylan’s words were cut off by Luazan. 

Then Dylan realized he had made a mistake and bit his lip in shame. 

Luazan looked at his second brother, who had almost ruined things for him, and gave Aran a more pretentious smile.

“Of course, I won’t force you to do anything if you don’t want to, but think about it. Even if he was the most noble person in the world, he wouldn’t want to end his life as a servant. Since you are also royalty, you know what I mean.”

Aran kept quiet. 

Luazan had a point. 

Even though he didn’t say it, Enoch couldn’t hide the fact that he didn’t like himself because he sometimes lived from day to day in shame.

Luazan, who was sneaky, saw that the little sister was upset. 

He added slowly, as if he were passing by.

“Hmm, I must have confused you by saying something useless. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it all for free.”

The words broke Aran’s heart. 

These words meant that she would go back on her promise to make Enoch’s status the same as it was before.

“No, no. I did it because it was so sudden. Let me have a moment to think.”

“Did I say it too quickly? Then please think about it more carefully…”

Luazan seemed to hesitate as he nodded his head. 

He was not in a rush. 

In any case, his stupid sister would have done what he wanted anyways.

—

“What are you thinking about?”

Enoch asked. 

Even though Aran was right in front of him, she was always thinking about something else, which made him uncomfortable. 

She kept looking somewhere, as if she hadn’t heard the words.

“Your Highness…”

Enoch moved his painful arm to touch Aran’s hand softly. 

At that moment, she turned to Enoch and Enoch looked back into her blurry green eyes.

“Yes? Did you just say something to me?”

“Is something bothering you?”

“No…”

The response came too fast. 

Anybody who heard it could tell it was a lie. 

His eyes got smaller. 

Aran gave a small sigh to avoid meeting his sharp gaze.

“You know…”

“Say it…”

She didn’t know what she was going to say when she spoke. 

When Enoch, who was angry, was about to go, Aran stopped him.

“What would you do if you could get your old identity back?”

After thinking about it for a long time, the words that came out were too sudden, so Enoch laughed.

In the history of the Empire, neither a traitor nor his family has ever been able to go back to who they were before. 

Part of the reason was that they killed anyone who was a traitor, even if they were 90 years old or carrying a child. 

If they were lucky enough to live, they lived a miserable life and died.

It was almost a miracle that he was able to face the princess like this now. 

What emperor would have mercy on a person who tried to kill him and his family? 

Even if the imperial family looked good, it shouldn’t have been done.

“It’s never going to happen, so please refrain from speaking those words. It’s bad enough for me, but it’s gonna be more perilous for you.”

The Crown Prince didn’t care about Aran as much as the emperor did.

 Even though he tries to hide it, he is a greedy and cruel person at heart, so he will not forgive anyone who hurts him, even in the smallest way. 

The same was true for people who were related by blood. 

He had not touched Aran until now because he was keeping an eye on the emperor, but he did not know what would happen in the future.

“You need to be more careful, especially in front of His Majesty the Crown Prince or his close friends.”

“Nothing in the world is for sure, what if brother Luazan forgive you?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Enoch was frowning.

Instead of the Crown Prince forgiving him, it would make more sense to shake the Emperor’s seat and reinstate the Roark Duchy. 

Enoch didn’t want to talk about it. 

Aran has a face that everyone would covet, but she keeps on spouting nonsense that could mean a lot of different things for other people.

Aran’s big eyes blinked, and then he grabbed his hand and asked.

“If this happens, will you marry me…?”

“Yes?”

This time, Enoch couldn’t hide how shocked he was about this crazy girl. 

What the heck was that little kid thinking?

Aran’s ears turned bright red as she eagerly watched him.

“Yes? Please, Enoch, tell me.”

“How could the servant talk about his marriage to the Princess?”

“So, assuming you aren’t a servant. Are you gonna marry me?”

Aran was waiting for Enoch to reply. 

Of course, she didn’t plan to send him to the west border, as Luazan had suggested. 

But if he wanted to, she would do anything to get him out of his current situation.

‘How come I didn’t think of that before?’ 

Aran blamed herself. 

Up until now, she only thought about making him comfortable. 

She never thought about his honor or pride, which would have been very hurt.

Enoch replied with a quiet voice.

“No matter how many times you tell me it’s okay, it’s not. I don’t make uncertain assumptions. I don’t want to waste my time on dreams that don’t mean anything. If anyone else tries to trick you with this kind of nonsense, you should kick him out right away. That person won’t help you.”

Enoch, who didn’t even know that the person who said these words is the Crown Prince, said in a cold voice.

Aran was surprised when her brother was criticized. 

Enoch had had a strange dislike of the two princes for a long time. 

Before the accident, Aran didn’t talk to the Princes that much, but now she felt uncomfortable.

“Well, the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince, are they saying anything to you?”

“Yes? Huh?”

Enoch gave her a suspicious look.

“Really…”

“Yes… but we’re not really close.”

Aran stammered his apologies. 

Enoch hated the princes so much that she was still unable to tell him that she had grown close to them. 

She wants to do what he wants, but it’s hard for her to break free of their blood ties. 

Also, the emperor’s health was getting worse, and Enoch was one of her patients, so she was worried and relied even more on the princes.

Aran was also having a hard time right now. 

If Enoch could tell her why he hated the princes in a clear way, Aran might understand, but he always gave her vague answers.

She didn’t say anything because she was afraid that Enoch would criticize her family in his usual sharp way. 

Instead, she vowed that once Enoch found his old life back, she would set up a meeting with her older brothers and Enoch to clear up their misunderstanding.

“Tell me right away if the Princes did something strange, alright?”

“Yes. I will do that.”

Enoch added softly because he thought he was being too aggressive. 

Aran’s face turned pale.

“It’s not that I don’t trust them, but I just don’t trust people that much. You should always be wary of them, especially those who are close to you.”

“Yes. I will do that.”

Everyone else except Enoch and her brother. 

Aran lulls herself.