She finally understood why Adolf Kareha had been treating her upon hearing the word “ruins.”
In Aisia’s knowledge, few people returned alive from the ruins—nearly none at all.
But occasionally, there were survivors.
Their common trait was that they were the ones who had abandoned their ‘comrades’ and fled.
Theoretically, if one encountered a powerful adversary like a monster within the ruins, one could escape by using someone with abundant magical power as a ‘bait.’
She realized that she was considered such bait.
“In the end, you’re trying to drag me to dangerous ruins instead of the battlefield to let me d*e, or use me as a shield. That’s what you want, right!”
Adolf Kareha shook his head slowly.
‘He no longer says he wants to d*e,’ he thought, remembering how much help he had received from the attendant beside him. With his usual calm tone, he spoke to Aisia.
“You’re mistaken. I truly wish to restore you.”
“To restore me? Are you joking!”
Aisia rejected him with fervent opposition.
She began to voice the distrust she had accumulated over time.
“I’m already a useless being. Moreover, I’m someone held as a hostage by the enemy nation, a shameful princess who has brought about the failure of war.”
Her eyes were filled with anger and bitterness.
“It’s better to d*e here. There’s no reason for me to enter such danger with you.”
Adolf Kareha could no longer provide any explanations.
There was a sense of urgency from his memories of a past life, but he couldn’t express it.
In the end, he left the room after saying, “Take some time to think.”
She remained in the room, reflecting on all the humiliation and disgrace she was enduring.
“Now that I can no longer bear children, I can’t fulfill my duty as a royal. All that remains for me is to be captured as a prisoner by the enemy and now be used as a meat shield,” she thought, gripping the sheets as she sank into despair.
Perhaps the Liberian army might come to rescue her someday, but she couldn’t predict how the war would progress. Even if she were rescued, she felt that her country would no longer need her since she was infertile.
This growing anxiety made even her attendant seem useless.
As time passed and she partially recovered, she attempted to escape multiple times but failed each time.
The estate was heavily guarded by imperial soldiers, and her current physical condition prevented her from moving freely.
Eventually, she was confined under even stricter surveillance and had to undergo various treatments and examinations conducted by Adolf Kareha.
Of course, she wasn’t subjected to physical torture.
But deep inside her chest, she felt overwhelming weakness and shame at being restrained by a common soldier, and the indignity of being examined by enemy doctors ate away at her.
And at the core of it all stood Adolf Kareha.
“Why does this man treat me like this? Cold torture would be better,” she mumbled, deepening her resentment and suspicion toward him.
Thinking she would be used as bait when she recovered, she cursed his actions.
However, after venting her anger, she eventually began to acknowledge to some extent that he hadn’t broken the promise he made to her.
Outside the room, imperial soldiers passing by referred to her as “Princess,” but it sounded like mocking an empty shell.
The doctors inspected her body dispassionately, recording her current state onto documents.
Observing this, Aisia thought, “Is this what it feels like to be an animal observed in the zoo, a place that some nobles enjoy?”
Adolf Kareha had indeed said there would be no torture.
But as these incidents repeated, Aisia couldn’t help but interpret them differently.
“No one understands my feelings or the shame I endure.”
Thus, she lamented silently in her heart.
“Indeed… this is the worst kind of torture.”
Meanwhile, Adolf Kareha desperately searched ancient records and magical tomes, summoning several mages for advice.
“I must find the ancient artifact. If we have the Tears of Life, we can heal her body.”
An elderly scholar stroked his long beard as he said, “The Tears of Life… It’s a legendary item only mentioned in ancient texts. I’ve also heard rumors that none who have entered that ruin have returned alive.”
“Nevertheless, I must attempt it. Tell me all the information you know.”
Through this, Adolf Kareha gathered the necessary materials, verifying the approach to the artifact and the conditions for breaking its seal.
One of these conditions was that it required the magical power of a hero’s lineage, a solution he was already aware of but one that presented a problem—Aisia herself carried this lineage.
Having failed to gain her cooperation, he sighed.
Gathering more information yielded no improvements.
“Eventually, I must travel with her. But her resistance is so strong that persuasion won’t be easy.”
As he prepared to depart one day, Adolf Kareha entered the estate only to be informed immediately by a soldier.
“The prisoner… no, the princess attempted another escape. She almost jumped off the roof but we managed to stop her.”
He quickly headed to Aisia’s room.
She sat apart from the soldiers who had restrained her, her face full of despair.
“Why are you doing this?”
When he asked, Aisia shot back with bewilderment, “Why? Because I’m imprisoned! This is all I can do! I thought it’d be better to d*e.”
That night, Adolf Kareha canceled all external meetings and paced in front of her room for a long time.
When he tried to open the door and enter, he eventually turned back.
Starting a conversation would yield the obvious results.
The distrust between them only deepened.
Still, he had to embark on the journey with her.
“We must go to the ruins. If she refuses, I may have to resort to force.”
Muttering to himself, he made a thorough expedition plan.
He also ordered the soldiers, “We will soon be moving. Make preparations so that the princess is comfortable, but if she resists along the way, we must force her to come. It can’t be helped.”
On the day of departure, Aisia was forcibly placed in a carriage.
Though they didn’t use chains, her movements were impossible to avoid due to constant surveillance.
Seeing her red eyes, Adolf Kareha rode at the front, leading the way deeper into the mountains where the ruins lay.
The journey was long and perilous.
Aisia glared at him sharply at every moment.
“Is it coming to this?”
Her gaze followed his companions and soldiers who had already begun leading the way, preparing camps, and guarding against various dangers.
Overhearing the soldiers who watched her leave muttering, “There’s a relic in the ruins… that’s where they want the princess…” she felt even greater despair.
Once a hero of the battlefield and the spiritual pillar of the Liberian Empire, the princess now judged herself as merely “meat shield.”
She looked up at the sky.
A few days into the journey, an unexpected assassin attacked their group.
Even though such an attack within their own country was deadly, Adolf Kareha quickly commanded the soldiers and subdued the assassins.
“This…!”
In the process, as an assassin nearly struck Aisia with a sword, Adolf Kareha stepped in front of her, becoming a shield.
“Bow your head!”
He sternly commanded as he used his own body to protect her.
The enemy’s blade pierced deeply into his armor, and the shock left him wounded.
Yet showing no signs of pain, he swiftly drew his sword and brought the assassin down.
Afterward, as the fallen assassin lay there, the surrounding soldiers regained their senses and rushed to handle the situation.
Aisia watched the scene and fell into confusion.
“Did he really save me… or is this just superficial behavior?”
Her heart was greatly shaken.
Still, the suspicion lingered, questioning whether he had only saved her because he wanted to profit from the ruins.
Over the journey, during various dangerous situations, Adolf Kareha consistently prioritized her protection.
Witnessing this, Aisia began to feel a mix of confusion, distrust, and subtle emotions.
‘This man is known as a cruel war fanatic. Why is he so dedicated to protecting me?’
Her inner turmoil intensified.
Decisively, she still believed he was using her merely as a means to cure infertility.
But cracks began to form in their mutual distrust.
Subconsciously, she began to wonder, “Is this man really only using me for malicious purposes?”
“Are you deep in thought?”
“About what?”
In the carriage, as Aisia stared out the window and sighed, Minna, who had been combing the princess’s hair, inquired.
Providing counsel was one of the duties of an excellent attendant.
“No.”
As they passed through the mountains and valleys, Aisia noticed Adolf Kareha efficiently commanding the soldiers.
His strategy and leadership were strict, but his respect for his subordinates was evident, and he carefully managed the transport of food and supplies for the common people.
“A man obsessed with mere slaughter wouldn’t go this far.”
Shaking her head, she questioned herself, “But maybe it’s just his way of putting me at ease as a hostage.”
Amidst these complex thoughts, their destination—the ruins—gradually approached.
The entrance to the ancient ruins lay at the bottom of a deep and treacherous canyon, long rumored as the “Valley of Ghosts.” Many adventurers who dared to challenge it never returned.
“Is this the ancient sanctuary where the Tears of Life are said to be sealed?” Adolf Kareha confirmed with a map.
Broken columns encircled the entrance, with strange characters and patterns engraved on the surrounding walls.
“Everyone, stay alert. Inside, there may be monsters or traps.”
He instructed the soldiers.
As their group prepared to enter this ominous place, the tension grew.
