“You have no justification to kill me.”

“You lied to me and ran away.”

“I am not Your Highness’s concubine. Just because I left the palace and disappeared doesn’t mean you can kill me. And you can’t hold my mother and sister hostage for that reason either.”

It was true. He wasn’t a concubine, nor a wife, just known as Ail’s lover, so Ruth’s escape couldn’t be made into a crime. Ail knew that much. If he were the Emperor and Ruth had officially become a concubine, it could justify a death sentence, but not now. He had already resigned as the commander of the knights, so no crime could be applied.

As Ruth had said, Ail had nothing left to threaten him with. Now that Ruth knew the truth about Elsen and Erita, the blackmail using Elsen as leverage no longer worked.

He couldn’t hold onto him anymore. There was no reason left for Ail to keep Ruth.

As that thought settled in, Ail’s mind went blank. All he could think about was capturing Ruth. But gradually, only petty ideas filled his mind.

What should he do? What should he say?

No matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind.

While Ail hesitated, Ruth asked again.

“Please answer. Why are you doing this?”

The reason was simple. The reason Ail had kidnapped Elsen and Erita and staged the whole affair was singular: to capture Ruth. Everything else, including capturing the Kaizel family and using the office, was secondary. Ail’s sole purpose was to trap Ruth. That was it.

But he couldn’t say that out loud. Saying that it was all to catch him would make it sound as though Ail was begging. It would make it sound as if Ruth was extremely important to him.

So he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t ask for anyone’s favor or beg for anything. No, he didn’t even know how to do that.

“… I did it because I needed to.”

“What did you need it for?”

“Do I have to explain all of it?”

“This concerns me, so I have the right to hear it.”

“You have no such right.”

“As a victim, I have the right to know. Why did you do this? And why are you trying to capture me?”

Ail bit his lip at Ruth’s persistent questions. The second question was one Ail himself had no answer to yet. He didn’t know why he had captured Ruth, or why he had gone so far to do it. He couldn’t answer something he didn’t know himself.

“What do you plan to do once you know? No matter the reason, you can’t leave. Whether you know or not, the result will be the same. Unless I allow it, you can’t step outside the palace.”

One of the questions was something Ail could never tell the truth about, and the other was something he didn’t have an answer to himself. So he tried to deflect. He was only desperate to catch Ruth. He emphasized that Ruth could never leave without his permission, trying to remind him of his situation in order to trap him.

It seemed like Ruth had sensed Ail’s true intentions, and he calmly responded.

“You have no such right, Your Highness.”

Ruth’s will was firm. Ail started to grow anxious. The thought that he absolutely couldn’t let him leave filled his mind.

Once Ruth left this room, he would disappear forever. He would slip through his fingers like the wind, and he would never return to Ail.

He had to capture him. Even if he had to break his legs, he had to catch him.

Lost in those thoughts, Ail unconsciously grabbed Ruth’s arm and turned him around.

With Ail’s strong grip, Ruth grimaced and spoke.

“Let go.”

“I told you, you can’t leave.”

“You can’t keep me here.”

“This is an order!”

Ail’s voice grew louder. He was shouting now. But despite the killing intent radiating from him, Ruth didn’t back down.

“I’m not your servant anymore. And the contract we made is already void, so I have no obligation to honor it. I have no reason to obey you anymore. I will leave the palace tonight.”

“I told you, you can’t leave.”

“You don’t have anything to threaten me with now, do you? I’ve done my best to honor the promise I made to you. You never intended to keep that promise, but I’ve put everything into keeping it with the hope that maybe it would work out. But this is the result. In the end, you betrayed me and trampled on everything. The four years I spent, and all the efforts I made were disregarded. You hurt my loved ones in the process.”

His voice, which had started calmly, now shook with rage. His jaw trembled, and his eyes glinted with defiance. There was a fire in his gaze, one that made it clear he wouldn’t break. Ail felt his own anger rising as he met that fierce gaze.

“What does it matter? Why should I care about other people?”

“Yes, that’s who you are. In the end, you’re the kind of person who will do anything to get what you want. And that’s why I’m leaving. I despise someone like you. You betray and hurt others for what you want, without any remorse, even willing to sacrifice your own family. How could I stay by your side?”

“What’s so wrong with doing whatever it takes to get what you want? I’ll do anything to achieve my goals. I will have what I desire. Everyone must obey and follow me—be it people, power, or anything else. I won’t forgive anyone who stands in my way. Those who defy me will die.”^[1]T/L’s Note: Wow putanginang ml this, self centered asshole.

It was the epitome of arrogance. Ruth shuddered at Ail’s haughtiness, his sheer conviction that he must have everything in his grasp.

“That’s exactly why I’m leaving. You’re terrifying. I waited four years. I clung to that empty promise for four years, only to realize I was standing by your side to help you destroy my friends? If you ever thought of me as a person—if you had even once considered our time together valuable—you couldn’t have done this. Even if you couldn’t keep your promise, you shouldn’t have laid a trap for me.”

Ail responded with a cold laugh, then answered icily.

“And what are you?”

“…”

“Why should I care about your position? You’re nothing. Just trash, like so many others. You’re my dog, and I can raise or discard you as I please. But you’re not allowed to leave. A dog never abandons its master.”^[2]T\L’s Note: Can someone tell me how to slap this fictional asshole? I wanna grab this jerk by the neck and slap him hard until he realized he is inlove. lol

Ruth’s eyes quivered with shock and sadness. The resolute light in his gaze wavered, and Ail felt a twisted satisfaction coursing through him. He wanted to crush that gaze, to shatter the defiance, the contempt, the scorn directed at him.

“Did you talk about rights? Your life and death are both mine to decide. You don’t have the right to determine your fate. Your life, your death—it all belongs to me. I won’t allow someone like you to willfully think or act on your own. You are my dog. That’s the reason I’ve captured you.”

Ruth stared blankly, his voice hollow.

“That’s… it?”

“Yes.”

“You captured me… for such a petty reason?”

“I won’t tolerate my dog defying me, or even wishing for death. Until I want to kill you, until I decide to abandon you, you belong to me. You’re not allowed to think or act for yourself.”

Ail thought he had finally won. He had crushed Ruth. Overpowered him. He was certain Ruth would now be too broken to think of escaping.

But then, the trembling in Ruth’s eyes ceased. His gaze hardened, filled with a stronger anger and contempt than before. His voice, trembling with rage, sounded as though it was spilling blood.

“If I could, I’d turn back time to four years ago. I never should have saved you in that hunting ground. You would have been better off killed by those assassins. Or perhaps, I should have died instead. If I had died, at least I wouldn’t have had to face your betrayal, your contempt, and the disgust I feel for you now. My skin crawls just looking at you. Why did I save you? I regret it. I regret it endlessly. No, meeting you in the first place was my misfortune. I should never have met you. Get out of my life. Forever.”

His voice was low, his tone icy. His gaze was colder than ever, stabbing straight into Ail. Each word was weighted, deliberate, and it hit Ail like a dagger piercing his heart. The razor-sharp words tore through him, and his expression contorted with pain. Yet Ruth continued to stare directly at him, unwavering, unflinching. That gaze hurt more than any words.

It was unbearable. The pain was unbearable.

He had to get rid of him. He had to erase the existence that hurt him so much.

If Ruth was going to leave for good, it would be better to kill him. At least that way, he would never leave his side.

At least then, Ruth wouldn’t be able to utter such agonizing words.

Ail let out a strained groan, barely able to contain himself.

Ail’s hand, which had been gripping Ruth by the collar, began tightening around his throat. Both hands pressed down hard on his slender neck.

For a moment, Ruth felt genuine terror—he might actually die. His airway was being crushed, and his breath was cut off. He tried raising his hands to push Ail’s away, but as the realization hit that it was futile, he let his hands fall limp.

Ail’s eyes, locked on Ruth, were hollow and empty. The once-determined golden irises had sunk into a void, reflecting nothing but a bloodthirsty madness. They were the eyes of a wounded beast—a creature battered and tattered, clinging only to its instinct to survive.

There was no defeating someone in that state. It would be better to die. Better to die than to survive and be forced to look into those eyes again. With that thought, Ruth closed his eyes. His lungs began to ache unbearably, and choking noises escaped his lips. His consciousness started to fade, and with it, even the pain began to disappear.

Just as Ruth’s limp neck was about to be crushed further by Ail’s unrelenting grip, a knock on the door broke the silence, snapping Ail out of his haze.

“Your Highness, are you all right?” called out Meril. Startled by the sound of Rus collapsing to the floor, Meril had knocked urgently.

Only then did Ail regain his senses. He turned pale as he looked at Ruth, now limp before him.

“Ruth!”

He released his grip, and Ruth’s body crumpled to the floor. Almost immediately, Ruth began to cough violently, expelling the air that had been trapped. Ail felt a wave of relief wash over him—he wasn’t dead. Thankfully, he wasn’t dead.

But instead of offering words of concern or relief, Ail’s lips curled into a cruel declaration.

“If you think it’d be better to die… then live. Live at the side of this terrible man. I won’t let you go—not even in death. Not until I’ve had enough of you.”

At least that way, Ruth would stay by his side. That was all that mattered. Even if Ruth gave him no affection, even if he hurled curses and hatred at him, it was better than the alternative. Better than being separated, better than sending him away to a place they would never meet again. Even if Ruth spent his entire life loathing him, Ail preferred it this way.

He didn’t know why he felt this strongly. He didn’t need to know. As long as he kept Ruth by his side, by force if necessary, nothing else mattered.

Ruth, still collapsed on the floor, clutching his throat and gasping for air, didn’t even glance at Ail. And Ail knew—Ruth probably would never look at him again. Never again would he be reflected in those eyes. But that didn’t matter. He had already given up on hoping for that. Someone who shuddered at the mere sight of him could never offer anything else.

“There’s no reason for me to kill you. But you’d do well to value the lives of your younger sister and mother. We found a carriage riddled with arrows from House Kaizel. Your family tried to assassinate my betrothed. That’s treason. If you want to spare their lives, behave yourself. If you do, the marriage between Jessie and Leia will proceed as planned.”

Ruth’s body froze mid-cough. Ail knew Ruth didn’t fear for his own life, but he deeply cherished his mother and sister. If he used their safety as leverage, he could keep Ruth bound to him for now. His mind, at last, was beginning to think clearly.

Yes, this was the only way. He had no other options. This was all he knew. Ail didn’t know how to trust people, didn’t know how to plead. He had never learned such things—never thought them necessary. Threats and negotiations were the only tools he had ever relied on.

So this was the way it had to be.

Yes, there was no other choice.

Leaving his final words, Ail turned away, opened the door, and stepped out. At his appearance, Meril and the knights bowed their heads, gauging his mood with cautious glances.

“Reassign all three outer defense knight divisions to guard the northern palace,” Ail commanded coldly. “Mobilize every available unit to protect the northern palace. If Ruth Kaizel escapes, the entire knight division will be held accountable. Meril, you are to stay here and watch over Ruth.”

“…Understood,” Meril replied.