"Sometimes living is a far crueler fate than death."
With the arrival of Emperor Katzen's envoy and their crossing of the strait to Valdina, the diplomatic dance reached its conclusion.
Both Valdina and Katzen had successfully achieved their respective demands within acceptable boundaries.
The Claudio family was released from custody.
The engagement ceremony with the Fourth Princess was finalized with almost unseemly haste.
Samon had survived. Against all odds, he had escaped the executioner's blade.
He could barely suppress the triumphant laughter bubbling in his throat.
I succeeded! Peleus! Those brilliant royal siblings tried so desperately to kill me—and they failed! I won!
Soon his cousins would be beating the ground in regret, cursing themselves for letting Samon live.
He turned toward the Fourth Princess.
His future wife—foolish, cruel, yet undeniably powerful. The woman who had saved his life.
"Your Highness, thank you. You have no idea how deeply honored I am to become your husband."
He smiled as warmly as he could manage.
Though they had already revealed their true natures to one another, weren't they still destined to be wed?
Having already succeeded in crawling into the Princess's bed once, Samon was confident he could eventually melt her frozen heart.
All women are the same. If you offer them enough affection and attention, they'll eventually let down their guard and fall for you.
However, the moment Samon reached out toward her—
Crack!
"Ugh—!"
Unable to contain her fury any longer, the Princess snatched the scabbard from the knight beside her and struck Samon down with brutal force.
Samon collapsed to the floor, searing pain lancing through his lower back.
"How dare you, you miserable rat! You're not even worth the dirt beneath my toes, and yet you've ruined my entire life!"
He had been so elated to escape Valdina safely that he'd completely overlooked how the Princess had treated him during their time together.
Her eyes burned with murderous intent, as though she wanted to devour his very bones.
If I could, I would truly kill him.
The Fourth Princess barely managed to suppress the impulse rising within her as she stared down at Samon's stunned face.
"Shouldn't he at least suffer as much as you have?"
That uniquely calm voice—one that could turn a person's stomach upside down—echoed in her memory.
On the day the agreement between the two nations had been finalized, the Princess of Valdina had come to visit the Fourth Princess.
"Fourth Princess, congratulations on your engagement."
"Are you mocking me right now?!"
"Not at all. It's simply... unfortunate. A married couple shares each other's burdens and lives together. Now Your Highness will have to shoulder Samon's disgrace and notoriety as well."
The Princess of Valdina was radiant with vitality.
Unlike the Fourth Princess, who had endured countless hardships since arriving in Valdina, Medea's skin was clear, her eyes bright and overflowing with health.
As the Fourth Princess bit her lip, trying to suppress the jealousy rising in her chest, Medea continued.
"Poor thing. Her Highness the Fourth Princess has lost so much, while cousin Samon has gained everything from this engagement. His worries have transformed into blessings."
"How far will you take this mockery? Right now, I could be—" She swallowed an angry breath.
The Fourth Princess bit back her fury.
But the Princess of Valdina was right.
Though Samon had lost his reputation and his claim to succession by entangling himself in demonic dealings, he had instead gained wings.
The Emperor's edict had pressured her so severely that she'd had no choice but to accept the engagement.
Even her mother, the Empress Dowager, had sent a furious letter demanding she cease her reckless behavior.
If I kill that bastard, the Emperor will never forgive me.
The Fourth Princess felt as though she were losing her mind. No matter how much she screamed into her pillows each night, the rage building inside her refused to dissipate.
Medea spoke gently, as though reading her mind.
"Your Highness, there is no need for you to endure unconditionally. There are many ways to achieve one's goals in this world."
The Fourth Princess glared at Medea, her eyes filled with suspicion and caution.
"Ha! Do you think I don't know you're trying to get me to kill that wretch for you?"
"I won't deny that I want to rid myself of House Claudio. But then, Your Highness—are you saying you feel differently?"
The Fourth Princess could not deny Medea's question, asked with that knowing smile.
She herself might want to kill Samon even more than the Princess did.
"The Emperor of Katzen said only that Samon must remain 'alive.' He said nothing about the method."
Medea continued as though she could peer directly into the Princess's thoughts.
"The Duke's family has already fallen. Samon has been stripped of his noble status. Furthermore, he dared to use his wretched cunning to corner the Fourth Princess. Who would say anything if Your Highness chose to vent your anger... just a little?"
"..."
"Your Highness, instead of taking his life, you would only be giving him a bit of pain. Shouldn't Samon suffer at least as much as you have?"
Medea glanced meaningfully at the knights standing behind the Fourth Princess, then inclined her head respectfully.
"Your Highness is so kind-hearted, despite having both the tools and the ability to... clean up after yourself."
"..."
"It was merely a casual observation. Please don't take it too seriously. But if you do... well, consider it carefully."
After Medea departed, the Fourth Princess was left alone with her thoughts.
Her long-standing grudge against Medea blurred and faded when she stood before the true culprit—Samon.
That's right. As long as he doesn't die, isn't it acceptable?
The Emperor needed Samon's life as justification to replace the King of Valdina.
But he has no intention of actually employing House Claudio.
Of course there was no way she'd give another chance to someone with such pathetic skills and meager talent.
In that case...
"You there—bring me a whip. A wet leather one would be ideal."
"...Your Highness?"
The Princess's escort knight hesitated, uncertain.
"What are you standing around for?! Fetch it immediately! Tell the guards that Princess Angelique demands it at once!"
From that day forward, the Fourth Princess vented her fury upon Samon to her heart's content.
She had her knights hold both of Samon's arms so he couldn't resist, then beat him thoroughly from head to toe.
No one outside her inner circle knew that Samon was being subjected to such brutal violence.
"Bring holy water and heal him. My precious future husband, the little Duke Claudio, has lost consciousness."
The repeated cycle—healing Samon after he passed out from beatings, only to beat him again—was nothing short of systematic torture.
It was the same on the day of their engagement ceremony.
"Your Highness, please... forget the unfortunate events of the past and walk this path with me..."
Samon's desperate attempts to improve their relationship did not reach the Fourth Princess's heart. Instead, they only stoked her rage.
"Forget? You may easily forget this insignificant little kingdom, but what I lost was a great empire! I lost the throne because I was shackled to the likes of you!"
"Ugh!"
The Princess, consumed with fury, swung her whip wildly.
That throne—you were never meant to sit on it in the first place!
Samon hadn't realized the Fourth Princess would show him no consideration, even in front of witnesses.
But what tormented Samon more than the physical pain was the humiliation—the fact that everyone could see him being beaten like a dog by the Princess.
"..."
The Regent Duke flinched as he watched the Fourth Princess's savage violence, terrified he might be next.
Instead, it was Catherine who bravely stepped forward.
"Stop! Please—my son!"
She rushed forward and threw her arms around Samon's shoulders protectively. Then she shouted at the Princess.
"Your Highness! Samon is your husband now! How can you do this?! Is there no law in the Katzen Imperial House?!"
"The dogs are barking in a pack. Let's discipline them together."
The Fourth Princess gave the order with a cold, expressionless face.
After a brief, horrified pause, the clubs began to swing again.
"Ahhh! No! Stop—aahhh!"
Catherine was beaten alongside her son, still clinging desperately to him.
"Your Highness, there are so many eyes watching... perhaps it would be wiser to continue this later—"
Count Raju, unable to bear watching his lover suffer, tried to dissuade the Fourth Princess.
Crack!
But his courage was rewarded with a vicious slap across the face.
"Shut your mouth and get out of my way."
The Fourth Princess's voice was ice.
Victory without power is merely the prelude to suffering.
Samon had survived.
But as he lay bleeding on the floor, beaten and humiliated before the assembled witnesses, he began to understand a terrible truth.
Sometimes death is a mercy.
And sometimes survival is the cruelest punishment of all.
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