"Beneath the mask lies a warrior who bows to no empire."
The body beneath the armor revealed sharp ribs and a lean frame. A chiseled jawline. Beautiful lips curved into a perfect, dangerous smile.
It was a physique arresting enough to make onlookers pause in admiration.
The people at the banquet thought once more: if not for the burns scarring half his face, this man would have been celebrated across the entire continent.
Of course, he was already famous—in other ways.
'Did they say his name was Acares?'
Jared recognized the white mask immediately.
This was the Façade mercenary who had made him uncomfortable earlier—the one who'd spoken of how formidable the princess's maid was.
'Huh. What's his problem? He doesn't even look that strong. Why all the fuss?'
Jared had fallen out of favor with the Emperor due to the First Prince's machinations and had been barred from participating in the Continental War.
Yet when he'd heard that this mercenary had been active on the battlefield, an irrational sense of superiority had bloomed within him.
Jared stared at the white-masked mercenary, his dark eyes glinting with malice.
The Fourth Princess was equally taken aback.
Why is Façade suddenly interfering in a confrontation between Katzen and Valdina?
"Wait—you threw that blade by mistake, didn't you? Façade has no stake in this matter."
The princess did not want Façade's involvement.
She glanced at Gallo as if seeking clarification, but he had nothing to offer.
Gallo was seething internally.
'Do you fools have any idea? The Katzen delegation is swarming like vultures, and you—Fourth Princess—don't even realize what a cursed decision it is to let our lord step forward wearing that half-mask!'
But since he couldn't voice it aloud, Gallo merely shrugged and nodded.
"He's a mercenary who doesn't take orders. If he wants to fight, there's nothing I can do to stop him."
"Nonsense!"
The Fourth Princess's voice was sharp. She had to win this match.
"This is a matter between Valdina and Katzen. How dare a foreign mercenary try to intervene!"
Hadn't the maid said this mercenary was terrifyingly strong? Jared couldn't afford to lose.
"Ahaha, Your Highness—'foreigners'? We're simply stateless arms dealers."
When Gallo added fuel to the fire with his retort, Cesare chuckled softly.
His attention, however, was not directed at the Fourth Princess—but at Jared.
"I wonder... is Princess Katzen afraid her hand-picked champion will lose to me?"
"You—!"
Jared's face twisted at the Fourth Princess's inability to deny the insinuation.
Does the princess truly believe I cannot defeat a lowly mercenary?
"A dead man speaks as though his mouth hasn't learned its place."
"You usually say such things over a corpse."
Jared could hear the rhythm—almost musical—in the rich voice flowing from beneath the white mask.
"Oh, you wouldn't know—you've never actually been on a battlefield, have you?"
Jared's face darkened, demonic with rage.
"If you step forward on behalf of the princess, no one will be able to compensate for your dog's death. Still—will you fight me?"
*Smirk.*
The mercenary's lips curved upward once more.
"Your tongue is long, General."
This bastard—!
There was nothing more to say. Jared lunged forward.
"Come forward, dog of Façade!"
Jared, having fallen for Cesare's provocation, gestured aggressively.
"Jared!"
The Fourth Princess approached to stop him but recoiled at the venom in his glare.
"Fourth Princess, I am the one fighting on Your Highness's behalf. You should let me choose my opponent."
There was an implicit threat: if she interfered, she would be sidelined.
There was no one stronger than Jared in this delegation.
When Jared refused to yield, the Fourth Princess glared at him with barely suppressed fury.
"You insisted on this, so you must win."
"I'll tear off even an arm if I must. Trust me."
Ever since hearing that this mercenary had been active in the Continental War—assisting the First Prince, whom he despised—Jared had hated the very sight of him.
He figured he'd take this opportunity to slaughter the man and make an example of the arrogant Façade.
When his confidence solidified, the Fourth Princess finally felt reassured.
After all, wasn't Jared one of the finest ten-star knights on the continent? His skill was no fabrication.
The Fourth Princess smiled faintly and murmured low enough for only Jared to hear.
"Don't stop at just one arm. I don't care if you use your secret weapon."
Jared paused—then grinned.
"Then I suppose I'll need to change my blade. But the opponent is Façade. Can you handle the consequences?"
"That girl will have to deal with it herself."
If the mercenary fighting on the princess's behalf died, relations between Valdina and Façade would sour considerably.
"Jason desires your loyalty. If you win today, I will take you under my wing."
The princess laughed cruelly.
"Wouldn't I be a better patron than some old, worn-out rope? It's time to remind the Emperor what he's forgotten."
Jared chuckled darkly.
He was thoroughly satisfied with the situation—both the princess and the Grand Duke wanted him.
All he needed to do was tear off that white mask.
Jared's eyes filled with cruel anticipation.
Before long, preparations were complete for the rematch.
One combatant was a ten-star general from Katzen. The other, a mercenary leader from Façade.
Since both were infamous and formidable, the crowd could not easily predict who would emerge victorious.
Cesare, clad in his armor, met the princess's gaze as she observed him.
Her green eyes remained calm—utterly unfazed by his sudden intervention. It was clear he had disrupted whatever plans she had carefully prepared.
Yet he couldn't read her thoughts at all. Her expression was like a placid surface that swallowed even the waves.
'Does she doubt I can handle a mere ten-star opponent?'
Unbidden, a memory surfaced—of wanting to see those surprised eyes looking up at him again, the way they had when he'd put the Hydra to sleep.
The princess walked toward him. Her footsteps halted directly in front of Cesare.
"Acares."
The name of the white half-mask slipped from her pale lips.
"You stand here in my stead, so for now, I may think of you as my knight."
Her voice rang out clearly.
The princess herself tied a lime-colored handkerchief around Cesare's right arm.
Façade's emblem was obscured, replaced by the Valdina coat of arms embroidered upon the handkerchief.
*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.*
The princess, her hair bound tightly, tapped his arm four times—so subtly no one else would notice.
When Cesare looked down at her as if questioning the gesture, she pressed her ring finger once more against a phrase embroidered on the handkerchief.
"..."
"Please take care of yourself."
When the princess stepped back as though her task was complete, Cesare bowed deeply.
"I will bring you victory, Princess."
He kissed the knot of the handkerchief tied around his arm.
It was an astonishingly reverent gesture from a mercenary accustomed to rolling through battlefields.
Exclamations of admiration burst forth at the sight—the image of a gallant knight and a noble lady bestowing her favor upon him.
"Ha. How generous you are with a wild dog."
Jared glared at the handkerchief tied around Cesare's arm as though he wished to devour it.
Seeing the princess he coveted show affection toward some insignificant Façade mercenary made his blood boil.
Jared swept his hand over his sword.
The blade—changed just before the duel per the princess's orders—had been coated with deadly poison. This colorless, odorless toxin had eliminated Jared's competitors over the years and made him what he was today.
"You will regret ever crossing me."
He hurled the dark provocation forward—but received only a mocking smile in return.
The rematch began.
Jared's skill was no fabrication.
As if to showcase the power of a ten-star knight, he unleashed a barrage of threatening strikes. A gray-brown aura overflowed from his blade.
But Cesare evaded each strike by a hair's breadth.
"Dog of Façade, if you don't want your head severed, release your Auror."
"Not necessary."
Cesare shrugged, making no attempt to hide his intention—he would have no problem dealing with Jared without employing an Auror.
Jared, treated like an inferior opponent, ground his teeth in humiliation.
"Fine. Then I'll match your terms. Don't make excuses afterward."
Though he withdrew his gray aura, Jared's killing intent only intensified.
Scattered bursts of dark energy pressed down on Cesare from all sides, as if seeking to crush him.
The golden eyes beneath the mask tracked Jared's movements as though enjoying a game—just as Medea had done earlier.
'Why four?'
He searched for the meaning behind the signal the princess had left.
He didn't believe she simply wanted to showcase his skill or merely defeat Jared.
"What are you doing, Jared? Hurry up and finish this!"
The Fourth Princess grew anxious and shouted.
The exchange seemed evenly matched. The narrow margin of each strike looked almost as though Jared were holding back deliberately.
'You think I don't want to finish this?!'
Jared panted, his eyes bloodshot with frustration.
Though he'd been confident he would slaughter the white mask within twenty exchanges, Jared hadn't managed to sever even a thread of his opponent's clothing—even after twice that number.
At that moment—
The mercenary's blade exploded toward Jared.
---