Chapter 2

According to Matthias, Fiona had been lying in bed for a whole day since she collapsed.

While drinking the water handed to her by Luke, she began to feel hungry. Although she felt a bit embarrassed to say it, she wondered if she could get some food and thought about it with her eyes half-closed.

"Can you eat something?"

"Food..."

Her stomach, which had just been craving the very thing she needed, growled, announcing her hunger. She felt a little embarrassed, but only a little, so she didn't let it bother her.

"...It seems you're hungry. I've already prepared something for you to eat as soon as you wake up, but if you don't feel well, I can bring you something lighter."

"Well, I feel fine, so I can eat anything. Thank you, Matthias."

Fiona leaned forward, her eyes shining.

"...I'll go get it, then."

With that, Matthias immediately left the room.

"Wow, I didn't expect Matthias to make such a face."

"...?"

Fiona didn't understand what kind of face he had made. Since he had turned around and left immediately after she thanked him, she hadn't seen his expression.

"Hey, Luke. Why am I in such a nice room even though I'm a prisoner? Is the day of my execution already set?"

"Haha, what do you mean by execution? We're not going to do that."

"Why not?"

"Why not... You haven't asked Matthias yet, have you? You should ask him later."

Luke folded his arms behind his head and laughed.

Not being executed. She couldn't believe it. She was from the enemy country, after all.

She had attacked this country many times, though she hadn't taken any lives, but she had done many terrible things.

She had heard that the king of this country was a pacifist who disliked conflict, but would he really not execute her, an enemy? Or would he do it secretly?

Here, she felt that she would be allowed to live like a human until the moment of her death, and she hoped that they would let her die painlessly and comfortably. She wanted to go peacefully, at least at the end.

She had been treated like a tool for years, and the past few months had been particularly terrible.

"By the way, I was surprised when you suddenly collapsed during the battle. Did something happen? Was it because of Matthias?"

"Well, it wasn't because of Matthias, but maybe a little. I was so sleepy. I thought I was almost home and could sleep, but then Matthias came, and I gave up."

"Huh!? What do you mean?"

Fiona was at a loss for what to say. It was the truth, so there was nothing she could do about it.

She explained that she had been working without sleep for a long time, being overworked by the prince, and being called out to fight even in the middle of the night.

"Wow, the prince of the empire is an idiot. The way he treats a valuable artifact user is terrible. It's no wonder you were taken away and captured."

"Yeah, I feel the same way. I think the prince is an idiot and deserves it."

Losing a useful and convenient pawn, he must be regretting it now. Thinking about it made Fiona feel warm inside.

She muttered "Stupid prince, you deserve it. I hate you" in her heart multiple times.

It was a happy feeling to be able to mutter freely without the pain from the curse mark.

While chatting with Luke, Matthias returned with the food.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, not at all. Thank you."

Matthias placed the tray with the food on the table next to the bed. On the tray were bread, soup, a stew of meat and vegetables, and fruit. Steam was rising from the soup and the stew.

"If you need more, just let me know, and I'll bring it."

Fiona, however, didn't hear his words. She was staring at the food, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Wow, white bread... The vegetables in the soup are so clear... When was the last time I had proper meat and fruit... Thank you."

Muttering to herself, she split the bread in half. It broke easily, and steam rose.

Amazing, she thought, as she tore off a small piece and put it in her mouth.

It was the first soft bread she had had in a long time. Her jaw didn't get tired, and she could swallow it easily. Fiona felt a warm feeling inside.

Matthias watched her with a puzzled expression.

"What's going on? You're the empire's top magician, aren't you? Didn't you have a high position and receive a good salary? From what you're saying, it sounds like you weren't even given enough food."

While chewing and swallowing, Fiona narrowed her eyes and asked, "Salary? What's that?" She had never seen such a thing.

"I've never received a salary. I lived in a corner of the palace, and my basic needs were provided, but that was it. But for the past year and a half, my meals have been mostly soup made from scraps and hard, stale bread. There was enough quantity, so I wasn't hungry, but..."

She put another small piece of bread in her mouth. It was slightly sweet and fragrant, and she could eat it endlessly.

"Huh!? What do you mean? Why were you treated like that?"

While chewing and swallowing, she lowered her eyebrows and explained.

"I think it's because I refused to be the prince's bed partner. From the next day, my meals became noticeably worse."

She scooped up some of the golden soup with a spoon and took a sip. It was delicious, and her mouth relaxed. It was the first time in a long time that she had tasted a soup with the flavor of meat and vegetables.

"I see. Do you have anyone in the empire who you feel close to?"

"No, I don't. If I had time to fall in love, I would have slept."

Matthias showed a visibly relieved expression, but she didn't notice because she was focused on the melting piece of meat in the stew.

To avoid interrupting her meal, Matthias and Luke decided not to talk for a while.

During this time, Luke told Matthias about the circumstances of her collapse.

The two of them watched as Fiona ate each bite slowly and savoringly.

They watched her until she finished the fruit, drank water, and let out a contented sigh.

"Thank you for the meal. It was really delicious."

"Did you get enough? I can bring you more if you want."

"Thank you, Matthias. I'm full, so it's okay. ...By the way, I want to thank the person who removed my curse mark. Is it possible?"

She asked hesitantly. Since she was tied up and couldn't move, she couldn't thank the person unless they came to visit. But she felt embarrassed to ask them to come.

As she was thinking this, Luke raised his right hand next to his face.

"If you're talking about the curse mark, it was me. I, a curse mark specialist, removed it. Of course, the woman who changed your clothes found it, so I didn't check your entire body. I only saw the area where the curse mark was when I removed it."

He grinned and made a peace sign with his raised hand.

"Thank you, Luke. I'm so relieved to be free from that prince. I can now freely mutter about him without the pain."

"Huh? What do you mean? What kind of effect did that curse mark have?"

Fiona began to explain the curse mark.

The curse mark on her abdomen had the power to make her absolutely obedient to her master. If she disobeyed an order, she would lose her life. It not only controlled her actions but also her thoughts, forbidding her from speaking or even thinking ill of her master. The curse would activate with a strong pain, and the curse thorns would invade her body.

"I was so tired of the pain that would come just from muttering in my head. So, thank you."

"Hmm... It's too harsh that it would activate just from having rebellious thoughts. To directly engrave such a powerful curse on the body, the people of the empire are really the worst."

Luke frowned.

"However, it's impressive that you refused to be the prince's bed partner despite the curse. Did you not have the curse at that time?"

"No, I did. But I thought I would rather die than be with that person. Being with him was worse than death."

"I see..."

Matthias frowned, unsure whether to be happy or not.

"The prince withdrew his demands, so you narrowly escaped death."

"Of course, he wouldn't lose a valuable artifact user just because his desires weren't met."

"Yeah, if not, I would have died a long time ago."

Fiona looked at her wrists, which were now bound with silver shackles. Originally, there should have been a golden bracelet, an artifact, on her wrists.

Seeing this, Matthias approached her.

"I'm sorry. The chains weren't necessary."

He took a key from his pocket, gently took her hand, and unlocked the shackles with a click.

Fiona touched her suddenly free wrists and tilted her head.

"Do I not need to be tied up?"

"Not now. As long as either Luke or I are nearby, it's fine. We can handle it if you try to do something inappropriate."

"Right. That bracelet not only seals your magic but also instantly neutralizes any action you try to take. Keep that in mind."

"Okay, I understand."

She nodded and took a sip of water, then shivered.

"By the way, can I go to the bathroom freely?"

"Of course. It's through that brown door over there."

"Thank you."

Fiona slowly stood up and went into the room through the door Matthias pointed to.

"..."

When Fiona left the room, the two of them sighed deeply at the same time without any prior agreement.

"What's with that girl? She's really pitiful."

"Yeah, I thought she was carrying some kind of burden, but I didn't expect her to be treated like that..."

"The empire is really stupid. What do they think an artifact user is?"

An artifact user, who is rare enough to be found in only one or two in a country, should be treated with respect. In some countries, they hold power equivalent to that of a king.

"I need to tell the king. From what I've heard, she doesn't seem to have any loyalty to the empire."

"She really hates the prince. She calls him an idiot and a scumbag."

Luke laughed.

Matthias also smiled slightly. He was genuinely relieved that she had refused the prince and that she had no love interest.

He had intended to bring her here even if she hadn't collapsed in front of him.