Chapter 4

Leila raised her eyebrows and, after emphasizing several times that "You need to explain this properly!" to Matthias, she left the room.

The noisy person left, and the room became quiet. He let out a long sigh, looking slightly tired. Then, he made Fiona sit on the sofa, while he sat in a chair and began to explain the current situation.

"You won't be executed. You won't be punished. This is certain."

"Really... That's amazing."

In the empire, even a minor mistake could result in punishment, and displeasing the emperor or prince could lead to execution. Fiona was often surprised when she thought, "I haven't seen that person in a while," so she was a bit shocked.

Matthias continued his explanation.

She had attacked many times but had not killed anyone.

In this country, execution is rare unless you commit pleasure killings or mass murders.

She was an enemy, but a valuable user of a sacred artifact. It was decided that it would be more beneficial to incorporate her into the country rather than punish her.

To do this, she needed to show loyalty and not betray the country.

Her magic power would be sealed, and her treatment would be discussed from there.

"If you have no lingering feelings for the empire, I would like you to become a magician in this country. You don't need to rush your decision, so take your time to think about it."

"Um, so if I want to live as a magician in this country, I have to make a curse contract with someone again, right..."

Loyalty can be easily fabricated, but a curse contract is the quickest and most reliable way to bind her. Since she was an enemy, it was certain that this would happen.

– What should I do? I don't want to be under someone's control again.

She even thought that it would be better not to live if that were the case. However, her words were firmly rejected by Matthias.

"Some suggested that, but I rejected it. For now, I'm arranging for Luke to just put on the cursed handcuffs. In fact, I've decided on that. Some may still argue, but I'll suppress them, so there's no problem."

"Suppress... So, Matthias, are you a very important person?"

Such discussions are usually held by important people. Only someone with significant power could suppress them.

"Yes, in terms of lineage, I am of high rank. Additionally, as a user of a sacred artifact, I have been given power second only to the king. So, I guess you could say I'm important."

The man in front of her was revealed to be a powerful figure, second only to the ruler of the country. She decided to change her attitude and straightened her back.

"Is that so... Should I call you Lord Matthias?"

Fiona suddenly became formal, and he frowned, showing his discomfort.

"Stop it. Look at Luke and the others. I'm not that respected."

"...That's true."

Luke's attitude didn't change whether he was dealing with Fiona or Matthias. Leila even seemed to be in a higher position.

Fiona quickly stopped being formal.

"If you don't want to live as a magician anymore, that's fine too. I'll do my best to ensure you can live freely. However, you'll need to stay in this state for a while. I'm sorry."

The man in front of her was so considerate that it was hard to believe he had such strong power. Why? She found it strange and started to laugh, covering her mouth.

Matthias softened his expression and gazed at her lovingly for a while.

"Well, do you have any wishes? Tell me anything."

"I already told you earlier."

She had taken a shower and felt refreshed. Before that, she had enjoyed a delicious meal, so her stomach was full.

She was too grateful to ask for anything more.

"That doesn't count as a wish."

"Um... Even if you say that..."

Fiona was at a loss. Honestly, she had many desires and places she wanted to go and things she wanted to do. She had lived without entertainment, so her desires were greater than most.

But as a captive, it felt awkward to express her desires openly.

"I don't have any. I'm staying in such a nice room and eating delicious food. Everyone is so kind. I'm really satisfied, so I don't have any more wishes."

It was half a lie and half the truth. She was already content without needing to ask for more.

"Alright. Then, let me ask about your food preferences."

"Huh? ...Well, I like everything. I haven't tried things I haven't eaten before."

"Do you have any dislikes?"

"No."

Fiona said firmly. But this was a lie. She thought he would prepare it if she told the truth, so she didn't want to trouble him further.

Matthias crossed his arms and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, I understand. I have some business to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Can I connect the chains?"

"Sure."

She immediately extended her hands, and he said, "Sorry," before connecting the handcuffs and chains and locking them. Then, he left the room.

"...He's such a kind person."

Alone in the room, Fiona muttered softly.

They had been enemies on the battlefield for about a year, so why was he being so kind?

He always had a frown, and his intimidating presence made her fear he would cut her in half if she let her guard down. But talking to him, he wasn't scary at all. He was just incredibly kind.

"I don't understand, but everyone here is so nice..."

She felt a warm, cozy feeling. Despite the difference in treatment from her own country, she felt as if she had experienced a lifetime's worth of kindness in just one day.

The only people who had ever been kind to her were her parents.

"Mom..."

She thought of her mother, whom she would never see again.

"Fiona, are you eating properly?"

"If you're having a hard time, tell me. I'll give the emperor a piece of my mind."

She was a bit nagging but always cared about her. She couldn't tell her the truth, as the emperor would kill her if she said anything. When she laughed it off, her mother looked a bit sad.

Her father was quiet but always smiled gently beside her mother.

"Dad..."

Tears came to her eyes as she thought of them. Her chest felt hollow, and she hugged a nearby cushion tightly.

It was a cute floral pattern with a soft, high-quality feel. It seemed like an expensive cushion.

"..."

She was hesitant to wet it with her tears, so she gently put it back.

Why was she in such a luxurious room? Her sadness faded a bit, and she hugged her knees.

After a while, to change her mood, she decided to open the window and look outside.

The window overlooked a spacious garden with rich nature, brick paths, benches, flower beds, and a gazebo. She could see magicians in deep green robes and knights in navy blue uniforms taking a break or walking around.

It seemed she was in their headquarters or a dormitory.

Looking down, she counted the windows and realized she was on the fifth floor.

A little further away, a grand white building that looked like a castle stood tall.

She leaned against the window frame, gazing outside for a while, then decided to explore the room.

Matthias had said she could use anything in the room, so she decided to check what was there.

First, she opened the drawers of the small dresser next to her.

"Wow, what's this?"

Inside the drawer was a jewelry box. When she opened it, it was filled with accessories.

...Why?

She tilted her head at the appearance of something she didn't need. But they were all shiny and beautiful, and she stared at them for a while.

Would there ever be a day when she could wear such things and go out? She held a faint hope as she gently put the drawer back.

The five-tiered chest contained clothes, enough for several days. They all looked expensive.

She thought the dress she was wearing was probably expensive too. It was simple but had an excellent feel and fit.

The bookshelf was filled with books, from specialized texts to novels and encyclopedias. There was a wide variety, and anyone could find a book to their liking.

Fiona chose a book and sat on the sofa to read. It was a heartwarming adventure story about a boy and a girl.

How much time had passed? When she looked out the window, it was getting dark. She had been engrossed in the book for quite a while.

She put the book on the table next to the sofa and stretched. Then, she heard a knock.

"Can I come in?"

A low, pleasant voice, which sounded like Matthias.

"Sure."

When she replied, it was indeed Matthias. He opened the door and pushed a large two-tiered cart inside.

"I brought dinner."

"Wow, thank you."

He immediately took a key from his pocket, took Fiona's hand, and unlocked the chain on her wrist. Then, he started placing the dishes on the square table in the center of the room.

"Um, is all this for me?"

"It's all for you."

He replied casually while placing the dishes on the table.

She was happy to have dinner, but she hadn't moved much since lunch and didn't eat much. Fiona smiled wryly.

"Um, I really appreciate it, but I can't possibly finish all of this."

"Choose what you like and eat. You can leave the rest."

"...I can't waste it like that."

"It's fine. I'll eat the leftovers."

"...What?"

With a stern face, he declared he would eat the leftovers.

Fiona thought this was a problem. It was unthinkable for someone with power second to the king to eat a captive's leftovers.

However, if no one ate the leftovers, the food would be wasted, which was also a problem. She didn't want to waste food. After some thought, she decided to ask.

"Um, I don't want to make Matthias eat leftovers. But I also don't want the food to be thrown away. So, can you eat with me... Is that okay?"

"..."

Matthias hesitated. Her slightly bashful, upward glance was irresistibly cute, and he couldn't refuse.

"...No, it's not a problem. Let's eat together."

"Great, thank you."

Fiona smiled in relief.

Matthias, blushing slightly, set forks and plates at her seat and placed the extras at his own seat.

They sat across from each other and started eating.

The table was filled with various dishes, and Fiona wondered if this was because she hadn't mentioned her food preferences.

"Hey, Matthias, I'm really happy and the food is delicious, but it feels wrong. I'm a captive, you know."

"If you're happy, that's fine. No one can complain about what I do, so there's no problem."

"There is a problem. I think it's a waste to use your power like this."

"Rejected. How I use my power is my choice. It's not a waste because I didn't have any plans to use it. It's not something that diminishes, either."

"..."

Fiona lowered her eyebrows but still put a piece of herb-roasted chicken in her mouth. She smiled as she chewed.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes. The skin is crispy, and the meat is delicious."

"Good. Eat as much as you like. You can even finish it all."

"Thank you. But it's so delicious, Matthias should eat too."

"...Alright."

He couldn't refuse when she smiled and encouraged him. Matthias decided to eat too.

"It's delicious."

"Yep."

It had been years since she had shared a meal with someone. Fiona truly enjoyed the meal with him.

They finished all the food on the table. Most of it was eaten by Matthias, and she was relieved that nothing was wasted.

"Do you take a shower at night since you took one in the afternoon?"

"Hmm... I think I'm good for today. I haven't sweated at all. But I might want to take a shower in the morning..."

She would need to have the chain removed and be accompanied by him. She felt bad about the trouble.

"You can take a shower whenever you want, morning or afternoon. So, you'll just change into pajamas tonight, right?"

"...Oh, right. I need the chain removed to change, so you'll have to come back tonight. I'll change now."

She didn't want to trouble him multiple times. Fiona took out her pajamas from the drawer and hurried to the changing room.

"You can call me whenever you need something..."

Matthias muttered, feeling a bit disappointed that he wouldn't have another reason to visit at night.