It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 53

From his position midair, Achilles saw a pillar of fire rise from the village entrance. He immediately knew it had to be the work of one of the Tower’s mages.

Eliza had previously reported suspicious movement in the forest—figures traveling back and forth—so it made sense that they would’ve followed them all the way to the village.

Something’s off…

The young man who’d arrived at the fortress hadn’t mentioned any mages helping in the village. Knowing Eliza and his subordinates, they wouldn’t have stood by if they saw the village under attack. They would’ve intervened.

Did they miss each other?

His instincts told him something wasn’t right. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it—there were far too many monsters. Eliza’s team was skilled, but even they couldn’t handle this alone.

Unease creeping in, Achilles decided to finish things quickly and return to the fortress.

He sped toward the rising flames.

The horde of Rafinas hadn’t yet breached the village thanks to the wall of fire—but they were already flanking the sides, searching for a way around.

Achilles lifted his hand.

An eerie blue glow bloomed beneath the ground at the fire’s edge, stretching outward like veins. The light seeped into the earth—and then, suddenly, exploded upward in molten red.

Lava burst through the ground, scorching the air. The terrain, frozen from the Rafinas’ icy breath, cracked violently before shattering—misty steam rising from where ice and lava clashed.

The creatures screamed.

The ones caught in the molten radius writhed, their bodies engulfed in fire. More tried to smother the blaze with their breath, but from the lava emerged something else.

Snakes—serpents of fire.

They slithered, coiled, and sprang from the earth, devouring the Rafinas whole. They came from all sides, impossible to avoid.

KREEEEEK!! SKRAAAAAAH!!

The air rang with Rafinas’ screeches. Their numbers plummeted—hundreds dwindling by the second.

“…Ha…”

On the rooftop, Eliza and the others watched, stunned. Their mana nearly spent, their bodies shaking from exhaustion—and yet they couldn’t help but smile in disbelief.

So this… is why we fear him.

Of the three, Eliza was the only one with mana left. Still dazed, he stared blankly at Achilles’s display—then his eyes widened in panic.

Oh no.

They had meant to alert Achilles about the attack on the princess. But in the chaos of the Rafina horde, they’d completely forgotten.

Now, though, the battle was nearly over. Less than five minutes had passed.

Only a fraction of the Rafinas remained—and they were too injured to fight.

“Ma—Master Achilles!”

Eliza called out, keeping a cautious distance. Even now, he was too afraid to approach.

“The fortress! The princess—she’s under attack!”

He braced for the wrath, thinking Achilles would grab him by the collar at the very least.

But Achilles didn’t even hesitate.

The moment he saw the urgency on Eliza’s face, he vanished—teleporting instantly toward the fortress.

The molten trap still held, but with Achilles gone, its energy was starting to fade. A few creatures might survive—but no more than a few dozen. That was a manageable number.

It’s not over yet. The princess must be safe…

Eliza clenched his fists and gathered his remaining power. The two other mages on the rooftop were forcing themselves to their feet.

They still had a job to do.

They knew two mages had stayed behind to watch over the princess—so her life wouldn’t be in immediate danger. But even if she survived with a single scratch…

Achilles wouldn’t let it go.

At the moment the automatons sealed the doors of the manor, Charlize was racing down from the second floor.

Her breath was ragged from running nonstop. The servants who had made it inside looked as though they might cry when they saw her arrive with the remaining automatons.

“Your Highness!!”

“Princess!”

People rushed toward her, but Charlize held up her hand, voice calm despite the fear in her eyes.

“Forget fighting. Think about escape. The only safe place is the east tower—do you agree, Steward?”

Baron-Jun nodded firmly.

There was a storage cellar beneath the manor, but it lacked the reinforced structure of the tower. The tower had solid iron doors and latches on every floor—much better for defense.

“Her Highness is correct,” Baron-Jun said. He turned to the staff to give further instructions—

CRASH!!

The front door, already weakened, finally gave way. It shattered into dozens of pieces and collapsed to the floor.

The last of the knight-type automatons at the rear turned around to face the intruders. Three more automatons stationed by the princess promptly leapt from the staircase and joined it at the front.

Lewein clicked his tongue as he watched the machines draw their weapons.

“So… there were more of the Tower Master’s toys here as well. Princess Charlize, I’ll be brief. If you agree to come with us quietly, no one else will be harmed.”

At his words, everyone in the hall went deathly still and turned to the princess—everyone except the steward.

With a desperate voice, the steward shouted:

“Your Highness! Don’t listen to him! If they had any intention of letting us live, they wouldn’t have killed the traitor, Sir Dave!”

Several of the smarter ones immediately turned pale, some closing their eyes tightly. Even if the princess might survive, they likely wouldn’t.

“They mean to kill us all! And furthermore…”

The steward thought of the emperor on the battlefield—how ruthless he had been.

“Even if we survived and Her Highness were lost, we would not escape His Majesty’s wrath.”

It was true that the emperor had always prioritized Oscar over Charlize. But that didn’t mean he didn’t love his daughter. Even if he were lenient, the empress would show no mercy. And Oscar… Oscar wouldn’t stop her. He likely felt the same.

And then there was the Tower Master.

Charlize didn’t know Achilles’s heart entirely—but she knew this much: his kindness was hers alone. No one else could expect mercy from him.

Absolutely not…

She clenched her fists.

I mustn’t be captured or harmed. If I am, Achilles, my parents, even Oscar… they’ll kill every single one of them.

That wasn’t a guess. That was certainty.

Among the staff and soldiers, some who had secretly hoped the princess would surrender quietly began to panic.

Then what are we supposed to do?!

They had signed up to work here for good pay—not to die for the princess. And they assumed others felt the same way.

But as they glanced around nervously, they were startled by the hardened expressions around them. Even if no one said it aloud, they all knew the truth: if Charlize died or was taken, the entire village would likely be razed.

Charlize, who had planned to buy time until Achilles returned, now noticed Lewein’s suspiciously calm expression—and her own face hardened.

He’s buying time, too.

The only structure defensible after a breach was the eastern tower. It appeared Lewein knew the layout of the fortress well.

Charlize scanned the knights with sharp eyes. About a third of them were missing from view.

They’re surrounding the manor. He’s preparing for a siege—and to intercept Achilles. That monster attack in the village… it was part of their trap, wasn’t it?

Thankfully, the new wave of knight-type automatons Achilles had summoned were far stronger than the maid-types deployed earlier. And the enemy wouldn’t know that. They saw only machines—they wouldn’t realize the difference in power.

There was a secret passage in the manor, but it was located in the second-floor library. Given how far the intruders had already advanced, there was no chance everyone could escape that way.

Charlize could—alone—but not the others.

“Charlize. If your nanny or a childhood friend were taken hostage… if they told you to flee alone, what would you do?”

It was a question asked of her long ago. And young Charlize’s answer had been obvious. She had always known she was a princess. That she had value as a hostage. That even if captured, she likely wouldn’t be killed.

The emperor had shaken his head.

“As a princess, you must escape. Leave them behind. If you’re killed, it could start a war. And if you’re taken alive, I’ll have no choice but to prepare for war—or agree to some devastating deal just to get you back.”

“Do you understand what that means?”

She had understood with her head—but not her heart.

Now, standing here in this moment, she remembered that lesson. Her heart wavered.

She wanted to save them all.

Maybe this is why I could never be emperor.

A ruler had to decide who lived and who died.

In a perfect world, one powerful person could save everyone. But this wasn’t that world. No matter how skilled someone was, they couldn’t see every outcome. And even if they could, they couldn’t control everything.

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