I felt puzzled.
If he treats me like this, why is he so loyal? Didn’t Noah, over there, rush to me the moment he thought of Loxidian?
“What’s with that unpleasant look?”
“……No, I was just thinking that you have good luck with people?”
At that, Loxidian let out a scoff.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his expression had shifted into a cold, almost mocking smile.
“Maybe so. Though it seems I have no luck with family.”
……If he’s saying that right in front of me, his own sister, is he talking about me?
I listened to him with a complicated expression.
Come to think of it, the word “family” naturally brought other thoughts to mind.
Wait, regardless of everything, this man and I are siblings, right? And even if he is a tyrant, he is the Emperor of a country.
‘……He must have a lot of money, right?’
I snapped my head up.
“I want to ask just one thing.”
“What? What is it?”
“Are you rich?”
“…….”
Perhaps unable to grasp the meaning of my question, his handsome face crumpled slightly.
Honestly, ever since I saw my fiancé’s face, I thought I wouldn’t feel a spark for any other handsome man, but this guy was an exception.
He flaunted his good looks as if to prove he wasn’t the male lead for nothing.
Furthermore, unlike my fiancé, who looked like he was sculpted by a god, Loxidian’s beauty was raw and rugged—a different kind of handsome.
“My arrival stopped your madness, didn’t it?”
“So?”
“Since it stopped because I came, pay me for it.”
Now that I’d stopped his madness, he seemed perfect as someone to borrow money from.
Having established the formula ‘Tyrant = must have lots of money,’ I grinned.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“What?”
“If anything, you should be paying me, since you made me look embarrassed in front of my subordinates.”
I was dumbfounded. And subordinates? Who saw?
“What are you talking about? Who saw?”
“Him.”
“Ah.”
Loxidian pointed at Noah, and my gaze followed his toward Noah.
Suddenly thrust into the center of our attention, Noah wore a momentarily troubled expression.
“You saw it last time, too. Why are you saying that now?”
“It’s embarrassing. Looking like that!”
“That’s harsh! I save a drowning man, and you’re asking for a receipt!”
Is he a thug? Are you a thug? When I grew agitated and my voice rose, the tyrant glared at me.
I shrunk back a little and softened my eyes.
The truth is, even though I was given the means—the necklace—the moment he held his sword to me was still vivid in my mind.
“If you’re going to be like this, I don’t need your help in the future.”
Once the tyrant declared this, I had nothing left to say.
But I was already desperate for ways to raise funds, and I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
I argued that I had saved a person’s life, and asked if he was really going to be this petty when I’d saved his precious subordinate.
Absurdly, none of this worked on him.
‘……Is he a tyrant not just because of his violence or madness, but because he’s incapable of communication?’
Instead, Noah stared at me with a sorry look.
I finally gave up on arguing and changed my strategy.
‘Clearly, he doesn’t hate me.’
The standard for “hate” here is the attitude my fiancé shows me.
At the very least, he didn’t seem to look at me or despise me with the raw, genuine disdain my fiancé does.
“Fine. I’ll give up on getting paid. But if I give up, can you do me one favor?”
For the first time, curiosity clouded Loxidian’s face, which had been stubbornly obstinate until now.
“What is it?”
“Lend me some money.”
Loxidian paused.
The face looking at me twisted slightly, and an inscrutable glint passed through his eyes.
My brother tilted his head.
“Money? What are you talking about? Go get it from your grandfather, who has plenty of it.”
“……He’s your maternal grandfather, too, isn’t he?”
My brother let out a sharp, cold laugh.
“I don’t have a maternal grandfather.”
“…….”
“I have no need for a man who would throw away his own grandson if it served his ends, a man who would stab you in the back.”
The words weren’t a whine; they were delivered in a voice cold, firm, and absolute.
Realizing I had stepped on a landmine, I clamped my mouth shut and rolled my eyes.
*I knew the relationship between the tyrant and Duke Alzbeit was toxic, but it’s far worse than I imagined.*
Is it because they represent the warring pillars of the Empire—the Imperial faction and the Aristocratic faction—or is it something deeper? Looking at my brother’s face, it was clear he didn’t view the man as family at all.
“What, did you cause another scene and get your funds frozen at Alzbeit?”
Loxidian’s eyes settled on me, brimming with pity. He had clearly misunderstood, assuming I was strapped for cash because I’d acted out once again.
“Even if I did give you money, you’d only waste it.”
“On what?”
“Luxuries you’d never pay back. I’m not falling for that again.”
“I’ve never borrowed a cent from you, so where is this coming from?”
“Last time your allowance was cut, you seduced a high priest, extorted his coin, and ran. Do you remember who had to clean up that mess for the Imperial family?”
“…….”
That was unfair. That wasn’t me. But as long as I possessed this body, I had to swallow the protest and stay silent.
*He’s incredibly stubborn.*
Regardless, the goal of suppressing his madness—the very reason Noah brought me here—had been achieved. I considered turning around and leaving, but……
“You need to be sent somewhere where you’ll learn the value of a coin. As it happens, the Child family is the most suitable of all the marriage proposals. You should go there.”
*If my grandfather finds out I lied, he’ll just drag me into a new, lucrative engagement.*
That would be a death sentence. The memory of my grandfather’s cold ultimatum echoed in my mind, and my feet remained rooted to the floor.
Regrettably, this brother in front of me was the only rope I had left to hold onto.
“Then, what if I provide collateral?”
I reached for the necklace around my neck.
“I’ll give you this as collateral. Just lend me the money.”
Loxidian’s expression stiffened. The playful, mocking glint that had lingered in his eyes vanished entirely. He stared at me with the intensity of a man who had suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.
“Did you kill someone?”
“No?”
“Well, it’s not as if there’s anything the Alzbeits couldn’t bury, regardless of how many lives you took.”
“I didn’t kill anyone.”
He lived up to his reputation as a tyrant, his mind jumping instantly to such gruesome extremes. I shook the necklace slightly in my palm.
“So, will you lend it to me? Isn’t this tool absolutely necessary for you?”
“…….”
I unclasped the necklace and dangled it in the air. Loxidian, watching me closely, gestured to his side.
“Noah. Catch that.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And try using it, just as she does.”
Noah muttered the keyword, his expression grave, but Loxidian remained unchanged.
*I suspected as much. It must only respond to me, just as it did in Charlize’s memories.*
Loxidian didn’t look disappointed; he had clearly anticipated this result. I took the necklace back from Noah.
“Why give it back? Even if it isn’t Noah, you could hold it yourself and shout the word. Though I suppose I don’t know if it would work.”
“Even if I held that necklace, do you think I’d be lucid enough to see it when my madness flares?”
That was a fair point. Madness of that caliber stripped away all reason.
“Then leave it with Noah. He’s your adjutant.”
“Do you think I’d trust someone else with this? After seeing for yourself that only you can use it, you come out with such a moronic suggestion? Are you actually an idiot?”
“Why is your tone so aggressive?”
“You try running an empire. See how long you stay calm with this constant rage bubbling beneath your skin.”
I was speechless. I never imagined words of such common sense would escape Loxidian’s lips.
Perhaps because of what I’d just heard, his face seemed weary.
Even so, the moment passed, and Loxidian returned to mocking my suggestions as idiocy. My frustration surged.
After refusing my repeated requests, Loxidian brushed his hair back with a sharp movement.
“Don’t you know the saying that you shouldn’t have financial dealings with family?”
The question I had been poised to ask died on my lips.
His earlier insistence that the Duke of Alzbeit was not family echoed in my mind, leaving my feelings a tangled mess.
It was utterly absurd.
“So, you did think of me as family, after all?”
“……Fine. Since you insist on putting it that way.”
I straightened my posture. Determined to see this through to the end, I bowed my head deeply.
The room fell silent.
“Please. I really need the money right now.”
Allowing my engagement to wither away like this would be nothing short of suicide.
I didn’t regret helping the flood victims, but I certainly didn’t intend to die for it, either.
“Please, lend it to me.”
“……What do you need it for?”
“It’s a secret.”
I answered guardedly, fearing what the tyrant might think if he knew the true reason. When no reply came, I quickly added,
“If you need me to tell you in order to secure the loan, I will.”
“No. Never mind.”
Loxidian broke the brief silence.
“I’ll lend it to you.”
My head snapped up.
“However, there is a condition.”
“……What condition?”
It wasn’t a very magnanimous offer, but grateful for even this, I schooled my expression.
Loxidian spread his fingers.
As he did, he curled his ruggedly handsome face into a fierce, predatory smile.
“Abandon Alzbeit and become royalty.”
“……Huh?”
I blinked. It was a condition I hadn’t even remotely considered.