Late at night, in the lord's study of Tei Fortress, candlelight flickered against the portraits of past rulers, casting long, oppressive shadows across the walls.
Gray stood by the window, his brow tightly furrowed, his voice lowered.
"Mother, Loya hasn't been acting right lately. He actually confronted Kiki because of that skinny girl. I'm worried… he may have developed feelings for Megrie that he shouldn't."
Nata sat in a high-backed leather chair, elegantly trimming her nails. The smile on her face was as flawless—and as cold—as carved ice.
"Loya is still young. It's only natural for him to be drawn to that sudden 'strength' of hers. But that doesn't matter."
She set the scissors aside and pulled out a letter sealed with deep blue wax, pressing it lightly onto the desk.
"Because Megrie won't be appearing before him much longer."
Gray paused, then stepped forward to examine the crest on the letter—a pearl encircled by waves.
"This is… the emblem of Oshen Fortress in the east?"
"Exactly." Nata's eyes gleamed with calculation. "Oshen Fortress is the most prosperous of the five cities. They live off the sea—pearls and seafood trade have made them obscenely wealthy. Their lord, Odo, has long wanted to marry a woman of pure noble blood to elevate his family's standing."
Gray frowned. "Lord Odo? If I remember correctly… he's old enough to be Megrie's father."
"And?" Nata let out a soft, cold laugh, her finger gliding over the letter. "I sent him a portrait of Megrie from when she was sixteen—full-figured, radiant, exactly to his taste. He was very pleased. The gold coins and pearl jewelry he sent in return have already filled my treasury."
She tilted her head slightly, her voice turning almost amused.
"To him, Megrie isn't a person. She's the most dazzling piece in his display collection."
Gray stared at the letter, an image rising in his mind—the current Megrie: pale, gaunt, yet with eyes that burned unnervingly bright.
"…But Mother," he hesitated, "Megrie now is nothing like that portrait. She's skin and bones. If Odo sees her on the wedding day and realizes we deceived him…"
"Deceived?"
Nata lowered her nail scissors gracefully and let out a quiet scoff, her gaze glinting under the candlelight.
"Gray, you're still too inexperienced."
She rose slowly and walked toward the chests of jewels sent from Odo, scooping up a handful of pearls and letting them slip through her fingers.
"I've already explained everything in my reply. I told Lord Odo that my stepdaughter Megrie was deeply devoted to her father. After his death, she mourned day and night, grieving herself into illness. That is why she has grown thin."
Her lips curved faintly.
"I told him that Megrie is a filial and affectionate girl. Once she leaves this place of sorrow and marries into the prosperous Oshen Fortress—once she breathes in the sea air and lives surrounded by affection—her spirits will lift, and her figure will naturally fill out again."
She paused, then added softly,
"And when that happens… she will be even more beautiful than in the portrait."
A chill ran down Gray's spine.
His mother's plan didn't just cover up the abuse—it reframed it, turning Odo into a "rescuer." That old man would believe that by taking Megrie in and restoring her, he would gain the perfect bride.
Gray hesitated again.
"And if Megrie resists… or tries to run?"
"She won't have the chance."
From her sleeve, Nata produced a small porcelain vial. Inside, liquid shifted faintly with each movement.
"This is a rare drug I acquired from the central Valter Fortress. One drop is enough to send her into a deep sleep. By the time she wakes up, she'll already be on a ship bound for Oshen."
Gray stared at the vial, thoughtful.
This world was bound together by five great fortresses:
In the north, Galens Fortress raised livestock and provided furs.
In the west, Zarr Fortress produced ores and gemstones.
In the south, Tei Fortress was the granary.
And at the center, Valter Fortress served as the hub where all goods were traded.
Megrie—once the most precious daughter of this fertile land—had now become nothing more than an "export commodity" in Nata's hands, exchanged for eastern wealth.
"When this deal is complete," Nata continued, turning toward the window and gazing over the darkened territory, "Tei's grain supply will be permanently tied to Oshen's pearl trade. At that point, our house will become the true core of all five cities."
She smiled faintly.
"As for Megrie… let her rot slowly in that golden cage by the sea."
Gray fell silent. Though Megrie had recently begun to seem different—mysterious, even defiant—he could not imagine a frail girl overturning a plan this meticulous.
Outside the study, hidden in the shadows, a figure stood pressed tightly against the wall.
Loya.
His fingers had gone cold.
Every word he heard was like a dull blade, carving into his chest again and again.
He had always believed—
No matter how cruel his mother's methods were, at least they were driven by hatred.
At least it was for revenge.
Gray had told him their real father had been driven to his death by the city lord.
But Loya had seen that man with his own eyes.
He had not been a tyrant. If anything, he had been kind.
And now, listening to the conversation inside the study, Loya felt sick.
Why treat a girl like this?
She is, at least in name… family.
A thing to be used.
To be traded.
To be discarded.
Loya clenched his jaw, a violent surge of disgust and anger rising in his chest.
For the first time, he understood clearly—
If he did nothing, Megrie's life would be completely crushed within this transaction.
The night deepened.
And in a place no one noticed—
Loya made his decision.
He was going to help Megrie escape.