To Get Away from an Ex’s Obsession

Asralda’s body stiffened at the familiar voice.

Raphil.

Immediately, a knight called Edin forcibly lifted her body up at Raphil’s command. He took the sword to her waistband, as if he was going to tear her clothes apart.

As the knight swung his sword in the air, Asralda quickly opened her lips.

“I will undress.”

It was better than the humiliation of clothes being torn by a sword. It was also her last trick.

Asralda tried not to show that her lips were trembling and spoke casually.

“If you can’t believe me, then you have to confirm it yourself.”

Then she casually took off the pants she was wearing underneath. When the pants fell to the ground, her white legs were revealed. Asralda bit her lip and took her shirt off.

At that moment, she thought it was irreversible.

“Stop.”

Unexpectedly, Aiden stopped her.

He raised his hand with a sullen expression and said to the knights who were staring at him.

“Enough, I don’t have a hobby of seeing a man’s naked body. What’s important is that he is Oscar’s bloodline, not whether he is a son or a daughter. Stop it and take him to the knight’s table.”
“Yes? But…”

The subordinate seemed confused, but Aiden cut him off coldly as if telling him not to argue with him anymore.

“I won’t say it again. Lock him up in the knight’s table. I will take her to the emperor.”

***

“Raphil, investigate whether Oscar really has a son and report it to me.”

As Asralda was being dragged along, she heard Aiden ordering the subordinate.

‘I wonder what will happen to me now.’

Asralda crouched down in a shabby knight’s table with a straw pile and thought.

Although she didn’t know how she had survived this crisis, it was only a matter of time before she was caught. She didn’t want to repeat the same past, so she pretended to be a man, but the future ahead of her was bleak.

Normally, Asralda would have been dragged to the palace for three days and then forced to kneel in front of the imperial court, led by Aiden.

But now her gender was listed as male. If Raphil asked for information about Oscar within three days, she couldn’t even imagine what her future would be like.

At that moment, something shiny caught her eye from her tightly clenched fist.

‘A ring?’

Asralda looked at the ring that was on her finger for a moment.

Was I wearing this ring at this point?

She tried to recall her memory but nothing came up.

She quietly examined the gemstone.

In the center of the ring was a finely crafted red jewel. The small gems surrounded the red jewel like tiny grains of sand.

It looked incredibly valuable at first glance.

Asralda could never resist her father’s demands and always wore jewelry. Her jewelry box was overflowing with necklaces and earrings that she couldn’t even remember each one.

So it wouldn’t be strange if she had been wearing a ring like this when she was caught.

Asralda took the ring out as she examined it.

If she was caught wearing the ring, it would undoubtedly be taken away. In the bleak situation where she didn’t know how things would turn out, having a ring like this was a stroke of good luck.

Asralda hid the ring between her tightly wrapped breasts so as not to be caught.

Soon, dawn began to break.

***

A loud horn sounded and spread. The people of the Mimart Empire split like waves with their cheers as Aiden rode his white horse at the forefront and entered the palace.

Following him were knights and prisoners in a line. The prisoners were all emaciated because they had not been properly fed. Asralda was among them.

She couldn’t catch her breath even at that moment.

‘Raphil hasn’t asked for information yet, has he? But if he finds out and reports it all to Aiden…’

She didn’t know if Aiden would take her to the emperor’s presence just like in the past. Asralda was more afraid of that than dying.

Aiden entered the palace and appeared again after a brief ceremony with the emperor. He then ordered all the prisoners except Asralda to be locked up in the underground prison.

Asralda felt her heart drop at the command. Aiden took her to the audience hall.

“Aiden! You never fail to impress me. Every time you return, you make such great achievements. You are truly admirable.”

The emperor spoke in an emotional voice that made Asralda’s knees tremble. But she couldn’t hear it properly.

Even though I claimed to be a man, he brought me before the emperor just like in the past. Did Raphil already report to Aiden?

While Asralda was panicking, the emperor praised Aiden’s efforts for as far as he could remember. And then he asked if there was anything he wanted.

Only then did Asralda come to her senses and look at Aiden.

Next was Aiden’s turn. If it was as she remembered, he would say,

‘I was planning on finding a suitable woman for marriage anyway. Luckily, I quite like this woman’s appearance. Please give her to me.’

At that tense moment, he opened his lips.

“Give me the interest.”

Asralda’s eyes widened. No, everyone in the audience hall, including her, looked at him with surprise. The hall was filled with murmurs.

He calmly spoke without paying attention to their gazes.

“I needed a decent knight anyway. Then three days ago, I saw this guy’s boldness in front of the barracks. Even though he’s the enemy, and even an Oscar, his refusal to back down and his replies were quite interesting. I want to raise him as a well-trained knight. So please give him to me.”

The attendants whispered among themselves at his words.

Asralda, who was looking at him, let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

In a way, Asralda was lucky. She could have been executed on the spot as a man.

But she wasn’t happy at all.

No. Instead, she felt her blood run cold.

‘I just like your smiling face. That’s all.’

In the past that hadn’t yet been turned upside down, he had smiled at her in front of the barracks. Yes, he had smiled at her once, even though it was something she didn’t want to remember.

So she believed his words.

But it was all a lie.

Now that she had seen and heard it with her own eyes and ears, she felt a chill down her spine. Aiden’s persistence and meticulous planning were terrifying.

All that mattered to him was that she was Oscar’s blood.

Asralda smiled wryly and looked down at the ground. Then she looked up again and stared straight into his cold, black eyes.

I will never again fall into your hands.

Just as the emperor hesitated to speak, Asralda spoke loudly.

“Just kill me.”

At the same time, Aiden’s expression hardened.

The emperor furrowed his brow and shouted,

“What did you say?”

Asralda spoke forcefully without hesitation,

“I said that since I have no intention of becoming a knight for the enemy, just kill me.”
“That insolent brat! She was offered to spare her life, and she doesn’t even show gratitude!”

One of the attendants watching shouted as if he were outraged. At the same time, Asralda snorted.

“Gratitude?”

Then she glared fiercely at Aiden and spoke.

“It would be a shame, not a favor. Besides, why bring me here just because I have Oscar’s blood and make me a knight?”

Aiden’s expression became increasingly hostile. If it were before, her reaction would have made her heart sink. But now, it was different. It was actually satisfying.

“I have no intention of playing along in your dirty schemes, so just kill me or punish me according to Mimart’s laws.”

Her request to be killed was sincere. The first time is difficult, but is the second time any easier?

An aide standing beside the emperor spoke with a face full of insult,

“Just kill her, Your Majesty! He’s not just anyone, he’s Oscar’s blood! And look at his insolent attitude! It’s only right to take him to trial and execute him according to Mimart’s laws!”

The emperor also agreed with a worried face.

“Aiden, this Emperor agrees with what he said. Does it have to be that guy? There are plenty of excellent knights. If you just need a skilled knight, I can find and appoint someone who is more than capable, even if I have to search the entire country.”

However, Aiden did not back down.

“I don’t need someone who is just skilled. As I said, I was impressed by his boldness.”

At his words, the emperor looked very troubled.

“What should we do then?”
“Please give me ten days.”
“Ten days?”

Aiden said,

“I will train him within that time.”