Chapter 43 – May we never et again!
Sora just stood there, eyes wide, staring at Kaden like he was sothing unreal.
"What... what do you an?" she asked, trying to keep her tone composed, like none of this mattered, like she didn’t care—like she didn’t know exactly what he was referring to.
But Kaden wasn’t fooled.
He had already seen her first reaction, and even before that, he had felt it—sothing in the way she held herself, sothing about her rhythm. A hunch, maybe. But a strong one.
And Kaden was good with hunches.
Because soone like Sora—a princess from a powerhouse like the Celestial Empire, born under pressure, raised in greatness, shackled by the weight of legacy—soone like that didn’t have ti for silly things like singing.
No. That didn’t fit.
Unless...
Unless it was a secret.
Unless it was sothing she had to hide.
It would’ve been just a stretch—if Kaden hadn’t read about the Celestial Empire. About their pride. Their belief that only they carried true justice. That their ways were the only ways. That their image, their narrative, was absolute.
So a princess?
Singing?
No way.
It wasn’t just unlikely. It was forbidden.
And the mont he pieced that together, the rest clicked into place.
So he did what he had to do.
He used it.
Killing her? Torturing her?
No.
He didn’t have the power—or the stomach—for that.
But blackmail?
Blackmail was fair ga. Definitely.
"You choose, Princess," Kaden said, voice low and sharp. "Either you help ... or all of Fokay finds out about your little performance. And trust —at least one of those guards will spill it."
Sora’s eyes trembled for a mont—but just as quickly, they hardened again.
"I could kill them," she said, voice suddenly cold, sovereign. "They’re my guards. My subordinates. If I want, they’ll die. Even their families."
A chill ran through the room—not from mana, but from sheer imperial arrogance.
’So much for a family screaming justice across the heavens...’ Kaden sneered inwardly.
But he didn’t doubt her. Not for a second.
He knew she could.
But could she get away with it?
"Would you really do that?" Kaden asked, eyes narrowing. "Sure, you could kill them all. But what happens after? How do you explain it to your family?"
"You know them better than I do."
Sora fell silent.
Because he was right.
Her family wouldn’t accept it. They had an image to protect. Reputations to uphold. They wouldn’t let it slide—not even for her.
If she acted recklessly, they’d investigate.
And if they found out what really happened... the one thing she cherished in this prison of golden walls—her singing—would be stripped away.
And that?
That, she could never accept.
’I can’t... I won’t let them take it from ,’ Sora thought, jaw clenched, fists shaking.
Then, with gritted teeth and fire in her eyes, she looked up at Kaden.
"I accept. I’ll change the destination for you."
The mont the words left her mouth, Kaden moved.
She was still bound, unable to walk properly, so he didn’t waste ti—he carried her.
Sora’s eyes snapped open. "You—! What are you doing?! Don’t touch with your filthy hands, you bastard!"
Her voice rose, almost shouting.
Kaden’s heart jumped out of his chest. He slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Are you fucking insane? You want to get caught now? We’re this close!"
He glared at her.
"I swear, if I get found out, I don’t care if I die—I’ll make sure everyone down there sees that little performance of yours. Got it?"
Sora’s eyes glinted, but she went quiet.
Her voice silenced, but her rage flared even brighter.
"Don’t. Touch. ," she hissed when he pulled his hand away, each word burning with emphasis.
Kaden didn’t respond.
As long as she didn’t scream, he didn’t care what she said.
And Sora noticed.
He wasn’t afraid of her title.
He wasn’t kneeling. Wasn’t playing along.
And that—that was new.
Unsettling.
Unforgivable.
People didn’t act like this around her. No one ever had. They either feared her, worshipped her, or stayed the hell out of her way.
Kaden did none of the three.
It should’ve felt intriguing. Novel.
But instead, it felt like disrespect.
She hated it.
She was a princess. An Asterion. A symbol of divine order.
How could soone—anyone—treat her like this?
Before that frustration could grow into sothing worse, Kaden placed her gently down in front of the teleportation portal.
He crouched, removed the bindings around her mana.
Not before speaking one last ti.
"Don’t do anything stupid," he warned.
Then, with a mock-elegant gesture, pointed toward the portal.
"Please, Princess. Go on."
Sora said nothing.
Her face was locked in fury, but she moved. She reached out toward the rune formation with tense fingers.
It was a simple setup. Not a high rune—just a directional gate. Sothing even basic mana manipulation could alter.
She began her work.
Kaden stood behind her, silent.
"Make it far enough from the capital," he said quietly.
Sora didn’t respond. Didn’t even glance at him.
She just worked.
And Kaden didn’t care. So long as she was fast.
And she was.
Within monts, the portal began to glow.
Her fingers trembled slightly. A thin sheen of sweat coated her brow.
It was done.
And then—Kaden grabbed her and threw her onto the bed.
"AHH—!"
Sora’s scream echoed, sharp with surprise.
And just like that—footsteps.
Rushing. Loud. Guards.
’FUCK.’
Kaden cursed.
He had been so focused on the finish line, so close to escaping, that he forgot he was still neck-deep in danger.
No ti to hesitate.
He poured mana into the portal. The runes flared to life.
His body began to fade.
Before he vanished, he turned one last ti toward Sora—who stared at him with a fury so pure, so intense, that for a second, Kaden thought she might actually lunge and bite him.
He smirked.
Pulled out the recording artifact.
Held it up for her to see.
"One word about ... and you know what happens."
"Take care, Princess. Might we never et again."
And just like that—
He was gone.
Leaving behind a fuming, stunned, humiliated Sora.
"Princess!! Princess Sora! Is everything okay?" the guards called out, voices trembling with concern.
Sora didn’t respond.
Not yet.
And just when they were about to force their way in—
"I’m fine. I just tripped and fell."
A ridiculous excuse.
But she was the princess. No one dared question her.
Except one.
Rael.
One of the guards paused, sniffed the air.
The sll... blood. The sll of death.
His eyes narrowed.
"I beg your pardon, Princess... but I must confirm it myself."
And without waiting—he burst through the door.
And what he found?
Sora. Sitting there. Staring at him like he had just broken the laws of the gods themselves.
That was the last straw.
The temperature in the room skyrocketed.
Her eyes glowed like miniature suns.
"For entering my room without permission..."
"...you will be imprisoned in the Eternal Coldmoon Dungeon for one month."
Rael’s face went pale. Shocked. Speechless.
"Princess—!"
"One more word and it’ll be two," she snapped.
Silence followed.
None of them dared speak again.
They didn’t understand why she was so furious.
They didn’t know the truth.
They didn’t know the cri that had just been committed inside this golden cage.
Because for a girl who had never been challenged, never blackmailed, never even touched—
This was unbearable.
Kaden might have won that little ga.
But now?
Now Sora had her eyes on him.
She might not know his na. She might not know his face.
But she rembered his eyes.
And that would be enough.
’I hope you enjoy the place I sent you,’ Sora thought coldly. ’Because it won’t be forever. I’ll find you. And I’ll make you regret it.’
This was only the beginning.
...
Sowhere far behind, back where it all started—Ro woke up.
Groggy. Light-headed.
He sat up and found a small piece of paper folded neatly beside him.
"Take the healing potion. Go retrieve your armor. Act like nothing happened."
A ssage from Kaden.
Ro chuckled weakly then downed the potion.
Then stood up.
He had no intention of betraying soone like that.
Nope.
Kaden was still young—but the way he moved, the way he thought, the way he survived?
He could beco sothing terrifying.
How did Ro know he escaped?
Because no alarms rang. No sirens. No signal of death.
Silence ant success.
And the more he thought about it...
The more he respected it.
"Naless, huh..." he muttered as he walked.
Then, with a crooked grin...
"Well... I’d have gone with Bloodborn."
Truly, kids’s naming sense are bad these days.
—End of Chapter 43—
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