My Ruin to You - Chapter 72

In truth, bringing the women and children along wasn’t entirely bad either. If His Highness was so possessive about sharing her magic, this might still be better than leaving only men behind. It would make warning the overseer more difficult, but if she went through the pregnant woman, there was still a chance. Even after leaving the city, the woman would eventually reunite with her husband—who would be with the overseer—so they might still cross paths.

“What a dilemma. I don’t intend to take any of them.”

His teasing voice shattered her racing thoughts. Roseline, who had been staring blankly at the snow while lost in contemplation, blinked and turned to him in confusion.

“……What?”

“And of course, no other unit will take them in either.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because I don’t feel like granting what you wish for.”

It was absurd. By all rights, such words should have sounded childish—but whether it was the man’s refined features or his elegant tone, they carried the weight of an imperial decree. It took her a slow blink to realize his pettiness. The problem was, a single word from His Highness could strike like thunder. The survivors, forced to overhear, stood frozen, their faces pale, not daring to interrupt.

“Let’s go.”

While Roseline hesitated, Valen clicked his tongue and addressed the guild master. The man reluctantly bowed—a silent acknowledgment of the order.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Please, spare us!”

The survivors’ pleas echoed until the guild master silenced them with a sharp rebuke. Do you mean to wake the infected? Must I cut out your tongues to shut them? Only stifled sobs remained.

“Miss, please—at least take the child! I beg you…!”

The pregnant woman pushed Rudy forward. Sensing the adults’ tension, the boy’s lips trembled. Roseline studied the woman’s gaunt face, the bony hands gripping the child’s shoulders, the tears welling in Rudy’s eyes—then stepped squarely in front of Valen.

“Before you are the Grand Duke of the Duchy, you are a member of the Imperial Family. You have a duty to care for the Empire’s people—though it’s hardly my place to speak out of turn…”

His tilted head, raised brow, and the way his tongue pressed against his cheek scattered her righteous indignation like dust. Behind Valen, the knights shook their heads frantically, as if warning her. Valen himself seemed closer to laughter than anger—not that Roseline noticed.

“Roseline.”

“……Yes, Your Highness.”

“If I fulfill this duty, what will you give me in return?”

“Must I give something simply because Your Highness does what’s right?”

“Then I’ll pass.”

He turned away as if it meant nothing. She nearly screamed. In seconds, she’d darted around to block his path again.

“Why are you like this? They’re Imperial citizens, even if not your subjects. Show them mercy. Please?”

“Have you forgotten? I’ve already spent a lifetime’s worth of mercy on you.”

“Then I’ll share some of the boundless mercy you’ve shown me with them.”

Valen let out an incredulous laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His sharp eyes narrowed as he studied Roseline’s pleading expression in meticulous detail before clicking his tongue in disapproval.

“Had you not manifested as an Awakener, you might’ve made quite the priestess.”

It was an elegant rebuke—implying she couldn’t even take care of herself yet still stuck her nose where it didn’t belong.

“A blessing, really. We couldn’t very well let a priestess go hungry.”

With a sharp tug, he pulled her close, his whisper ghosting over her ear. By the time the heat from his breath spread to her cheeks, Roseline was already shoving him away, scrubbing at her ear as if trying to erase the sensation.

“Though the idea isn’t without its merits.”

His gaze raked over her, slow and deliberate, leaving little to the imagination about exactly what he was picturing. The irony was bitter. Here they stood, with survivors hanging between life and death, begging for imperial mercy—while the man who should be granting it wasted time on vulgar teasing, like some common rogue.

What a fine state the realm is in.

“If Your Highness refuses to take them in… then I’ll stay behind with them.”