A Prince Without a Bride

After brief silence Tommy asked his uncle

"Uncle, what should we do now?"

The words sounded heavy.

Gone was the arrogance Tommy carried when he first arrived at the Drake Empire’s borders. The proud prince who had demanded Harry kneel earlier now looked pale beneath the pressure filling the air.

Even breathing felt difficult.

Leon stood quietly in the distance, saying nothing, yet the invisible sword intent surrounding him pressed against everyone like a mountain hanging above their heads.

Tommy’s back was already soaked with cold sweat.

At this moment, it was already impressive that he could remain standing without collapsing to his knees.

His fingers trembled slightly beneath his sleeves.

His mind was in chaos.

The marriage alliance had failed.

Completely failed.

And not only failed—it had collapsed in the most humiliating way possible.

Once he returned to the Blue Empire, the entire imperial court would laugh at him.

No...

Perhaps the entire empire would laugh at him.

Tommy slowly lowered his head, his expression dark and bitter.

As the second prince, his standing in the palace had never been stable to begin with. Countless eyes watched him constantly, waiting for him to make a mistake.

And now?

He had crossed thousands of miles with a grand procession to marry the royal princess of the Drake Empire, only to discover upon arrival that the princess had already become the student of a terrifying Celestis Academy expert.

This incident alone was enough to turn him into a joke.

The corners of Tommy’s mouth twitched bitterly.

He looked toward Leon again.

That calm figure in midnight robes seemed untouchable.

Like an immortal sword standing between heaven and earth.

Tommy silently sighed.

Against someone like this...

What could he even do?

The Prince of Blue Empire looked deeply at Leon in the distance before finally sighing heavily.

"Sigh... Nephew," he said quietly, "there’s only one path left."

Tommy immediately raised his head.

The hopelessness in his eyes flickered slightly.

"I hope Uncle can guide me."

His voice carried unwillingness, frustration... and desperation.

The Prince of Blue Empire remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Give up on the original marriage partner—the royal princess—and choose another girl to marry."

"What..."

Tommy’s eyes widened instantly.

The words struck him harder than a slap across the face.

His chest tightened violently.

"Uncle..." Tommy’s voice became unstable. "How is that possible? The Drake Empire only has one royal princess arranged for this alliance. Who else can I marry?"

The Prince of Blue Empire sighed deeply.

The old man suddenly looked far older than before.

"The royal princess is gone," he said helplessly. "But the Drake Empire still has many noble households."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"The daughters of dukes and counts may not possess the same status as a true imperial princess, but in their respective territories, they are still regarded as princesses by countless people."

"We can choose one among them."

Tommy froze completely.

His face became uglier and uglier.

Before coming here, he had already secretly reviewed information regarding nearly every notable daughter within the Drake Empire’s major noble households.

Dukes.

Counts.

Marquises.

He had seen portraits of all of them.

Some were beautiful.

Some elegant.

Some talented.

But none of them truly caught his eye.

The only one he genuinely wanted—

Was Rias.

The red-haired royal princess whose beauty and temperament stood above everyone else.

Even during his first glance at her portrait months ago, Tommy had already decided in his heart that he must bring her back to the Blue Empire.

He thought this journey would end gloriously.

He imagined returning home with the Drake Empire’s princess at his side while the imperial court praised him endlessly.

But now...

Everything had shattered.

Not only could he not marry Rias—

He was being told to settle for someone else instead.

Tommy’s jaw tightened violently.

His fingernails dug into his palms until they almost drew blood.

Unwilling.

Humiliated.

Angry.

Every emotion mixed together inside him like boiling poison.

Yet he could do nothing.

Because Leon stood there.

That single figure alone was enough to crush all his resistance.

Tommy lowered his head slightly.

The flames nearby crackled softly, reflecting across his darkened eyes.

In the end, he clenched his fists silently.

His expression became extremely ugly.

The Prince of Blue Empire noticed Tommy’s unwillingness and sighed inwardly.

"Nephew," he said in a gentler tone, "if you want to achieve great things, you must learn how to endure."

Tommy remained silent.

The Prince of Blue Empire slowly continued,

"I know you feel humiliated."

"I know you’re unwilling."

"But right now... this is the only path left."

His gaze subtly swept toward Leon before lowering again.

No matter how unwilling they were, they simply could not afford to offend Celestis Academy.

Not for this.

Not over a marriage alliance.

Especially not against someone like Leon.

The Prince of Blue Empire had already sensed it clearly.

This man—

Would truly kill people.

And once Leon acted, the Blue Empire might not even dare seek revenge afterward.

That was the terrifying reality of ancient orthodoxies.

The old man continued patiently,

"In any case, outsiders do not know the identity of your original marriage partner."

"Only our imperial household knows."

"As long as we successfully bring another noble daughter back to the Blue Empire, most people will never discover what happened here."

Tommy’s eyes flickered slightly.

The Prince of Blue Empire leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"At the very least... the Blue Empire’s dignity can still be preserved."

He paused.

Then his expression darkened slightly.

"Otherwise, once news spreads that the Drake Empire’s royal princess refused to marry you publicly..."

His voice trailed off.

But Tommy understood immediately.

His face turned even paler.

The humiliation would become impossible to hide.

The Blue Empire would lose face before countless kingdoms and powerful sects throughout the Forsaken Domain.

And he—

Would become the center of ridicule.

The Prince of Blue Empire slowly exhaled.

"We cannot allow others to think the Drake Empire humiliated you openly."

"So we endure."

"We retreat one step today... so we can preserve the empire’s dignity tomorrow."

Tommy stood there silently for a long time.

The surrounding atmosphere remained heavy.

Nearby, Harry secretly watched the exchange while trying very hard not to reveal the satisfaction in his heart.

Earlier, Tommy had acted overwhelmingly arrogant.

Now seeing him forced into such a miserable situation felt strangely refreshing.

Still...

Harry carefully glanced toward Leon.

His heart remained filled with awe.

Just a few words from Leon alone had completely overturned the marriage alliance between two empires.

That kind of authority...

That kind of pressure...

Harry could barely imagine it.

Meanwhile, Kai quietly observed everything from the side.

His blue eyes flickered thoughtfully.

He understood clearly what the Prince of Blue Empire was trying to do.

Preserve face.

That was all.

If they returned empty-handed, rumors would spread uncontrollably.

But if Tommy married another noble daughter instead, outsiders would simply assume the marriage partner had changed midway.

The Drake Empire and Blue Empire could both maintain dignity on the surface.

Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.

However...

Would the Drake Empire’s noble households willingly agree?

That was another matter entirely.

The wind swept across the burning wasteland again.

Ash danced through the air.

For a brief moment, nobody spoke.

Only the sound of fire echoed softly beneath the darkening sky.

And in the center of it all—

Leon stood calmly in silence, like an immortal sword suppressing the entire world.