After Princess Winona Green abandons me at the border's military camp for five years, she finally remembers my existence and decides to bring me home.

When a dozen or so carriages that are laden with wedding gifts arrive at the military camp, Winona's expression is filled with unbridled smugness.

"I did tell you that once I gave birth to Shane's child, I'd marry you, Gideon. See? I didn't lie to you at all. Today, I've personally come to the border just to pick you up."

Then, Winona approaches me haughtily.

"Shane might be a musician, but I've already sired the oldest child with him. It's only reasonable for him to be made an equal consort, just like you, the son of an official."

I merely frown without saying anything. All I do is look at Winona.

She lets out a sigh before walking toward me again.

"I know that you've been hopelessly waiting for me for the past five years, Gideon. That's why I traveled all the way to this barren wasteland just to prove my sincerity to you. In half a month, we shall get married."

The sight of Winona immersed in her own fantasy of fake devotion makes me chuckle coldly.

"Seize them!"

How dare Winona make me, the general of the border, fight with a mere musician over her affections!

Does she really think that my blade is just a decoration?

[Gideon's POV]

Winona Green let out a cold laugh. The guard at her side stepped in to block my adjutant, Tom Brown. Meanwhile, she stood there with her arms crossed, her tone mocking.

"Gideon, it's been five years, and you're still as hot-headed as ever. Looks like marrying Shane first was absolutely the right decision. If you'd gotten me before he did, where would he fit in? You'd have bullied him to no end."

Her smile faded a little, and her tone turned serious. "Why can't you learn from Shane? How are you supposed to please me as my spouse with a temper like yours? I know you're upset about being demoted from prince consort to equal consort, but you're both just as important to me. You don't need to bully him to compete for my favor."

Years of brutal warfare had turned my heart to stone, so even hearing something this vile didn't stir anything in me.

"Hah. I suppose you're certain that I can't live without you, Your Highness. For your information, men don't need to cling to power and titles. They can carve out their place in this world as long as they stand on their own two feet," I said.

Winona blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. "Stand on your own? That's ridiculous. Everyone in this border city knows we've been promised to each other since we were children. Other than me, which noble woman would ever want you?

"On top of that, you're a convicted criminal who's been exiled to the front lines. Even if you do have some skill, would any commander dare to promote you?"

"You know exactly why I was exiled," I said icily.

Winona's expression turned a little self-conscious.

Indeed, she and I had had a promise to marry since childhood. Growing up, she'd sworn more than once that she would marry no one but me in this life.

But on our wedding day, just as I was about to leave for her estate to bring her home as my bride, I was stopped at my own gate by a squad of officials and soldiers who had come to seize our property. My entire family was forced to kneel in the main hall while they slapped a fabricated corruption charge on my parents.

There was nowhere to appeal because the person who had "testified" against my father… was Winona herself. My parents died of grief, innocent to their last breath. All of our relatives were thrown into prison. And I, implicated by blood, was exiled to the frontier and reduced to the lowest, most expendable grunt.

It was half a year later when I received a letter from Winona. The words on the paper were shameless beyond belief.

"Shane was originally a Horindean musician. His family fell on hard times, and he fled to Arva. As a noble county princess, how could I watch him die? I was worried you would never be able to get along with him as equals because your family's rank was too high. That's why I had no choice but to frame your parents.

"Now that you and he are both commoners, you can treat each other like brothers. Once I have a legitimate heir with him, I'll marry you again."

I bawled my eyes out and screamed myself hoarse that night. That was also when I bit through my own fingertip and wrote a letter in blood, breaking off our engagement.

After that, I threw myself into battle like a madman, charging the front lines again and again, trading my life for the enemies'.

It wasn't just for military merit. I also wanted to die so I could see my parents again. But somehow, my ferocity and ruthlessness reached the empress' ears.

"Gideon, drop the act," Winona said. She pointed at the paperweight on my desk, a smug smile playing on her lips. "It's been years, and you're still keeping the gift I gave you. You wouldn't have done that if you weren't still in love with me and yearning for me."

[Gideon's POV]

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Of course I'd kept the paperweight—it was a constant reminder that Winona still owed me a blood debt.

If the empress weren't coming to inspect the city tomorrow and had banned all blades in advance, my first instinct would've been to cut Winona down the moment I saw her.

At my silence, Winona assumed she'd hit the mark. She smiled to herself, looking smug and satisfied. "You're only being so harsh because you're mad I haven't visited you in five years, but I know you still think about me and love me. I bet you can't wait to crawl into my bed tonight.

"I'm beautiful enough to bring kingdoms to their knees and practically a goddess in the flesh, yet I still ended up in your hands. You really are blessed, Gideon."

"Get out!" I snapped, my voice cracking like a whip. I shoved her straight out of my tent.

"That armor looks surprisingly good on you," she said. Her smile turned playful, almost teasing. "If you really miss me that badly, I can give you the chance to share my bed tonight."

My gaze turned cold as I watched her saunter off with her guards, completely unbothered. I turned to Tom and said, "If she dares to come here again, deal with her under military law. It doesn't matter if she lives or dies."

…

That night, I sent my most trusted officers out to keep a close watch on the movements of the Horindean forces. I had to make sure nothing would go wrong during the empress' city inspection.

Only a few newly reassigned sentries were left standing guard outside my tent.

When Winona arrived with Shane in tow, I was in the middle of reviewing the border defense map. She let out a smug little laugh, wearing a look that practically said, "I knew it."

"Gideon, you left your lamp burning late to lure me here in the middle of the night. Is it because you're trying to cozy up to me?" She sighed in mock helplessness. "You really don't have to scheme this hard. Since I've already agreed to marry you, I won't go back on my word."

I ignored her. That probably made her feel embarrassed, because her tone turned sharp and impatient. "Gideon! Enough with this act. You were so cold to me in the day, yet here you are, leaving a light on late into the night to draw me in.

"It's all because you want my body, right? You think that once you've had me and the deed is done, you can use that to lock down my heart."

My stomach lurched, and I nearly gagged from disgust. I was just about to call for someone to drag her out when I remembered I'd already sent all my confidants out.

"You're the princess of a county, yet your brain is filled with nothing but filth. You must be sick in the head," I said, sneering. Then, in an ice-cold voice, I snapped, "Get out!"

"How dare you!" Winona's face flushed red, and her chest heaved with rage. "I was kind enough to bring Shane to meet you, yet you don't appreciate it at all. You two will be the people I rely on most in the future. Aren't you going to give your brother-in-arms a proper greeting?"

She wanted me, a border general, to give a musician from an enemy nation a proper greeting?

How absurd!

When I didn't move, Shane Lodge strolled forward, bringing a five-year-old boy with him. He drawled, "So you're Gideon? You really do have a fine face."

His gaze, carrying a faint, vicious edge, swept over me. "No wonder Her Highness loses sleep over you."

As he spoke, he stepped closer, reaching out to clap a hand on my shoulder.

I caught a glimpse of a blade hidden up his sleeve. On instinct, I pulled back. Before I could do anything else, Shane dropped to the ground ahead of me with a thud.

He cried out in pain and looked up at me. "Gideon, if you don't like me, I can just leave Her Highness. But why draw a knife on me and cut my hand?"

Winona's face turned pale. She hurried to cradle his injured hand, then lifted his head to glare at me, her eyes blazing with rage. "How dare you, Gideon! I'll have your head if Shane's hand is ruined!"

I let out a cold laugh and didn't bother answering.

The young boy suddenly burst into loud sobs and rushed over, pummeling my leg with his fists. "You nasty man! You stole my mother and hurt my father! I'll beat you to death! Just die already!"

"Enough of this!" I flung him aside.

[Gideon's POV]

The boy dropped to the ground as his father had and rolled around, screaming and wailing. He shouted that I wanted to smash him to death.

Winona's face twisted with heartache as she pulled them both into her arms. She glared at me and hissed, "You monster! How dare you hurt my husband and child to my face! If I were to make someone as brutal and cruel as you my consort, will you even let them live? Guards!"

Her voice turned ice-cold as she summoned her guards. "Gideon Ward, a slave branded a criminal, has defied his betters. Drag him out and give him a hundred strokes of the military cane."

The guards were just about to move when Shane spoke up gently. "Gideon is in full armor and might suffer internal damage if he's beaten in it. In my opinion, he should be stripped of his armor and shirt before the punishment is administered."

The guards hesitated and looked at Winona. Without armor, a hundred heavy blows from the military crane could smash even stone to pieces.

She merely gave a cold little laugh. "If it'll please Shane and our son, then it shall be done. Beat Gideon!"

In her eyes, Shane was soft-hearted and kind. Even if he himself suffered, he wouldn't truly hurt me.

I barked, "I am the border-defense general personally appointed by Her Majesty! Who dares lay a hand on me?"

Winona let out a derisive snort and grabbed one of the sentries by the arm. "He claims he's a general. Have you ever seen him before?"

The sentry flinched and sneaked a terrified glance at my blood-streaked face. Then, seeing Winona in her exquisite silk robes, he ultimately shook his head and said shakily, "N-No, Your Highness. I haven't…"

The other guards followed his lead, ducking their heads to avoid my gaze.

"Did you hear that, Gideon?" Winona grabbed my jaw. "Even your own soldiers don't recognize their so-called commander. Who exactly are you putting on this act for?"

At her command, the guards surged toward me and began yanking at my clothes. As I struggled, a terrible weakness flooded my limbs, as if I'd been dosed with a sedative.

I forced myself to stay calm. Shane had to be behind this. No wonder the maid who'd brought the tea earlier was a new face.

Soon, my armor was stripped, leaving me in only a thin dark-green undershirt. The guards didn't stop there, though. They kept tugging and tearing at what little I had left, their faces twisted with malice.

A tidal wave of humiliation crashed over me. Rage coursed through me as I looked at Winona. "Enough! Winona, I'll accept the punishment. Just call them off."

All I got in return was the cold, contemptuous look in her eyes. The next second, the heavy military cane slammed across my back.

Pain exploded through me, and my vision went dark at the edges. I opened my mouth to suck in a breath, but Shane seized the cane from the guard and brought it down viciously on the back of my head.

"That's enough!" Winona's icy expression finally cracked.

But Shane's second blow had already fallen, this time squarely on an old wound on my back. My organs felt like they were being torn apart. The old injury flared so violently that I coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot.

"Stop!" Winona cried.

Her face was pale as she rushed over and grabbed hold of me. "I just want you to admit that you were wrong. Once we're married, you can't bully Shane and our son anymore. Don't put me in an impossible position."

I spat up more blood and gave a hoarse, mocking laugh. "Your Highness, have you forgotten that I broke off the engagement five years ago? There's no chance of anything happening between you and me. Not now, not ever."

Winona finally lost her patience when she saw how unyielding I remained. She snapped, "How dare you! Don't think that you can act all high and mighty just because you have my favor, Gideon.

"I know you're only speaking in anger, but I'll start taking you seriously if I keep hearing this kind of nonsense." She stared hard at my face, as if trying to judge whether I meant every single word.

"Is Gideon being so heartless because he's fallen in love with someone else? Does he think Her Highness' household isn't good enough for him?" Shane suddenly piped up in a low voice, lacing it with exaggerated innocence and curiosity.

Then, as if realizing he'd said too much, he hastily clapped a hand over his mouth. "I was just wondering out loud. Ever since Her Majesty took the throne, there's been an increase in female commanders in the army. And Gideon is so handsome…"