أكيد، هذه الترجمة كاملة إلى الإنجليزية، مع الحفاظ على المعنى والأحداث والحوار دون تغيير المقصود:
Rin began breathing rapidly.
His heart was pounding hard.
He suddenly stood up, trying to move away…
Trying to escape from the truth he had just heard.
But because he could not see… he crashed into the table.
Then the wall.
Then he stumbled over the carpet.
Sera shouted,
"Rin! Watch out!"
But Rin heard nothing…
His mind was screaming only one thing:
Haru… an emperor?
He tried to move farther away…
But his foot slipped, and he fell hard onto the floor.
Haru rushed toward him.
"Rin! Slow down!"
He extended his hand to help Rin up, but Rin pushed his hand away, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Rin was still on the ground, breathing with difficulty, and his shock had not yet faded.
Sera approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Rin… get up, please."
He raised his head slightly…
But his eyes did not turn toward her.
They did not meet hers.
They moved without focus… without purpose.
Sera thought he was simply confused.
But Haru…
noticed something else.
He slowly approached, knelt in front of him, and said in a low voice,
"Rin… look at me."
Rin did not move.
Haru repeated,
"Rin… I'm right in front of you."
But Rin's eyes remained fixed in another direction… as if the voice were coming from somewhere he could not locate.
Sera furrowed her brows.
"Rin… why aren't you looking at Haru?"
Rin opened his mouth, but he could not find the words.
Haru slowly raised his hand and waved it in front of Rin's face… very close to his eyes.
Rin did not blink.
He did not move.
He did not recoil.
Sera gasped softly.
"Rin…?
Can't you see Haru's hand?"
Rin swallowed with difficulty, and his voice came out weak and broken:
"I don't know… where… you are."
Haru froze.
Sera placed a hand over her chest, her heart sinking.
She moved closer and held Rin's face between her hands.
"Rin… look at me. I'm here… right in front of you."
But his eyes…
did not move toward the sound of her voice.
They searched the emptiness…
as if they were looking for a light that did not exist.
Haru whispered, his voice trembling for the first time:
"Sera… Sera…
He isn't following the voice…
or the movement…"
Sera shook her head forcefully, refusing to accept the idea.
"No… no, that's impossible… Rin isn't—"
But Rin interrupted her in a faint voice, as if confessing to a crime:
"Sera… I…
I can't see."
The words fell into the room like a thunderbolt.
Sera covered her mouth with her hand, tears bursting from her eyes against her will.
Haru closed his eyes, as if he had been struck in the chest.
Rin slowly lowered his head…
His chest trembled with every breath, as if the words he wanted to say were too heavy to speak.
Then he whispered in a broken voice, but one filled with longing:
"Sera… I've missed you.
How have you been?
Have you… grown a lot since the last time I saw you?"
Sera could not stop her tears.
She smiled despite her crying and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Do you think I've become an old woman, Rin?"
Rin let out a small laugh…
A laugh her heart recognized before her ears did.
A laugh she had not heard in many long years.
"That's the laugh I love…
Don't cry again, Sera."
The two fell silent.
There was no sound anymore except their uneven breathing.
Rin was still sitting on the floor, his breathing unstable, and his shock had not yet subsided.
Haru slowly approached him, his voice carrying a mixture of concern and astonishment.
"Rin… what about me?
Didn't you miss me?"
Rin raised his head slightly…
But his eyes did not turn toward Haru.
He did not answer him.
He did not even try.
Instead…
he turned toward Sera, and his voice came out weak and exhausted:
"Sera…
Take me to… somewhere else.
Not here… not now."
Sera looked at Haru for a moment, searching his eyes for an objection…
But Haru remained silent, stunned by Rin's disregard for him.
Sera nodded.
"All right… come with me."
She extended her hand toward him, and he slowly reached for it, as if afraid of touching something he could not see.
She helped him stand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to support him.
Haru remained standing where he was, silently watching them…
His eyes followed Rin's unsteady steps, and his chest tightened without understanding why.
Sera said to the guards,
"Prepare the carriage.
We are going to the Eastern Palace."
The guards exchanged glances.
The Eastern Palace…
Sera walked slowly, supporting Rin with all her strength.
Rin remained silent…
as if trying to escape from everything around him.
Haru stood at the entrance of the room, watching them as they walked away.
He said nothing.
He did not ask Rin to stay.
He did not repeat his question.
He simply…
looked at his brother's back and felt something heavy settle in his chest.
The carriage arrived at the Eastern Palace—Sera's second palace.
Sera kept it only for special circumstances…
and she had never expected this day to be one of them.
She helped Rin out and led him inside.
The room was spacious and quiet, with dim lighting.
She sat him on the bed, then sat in front of him, holding his hand between hers.
Rin whispered,
"Thank you… Sera."
Sera smiled despite her tears.
"I'm here… and I won't leave you."
She whispered in a trembling voice,
"Rin… what did they do to you, my brother?
Sydmon… believe me, I will make them pay."
Rin raised his head slightly, as if trying to calm her despite his weakness.
He slowly shook his head, his voice faint but firm:
"No… don't even try.
I don't want you to get involved with them… do you understand?"
Sera gasped, and her tears began falling again.
"But… how can I stay silent? How can I see what you're going through and do nothing?"
Rin gave a small smile, trying to calm her.
"Sera… don't exaggerate.
I'm still alive, aren't I? Isn't that the most important thing?"
Sera frowned.
"Alive? You can barely stand!
You… you—"
Rin suddenly interrupted her, raising an eyebrow with gentle mischief.
"Sera… do you still shout at people with the same strength?
Or has your voice become… softer?"
Sera stopped.
Sera stopped.
She blinked.
Then she said with feigned sharpness,
"Softer?!
Are you saying my voice has become weak?!"
Rin let out a short laugh.
"No, no… I just… expected you to have become calmer.
But clearly… you haven't changed, little Sera."
Sera lightly hit him on the arm.
"You haven't changed… you're still making fun of me even though you're half-dead!"
And she shouted,
"And I'm not little anymore!"
Rin smiled widely this time.
"If you stopped shouting… maybe I'd heal faster."
Sera gasped.
"I am not shouting!"
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"Of course… of course.
This is a whisper, right?"
Sera could not stop herself from laughing despite her tears.
"You… are so annoying."
Rin smiled, and his voice became warmer. He wiped her tears with his hand and then said,
"And that laugh of yours… I've missed it so much.
And I don't want to see you cry again… because when you cry… you look like a swollen bean."
Sera stopped.
She blinked twice.
Then she gasped.
"A bean?! Me?!"
Rin laughed briefly, clearly.
"Yes… a little bean… angry… and swollen."
Sera lightly hit him on the shoulder.
"Did you miss my punches too, so much that you have to keep making fun of me?"
Rin smiled widely.
"If you stopped puffing yourself up… maybe I'd stop teasing you."
Sera could not stop herself from laughing despite her sadness.
"You really are… annoying… but I missed this."
The room filled with a gentle warmth…
A small laugh broke the heaviness of the moment…
as if the two of them had recovered a piece of their childhood.
After a few moments of light laughter between them,
Sera stood up, then looked at Rin with a gaze full of tenderness and concern.
She said gently,
"Rin… I'm going now.
But don't worry… I'll be back in the morning.
I'll come every morning to check on you."
Rin did not answer, but he lightly nodded his head, as if he trusted her more than anyone else.
Sera gestured toward a man standing at the door, dressed in servants' clothing.
"This servant was brought here specifically for you… He will help you with anything you need. There are also many other servants in this palace… You won't be alone."
The servant bowed respectfully.
"My lord… I am at your service."
Rin remained silent, but his expression relaxed slightly.
Sera took one final step toward him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Rest now…
Tomorrow, we start again."
Then she turned and left the room, her steps quick…
but her heart was heavy.
The streets of the Sayan Empire were quiet that evening, and fog crept through the alleys as if hiding secrets it did not want anyone to see.
Amid this silence… a man wearing a faded coat, its edges torn, walked with steady steps despite his miserable appearance.
No one knew that this man…
was Iron Valis.
The prince whose name made armies tremble when they heard it.
But now…
he was nothing more than a penniless nobleman in everyone's eyes.
His hair hung messily, his clothes were dirty, and his face was pale, like a man who had lost everything.
Exactly as he intended.
He stopped in front of the gate of one of the cheap inns he had rented under his new name, then raised his head slightly, and his bright golden eyes appeared for a moment.
He whispered to himself,
"The Sayan Empire… the place where hypocrisy flourishes as much as corruption."
He stopped in front of a broken mirror hanging on the wall of one of the cheap inns.
He looked at his reflection.
He was no longer the powerful prince in his golden military uniform.
Instead, he looked like a young nobleman battered by debt and poverty.
Iron, with a sharp gaze:
"From now on… I am not Iron Valis.
I am not a prince.
I am merely the wreckage of a nobleman who died alone and was missed by no one."
But before he could take another step…
an old memory surged into his mind, strong and clear, as if it were happening right now.
The atmosphere here was completely different; the lighting was dim, the silence solemn, and the emperor sat against a dark background, with nothing visible except the gleam of his sharp eyes.
The emperor spoke with complete cunning:
"Iron, power does not always mean drawing your sword in the middle of the battlefield. Sometimes, the greatest victories are achieved from within."
Iron appeared in the flashback, kneeling on one knee before his father, his head bowed respectfully.
The emperor:
"We will send you to the heart of the Sayan Empire. You will be my eyes that never sleep there. A spy dressed in sheep's clothing."
The emperor threw an old file onto the table.
The emperor:
"This identity belongs to a penniless nobleman from a fallen family in Sayan. He died quietly months ago, and no one there knows about him. You will assume his identity, live his poverty, and endure his humiliation… until you bring me the information I need to tear down their walls."
"This identity you will assume… did not come from nowhere. It was provided to us by one of the nobles inside the 'Sayan' Empire itself."
Iron raised his head slightly, his eyes carrying a question he had not yet spoken.
Emperor Darius continued in a warning tone:
"This nobleman is one of our secret supporters there, a thin thread connecting us to the heart of our enemy. But listen to me carefully, Iron…"
The emperor fell silent for a moment, then leaned forward, bringing his face closer to the candlelight.
Emperor Darius:
"Never try to search for his identity, and never ask who he is. Even if your paths cross, pretend you do not know him. Your curiosity in this matter could end both your lives before your mission even begins."
Iron, in a calm and disciplined voice:
"I understand, Your Majesty. I will adhere only to the identity given to me."
[Back to the present — Sayan Empire]
Iron touched the forged papers in his pocket, feeling the weight of his father's warning.
Iron thought to himself as he looked toward the distant palaces in Sayan:
"A traitorous nobleman supporting 'Valker' from within… who could he be? And what price did he receive to sell his homeland?"
The grand training grounds of the Sayan Empire.
The sun was high in the sky, and the heat increased the tension of hundreds of applicants wearing light armor.
In the corner, Iron stood calmly, his hair styled differently, his clothes simple but neat.
Iron, now known as Elian Rovel, looked at the list of names hanging nearby.
Iron thought to himself:
"Elian Rovel… the name of a dead nobleman. Today, it will become my ticket into the depths of this palace."
Nearby, a group of aspiring knights spoke in hushed voices filled with fear, beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.
The first applicant whispered fearfully:
"Did you hear? Do you know who will personally oversee our test today?"
The second applicant swallowed nervously.
"Don't tell me it's… Princess Sera?"
The first applicant:
"Yes! That ruthless woman who knows no mercy. They say she has never been defeated, and that her sword is faster than lightning. No one can last against her for two minutes!"
The third applicant added bitterly:
"And worst of all… she has a strange love of sleeping! But woe to anyone who dares criticize her training methods or wake her at the wrong time. She imprisoned a knight last week simply because he complained about her being late. She's a true tyrant in a princess's body!"
On Iron's face,
a cold, intrigued smile slowly spread across his lips.
His sharp eyes gleamed with a light that had not appeared in a long time.
Iron thought to himself:
"Princess Sera… a tyrant, loves sleeping, and no one can defeat her?"
He looked toward the high platform where a large and comfortable royal chair had been placed, waiting for Sera's arrival.
Iron muttered softly,
"What a truly interesting girl… I've never heard of a woman with such qualities before. It seems my mission here won't be as boring as I thought."
Iron adjusted his leather gloves and took his place in line, his eyes never leaving the royal entrance, waiting to see the princess who had terrified men with her "sleeping" and "cruelty."
Someone approached Iron's ear.
Iron tilted his head and whispered a few words very quietly. His expression was completely cold as he spoke them, and the guards heard nothing but the mysterious hiss of his breath.
Iron whispered words unknown to them:
"...…. ...….. ...…."
The guard's eyes widened in astonishment, and he slowly nodded, concern covering his face. Then he took a step backward and disappeared into the crowd.
Suddenly…
the sound of a royal horn echoed, and the great gates opened.
Princess Sera emerged.
She walked forward, her silver armor reflecting the sunlight intensely, and her hair flowing behind her like a waterfall of silk.
Her features were sharp, provocatively beautiful, and her eyes carried a "ruthless" gaze.
Iron thought to himself, his eyes fixed on her in admiration:
"So… this is Sera.
The rumors never did her justice…
She's not merely a tyrant.
She's the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on in my life.
How can so much beauty exist alongside all that ferocity?"
The test began, and Sera knocked down the applicants one after another with boredom and cruelty, until it was the third applicant's turn.
As Sera turned away coldly, the applicant drew a poisoned dagger from his sleeve and moved it toward her exposed back at lightning speed.
Iron did not hesitate for a second.
He shot forward like an arrow, and with a swift movement no one noticed, he placed his arm between the dagger and Sera's body.
[Sound of tearing flesh: "Riiip!"]
Deep crimson blood fell onto the sands of the arena.
Sera froze and turned to see the assassin.
In the blink of an eye, her sword had pierced his chest before she could even blink.
She turned toward Iron, her breathing rapid with anger.
She approached him, grabbed his worn-out shirt, and her eyes blazed with fury.
Sera shouted:
"How dare you touch me?! And who gave you permission to interfere in my fight?!
I can protect myself, and I don't need a lowlife like you playing the hero!
Who are you to stand in my way?!"
Iron looked deep into her eyes.
Despite the throbbing pain in his arm, and despite her shouting, the calm smile of admiration remained on his lips.
Iron, with complete confidence:
"My apologies, Princess… but according to the warriors' code I believe in, remaining silent in the face of treachery is an insult to the battlefield.
My honor would never allow this noble blade to be stained with the blood of a traitor seeking to strike from behind."
She slowly released her grip on his shirt as he stepped back, maintaining a respectful distance.
Then he continued coldly:
Elian (Iron):
"As for protecting you… I know for certain that you are capable of crushing your enemies.
But I did not want your arena to be stained by the mud of dirty tricks…
That is all."
But he thought to himself:
"My apologies, Princess… but my eyes could not bear to see such beauty scratched by even a speck of dust…
So how could I allow a poisoned blade to touch it?"
Iron (Elian) stood firmly despite the blood staining his sleeve, his eyes still fixed calmly and provocatively on Sera.
Sera stood like a mountain, her blade dripping with blood from the traitor's corpse.
Elian broke the silence, his voice carrying a calm, challenging tone:
"Princess… I came here for one purpose.
When will my turn come to duel you?"
Sera glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then sheathed her sword with a swift, perfect movement.
Sera said sternly:
"You will not duel me today.
Your curiosity and interference have delayed the test.
And since you dared to break the rules of my arena, you have a punishment to learn from…"
She took a step closer and continued in a tone that allowed no argument:
"Bandage your wound first, then go and run one hundred laps around the training grounds.
I don't want to see your face before you finish them."
Iron began running around the vast training grounds alone beneath the setting sun.
Sweat poured from him, but his mind was elsewhere…
He remembered that moment before Sera entered.
[One hour earlier]
Iron had been standing with his disguised guard, whispering words no one else could hear.
Iron, in a sharp and cold whisper:
"Listen to me carefully… when the test begins, you will attack the princess with a treacherous trick.
I want the attack to look real and deadly."
The guard trembled in shock, but placed his hand over his chest and slowly bowed, whispering with absolute loyalty:
"We understand… My life is yours to sacrifice, and I obey your orders, Prince.
We will do as the 'Shadow' commands."
The purpose of the plan was to gain Sera's trust as her "savior."
[Back to the present]
Iron continued running, pressing against the wound on his hand that reminded him of his plan.
He remembered how she had killed the guard in the blink of an eye without even a single hair on her head moving.
Iron thought to himself with a bitter smile:
"I sacrificed one of my loyal men just to see a single opening in her defenses…
And yet, even that surprise attack didn't move her an inch."
He looked toward the royal balcony where Sera was watching the grounds from afar.
Iron continued running.
"Sera Sayan… you are not merely a fighter.
You are an impregnable fortress.
It seems I'll need more than just a 'rescue act' to reach your heart…
or the secrets of this palace."
The sun had completely set, replaced by a pale moon casting long shadows across the training grounds.
Iron (Elian) jogged through his final lap.
His body was covered in sweat, his shirt clinging to his back, and his bandaged hand, wrapped in a worn piece of cloth, had begun bleeding again.
His breathing came out heavy and audible in the silence of the night, but his eyes had not lost their sharpness.
With the final step of the hundredth lap, he stopped completely in front of the royal platform, where Sera was still standing, as though she had not moved from her place for hours.
He raised his head toward her, and their eyes met.
His body trembled from exhaustion, but his posture remained straight as a sword.
Elian Iron said firmly:
"One hundred laps… as you ordered, Princess."
Sera slowly descended from the platform, the sound of her military boots echoing against the stone ground.
She approached him until only a few inches separated them.
The smell of blood filled the air.
Sera examined his face with a piercing gaze.
"I thought you would collapse at the fiftieth lap.
Penniless nobles usually have bodies made of glass…
but you…"
She suddenly reached out and grabbed his injured arm, squeezing it hard.
Iron did not blink or make a sound.
He simply continued staring into her eyes with a coldness that astonished her.
Sera continued sharply:
"But you have the body of a warrior who has tasted hardship, and eyes that do not belong to someone searching for a piece of bread.
Who are you really, Elian Rovel?"
Elian Iron, with a mysterious smile that defied his exhaustion:
"I am merely someone who realized that surviving in your arena requires more than skill…
It requires a spirit that cannot be broken."
She roughly released his arm, then turned her back to him.
But before she left, she said loudly:
Sera:
"Sleep well tonight…
Tomorrow at dawn, I won't make you run.
Tomorrow… I will see whether that confident tongue of yours can withstand my blade in a duel.
Don't be late."
Sera left the training grounds, while Iron remained standing where he was, watching her disappear.
He wiped the blood from his hand and looked toward the guards who had been watching him from a distance.
Iron thought to himself:
"The bait has begun to work…
She suspects something, and suspicion is the first step toward interest.
Even if the price was one hundred laps and a wound in my hand…
I've gained a little of her attention and a duel with her."
Iron remained standing in the silence of the desolate training grounds.
He slowly raised his palm and looked at the place where his wound was, where the warmth of her fingers still lingered on his skin despite the throbbing pain.
Iron whispered to himself, his eyes shining with a strange gleam:
"Her hands touched me…
Even if it was roughly, and even if she wanted to hurt me."
He closed his hand over the place she had touched, and a faint, confident smile appeared on his exhausted face.