“It seems the boy made a mistake.”
“Isn’t he the son of Viscount Lindmay?”

Ruth remembered the boy Ail had brought to his chamber that night—a small, pretty boy who had joined the enemy knights’ order but fled, unable to endure it. Ail had found that adorable and often invited the boy for tea.

“Yes, that’s him. But it seems he made quite a serious mistake—enough for loud voices to come from the chamber.”
“…What happened?”
“I don’t know the details…”

Kaelen trailed off, but it didn’t seem like he was entirely clueless. Rather, it appeared he was hesitant to tell Ruth.

“I’m busy right now. If His Highness is angry, there’s not much I can do. Go back and send in three or four pretty servants to his room. That should calm him down.”

This was Ail’s typical way of cooling off, so Ruth assumed the same approach would work. However, Kaelen gave an unexpected response.

“His Highness specifically ordered me to summon you immediately.”
“Me? Why?”
“He’s upset that you’re not around.”
“That doesn’t sound like him… What’s going on? If you know something, tell me so I can decide whether to go or not.”
“It seems that boy said something to His Highness about you and Elsen.”
“What did he say?”
“That you and Elsen meet secretly every night…”

At this point, Ruth had a pretty good idea of what was happening. Ail, ever the dramatist, was unnecessarily making a big show out of something trivial. It seemed excessive, even for him, to stir up a fuss over something he could have just laughed off.

“Alright, I suppose I’d better go. Sorry for making you run back and forth.”

Setting the roster aside, Ruth stood and crossed the room, speaking as he moved. Kaelen followed closely behind.

“His Highness is in a particularly foul mood.”
“Got it.”

As Ruth strode briskly down the corridor, Kaelen, still fretting, continued, “Um, the room is a mess. When should I send in the servants to clean up?”
“I’ll call for them—wait, what? He trashed the room too?”

Ruth stopped momentarily, surprised by Ail’s uncharacteristic behavior. Kaelen sighed and replied, “Yes. It’s a disaster. He threw all the furniture around in a fit of rage.”

Ruth thought to herself, He really let loose this time, but soon regained his composure and continued walking. It was unusual for Ail, who normally maintained the demeanor of a calm prince, to act out so violently. This time, he was clearly overreacting.

As Ruth approached Ail’s chamber, he found servants and knights pale-faced, standing stiffly outside the door. He motioned for them to move aside. A servant, seeing Ruth, looked relieved and quickly knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, the Commander is here.”

There was no response from within. Ruth gestured for the servant to step back, then opened the door without waiting for permission.

The scene inside made Ruth click his tongue softly. Furniture was smashed and scattered across the room, and shards of broken glass glittered on the floor near the window. Sitting with his back to the room, Ail faced the window, slouched in a chair.

Taking in the aftermath of the chaos, Ruth walked calmly toward Ail and spoke in a quiet voice.
“You’ve gone too far.”

As Ruth moved, glass crunched beneath his steps. The sound grated on his nerves, and he adjusted his stride to avoid the shards. His gaze fell on a chair with one broken leg, and he grimaced. Approaching Ail’s chair, Ruth found the prince still dressed in his nightclothes, glaring up at him with icy eyes.

“This much is necessary to make it look like I’m upset. I just found out my lover’s been unfaithful.”

Though Ail’s tone was soft, his gaze was as lethal as a blade, carrying a menace that felt ready to strike. Ruth’s eyes flicked to the shattered glass beneath Ail’s feet. Carefully, he knelt in an area free of debris, picking up a large shard.

“It’s dangerous. Please don’t move. I’ll call the servants to clean this up,” Ruth said steadily, reaching out to clear the glass near Ail’s feet.

Ail lounged back in his chair, watching Ruth with an almost lazy air, though his piercing gaze made the back of Ruth’s neck prickle. Determined to ignore the scrutiny, Ruth focused on picking up the largest piece of glass.

At that moment, Ail’s foot came down hard on Ruth’s hand, pinning it to the floor. Pain lanced through Ruth as the sharp glass pressed against his palm, a grating sound accompanying the shard meeting bone.

Crimson drops began to pool and drip onto the floor. Ruth’s face twisted in agony, his breath caught in his throat, unable to scream. Watching Ruth tremble, pale as a sheet, Ail smiled faintly.

“Does it hurt?”

“Of course it hurts. I assume you didn’t do this to make me itch,” Ruth replied, his voice trembling—whether from pain or fear, he couldn’t tell.

“They say you’ve been enjoying secret trysts with Elsen. In the northern palace garden, no less—a place busy with foot traffic. Isn’t that a deliberate attempt to insult me?”

“…I don’t know where you heard that, but Elsen and I were just talking.”

“Talking about running away to Vera and setting up a household together?”

This time, Ruth’s face paled for an entirely different reason.

“You’ve had someone spying on me?” he asked through gritted teeth. Blood dripped steadily from his hand as he spoke.

“I can’t completely trust you,” Ail replied smoothly.

“I’m doing my best to keep my promise.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that? You’re already making plans to escape. Why should I trust someone like that?”

Ail pressed harder with his foot, driving the glass deeper. Ruth barely suppressed a scream, swallowing it with great difficulty as he pleaded, his voice shaking.

“…Please, take your foot off.”

Sweat beaded on Ruth’s forehead as he struggled to endure. Ail, looking down at him, chuckled low in his throat, as though the sight had finally lifted his mood.

“Then beg.”

“…”