“Since I’ve been lying down all day, I just wanted to sit for a bit.”
“It might take you all night just to get to the chair.”

Ruth didn’t reply, sensing the deliberately provoking tone.

“Want me to help?”
“No, thank you.”
“You probably won’t be able to walk properly for a few days.”
“If it’s something I need to get used to, it’s better to endure the pain and stand on my own. Relying on someone else to start walking will only make me dependent.”

Even as he said this, Ruth was groaning, unable to properly get up on his own. Watching him stubbornly struggle despite his clear difficulty, Ail felt his own stubbornness kick in. He reached out to help, but Ruth, predictably obstinate, refused to accept it.

“Is relying on others such a bad thing? You strike me as the kind of person who’d say we should support each other.”
“Helping others is fine, but relying on others tends to become a habit. Besides, I don’t have anyone I trust enough to depend on right now.”

It was a reasonable and pragmatic explanation from Ruth’s perspective, but to Ail, it was simply irritating. If Ruth would just ask for help, Ail would gladly offer it. But no—Ruth had to insist on managing alone. He was impossibly stubborn. Watching Ruth finally struggle to his feet, Ail waited to see how far he would get. After three faltering steps, Ruth had to stop, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

Just ask for help already, Ail thought, exasperated. But Ruth, through sheer force of will, managed to reach a chair in front of the table. He sank into it with obvious effort, staring at the floor as he exhaled.

Ail quietly cursed Ruth’s obstinance. This kid’s more bullheaded than anyone I’ve met. With his slight frame and delicate features, he seemed too fragile for the role he’d taken on. Yet that same iron will had likely propelled him this far.

Ail’s thoughts strayed to last night, recalling Ruth’s slender, vulnerable figure. Despite the scars on his body—marks of battles fought and survived—Ruth’s build was fundamentally delicate. Just the memory of it sent warmth rising in Ail. He entertained a fleeting, improper thought but was interrupted by Ruth’s steady gaze.

“What?”
“I’m hungry.”

The sheer audacity of the statement, given the situation, left Ail momentarily speechless.

“You mean to tell me you haven’t eaten?”
“That’s right.”

So Ruth had gone nearly 24 hours without food. No wonder he was starving.

“Fine. Let’s get you some food,” Ail said, stepping out to call for Meril.

Surprisingly, the atmosphere between them wasn’t as hostile as it could have been. Ruth had accepted his situation with a resigned calm, and Ail, for his part, felt no immediate need to be cruel now that Ruth had yielded. Ail thought everything was progressing smoothly—exactly as he wanted.

—

Late into the night, Kamiel sighed as he sat in his office. Still, there was no news of Elsen’s capture. On the one hand, he was relieved; on the other, he couldn’t fathom how Elsen had managed to evade such a tight security net.

Elsen wasn’t particularly cunning; if anything, he was straightforward to a fault. Kamiel found it hard to imagine him fleeing or evading capture unless someone was helping him. That someone might even be hiding both Elsen and Erita.

Without finding them and hearing their side of the story, nothing could be confirmed. The mounting complexity of the situation was exasperating, made worse by his inability to reach Ruth.

The fact that Ruth had resigned from his position as commander and moved into Ail’s quarters pointed to some kind of deal. It also explained why the order to kill Elsen had been rescinded. Still, the lack of clarity left Kamiel feeling helpless.

If only Ruth could be contacted. He’d tried approaching Ail’s quarters to meet Ruth directly, but no one had been allowed entry. The ambiguity of Ruth’s situation gnawed at Kamiel.

As he sat pondering his next steps, a knock at the door interrupted him. Surprised by the late-hour visitor, he invited them in, expecting one of the guards. Instead, Jessie entered, and Kamiel quickly rose to greet him.

“At this hour, my lord? What brings you here?”
“I stopped by after hearing about His Majesty’s condition. Sit. I have something to discuss with you.”

Jessie pulled up a chair and sat at the desk. He was unusually approachable for royalty, refraining from airs or condescension. His preference for neutrality made him an easy conversationalist.

“What do you need to discuss?”
“Commander Kaizel—or rather, Ruth Kaizer, since he’s stepped down. You’re aware he’s agreed to become Ail’s concubine, correct?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”

“I suspect this ties into the situation with Elsen and Erita. What’s your take on it? After all, the order to execute Elsen was suddenly rescinded.”

At Jessie’s sudden sharp question, Kamiel momentarily gave a nonchalant response with a plausible answer.

“Yes, it seems that Ruth must have made a request.”

“Even if he made a request, the prince is not someone who would easily accept such a thing…”

Kamiel responded ambiguously to Jessie’s cryptic remark, saying, “Well, I don’t know.” Jessie smiled knowingly at his reaction.

“You must know, since you served under him when you were young. There’s something off about him, here…” Jessie said, pointing to his chest.

Kamiel fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. He too had felt that way, but it was not something he could casually speak about. Sensing Kamiel’s hesitation, Jessie continued nonchalantly.

“It’s not a matter of personality, it’s that he’s lacking somewhere. That can’t change, you know. Even if his environment changes, he’s not someone who would easily change. So, what’s going on between Ruth and the prince? I heard last night was quite something…”

Kamiel’s face stiffened as he had not heard that part. Jessie grinned as he noticed Kamiel’s reaction.

“I knew it. It seemed a bit strange.”

“What do you mean?” Kamiel asked, confused.

“There’s something going on between the prince and Ruth, isn’t there? They’re not just lovers, are they?”

Jessie was giving a very sharp assessment. Kamiel, however, continued to feign ignorance.

“I don’t know anything about that…”

“Well, you might not know. But I can tell. Sometimes Ruth looks like he’s about to die of embarrassment, and the prince laughs and jokes, but his eyes are cold. You can tell immediately. I might be able to fool others, but not you.”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re implying. As far as I know, Ruth and the prince care deeply for each other.”

“No one who cares for someone would embrace them so tightly they’d scream, right? Well, maybe the prince could, but…” Jessie’s words hit a nerve. Kamiel’s expression instantly crumbled.

“What do you mean? Scream…?”

“You heard that last night was pretty rough, right? The servants and knights outside almost turned red with embarrassment. I guess you didn’t know about that.”

Kamiel felt like everything around him was spinning. If what Jessie was saying was true, he may have unintentionally pushed Ruth into a trap. If he hadn’t known about Ruth and Ail’s contract, sending Ruth to Ail was a mistake. If Ail’s request was merely for Ruth to enter the harem, that would be one thing, but if it was an excuse to force himself on Ruth, then it was an entirely different matter.

“It’s not the first time Ruth has been with the prince, is it? The servants said they’d never heard such sounds before. Even if last night was rough, if there’s never been a moan before, haven’t they all been deceived until now? That’s how I see it… What do you think?”

In that moment, Kamiel’s mind cleared. The once crumbled expression now showed a more honest reaction. Jessie, having gotten the answer he was looking for, leaned forward.

“Well, from my perspective, there’s a lot that doesn’t add up. Like how the order for execution was suddenly lifted this morning.”

“That’s…”

“Forget it. It’s not important. What matters is the whereabouts of Elsen and Erita.”

Now that he had obtained the information he wanted, Jessie leisurely shifted the conversation. Kamiel, though still flustered, was unable to bring up the matter again without making things worse for himself, so he kept quiet.

“I heard that, in high society, it’s generally believed to be the work of the Kaizel family. They say they’re trying to get Salina seated as the empress. But my opinion is different. The Kaizel prime minister isn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t cause a scene in his own territory, the Virel region. This just seems too convenient.”

“Well, who knows?”

“I heard from Leia that both the Kaizel prime minister and Salina are in a bit of a panic. Leia said that the Kaizel family had planned to strike once they arrived in the capital.”

In other words, the Kaizel family had already planned to deal with Erita. So, it wouldn’t be strange if they had done it earlier. It was clear that only the Kaizel family could have been behind such an incident.

“I think Salina might have planned it all on her own. What do you think?”

“Salina, alone?”

“Yes. Salina is more ambitious than she seems. She must have hated dragging things out.”

“That would cause great harm if it failed. There’s no reason for Salina to take such a risk.”

“Just put the blame on the Kaizel family, right?”

“Eilen Kaizel is Salina’s brother-in-law. The Kaizel family’s downfall wouldn’t benefit her.”

“That’s true. Even if Erita disappears, Salina would still need the Kaizel family’s power to become empress. That’s why I’m thinking of investigating. What do you think? Want to join me?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I’ll send someone to Salina’s side, and I want you to monitor the Kaizel family. It’d be inappropriate for me to spy on the family of someone who might become my bride.”

“That’s a difficult request. It’s hard to spy on my best friend’s family.”

“Well, then, I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

Jessie seemed to give up easily, but his attitude was somehow irritating.

“I don’t think this has anything to do with you, but why are you so interested?”

“The reason is simple. I want to see how the prince reacts like a human being.”

“I think the prince is a very emotional person. He’s unpredictable and full of love.”

“That’s on the surface. I told you earlier. I don’t believe people can change that easily. Honestly, I’ve never believed in the relationship between the prince and Ruth. But now it’s getting a little unclear. So I want to dig a little deeper. And I’m curious to see how the prince will react when something big happens.”

“Please don’t do anything mean. This involves the safety of my friends.”

“Well, I can’t promise that either.”