The next afternoon, Ruth, who had just regained his senses, recalled the events of the previous night and buried himself back into the blankets. It was a relief that Ail had gone to the central government office for some business. If he had woken up with all the memories of yesterday and seen Ail’s face as soon as he opened his eyes, he might have wanted to die out of shame. And he probably would have fought with Ail, who had forced himself on him while he was sleeping.

“Crazy…”

Still naked, Ruth mumbled to himself as he struggled, rolling up the blanket. He had been with Ail before his wounds had fully healed. It was truly insane. What had he been thinking to do something like that? He had touched the wounds that would take about another month to heal, and now he couldn’t face anyone.

As Ruth fell into deep self-loathing and thoughts of just dying, he stiffened at the sound of a knock on the door. Could it be Ail returning? But if it were Ail, he wouldn’t knock; he would just open the door. Wondering who it could be, Ruth peeked his head out from under the blankets and waited. After a moment, he heard Meril’s voice.

“Ruth, are you awake? Lord Kamiel is here.”

At the mention of the name, Ruth hurriedly called out for Meril to wait and quickly dressed. He fixed his messy hair, threw on the nightgown that had fallen to the floor, and began tidying the bed. He unfolded the crumpled blankets and, after looking around the room, judged it was good enough.

Satisfied, Ruth took a deep breath and said, “Show him in.”

After calmly speaking, Ruth walked toward the door. It opened, and Kamiel stepped inside. As Ruth smiled at him in welcome, Kamiel, who had entered about three steps, stared at him and then sighed, looking baffled.

“What’s this? I told you everything… and yet, you still went ahead?”

Ruth’s heart skipped a beat at his words, feeling guilty.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…If you’re going to do it, at least do it quietly.”

“Huh? What…?”

“You’ve got bruises all over your neck, shoulders, and chin. Sit down.”

At Kamiel’s words, Ruth quickly covered his neck with his hands and then remembered that Ail had been biting him fiercely last night. In his hurry to tidy the room, he hadn’t thought about hiding the marks on his body. It seemed like being a beginner was unavoidable.

Feeling embarrassed by his mistake, Ruth awkwardly smiled and sat down on the opposite chair where Kamiel had taken a seat. He quickly changed the subject.

“What brings you here?”

Kamiel seemed to understand his intention, but didn’t want to dwell on that topic. With a serious face, he began to explain the purpose of his visit.

“Today, someone from the Closerium came.”

“Who?”

“The person who’s an errand runner for the Red Scorpion. He came with a message for you. He’s already entered the palace with me. He’s with the Emperor right now, so he couldn’t come with me. He needs the Emperor’s permission to enter the northern palace.”

Ruth nodded at Kamiel’s words.

“…I see. If it’s him, he probably knows where my father is.”

“Exactly. And right now, the Emperor is meeting with Eilen Kaizel. Jessie is probably with him too.”

It seemed that without Lyman, Ail had summoned Eilen. Ruth didn’t feel the need to ask why Ail had called him; he could roughly guess his thoughts. Kamiel, too, seemed uninterested in discussing that matter further, so he smoothly moved on to the next topic.

“Also, the Empress is meeting with Salina right now.”

At the unexpected mention of Salina’s name, Ruth’s expression darkened. Kamiel, who had been carefully observing Ruth’s face, understood that this was the main reason he had come. As soon as he heard the news from Lindsay, he had a feeling the inevitable was finally happening. With Ail now an adult, it wasn’t strange that the wedding preparations were being rushed. In fact, it was the most urgent matter now—to marry and have children. It seemed Ail was hurrying the wedding ceremony. Ruth had already been prepared for this, but he figured it was better to know in advance than to suddenly receive an order to attend a wedding ceremony.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

Ruth murmured, seemingly resigned. Contrary to Kamiel’s expectations, Ruth’s reaction was calm. His eyes and expression were steady. Kamiel, who had been worried, felt awkward instead.

“Are you okay?”

“It doesn’t matter, I already knew about it. I’ll just have to accept what I must accept.”

“Are you really okay? I thought you would have a hard time with this.”

“… There’s no point in throwing a tantrum over something that can’t be changed. It was inevitable, so I have no choice but to accept it. I almost lost him once. I can’t afford to lose him for some petty reason.”

Ruth said this with a bitter smile. Kamiel also felt bitter. He could understand Ruth’s feelings of resignation. Ruth knew very well that if he begged Ail not to marry, it would only make things harder for both of them. He was in a position where he had to accept the situation, but Kamiel still felt sorry for him, and was disturbed by having to convey such news.

“Anyway, thanks for letting me know.”

Ruth replied in a calm voice, then looked down at the floor, lost in deep thought. When he returned to the palace, he had thought everything was over, but nothing was settled. Everything was still the same. The circumstances surrounding him and Ail were just as complicated as before, and nothing had been resolved while they were away. Ultimately, all of it was something he would have to shoulder.

If that was the case, he would bear it willingly. It was his burden to carry, and in the end, he would have to bear it.

—

After Ail’s summons, Eilen, who had entered the palace, sat in front of Ail and Jessie, reading the letters and documents Ail had handed him. With each letter he read, his face grew paler, and by the time he reached the last document, his face had turned so pale it was almost gray. Seeing Eilen’s face, which looked as though it could collapse at any moment, Ail leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea.

“What… is this?”

“You should know better than I do. You’re not telling me that Lyman Kaizel did all of this on his own, are you?”

Among the people who had sent letters, some were Eilen’s close friends, and the names on the list were all people very close to him. And within that list was the name of the Astro family, which was Eilen’s in-laws. This was irrefutable evidence, but since Lyman was absent, Eilen decided to deny it for now.

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“If you want to gamble, you’ve picked the wrong opponent. Jessie, show him.”

Ail put his teacup down and spoke in an indifferent tone, signaling Jessie to take out a scroll from a worn leather bag. The sight of the high-quality parchment made Eilen stiffen. The top of the scroll bore the Kaizel family crest, a type of parchment reserved only for documents that required verification of identity, and only Lyman Kaizel was allowed to use it.

“Read the contents.”

Ail glared at Eilen coldly as he issued the command. Eilen’s hands trembled as he took the scroll, his throat dry with fear. He had been on the edge of madness, anxiously waiting for the worst, but he fought to conceal his panic and slowly unfurled the parchment. After reading the entire document, his face twisted in shock.

“This… this is not true. My father could never have requested the kidnapping and murder of His Majesty.”

“It’s a commission written on Kaizel family parchment in Lyman Kaizel’s handwriting. This was delivered to me directly by the Red Scorpion. And now you’re telling me it’s not true?”

“It’s slander! Yes, it’s my father’s handwriting, but there’s no way he would have done this. He only requested the assassination of Ruth.”

In his desperation, Eilen blurted out something he should never have said. The moment he did, Ail’s eyes glinted with a vicious light.

“Oh? So you knew that? That means you were involved in everything.”

In that instant, Eilen realized he had fallen into Ail’s trap. But by then, it was too late to take it back. To prevent the situation from worsening, Eilen quickly began to think of a way to salvage it.

“…I admit that we tried to have Ruth killed. But the reason we requested Ruth’s assassination was because he escaped through the palace’s secret passage. When my father found out that confidential royal documents had been leaked, he just wanted to handle it within our family.”

As Eilen continued to make excuses, Ail stared at him with an icy gaze, as if to freeze everything in place. Eilen’s heart contracted under the weight of that stare. Until now, all the dealings had been handled by Lyman, and Eilen knew very little about them. He had only played the role of Lyman’s errand boy, and had hardly ever been involved directly in any plots or schemes. Being dragged into an interrogation by Ail for something he hadn’t personally done was beyond what Eilen’s fragile mental state could handle. And to make matters worse, it was about the Crown Prince’s abduction and assassination. The moment Eilen realized the gravity of the situation, his rational mind began to crumble.

“This is the evidence I have. The assassins from the Red Scorpion who attacked me are also here as witnesses. If you still deny it, I will handle it according to the law. There’s nothing more to discuss.”

As Ail glanced at Jessie, Jessie quickly snatched the parchment from Eilen’s hands. Eilen, staring blankly as the parchment slipped from his grasp, felt his mind go blank. He was in no condition to make any decisions. With just the letters and documents Ail had shown him, Eilen knew well that the Kaizel family was on the brink of ruin.

“This… is a frame-up. These letters and documents are all fake.”

Clearly flustered, Eilen now resorted to denial, and Ail responded gently.

“That could be the case.”

Feeling somewhat emboldened by Ail’s response, Eilen raised his voice louder than before.

“This is the plot of those who want to harm us. Please, give me time to explain everything.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“Your Highness!”

Just as Eilen was about to plead with Ail, there was a knock at the door, followed by the voice of a servant from outside.

“Your Highness, Lady Tasha Kaizel and Lord Nathan have arrived.”

Eilen’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden visit from Tasha and Nathan. Sensing the fear in his expression, Ail curled his lips into a slight smile.

“Show them in.”

At Ail’s command, the door opened, and Tasha, looking weary, entered with Nathan holding the hand of his nurse. Eilen, who had been trying to figure out Ail’s intentions, found himself stuck in a mental loop, unable to think beyond the same thoughts. He was in a state of panic.

“May I ask why you summoned us?”

Tasha asked Ail, after briefly glancing at Jessie and Eilen, with an uncomfortable expression. It seemed she had noticed the unsettling atmosphere in the room.

“Please, have a seat. The Chancellor is absent, so I need to speak with both of you.”

As Ail spoke with a cold demeanor, Nathan hid behind his nurse’s skirts. Despite being a young child, Nathan seemed to instinctively understand that Ail was an adversary, and he was quick to hide whenever Ail was near.

“Why have you called for us as well?”

Tasha, somewhat resigned, sat beside Eilen and placed Nathan next to her before asking. Ail, after sending the nurse out of the room, gestured for Tasha to read the letters and documents on the table in front of her. Tasha clicked her tongue in annoyance, but knowing she couldn’t refuse, she picked up the documents. After reading them, her face mirrored Ellen’s—pale and shocked.

After reading the last document, she squeezed Nathan’s hand tightly and asked in a trembling voice.

“What is this?”

“It’s exactly what you see. Would you like to see more?”

Ail responded arrogantly, lifting his chin. Tasha bit her lip, and with her long experience in the palace, she had sharpened her political instincts. Since Nathan’s birth, she had become acutely aware of when to hold firm and when to yield.

“What do you want from us?”

Tasha asked, setting the documents down. Ail smiled slightly.

“You’re quicker at assessing the situation than Eilen.”

“I’ve lived in the palace for over six years. With His Majesty’s death impending, I know what I need to do.”

Tasha was keenly aware that her position was precarious. The Emperor could die at any time, and Lyman was missing. On top of that, the Kaizel family had committed treason. Furthermore, Nathan, the heir, was still too young. The only ally she could rely on now was herself.

“Showing us this without revealing your intentions means you want something in return. What do you want?”

“Hand over the Virel region. And you’ll need to help me.”

At Ail’s response, Eilen sprang to his feet, shouting.

“I can’t agree to that!”