The air was becoming noticeably warmer. Ruth, who loved this season when spring transitioned into summer, felt the fragrant breeze filled with the scent of flowers but kept his face stiff. Sitting across from his elder brother, Eilen, in the office of the Chancellor, the central administrative body within the royal palace, Ruth was trying hard to suppress his increasingly grim expression.

The reason Eilen, who assisted their father in his duties as Chancellor, had suddenly summoned Ruth was none other than to chastise his recent behavior. He was relentlessly questioning him about the rumors circulating—how he often spent time in Ail’s chambers, leaving late at night looking disheveled.

Ruth couldn’t exactly deny the accusations, so he endured the scolding while suppressing his anger. He listened as Eilen, with a sharp tone that felt like a mouse being cornered, finally ended his tirade after what felt like an eternity. Only then did Ruth lift his gaze to look at his brother’s face.

With his neatly cropped brown hair and black eyes, Eilen, a man ten years older than Ruth, had a composed and handsome appearance. However, his personality, especially towards Ruth, was unbearable. Calling him during the busiest time leading up to the hunting competition just to scold him was proof of that.

“Do not act recklessly during this critical time. It’s improper to be overly casual with His Highness in official settings and to speak rudely. Everyone already knows you’re of humble origins without you making it so obvious.”

As Eilen concluded his final remark, Ruth clenched his fists and forced himself to reply with insincere words.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Things might change after the coming-of-age ceremony, but until then, you must serve flawlessly.”

The emphasis on “after the coming-of-age ceremony” hinted at some hidden agenda. Glancing at Eilen’s face, Ruth couldn’t decipher what he was plotting but lowered his gaze again under his piercing stare.

“Now that I think of it, there’s the matter of a pillow talk petition…”
At Eilen’s sudden comment, Ruth frowned, wondering what he was getting at. Without breaking his stoic expression, Eilen continued.
“Since the formal marriage with Erita Jenin has not been finalized, there’s still an opportunity.”
“What?”
“I’m thinking of pushing Salina as the Crown Princess candidate.”

Ruth’s heart sank for a moment. While Eilen was unaware of certain facts, the mention of replacing the Crown Princess made him uneasy. Ail had promised that if Ruth could protect him, he would break off his engagement with Erita before marriage. If Ail was sincere, the position of Crown Princess would eventually go to someone else anyway, and Ruth had been curious about who the likely candidate might be.

Despite Ail’s current engagement, many noble families were persistently introducing their daughters to him, hoping to have them noticed, even if Ail had a known penchant for men. With the Emperor gravely ill, there was a flurry of behind-the-scenes maneuvers to secure a position as a concubine at the least. Among the most active contenders was Salina Astro, Eilen’s sister-in-law.

“But he’s engaged to Erita,” Ruth pointed out.
“The Jenin family will be pushed aside soon enough. There’s no reason to keep them any longer. His Highness will need a new Crown Princess candidate. Given his lack of wit, if we strongly recommend someone, he won’t have much choice.”

The Astro family was a prestigious lineage with ties to the imperial family. The Earl of Astro was known for his generosity and integrity, overseeing the financial administration of the entire empire. While his daughter’s lineage was impeccable, Ruth disliked Salina. Although a young woman who had just come of age, she exuded mature femininity and ambition. Her aggressive pursuit of Ail was particularly off-putting.

“You should take any opportunity to speak to His Highness about Salina.”
Ruth had already mentioned Salina to Ail multiple times, though the stories were far from flattering.
“I’ll arrange a meeting between His Highness and Salina soon. You must cooperate.”

As Eilen finished, Ruth felt a sense of unease. He had assumed his brother and father planned to sideline Ail entirely, but introducing Salina as the Crown Princess suggested a different motive. No matter how well Ail played the role of an empty-headed prince, Eilen and their father wouldn’t ignore potential risks entirely. Was Salina being positioned to mitigate these risks? However, Salina was far too ambitious to be content as the consort of a puppet prince.

What were their father and Ailen really planning?

“Go now. On your way, stop by and greet Lady Tasha and see Prince Nathan. They’ve expressed disappointment at not seeing you while you’re in the palace.”
“Understood.”

Ruth avoided Tasha’s chambers, where she stayed with Nathan, because Tasha’s probing made him uncomfortable. However, Eilen’s insistence left him no choice. He would undoubtedly summon him again if he didn’t comply. Besides, Ruth missed Nathan, so he decided to visit.

After finishing his formal farewell, Ruth rose and left the office. Exiting the modestly elegant central administration building, Ruth headed toward the White Palace, where Tasha and Nathan resided. From a distance, he spotted Tasha and Nathan walking toward him and stopped. Recognizing him, they also halted.

“It’s been a while,” Ruth greeted, bowing his head.

A small child, waddling toward him, hugged his legs. Nathan was fond of Ruth despite their infrequent meetings, and Ruth found him endearing. Nathan was his younger cousin and, more importantly, an adorable child.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
When Ruth bowed again with a genuine smile, Nathan, with his golden eyes shining, stretched out his arms. Unlike Ail, who had red hair, Nathan inherited Tasha’s golden hair, the imperial family’s symbol. The child was so lovable that Ruth glanced at Tasha for permission. At her silent nod, Ruth picked up the small boy, who giggled and clung to him.

A soft scent of milk wafted from Nathan, who had likely just had a snack before their walk.
“Have you been well?”

When Ruth asked that, the child nodded and smiled. The sight of soft, white cheeks and the sweet scent of milk warmed Ruth’s heart. Whenever he saw Nathan, he couldn’t help but think about wanting a child. A beautiful child, just like this one.

“It’s so hard to see you these days.”

As Ruth caressed Nathan’s cheek, Tasha, watching with a disapproving gaze, spoke reproachfully. She never seemed to approve of Ruth being at Ail’s side.

“I’m sorry. I was just on my way to greet you both.”

“You cling to Ail so much, but can’t spare a moment for Nathan? Knowing full well how much he likes you?”

“I apologize.”

Tasha’s face looked drawn and tired, likely from taking care of the emperor, whose health had been deteriorating.

“Ail and you, the emperor too… None of you spare a thought for Nathan. He’s so lonely.”

Tasha, uncharacteristically, began to complain. It was unlike her, but exhaustion from tending to the emperor had likely made her more irritable. Ruth understood. The emperor, who doted on her, couldn’t bear to be apart from her even in his sickbed. However, he had always been indifferent to his children, showing no affection toward Ail even when the empress was in his favor.

The emperor was a notorious womanizer who adored women but disliked children. To him, children were merely heirs. Given this, it wasn’t surprising that Tasha lavished her son with excessive affection. Ruth felt a deep sympathy for Nathan. In the palace, the only men Nathan could rely on for care were Ruth’s father, brother, and Ruth himself. But his father and brother weren’t fond of children, so Nathan naturally gravitated toward Ruth.

“I don’t expect anything from you,” Tasha said. “Just come by when you can and show him your face. Nathan seems to like you a lot.”

Seeing her gaunt face and Nathan clinging to his neck, Ruth couldn’t bring himself to voice his reluctance to visit the White Palace. Tasha’s eyes, once filled with ambition, now reflected only a mother’s concern for her child.

“I will. Once the hunting tournament ends, I’ll have more time and will visit often.”

This time, Ruth spoke with sincerity. After all, his days of coming and going from the imperial palace were numbered. In the meantime, he wanted to see Nathan as much as possible, to show him the love he deserved.

The child’s sweet scent lingered, and Ruth found himself wondering if this was the fragrance of heaven.

“You went to see Nathan?”

The moment Ruth returned to the knight’s quarters, Ail summoned him, and that was his first question. The implication of surveillance irked Ruth, who replied with mild irritation.

“He’s my cousin. Surely it’s okay to visit him once in a while.”

“Can I believe that you only saw the child?”

Ail, clearly upset, didn’t meet Ruth’s eyes. Instead, he sat in his study, examining a map. Seeing this, Ruth walked over and unceremoniously took a seat across from him, glancing at the map as he responded.

“I really only saw Nathan. It was my brother who had something to say.”

“What did Eilen Kaizel want to talk about?”

In a cold, emotionless tone, Ail murmured while pinning a spot on the map. The pin marked Birel, a region under the Kaizel family’s jurisdiction.

“He’s arranging a meeting between Salina and Your Highness.”

“Salina?”

Ail finally looked at Ruth, his face now donning the facade of the dim-witted crown prince.

“Yes, it seems he intends for Salina to become your consort.”

“It seems Eilen is quite bold, saying that to you, who is officially my lover.”

“Well, it’s not like I can be your consort anyway. He even suggested to convince you through Pillow talk.”

“Will you, then?”

Ail’s smirk made Ruth’s heart pound. Even knowing it was all a pretense, whenever Ail smiled at him like that, it sent a sharp pain through his chest. Maintaining a neutral expression was almost impossible. When Ail wore his serious face, he was intimidating, but when he wore his mask, he was irresistibly charming. Ruth thought that perhaps Salina, too, had fallen for that face.

“Your four years of effort are yielding terrifying results. Once your position stabilizes, you’ll need to marry someone, or you’ll end up without an heir. And I do want children.”

“You? A father? That doesn’t suit you.”

Ail picked up another pin and marked a different spot on the map. Watching him, Ruth frowned slightly.

“I like children. I’d want five, at least.”

“And what would you do with so many?”

“I simply like them. Unlike Your Highness, I enjoy small things.”

While Ruth spoke, Ail pinned a location near Karileum, the city of Vera. Changing the topic, Ail explained:

“This will be the battleground. To expand along the coast, we need to take Clozium, but to do that, Vera must fall first.”

As Ail pointed to the map, Ruth scowled, displeased.

“Do we have to target that place?”

Vera, though technically a vassal of Karileum, was a self-governing city that had been Ruth’s home until he was ten years old. It held both strategic and personal significance, making the thought of attacking it unbearable.