Chapter 33
Do you know me, my lady?”
“Well, you are… Ah!”
I suddenly realized I had openly spoken the name of a prince of a nation and quickly corrected myself.
“I apologize, Prince Theron. I was flustered and spoke your name carelessly.”
“That’s quite alright. I assumed you weren’t an ordinary person, practicing here alone. You may address me as you wish.”
The place where I had been practicing with Iblan was a training room inside the palace, reserved exclusively for the governor. In other words, it was accessible only to Suleiman and his closest aides.
“It’s easy to lose grip of the sword when you’re a beginner. Even a wooden sword can cause serious injury, so handle it carefully.”
Theron smiled gently as he handed the wooden sword back to me. Hesitant for a moment, I took it from his hands.
“…Thank you.”
“No need to mention it. I’m glad I could help.”
Under the warm sunlight, his radiant smile was truly dazzling. His hair, shining as if woven from gold threads, framed a sculpted face, and his clear, bright blue eyes gave a refreshing impression.
Theron had the kind of beauty and poetic presence that could captivate anyone.
Noticing my dazed gaze, he asked with a small smile,
“Is there something on my face?”
Well… if I had to be specific, it would be “handsomeness.”
Still, I cleared my throat and tried to look elsewhere.
“No, it’s just… fascinating. Opportunities to meet a prince in person don’t come often.”
“Hmm. Judging from your presence here, you must be someone qualified to meet more than just me.”
It seemed like he was trying to subtly interrogate me about Suleiman, but I wasn’t about to fall for that.
“By the way, is it alright for me to be here for so long? I’ve heard this place is off-limits to others.”
“Ha ha, I suppose my brother wouldn’t be too pleased if he found out.”
“If he knew, it might be best for you to leave now.”
“But generally, royalty may enter any space outside the Sultan’s quarters. So, my lady needn’t worry too much about me.”
Theron shrugged casually, as if it were nothing.
I couldn’t help but stare at his somewhat brazen attitude, my energy deflating. I already knew he had a slightly peculiar side.
What good would come from provoking a brother with whom he already had a strained relationship?
Especially compared to when I had met him in his cat form privately, meeting Theron as a human felt a bit intimidating.
I was also uneasy knowing Suleiman harbored suspicions about his mother, and frankly, he didn’t like Theron much.
Deciding it was better to leave before trouble arose, I turned to depart. But Theron quietly spoke.
“…That’s strange.”
“Yes?”
I stopped and turned to look at him.
Unlike the gentle demeanor he had shown earlier, his face was now expressionless as he stared directly at me.
His deep blue eyes scanned me entirely, and I stiffened.
‘What… why do I feel so strange?’
It wasn’t an unpleasant or overtly threatening gaze. Yet there was a charisma in his relentless stare that made anyone tense.
For a moment, I felt as if the Theron I knew was completely different from the one standing before me.
“You’re certainly a stranger to me…”
I swallowed nervously, retreating slightly as if cornered like a mouse.
“I feel as if I’ve known you from somewhere long ago.”
As his gaze sharpened, I bit my lips tightly.
‘Something about this feels dangerous.’
I could feel the power of Ashtar deep within me quivering violently. Some instinct inside me was warning that he was dangerous.
Just as he took a step closer,
“Prince Theron? What brings you to a place like this…”
Iblan looked bewildered, glancing between the two of us. He held a water bottle, seemingly brought for me.
“Ah, Iblan. It’s been a while. I happened to stop by during my walk, and I came to return this lady’s wooden sword.”
Blushing, I remembered how I had spectacularly dropped my sword earlier in surprise.
“Iblan, I think that’s enough practice for today. Let’s head back.”
Bowing to Theron, I left the training area first.
Left unsure, Iblan froze, but Theron smiled and spoke to him.
“It seems I may have disrupted your training.”
“No, Prince Theron. I’ll excuse myself first. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Iblan bowed politely and disappeared into the building.
Theron, alone in the training area, murmured quietly to himself.
“…Could she be the woman of rumors? Interesting.”
[A survey, perhaps?]
A voice, audible only to Theron, whispered mysteriously.
Chuckling softly, he responded to the empty air with delight.
“His woman… It would be good to investigate thoroughly. Leave nothing unchecked.”
[Understood.]
When the voice faded, Theron turned back the way he came.
“This could get interesting.”
He never misjudged a situation. Muttering to himself, he slowly disappeared from view.
As if signaling the calm before a storm, clouds began to gather in the once-clear sky.
“Theron appeared in the training room?”
Hearing Iblan’s routine report in the residence, Suleiman’s eyebrows twitched.
Iblan hesitated, sensing his master’s mood, and answered.
“Yes. He didn’t seem to stay long.”
“…So you were with Ishtar while I was away.”
Iblan flinched and replied sheepishly,
“I apologize. I will be more careful to prevent this from happening again.”
Bowing in apology, Iblan glanced at Suleiman.
Since taking care of him for over ten years, Iblan had grown used to unusual behaviors from his master.
No matter the situation, Suleiman was usually rational and cold, but he reacted differently regarding matters involving Ishtar.
Small changes might seem trivial to others, but for Iblan, who had practically grown up with him, these were startling.
Recently, he even replaced all the servants and maids in the areas Ishtar frequently visited, right after hearing from his sister Arin that “something untoward” had occurred.
Such minor incidents were inevitable in court life, yet Suleiman could not tolerate them affecting her. He even forbade anyone from letting such matters reach Ishtar’s ears.
‘If he acts like this now… how will he change later?’
From Iblan’s perspective, Ishtar’s presence was overwhelming and intimidating. Her beauty seemed otherworldly, so much so that she had changed his previously stone-like view of women.
“…So annoying.”
“Pardon?”
With a snap, the quill in Suleiman’s hand broke.
The fact that Theron and Ishtar were in the same space was enough to enrage him.
For reasons unknown, he always felt uneasy when she wasn’t in sight, even at night.
Seeing Ishtar, asleep in his arms in her small cat form, he feared she might vanish like a mirage.
‘Fear… me?’
After meeting her, he felt a primal fear for the first time.
Before, he believed emotions only hindered him. Love, in particular, was laughable. But now he realized how foolish he had been to think that way.
Suleiman himself was confused by how quickly his emotions had changed. He had yet to name this elusive, troubling feeling clearly.
“How’s the investigation into the capital’s black market coming along? Have you identified those behind the recent incident?”
“Only suspicions, Your Highness. No concrete evidence yet. They’re so meticulous that even finding one ledger is difficult.”
Iblan’s frustration darkened Suleiman’s expression.
As governor, his priority was to find clues to eliminate forces opposing the Sultan, starting with rooting out those behind the capital’s black-market dealings and embezzlement.
The first goal was to expose them; the second was to prevent future corruption from spreading across the kingdom.
“Find them without fail. Following the volume and value of arms traded through the black market should lead to evidence.”
“Understood. Regarding Prince Theron… shall we act preemptively?”
“….”
Iblan’s cautious suggestion made Suleiman pause. He could strike Theron in a subtle, secretive way, and previous assassination attempts might be linked to Theron or his mother.
But now was not the time; acting hastily could endanger what he protected.
“Not yet. Wait a little longer.”
He had been back in the capital only a few months. Now, before firmly establishing himself as governor, it was not the right time to cause trouble.
“But…”
“Yes?”
When the time comes, he would not leave them unchallenged.
Suleiman clenched his teeth, suppressing the black rage burning deep within. Iblan, unable to ask about his master’s true feelings, remained silent.
