DNCTFB 14

<Episode 14>

But everything changed when it was revealed that his nephew, Deonis, was a mage.

The Emperor made a declaration:

‘You will inherit the throne. My son.’

From that day on, Ryan was forced to be perfect in everything—studies, swordsmanship, and more.

But people constantly criticized him, always comparing him to Deonis.
Even though Deonis was nothing more than a beast—just like a monster—
people, too blind to see the truth, refused to acknowledge Ryan as crown prince and constantly found fault in him.

Only the Emperor and a few high-ranking priests knew Deonis’s real identity,
so all the blame fell on Ryan.

Even after becoming the crown prince, someone everyone should admire,
Ryan felt like he had become even more worthless.

That’s when it started—when he began wanting what belonged to Deonis.

He drove away the nanny who raised Deonis.
He smashed things that had belonged to the former Emperor.
After becoming an adult, he would visit Deonis’s mansion every time he wanted to sleep with a woman.

The thought that Deonis would be out somewhere suffering while he enjoyed pleasure in that same space made him feel better.
He knew it was disgusting, but he couldn’t stop.

Tonight, he lured Countess Yunawood away from a banquet and went straight to Deonis’s mansion.
At the back gate, the soldiers casually let him in—a servant had already been paid off in advance.

As soon as he entered that man’s space, he couldn’t hold back.
He kissed the woman wildly, thinking of Deonis crawling through filth and blood with monsters.
It made his body burn even more.

Ryan took the woman to the Duchess’s room.
No woman in her right mind would marry that beast, so the room had always been empty.

The heat that started with a kiss moved down her neck.
The two tangled bodies entered the room like snakes, pulled off the white cloth from the bed, and slipped onto it.

“Haa, whose room is this?”

Ryan licked his lips and pointed to the portrait above the fireplace with his chin.

“The room of the former Empress—whom I adore.”

“What? Are you joking? That’s insane.”

Seeing her cringe in disgust, Ryan pulled down his pants.

“Want me to show you what insane really looks like?”

He lifted her skirt and stuck his head under it.
The thick scent of perfume mixed with sweat hit him.

The woman’s laughter instantly stopped the moment his fingers touched her underwear.

“W-wait. Just a moment, Your Highness…”

She hesitated and started pulling back.
He thought she was just pretending to be shy even though she knew what they were doing,
so he grabbed her plump hips.

“Where are you going—”

“Eek! Kyaaah!!”

But what came next was a furious kick pushing him off.

“What the hell?! Are you crazy?! How dare you—!”

After being hit hard, Ryan struggled to lift his head through the layers of skirts,
only to see the Countess’s pale, terrified face.
She was trembling, eyes wide, staring into the air.

“What? If you’re sick, you should’ve told me earlier. Is it contagious?”

“Th-there…”

Ryan followed her shaking finger.
Outside the window, a broken porcelain doll with cracked lips sat in midair.
Ryan screamed.

“Aaaaah! Aaaahhh!! Aaaaah!!”

“It’s coming closer—!!”

“What is that?!”

“I don’t know!! Get it away!!”

“Don’t push me! I’m the crown prince!”

Terrified, the two pushed each other toward the doll.

The doll disappeared briefly—only to reappear at the edge of the bed.
The Countess screamed and pulled at her skirts, trying to escape the bed.

Ryan, still dazed, lost his balance and fell off the bed.

Thud—

His head hit the bedpost with a loud thump.
Holding his throbbing head, he looked up and saw the Countess already at the door, running away.

“Damn it…! Come back! Do you hear me?!”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness— kyaaah!”

Slam—

The moment she left, the door slammed shut.
Ryan tried to run after her, but his half-removed pants kept getting in the way.
He couldn’t get them off, so he had to crawl.

Just then, the wooden door slowly creaked open.

“I figured you’d come back.
Come on, grab my hand. Let’s get you up.”

Ryan sighed in relief.

But standing in the dim light was a man dressed in jet-black armor.

“Waaaah! Who are you?!”

“What were you doing here, Your Highness?”

“Y-you…!”

That cold, annoying voice.
It was Deonis.
Ryan had never been gladder to see that annoyingly perfect face.

The subjugation mission, which was supposed to take three weeks, finished in two.
There were fewer monsters in the Noya Mountains than expected.

But the knights didn’t relax.
They began preparing their weapons and supplies again.
The Duke never returned early from a mission.

“Which direction should we head next?”

a knight asked while finishing preparations.

“North.”

“You mean the Rebel Mountains or Istel territory, sir?”

Deonis looked at him like he had said something ridiculous.

“We’re going back to Malakar.”

“But the Malakar Mountains have already been cleared.
There shouldn’t be many monsters left there.”

“If you want, you can head that way yourself.
Tell the rest to prepare to return to the territory.”

“To the territory, sir…?”

The unexpected order left the knight stunned.
Then he quickly ran off—to get moving before the Duke changed his mind.

“…Maybe I should’ve gone through the Rebel Mountains after all.”

Riding his horse, Deonis furrowed his brow, feeling a strange sense of regret.

Why did he suddenly want to go back to that cursed mansion?

It was like a hunger gnawing at him.
The heat of slicing through monsters wasn’t enough anymore.
Even though it should’ve been hotter than that touch, it wasn’t.

When he returned to the mansion, he stopped in front of the gate.

“Your Grace?”

“……”

The pain that had constantly followed him since passing through the barrier was starting to fade.
The wind brushing his skin.
The smell of the soil.
The neatly trimmed hedges.
Everything felt strangely vivid.

‘Was this place always like this?’

Was this also her doing?

A small laugh slipped from his lips.
Even though he’d lived here for years since leaving the palace,
it felt like he was seeing it for the first time.

“Your Grace, why aren’t you going in?”

“Perhaps His Grace is feeling emotional… being home early and all.”

The knights spoke cheerfully.

“Home…”

But he still didn’t think of it as home.
If pain was the punishment for his original sin,
then this mansion was simply the prison he had to live in.

His eyes turned to the room used as her workshop.
The lights were off.
His brow furrowed.

Then the chief attendant appeared, bowing nervously.
He looked like he had rushed over—his usually neat white hair was a mess.

“You’ve returned, sir.”

“Where is the magic tool maker?”

“It’s already time for her to be back in her quarters. But more importantly…”

Just as Deonis turned toward the annex—

“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

The chief attendant’s words made one of Deonis’s eyebrows twitch.