Chapter 46
How could it be so coincidental?
“That experiment is absurd!”
“Why is it absurd? All we need to do is bring out a single surviving monster!”
“You lunatic. Try stepping inside a gate and fighting for your life, then see if that’s possible!”
“What? Did you just call me a lunatic? You think I’ll just let that slide? Come on, let’s take this outside!”
“Damn it, these crazy mages!”
Kaishis frowned as he watched the quarrelsome voices clash.
‘There are definitely subversive elements among them.’
He had already given the order to monitor and root out suspicious individuals, and he could see his knights discreetly scanning the room with sharp eyes.
Normally, this was something he would have discussed directly with Duke Ariel.
Those involved with the gate.
Or… perhaps a certain faction tied to the late empress, six years ago.
Those who seemed intent on spreading dangerous ideologies while shaking the minds of awakened individuals with vile drugs.
His head was a storm of thoughts.
Memories of the past, his mother, and his bondmate.
‘My body is still perfectly fine.’
Perfectly.
A state that was anything but natural.
As if a guide, existing solely for his sake, had poured every ounce of strength into stabilizing him.
Kaishis was certain that as long as he refrained from using power, he could live normally for several days.
And it wasn’t just him who thought so—others saw it too.
Kaishis recalled what happened after his rescue.
‘We can’t keep this a secret any longer. Your Majesty’s body… it’s stable, even though we never laid a hand on you!’
‘Did you find your bondmate? But Your Majesty entered the gate alone. How… how is this possible?’
‘We’ve served you for years. Please, tell us something. Don’t just dismiss us like this!’
The three women, who had taken pride in being the Emperor’s guides despite his never finding a match, now turned pale and looked ready to faint whenever they so much as brushed against him.
‘Watch your tongues.’
‘But, Your Majesty…!’
‘I have found nothing. Do you understand what I’m saying? You are threatening the Emperor’s life right now.’
‘W-we only…’
Considering how their families had profited from that status, this was indeed an urgent matter—both politically and personally for Kaishis.
Suspicion, jealousy, wariness.
Curiosity, interest, even joy.
All those emotions swirled in the gazes directed at him as he declared that he had entered a mental-assault gate and had no memory of how he escaped or how his body had recovered.
Of course, no one believed him.
The guides wept in silence.
‘Lies.’
They dared not speak the word aloud to the Emperor, but their faces said it all.
Yet it was the truth.
‘And the only clue I can think of is Duke Ariel’s face? Damn it, this is insane.’
In the chaotic council hall, the Emperor clenched his tingling hand into a fist.
He could still feel it—so vividly.
The sensation of sinking his fingers into someone’s soft, abundant hair, of greedily clutching it.
Smooth strands cascading like waves in a striking crimson hue.
‘As far as I know, there’s only one person with hair like that.’
That made it all the more ridiculous, all the more infuriating—his face twisted against his will.
‘None of this makes sense.’
It had been a gate outburst inside the imperial palace.
The only one caught in it had been him.
Once a gate closes, no one from the outside can force it open.
Unless the person inside dies, or the gate completely explodes, spewing forth monsters.
‘This was a power beyond the gates.’
And it wasn’t magic.
It wasn’t the power of a guide or an awakened one either.
‘It’s just like the bondmate who appeared at night, deceiving my perception.’
But what could that possibly have to do with the duke?
That woman…
‘What are you hiding from me?’
Arrows of suspicion, betrayal, and mistrust pierced his heart.
Unfounded anger surged within him again.
Before he knew it, the magical ink pen in his grasp snapped with a sharp crack.
Thick liquid oozed out from the shattered pen like blood—like blood itself.
“…”
“Ahem… l-let’s… end this quarrel, shall we?”
He didn’t even notice the wary looks from mages and awakened ones as they glanced at the broken pen in his hand.
All he could think of was that crimson hair.
That familiar yet unfamiliar face, relentless in his mind.
The presence that should have been impossible.
A connection that should never exist.
And yet, he could not bring himself to deny it completely.
‘I can’t just sit here.’
Tears welled up and streamed down the boy’s cheeks as he rubbed his eyes.
If his usually gruff yet kind master were here, he would have sighed and quietly told him to lower his hands.
But Ruias was alone now.
There were no mages hovering nearby with concerned coughs as they had recently started doing, nor attendants chatting warmly, making sure he ate and dressed well.
And his greatest secret—
The mysterious talking cat, Lucy, wasn’t there either.
‘Brother, Your Majesty.’
The image of his master’s pale face wouldn’t leave his mind.
Back in his room, Ruias wriggled anxiously on his bed.
‘Never use it carelessly. The mages are desperate to find any weakness between you and me. The promise not to step into the palace without my and the duke’s permission—this is part of our pact. It must not become the spark that brings ruin.’
He hadn’t forgotten that warning.
‘Only when your life is truly in danger—that’s when you use it. Promise me. You’re a child, but you can’t remain a child forever. Don’t forgive me for being so cruel.’
He hadn’t forgotten his promise to his brother, the Emperor.
But…
‘I heard it.’
Last night, consumed by fear and worry, Ruias broke his promise to Lucy.
He didn’t stay in bed and fall asleep like he should have.
In the deep of the night, when no one could interfere, he retraced his steps.
The absence of his master filled him with dread, and he longed to be near the cat.
He couldn’t stop thinking about that frail figure, even if Lucy scolded him later.
That was how he ended up at his master’s chamber door, just about to push it open—when he heard it.
‘Hhhng…’
Someone was crying.
‘Hhhnghh…’
The soundproofing was good, as expected of a mage’s quarters, so he couldn’t hear clearly.
But he could tell. Someone was sobbing.
And the voice—it was unmistakably his master’s, the person Ruias loved second most in the entire world!
The young prince was devastated.
‘It’s because of me.’
Because of what happened that day.
‘I should have spoken up.’
He couldn’t say anything.
When his master had reached out to him—
He stayed mute, and that silence caused the fight between his master and his imperial brother.
‘Because of me!’
The truth was, Ruias’s life had grown much more comfortable lately.
Since being forbidden from entering the palace, the mages had begun paying more attention to him.
They cleared their throats nervously, trying to teach him more than before.
The maids and attendants spoiled him with delicious food, gentle care, and warm smiles.
He was ten, but he was also a prince, and clever enough to know that these changes were thanks to his master.
And yet…
‘I’m a bad child.’
Thinking about his master’s pale sleeping face made even these worries feel sinful.
‘Brother, Your Majesty. My master isn’t bad. Please, don’t fight.’
Ruias reached deep into his wardrobe and pulled out something he had hidden away.
His messy hair shook as he exhaled a trembling breath.
He knew the Emperor’s schedule well enough.
By now, his brother would have returned to the study.
So…
‘I’ll explain everything!’
Click—
The jewel box opened to reveal an old, shabby leather cord, and hanging from it, a small gem no bigger than a pebble.
It looked cheap, almost worthless.
But inside that humble stone, a magic circle swirled vividly.
‘Take me to my brother, His Majesty.’
The gem flared with light as he gripped it tight.
A moment later, the empty jewel box fell with a thud onto the floor of the young prince’s room.
And Ruias was gone.
