“……”
As expected, he couldn’t deceive him.
Hereis felt both comfortable and uncomfortable being with his twin brother.
If it were an incubus, they wouldn’t doubt Hereis’s excuse. They’re the type who shed tears saying they love someone to death, then the next day kill them out of boredom and consider it natural. But the same excuse doesn’t work on Prision.
He understands, notices, and sees through the ambiguous boundary of emotions between humans and incubi.
“When I awakened, my lust became vigorous.”
“Really?”
Prision sent a gaze full of disbelief, but Hereis responded with a leisurely smile. Just because he suspected didn’t mean he could admit it.
“Yeah. Ric, so about that, I want to borrow the antidote.”
“Call me by my name instead of Ric. We’re brothers.”
When an incubus calls one’s true name, they must perform the marriage ceremony, but parents and siblings were exceptions.
“Prision.”
“Yeah.”
“Lend me the antidote.”
“Got it. What’s so difficult about that? Trying to rob the safe for just something like that, that’s not like you, hyung.”
Prision unexpectedly didn’t press further and easily let it go. Actually, he thought if Prision figured out everything, he’d try to kill Rosenthal.
To Prision, marriage ceremonies and partners were like toys to play with and throw away when bored, and he had actually married dozens of times. When an incubus performs a marriage ceremony, they’re bound by restrictions for 10 years. Even as a half, Prision who was only 26 couldn’t have married dozens of times. Of course, that’s if it were a normal situation.
When a partner dies, the marriage relationship also ends. Though incubi can’t directly kill someone bound by the marriage ceremony, using a third party’s hands was possible. Prision fully utilized that point, killing partners and marrying new ones. Like a game. Moreover, when it came to matters concerning Hereis, he had a side that rushed forward blindly without consideration. So if there was a human spreading the poison of covenant through his twin brother’s body, he wouldn’t leave them alone. But it seemed to be needless worry.
“Thanks.”
“But borrowing things between brothers is too cold, isn’t it? To be honest, I’ll just give it to you.”
Prision folded his eyes and smiled beautifully. And in a cool voice that didn’t match his warm smile at all, he said.
“Your marriage partner cheated, right?”
“You said you’re writing, your imagination has become rich.”
Yeah, there’s no way he’d just let it go. Since he hadn’t entirely failed to anticipate this reaction either, Hereis frowned and made an expression saying that was ridiculous. But Prision’s eyes emitted an even colder chill.
“Hyung is considerate. That’s why hyung took on all the marriage restrictions. But that bitch betrayed hyung. Right?”
With just the bloodstains and situation, Prision deduced everything. He really shouldn’t have come. He shouldn’t have encountered him before the marriage ended.
Still, it was fortunate that Prision believed Hereis’s partner was a woman.
“Stop imagining things there.”
“No? Then why did you cough up blood? You didn’t have sex here, did you? While hyung was struggling to obtain the antidote, that bitch was playing around with another guy. Right?”
“That’s not it. Suddenly indulging in lust, my magic became scattered…”
It was the moment he tried to firmly deny it. Once again, a lump of blood poured up through his esophagus. Hereis coughed up blood and collapsed. Unable to endure as the poison spread twice in a row while his body hadn’t yet recovered.
As Hereis poured out violent coughs, Prision crouched down and met his eye level.
“Hyung’s partner seems to have betrayed hyung again just now.”
“……”
Hereis couldn’t say anything.
Eldon once again poured essence into Rosenthal’s body, and the poison of covenant attacked Hereis. Prision saw Hereis being struck by the poison. Any further excuses would only be meaningless struggles.
And he couldn’t make excuses. As Hereis continuously poured out bloody coughs, Prision patted his shoulder.
“Hyung, you won’t need the antidote.”
“…What?”
“Tell me who that bitch is. I’ll go kill her right away.”
Hereis’s ominous premonition came true. He looked at his younger brother wrapped in killing intent.
“Hurry and tell me. Hyung.”
Hereis averted his gaze. Then cold fingers lifted his chin.
“Hyung, I asked you. You have to answer. I wish hyung would tell me. What bitch is it? Hurry and tell me. Tell me to kill that trash who betrayed me.”
Hereis tried to remove the hand, but Prision firmly held on and wouldn’t let go.
“Prision.”
Hereis called his brother’s name quietly. It was a warning.
The two looked the same, but otherwise were completely different. Their innate personalities and qualities were also polar opposites. If Hereis possessed outstanding magic power even among demons, Prision was born with a succubus’s instincts and seduction techniques. If they clashed with strength, Prision couldn’t beat Hereis.
Prision knew that fact well, so he didn’t face Hereis head-on. Hereis had also never suppressed his brother with force.
But to try to press down his twin brother with force right after being struck by the poison of covenant. It was an extremely succubus-like behavior.
“You’ve gotten impudent.”
“The one who got their weakness caught is at fault.”
Prision smiled broadly and snatched Hereis’s wrist as he tried to remove his hand again.
“Hyung, you’re suffering right now. You’ll die at this rate. So hurry and tell me. Who is that bitch? What’s the name? What family, and where is she now?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Prision had noticed the poison of covenant, but didn’t know the exact partner. He concluded that Hereis’s partner was a woman. Just as he thought it was fortunate, Prision’s smile deepened.
“Ah, I asked the wrong question. Let me ask again. Hyung, who is that bastard?”
The cold sweat that had formed on Hereis’s spine froze solid. As he was so surprised he forgot words to deflect and looked at his brother, Prision continued with a leisurely smile.
“Hurry and tell me. I want to hear it in hyung’s voice. To kill the partner who betrayed me. To kill the Crown Prince’s fiancé Rosenthal Chendewden, hurry and tell me.”
***
I spent a leisurely day drawing pictures in the atelier prepared on the second floor of the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Since it hadn’t been announced that we’d held the first night yet, I returned to the ambiguous position of the Crown Prince’s fiancé without a wedding date set. Because a gag order on the first night ceremony was issued, my form of address was also restored to ‘young master’ or ‘young lord.’
The Crown Prince’s Palace was peaceful. But other places were not at all.
Executions were carried out day after day, and prestigious noble families were destroyed overnight or their titles changed hands.
‘If I announce the first night now, it will be buried in bloody news and won’t be blessed. So after wrapping up all matters, I’ll announce the first night on the founding anniversary. Once it’s announced that we’ve held the official first night ceremony, duties as Crown Princess will begin, so study etiquette and prepare.’ Eldon said.
Why specifically the ‘founding anniversary’? The founding anniversary was the day Seha’s investiture as consort was announced in the original.
I had no intention of running a happiness circuit again and deluding myself that the main uke might have changed. Though Eldon doesn’t despise me like in the original, it hasn’t changed that I’m merely his political marriage partner.
The destined partner bound to Eldon by pheromones is Seha. Though Eldon hasn’t realized it yet, he feels comfortable with him and senses something instinctive.
So announcing the first night ceremony on the founding anniversary probably doesn’t have any special meaning. He just picked the best date in the current situation.
Though the original seems tremendously twisted, if you examine it closely, nothing has really changed. Eldon’s realization is just slow.
If I tell him here ‘your destined partner is Seha,’ the story that went off the rails will quickly find its place.
But somehow I don’t want to do that. Not a rational problem like the probability of my death going up if Eldon and Seha do well together, but I just don’t want to.
I must have possessed a villain character, so those instincts remain. I just need to not interfere, I don’t want to push them together from behind. The cupid plan is cancelled. Why should I help that Elegy bastard find his destined partner when he’s so pretty? Even when I give advice, he only torments me. I’ll just leave them to realize on their own. Anyway, even if I keep my mouth shut, they’ll stick together on their own.
Feeling irritated for some reason, I put down my brush, and Raki prepared refreshments as if he’d been waiting.
Apple juice, apple tart, apple muffin. Anyway, it’s a grand feast of apples.
“His Highness the Crown Prince prepared it.”
“…I see.”
Ah, I don’t want to eat anymore. I feel like I’ll feel sick just smelling apples, not even Rosana. But if I leave any, he’ll nag again or try to force-feed me.
I forced down the apple juice recalling the memory of becoming a human apple jam.
“It’s delicious.”
Though I’m sick of it, when I actually eat it, it’s delicious again… It’s not just sweet, but the slightly bitter taste lightly touching the tip of the tongue added a luxurious flavor.
I think I understand why Rosenthal in the original liked Rosana so much. But no matter how delicious, this isn’t right. After taking a bite of the apple tart, I put it back on the table.
“When His Highness’s favor is so devoted, seeing people spout nonsense makes me dumbfounded.”
Though we advertised holding the first night ceremony by wearing Prolain flowers in our ears and roaming the central garden, after several days passed with no news and the commotion of returning to the separate palace added on, people started gossiping.
‘To firmly strike down Grand Duke Curtis, Duke Chendewden’s power is needed. So they just temporarily placed Rosenthal Chendewden in the Crown Princess’s palace. The Crown Prince still dislikes Rosenthal.’
Such rumors spread and now seemed to be regarded as established fact.
“It’s all rumors spread by Lady Melissa!”
Raki excitedly raised his voice.
“Melissa?”
Melissa Brion was one of the Crown Prince’s five consorts. The only daughter of Count Brion, who would have become Crown Princess if not for Rosenthal, and in the original was also Seha’s reliable supporter.
Ric (릭) – (nickname for Prision)
