“Crown Prince.”
A gentle voice rang out in the tense atmosphere. The Empress, who appeared after Deus, approached with a fresh smile on her face. Her appearance was so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was the woman who had committed evil deeds, scheming all kinds of slander.
Deus’s expression hardened coldly as his eyes met the Empress’s. Unfazed, the Empress stood facing him and cupped Deus’s cheeks with an expression full of emotion.
“You’ve grown remarkably since I last saw you. I almost didn’t recognize you. I thought I’d never see you again, but to be able to meet you like this…”
The Empress’s eyes welled up with tears. To others, she would appear to be an ordinary mother rejoicing at being reunited with her biological son, but knowing the original story’s content, I could only feel chills.
It was the Empress’s choice to confine Deus in that Underground Prison in the first place. The Empress never loved Deus for even a single moment, as he was of no use to her. Rather, she had hoped he would suffer for the rest of his life in that Void.
<If I make that monster the emperor, there will be people who hold me accountable for giving birth to that monster. I have no ill feelings toward that child, but nothing takes priority over my own safety.>
My palms grew damp with tension. Even I, an outsider, felt disgusted by the Empress’s hypocritical face, so I couldn’t even imagine how Deus, the person directly involved, must feel. Given Deus’s temperament I’d observed so far, it wouldn’t be strange if he broke the Empress’s neck right now.
‘No, Deus. You have to endure. If you attack the Empress now, everything will go to waste.’
Deus, who had been quietly looking down at the Empress, raised his hand. Then, with an affectionate expression that an ordinary human might wear, he clasped the Empress’s hand over his.
At Deus’s reaction, the Empress flinched and trembled. It seemed to be a reaction even the Empress hadn’t anticipated. Deus, lowering his gaze, continued.
“To say you almost didn’t recognize me—that’s a bit disappointing.”
“……”
“I haven’t forgotten Your Majesty the Empress for even a single moment.”
Deus grasped the Empress’s hand on his cheek and then kissed the back of her pure white hand. It was a courteous attitude that showed none of the irreverence Deus possessed. Their gazes clashed sharply.
At Deus’s appearance, showing not a single weakness, the Empress’s face, which had been relaxed all along, also hardened coldly. For an instant, madness flashed in the eyes of Deus, who had been acting the part of a dignified Crown Prince the whole time.
“Every night I recalled your face, like longing for a dead lover…”
For a moment, fear crossed the face of the Empress as her eyes met Deus’s. The woman who had acted like a god encompassing all truth wore an expression like a human peering into a pitch-black cave, at least in this moment. Deus obediently released the Empress, who was hastily trying to pull her hand away, and returned to a gentle expression.
“I apologize if that was an irreverent expression. I’m still clumsy with the imperial language, so I couldn’t find an appropriate expression to convey my joy.”
“……”
“I humbly congratulate you on your birthday, Your Majesty the Empress.”
At Deus’s formal attitude, the wariness on the Empress’s face subsided a bit. The Empress, smiling softly, glanced toward Kiss, who was standing with his hands clasped behind his back at her side.
“According to Lord Kilius, you met one of the Guardians of the Primordial Evil in the Void. Could I hear more details about that story?”
My gaze went to Kiss, who was looking down expressionlessly. His face was calm even at the side of the woman who had killed his mother. After a moment of silence, Deus smiled faintly.
“Of course.”
* * *
Even after the three left, the ball buzzed with talk of the Crown Prince. Unlike the rumors that he suffered from Madness, Deus’s dignity in proving his own status was enough to excite the orthodox nobles.
Among them, those who were particularly enthusiastic were the marriageable daughters of prestigious families. Rowena, who was watching with amusement the young ladies whispering about Deus with flushed faces, winked at me.
“Well, I should head over to that camp now. Either way, I’m a young lady too.”
“Are you acquainted with them?”
“Not really, but… I think my part is done now. And it seems like it’ll be dangerous in various ways if I continue to be associated with Ash going forward.”
I blinked at her cryptic words. She patted my shoulder and gestured for me to bring my ear closer. The moment I lowered my upper body reflexively, Rowena’s voice, devoid of laughter, pierced my ear.
“Today’s events will change the political situation more than you expect. You’d better prepare yourself.”
Having finished speaking, Rowena headed toward where the young ladies were. I watched Rowena laughing and chatting normally with the young ladies before withdrawing my gaze. I felt dizzy from the belated sense of relief.
‘I feel like I’ve barely crossed one major hurdle.’
Contrary to my worries, Deus clearly understood the position given to him. He seemed quite skilled at navigating social situations, not only in terms of etiquette but also in that he neither revealed nor lowered himself too much. It was hard to believe he was the same person as the man who had rampaged like a madman in the Void. Just as I was shaking my head to dispel the dizziness, a delicate voice came from over my shoulder.
“Young Master Ash?”
A pleasant fragrance arrived before the voice, stimulating my sense of smell. It was a very luxurious saffron scent. The moment I hesitated and turned my head, my heart sank.
She had platinum hair and water-colored eyes like Ash’s, and at a glance, she looked similar enough to Ash to seem like a blood relative. She looked at me, who was too surprised to continue speaking, as if puzzled, then smiled gently and said.
“I’ve heard much about you through Lord Kilius, but you’re a much more beautiful Young Master than I’d heard. Oh, I’m…”
“……”
“I’m Erina Bellua, a daughter of House Bellua.”
Erina Bellua, Kiss’s long-time fiancée. No matter how much Ash was an adopted son of House Serpent, Ash was human. That’s why it was absurd for a young lady from a proud noble family to speak to him first. Erina stared at me, who was too surprised to speak, then made an “ah” sound and covered her mouth.
“Did I perhaps make some verbal mistake…”
“No, no. I’m just surprised that the young lady of House Bellua would speak to me first.”
“That can’t be. Honestly speaking, Lord Kilius isn’t someone who easily lets people close, right? But to be Lord Kilius’s childhood friend… I really wanted to meet you at least once.”
Despite her shy manner of speaking, her voice, as warm as cotton candy, was lovely, befitting one of the few heroines in the original work. How should I put it—after possessing this body, I’d been continuously seeing crazy lunatics, so seeing a cute girl melted my heart.
That bastard Kiss acted like he wasn’t interested in romance, but managed to find this kind of beautiful girl to make his fiancée, I thought. Erina, smiling brightly, continued.
“Oh, and Lord Kilius said there was a matter to convey separately. Have you heard about it?”
“Pardon? No, I haven’t heard anything like that…”
“That’s strange, he asked me during the day. He said there was something he absolutely had to tell Young Master Ash this evening, so he asked me to bring you separately.”
Erina tilted her head. I was just as puzzled.
‘Is it something related to Deus?’
If Kiss, who hates wasting time, was calling me aside specifically, it didn’t seem like an ordinary matter. I glanced at the flustered Erina and cautiously spoke.
“Then could you perhaps guide me to where Kiss-nim is?”
Erina, who had hesitated at the nickname “Kiss,” nodded with a smile. I left the bustling ballroom and headed to where Erina was guiding me.
Even while walking down the dark corridor, my gaze went to Erina’s swaying hair. A noble young lady who smelled nice, was lovely, had no blemishes, and came from a good family. Erina, who seemed like an existence born to be loved, certainly suited Kiss like a picture.
<Well, such a place would be fine for a fiancée, but it’s a bit much for someone who’s nothing to go there. Right?>
The words Kiss had said in passing before came to mind. I was about to ask if she’d enjoyed the festival to break the awkward silence, but closed my mouth again. For some reason, I felt like I didn’t want to know, and at the same time, the area around my heart throbbed for no reason. Some unidentifiable emotion dampened my mood.
‘Maybe I had too much champagne.’
Erina, who had been silently leading the way in silence, stopped in front of a door. Then she smiled brightly.
“It’s here. Please go in first. I’ll return to the ballroom.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After bowing my head briefly, I turned the doorknob. Just as I was about to step inside without much thought, my back was pushed and my body tilted forward. Before I could even grasp the situation, I heard the sound of the door being locked from outside. Erina’s subdued voice pierced my ears as I sat down in a daze.
“You know, Ash. I’m a merchant’s daughter, so I have a good eye for goods. That’s why I’ve always insisted on only the best things. The best accessories, the best dresses, the best tutors…”
“……”
“That man is the same. Kilius is the best fiancé I’ve chosen. He’s smart, has excellent character, has ambition but knows how to hide himself appropriately.”
Just as I was thinking that as expected of an engaged couple, they acted similarly, I noticed this was a cramped storage room. The moment I realized it was an enclosed space, bad memories suddenly surfaced.
‘Damn, this is dangerous.’
My hands trembled regardless of my will. I recalled the secret I’d once confessed to Kiss.
<I was locked in a room… It was summer, so I was on the verge of dehydration. After that, I became afraid of being trapped somewhere.>
As my heart felt tightly constricted, cold sweat poured down like rain. The painful memories I’d forgotten for a while replayed before my eyes like a film projector.
The rough hands grabbing my hair and the man’s curses, the sound of something shattering, the woman’s laughter as she forced me to eat what I’d vomited back up…
The voice saying, “Help me.”
“Please open it, I beg you.”
I opened my mouth with difficulty in a trembling voice. An answer returned from beyond the quiet door.
“Don’t get any closer to Kilius than this. I have no ill feelings toward you, but I don’t like my fiancé being friendly with a human. I don’t like my good possessions getting scratched.”
“……”
“I also don’t like my possessions being called by a nickname.”
The sound of Erina’s footsteps, having finished her answer, gradually faded away. Pitch-black darkness enveloped my body.
｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡