I opened my eyes, which wouldn’t open easily, and checked Deus’s expression. For something said in the heat of the moment, it was an incredibly calm expression. At my appearance, unable to answer readily, Deus pulled the bed sheet. Then, wiping away my flowing nosebleed, he asked the question he’d just asked once more.
“Want to stop?”
In a state where I didn’t even know what he meant by stopping, I nodded my head indiscriminately. Deus, who had been quietly watching me like that, swept back my sweat-soaked hair. Then he laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Right, let’s stop.”
“……”
“I’ll stop.”
Deus, who had pulled out his member, even untied my bound wrists. Rather, I was the one dazed by Deus’s attitude, which had changed so suddenly. Deus, who had picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor and put them on, left the room without saying anything particular. I was stunned, not having expected him to actually stop when I told him to stop.
‘This is strange. He’s not the type to give up this quickly.’
I glared at the door with a face that didn’t erase my wariness. If it was the Deus I knew, he’d definitely kick down that door in about 30 seconds, saying it was actually a lie told with all his heart, and pull out a riding crop from under the bed.
I wiped my tears with my wrist and awkwardly stepped down from the bed. Then, wrapping the bed sheet around my body, I slowly walked toward the door. With trembling hands, I carefully opened the door and checked outside.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please, moderately…”
The moment I opened the door, I froze stiff. Contrary to my expectation that Deus would definitely be waiting, there was no one outside. Instead, what was waiting for me were priests and maids bowing their heads.
“Since Lord Ash’s physical condition doesn’t seem good, His Highness ordered us to carefully check your condition.”
In fact, my physical condition wasn’t bad. Rather, the day after mixing bodies with Deus, I was full of vitality like an office worker who’d received an IV drip. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t tired, so I’d just gotten a nosebleed. It seemed he was startled since it was the first time seeing blood like that.
‘But nosebleeds burst at the drop of a hat anyway.’
Rather, I’d feel anxious if I didn’t get a nosebleed once a day. After awkwardly wiping my nosebleed with the back of my hand, I followed the priest back into the room.
When my body was carefully examined under the light, there were red bruises on my wrists, and blue-black bruises on the knee I’d slammed into the floor when I fell in the bathroom. Just as I was thinking it was a rare union of ruling and opposition parties, I heard the priest’s sigh in my ear.
“Geez, His Highness really, it’s so disgusting…”
“……”
It seemed the sounds had been heard even outside the door. It was clearly insulting speech toward royalty, but since I sympathized to some extent, I quietly received treatment. Clearing my cracked voice, I thought.
‘Is it just a simple whim?’
Was it because this was the first time he’d actually stopped when told to stop? Rather than being happy, I felt bewildered. At the same time, my heart became anxiously uneasy for no reason. Either way, I had to make Deus emperor, if only to prevent Kiss from becoming emperor. What if Deus, whose mood was twisted by this incident, gave up on the throne?
‘It’s entirely possible. No, he’ll definitely do that. Deus wasn’t very interested in the throne in the first place. He even played the ridiculous role of Crown Prince because of me.’
But even so, I was too scared of that bastard. I couldn’t forget the expression on his face when he shoved my head into the bathtub.
The moment the memory surfaced, my hands trembled finely. To cooperate with Deus, I shouldn’t be afraid of Deus. But that wasn’t easy to do.
After the priests and maids left the bedroom, I once again reviewed the contents of the original work.
In the original, a hunting festival was held as the last event of the birthday celebration. Kiss, as royalty, also participated in this hunting festival, and the fifth Guardian appeared in the forest where the hunting festival was held.
And this Guardian, who had been indiscriminately attacking the nobles participating in the hunting festival, kidnapped and took away Erina, Kiss’s fiancée.
Kiss headed to the ant nest where the ant clan lived to save his fiancée, and there he met Narike, the fifth Guardian of the Primordial Evil—that was the content of the original work.
‘He was quite a strong one. Strong enough to become one of Kiss’s few traumas.’
In the original, Ash doesn’t participate in the hunting festival. The hunting festival could only be attended by some nobles who received the favor of the imperial family. After pondering deeply, I came to a conclusion.
‘First, let’s do what I can do.’
My head turned toward the large full-length mirror. There wasn’t a single intact spot on my face or body, but I didn’t want to fall into despair. I only had about a year left, and that precious time was too valuable to waste on despair. Clenching my fists, I repeated the resolution I’d made many times.
‘I’ll change the original work.’
* * *
Until the hunting festival started, Deus didn’t come looking for me even once.
It made sense. The birthday celebration wasn’t simply a place to eat and drink, but a place where those with strong influence within their territories gathered to discuss current issues within the empire and unite their opinions. The Crown Prince couldn’t be absent from such an important gathering, nor should he be.
Moreover, since Deus had never attended that gathering before, he was obviously busy dealing with the subtle competitive dynamics among nobles and political issues.
<Want to stop?>
I hesitated while stroking a horse’s mane in the stable. In fact, I knew it was strange. It was harder not to know what it meant that Deus, who had called the nobles’ audience a ‘trivial matter,’ hadn’t come looking for me even once for several days.
Deus was definitely fed up with me. Since I, terrified with fear, had poured out all sorts of abuse at him, it was natural in a way. There was nothing to feel disappointed about.
‘Still, the fortunate thing is that he seems to be focusing more on his own work instead.’
Contrary to my expectation that he would definitely quit being Crown Prince, Deus excellently performed all the various duties given to the Crown Prince. For that reason, praise for Deus was already rampant within the imperial palace.
Even the Empress, who didn’t easily praise anyone, was deeply impressed by Deus, who had mediated a diplomatic dispute at the conference two days ago, and greatly commended his achievement. It seemed he had no intention of giving up the throne just because his relationship with me had soured.
‘That means my role is over now.’
In the first place, I’d brought Deus out of that Void to prevent Kiss’s usurpation of the throne. If Deus safely ascended to the throne, I had nothing more to do. Of course, to solve the terminal illness, I had to gather the Summoning Seals and summon the Primordial Evil. But I had a plan for that too.
Whinny.
When I, lost in thought, stopped stroking, the horse that had been docile neighed roughly. Belatedly escaping from my thoughts, I smiled awkwardly and stroked Butter’s head.
Butter was the horse I would ride in the upcoming hunting festival. Since I didn’t want to die from a mere fall from a horse, I wanted to build as much rapport with Butter as possible.
“It’s kind of healing…”
“What, isn’t that Ash?”
Just as I was gradually forming rapport with Butter, an unwelcome voice came from behind me. When I turned my head expressionlessly, Baron and the twin brothers, who I didn’t know when they’d arrived, were standing there. As befitting the children of a villainous family, they still had impressions that looked ill-natured. I thought with narrowed eyes.
‘It’s obvious. They came to drug Kiss’s horse, just like in the original.’
Come to think of it, what was Kiss up to these days? Like Kiss, he too hadn’t shown himself since the incident in the enclosed space.
Perhaps because these bastards fucked me in pairs and didn’t reveal a single hair, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of somehow being dumped. Sighing, I opened my mouth.
“Long time no see, hyungs. Have you been well…”
At my appearance, showing an indifferent reaction rather than being frightened upon seeing them, the brothers showed signs of bewilderment.
It was a thought I’d been having lately, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that rather, the brothers’ bullying at the Serpent estate had been the mild version. It was thanks to Kiss and Death’s skilled tormenting. Baron, who had been looking at me with a scornful expression as I maintained a detached face, strode toward me.
“You, is it true you asked Father to introduce you to a skilled tutor?”
He seemed to be talking about Rowena. Baron, who had let out a hollow laugh while watching me silently nod, soon raised his hand. With a smack, I fell to the side.
“A bastard who doesn’t know his place, you should have at least some moderation even if you’re shameless. How dare you try to use the power of House Serpent when you’re just an adopted son?”
“…Isn’t the family motto of House Serpent to use everything you can use for success?”
“……”
“And if that bothers you so much, hyung could also ask Father. I don’t even know what the problem is.”
I spoke crookedly, wiping my split lip with my thumb. At my clearly insolent attitude, Baron, grinding his teeth with a crunch, kicked my stomach this time. Clutching my stomach at the pain like my vision was flashing, I moaned. Baron, who spat on my hair, soon rattled off tiresome words.
‘He’s just jealous, making such a fuss…’
Since I’d obviously lose in hand-to-hand combat anyway, instead of fighting back, I just chose to lie on the floor pretending to be hurt. Just as I was lying face-down on the floor listening to Baron’s misanthropic remarks, a commotion was heard from the stable entrance. It seemed to be a group of nobles passing by nearby. The moment I confirmed the face of a man standing particularly tall among the similar-looking nobles, my body stiffened.
“Ah.”
Deus, who felt my gaze, also turned his head toward me. I felt a bit bewildered, feeling like it had been a very long time since we’d met. Deus, who had been looking at me expressionlessly, soon moved his steps again.
That was definitely an expression as if it was now a matter that had nothing to do with him.
