# Chapter 53
A subtle silence fell. As I hesitated, unable to speak easily, Luan muttered as if talking to himself.
“Well, I suppose you can’t forget his betrayal either, hyung. You almost died because of it.”
Luan saw everything I had done for Kadilen as desperate attempts to regain my power as a prince. That’s why he called it betrayal when Kadilen tried to execute me after taking the throne. That’s also why he could shamelessly demand a deal even after revealing what he had done. He probably thought I harbored resentment toward Kadilen.
What a foolish thought. If he had known that the real Ludin willingly stepped down from the succession after learning about his illness, he wouldn’t have misjudged like this. It was a misunderstanding he wouldn’t have made if he’d realized not everyone is as obsessed with power as he is. Perhaps he was truly Zendal’s son. Blinded by power, unable to see what truly mattered.
This was actually fortunate for me. Luan knowing about my feelings for Kadilen would do me no good. At least now, I needed to appear as a useful card to him. That way, he wouldn’t turn his back on me and would give me a chance to save Rio.
“I’ve considered it, actually. I thought a lot about just killing him.”
Luan curled up the corner of his mouth as if amused. He looked at me with renewed interest. I gritted my teeth, afraid my true feelings might slip out at his disgusting expression.
“Stop testing me and get to the point.”
“Even if I kill Kadilen, I won’t gain his followers. They’ll probably find a new king. They’ll put some fool on the throne and manipulate him as they please. Even if I kill him, it can’t be now. It has to be after I’ve built up my power.”
“What do you want me to do about it? The nobles all owe Kadilen too much. Even if they have complaints, they won’t easily turn against him.”
The rebels Kadilen gathered were either loyal to him from the beginning or those who lost their positions due to Zendal’s unification of the five nations. Kadilen promised them rewards and kept those promises. They had no reason to side with Luan just because they might disagree with the king’s decisions. To make matters worse, all of Zendal’s powerful allies had been executed, and even those without significant power were exiled. I couldn’t understand how Luan planned to take power from Kadilen. Yet Luan continued with confidence.
“Just show them that Kadilen isn’t as loyal as they think.”
“What?”
“You were planning to leave Kadilen anyway, right? Don’t do that. Stay close to him like you are now. Then bring me what I need, or deliver things to him.”
He was telling me to become a spy. It seemed he intended to create a rift between Kadilen and his ministers.
“How did you know I was going to leave Kadilen?”
“It’s Wimu. I know he’s after me. Then I should keep an eye on him too, shouldn’t I? By the way, I wonder what Kadilen would do to Wimu if he knew about that.”
I fell silent for a moment. In preparing for my escape, Wimu probably hadn’t thought to be cautious of Luan. All his attention was focused on Kadilen. Luan seemed to take that as evidence that I wasn’t on Kadilen’s side.
Perhaps appearing to cooperate with him, rather than showing outright dislike, would be the wiser choice. Continuing to show anger toward Luan wouldn’t change anything. Sure enough, mistaking my silence for agreement, Luan smiled with satisfaction. He calmly persuaded me in a soothing tone.
“Kadilen won’t give up anything for you. You were planning to leave because you knew that, weren’t you? Don’t forget how he treated you as soon as he took the throne.”
“…He tried to kill me.”
“Now we’re talking. I was worried you might have grown fond of him. Surely, no matter how weak you’ve become, you couldn’t have forgiven Kadilen. That ungrateful bastard. I don’t know how you managed to win him over, but you must use that.”
I looked at Rio, who was curled up and trembling with fear. Luan noticed my gaze and whispered even more kindly.
“You’ll thank me later. How wonderful is it to save both your life and that of an innocent child, while also helping your brother?”
“Even if I discover something, how am I supposed to deliver it to you?”
“Don’t worry about contact. Arzel will treat you kindly.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. Arzel. Everyone knew he was after Kadilen’s power. But I had thought he was merely scheming to share power with the king, not conspiring with Luan for treason. Especially since Arzel was one of the people most dissatisfied with Zendal taking power. I had thought siding with Kadilen, who had helped with his revenge, would have been more like him.
I clenched my fist hard, feeling betrayed. Luan was now pacing around the narrow space, tapping on the walls.
“And this place is useful too. It’s newly made, so it hasn’t been discovered yet.”
He gestured broadly at the surroundings. Perhaps Luan had escaped through this space on the day of the rebellion. After examining the area carefully, he turned back to me. Then, to me who was trying hard to hold back curses, he coldly warned with all humor gone from his face.
“Let me add, just in case—don’t think about telling Kadilen the truth, hyung. If he shows any different behavior, I’ll dispose of the antidote immediately.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Right. There’s no need to help that stupid king and send an innocent child to his death, is there? Of course, you’d join him.”
Luan snapped his fingers detestably. Whether to tell Kadilen or not was a problem for later. Right now, it took all my effort just to suppress the urge to spill my true feelings. Luan quietly put down the lamp, shrugged his shoulders once, and slowly backed away. There seemed to be an exit leading out of the palace behind him.
As he backed away slowly, watching my movements, he suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
“You must be wondering how I knew about your relationship with the child.”
“…”
“That child threw himself into my arms, calling your name.”
He shook his head from side to side. And with his final words, he disappeared completely from my sight.
“Isn’t it funny? That we’re brothers.”
I don’t know how Rio found out about this passage, but the child must have thrown himself into Luan’s arms without a moment’s doubt, seeing his resemblance to me. The thought of him smiling cunningly, asking the child about our relationship, and feeding him poison made my teeth chatter. What could he have said to make Rio cry and look for me like that?
As soon as Luan disappeared, my legs gave way and I crawled toward Rio. The child was unconscious and limp. I couldn’t tell if he was showing symptoms of dehydration from crying too much or if it was the poison. I took a deep breath and lifted him. My legs were shaking, but whoever it was, I desperately needed someone else’s help.
* * *
“Ludin!”
Shortly after leaving the building, I heard a voice that was maddeningly welcome. I quickly turned around to confirm it was Wimu. He was running toward me, pale with worry.
“Where have you been? It’s so late.”
Wimu, who had been calling me loudly, seemed to come to his senses and lowered his voice. He was about to scold me when he noticed Rio lying limply in my arms, and his face hardened. I quickly explained the situation.
“He’s been poisoned.”
“What? Who would do such a thing to a child?”
“I met Luan. There’s a hidden space behind the underground wall. Just go all the way down the corridor. He seemed to have been meeting with his confidant through there. He probably hasn’t gone far yet. Please follow him.”
Wimu frowned as if doubting his own ears.
“That bastard came to the palace? Is he insane?”
I anxiously looked back. Though I knew Luan couldn’t easily roam the palace, I feared he might have followed me or harmed others. While scanning for a seemingly safe building, I earnestly pleaded with Wimu.
“Follow his path but swear you won’t get caught or capture him. Just see who he meets and where his hideout is. Be careful, someone will be tailing you.”
“What are you saying? I should catch him right now…”
“I’ll explain everything when you get back. Please.”
I begged while looking into his eyes. After examining my face briefly, Wimu swallowed what he was about to say and nodded quietly.
“…Alright. What about what we originally planned?”
“I think I need to stay in the palace for now. I’ll tell you about that later too.”
With a brief nod, he quickly entered the building. All I could do was hope that Wimu wouldn’t be caught. Letting Luan go like this meant losing even the slightest clue. I believed he would handle it well, now that he knew who to be careful of. I adjusted Rio, who was burning with fever, in my arms and hurried toward my room. My head was spinning with a mix of fear, anxiety, and anger. After nearly losing my balance several times, I finally reached my room where the person I needed right now was waiting.
“Jiman, please.”
I couldn’t even speak properly. Seeing me trembling and Rio’s pale face, Jiman immediately started examining him without a word.
