“He’s gotta be lying, right?”
As soon as Kiss left the drawing room, words I’d been holding back slipped out without me realizing it. No, come to think of it, Kiss really didn’t have a single romance narrative in the original work either. Female characters who liked Kiss consistently appeared, but Kiss was always indifferent to them. At the time, I vaguely assumed it was because he was faithful to his setting as a revenge demon. But if it was because of his unique sexual orientation…
“How should I put it… I feel like I’ve learned about my father’s secret masochistic tendencies.”
I couldn’t help but make an uncomfortable expression. It would be one thing if he were a character I didn’t know. Finding out a secret setting of the protagonist in a novel I was crazy about was no small discomfort. It felt like the identity of the Kiss I liked was crumbling. If you’re an ordinary man, it’s generally not welcome to have those preferences either. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a groan, then laughed heartily and resolved.
“…Let’s forget it!”
I could use the secret that he engages in sodomy to blackmail Kiss, but well, there’s no particular evidence. And I don’t want to become enemies with Kiss to that extent. And just because Kiss engages in sodomy doesn’t mean he’ll drop his pants and rush at me like a madman. I clenched my fists and banged the top of my head.
“Forget it, forget. Now’s not the time to get caught up in such trivial things.”
My stamina was already weak by nature, so wasting mental energy on something unrelated to survival was a loss. I crossed my arms and sighed. I took a shot just in case, but he really permitted Ash to become the Crown Prince’s attendant.
The detached palace where Deus stayed was also the space where Kiss resided. No matter how favorable he was toward me, Ash was still a member of the Serpent Family. Kiss’s current choice was no different from letting an enemy into his inner chambers. Which meant…
“He figures I’m going to die anyway, so there’s no need to keep me in check.”
That made sense. The state of Deus depicted in the original work was truly ‘chaotic evil’ itself. A scene from the original passed through my mind.
[Deus doesn’t want anything. He doesn’t hate anything. He can’t feel human emotions toward anything. He doesn’t belong to any group and isn’t bound by any ideology.]
The black tiger ability Deus possessed was the power of immortality with endlessly regenerating body. Even if his neck was cut off, even if a sword was stabbed in his heart. As long as even a part of his body was exposed to darkness, it regenerated immediately. That was exactly why the Empress imprisoned Deus in the detached palace. Kiss initially tried to use Deus for his own coup d’état, but realized he couldn’t control him and regarded him as an enemy.
[Deus is like a plague, a plague born without any purpose or reason.]
A black tiger cloaked in shadow, neither on the side of humans nor beasts. An irregular existence far removed from order and ideology. Just imagining it made my heart pound rapidly. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared. But I knew. The name of this emotion that came before fear was surely…
“I want to meet him quickly.”
Fervent curiosity.
* * *
Bang!
“No matter how immature you are, do you even know what kind of position that is to say you’ll go!”
Lucius’s resounding voice echoed through the office. Baron and the twins snickered as if pleased. Baron, who had been pacing in front of the office desk, commanded in a subdued voice.
“Even now, go to the detached palace and refuse the offer.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Ash!”
“Refusing Kilius-nim’s offer is no different from refusing a command from the imperial family. I can’t bring down the family’s prestige just for my own safety.”
I answered without a moment’s hesitation. Lucius, who had paused briefly, spoke with a somewhat deflated face.
“That sentiment is commendable, but it’s too dangerous. You don’t have to do anything. Leave such things to your brothers. Your priority is to recover your health first.”
“Father, my illness can’t be cured by ordinary methods anyway. I don’t want to cling to an impossible hope and just lie in bed waiting to die.”
“……”
“If I’m fated to die anyway, I want to use the time I have left to help the family until the very end.”
I smoothly spouted soulful lies with a pious expression. At Ash’s words about sacrificing himself to help the family, Lucius made a choked-up expression and spoke in a voice mixed with sighs.
“Everyone knows that His Highness the Crown Prince’s madness is severe. Interpreting is wordplay to begin with. That position is definitely a trap.”
“Kilius-nim promised me. He said he would appoint me as the Crown Prince’s exclusive attendant. Even if I happen to die, the family will surely receive great compensation along with recognition of merit.”
The eyes of Lucius and the other brothers widened simultaneously. I continued speaking calmly.
“As you know, Father, the detached palace is also the space where Kilius currently resides. If I can learn the internal affairs of the detached palace from beside His Highness the Crown Prince, we can prepare for any possible situation.”
“Any possible situation?”
Instead of answering, I stared intently at Lucius. After a moment of silence, Lucius muttered in a voice as if he’d realized something.
“I see, you intend to monitor Kilius up close.”
“That’s right.”
“……”
“Just as Kilius is trying to keep the Serpent Family in check by taking me hostage, if I also monitor Kilius… I think it’s not a losing deal.”
As Lucius’s face cleared of suspicion and he nodded slightly, Baron’s expression, which had been leisurely all along, gradually hardened. What a childish expression, afraid of having parental love stolen. I subtly turned my body and raised my middle finger at Baron. Baron glared at me with murderous eyes.
“No, even so, you can’t.”
I paused and turned my head. Lucius’s face, which had seemed somewhat persuaded, was once again colored with worry. I asked back with narrowed eyes.
“Why not?”
“What do you mean why? I’m your father. No matter how much it helps the family, I can’t do something that endangers your life. And…”
“……”
“I hate the thought of not being able to see you, whom I love, every day.”
As Lucius’s eyes grew watery, Baron, unable to listen any longer, cleared his throat. What is this, beyond the level of a doting parent. Should I call it overprotectiveness? Or should I call it a new kind of mental illness? This man who readily sent Baron and the twin brothers to their deaths—I couldn’t understand why he protected Ash to this extent.
“…I see, I understand.”
I rubbed the goosebumps on my forearms and answered calmly. Lucius’s expression brightened for a moment, thinking I’d given up. I silently strode toward the window and opened it. After taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth. At my next words, Lucius’s face turned pale.
“If you don’t allow it, I’ll kill myself.”
It was blackmail tailored for a doting parent.
“You can come back anytime, Ash. Father will always be waiting for you here.”
The day the carriage sent from the imperial palace arrived, I packed my luggage, ignoring the restless Lucius. They say humans are animals of adaptation—that fierce appearance and those warm eyes that didn’t match it, which I couldn’t get used to at first, were now gradually becoming familiar. Lucius, who had been quietly watching me pack my luggage, spoke.
“To pack your luggage so efficiently all by yourself. You’ve really grown up now. It feels like just yesterday you wet the bed and clung to me while sniffling…”
“……”
“Ah, Ash was so cute back then. You secretly saved a little of your snacks and smiled at me with your front teeth missing, saying ‘Father, please try this.’ Damn, I think I’m going to cry.”
How should I put it—maybe because I’d never had parents? I couldn’t easily adapt to that blind affection. Could you even love someone that much when they’re not even your own child?
‘I mustn’t trust him. He must have some other ulterior motive.’
The other party was Lucius Serpent, the greatest villain in the story who would tear people apart in all four directions without batting an eye. That blind affection must surely have some sinister ulterior motive. As soon as I picked up my luggage bag with an expressionless face, a large hand naturally took the bag. A gentle voice pierced my ears.
“I’ve assigned a skilled guard knight, but if there’s any problem with your safety, send word immediately. I’ll personally rush to the imperial palace and handle any problem.”
“I can take care of it myself.”
“How can a baby take care of things on their own?”
Goosebumps rose at Lucius’s reaction, which seemed genuinely puzzled. Ash’s age was twenty this year. As I stood speechless, Lucius hugged me tightly without warning and muttered.
“You must remember, Ash. This father is always on your side. No matter what anyone says.”
“……”
“Nod if you understand.”
Expressing affection and threatening at the same time again. But for now, I was scared so I silently nodded my head. Only then did Lucius’s expression brighten considerably and he released me. Lucius being dragged to the guillotine and executed overlapped with the current Lucius.
‘If Kiss becomes Emperor, Lucius will be tortured and then executed just like the original story.’
Until I boarded the carriage and left the estate, Lucius continued to look at where I was. With an expression as if sending off something very precious.
“That doesn’t sit well with me.”
The parental love I received for the first time was far too sweet. Whatever sinister ulterior motive he had. Enough to make me want to pretend to be fooled. I curled up with my eyes closed inside the rattling carriage.
‘No, don’t be swayed. To survive, I mustn’t be led by affection.’
I forcibly killed the weak feelings that suddenly arose. The imperial palace could be seen in the distance.
The final boss villain of this novel and an unsocialized psychopath Crown Prince.
It was time to go meet Deus.
