* * *
“…Hah.”
Only after taking a sip of the tea brought by the attendant did the tightly furrowed brows of Piel slowly relax.
“I got a bit excited.”
Piel, soothed by the warm tea, stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought.
He seemed to be considering something intensely, and soon, as if reaching a decision, he gave an order to his waiting confidant.
“Bring me the Aquila with the fastest growth rate. I need to see it for myself. Make it so that no prying eyes are around… Yes, two in the morning will be perfect.”
“As you wish.”
The confidant swiftly retreated after receiving his orders.
With the recent end of the founding festival, Piel had transferred the Aquila he had been cultivating in his poisonous herb garden to a specially prepared location, where it was secretly growing.
It would’ve been ideal if he could still use the poison garden, but after the founding festival, it became impossible to completely evade Hail’s surveillance as he once did.
Knowing Hail, he must have already figured out that Piel had been frequenting the garden.
During the festival, his hands were tied due to his brother’s role as the Crown Prince, but now, the situation had changed.
So, reluctantly, Piel quickly cut ties with the poison garden, preparing for contingencies.
However, the new location he had arranged, despite his best efforts, could not fully replicate the poison garden’s optimal conditions.
Piel was certain that this was why the Aquila’s growth had slowed.
This was why he wanted to inspect it himself, to address these issues.
“I must succeed.”
He couldn’t settle for just any ordinary Aquila.
He needed a deadly poison potent enough to bring death with even the tiniest, nearly invisible amount—a venom powerful enough to bestow eternal sleep upon even the most poison-resistant royal.
“Go and observe Cheong Dowoon’s activities.”
Piel instructed the crow-like familiar nearby, watching with narrowed eyes as it soared into the sky.
He had long decided on the first thing he would do once he became emperor: execute a few of the noble heads he found particularly distasteful and display them at the palace gates.
However, there was another thought that crossed his mind, even more intriguing than that.
“…Should I keep Cheong Dowoon by my side?”
It was not a remark made with any special intent. It was simply that, lately, Cheong Dowoon had been the most annoying presence.
Piel’s fingers drummed lightly on the desk, the motion conveying a sense of amusement.
If Cheong Dowoon, whom everyone acknowledged as the capable and high-ranking royal wizard, were to sit beside him as the emperor’s second, looking only at him…
The mere imagination of it was pleasing.
Conveniently, Cheong Dowoon was exceptionally skilled and had quite an attractive face, so there would be no major obstacles in marrying him.
After all, nothing was more valuable than a wizard, rare and precious as they were.
And if there were any foolish objections, he would simply eliminate them.
More than anything, he was curious about Hail’s expression upon seeing Cheong Dowoon beside him.
Would he be angry, feeling something had been taken from him?
Or would he, like Piel in the past, give up and submit?
“I wonder if he even knows what he wants.”
Piel was genuinely curious about his brother Hail’s opaque intentions regarding Cheong Dowoon.
Hail’s reaction to Cheong Dowoon had always been unusual but consistent, never crossing a certain line.
Did he simply value the skilled wizard, or did he truly feel something more?
Piel found it difficult to decipher.
Sometimes it seemed like there were feelings involved, but then again, maybe not…
For as long as he’d known his brother, he had assumed he understood Hail better than anyone.
Now, Piel realized this may have been his own misconception.
“I suppose I’ll need to figure out a way to confirm this.”
Whether or not Hail harbored feelings for Cheong Dowoon might seem trivial, but it was actually quite significant.
It could mean a clear weakness in the otherwise flawless Hail.
When rumors once spread that the mysterious Cheong Dowoon became the royal wizard under the Crown Prince’s authority, hadn’t Hail faced relentless protests from the nobles day after day?
Unlike then, however, Cheong Dowoon wasn’t merely a potential liability now.
With his exceptional abilities, he would be a weapon sharper than any blade, as long as he was under control.
“If a singular weapon must be wielded, then it should be by me.”
In that instant, a vivid blue mark glowed on the back of his hand.
The light faded quickly, but Piel’s platinum eyes grew cold and dark.
A fleeting vision. But if one looked closely, it was no illusion.
The mark on his hand was evidence of a forbidden act—a sign of desire disguised as a mistake, something no summoner should ever commit.
This was why he always wore gloves, wherever he went, to conceal it.
After a brief pause, Piel calmly observed his own trembling hand, then reached for the white gloves on the table and slipped them on.
“The tea has cooled. Bring a fresh pot.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
By then, dusk had fallen outside the window.
“Ugh.”
I groaned, but not a single soul paid me any mind. Not even a side glance, let alone genuine concern.
“Uuugh…”
Frustrated by their indifference, I made the groan last longer this time.
In the end, it only made me sound like someone in pain, and still, nothing changed.
Phillip remained absorbed in his documents, while Baek Yigang kept scrutinizing the papers at the same intense pace, eyes glinting fiercely.
The only sound filling the office was the occasional, ominous stamping of red ink on thin paper.
Assel stood waiting outside the door as usual, and as for Anna… well, she was likely tidying the bedding in my room or Baek Yigang’s quarters.
“Yigang.”
Reluctantly, I called out to Baek Yigang.
Although there was some distance between us, my voice carried across the quiet office.
Not that I had expected any response, but still, nothing?
Figures.
Typical, isn’t it?
Sigh, looks like I’ll have to get up myself.
Alright, alright, I get it.
Better dead than sitting here groaning.
I reluctantly got up and moved over to Baek Yigang’s side.
As usual, he was utterly engrossed in his work, indifferent to my presence.
He worked himself to the bone even as Crown Prince.
When he becomes emperor, how does he plan to handle the immense workload?
Young people these days, working themselves to death…
For the first time in ages, I observed Baek Yigang’s head, still as soft-looking as ever.
Squish-squish.
I began poking at his hair like a stuffed toy.
Only then did his violet eyes, tinged with annoyance, finally shift toward me.
Success! I finally got his attention.
Honestly, if I don’t touch him directly, he won’t even look.
Just as I was about to speak, Baek Yigang acted faster, his gaze suddenly sharp and piercing.
In an instant, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms, so quickly that I nearly stumbled forward.
“Gasp!”
I thought I’d had enough of being pulled around, snatched up, and dragged around by Baek Yigang, but apparently, it wasn’t over yet.
A surprised gasp escaped my lips on its own.
Without a chance to grab onto anything, my vision tilted, and I was suddenly being lowered down.
Despite the situation, I clearly caught sight of Philip nearby, engrossed in his work, not sparing even a sideways glance in our direction.
Philip really is something else.
I bet he wouldn’t even flinch if Baek Yigang and I started embracing each other right in front of him.
Before I knew it, I was sitting on Baek Yigang’s lap.
I worried for a moment that I might accidentally crush him.
Of course, squashing him and ending up in a dungeon for “endangering the prince’s safety” would be worse, but still, this position was quite uncomfortable.
“…What’s going on?”
“I think that’s my question to ask.”
I stammered out a confused question, feeling frozen in the unfamiliar position.
Baek Yigang, looking at me with a leisurely tilt of his head, held me fully in his piercing violet gaze.
Facing his intense eyes, which were clearly set on devouring any reply I might give, my vulnerable gaze automatically drifted to the opposite side.
“Um, well… It’s pretty late, so… maybe we should call it a night?”
“You must be tired, seeing how childishly you’re behaving.”
Despite the context, his reply was surprisingly gentle.
As I nodded slowly with a reluctant expression, Baek Yigang’s once sharp eyes softened.
“If there’s something you want, you should ask for it.”
His voice, coaxing yet teasing, had a mischievous tone.
Damn Baek Yigang.
It’s clear he’s waiting for a very specific response from me.
“…I want to sleep.”
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They are cute