* * *
“The return of Lord Cedric has been processed without issue. Thanks to Blue and Reggie diligently filling in the vacancy as leader, there were no other complications.”
“They deserve some reward, then.”
At Philip’s report, Yigang’s gaze flickered with boredom.
Unaware of this, Philip quickly pulled out his ledger.
“Shall we send them a suitable gift?”
“Just tell them that I won’t be bringing up the dissolution of the Magic Department at the next meeting. Nothing could be a better reward.”
Igang’s response was curt, delivered in a tone that implied he was doing them a favor.
Philip’s hand, which had been clutching the ledger, noticeably slackened at his answer.
“Understood.”
After Philip left, Yigang turned his head towards the window.
Through the sunlight streaming in, someone appeared.
With practiced agility, the figure slipped through the half-open window, knelt briefly in front of Yigang in salute, and then moved to stand behind him.
Nefron—an enigmatic shadow known only to Baek Yigang’s closest confidants within the palace.
Nefron’s fanatical loyalty, dedicated solely to Yigang, didn’t require words to be understood; his actions spoke for themselves.
Unless granted permission by his lord, Nefron never spoke first.
“Acel, report.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Acel shot a glance at Nefron, who stood behind Yigang, before approaching and recounting the events of the previous night.
“…Thus, I’ve kept Aquila’s remains aside.”
Once Asel finished his report, Yigang silently set down the document he had been holding.
“Nefron. Did you see the same?”
“I did.”
At Yigang’s question, Nefron, who wore a deeply drawn black robe, gave a quiet nod of confirmation.
“But…”
Nefron added, as though he had more to say.
“The intruder isn’t a Wizard.”
“What makes you so certain? Disappearing in a plume of smoke isn’t something an ordinary person could do.”
Asel hadn’t been quick to label the intruder as a Wizard either.
Yet, seeing someone vanish in smoke right before his eyes, he had naturally assumed magic was involved.
At Yigang’s question, Nefron spoke again.
“There was no trace of magical energy during the escape. More importantly, if they were a Wizard, Lord Cheong Dowoon wouldn’t have missed them.”
The certainty in his voice left no room for doubt about Cheong Dowoon’s capabilities.
Indeed, even Yigang trusted Dowoon implicitly.
As one of Yigang’s devoted followers, Nefron completely trusted his lord’s judgment and expressed his own thoughts without hesitation.
For Nefron, who wasn’t well-versed in magic, to say such a thing reflected not only his deep trust in Yigang but also his objective assessment of what he had witnessed.
“The report is sufficient. You may leave.”
At Yigang’s command, both Asel and Nefron rose and left the room.
“Philip, you heard, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s one of Fiel’s trusted men.”
It wasn’t a guess; he was certain.
Recognizing this, Philip swiftly stood and moved closer to Yigang.
“Awaiting your orders.”
“Have Asel retrieve Aquila’s remains and deliver them to Cedric. He should be able to glimpse the memories left within.”
“Understood. I’ll see it done as quickly as possible.”
Once Philip exited the office, leaving Yigang alone in the vast space, Yigang let out a brief sigh and slowly reclined into the chair’s backrest.
He knew all too well this wouldn’t be a simple task to resolve.
Even for Cedric, an experienced and skilled Wizard, extracting memories from the remains of a destroyed spirit would be challenging.
“…Dowoon should be able to manage.”
Of course, Dowoon had never claimed to possess such skills.
But somehow, Yigang had a vague belief that Dowoon would handle it with ease.
The extent of Dowoon’s remarkable abilities was difficult to gauge.
When Dowoon had restored the scorched forest perfectly last time, though he hadn’t shown it, Yigang had been deeply impressed.
For now, he would have Cedric try; if that didn’t work, then…
Then he’d have no choice but to task Dowoon with something dangerous.
Naturally, he wanted to keep Dowoon away from life-threatening tasks as much as possible.
To be honest, that wasn’t always his mindset.
At first, he intended to use the precious card that was Cheong Dowoon, exploiting every opportunity.
But, for some reason, he no longer felt that way.
Perhaps it was a desire to prove that he could accomplish this on his own, without relying on Dowoon’s help.
Or maybe it was simply a thrill of conquest.
This feeling, however, remained without an answer.
The clause to guarantee Dowoon’s safety in their contract gave him a sense of duty to be mindful of it.
It was reassuring to keep Dowoon close, knowing his unpredictable personality might lead to unforeseen trouble.
Most things he could rationalize.
But the thought of Dowoon getting hurt or losing his life was beyond explanation.
Never had he thought so deeply about another person’s injury.
Hence, this odd, lukewarm feeling was difficult to describe.
“Dowoon, marry me.”
“I don’t…”
Suddenly, he recalled Dowoon’s flustered face, hastily refusing his proposal.
His face had paled to a ghostly blue, as if he’d heard a death threat instead.
It was hardly the expression one would show after a confession.
There seemed to be more behind his reaction than simple dislike.
If Dowoon had intended to explain himself, he would’ve said, “Well, actually…” and opened up.
But the fact that he didn’t speak meant either he didn’t want to or couldn’t.
“…There’s no rush.”
Dowoon was his fairy, secure within his grasp.
If he tried to fly away, he’d just clip his wings; if he attempted escape, he’d cage him in gold.
The most important thing was not to let him have what he wanted too easily.
One day, when everything finally reached its conclusion, and he could see an end to this tedious life, then perhaps…
“Haaahm.”
Stretching his sore back, he let out a big yawn.
Wow, that was a good sleep.
As he opened his eyes, he saw the overly luxurious and familiar ceiling…
…a sight he shouldn’t be seeing.
Looking around quickly, he recognized the familiar furniture and windows.
No mistake; this was Baek Yigang’s bedroom!
“Wh-why am I here?! Last night, I definitely went to my room…!”
He remembered clearly following his usual path, opening his door, and diving onto his own bed.
There was no excuse now!
“Ugh.”
Slap!
He slapped his forehead in frustration, the sound echoing crisply.
As expected… he’d grown too accustomed to Yigang.
The more lost people were, the more they sought familiar comforts.
He just hadn’t expected that comfort would be found not in his own room but in Yigang’s.
“I’ve lost my shame to the comfort of familiarity…”
The snake-like Baek Yigang must’ve been making some sort of expression when he woke up this morning to find me lying beside him—I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it looked like.
If he was going to be like this, then he shouldn’t have been so adamant last night about not sleeping together!
This is just embarrassing!
I was staring blankly at the edge of the blanket, having lost my sense of self, when there was a knock at the door, and Anna stepped in.
“Good morning, Cheong Dowoon!”
“Mm, good morning, Anna.”
The sweet scent of the tea Anna brought every morning filled the air again today, soothing my unsettled stomach instantly.
“Lord Dowoon, you remember your appointment with His Highness the Third Prince this morning, right?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“He mentioned he would like to have breakfast together since you’ll be meeting. How should I respond?”
I nearly spit out my tea. This was the first time Ian had requested something of me.
Does this mean… I can consider us a little closer now?
“He wants to have breakfast with me?”
“Yes, though he did say you’re welcome to decline if you’d prefer.”
I clearly heard what she said, but I asked again just to confirm, and her answer brought a smooth smile to my lips.
Decline?
There’s no way I’m declining.
I could shout “yes” a hundred times, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
“No, tell him I’d be happy to join him.”
“Understood.”
Anna quickly left the room to deliver my response.
A little while later, I popped one of the small cookies Anna had left with the tea into my mouth and couldn’t help but grin.
I don’t think I’ll need to consult any fortune today.
With breakfast, tea, and everything else, there’s bound to be plenty of natural opportunities for close contact.
It’s actually perfect timing; I was running out of ways to keep flattering him with lines like “You’re amazing” and “You’re destined to be a great person one day.”
Not that any of it was untrue, but repeating the same thing over and over gets tiresome.
In fact, having breakfast meetings like this as an excuse to meet frequently might be a good idea.
“Breakfast, tea… and if we keep hanging out like this, close contact will naturally increase… mm, I like this plan.”
It might feel a bit like a date, but if I get to touch him as much as I want, who cares!
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
