ETHTKE chapter 52

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“Ouch, my back. Ugh.”

“Stop whining.”

As I groaned from the sharp sensation of my perfectly fine hip joint twisting, Baek Yigang mocked my pain and strutted past me into the office.

That… that bastard! Who do you think caused my back pain, you jerk!

“Your Highness, you’ve arrived.”

Goodness, I was startled.

As soon as we entered the office, Philip greeted us with a hollow look.

He looked neat on the outside, as usual, but if you looked closely, his skin was ghostly pale and his eyes were blackened like burnt meat—he really had a zombie’s face.

Even in the “The Catastrophe of Initia” world, where black eyes are rare, it made him stand out even more. Seeing him like this, I felt oddly sorry for him.

Did he not get any sleep?

Overtime…?

No, this doesn’t even seem like just overtime.

Looks like he pulled an all-nighter.

“Philip, did you stay up all night here?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Doesn’t seem like it…”

As I pressed him with doubt, my questioning voice gradually fading, Philip couldn’t answer and turned his head away.

It seemed that lying wasn’t his strong suit either.

“Your Highness, here is the schedule and budget summary for the three-day festival. Below that is the guest list from the various countries…”

Once Philip started speaking, his report seemed endless.

He must have made good use of his night, as a pile of thick documents poured out.

“And finally, there’s the revised mining business plan for the Noteld Mountains. It needs to be handled today.”

“…Today?”

Even Baek Yigang seemed to think it was a lot, his violet eyes briefly reflecting a hint of darkness.

“Yes. Especially the mining issue, which is urgent, so it needs to be reviewed by this morning. The schedule was delayed because Count Etuldam responded late.”

“That man may be lazy, but he’s not one to respond late. What happened?”

At Baek Yigang’s sharp question, Philip hesitated before answering.

After a brief pause, Philip spoke again, looking resigned.

“I heard he was drinking and enjoying a party late into the night.”

“Once this is all over, throw that bastard into the dungeon.”

“Understood.”

The once-empty desk in front of Baek Yigang was now filled to the brim with white papers.

Even Philip’s desk, despite having finished quite a bit of work, was no different.

The only desk that remained empty was mine. …Is that why I felt the heat of their gaze on me?

“…And Cheong Dowoon.”

“Huh, me?”

“Since you’re here, we’d appreciate your cooperation.”

Philip, with a kind smile, approached me, holding a thick stack of documents in both hands.

The sight was so chilling that cold sweat trickled down my back.

“W-wait, Philip. I didn’t come here willingly! And Wizards, by nature, have weak stamina, you know? Please respect that.”

I waved my hands desperately. Don’t come any closer, get lost!

“It’s fine. You’re a strategist, after all.”

“Hmm, a dependable strategist.”

Even Baek Yigang, who had been silent until now, chimed in.

Hey…! Are you just going to let me die? There’s a demon job-stealer right here!

“…You guys don’t even know what a strategist is, do you?”

Thud, the thick pile of documents fell onto my desk with a dull thud, instantly blocking my once-wide field of vision.

Now, in front of me, there was nothing but the sad phrase, “White is paper, black is ink.”

People call this “slavery.” You idiots, this isn’t a strategist’s job!

Needless to say, for the next three days, I slaved away like a dog in the sea of documents.

Of course, Philip and Baek Yigang were no exceptions.

Occasionally, Asel and Anna would bring us special snacks or tea from the party, but it wasn’t nearly enough to lift the spirits of those trapped inside.

For people who couldn’t even step outside, party food was nothing more than combat rations, consumed just to survive.

Just when I started thinking that being a fireworks slave outside might actually be better, the end of the workload finally came into view.

I turned my head to take a breath, and saw the sunset outside the window.

Under the blazing red sunset, bright orange fireworks lit up the sky, burning as fiercely as my heart.

Today was the last day of the festival.

Sigh… In the end, I spent the last day rolling around the palace like a royal slave.

Where’s the guy who said Wizards were precious?

Where in the world would someone as talented as me be wasted in a sea of documents like this?

I don’t even know if I’ve possessed a Wizard or a royal slave anymore!

Oh, my poor sense of identity!

A sad cry welled up inside me.

But I couldn’t let it out, knowing that the two people in front of me had even more work than I did, making me feel even more pitiful.

Suddenly, Baek Yigang, who had been silently working, stood up without a sound.

“Philip.”

He called out to Philip, who was still flipping through documents, looking even more exhausted.

Though the end was in sight, thanks to his hard work, Philip’s eyes showed a slight glimmer of life.

Seeing him, Baek Yigang smiled softly, relieved.

“I’ve reviewed everything. Just stamp it.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The other documents are the preliminary guest list. Just confirm that they match the attendees at the party.”

“…Your Highness?”

Philip looked dazed by the sudden command, but Baek Yigang picked up a red document folder from his desk and waved it in the air as if to show him clearly.

“These are the financial ledgers, so just check for discrepancies and send them to the treasury.”

“Your Highness, what’s going on all of a sudden…?”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Philip.”

“…Excuse me? W-wait, Your Highness…!!”

Just as Philip opened his mouth in disbelief, Baek Yigang grabbed my hand and bolted out of the office.

Thud, thud, thud. The sound of our footsteps echoed loudly down the empty hallway.

…No, wait. The desperate wail of someone crying out, “Your Highnesssssss!” also echoed behind us.

“What, what’s happening? Why are we suddenly running?!”

“Can’t you tell? We’re making a run for it.”

Even while running, I could hear the excitement in Baek Yigang’s voice, which was unusual for him.

Of course, he’d be excited. He suddenly ditched all his work and ran out—how could he not be thrilled?

But still, this was completely out of character. I’d never seen him act so excited before.

What had gotten into him?

“What?! But I haven’t finished reviewing the documents yet!”

“What were you looking at all this time? Philip will take care of it.”

As soon as they safely left the vicinity of the office, Baek Yigang stopped running.

He glanced back, checking if he had successfully shifted the responsibility to Philip, and the sight seemed both perfectly fitting and entirely familiar.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

“Me? Quite a bit.”

“He’s pretty good at that.”

Baek Yigang shrugged lightly, answering as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I think I’m starting to understand why Philip’s so good at handling these situations.

“So, where are we headed? You’re not the type to leave without a plan, are you?”

If it were me, I would’ve run out without a second thought, but Baek Yigang isn’t like that.

He hates wasting time, so I’m sure he’s got some other plans lined up.

Whatever it is, it’s got to be better than being buried under paperwork, so I’m willing to go along with it.

He was kind enough to drag me out along with him, so there’s no reason not to help him out.

“It’s the last day.”

“Huh?”

His words caught me off guard.

“You said you wanted to see the festival.”

“…Wait, really?”

Yeah, for real.

We exchanged a glance, and for the first time, we both smiled at the same time.

I never thought we’d understand each other like this.

“We can’t go out dressed like this, though. We should change.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

Neither of us were in party attire, but our clothes were way too fancy to blend in with the festival crowd outside the imperial capital.

We were used to seeing each other in these outfits every day, but to regular citizens, we’d look like royalty or at least high-ranking nobles.

We headed to Baek Yigang’s bedroom to change and started rummaging through his enormous wardrobe, searching for something suitable.

But, well… everything was so flashy. Obviously, right? He’s the Crown Prince, after all.

“Now that I think about it, there’s no way you’d have anything plain in here, right?”

“Hm, I guess not?”

It was one of those rare moments when Baek Yigang seemed innocent.

Since he’s been royalty from birth, his idea of “plain” clothing is definitely out of this world.

Of course we wouldn’t find any commoner’s clothes in a wardrobe like his.

Since Baek Yigang saved me from the drudgery of paperwork, it was my turn to solve this problem.

“If there were commoner’s clothes in the Crown Prince’s room, that would be its own issue. There’s no point in searching here.”

“Then what?”

“I can’t exactly tell Anna that we’re sneaking out of the palace, so… we’ll have to manage on our own.”

In the end, we “borrowed” some outfits from knights passing near the main palace.

We gave them a little hush money—a gem plucked from Baek Yigang’s uniform—so it should be fine.

“…That uniform was made by Lata, you know.”

“Cough.”

Baek Yigang would’ve been the perfect partner in crime if he hadn’t mumbled that part while watching me remove the jewel.

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