* * *
“So I was thinking… maybe I should just kill them all.”
“Wha—what?! Hey, I get that you’re mad, but isn’t that a bit extreme?”
Even if you’re the emperor, a massacre like that would definitely get you dethroned! Ian would kick you out, not Piel!
As I anxiously tried to calm him down, Baek Yigang flicked my nose with his finger.
“I’m kidding. Don’t look so shocked.”
“What kind of joke is that? That’s terrifying!”
As we walked past the main palace, we noticed the poison that had spread throughout the area was completely gone.
The Tower might be despicable, but they were undeniably efficient.
Soon, we arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace and changed into black mourning clothes to honor the late emperor.
Out of the blue, Baek Yigang turned to me with a serious expression.
“The coronation has been moved up to tomorrow. It’s during the mourning period, so it won’t take long. The funeral is scheduled too. Things will be chaotic for a while, so prepare yourself.”
“Ugh. There’s no need to say it so ominously when it’s just about having a lot to do.”
With a sigh, I followed Baek Yigang to the office, where Phillip, also in black, greeted us with tired eyes.
By the time we managed to calm the palace’s chaotic atmosphere and organize things, it was already late at night—2 a.m. according to the clock.
We’d finished early thanks to Phillip handling Baek Yigang’s tasks in advance, but there was still a mountain of work left: documents to officially recognize the emperor’s death, coronation preparations, funeral approvals, noble meetings, and the announcement of the national mourning period.
“I can’t believe it. We’ve worked so much, and there’s still this much left…”
“Let’s stop here for today.”
Normally, he’d tell me not to whine, but Baek Yigang surprisingly indulged my grumbling and stood up.
“Phillip, you’re dismissed too.”
“…Pardon? Your Majesty, did I do something wrong? You’re being unusually kind—it’s unsettling.”
“Then feel free to stay until morning.”
“I’ll take my leave now. Have a good night.”
Phillip quickly gathered his belongings, tidied up the desk, and left the office in record time.
“I didn’t know Phillip could move so fast…”
“Baek Yigang, let’s go too.”
The soft glow of the imperial palace’s lights and the city’s illumination shone through the window.
Approaching Baek Yigang as he gazed outside, I gently took his hand.
“You look tired.”
His calm eyes turned to me.
After a moment’s pause, he smiled faintly and squeezed my hand.
“You look tired too.”
“…Yeah.”
Nodding, he leaned forward and rested his head against my chest.
To me, the emperor had always been just a minor character in a story.
But to Baek Yigang, he was his father by blood.
Even if he’d resented the emperor, he couldn’t be entirely unaffected by his death.
“Do you want some comfort?”
I was ready to offer whatever support I could.
Maybe a pat on the back or a teleportation spell to take him to his room.
But then Baek Yigang looked up at me with an unusual expression.
“There’s… a specific kind of comfort I want.”
Wait… is this one of those situations where I have to ask what kind of comfort he means?
I started this conversation, so why do I feel like I’m already at his mercy?
“…What kind of comfort?”
My cautious question made the corners of his eyes lift into a crescent moon—a sly smile completely uncharacteristic of him.
Before I realized it, he had backed me against the window, his arms braced on either side of me.
How did this even happen?
One moment, I was standing next to him, and now I was cornered in his space.
“You know.”
I barely had time to register his words before his lips closed the distance.
Catching the direction of my gaze, Baek Yigang smirked smoothly.
Truly, he was a fox in disguise.
“That doesn’t seem like comfort to me…”
“It is.”
Unfortunately, there was no time to think of a way out.
Baek Yigang’s piercing gaze was firmly fixed on me, scrutinizing me with unsettling intensity.
Realizing I had seriously miscalculated, I darted my eyes around awkwardly, trying to find an escape.
When I had suggested we go again, he had been cold as ice, but now that he wants it, he’s acting like this?
“If I say no—”
“I’m suddenly feeling down. Should I just kill everyone…?”
Screw it. Forget it.
Let’s just get it over with.
Peck.
Leaning slightly from a close distance, I briefly pressed my lips against his and immediately tried to pull back.
That was the plan.
I swear it was.
But…
“…!”
“Open your mouth. You said you’d comfort me, didn’t you?”
Baek Yigang’s lips brushed persistently against mine, prying for an opening, his sharp eyes flashing with impatience.
I shook my head desperately, side to side, refusing with all the courage I could muster.
Who would’ve thought… that something like this would happen in the office of all places?
“Ngh.”
It was then that I heard a sharp, unsettling sound—crack—and a stinging pain shot through my lower lip.
The foreign sensation, sharp enough to be thrilling, elicited a small gasp from me.
Taking advantage of my slightly parted lips, Baek Yigang’s tongue invaded.
Helplessly surrendering my mouth, I struggled to keep up with the forceful intrusion as he explored with abandon, leaving me retreating step by step.
I could usually withstand this sort of thing, but he was relentless.
Before long, my back hit the window behind me.
“Ah…!”
Baek Yigang lightly bit the tip of my tongue before lifting me effortlessly, seating me on the window ledge.
For the record… I’m not exactly light enough to be tossed around like this.
Yet, somehow, Baek Yigang always manages to pick me up as if I’m just a bundle of laundry…
As our lips briefly parted, I caught a glimpse of the scenery outside through his amethyst eyes.
The radiant capital city was lit brightly against the dark pre-dawn sky.
Tomorrow, this man—Baek Yigang, the final antagonist of this novel—will become emperor, ruling over not just this resplendent capital but the vast empire beyond.
At that moment, I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my lower lip, bitten by him. Licking it, I glared at him with defiant eyes.
“What kind of comfort is this? You just wanted to do it, didn’t you?”
“That too.”
Baek Yigang admitted his crime with disarming nonchalance, not even bothering to deny it.
Then he leaned in again and claimed my lips once more.
“Watching the night view and making out here—it’s romantic, isn’t it?”
As if he hadn’t just been devouring me moments ago, he pulled back slightly and smirked, tossing out those ridiculous words.
“If you don’t want a handprint on that pretty face of yours, leave. Now.”
“Bold words, considering how much you like my face.”
Baek Yigang’s taunting remark was cut short only after I kicked him in the shin.
“Ow.”
“I kicked you because I wanted it to hurt.”
He grumbled about his throbbing leg all the way to the bedroom, which was rare enough to be memorable.
But it was obvious he wasn’t actually hurt, just being dramatic, so I didn’t humor him.
“This is the last night we’ll spend here, huh.”
Once Baek Yigang becomes emperor, he won’t stay here anymore.
I’d grown attached to this place… I might actually miss it a little.
“If you want, you can keep staying here. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“What are you talking about? You have an emperor’s palace, for crying out loud. No way.”
The current bedroom was spacious enough, but the one Baek Yigang would move into would be even grander.
Large enough that even if someone disappeared from his daily life, he might not even notice.
“…Goodnight, Cheong Dowoon.”
“You too.”
It was a short yet endlessly long night.
* * *
