ETHTKE chapter 38

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There was a certainty in Piel’s words.

It was as if he already knew I wasn’t an ordinary Wizard.

He seemed to know something about me, but since I couldn’t guess what it was, I found it hard to speak recklessly.

But isn’t the only thing he’s done so far is to have his beast watch me for a few days?

Even that was interrupted recently when Baek Yigang locked me in his bedroom, so the barrier prevented him from seeing anything.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Piel, who had been watching me with a smiling face while I feigned ignorance, soon began speaking in a soft tone, as if it didn’t matter at all.

“If I say that it was you who made my brother guard the statue in the square, does that make sense to you?”

Oh, look at that. How did he know? He’s coming on strong from the start. It seems like he already knows everything, so there’s no point in denying it.

Besides, he knows quite a lot for just having a crow watch me…

“At first, I wondered why my brother would do such a strange thing. Guarding a perfectly fine statue out of nowhere — it was baffling, to say the least.”

I didn’t react or answer; I just listened to Piel’s words in silence. It was all I could do.

It made sense because we were in such a secluded spot in the Crown Prince’s palace that the chances of anyone else coming were quite low.

Of course, that didn’t mean I would end up secretly killed by Piel here, but considering he could control beasts, it was best to be extra cautious.

“I thought my brother had lost his mind until a number of suspicious bombs were found in a warehouse in a nearby village.”

“…What?”

I had planned to just keep listening quietly, but when I heard something unexpected, I reflexively questioned it.

What did he just say was discovered? Bombs?

But they had said nothing was found.

So, wasn’t Baek Yigang reprimanded by the Emperor for wasting royal troops and losing the statue’s head to a lightning strike?

But if what Piel said is true, then I was right about the rebel forces appearing.

…So why didn’t Baek Yigang reveal this?

“The ones caught only said the plan had failed. And when the person who ordered them was interrogated yesterday morning, he committed suicide before they could do anything.”

Piel, with a look of pity, shook his head and shrugged.

What? Baek Yigang didn’t mention any of this. And yesterday morning?

That was… before the lightning struck the statue, wasn’t it?

Then they found traces of the rebel forces earlier, arrested them, and still guarded the statue?

…Why?

If they had reported the terrorists’ whereabouts to the royal family and proved their success, there would’ve been no reason for the Emperor to rebuke him.

“What is…?”

“Oh dear, I see you didn’t know. I thought you would, being so close to my brother.”

Though his tone carried a hint of sarcasm, I had no time to care about that.

What mattered now was that I couldn’t understand Baek Yigang’s actions.

We both clearly knew we had the same goal.

But now, it seemed Baek Yigang might be after something else. This was unexpected… My head started to feel jumbled.

Come to think of it, it’s always been like this. Baek Yigang rarely talks about himself.

Is he hiding something? But when I ask, he answers so straightforwardly that it makes my suspicions seem baseless.

But I can’t ask Baek Yigang everything, one by one.

That’s why all the information I know about Baek Yigang is either rumors or what I’ve heard from others.

Just like now.

“What is it that Your Highness wants to hear from me?”

“How did you know they were planning to blow up the statue?”

At my question, Piel immediately shot his own, as if he’d been waiting for it. His platinum eyes gleamed sharply.

What should I say? I could come up with a cover story, but it would only work for a short while.

I might have to keep encountering and talking with Piel in the future, so this is quite an unfavorable situation for me.

So, I need to find a way out…

“Sometimes, I have prophetic dreams.”

“So you’re saying my brother moved the Imperial Guard based on a mere dream? That the Imperial Crown Prince would act on such an unreliable prediction?”

Usually, I can come up with a reasonable excuse, but unfortunately, it didn’t work on Piel.

Tsk, he’s being annoyingly persistent. It looks like I’ll be completely exposed if I don’t come up with a proper answer here.

But… there’s always a way.

Believe it or not, I’ve survived for 25 years as the younger brother of three tough sisters in South Korea, all while keeping my sanity intact.

Dealing with sisters who constantly picked fights naturally sharpened my ability to think on my feet.

“Even if it’s just a prediction, considering it’s an issue concerning the safety of the Empire’s people, he made a decision befitting a wise ruler.”

“Hmm, you’re good with words.”

When my response came back smoothly and firmly, like flowing water, Piel turned his head away with a bored expression, having lost interest.

Wow, I really nailed my response this time.

But there’s no way Piel will let it end like this. If he was going to back down so easily, he wouldn’t have come all the way to the Crown Prince’s palace.

…Come to think of it, why did he suddenly show up here?

“But, Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“Why? Is this a place I’m not allowed to come?”

A sharp voice came back, catching me off guard. Piel’s brows were furrowed in a cold expression.

It seemed he was still not content with being just a prince, making him react so sensitively.

No one told you not to come! I was just asking why you came!

“It’s not like that…”

“Haha, just joking. You have such a variety of expressions; it makes teasing you so much fun.”

Piel laughed boldly, saying he understood why my brother kept me around.

His expression was both irritating and obnoxious.

I felt like smacking him upside the head, but I knew that wouldn’t do…

“I came to see someone, and I achieved my goal faster than I thought. Thanks to you.”

Piel smiled softly and slowly put some distance between us. I, who had been tensed up and pressed against the wall, could finally breathe easily.

It was only for a moment, but it was such a harrowing time that I never wanted to face Piel head-on again.

Aside from feeling suffocated, there was something oddly unsettling about it.

Was it because he resembled Baek Yigang…?

“Are you saying you came all the way here just to see me?”

“Well, yes. I won’t deny it. In fact, there’s something else I wanted to see too… and I’ll probably see it soon.”

A strange sneer appeared on Piel’s lips, as if a glimmer of hope for something unexpected was rising again.

At the same time, I realized that Piel’s gaze had been intensely fixed behind me for some time.

Is there something behind me? He looks like a child who has spotted candy.

I was about to turn my head in curiosity when Piel grabbed my chin, redirecting his gaze from whatever was behind me back to me.

“I have something to ask… what do you think of my brother?”

With my chin caught in his grasp, I couldn’t turn my head, and I couldn’t avoid Piel’s gaze.

His eyes, which had been somewhat grim moments before, now sparkled with a mischievous light.

“…What? Where did that come from?”

I awkwardly asked again, startled by his sudden behavior, but Piel remained silent, quietly waiting for my answer.

What do I think of Baek Yigang? Of course, I only have one answer.

Damn Baek Yigang.

No matter how much I help him, he never says thank you, never talks about himself first, pretends to listen to my opinions but does whatever he wants, and never shares important information.

On top of that, he monitors me without reason and shows a bizarre obsession, worrying about my well-being more than anyone, even though I never asked for it.

In short, there’s not a single thing he does that helps me.

He’s the kind of person who uses me thoroughly as a tool and refuses to be helpful while claiming it’s for my safety.

But, of course, I can’t answer honestly here…

“Your Highness is just Your Highness. I have no other thoughts.”

I managed to suppress a string of unspeakable curses and gave a simple, bland answer. Perhaps because of that, the sparkle in Piel’s eyes disappeared.

He seemed to lose interest in my dull reaction.

Wow, I’ve never wanted to see Baek Yigang this much before.

But there’s no way Baek Yigang would come all the way here, knowing that I came out to see him alone, even shaking off Asel…

“What are you doing?”

Just as I swallowed a sigh, I heard a familiar voice near my ear.

Huh? Did I hear things…?

Why am I hearing the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here at this moment?

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