* * *
After a long pause, she reached out and wrapped the scarf back around Eren’s neck.
Though she could have erased the mark with healing magic, doing so would only make things more awkward.
“Well then… shall we resume the lesson, Count?”
Her voice was unusually careful.
Though nothing was said aloud, it seemed she had realized who had left that mark.
Eren wished he could crawl into a hole and disappear.
Despite the thick awkwardness in the air, the lesson ended more smoothly than expected.
Whether Melody had decided to pretend not to notice, or had genuinely focused on the lecture, Eren wasn’t sure.
After more than three hours, when the class finally concluded and he was about to leave, Melody called him back.
“Oh, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Please, go ahead, Your Highness.”
It had only been yesterday that Eren found out the artifact was made by Melody herself.
How could he refuse her request?
“I’d like to hold our lessons at the imperial palace starting next week. Would that be alright with you?”
“At the palace?”
Melody was currently undergoing heir training for the Fridit family, so she spent more time here than at the palace.
That was why their lessons were held at this mansion in the first place.
Eren blinked in confusion at the unexpected suggestion, and Melody sighed deeply.
“You haven’t heard yet, have you? General Helid Yulta will be staying at the palace for about a month.”
“…What?”
“And this mansion needs repairs…”
She trailed off, but Eren had a vague idea of what she meant.
Even if the Eppenthal Empire had been annexed into Trovien by those three men, they were still rebels who had killed an emperor.
“Repairs” were just an excuse—this was about surveillance.
Trust hadn’t fully been earned yet.
As expected, the Emperor of Trovien seemed like a meticulous man.
Outwardly, he might have appeared petty, but his mind worked sharply when it mattered.
“I was going to mention it anyway, since you didn’t seem to know.”
“What do you mean?”
“There aren’t just one or two, but three. One of them is coming here—to the Trovien mansion. My uncle will be in charge of them.”
“…”
Eren’s face turned pale as he processed her words.
That meant he would be living under the same roof as one of the original male leads for an entire month.
Thankfully, it wouldn’t be Helid—who he most wanted to avoid—since he would be staying at the palace.
But that didn’t mean he felt at ease.
‘Which one of the other two is it…?’
Carlyle and Julius.
If he had to choose, Carlyle would’ve been the better option.
He was still the main top, but at least he maintained some noble dignity, unlike the others.
On the surface, Julius seemed the most normal, but that was far from the truth.
It was like his brain only worked—or his instincts only kicked in—when things turned erotic.
Whatever the case, in terms of being a total lunatic, Julius was unmatched.
“Do you happen to know who’s coming…?”
“I’m sorry, Count. His Majesty only informed us of this suddenly today, so I’m not sure myself.”
Melody spoke apologetically.
But there was no need for her to feel sorry.
It wasn’t her decision, after all.
Technically, the merger had been ordered and decided by the emperor himself.
From the looks of it, they’d assigned the situation to people who could at least intervene if anything happened between those three.
If he hadn’t seen what went down yesterday, he might have questioned why Melody had been tasked with such a job.
But now, it was clear—aside from her, there was no one else who could handle that bastard… no, that madman Helid.
“No, really. I’m glad Her Highness warned me. Otherwise, I’d have been caught off guard.”
He gave a polite nod and exited the room.
“And then there’s a rumor going around…”
Melody trailed off, staring blankly at the spot where Eren had just been.
“…Well, it’ll be fine.”
“Haa…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Eren quickly hurried away.
According to Melody, either Carlyle or Julius would be arriving soon.
If he wandered around the mansion like usual, there was no telling when he’d run into one of them.
‘I’ll just hole up in my room as much as I can.’
He knew those two well enough.
They’d definitely pull some stunt to track him down.
And what would happen after that—he’d rather not imagine.
There was no way they’d let him go now that he was here as a guest in the Fridit mansion.
‘I’ll stay in Lord Ashard’s room for the time being.’
Without realizing, the first person to pop into Eren’s head was Ashard.
Not thinking much of it, he picked up his pace toward Ashard’s room.
Whish—
Suddenly, someone untied the scarf wrapped around Eren’s neck.
Startled, he didn’t even think to cover himself.
As he instinctively turned around, the very person he wanted to avoid was standing behind him, gazing at the nape of his neck and murmuring quietly:
“So the rumor was true, huh.”
“No matter that they brought back Emperor Epentel’s head—we still cannot fully trust them, Your Majesty.”
It was Count Venator who first raised the point at the nobles’ council.
Though he was the one to speak, most of the nobles present shared the same sentiment.
Just because someone was handsome and competent didn’t mean they should be trusted blindly.
After all, who were these men seated here today?
They were the heads of the noble houses representing the Trovien Empire.
You didn’t reach that seat with shallow wits.
Unlike naïve young heirs and heiresses, they had to approach every issue with political calculation.
Faced with their stern gazes, Emperor Cidrein simply nodded without emotion—as if he had already anticipated their resistance.
“I understand your concerns. That’s why I’ve already thought of a solution.”
At that, the nobles all turned to look at him.
The way he stared back with that cryptic expression was, frankly, ominous.
Whenever the emperor said something like that, it usually meant his plan was solid—but it also meant at least one or two people were bound to suffer for it.
A silent battle of wits began among the lords.
Glances darted across the room.
Those who’d previously been picked by the emperor seemed to silently urge the others: “Your turn now.”
The unchosen replied with their eyes: “You’ve got experience. You do it.”
No words were exchanged, but the entire conversation played out through eye contact alone.
“I think it would be wise to assign someone to keep an eye on each of the three.”
The very words they’d feared.
Several nobles’ faces turned grim.
“Watch them”?
Forget watching—just making eye contact with those three without getting your head sliced off would be a miracle.
The mere thought gave them a headache.
“Oh, and I’ve already chosen people for two of them. Only one left to assign.”
A flicker of hope lit their faces. Just one person had to step up and suffer for the rest.
That thought crossed every noble’s mind at once—and they all turned to look at the same man.
“…I refuse.”
Ashard met their pleading gazes and coldly declined.
Normally, he might have considered it.
But not now—not when Eren was staying in his mansion.
The way those three beasts stared at Eren, filled with lust.
Beasts recognized their own kind.
And Ashard could tell—those men were dangerous to Eren.
* * *
