ETHTKE chapter 50

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After dismissing Asel and Philip, Baek Yigang stood in front of Dowoon’s bedroom.

No sound came from within.

Judging by the silence, he wasn’t drinking anymore.

Since Dowoon wasn’t one to snore, it was hard to guess, but with not even the clink of a glass to be heard, it was clear what was happening.

“He’s asleep.”

He must have fallen asleep, drunk.

With that conclusion, Baek Yigang opened the door.

Sure enough, Dowoon was sprawled across the sofa in the center of the room.

Though Dowoon was a rather predictable and boring person, Baek Yigang didn’t mind him.

If it were anyone else, he would have discarded them long ago out of boredom, but Dowoon wasn’t someone who could be compared on such trivial terms.

On the table was an empty glass and a half-full bottle of alcohol.

Anna must have cleared away the other empty bottles, but even considering that, it didn’t seem like Dowoon had drunk much.

Maybe a single bottle, at most.

“There’s no way he got drunk from just one bottle.”

As Baek Yigang finished speaking, a shadow approached, understanding the cue.

“He spent some time in the Third Prince’s room. It appears he drank there first.”

“You wouldn’t have seen it happen, so where’s this coming from? Source?”

Baek Yigang’s expression twisted slightly at the shadow’s report.

The shadow hadn’t disobeyed an order—Dowoon had slipped away, and that was what irritated him.

“It came from the Third Prince’s shadow. Should I verify it?”

“No need. They have no reason to lie about something so trivial. You can go.”

“Understood.”

As the shadow vanished, silence filled the room once again.

The faint scent of sweet soda lingered, brushing against Baek Yigang’s nose.

It wasn’t accurate to say they had “lost” Dowoon.

The entire palace was under Baek Yigang’s control, with his eyes everywhere.

There was no way Dowoon’s actions or meetings could escape his notice.

After all, no matter how much Dowoon moved, he was still within the palace walls.

“If I tell him this, he won’t be happy.”

He was already acting up just because he had been locked up for a few days, so if he realized that it wasn’t just a shadow stuck to him, the tantrum he’d throw was already easy to imagine.

Of course, that’s all there is to it.

Anyone else might get angry or cry, asking how he could do such a thing, but Cheong Dowoon would likely just say he expected it and grumble for a moment.

Yigang sat down opposite Dowoon, who had collapsed on the sofa.

As he lifted the half-empty bottle of alcohol and poured it into the empty glass, the moon outside the window was reflected on the surface of the clear liquid.

“It’s disgustingly sweet.”

The glass was emptied quickly.

There was no need for a snack when there was such an apt meal right in front of him.

Every time Dowoon took a breath, a single pointy strand of hair on the top of his head bobbed up and down.

When Yigang stroked it, it seemed to go down for a moment, but then it popped back up straight again.

“You don’t need me, do you?”

Dowoon seemed to want something.

And whoever gave it to him probably wouldn’t matter.

“But it’s not me.”

Yigang wanted something too.

Likewise, it didn’t matter who gave it, but he thought that it was something only Dowoon could give.

He was sure of it.

You always need to keep some distance from what you want.

That way, you can judge objectively whether you truly desire it or not.

That’s how it had been until now, and that’s how he intended it to be in the future.

But that principle seemed to lose its power only in front of Dowoon.

So what if there was no distance?

Isn’t it more pointless if you can’t grasp what’s right in front of you?

The glass was filled again.

Dowoon’s hand twitched as if in a dream.

Yigang, who had been quietly watching him, lightly brushed his fingers against Dowoon’s.

“Hmm…”

Even with just a light touch, Dowoon shifted his body, indicating he wasn’t in a deep sleep.

If he wanted, he could probably wake him up.

If it were Yigang waking him, Dowoon wouldn’t be surprised.

Instead, he’d undoubtedly bombard him with questions, without even pausing for breath.

“What? When did you get here? What about the marriage alliance? Did you do it? Don’t tell me you fought the emperor or the princes, right?”

“This is troublesome.”

With anyone else, he would have cut their mouth off for speaking like that, but imagining Dowoon saying it made him laugh instead of feel irritated.

It was quite a predicament.

An unidentified wizard, yet here he was, behaving so casually with the empire’s crown prince—how insolent.

Moreover, Dowoon called him by his given name as if it were nothing, as casually as eating a meal.

Perhaps because of that, sometimes Yigang forgot that his real name was Hail.

Anna, Assel, and Philip hadn’t been surprised when Dowoon called him that, all because Yigang had prepared them in advance.

Dowoon would never know the expressions on their faces when they were ordered not to be surprised and to act naturally when he allowed Dowoon to use his given name.

The glass was filled once more, but there was no more alcohol left.

This would be the last glass of the night.

“Excuse me for now.”

“Is this how arrogant the crown prince is?”

A short while ago at the dinner, the emperor had snapped at him as Yigang rose from his seat.

The already cold dining hall felt as though it had frozen solid, like in the dead of winter.

Normally, even if Yigang acted this way, the emperor would let it slide.

But given the circumstances, the emperor had no intention of letting him go easily.

Piel had a strange smirk on his lips, while Ian maintained a calm expression, observing the situation.

The other nobles present were so stifled by the tension in the air that they couldn’t even swallow their saliva.

“Hail Dirzio. This is about your marriage alliance. You cannot be absent from this discussion.”

“It’s not the right time.”

“Sit down.”

It was a battle between sword and shield. But no matter how obstinate Yigang was, he couldn’t openly defy the emperor’s orders. In the end, he sat back down.

“This is for the future of Pendium. It would’ve been better if you had been engaged sooner, but it’s already too late. You should at least appreciate that I’ve respected your wishes until now.”

No sooner had the emperor finished speaking than the high elders of the Arthe Empire entered the dining hall.

A few of them deliberately took seats directly across from Yigang.

It was easy to see that these two, one an elderly man with a long beard and the other a relatively younger one, were key figures controlling the political landscape of the Arthe Empire.

They were here today to discuss the marriage alliance.

Though the emperor had orchestrated all of this, there were no obvious signs of his intent.

Yigang silently clicked his tongue, knowing he had been distracted by Cheong Dowoon’s matters and hadn’t been paying enough attention to this side.

This wasn’t the first time officials from the Arthe Empire had come to discuss the marriage alliance.

He had managed to dodge it each time, but today felt different.

“Then, as we discussed, I’ll arrange for the imperial princess to arrive in two weeks.”

In the end, it was decided that the princess of Arthe would visit Pendium, just as the emperor had planned.

Of course, it was also decided that Yigang would be responsible for receiving her. His opinion hadn’t been considered at all.

As the atmosphere between the emperor and the elders became more relaxed, Piel and Ian exchanged glances with Yigang.

“It’s noisy.”

Just as Piel opened his mouth to speak, Yigang cut him off first.

“…Brother, I haven’t even said anything yet.”

Piel, pouting in surprise, turned his head, laughing it off. Ian glanced subtly at Yigang.

“Leave.”

“…I just got here today, though.”

There wasn’t much difference for Ian either. In fact, it was almost fair.

Though Ian’s expression darkened slightly at Yigang’s cold dismissal, he soon turned his gaze away as well.

Once he confirmed that the conversation was winding down, Yigang stood up without hesitation.

“Seems our brother is quite angry.”

Piel commented, finally breaking the silence as Yigang depArthed, and Ian nodded lightly.

“In a way, it’s reassuring that he hasn’t changed.”

“Ian, you’re the same. It’s a miracle you’re still alive with that clueless face.”

“…Yes. You look well too, Your Highness.”

Hearing Ian’s soulless response, Piel clicked his tongue and turned away.

“Annoying, top or bottom, it’s all the same.”

It was a moment that made him realize that the second-born in any family, royal or not, was always the most pitiful.

Yigang let out a long breath, using the bitter memory of the dinner as his final drink for the night.

“Is there no way to stop the marriage? …No, in the future you know, do I get married?”

He suddenly remembered how Dowoon had reluctantly nodded in response to this question.

“If I can’t avoid marriage…”

As he looked at Dowoon lying before him, the complicated feelings he had felt started to calm down.

“Then I’ll just do it. In whatever form.”

A sly smile spread across Yigang’s lips.

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