* * *
Kerelona’s proposal to Kaindel boiled down to one thing: she wouldn’t move directly but would act as a smokescreen for him.
She had already amassed a considerable number of private soldiers, and several influential noble families had shifted their allegiance to her side.
It was now clear why she was so eager to involve Kaindel in her plans—he was the final puzzle piece in her grand design.
And once he joined, all the knots would unravel.
Proving as much, Kerelona moved swiftly to implement her plans the moment their deal was struck.
She expanded exchanges with the Taru people, diverting the king’s attention elsewhere while gradually pulling more nobles into her fold.
As for Isa, the plan was to release information about him gradually, right up until the moment of execution.
Instead of awkwardly announcing out of nowhere that the Hero’s party consisted of five members, not four, it would be far more effective to reveal it at the right time and place.
That way, people would be more inclined to accept it.
After all, naming Isa as one of the Hero’s companions now would only invite backlash.
And the reason for that was all too clear.
Kaindel leaned his head against the wall of the carriage and closed his eyes.
He had just returned from another summons by Kerelona at the royal palace, heading back to his estate.
He wasn’t sure how much longer this charade would continue, but one thing was certain—the end was finally in sight.
Would the wedding announcement come after the Founding Festival?
Or perhaps on the Goddess’s Day instead?
Letting out a thin breath through his parted lips, Kaindel pondered.
“More than anything, commoners regard you, the Hero, as almost a sacred being. Your existence alone justifies our cause.”
“Justification… Princess, aren’t you a member of the royal family yourself?”
“That’s true. But if I claim to be a reformer and then lean on my lineage for legitimacy, wouldn’t that be hypocritical?”
Their conversation from earlier that day crossed his mind.
To the common folk, Kerelona and the other nobles were all the same.
Even if Kerelona stood with them and launched a rebellion, it was unlikely anyone would care much.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you.”
The carriage came to a halt, and Kaindel’s train of thought ended.
Stepping out, he glanced up at the sky.
He had promised Isa he’d return early, but it was already evening.
He would have to apologize.
Letting out a deep sigh, he climbed the stairs cautiously.
On the third floor, as he turned to the right, he noticed a faint light spilling into the dark hallway.
It came from the only open door, where Isa was likely waiting for him.
Realizing this, Kaindel quickly moved forward.
As expected, Isa was inside, sitting in an armchair with his body curled up as he stared absentmindedly at a clock.
On the table lay a half-empty teacup.
The serene atmosphere made Kaindel smile unconsciously.
He approached, scooped Isa up in his arms, and sat in the empty chair.
The fatigue that had gripped his body finally began to dissipate.
Just as he inhaled Isa’s familiar scent, about to speak casually, Isa cut him off.
“What’s tiring you out?”
The unexpected question caught Kaindel off guard.
“What’s gotten into you today, my curious little lover?”
“Kaindel, I asked you what’s tiring you out.”
“Esh.”
Was he angry because Kaindel came home late?
Kaindel glanced down at Isa, puzzled by his unusual response.
Though he had indeed broken the promise they made last night, he couldn’t think of much else to say.
“It’s really nothing. If it were serious, I’d have told you already. Don’t get upset over nothing.”
“Nothing serious, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s not.”
“Then what’s this?”
Esh pointed to a newspaper on the table. Kaindel gave it a brief glance, intending to look away quickly.
But the headline caught his attention, freezing him in place.
[A Hero and a Princess to Wed! Is the Golden Age of the Hadelber Kingdom Beginning?]
“……”
A wedding?
Kaindel’s face hardened at the unexpected headline.
According to his agreement with Kerelona, the announcement of their marriage was supposed to be made three months before the operation.
Normally, an engagement article would precede a wedding announcement, but since their union was just a smokescreen for their grand scheme, they had agreed to delay it as long as possible.
So, what was this?
“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“……”
“Why am I finding out about something involving my lover from a newspaper?”
“……”
“Why do you keep hurting me like this? What did I do to deserve this?”
Kaindel clenched his hands as he watched Isa, whose face was flushed with emotion.
He knew better than to foolishly reply that he hadn’t known either.
Before figuring out what was going on, he needed to calm Isa down.
“Isa, don’t get worked up. It’s bad for your health.”
Since the incident at the banquet, when Isa had been drugged, his health had been fragile.
Seasonal changes often left him ill.
Watching Isa struggle to catch his breath, Kaindel instinctively reached out to soothe him, but Isa spoke with an unexpectedly calm face.
“Should we break up?”
Kaindel couldn’t believe his ears.
The thought of such a possibility was the first thing to cross his mind.
“Don’t say things like that in the heat of the moment, Isa. Break up? You and me? Over something like this? That’s absurd. Right?”
“It’s not a rash decision. Whenever I’m with you, it hurts here.”
“If it’s your chest, we should consult a doctor. It might be serious. Your body’s already weak—”
“The doctor said it’s just nerves. That it’ll go away if I numb them.”
“That doctor should be fired.”
“But Kaindel.”
“……”
“Since coming here, I’ve never once been properly treated. Everyone acts like I’m someone who’ll leave soon, but I endured it all, thinking of you. I thought I loved you enough that none of it would matter.”
Isa’s words struck a chord of disbelief.
He couldn’t imagine someone who loved him saying they wanted to break up.
He thought he must have misheard.
If he coaxed Isa gently, everything would return to normal.
Once they resolved his grievances, Isa would go back to his usual, affectionate self.
“It turns out, I was wrong.”
Isa spoke softly, a faint smile gracing his lips.
The slight upward curve of his mouth quivered weakly, and the crumpled arc of his expression looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment.
As he listened quietly, Kaindel rubbed his face discreetly, his thoughts swirling.
Was it because he missed the noble council meeting today to see Kerelona?
How had such an article ended up in the daily paper?
He didn’t know who leaked the information, but his plan was to have the article corrected as a misreport.
Afterward, he’d discuss countermeasures with Kerelona and then explain everything to Isa—yes, to Isa… But his thoughts faltered there.
His mind, blank with confusion, could no longer function properly.
For the first time, he felt as though even the slightest misstep would send him plunging off a cliff.
What should he say?
What was the right course of action in this situation?
Kaindel struggled to calm the turmoil in his gut.
“I’ve been unwell for a while, but I guess I was the only one who didn’t realize,” Isa said, finishing his sentence, regulating his breaths slowly.
“You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you? Since you’ve decided to marry the princess, then we…”
“Stop. Don’t say any more—I can’t listen to this.”
Kaindel interrupted Isa, unable to suppress the rising panic.
He knew exactly what Isa was going to say.
He was going to end things, wasn’t he?
He’d suggest they stop being lovers here and now.
The clarity with which Kaindel foresaw his own future left him unable to hide his growing desperation.
‘What should I do?’
What am I supposed to do?’
‘Should I kneel and beg, saying I didn’t know such an article would be published?’
‘But how could I claim ignorance when I had an agreement with Kerelona?’
‘Did I really not know?’
‘Should I tell Isa that everything I did was for him?
‘But that would only push him further away. That cannot happen.’
“This conversation… yes.”
Kaindel’s ears rang as though someone had screamed nearby.
The sound grew louder, ricocheting off invisible walls until it became an echo.
Why did his efforts to salvage his relationship with Isa always push it closer to ruin?
Why?
“Kaindel.”
“Let’s continue this when you can think more clearly. Right now, I don’t think you’ll listen to anything I say.”
Overwhelmed by a sudden urge to cry, Kaindel hardened his expression.
If he didn’t, he was sure his face would crumble.
* * *
