* * *

I silently praised myself for a while as silence hung between us.

The Fourth Prince, who had been watching me with a peculiar look, finally spoke.

“…Why tell me this?”

“Because you seem the most desperate.”

“Desperate?”

“For the throne.”

“…Ha.”

A short laugh escaped him, one he didn’t bother to suppress.

He looked exasperated.

Even as he slowly shifted into a more relaxed posture, his lips maintained a faint curve.

“You say terrifying things.”

“I-I’m right though, aren’t I? You want to become Emperor. If I side with you, you could ascend the throne with ease—overcoming every… unfavorable condition in your way.”

“And why, of all people, would you propose such a deal to this scoundrel? That’s what I’m curious about.”

“I already told you. You seem the most desperate. Desperation overcomes everything. And I… need someone to protect me.”

ꔚ

The words flowed out as if they’d been prepared in advance.

I hadn’t expected such an excellent excuse to come to mind.

I’ve lost my memory.

Not knowing how this fake Tower Master lived before I possessed him is basically the same as having amnesia.

But for someone of my status, losing my memory would be incredibly dangerous, wouldn’t it?

The reason a Tower Master is treated as equal to the Emperor is their overwhelming power.

Power that no one can touch, that can overturn the continent at a whim.

If such a powerful figure were to lose their memory, it would create a critical vulnerability in that absolute power.

So I decided to strike a deal with the person furthest from the throne yet most desperate for it, someone capable of protecting me.

That was the angle I was going for, and the Fourth Prince seemed to understand.

“In exchange for protecting you, I become Emperor…?”

He had grasped my intent perfectly.

Still leaning in his slouched posture, he slowly folded his arms.

His eyes, now unrestrained, locked onto me.

Those raw crimson eyes sent a chill down my spine.

I flinched, stepping back.

But as I retreated, he stepped forward.

One step closer, and then another.

Before I knew it, I was pressed against a bench with a canopy.

My back bumped against one of the white pillars, leaving me no room to escape.

The Fourth Prince leaned in closer.

I thought about sidling away, pride be damned, but the moment I shifted, he planted a hand on the pillar in the direction I was moving.

I could’ve gone in the other direction where his arm wasn’t blocking me, but my body started trembling as if I’d turned into a cold-blooded animal, frozen stiff.

“And yet, you seem to be… afraid of me, don’t you?”

“…”

“Am I frightening to you?”

“Not at all…”

I barely managed to shut my mouth before blurting, ‘Of course I’m scared.’

“How I feel about you has nothing to do with the deal.”

“How does it not? If my opponent fears me, I hold an absolute advantage.”

“Right now, with just a single word, I could have you locked in the deepest dungeon forever.”

“Or, with just one finger, you could silence me for eternity.”

I stayed quiet, silently agreeing.

If I could use magic, then this fake Tower Master had been capable of wielding Yuri’s magic as well.

How exactly he had done it, I had no idea.

I didn’t know the extent of that magic’s limits, but if they said it could physically overturn the continent, it was probably true.

Not that I’d test it out.

Still, even if I couldn’t confirm it, if I could toy with the entire continent, hanging one mere prince upside down in the Tower should be easy enough.

Not that I intended to do it, of course—just saying.

Knowing all this, how could he even suggest that I feared him?

What a remarkable human being.

The Fourth Prince, still smiling, asked again.

“What is it you want, Tower Master? To act as regent after I ascend the throne?”

“No.”

Regent?

Please.

I couldn’t even handle that.

“Then what?”

“Just… protect my life.”

The pitiful plea for my life somehow came out sounding like a dignified request.

The Fourth Prince’s face briefly showed disbelief before he let out a chuckle.

“Is there anyone in this world bold enough to harm the Tower Master?”

“…The one who made me lose my memory.”

“Ah.”

A slight alteration to the truth.

To be precise, it wasn’t someone who made me lose my memory—it was someone who had possessed me into this body.

This character would die.

He’s the villain, after all.

The person who had possessed me into this villain’s body was the one who posed a threat to me. …Wait.

Now that I think about it, isn’t the system panel suspicious too?

No, no. Focus on one thing at a time.

The system is good, the possessor is bad.

They’re separate things.

Even if it turned out they were the same entity, at least for now, I had to believe their intentions this time were different.

A naive thought, maybe, but better than floundering around aimlessly.

The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes as though contemplating something.

“Then, how do you intend to make me Emperor?”

“I’ll support you.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?”

Having the Tower Master’s endorsement for any prince would create a massive ripple effect.

In my past life, the entire world had gone into a frenzy, desperately asking, prodding, and flattering me, all to find out which prince I favored—even though there was already a Crown Prince.

Now, I was offering that support to the Fourth Prince, and his reaction was lukewarm.

“I was expecting something… more grandiose.”

What the hell were you expecting?!

“Like what?”

“Oh, perhaps… with a flick of your finger.”

I instinctively raised a hand but froze when the Fourth Prince grabbed it with his larger one.

His hand was dry and significantly warmer than mine.

People say those with cold hands have warm hearts, so does that mean the Fourth Prince is…?

As I pondered, he began folding my fingers, one by one.

One, two, three.

“I thought you might eliminate all my competitors for me… with this hand.”

“…”

The Fourth Prince… is heartless!

He’s cold as ice!

A simple plea to save my life had somehow turned into a gruesome lobbying session to assassinate three princes.

My spine tingled.

“Isn’t this the most guaranteed way to become Emperor?”

“D-Don’t say such ridiculous things!”

Flustered, I even started to stutter.

“Is it really that ridiculous?”

He tilted his head as if genuinely confused.

His expression made it seem like I was the one saying something absurd, as though I had just refuted a reasonable suggestion like, ‘Let’s gain public support through volunteer work!’

But I couldn’t be deceived.

Right now, the Fourth Prince was looking at me with the face of a fairytale prince and casually suggesting, ‘Why don’t I just kill all my siblings?’

“Doesn’t seem impossible to me…”

Even with my frown, his beauty was undeniable.

He tilted his head again, muttering to himself, and then fixed his gaze on me with a bright smile.

“I’m kidding, Tower Master. Do you really think I’d have such terrifying thoughts?”

He sounded like he meant it.

No, he definitely meant it.

When I didn’t withdraw my suspicious glare, his eyes curved into a crescent shape as he grinned wider.

“Of course, your support alone is more than enough. That alone will make me Emperor of this Empire. And, as you said…”

The Fourth Prince removed his hand from the pillar he had been leaning on and reached out to my messy hair.

Startled, I thought he might pull it, but what followed was even more shocking.

He kissed my hair.

“I will protect you.”

“…”

A chill ran down my spine from where his lips had touched.

* * *