ETHTKE chapter 12

“I had meetings with external figures all day, so I couldn’t take you with me.”

Baek Yigang’s languid voice, as if soothing a child, drifted gently through the air.

“Well, I understand, but you didn’t have to lock me up.”

As a possessor who knew the future and acted in advance to avoid disasters, staying in one place meant losing out on opportunities.

The only way to increase his chances of returning to reality was to regularly check the flow of the original story.

The odds of returning home were already slim, having gotten entangled with Baek Yigang, the unpredictable final boss.

If he was imprisoned like this, returning home would be… just impossible.

“You’ve developed quite a lot of complaints during the short time we were apart. Leaving you alone wasn’t a good choice, was it?”

Baek Yigang’s voice trailed off as if lost in thought. It was a light remark, but he seemed to be pondering something deeply.

Wait a minute, is he really going to take me to his next meeting?

Rather than suddenly appearing as an unwelcome guest at the national assembly and drawing everyone’s ire, spending the day pretending to be a corpse in bed seemed like a much better option.

“Uh, I think there’s been a misunderstanding, but I actually had a great day today.”

“You must have been lonely all day. I’ll make sure to stay by your side from now on.”

Damn it, Baek Yigang didn’t seem to be listening to me at all.

Sure, I was a bit bored, but that doesn’t mean I spent a dark, miserable day pining for your absence…!

“I’m telling you, I was fine.”

“Mmm, quiet now.”

Ignoring my rebuttal, Baek Yigang slowly lay down beside me. The closeness was sudden.

His pale hair brushed against my cheek, tickling it softly.

“Wha…”

Why are you lying down next to me? And so close!

His sudden, unpredictable actions were sending my heart racing, and my pupils were trembling.

But it seemed Baek Yigang wasn’t paying any attention to my flustered state. His long eyelashes lowered as his eyes closed.

Though he wasn’t truly asleep, he often pretended to doze off for short periods. When I asked him why he did this, Baek Yigang had answered calmly:

“To remember.”

“Remember?”

“I’m afraid I might forget how to sleep for good.”

Having gone so long without sleep, his body was beginning to forget that closing his eyes should naturally lead to rest.

So this was his way of trying to remember.

Hmm, maybe I should leave so I don’t disturb his rest?

I did have my own room, but since I usually slept in Baek Yigang’s room, it didn’t really matter.

The reason I could do this was that Baek Yigang was usually working while I slept, so I had the large bed to myself.

But now that I was here, he wouldn’t be able to rest comfortably… I should probably give him some space.

With that thought in mind, I quickly decided to leave without hesitation.

But then, just as I started to rise, I felt a grip on my wrist. Turning my head, I saw Baek Yigang’s pale eyelids still firmly shut.

“Don’t go. Stay here.”

Even without opening his eyes, Baek Yigang held onto me. His dry voice was strangely soothing.

“It doesn’t make a difference where you go. You’re locked in the crown prince’s palace anyway.”

“Do you hate it?”

His eyes slowly opened as he finished his question, and his piercing violet gaze locked onto mine.

Does he really think that’s a question? Who in the world enjoys being imprisoned?!

“Of course—”

“I like it.”

“What?”

I was about to say, “Of course I hate it,” but Baek Yigang’s unexpected words cut me off.

“I like having you here. So don’t think about leaving.”

His languid tone, completely mismatched with the commanding words, lingered sweetly in my ears.

After finishing his words, Baek Yigang closed his eyes again.

Yet he still held onto my wrist, as if making sure I couldn’t go anywhere.

What does he mean?

He likes having me here…? And what does he mean by not thinking about leaving?

Is he talking about how I tried to sneak away earlier?

The subtle tension hanging in the quiet air made me uneasy.

It was a relief that Baek Yigang’s eyes were closed again.

His violet eyes were objectively beautiful, but they always made me feel strange because I could never figure out what he was thinking.

“…The man outside, who is he? He seemed too imposing to be just a bodyguard.”

After a brief silence, I spoke again.

Because of someone’s order to keep silent around me all day, I’d only heard “Yes, sir” all day long, so I was determined to at least learn that man’s name.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well… I have to spend all day with him when you’re not here. It would be nice to know his name.”

Baek Yigang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, a sign that something had displeased him.

Then, suddenly, his eyes opened wide, and I found myself locked in his gaze.

“He’s a shadow. He won’t be staying with you. He’s not someone you can think of as just a conversation partner.”

His voice had a firm edge to it, as if he wasn’t planning to tell me the name.

“But… what if there’s an emergency and I need to call for help?”

“I assigned him to you to ensure such situations don’t arise.”

Why is he being so stingy with a name? It’s not like I’m going to roast and eat the guy just because I know what he’s called!

“Come on, can’t you just tell me? I’m really unhappy that you’re the only person I can talk to.”

“…So that’s the real reason.”

“Yes, so please tell me.”

After half-jokingly revealing my true feelings, Baek Yigang’s furrowed brow finally relaxed.

“Asel.”

He answered lightly, as if he hadn’t just refused me moments ago.

Asel… Asel…

Wait, ‘Asel’? If I remember correctly, there’s only one person with that name in the original story.

The one who served as the main character, the third prince’s bodyguard, and was known as the continent’s greatest swordsman…?

The same Asel who, alongside Baek Yigang, was one of the only war heroes of the Pendium…?

According to the original story, Baek Yigang, who was initially under the shadow protection of Asel, falls into darkness as a dark wizard.

After losing his position as the crown prince, Asel, who is now without a lord, is reassigned as the bodyguard to the third prince.

His full name is Asel Fern, the eldest son of the renowned Fern family, known as the iron-blooded knights of the northeastern region.

…That’s all I know about Asel Fern, who, despite being called just a ‘minor character,’ carries an incredibly illustrious title.

What the heck? He was such a colossal figure?

And even with a personality just as ruthless as Baek Yigang’s, showing no mercy to anyone he deemed an enemy…

Perhaps that’s why even wizards would tread carefully around Asel. Of course, since Asel was always with Baek Yigang, they probably didn’t dare to act recklessly in front of either of them.

“Huff…”

In that moment, memories of the foolish antics I had pulled in front of Asel in the afternoon flashed through my mind like a lantern slideshow.

‘If you don’t come out, I’m going to escape again.’

‘I’ll teleport away with magic.’

‘I’m Cheong Dowoon. The world’s strongest wizard, you know.’

Ah… I wish I could go back in time and shut my damn mouth…

This is just unbelievable. How could I not recognize Asel?

Asel’s loyalty to his lord is excessively strong. As proof, he tried to protect Baek Yigang even after he fell into darkness as a dark wizard.

If I ever try to abandon Baek Yigang, I’ll probably be killed by Asel without anyone knowing.

Whether it’s the second prince or the third prince, if I leave Baek Yigang’s side and join someone else, I…

“…will face a brutal end.”

It goes without saying that every possession has an end, an ‘ending.’

The endings I’ve experienced, and the ones I’ve gone through before, usually wrap up well according to the original work, resulting in a ‘happy ending.’

It’s always been like that so far, and it should be that way in the future too.

Of course, in this life, things have gone a bit… no, a lot off course from the point where the main character, Baek Yigang, suddenly demands to become emperor.

But even so, I plan to do my best to achieve a happy ending.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing… Just that the name is similar to someone I know.”

“It’s a common name.”

Seeing my strange expression, Baek Yigang tilted his head slightly to the side. I gave a vague excuse, and he closed his eyes again as if he found it boring.

Common? What’s common about it?! Asel is a name that alone could make enemy forces retreat on the battlefield!

…But then again, I have an even more terrifying person right in front of me.

The lord whom that fearsome war ghost serves with his life is Baek Yigang…

And here I am, a pitiful lamp genie… no, at this point, I might just be a pushover.

Is this really okay…?