RGS Volume 4 Part 6

Blond hair, green eyes, a petite figure, and a beautiful face. At some point, this appearance had firmly established itself as Truyde’s definite preference. When he realized it, an insatiable thirst arose whenever he saw someone with such an appearance, a thirst he couldn’t suppress. Truyde knew when his preferences had changed.

To be precise, it was after experiencing a certain incident, and later he found out that his father and grandfather had experienced the same thing. A phenomenon of being obsessed with a specific appearance. It started after he began making the black potion himself. It could be dismissed as a coincidence, but there was always uneasiness inside him.

The complete trigger that made him completely forget about it was a guy named Abel who appeared as the prince’s Regas 12 years ago.

Right, it was just an unpleasant coincidence.

He embraced those he desired without any worries or uneasiness. But as time went on, the thirst grew stronger. No matter how many people who matched his preferences he surrounded himself with, he didn’t feel satisfied.

Recently, the number of people killed during his sexual intercourse to heighten pleasure has increased. However, the joy of ejaculating on a corpse is only temporary, soon followed by unsatisfying discomfort that covers his whole body.

From his trembling hands to his burning throat, it only got worse.

To get rid of it, he always embraces someone new. Moreover, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find men with blond hair and green eyes within the empire. However, the Marquis summed up the vicious cycle that had taken hold of his body in one word.

It is a curse.

“That can’t be.”

Truyde muttered, grinding his teeth. The prince’s Regas is undoubtedly Abel. Didn’t he freely enter the Dragon’s Forest without the prince 12 years ago? Just by looking at the prince who followed him, it’s clear. No one can deny that the ugly guy who died in a month was the prince’s Regas.

Perhaps because it’s a curse, there’s another real Regas?

It should have been a story to laugh about, but instead of laughter, his clenched fists only tightened. Truyde glared at the door where the Marquis had disappeared with fierce eyes. His intention could simply be a provocation.

If there is no real Regas, the remaining cards for the Marquis are useless, so he might have bluffed at the thought of cutting his losses. However, there was a catch. The emperor who would arrive soon asked for a Regas with blond hair and green eyes. Like Norhox’s previous sneering, the emperor might have deliberately mentioned his preferences to attack Truyde.

However, the word ‘curse’ from the Marquis lingered in his mind like a thorn. The Marquis uttered that word as if he meant it sincerely. It was as if he truly believed that the real Regas had not yet appeared.

“No. The Regas is dead.”

Truyde whispered once more, as if assuring himself, and called his men. If the Marquis wanted to make his weapon valuable, he had no choice but to respond accordingly. Truyde instructed his subordinate in a low voice so that no one else could hear.

[T/N: Last time, I just used the term ‘men’ [수하] for Truyde’s subordinate but I’m changing it from now on.]

“Send someone secretly to Marquis Yan’s house.”

“Is it for surveillance?”

Truyde shook his head expressionlessly at his subordinate’s question.

“No, it’s for the purpose of eliminating the Marquis when necessary.”

He had to be prepared for when the real Regas appeared. Just in case he had undergone a ridiculous curse like reincarnation. That guy Abel, who was ugly and bulky from 12 years ago.

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His heartbeat became dangerously fast. Now the tears were subsiding, but Abel felt the aftermath of the shock gradually eroding his body. This was a familiar physical state. It was the feeling of his head becoming numb, difficulty breathing, and the heart seeming to stop moving just before losing consciousness.

Abel learned through experience while adapting to his new body. He learned when to take medicine and when not to push himself too hard. And now he has surpassed both of these. His heart burned and ached as if it were on fire. This was the first time he had felt such pain.

His instinct had already shouted from within him several times.

Stop. Stop crying.

The intensifying emotions swayed dangerously at the edge of danger. If he went beyond this, it would be different from simply fainting lightly. It was already too late to turn back, and he couldn’t do that either.

Trembling started deep inside him as if being sucked into darkness. His numb mind seemed unaffected even if his consciousness would abruptly cut off. It was a miracle that he was able to endure like this after surpassing his limits, but he couldn’t be happy about it. He regretted not taking care of his body in advance, like a fool.

It wasn’t until he was on the verge of collapse that he realized he had been consumed by his own emotions. While he was in front of that person. The sobbing stopped, but tears still streamed down his cheeks. It was difficult to open his swollen eyes, but he could still see he was approaching.

A hand stained with blood. It hesitated in mid-air before approaching Abel’s knees. Unlike his hesitant actions upon realizing the blood on his hand, his voice was indifferent.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

His voice, always devoid of emotion, felt dry and indifferent. Until he knew the person’s true identity, he only felt afraid of him. He was just a distant person who was someone he should please and don’t provoke, so he ignored him even if he was concerned. No matter how cruel and terrifying he was.

He was the person he had been searching for, but he didn’t even realize it like a fool. A heavy sense of guilt suddenly weighed down on him. Abel barely lifted his eyes to look at his face. While his hand still hesitated in mid-air, Abel’s hand moved naturally.

A small, trembling white hand touched Karas’ face. As soon as it touched him, his gray eyes slightly widened, and his body seemed to stiffen, but Abel didn’t have the leisure to notice.

He should have recognized him sooner.

How could he not recognize the person who had become an adult, only just claiming to serve the prince with mere words.

The thought that he was unworthy of being a Regas stabbed his heart like a blade.

“Ka-Karas, are you okay?”

His trembling voice, mixed with breaths, was still audible enough for Karas to understand. However, Karas blinked once as if he didn’t understand the question and responded slowly.

“I didn’t fall.”

Upon hearing the innocent answer, Abel felt like tears would come again, so he deliberately laughed more.

“Hehe, yes, I know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

Okay with what? Is he talking about the fight earlier?

Abel’s strange expression, a mix of laughter and tears, caught Karas’ attention, but he just nodded for now.

“Yes.”

However, Abel squeezed his strength as if he couldn’t believe it and muttered.

“You must have had a hard time.”

It’s fine. Taking a person’s life was as easy as stepping on a bug this time as well.

However, Karas swallowed the answer that was about to come out of his mouth. His hand started trembling enough to bother him, so Karas pulled back the hand Abel had reached out to him.

Instead, he held Abel’s hand as if clasping it. He didn’t realize it, but Abel’s appearance was also strange. His breathing was irregular, and his gaze was gradually becoming hazy. The confusion that had stopped for a moment rushed back. Even at a glance, Abel appeared to be in a precarious state, despite his efforts to smile.

This situation was very unfamiliar to Karas. Not only to him but also to those around him, there was not a single person who would be in such pain just because they had tripped. Karas looked back and forth between Abel and his surroundings, not knowing what to do, and opened his mouth.

“I’ll carry you.”

He thought it was a good idea, but he heard Abel’s faint muttering.

“I’m sorry.”

Karas didn’t pay attention to why he was apologizing. Catching Abel’s body, which was about to collapse, was his first priority. The problem was that the small body nestled in his chest was barely breathing.

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After leaving Truyde’s room, the Marquis walked down the quiet corridor next to the hall with slow steps. Unlike the noisy hall where the party was still going on, the dark and quiet corridor seemed like a different world.

Tap, tap.

The sound of the Marquis’ footsteps filled the seemingly endless long corridor.

The sound should have continued until the end of the corridor, but strangely, it abruptly stopped in the middle. The Marquis stopped walking in the middle of the corridor and turned his head. There was no one behind him, but he opened his mouth towards the empty corridor.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The Marquis’ voice echoed in the dark corridor, which was nothing but darkness except for the flickering candlelight shadows. There was no voice that responded, but the Marquis’ blunt words continued.

“Finally, you can play a proper role. Finding the real Regas. Isn’t that right, Norhox?”

After a moment, a long shadow appeared in the darkness, and then the figure within the shadow responded to the Marquis’ words.

“Finding the Regas has always been my job, so there’s nothing special to look forward to.”

It was a light retort, but the Marquis smiled slightly.

“No, you should look forward to it. You might be the most advantageous in the current situation.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Do you know what your ancestor had in mind when he built this house?”

The Marquis threw an unexpected question, silencing Norhox’s mouth as he looked around the dark corridor.

“There were many ways to make good use of the numerous Regas. Not only to captivate the king but also to capture other competitors to obtain what is needed. And the way to confirm the information obtained is through the Regas.”

He paused for a moment and took a few steps, knocking on the wall of the corridor. Then a hollow sound, as if it were empty, echoed. Norhox’s expression stiffened for a moment, but the Marquis casually revealed the secret as if it were nothing.

“By listening directly with both ears from this secret passage.”

“How did you know that?”

Norhox asked coldly, changing his tone. The secret passage of the house was a secret passed down only to the successors. He never dreamed that someone else, especially Marquis Yan, would know about it. However, the Marquis easily answered the same as how he lightly revealed the secret of Truyde’s household.

“My ancestors were not fools. They believed that by only having the King’s secret items, they couldn’t withstand it within the King’s Heart. At least, they thought they should know about the secret passage in this mansion for eavesdropping like a rat. Be thankful that your family’s secrets are only this much.”

Norhox raised his eyebrows at the Marquis’ sarcasm, but he couldn’t refute it. The Marquis added coldly first.

“If there had been something more, you would also get hit on the back of your head like Truyde, who was self-confident on his victory. The bigger the secret, the harder you fall.”

Norhox remained silent, keeping his mouth shut. His appearance was only evidence that he had heard the conversation between the Marquis and Truyde a while ago.

The Marquis smiled faintly.

“Now admit it. You must look forward to finding the real Regas. If you only know Truyde’s secret, can’t he repay you for the humiliation when he made you kneel under his feet at once? Anyway, finding Regas is your role.”

“Indeed.”

Norhox finally spoke after a long while, casting a glance behind him.

“Do you believe that the real Regas hasn’t appeared yet?”

“Yes.”

As the Marquis answered without hesitation, Norhox’s eyes darkened.

“But 12 years ago, Abel, who was the emperor’s Regas, freely entered the Dragon’s Forest. And he clearly died. Yet you say there is another real Regas?”

“That’s right.”

“I can’t believe your words without evidence.”

“Then trust Truyde. You trust him.”

“Is it a curse?”

Norhox’s voice was filled with doubt. When he first overheard their conversation, he thought the Marquis was just lying as a final act of defiance. Thus, he also even laughed. One side was cursed to love the king if they became a Regas, and the other side was cursed to love the king’s Regas.

Who would believe that?

“So, you find that story ridiculous.”

Norhox’s expression didn’t change, but the Marquis understood his laughter and calmly replied.

“If we, who have been using poison for generations to control the king, destroy his mind using his own Regas, and eventually kill him, wouldn’t that be even more ridiculous if we weren’t cursed?”

“……”

“Even if you don’t believe in curses, it doesn’t matter. I intend to find the real Regas.”

“I know the Regas the best. So, if I were to also find the real Regas, would you join hands with me?”

“Joining you doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

The Marquis stared at the dark corridor that Norhox had seen and calmly uttered.

“What matters is time.”

“Time?”

“Yes, Truyde will do everything in his power to eliminate me and my family from now on.”

“……”

“Before that, will I be able to meet the real Regas, hand over the things that our family has protected, and reveal Truyde’s secret? I wonder.”

When the Marquis coldly uttered “I wonder,” Norhox hurriedly whispered.

“So, why don’t you entrust me with those important things in advance?”

“You should focus on finding the real Regas of the emperor. Truyde will not only try to eliminate me, but he will also try to find and eliminate the Regas himself.”

After hearing the warning, Norhox narrowed his eyes and turned away without saying a word. The Marquis’ words were unbelievable, but for Norhox, who had nowhere else to go, it could be a good opportunity. If he could uncover Truyde’s secret, he could turn the tables in an instant.

He decided to search the entire country and gather those with blond hair and green eyes.

As he disappeared into the darkness, the Marquis, who had been watching for a long time, turned his body with a cold expression. He wanted to avoid joining forces with Norhox, however, now he had no choice.

It was better than having one family controlling the King’s Heart completely, so, he had no choice but to endure. As he stepped out into the darkness, his shoulders hardened with determination for the fight.

Thus, Norhox forgot about the most important enemy. The emperor, whom they had long considered an enemy and tried to control, was coming.

T/N: Another problem occurred with the scheduling. Idk why this is happening really T-T

Sorry for the late update, but here you go^^ Btw, thanks to those who informed me!