IYAMD: Episode 27

Until dinner, the man who had slept soundly for a few hours and woke up refreshed. For the first time since Jaha had seen him, the shadows under his eyes had disappeared. Seeing how his face blossomed in less than 3 hours, it was clear how much sleep he had been deprived of.

After waking up, it seemed that his appetite had returned, as Marsilia ate leisurely without end. Jaha, who had only known him to eat sparingly, was so surprised that he stopped eating altogether.

He drank wine elegantly and cut the meat. Even breaking the bread looked like a picture painted somewhere.

As Jaha stared blankly while holding a piece of bread, Marsilia smiled slightly and asked, “Are you not hungry?”

Jaha felt as though the bread in his hand should be given to him for some reason. The food on the table was disappearing so quickly.

Jaha was distracted by the man who was more eye-catching than the food itself.

While constantly putting food into his mouth without making a sound, he asked Gerald a few things during a brief moment when his mouth was empty.

“Can you teach Jaha to read and write? He should know how to read and write the common language. Ah, and… I should mention that he has to go with me when I leave. Since Jaha decided to go with me, you must follow too.”

Gerald, who had seemed puzzled, instantly smiled widely at the following words.

“The byproducts will be traded through the Sonnet family’s management. If the Mage Tower provides support, you can handle the trade with the Mage Tower.”

Marsilia’s offer seemed so surprising that Gerald’s reaction immediately changed.

“What preparations should I make? This is my first time dealing with monsters, so I don’t know what to prepare.”

“Ashton will tell you the details. He handles my preparations.”

While conversing with Gerald, the man seemed to be satisfied after eating enough, and, wiping his mouth with a napkin, he asked Jaha, “Do you not like wine?”

Jaha shook his head. It wasn’t just wine; he wasn’t used to alcohol in general.

Marsilia wiped his hands and picked up his wine glass. He extended the glass toward Jaha and whispered softly, “Try it. It’s not a sweet wine, so it may not suit your taste.”

Jaha, pressured by his gaze, lifted the glass. Marsilia gently clinked his own glass and drank the wine, glancing at Jaha continuously.

As Jaha followed suit and drank the wine, a strange expression appeared on his face. Why was he drinking something so sour?

“You surprisingly have a lot of expressions,” Marsilia commented, then shook his head as if to himself.

“Maybe it’s because Your Majesty has been paying close attention,” Gerald quietly added.

“Jaha isn’t really one to show many expressions,” he said.

“Is that so?”

Marsilia stopped eating and only drank wine now. Whenever his glass was empty, Ashton would quickly refill it, and Marsilia would do something to the wine.

Jaha, still curious about the actions Marsilia always did before meals, stared intently at him. Marsilia quietly smiled and responded.

“It’s to purify the food with divine power. I can’t eat anything unless I do this. It’s been a habit since I was very young.”

Gerald quietly remained silent, while Zaha continued to stare at Marsilia.

“I do it because there might be poison,” Marsilia added.

Ah, Jaha nodded, understanding. Even though he drank the same wine as Gerald without any apparent issue, Marsilia continued using his powers every time his glass was refilled.

Jaha couldn’t imagine what kind of life that was.

Having such a habit meant he didn’t fully trust his closest attendant, Ashton. Jaha turned his gaze toward Ashton, who stood behind Marsilia, and received a gentle smile in return.

Thanks to that, Jaha knew that Ashton understood Marsilia. But what about Marsilia? Just because others understood him didn’t mean his loneliness would decrease.

Marsilia, despite Jaha’s gaze, acted as if he didn’t notice and continued drinking his wine, wearing his usual gentle smile.

There was something about his smile that felt like an armor. It seemed like he was smiling to hide his weaknesses.

Jaha looked away from him. Gradually realizing these things about him felt burdensome, and the human side of him didn’t sit well with Jaha.

This isn’t good.

Jaha thought with his head lowered. How pointless it was for him to be learning things about people when he still couldn’t even decide if he wanted to live or die.

And the person who made that decision even more unclear was none other than that man. The man with green eyes who kept glancing at him and pretending not to notice.

…

The next day, Serez arrived at Jaha’s room with the appointment letter.

“I heard His Majesty explained this to you yesterday. Is that correct?” Serez asked with a suspicious look, and Jaha nodded.

“Then it’s a relief. This letter signifies that you, Jaha, are officially my subordinate. Your birth registration has already been completed, so now you are an Arhen citizen under the name Sable Dandelion.”

Serez narrowed his eyes with a look of regret.

“However, we didn’t know your birthday, so we registered it arbitrarily. His Majesty isn’t very good at handling those things.” he trailed off.

“If you want to change the birthday, please let us know,” he added.

Jaha shook his head.

“Then it’s registered as April 1st. You should know this,” Serez said, laughing softly.

Why April 1st? Jaha, unable to even read the appointment letter, stared at it, and Serez spoke with a teasing tone.

“Since your name is Dandelion, it suits you well that you were born in spring,” he said.

Jaha asked Gerald through writing what that meant. It had been on his mind since yesterday because Serez didn’t explain it properly.

「It means Dandelion, Jaha. Ah, Sable is a term for a black marten in the Eastern continent. The Emperor gave you quite a fitting name, even though it’s a bit informal.」

Is that so?

Having a name like that… wasn’t it a bit too playful? Serez, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, continued.

“I heard you don’t know how to write at all. How about learning to sign your name at least? If it’s too difficult, you could just use the first two characters.”

Jaha nodded, signaling his agreement without much thought.

He thought their business was finished, but then Serez gestured to a servant.

“There will be a banquet before the subjugation tomorrow. Unfortunately, Jaha, you’ll have to attend as well.”

As soon as Serez finished speaking, people rushed in with various items, which were quickly laid out on the table—clothes and shoes.

“We didn’t have time for tailor-made clothes, so we prepared ready-made ones for the banquet. But if you take measurements today, your custom-made clothes will be ready by the time you leave for the subjugation.” Serez explained.

With the tailor and Serez rushing around, Jaha couldn’t express his discomfort and had his measurements taken.

They were going to alter the clothes he tried on to fit him. Fortunately, he only had to try on about three sets of clothes before finishing, and Serez picked out shoes and a belt that suited him.

“For the formal attire, you’ll need a few different colors. You also need a couple more sets of casual and semi-formal outfits,” Serez said, giving additional orders to the tailor. After the chaotic fittings, Jaha finally had time to ask why he had to attend the banquet, but Serez glanced at his watch and rushed off.

It seemed that the Emperor’s aide was as hectic as the Emperor himself.

….

Back at the palace, Serez, with a proud expression, headed for the Emperor’s office. The Emperor, who had been in a good mood since the morning, greeted him with a smile.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The measurements have been taken, but he’s so thin that I’m not sure if the clothes will fit.”

“If they don’t fit, we can make new ones,” the Emperor said as he casually flipped through documents with Emileo.

“How is Jaha?” he asked.

“He’s doing fine.”

“No, I mean, did he try on the clothes?”

Serez smiled slyly and answered, “I made it clear how busy I am. He probably didn’t even consider refusing because he was so overwhelmed.”

The Emperor sighed deeply.

“My assistant, there’s such a difference between what you say and what you do. Weren’t you the one who told me not to be so bossy?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. You shouldn’t act that way. I’m just following your orders. No matter how important Jaha is, my duty is to follow your commands.”

The Emperor handed the documents to Emileo and sighed again.

“Why don’t you speak up?”

Serez simply shrugged and looked at the Emperor. It was true—what power did he have? If the Emperor told him to roll, he’d have to roll.

If the Emperor’s partner was upset, it was the Emperor’s job to make amends, not his. So Serez decided to show a bit of flexibility.

“Go rest early. You’ll have a hard time sleeping with the banquet tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. You should rest today.”

The Emperor, who had been looking at Serez expressionlessly, suddenly had his eyes sparkling.

“With all the work left, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”

As he began to rise, Serez muttered, “Then keep working if you must.”

The Emperor smiled elegantly, walked away from his desk, and handed Serez his seal. He gave him a pat on the shoulder and smiled brightly.

“Good work, Hastings.”

He only called him “Hastings” at times like this. Serez grumbled inwardly but didn’t stop the Emperor as he left. After all, if the superior’s heart was at ease, the subordinate’s would be too.