RGS Volume 5 Part 10

“I believe it would be best to postpone the dinner for later, Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty has returned to your rightful place after six years. Resting comfortably should be your top priority. There will be plenty of time for dinners with the King’s Heart in the future, won’t there?”

Truyde immediately understood Ashler’s desire to buy a little more time.

“As expected of a servant who has been by Your Majesty’s side for six years. Your attention to detail makes us ashamed for having arranged this dinner. However, Sir Ashler.”

With a sneer in his eyes, Truyde spoke softly.

“Don’t you understand that we, just like you, desires to serve His Majesty better? We want to spend time with His Majesty as soon as possible. Unless you intend to interfere with us.”

“Interfere? That was not my intention.”

“Or are you wary of our King’s Heart? Are you afraid that we might take the place you’ve enjoyed by His Majesty’s side for six years?”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Then step aside.”

“……”

“If you truly care for His Majesty, you shouldn’t interfere with opportunities for him to become closer to his subjects. Besides, we’ve prepared a special gift for His Majesty.”

Truyde turned his smiling eyes towards Karas. Even though the conversation was about him, Karas sat indifferently on the throne, appearing disinterested. Still looking as if everything was a bother, Truyde sharply observed him and made another suggestion.

“Your Majesty, my thoughts were short-sighted. If a banquet is too burdensome, I will guide you to a simpler meal. Would you receive the gift we prepared for you there?”

Truyde stepped back and lifted his slightly bowed head. In response, Karas raised his gray eyes to meet his. Then, for the first time, the emperor spoke.

“Alright.”

“Your Majesty, let me personally guide you…”

“If you accept my gift as well.”

A gift?

At the unexpected words, Truyde’s smile faded as he looked back at the emperor. Karas slowly rose from his seat, walked past Truyde, and added.

“Keep smiling. It’ll be enjoyable.”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

It was a familiar room. The place where Truyde and other key figures of the King’s Heart led Karas was the Prince’s Palace, which he hadn’t seen in 12 years. The destination was the room where Karas had stayed. It was as if time had stopped in that space, with no change from before.

The only difference was the table in the middle of the room, and the two glasses placed on top of it. Standing in front of it, Karas looked back at the entrance where no one had followed him. At the wide entrance, the King’s Heart stood on either side, leaving a path in the center. Except for the war profiteer squeezed in between them, they all looked at Karas with relaxed faces, as if they knew what would happen next.

“Your Majesty, do you like the gift we’ve prepared? We’ve preserved this place exactly as it was to help you recall old memories.”

Truyde’s words didn’t seem to be a lie. Karas checked the area near the bed. There were unknown black stains that remained on the carpet. It was the traces of blood that Abel had shed from his back while protecting the young prince. After Abel’s death, the only command the prince had given was to leave the carpet as it was.

Did he want to boast that he had kept that command for 12 years?

Truyde’s voice was filled with confidence as he continued.

“And we’ve also brought the person Your Majesty most wanted to see.”

After Truyde finished speaking, someone walked in between them as if waiting. At first, there were two people. However, one of them, who had come to the entrance as if only guiding them, did not go in like the King’s Heart without entering. The priest, with a solemn expression, gently pushed the back of the person he had brought forward.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of clothes brushing the floor could be heard every time they walked. A vacant expression, skin as pale as a corpse, white hair that couldn’t determine their age. However, there was one thing that hadn’t changed from before. The rustling sound stopped in front of Karas, and bloodshot eyes stared at him.

The only thing alive in her vacant face was the madness in her eyes. The queen, seeing her son, grabbed Karas’ arm with all her might. Then, holding a glass in her other hand, she whispered as if greeting him,

“Drink up quickly and die, you devil.”

The queen.

Seeing her still alive and passing by him made Ashler feel like he couldn’t breathe. Although she had aged and only followed the priest like a puppet, he couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling.

Why on earth had they brought the queen here?

No matter how terrifying she was to Karas, that was only a memory from his childhood. No matter how crazy his mother was, she couldn’t harm the grown-up Karas. She could only foul his mood.

The King’s Heart couldn’t be fools, so why would they do this?

It was as if they wanted Karas to openly fight with the King’s Heart, provoking him…  provoking?!

Ashler’s mind stopped at the ominous word. As if in response, Karas’ movements also came into view. He raised his hand and slowly removed his mother’s arm. Unlike when Karas was a child, her nails, which had dug deeply into his flesh, came off easily. While the ordinary gray eyes were looking at her, she still glared at him with hatred as if he were a monster.

“It’s no use disguising yourself. I can see you. You’re a monster.”

Her whispering voice was grating in his ears like a harsh metallic sound. However, Karas was still like a doll just as he had been when she first entered the room. He listened to her continued whispering without taking his eyes off her venomous eyes.

“Monsters must disappear. Right?”

Her hand, still in Karas’ grasp and in the air, clenched as if trying to grab his flesh again. Bhut perhaps realizing she couldn’t hold him, she raised the glass in her other hand to her lips and poured it. The foul smell of the liquid spread around her even without getting close. She was so obsessed with looking at Karas that she drank without even tilting her head back.

A liquid trickled down from the corners of her mouth just like a child and dripped onto the floor.

And then, thud.

Even when she dropped the glass she had finished drinking on the floor, her mad eyes did not let go of her opponent. Her shrill voice, which no one else could hear, was only pierced into Karas’ ears as if tearing off the flesh that she could not grasp.

“Drink it. Or should mommy feed it to you?”

The red blood vessels in her eyes twitched as if they were about to burst. Her maddened eyes were like an abyss. Something about the endless black void was so terrifying yet captivating that one couldn’t look away. However, Karas’ gray eyes were slightly different.

He wasn’t looking into the queen’s eyes out of fear. Ashler subtly read the slight change in Karas’ expression and flinched. It was a smile that passed so quickly that no one else could see it.

“It’s a wonderful gift.”

Karas still didn’t take his gaze off her bloodshot eyes as he spoke towards the King’s Heart. And with his free hand, he reached out and picked up the glass on the table. Startled, Ashler tried to rush inside, but Norhox grabbed his arm from behind.

Meanwhile, Karas slowly turned his eyes while holding the glass. He drank the liquid inside while looking at those who were watching him. The King’s Heart watched the scene with narrowed eyes, pleased as the young emperor gladly accepted their bait.

The only way to truly stand against them is to take that potion and win. It was a perfect provocation for a young, prideful man. Even if he won, he would forever be a coward for refusing to be fed by his mother. It could never be a victory. It would be akin to running away out of fear of being fed by his mother.

Gulp, gulp.

Karas’ Adam’s apple moved a few times. After swallowing all the liquid in the glass, Karas dropped it to the floor as if confirming it was empty, just like the queen had done.

He drank it!

As a sense of victory spread within the King’s Heart, Karas asked in an indifferent tone.

“Is it my turn to give a gift now?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Blending in with the servants wasn’t difficult. At first, they were wary of Abel’s swollen and bruised face, but soon, the silent and quiet stable boy was forgotten as they got absorbed in their own conversations. Thanks to the dissipated wariness, the new stable boy’s questions were met without any suspicion.

What kind of person is the Marquis?

At Abel’s question, everyone started to open their mouths. The Marquis is said to have been reclusive for several years after his son’s death. It was only recently that he began to frequently have guests and became active again. Most of the servants here worked outside the mansion, so there were few who had seen the Marquis face-to-face.

However, there was one thing they all agreed on. The Marquis was extremely sensitive to even the smallest changes. A gardener once got severely scolded just because the position of a chair at the entrance of the garden had been slightly changed, and a gatekeeper had been whipped on the spot because of a small rust on the door.

Even the servants who cleaned every day couldn’t avoid his scrutiny as he pointed out mistakes, they themselves hadn’t even noticed, which made the work highly stressful. If this was the case for those who were working outside, it was even worse for the servants working inside the mansion. One of the servants, who had briefly stopped by to deliver a message, eagerly joined the lively conversation.

“Unlike insignificant people like us, the Marquis has an excellent memory. Even if the position of the plates is slightly different during a meal, he gets angry immediately. He wants everything to be in its place. Is that all? He notices even the slightest difference when we touch something, that’s why there are rooms where servants are not allowed to enter at all.”

Realizing he had said too much excitedly, at some point, the servant quickly changed the subject with an awkward expression.

“Ahem, anyway, the Marquis is a noble person, so he is very different from us.”

He looked at the new stable boy as if to ask if he understood, but Abel, lost in thought, only nodded absentmindedly.

Rooms where servants weren’t allowed…

Could there be something secret hidden there?

Deep in thought, Abel opened the door and stepped outside.

As he had come as the servant of the Commander of the Royal Guards, he stayed by his side under the pretext of serving him, sharing the same quarters. The building where the knights stayed was closer to the mansion than this one. They had to pass through the dark darkness, but it was raining outside.

Getting wet in the rain wasn’t a problem.

However, Abel couldn’t step forward and looked up at the sky. A few raindrops fell coldly on his face.

The prince must have arrived at the palace by now, what if he got all wet?

He should have been worried about the first impending confrontation with the King’s Heart, but instead, he was worried that the prince might catch a cold from the rain.

Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to stay in the palace after such a long time?

Wouldn’t he feel lonely in a large room all by himself?

For some reason, when Abel thought of the palace, only one image came to his mind. A child curled up under the bed in a large room. He was more concerned about Karas’ current emotions rather than the King’s Heart.

Even if he felt sad, he wouldn’t be able to cry. After all, he was a child who didn’t know how to cry. Unconsciously, Abel took a step into the rain, heading towards the palace instead of the quarters. He wanted to go to the palace. Forget about the King’s Heart and everything else, he just wanted to be by his side in that large room, to hold his hand and stay with him.

Pitter-patter—

Raindrops quickly soaked Abel’s clothes, but he didn’t notice and kept walking. Could he just go to the palace and check if he was okay? Just to see if he was alright…

“Hey! Hey, you!”

At the sound of someone’s voice, Abel turned his body, as if it woke him up to reality. A small light flickered from the direction of the quarters to where Abel went out to, and soon it approached him quickly. The person who came running with a splashing sound on the wet ground immediately became angry.

“I wondered why you weren’t coming, so I came out to check. Where are you going?”

The Commander of the Royal Guards raised the lamp higher and got angry. Abel looked at him blankly and then turned his gaze back to the direction he was going. However, it wasn’t easy to turn his eyes away, because he had still some lingering regrets.

“I’m sorry.”

As Abel lowered his head, the Commander of the Royal Guards’ voice softened, perhaps feeling pity towards him.

“Well, it’s fine as long as you understand.”

He said it bluntly, but his eyes lingered on Abel’s face. Though it was hard to see clearly because of the dim light and rain, Abel seemed sad.

Could it be that he was upset about being separated from his beloved Sir Kin?

“Hey, if there’s someone you want to see, you’ll get to see them soon, so don’t worry.”

After saying that, he glanced at him for a moment, and a pair of large green eyes that were clearly visible even at night looked up at him. It seemed like a warm light was spreading within him, and his bruised and swollen face formed a smile.

“Thank you.”

It was strange. He thought it was just a face full of wounds, but seeing him smile like that made his heart sink slightly. The Commander of the Royal Guards replied more bluntly to hide his feelings.

“Well, there’s nothing to be thankful for.”