IYAMD: Episode 53

“What were you doing while I was asleep?”

‘What do you mean, what was I doing?’

Jaha widened his eyes as he accepted the bread the man was feeding him.

‘I was taking care of you.’

He swallowed the bread and tried to respond, but the man didn’t seem to understand.

Why was he even asking if he wasn’t going to understand the answer?

Jaha grabbed the man’s hand, stopping him from feeding him more bread, and enunciated each word clearly.

‘I. Was. Here.’

“Really?”

Jaha nodded lightly. As soon as he did, the man pulled his hand away from Jaha’s grasp and grumbled.

“I don’t believe you.”

With that curt statement, the man put a piece of bread into his mouth and added,

“I clearly remember you not being here.”

Was he talking about the time Jaha left to call Malek?

‘So much for the saying that saving someone from drowning means they’ll demand your belongings.’

Jaha felt anger rising. He had taken care of this man, yet he was being doubted.

How could he be so indifferent to the concern of someone who had worried about him?

‘I went to call your attendant!’

Jaha shot up and shouted, but only a hoarse, wheezing sound escaped his throat.

Frowning, he pounded on his own chest and glared at the man.

When the man reached out a hand, Jaha smacked it away.

Only then did Marsilia’s expression shift slightly.

“Why are you angry? Because I don’t believe you? But whether I believe you or not… shouldn’t matter to you.”

He was right. It really didn’t matter.

Jaha let out a breath, suppressing his frustration, and sat back down.

But it wasn’t the doubt that had upset him.

It was the fact that his efforts had been dismissed so easily.

Jaha glared at the man, who was chewing his bread as if savoring it.

‘I don’t believe you either, you lecher.’

Jaha spat out each word as if grinding them between his teeth.

The man, who had been staring at Jaha, furrowed his brows.

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

When Jaha didn’t answer, the man let out a chuckle and brushed off his hands.

“Well, at least I know that’s the worst insult you can think of.”

He lowered the wooden tray he had been resting on his thigh onto the floor and shifted as if to lie down again.

Once he found a comfortable position, he stretched out a hand toward Jaha.

“I think I’ll sleep a little more.”

So he was asking Jaha to sleep with him.

‘Sleep alone.’

Jaha picked up the tray he had set down and left the tent to find Malek.

He could feel Marsilia’s gaze on his back until the fabric at the entrance fell back into place, but he didn’t care.

‘So much for taking care of him—only to be told he doesn’t believe me.’

He felt like a fool for wasting his energy on something so thankless.

Under the canopy that served as a makeshift roof, Jaha looked around.

Strange people, an unfamiliar landscape.

The damp air, filled with the smell of smoke, clung uncomfortably to his body.

The whole world was filled with the sound of rain.

‘What am I even doing here?’

With a gloomy expression, Jaha let out a deep sigh.

—

A few days later, in the capital.

A carrier pigeon flew into the Archduke’s townhouse.

Receiving the note tied to the bird’s leg, the Archduke let out a small chuckle.

[The Emperor’s lover is a Sword Master-level. Seems to have trained in the martial arts of the Eastern Continent.]

It was a report from one of the knights assigned to Baron Odette Hill.

Due to the limited space on the message attached to the pigeon, the report was brief.

But it contained all the key details.

Exion Doton tapped his cheek with a finger as he read the note.

It was a habit of his when he had something to think about.

A lover.

Wasn’t this the same Emperor who had stubbornly refused to take a consort all these years?

And now, out of nowhere, he had one.

Not only that, but this person origins were unclear.

The Emperor was a man who was cautious about every drop of water he drank.

Would such a man truly take in a complete stranger as his lover?

Could the rumors be true, then?

The whispers that the Emperor had secretly hidden someone away in the Sun Palace.

That this person might be his soulmate.

The Archduke had tried to verify it himself, using an informant placed within the Sun Palace.

Unfortunately, before the spy could send a report, he had been killed.

Of course, the Archduke had plenty of other eyes and ears within the palace.

But unless they were close to the Emperor’s attendants, gathering information was difficult.

The Chief’s Aide close assistants were numerous, and many of the palace servants worshiped the Emperor with a near-religious fervor.

So even with a large number of spies, it was never easy to obtain information.

The Archduke had also sent assassins—both to investigate the dead attendant and to confirm whether this person was truly the emperor’s soulmate.

And to eliminate any potential future threats.

Not a single one had returned.

Another source had reported that Darren Brims was guarding the Sun Palace’s bedchamber these days.

That alone was enough to explain why the infiltration had failed.

There were two Sword Masters present.

No wonder the attempt had ended in failure.

And if Darren himself had been assigned as a guard, it meant that man was truly someone worth protecting.

There was no longer any need to confirm.

He was the emperor’s soulmate.

But even more surprising was that this Eastern man was a skilled fighter as well.

The Archduke couldn’t help but be astonished.

Exion hurriedly penned a reply, instructing them to send a more detailed report as soon as possible.

If there were two Sword Masters, the knights he had sent wouldn’t be enough to subdue them.

After all, a typical Sword Master could handle a hundred Sword Expert-level knights at once.

And that was just an average Sword Master.

The Emperor, possessing divine power, could take on far more.

Although Exion had given Baron Odette Hill orders to act if an opportunity arose, he hadn’t expected much.

Now, however, if the soulmate had already appeared, there was no time to waste.

Focusing on the lover was meaningless.

The Emperor needed to die.

The two of them had to be separated.

If there was a way to do that, then striking the Emperor from behind would be simple.

The Archduke handed his response to the steward, then, once alone, leaned back against his chair.

Tok. Tok.

Slowly, his fingers drummed against the armrest.

How could he make this work?

This was the perfect chance to prevent the Emperor from returning to the capital.

No matter what—

He had to seize this opportunity.

The archduke, lost in thought over his next move, let out a long breath, irritated.

He hadn’t expected the emperor to defeat dozens of Minotaurs. Regardless of everything else, it seemed undeniable that the man was the strongest emperor since the first.

However, Exion still had a debt to collect from the emperor—one that was owed by his own younger brother, Herzen, the emperor’s father. And he intended to take it all back, starting with the throne.

The throne he had never once doubted would be his since childhood. If not for that thief Herzen, he would have taken his rightful place without any trouble. Now, he would reclaim it.

His sharp eyes pierced the empty air before he suddenly closed them, exhaustion settling over his expression. As always, the moment he shut his eyes, she appeared in his mind. The young lady in a pale pink dress. My Ingrid.

From the moment she found her soulmate, Exion had lived in hell. Not only had he lost the throne that should have been his, but even the woman he had cherished in his heart had been stolen by his younger brother.

Whenever he recalled his father telling him that a soulmate was an unchangeable fate, or Herzen standing by with that loathsome, insincere smile, rage churned in his gut.

His bloodshot eyes snapped open, and he ground his teeth together.

He would kill that thief’s spawn first. The soulmate wouldn’t matter once the emperor was dead, so there was no need to concern himself with them.

A soulmate couldn’t conceive without completing the ritual anyway. So first, he would cut off the thief’s bloodline—then he would slaughter the soulmate.

Steeling his resolve, Exion summoned his steward and ordered him to deliver a letter to the palace.

To Count Serez Hastings, the emperor’s confidant.

“It’s harder to arrange a conversation with you than to request an audience with the emperor. I’ll visit your office tomorrow. There’s much to discuss.”

There were several things he needed to confirm with that arrogant aide. He had to find out whether that black-haired person truly was the soulmate—and if so, how they had been discovered.

Not that he expected Serez to reveal much, but by now, even that man should be looking for another way out.

After spending ten years by the emperor’s side, surely he had plenty of regrets. He had been steeped in the ways of the palace long enough—he was bound to change eventually.

With that in mind, Exion spent the rest of the day holed up in his study, considering how best to sway that insolent aide.

The next morning, he left his manor early and headed for the imperial palace. As always, when he arrived at the emperor’s office, the attendants and knights blocked his way.

Exion scoffed, and one of the Black Knights bowed respectfully.

“Please return, Your Highness.”

“I need to speak with Serez Hastings. Surely you’re not telling me that the count’s orders take precedence over mine, Elenwood?”

He could tell the knight flinched at the mention of his family name. Exion smirked arrogantly—just as a voice came from inside the office.

“Let him in, Sir Elenwood.”

Serez’s voice. Light, almost cheerful. The sheer impudence of it made Exion tighten his grip on his cane. Insolent bastard.

Suppressing the boiling fury in his chest, he schooled his features into a relaxed expression and stepped inside. But not before casting a cold, piercing glare at the Elenwood whelp.

Inside the office, he saw towering stacks of paperwork, and in between them, a mop of brown hair. The man hadn’t even bothered to lift his head, busy scribbling away.

“Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I have an urgent matter to handle first…”

He hadn’t even prepared a seat for Exion. He just continued working as if the archduke’s presence was of no consequence.

It was obvious that Exion’s eyes had narrowed dangerously.