DZN Ch 1

Exactly three times.

The moment Ruan heard the bell ringing from the distant spire, he decided he couldn’t delay any longer and entered Lavender Castle without hesitation.

As Ruan crossed the lavender-filled garden, true to the castle’s name, and pushed open the heavy castle doors, a young servant who was just coming out alone stopped in surprise.

Then, rolling his eyes frantically, he spoke awkwardly.

“Vice-Captain Campbell, what brings you here…?”

Fortunately, he didn’t stutter, perhaps due to good servant training, but his voice was strained with panic, and the hand holding the tray trembled.

His demeanor already confessed everything.

Ruan ignored the servant and ascended the stairs, the servant’s attitude rendering further explanation unnecessary.

The servant, aghast, blocked Ruan’s path, as if to say, 

‘I know exactly where that little brat is right now.’ 

Ruan’s steps were quick and decisive.

“Vice-Captain! You can’t do this! His Highness the Crown Prince is not here! He hasn’t even been here!”

Ruan looked down at the servant clinging to his arm and denying everything, as if it were some kind of explanation.

It was absurd to say the Crown Prince wasn’t here when his personal servants were gathered in this castle. If this servant was telling the truth, then all the servants here were clearly derelict in their duties.

Ruan clicked his tongue as if to say, 

‘Do you want to be dragged before the Head Servant right now?’ 

The young servant flinched.

Ruan didn’t need to spell it out; this confrontation was a familiar scenario. The servant understood the meaning of Ruan’s gesture perfectly.

Once again, only they were in big trouble.

“Vice-Captain…”

“Move.”

“Vice-Captain, please! His Highness will be furious with us!”

Ignoring the servant who was rapidly backing up the stairs, stamping his feet in the process, Ruan strode down the second-floor corridor. The servant placed the tray on a display cabinet and grabbed Ruan’s arm, trying to stop him.

“Vice-Captain! You really can’t do this! We’ll be in huge trouble if His Highness finds out!”

“That’s not my concern.”

The servant was so small and light that Ruan dragged him along like luggage toward the innermost room on the second floor.

Reaching the door, Ruan tried to open it, but the unwillingly dragged servant frantically blocked the door with his whole body.

“Vice-Captain, you really can’t! His Highness forbade anyone from entering!”

“Move.”

“If His Highness finds out, we’ll all be in deep trouble. He specifically ordered us not to let you in, Vice-Captain, especially you.”

“We were already scolded last time,” the young servant said with a face on the verge of tears, but Ruan didn’t care. It wasn’t his problem.

“Open it.”

At the curt command, the servant finally clasped his hands together and pleaded with Ruan.

“Vice-Captain, please! His Highness specifically told us not to open the door for you.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll open it myself.”

With a swift movement, Ruan pushed the servant aside and opened the door without hesitation. The next moment, he frowned as if he’d seen something repulsive.

Two men were entangled on the large bed in broad daylight, half-naked. The one panting and disheveled underneath was a new knight who had recently joined the Imperial Guard, and the other was the problematic Crown Prince, Calix.

Quickly approaching the bed, already nauseated by the sight he was all too familiar with, Ruan offered a perfunctory greeting.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Oh dear, I specifically told them to keep you out…”

Calix clicked his tongue, feigning nonchalance despite having clearly spread rumors to lure Ruan there. Ruan ignored him and simply gestured to the knight beneath him to leave.

As the knight scrambled out of bed, grabbing his clothes and fleeing, Ruan addressed the problem at hand.

“If you don’t want me to catch you, then don’t do things you think you shouldn’t be doing.”

“I hate to hurt your feelings, but I have my duties as the Imperial Stud. I must diligently engage in procreation.”

“It doesn’t seem very productive if you’re doing it with men, does it?”

In their usual back-and-forth, Calix gave a slight smile, his devastatingly beautiful face on full display.

“Who knows? Maybe men can get pregnant too. I think I could get you pregnant.”

Ruan quickly dodged Calix’s hand, which reached out towards him over his uniform as if in invitation, as if he’d touched something filthy.

“If Your Highness showed up with a child, claiming it was the royal heir, I wouldn’t be surprised… but since it’s realistically impossible, let’s stop discussing this and get up.”

As Ruan gave his usual response to their tiresomely repetitive conversation, Calix clapped as if impressed.

“Still a brick wall, I see. Impressive.”

Ignoring Calix’s comment, which was followed by a small, “Annoying,” Ruan briefly stated his purpose.

“It’s almost time for your audience with His Majesty the Emperor. Please dress appropriately and come out.”

“Informing me of my schedule is a servant’s job, not yours, is it?”

“You’re right. So why am I doing this?”

“Because you missed me?”

Calix’s shameless reply made Ruan briefly consider punching him, but he suppressed the urge. After all, Calix was the Crown Prince.

It was a fact Ruan often, no, very often forgot – that this bastard was the Crown Prince of this country. The Emperor’s only legitimate son, the damn Crown Prince.

“…I think too much blood is rushing downwards and not enough to your head. You should get up and walk around. Now move.”

“To do that, I need to take care of this first…”

Calix gestured vaguely towards his lower half. Ruan inadvertently glanced down and recoiled in disgust at the unsightly sight.

Although unintentional, he’d been seeing Calix’s lower half regularly for five years now, and was well aware of its development. It was astonishing every time.

It’s normal for that to grow as one matures, but there’s usually a limit. However, it felt like Calix had been continuously growing only there since then.

Of course, his overall physique had grown as well, but that was truly remarkable. As if he was doing special muscle training…

“I’d prefer it if you could take care of it with your mouth. If that’s too uncomfortable, you can lend me your thigh.”

In other words, he was asking Ruan to take care of it. This time, Ruan couldn’t hold back his disgust and stepped back.

Seeing the look of utter revulsion on Ruan’s face, Calix grinned, clearly pleased.

“That look makes me even more excited.”

The words “pervert” nearly escaped Ruan’s lips, but he managed to control his impulse. He was, after all, the Crown Prince.

“….My status is far too lowly to attend to someone so noble, so if you’ll excuse me. I’ll be waiting in the hall. Please take care of that… thing… and come out.”

“How?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Ruan instinctively asked back, not understanding what Calix meant.

“….Pardon?”

“I’ve never taken care of this myself.”

Leaning back on the bed, Calix pointed again at his lower half. Ruan briefly considered ripping it off with his bare hands, but quickly dismissed the thought. He couldn’t sever the royal bloodline. Someone else would do it for him anyway.

Soon. In the not-so-distant future. Inevitably.

“That’s not my concern. Please take care of it yourself and come out. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

After his curt farewell, Ruan quickly exited the room and closed the door behind him. The waiting servants flinched.

Seeing their anxious faces, cautiously gauging his mood, Ruan sighed and gave them concise instructions.

“Go in shortly and help His Highness get dressed. Hurry.”

“Shortly?”

“Yes.”

Not wanting to say anything more, Ruan gave his brief instructions and descended the stairs. In the hall, he saw a familiar face.

The moment he saw the amiable-looking, handsome blond man with kind eyes, Ruan gave a subtle smile.

It was the look of someone who’d just caught his prey.