DZN Ch 3

Erhi readily acknowledged this time. Given their hostile relationship, Ruan’s prediction wasn’t far off.

“Just try to endure it, Hound. If you quit, it’ll be a complete mess.”

“I should resign quickly then.”

“Ruan…”

As Erhi pleaded with Ruan, footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs. Ruan immediately straightened his posture, and Erhi, standing beside him, whistled and followed suit.

“That was fast. As expected of the Crown Prince’s exclusive tamer.”

“Tamer, my ass. He’s coming out because he has nowhere else to run.”

“Just finding His Highness is an achievement in itself. As expected of the ‘Crown Prince’s Personal Hound.'”

Ruan expressed annoyance at the unwelcome nickname.

“Can’t you retire this worn-out hound?”

“No. Can’t do that. It’s a lifetime position. But I’ll give you some vacation time.”

“I don’t need it. I’m going to resign.”

“Who said you could?”

A voice echoed from the hallway connected to the hall. Ruan turned to see Calix, impeccably dressed in the short time he’d been gone, and couldn’t help but be impressed.

Despite his previous disheveled state, Calix now wore a black uniform adorned with ornate gold embroidery. His long silver hair was neatly combed back, and his appearance was undeniably breathtaking and pristine.

Ruan briefly felt a pang of regret at the stark contrast between Calix’s appearance and his personality. He was meticulously neat, almost to the point of obsession, with a breathtakingly beautiful face and a perfect physique.

Such a vast gap between his personality and his appearance.

The Creator had sculpted a statue out of garbage.

“Fortunately, you finished preparing quickly.”

“Thanks to someone’s training.”

Calix’s words suggested he’d overheard Erhi’s earlier comment. Ruan pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

“Then let’s go. Count Langrock has come to escort you, so I’ll take my leave.”

Ruan quickly handed over responsibility to Erhi and tried to leave. Erhi nodded, indicating he’d handle things from here.

“Good work. See you later.”

“Yes. Then I’ll be going.”

After bowing politely, Ruan watched the two men and their entourage of servants disappear, then turned and headed to his quarters within the Imperial Palace to take care of the rest of his work.

It had been a particularly hectic afternoon.

✨⋆⁺₊✧

“Stop tormenting him now. You’ll really make him hate you.”

As they crossed the tranquil Lavender Castle grounds toward Esche Castle, Erhi subtly remarked. Calix looked at him quizzically.

“I’m talking about Ruan. You’ve had ample opportunity to avenge your grudges from your trainee days, so stop provoking him. Ruan is a valuable asset to the Imperial Guard.”

Calix chuckled at Erhi’s advice, which, for once, carried the weight of his seniority.

“Torment? That hurts. Isn’t my ardent courtship famous in social circles?”

“That’s precisely what’s tormenting him.”

Erhi clicked his tongue, saying Calix was deliberately choosing actions Ruan would find most abhorrent, knowing full well he wouldn’t react otherwise. Calix continued to smile enigmatically.

“If you think so, then I suppose it is.”

Calix walked ahead, a strange smile playing on his lips. Erhi, just having left Lavender Castle, sighed.

“Please be moderate. Because of Your Highness’s attitude, Ruan loathes you. He already complains that I dumped you on him and that you torment him. Tripping me is a given, he steps on my feet, and sometimes, when he’s drunk, he sits next to me and pinches my sides.”

Calix chuckled leisurely at Erhi’s complaints.

“That’s cute.”

“If you experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t find it cute at all. That guy has a scary grip.”

“I know. I’ve experienced it.”

Come to think of it, during their trainee days, Ruan had personally trained Calix one-on-one and even shared a room with him, so given the atmosphere back then, it was unlikely Calix had escaped unscathed. Especially considering their relationship at the time, it was probably worse, not better.

Thinking back, it was a wonder they were both still alive.

Ruan was being very patient.

“Since you’re well aware, please stop tormenting him, if only out of pity for me, and try to improve your relationship. As you know, Ruan is not for show, but for killing. Aside from his skill, his value lies in the fact that he hasn’t been tainted by any noble family.”

In reality, the knights of the Imperial Guard were closer to being “decorations” for the Imperial family than “guards.”

Since they were primarily nobles and frequently appeared at events alongside the royal family, appearance played a significant role in their selection. Consequently, they weren’t very useful in actual combat.

All they could do was act as shields, and the ones deployed in real battles were the Royal Guard.

In that respect, Ruan was a rare combat-ready knight within the Imperial Guard. Erhi had heard that Ruan had been in a mercenary group as a child, but even considering that, he was exceptional in every aspect.

He was proficient not only with longswords and bows but also with daggers and hand-to-hand combat, a strange fellow who defied all the conventions and training methods of the Royal Trainee Knights.

Although his theoretical knowledge was lacking, he ranked first in practical skills throughout his two years as a trainee. Of course, there were various reasons for that.

Usually, during their training, trainee knights would discreetly lose to those of higher social standing to boost their scores. But such customs didn’t apply to Ruan.

Since he was someone who would even throw down and step on the Crown Prince, there was no way he’d go easy on the sons of other marquis or ducal families.

Erhi was also one of Ruan’s victims, and that was why he had decided to bring Ruan into this.

His skill level, combined with his commoner background and lack of connections, making him immune to outside influence, made him the perfect candidate.

However, Calix had a slightly different opinion.

“…You say he hasn’t been tainted by anyone?”

At Calix’s question, as if asking who would spout such nonsense, Erhi sighed softly.

“Your Highness knows that Baron Quirn isn’t that kind of person, don’t you?”

“How would I know?”

Calix’s gaze seemed to say, I don’t even know what’s going on inside your head, the person closest to me. Erhi admitted that was true.

The most unknowable thing was the human heart. Especially within the Imperial Palace, where one couldn’t even trust their own parents or siblings.

Therefore, one shouldn’t easily trust or keep anyone close, but being constantly wary would also prevent one from finding allies.

“I believe Your Highness is fond of Ruan himself, though?”

In truth, even if the Emperor had sent Ruan to deal with Calix freely, Calix could have easily disposed of him if he’d wanted to. Even afterward, getting rid of Ruan wouldn’t have been difficult.

Although he wasn’t in a position to say this, having been the one to bring Ruan in, even from Erhi’s perspective, who was notoriously audacious, Ruan’s words and actions were always borderline disrespectful. Even considering the Emperor’s allowance for a certain degree of overstepping, it was frankly excessive.

Yet, the reason Calix had kept Ruan alive was because he, too, was fond of him. Otherwise, there’s no way Ruan’s head would still be attached to his body.

“Setting aside other matters, can’t you just focus on Ruan?”

“…Life isn’t that simple.”

“That’s true.”

If they only considered the two of them, things wouldn’t be complicated, but there was baggage between them. And since those weren’t issues that could be easily resolved, Erhi could only feign ignorance.

He could only hope that the rift between them would eventually be mended.

✨⋆⁺₊✧

“Vice-Captain.”

Having just returned to his office after finishing the most pointless and tedious task, Ruan stopped at the sound of a voice and turned around.

The new knight he’d seen at Lavender Castle stood there awkwardly. Ruan wasn’t surprised; it was common for them to try and spy on him after such incidents, under some pretext or another.

“What is it?”

“The Captain is looking for you.”

While cautiously conveying his message, the knight kept glancing at Ruan, trying to gauge whether he would report to the Captain.

It was so obvious that Ruan simply stared at him, as if prompting him to say anything else he had to say. The knight nervously parted his lips.

He clearly didn’t want to be demoted just a month after joining the Crown Prince’s Escort Knights, the best course for promotion.

It would have been better if he hadn’t caused trouble in the first place, but the problem was that experienced knights kept falling for that damned Crown Prince’s seduction and causing trouble.

Or rather, if they were going to cause trouble, they shouldn’t act so sheepish afterward.

If you’ve already caused trouble, it’s better to be brazen about it. I really don’t understand why they act like this, Ruan thought, clicking his tongue.