PLQYM | Chapter 4

Head Attendant Cliff carefully opened the door to Lucian’s quarters, the personal aide of the Emperor. He was curious if Lucian was even alive after spending two days holed up and only taking meals inside. Judging by the disappearing food trays, it seemed he was at least keeping himself alive.

“Leave him be. Let’s see if that so-called perfect memory of his is real, and see how many days it takes for him to come out.”

Even though His Majesty had said as much, Cliff couldn’t help but worry. Could this turn into a serious problem? As he stepped further in the room, scattered papers began appearing here and there until they accumulated into a chaotic mess near the sofa. Crumpled paper, torn paper, even paper partially burnt—it was a scene mirroring the turmoil of the room’s owner’s mind.

Startled, Cliff momentarily paused and approached the mountain of documents that laid in the worst state of disarray. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he could hear someone muttering the closer he got.

Could something have happened?

“I’ll kill him… I’ll memorize everything and throw it all back at him… Tear it up and sprinkle it all over his face…”

“…”

Cliff was at a loss for words. The neat and tidy aide he had seen two days ago was replaced by this crazed man before his eyes. Lucian had thrown off his jacket somewhere—Cliff could see a black piece of cloth amongst the stack of documents—and had undone his tie, which was tied around his head to keep his bangs out of his face. With his shirt sleeves rolled up, Lucian glared intensely at a single sheet of paper like some madman.

Still unaware of Cliff’s presence, Lucian, muttering like a priest caught in the rain, suddenly stopped. For a moment, he remained frozen, and then the paper he clutched fell, fluttering to the floor.

“I–I memorized… everything…”

And with that, his body collapsed backward, sending the scattered papers flying as he fell.

“Sir Lucian!”

Cliff hurried over, but Lucian lay unmoving and covered in a blanket of fluttering documents.

“…Oh, dear.”

Did he actually memorize all that?

As Cliff pondered what to do, a shadow suddenly fell over him, revealing a head of golden hair.

“All memorized, you say?”

“Your Majesty!”

Cliff stepped aside and bowed, keeping his cool despite his inner turmoil. His years in the palace had trained him well enough to greet the Emperor with composure.

“It’s been a while since anything this interesting happened in the palace. He’s really memorized everything, right?”

“He was muttering to himself before collapsing, Your Majesty.”

“Oh-ho.”

Heraith scratched his chin and looked at the fallen Lucian. Amid the steady rhythm of his breathing, faint but unmistakable snores could be heard. Heraith snickered at the sound.

“Well, he might actually be quite useful, don’t you think?”

A strange glint passed over Heraith’s expression as he muttered to himself. Noticing it, Cliff instinctively glanced at the Emperor’s face before quickly lowering his gaze, feeling as though he had seen something he shouldn’t.

Oblivious to the head attendant’s reaction, Heraith leaned down and effortlessly lifted Lucian with one arm…

“…!”

Cliff’s eyes widened as the Emperor smirked.

“He should sleep in a bed. Sleeping on the floor will leave him with a stiff neck.”

Then, with long strides, he carried Lucian to the bed and gently laid him down. Despite the Emperor’s rather rough handling, Lucian didn’t wake. Heraith watched him for a moment before chuckling again. Then he leaned down and lightly licked Lucian’s forehead.

“Mmm, his forehead is round like candy.” Clearly pleased, Heraith straightened up.

“If you’ve truly memorized everything, I’ll give you a reward, Luce.” With a soft whisper to the sleeping Lucian, the Emperor left the room.

Even after the Emperor left, the head attendant stood frozen. He had served in the palace for a long time but had never seen the young Emperor behave like this. Since his days as the Crown Prince, Heraith had grown up only looking out for himself and cared for no one.

Cliff let out a long sigh. Somehow, he had a feeling that troublesome days lay ahead.

The day was bright, and the sunlight felt unusually refreshing. Every item around Lucian seemed to be in vivid color, almost pricking at his eyes. Even the air felt crisp, giving the morning a refreshing quality.

‘Why am I here again?’

Awake and a bit dazed, Lucian looked around, noticing his surroundings. The room was filled with luxury items, all neatly arranged.

‘Why am I here?’

He couldn’t quite grasp what was happening and just sat there in a daze. Then, a knock came, and after a brief pause, someone entered—a face he had never seen before.

“ Have you awakened?” The man who entered gave Lucian a polite nod. “His Majesty awaits you.”

“His Majesty…? Argh!”

Lucian’s mind snapped awake when he remembered—he had been memorizing the budget allocations!

“What day is it? How long have I been asleep?”

“Pardon?”

Lucian nearly stumbled off the bed in his rush to get up. Even if he had slept long, he had finished a day early, so it should be fine. If he went to report now that he’d memorized everything…

“You’ve slept for two days.”

“…!”

His hand froze mid-motion, as he was smoothing back his hair and rolling down his shirt sleeves.

“…What did you just say?”

His neck creaked slightly as he turned to look at the man in shock.

With a nod of confirmation, the man dressed in a palace uniform added, “Precisely speaking, you slept for around 36 hours.”

“Ha.”

Lucian’s hand dropped. Thirty-six hours. A day and a half. An entire day plus another half-day. Lucian couldn’t believe it.

The three days the Emperor had given him were already over.

“Finally awake, I see. I was starting to think you were under some sleeping spell.”

When Lucian reached the Emperor, Heraith was being attended to for dressing. The attendants bustled around quietly while helping the Emperor put on his attire. With each movement, another piece of clothing or jewelry adorned his figure.

Looking in the mirror, Heraith tilted his head from side to side, checking his reflection. His gaze eventually met Lucian’s through the mirror. Since the beginning, Lucian had always thought the Emperor’s eyes were fascinating. The hazel in Heraith’s gaze, a blend of gold and green, seemed to create an intricate pattern, changing with the light. Unconsciously, Lucian found himself staring.

In the mirror, Heraith smirked. “So, did you memorize it all?”

“…Yes. I memorized everything.”

“Since you’ve slept so deeply, I’d think you’d forgotten it all.”

“No, sir. Once it’s in my head, it stays.”

“Is that so?” A mischievous glint flickered in Heraith’s smile. “Then recite the Finance Minister’s recent monthly spending details.”

“Not the Finance Department, but the Finance Minister, Your Majesty?” Lucian, feeling it a bit audacious, asked back instead of answering immediately.

His response seemed to amuse Heraith, who chuckled. “Yes, the Finance Minister. If I recall, I included individual expenditures in the documents.”

Indeed, he had. From the highest-ranking officials down to the department’s lowest levels. The document load had tripled, thanks to such details. Lucian swallowed a sigh and began reciting,“The Finance Minister…”

The Emperor’s questions continued from there. Lucian answered without pause, and while the questions flowed, the Emperor’s dressing continued. The room was filled only with Heraith’s low, continuous questions and Lucian’s steady, clear responses.

When the attendant approached with cufflinks set on a velvet cushion, Heraith’s test finally concluded. “Luce.”

Heraith beckoned with a finger. Lucian stepped closer, stopping about three steps away, within easy earshot without raising his voice. “One more step.”

After hesitating, Lucian took another step closer, now close enough to touch if he reached out his hand. Heraith tilted his head. “Which of these do you think is better?”

There were two pairs of cufflinks. One was adorned with gold filigree while the other was black onyx rimmed with gold. Lucian took in the Emperor’s outfit—white pants and a black top embroidered with gold accents, accentuating his sleek figure.

“The onyx would suit you best,” Lucian answered without hesitation.

Heraith, apparently pleased, chose the onyx cufflinks to complete his attire. “Good. Luce, keep that distance always.”

“…?”

Momentarily failing to understand the command, Lucian blinked.

“Always stay exactly that far from me. Close enough that I can reach out and grab you.”

“…Understood.”

“And from tomorrow, come wake me up.”

“Pardon?” Lucian replied with a perplexed voice.

“I said, come wake me up in the morning.”

The Emperor’s smile grew sharper. An unexplainable foreboding sensation crept over Lucian.

“But… I’m already here every morning…”

“I know. But keep coming.”

“Continuously… sir?” Lucian’s voice shook. “You said it would be for just a month.”

“Oh, did I?”

“Yes.”

“Come indefinitely.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t make me say it twice, Luce. You’re not that slow, are you?”

“….” Lucian clenched his fists tightly, trying not to lose his temper. “Is that also part of the duties of a personal aide?”

“As if.” Lucian’s eyebrows twitched at Heraith’s response. “You didn’t finish in three days. You need to be punished.”

“But that’s not fair!”

“Oh, right.” Ignoring Lucian’s rising complaints, Heraith continued, “Since you memorized it all, you should get a reward too. I’ll grant you the honor of speaking freely before me from now on.”

Lucian’s jaw dropped. His clenched fists tightened involuntarily.

Now fully dressed, Heraith smiled radiantly as he spoke, “So keep letting me hear that adorable voice of yours.”