PLQYM | Chapter 7

Lucian stood in a daze while gazing at the sleeping Heraith. They hadn’t been together long, but this was the first time he’d seen him sleep so vulnerably. From the first meeting—though the situation was odd—he had to admit that Heraith was incredibly beautiful. Yet, looking at him now, Lucian realized that his admiration back then hadn’t come from the depths of his heart.

Every time Heraith appeared and disappeared behind the billowing curtains, Lucian found himself reaching out unconsciously. Could the term “beautiful person” be meant for him? It felt strange. Lucian’s heart stirred, a dull ache squeezing his chest as he looked at him. How long had he been standing there, entranced? Driven by an impulse deep within, Lucian took an unconscious step closer.

“Mm…”

“…!”

Startled by the soft sound from Heraith, Lucian held his breath. Perhaps he’d woken up, as Heraith’s once-relaxed body started to tense.

“Oh, seriously… I really fell asleep. Tsk.”

A low, lingering voice escaped, carrying a faint tinge of irritation. In that instant, Lucian’s heart sank.

‘I shouldn’t be here!’

It was as if someone was whispering urgently to Lucian, telling him to flee, to get as far away as possible from Heraith. He couldn’t let himself be caught. Heraith, now sitting up, noticed Lucian as he was backing away.

“Who’s there?”

The drowsy atmosphere around him vanished in an instant. The air, once shimmering like an illusion, froze, radiating a sharp tension that tingled Lucian’s skin. As if he’d never been asleep, Heraith swiftly rose. At that moment, Lucian instinctively spun around and dashed out of the room. He heard the door slam shut behind him, but it didn’t matter. Lucian ran and ran until he could run no more, gasping for breath.

“Haah… haah…”

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst. The only sounds filling the air were his labored breaths and the frenzied beating of his own heart, which pulsed in his head.

Thud!

I must be insane. Absolutely crazy. Not only did my heart race from looking at him, but I even thought about getting closer.

‘What was I even trying to do by doing that?’

His heart still wouldn’t calm down, pounding relentlessly. Unconsciously, Lucian banged his head against the wall.

Thud!

I’m crazy!

Thud!

To feel my heart race because of that man.

Thud!

For heaven’s sake. I even thought that man was beautiful.

Thud! Thud!

I’m insane. I’ve lost my mind.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

I’m seriously out of my mind!

“…Luce, what do you think you’re doing?”

Lucian froze, breath hitching at the sudden voice by his ear. The faint, lingering fragrance from Heraith’s chambers seemed to fill his nose all at once. Slowly, Lucian turned his gaze to see the emperor leaning against the wall, head tilted, watching him. Hastily, Lucian straightened his posture.

“Why are you acting so suspicious?”

“…It’s nothing.”

At Lucian’s response, Heraith’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing, huh…?”

“Yes.”

Heraith crossed his arms and leaned against the wall more comfortably, looking less than pleased with Lucian’s answer. “Fine, let’s put that aside for now. But…”

“…”

“Why were you banging your head against the wall?”

Gasp!

Lucian froze on the spot. One of his worst habits was to hit his head against something when he felt frustrated with himself, and it seemed he’d done it again.

‘No! He saw me being an idiot, didn’t he?!’

Oh, what an idiot! Of all the things he could do! Lucian bit his lip to keep himself from blurting out anything more. He almost felt like Heraith’s gaze momentarily lingered on his tightly shut lips, but he couldn’t spare any thought for that.

“Why were you in my room and then ran away? Tell me honestly.”

Heraith’s gaze met Lucian’s, his tone smooth, yet his mouth curled into a knowing smile. Lucian almost blurted out his thoughts in response to that deepened smile.

‘I was almost captivated just by looking at you.’

‘So this is what they call the power of beauty!’ It was a moment of profound realization. It was far more seductive than anything he’d read about in books. Thanks to that smile, Lucian managed to come to his senses. If not for his own foolishness, he might already be charmed by the emperor.

‘Absolutely not! I’d rather bash my head against the wall and die than tell him the truth.’

Bracing himself, Lucian lifted his chin with a defiant confidence and firmly denied it. “That never happened.”

“Huh?” The smile at Heraith’s mouth twisted slightly. “So you’re saying I’m mistaken? I followed the sound of your footsteps all the way here.”

“It must have been Your Majesty’s heartbeat echoing throughout the palace. Truly fitting for the emperor of the Empire.”

“Haa?” Heraith laughed in disbelief.

Though Lucian had no idea what he was even saying, he gritted his teeth and held his ground. Here, whoever admitted first would lose. So—

‘Play dumb. I did nothing of the sort.’

Shaking a bit but stubbornly feigning ignorance, Lucian watched as Heraith took a step back after a moment’s pause.

“…Fine, let me rephrase. Why do you look so miserable?”

“It’s just… my life feels pathetic.”

“What?”

Ignoring the emperor’s incredulous expression, Lucian glanced over his shoulder. If he wanted to escape, he’d have to pay his respects and quickly back away…

“Fine. Since you’re so desperate to lie, I’ll let it go.”

“Huh?”

Apparently noticing his subtle attempts to gauge an escape route, Heraith narrowed his eyes at Lucian.

Staring at Lucian with thinly veiled displeasure, Heraith finally straightened from the wall he’d been leaning against. “Let’s move on then. Why didn’t you wake me up at the time I asked?”

“Actually, I did wake you up.”

“You woke me?”

“Yes. I definitely did.”

“You mean I didn’t get up even though you woke me?” Heraith asked incredulously, but on this, Lucian could defend himself. He had indeed gone to the emperor’s chamber to wake him.

“Yes, I entered exactly at the time Your Majesty asked. But you didn’t wake up.”

“…Ha.” Heraith let out a short, seemingly exasperated sigh as if recalling something. “So, since I didn’t wake up, you just left and returned to your work?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“So, why were you banging your head against the wall?”

“Well…”

Responding reflexively to the flow of questions, Lucian’s mouth went dry. He stopped mid-sentence.

“…”

“…”

Silence hung between them.

‘Phew, almost got caught in his leading questions.’

Although he was rattled, Lucian had finally found his footing. Unlike before, he could answer shamelessly. “As I said earlier, nothing like that happened.”

“Huh?” Heraith smirked, clearly exasperated. A tone unbefitting an emperor slipped out. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Think whatever you like.”

“…Fine, we’ll leave it at that.”

Suddenly, a slow smile crept over Heraith’s face, and Lucian sighed with relief. It seemed he had more to say but chose to let it slide.

“Well, seeing as you’ve been lounging around, we can start pushing your work pace a bit more.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been letting you get used to things, but…”

“What? Where?” Unable to contain his disbelief, Lucian responded.

Heraith’s smile grew sly. “What’s wrong, Luce? I told you to come wake me every morning, and yet you don’t.”

But I did come every time. It was just that Your Majesty always woke up before that.

“And other than that one meeting with Antien’s ambassador, I haven’t even required you to stay by my side.”

Well, there haven’t been any meetings since. Interimperial meetings don’t exactly happen every day.

“Nor have I taken you to any of the noble assemblies.”

But that’s the Chief of Staff’s job, isn’t it? Why would I go?

“And I didn’t even ask for your input while changing clothes in the morning.”

Oh, come on. That’s the head attendant’s job, not mine!

“All those tasks are yours, yet I didn’t have you do them. Must’ve been disappointed.”

“What?” At the emperor’s remark, Lucian’s lips parted in disbelief. “That’s absurd! None of that is my job.”

“Why’s it absurd? You’re my personal aide, so if I say do it, you do it.”

“No one said the emperor’s personal aide was a slave. Besides, most of these are tasks that don’t fall under my role.” Caught up in his indignation, Lucian voiced his thoughts honestly, entirely oblivious to how he might be provoking the emperor. Heraith looked at him with an amused glint, as if urging him to continue. “I haven’t been slacking, so where exactly does my duty begin and end?”

Finally reaching his limit, Lucian forgot he was talking to the emperor and demanded an answer.

“You’re my personal aide.”

“I’m asking about the scope of my duties. An aide’s role doesn’t–”

“Luce, as my personal aide, that means you need to be with me constantly. Wherever I go, you go.”

“…”

Lucian’s mouth fell open. Then what about all the things he’d been doing so far? He’d managed every piece of paperwork, dealt with tearful nobles Heraith had flatly refused, and smoothed things over afterward.

Now that his probationary period was over, he had to assist the emperor from morning to night, from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed–every meal, every task, even breathing together?

…Unbelievable. How was this even a thing?!

“You’ve been given time to adjust. Now, it’s time to earn your keep, don’t you think?” Watching his aide’s horrified expression, Heraith’s face finally blossomed with a look of satisfaction. “So do as you’re told, Luce.”

That’s not an aide! That’s a slave! Glaring in silent protest, Lucian could only despair as Pranas’ emperor, Heraith, beamed at him with a smile as bright as sunshine.