HTTRPIAO Ch 30-34

“First floor?”

Etienne was puzzled. The first floor was where various common spaces like conference rooms and break rooms were located, so they inevitably had worse security than other floors. For that reason, it was common for higher-ranking officials to use the upper floors.

“Wasn’t his previous office on the third floor?”

“The Grand Duke requested the first floor, so they renovated one of the small conference rooms. It’s this way.”

Ben, who had already familiarized himself with the location of the office, skillfully guided Etienne. Following him to the right, a large corridor appeared.

“Oh?”

“Ah!”

Several people sitting together in the lounge connected to the grand corridor let out exclamations or gasps of surprise as they recognized Etienne. Ben put his index finger to his lips, signaling them to keep quiet.

“Is it that place?”

Meanwhile, Etienne noticed a door across the grand corridor. Unlike other places, only that door had a knight standing guard.

“Yes, that’s the Grand Duke’s office.”

“Let’s hurry.”

Etienne quickened his pace to avoid the curious gazes of onlookers. The long corridor was lined with portraits of generals who had left their names in history.

After passing several doors and reaching the end, they saw people working against the wall. Judging by their attire, they were palace servants belonging to the military department.

“Woah, the portrait turned out really well.”

Bang bang, a servant sitting on a ladder hammering nails admired the portrait handed up from below. The person holding the ladder disagreed.

“Turned out well? The portrait doesn’t do justice to His Highness’s beauty.”

Etienne stopped at the mention of the Grand Duke from the man’s lips. It seemed they were hanging Rishar’s portrait.

These past few days, there had been discussions about promoting Rishar to supreme commander at the State Council, and it seemed they were already preparing for it.

“Ah, right. Did you hear the news? Grand Duke Eckhart rejected the marriage proposal from House Mathias! Even though His Majesty the Emperor arranged it, he flatly refused, saying he didn’t want a political marriage!”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah. I heard it directly from someone who works in the banquet hall, so it’s true. They told me that he boldly declared to His Majesty that he would marry someone he loves, regardless of their trait!”

“Wow!”

Perhaps because of the rain, the sounds echoed louder than usual. The two people continued their gossip, unaware of Etienne and Ben’s presence.

Etienne recalled the events at the banquet while listening to their conversation.

‘I will marry someone I love.’

Those words, which had been like a declaration of war, were firmly etched in Etienne’s mind. He bit his lower lip hard as he remembered the navy blue eyes that had flickered with a strange heat. The chilling sensation he had felt then came back to life.

“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

Ben overreacted when Etienne shuddered. He seemed worried about him catching a cold again.

“Are you feeling cold…”

“Shh.”

Etienne signaled Ben to be quiet while listening to the conversation. He wanted to know how others felt about Rishar’s statement.

“Wait, if he said it that firmly, doesn’t that mean he already has someone in mind?”

“Oh! Could it be? Who?”

“Hmm… ah! You know the Mage Commander of the Eckhart family, right? She’s really cool and pretty… could it be her?”

“The Mage Commander? You mean Lady Flang?”

“Yeah, that one. They’re always together these days, right? Her name was Stella or something…? The Grand Duke calls her by her first name. They seem close.”

Lady Flang?

Etienne’s brows furrowed slightly at the somehow familiar name. Soon, he easily recalled the mage with purple hair who had been with Rishar at the triumph ceremony banquet.

She was a dominant Omega who possessed as powerful pheromones as her striking features.

“But Lady Flang is a dominant Omega, right? Given how His Highness emphasized ‘regardless of trait,’ maybe he likes an Alpha or Beta? Might not even be a noble.”

“Really? Hmm, now that you mention it, you have a point.”

“I’m curious… about who His Highness likes…”

As the man holding the ladder muttered, the one sitting on top spoke while hanging the portrait.

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough. Anyway, whoever becomes the Grand Duchess is blessed. They might even become Empress, right?”

“Hey! Watch what you’re saying!”

Startled by the bold statement, the man almost dropped the ladder. Suggesting that the Grand Duchess might become Empress was essentially saying that Grand Duke Eckhart would ascend to the throne. It was an inappropriate and dangerous statement for a palace servant working for the imperial palace.

“Agh! Can’t you hold the ladder properly? I almost fell!”

“It’s because you startled me! What if someone heard… oh!”

The man who had regained his grip on the ladder looked around nervously. Then he noticed Etienne and Ben watching them and froze.

At that moment, the man coming down the ladder, still unaware of the situation, raised his voice.

“What? You think the same thing too! Even though His Highness said he doesn’t want a political marriage, the reason nobles keep pushing marriage proposals to him is… eek!”

The man who had been loudly expressing his opinion finally noticed Etienne and gasped in horror. The young man with pale complexion, golden hair, and blue eyes was unmistakably the Prince.

“Y-Your Highness!”

The person who had been frozen stiff came to his senses and prostrated himself on the ground. The other man quickly followed suit, kneeling down. He broke into a cold sweat remembering what he had just said.

“What should we do?”

Ben asked with an angry face. He looked like he wanted to call the guards and drag these two away immediately.

“Please forgive us, please have mercy, hic!”

The frightened man hiccupped. Etienne looked down at the man begging for mercy with an expressionless face.

“As they say, even His Majesty is spoken badly of when he is not present…”¹

Etienne muttered in a low voice as he approached the two men. Thud, his shoes hitting the marble floor made quite a noise.

“Hic!”

The man hiccupped in fear as the footsteps drew closer. He thought he might die today for running his mouth.

There was a reason the man was this terrified. The Prince was a mysterious figure even to those working in the palace. And all the rumors about him were negative.

They said he got irritated easily and was sensitive, that he mercilessly drove out palace servants who made mistakes, that he threw wine at a noble’s son…

While rumors tend to be exaggerated, they weren’t completely false either.

Over the past 20 years, several people had been severely beaten and driven from the palace, or their whereabouts became unknown, for reasons such as failing to properly serve the Prince or speaking carelessly about him.

While it was actually the Empress who took these measures, since these incidents occurred in the Estella Palace where the Prince resided, he took all the blame. As a result, he naturally became someone people feared.

“Though this is a place for the military, this is still clearly the imperial palace. If you value your life, you should refrain from running your mouth carelessly, shouldn’t you?”

“We, we are deeply sorry! We have committed a mortal sin!”

Bam bam! The man apologized while hitting his forehead on the floor. The person next to him did the same. Etienne spoke as he watched the white marble turn red.

“It is indeed a mortal sin.”

The palace servants trembled at his voice, which showed no particular emotion. In truth, Etienne wasn’t particularly angry. He never really cared what people said about him. However, the situation was different now.

If he did nothing after hearing such talk, it would actually cause more gossip. Moreover, if the Empress found out, she wouldn’t let these men be.

People who had already noticed the commotion were peeking into the corridor one by one to watch. It would surely reach the Empress’s ears within hours.

“This has become troublesome…”

Etienne muttered as if inconvenienced after quickly assessing the situation. He had only come to return the cardigan, but things had become complicated. After thinking for a moment, he handed down his judgment.

“I won’t punish you.”

“R-Really?”

“But I can’t just let this go either. Pack your things and get out immediately.”

“What?”

The palace servants’ faces, which had brightened at Etienne’s words, turned pale again. Etienne slowly leaned toward the two men whose complexions had turned ashen. Then he whispered so only they could hear.

“Even if I forgive you, Her Majesty won’t. If you don’t want to die, leave the palace right now. Better yet, leave the capital.”

“Gasp!”

The palace servants simultaneously drew in their breath at Etienne’s whisper. Etienne straightened up after finishing his words. At that moment, a clear voice rang out from the end of the corridor.

“What’s going on there? What’s all the fuss about?”

The person who appeared at the end of the corridor was Rishar’s adjutant. He seemed to have come out after noticing the commotion while in the office.

“What’s all this noise in front of His Highness’s office… huh?”

The adjutant, who was arriving while visibly upset, stopped abruptly upon seeing Etienne. He rubbed his eyes as if not believing what he saw, then gasped.

“G-Grand Duke! His Highness the Prince is…!”

Before the flustered adjutant could finish speaking, the door burst open and Rishar appeared with wide eyes.

“Hyung-nim?”

Rishar called out to Etienne in a dazed voice. His face was uncharacteristically disheveled.

Of all times.

Etienne frowned at Rishar’s appearance before the situation could be resolved. On the other hand, the faces of the servants prostrated on the floor brightened.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Hm?”

“Please save us, Your Highness!”

Rishar, surprised by Etienne’s visit, slightly furrowed his brow at the men suddenly begging him for help. He looked back and forth between Etienne and the servants before speaking.

“What’s going on?”

“Well…”

Etienne shrugged at Rishar’s question. To an outsider, it might have seemed like he was harassing the palace servants. However, he didn’t feel like explaining the details.

“What kind of disrespect did you show to His Highness?”

Unable to get an answer from Etienne, Rishar turned his gaze to the palace servants. They flinched at his unexpectedly cold voice, having hoped for his help.

“Disrespect?! Absolutely n-not! We just…”

“Just?”

“Well… we were… just… talking about the Grand Duke’s marriage. But then suddenly His Highness the Prince…”

The man, his face turning pale blue, stammered out his excuse. He reported his wrongdoing in the most minimized way possible. He couldn’t possibly admit that they had been gossiping about how the Grand Duke’s future wife might become the future empress, right in front of the Prince.

Even if they hadn’t known the Prince was listening, and even if the speaker had no such intention, it was enough of a statement to cause misunderstanding.

“You were talking about my marriage?”

“Y-yes…! We were just wondering amongst ourselves who the Grand Duke might fancy…”

Rishar’s eyes hardened at the man’s words. He could guess what kind of conversation they’d been having. Ever since he had rejected the marriage proposal from the Mathias family, people had been spreading various rumors about how the Grand Duke must have someone he’d long been in love with.

But Etienne wouldn’t have made them kneel just for that. They must have been gossiping about the future succession to the throne or something equally serious.

Having assessed the situation, Rishar bowed to Etienne with a stern expression.

“I apologize, Your Highness. It seems these subordinates have disturbed your peace of mind with rumors.”

“…You don’t need to apologize. However, you should make them watch their words. We wouldn’t want you to be misunderstood because of their loose tongues.”

“I’ll take your words to heart.”

Rishar responded with a respectful attitude. Then he looked down at the trembling palace servants with cold eyes.

“What would you like to do with them? If you wish to send them to prison, I’ll handle it.”

“That won’t be necessary. They haven’t committed such a grave crime, so I’ll just have them expelled from the palace.”

“Understood. Elvin, remove these people from our sight immediately.”

Rishar ordered his adjutant with a nod. When Rishar, whom they had considered their lifeline, dismissed them, the palace servants’ faces turned pale.

“Your Highness, Grand Duke!”

“We were wrong! Your Highness! Please show mercy!”

The servants, their faces pale, shouted as they were dragged away by the knights. However, Rishar paid them no further attention. Just disturbing Etienne’s peace of mind was enough to make them criminals in his eyes.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

Rishar’s face softened once the servants were out of sight and the surroundings had quieted. Etienne watched Rishar, whose attitude had changed so suddenly, and gave a small cough.

“I came to keep my promise.”

“Promise? Ah.”

Rishar’s eyes moved to what Ben was holding. The item carefully wrapped in waterproof cloth was clearly his cardigan.

“You could have given it back later…”

Rishar trailed off as he observed Etienne. Now that the surprise had worn off, he noticed that Etienne’s hair and clothes were wet.

“Just a moment.”

Rishar pulled out a handkerchief from inside his jacket and reached toward Etienne. The soft handkerchief touched the left shoulder area of the jacket that was crumpled from the rain.

Etienne rolled his eyes in confusion at Rishar’s action of wiping his clothes. He glanced around nervously, seeming concerned about others’ gazes.

Unlike Etienne, Rishar showed no interest in others’ stares. He focused solely on Etienne.

“Your hair is a bit wet too.”

After patting away the moisture from the jacket, Rishar raised his hand. His calloused fingers lightly touched the water droplets at the ends of Etienne’s hair.

“It’s fi…!”

Etienne tried to pull his head back, saying it was fine. However, when the warmth touched his cold skin, he couldn’t say anything.

Rishar gently wrapped the wet hair with the handkerchief before letting go. Then he carefully wiped away the moisture.

After confirming that his hair was dry and fluffy, Rishar smiled with satisfaction. Then he moved his fingers to tuck the fallen hair behind Etienne’s ear.

During all this, Etienne could barely breathe. He remained stiff as a board, biting his lip. All his senses were focused on Rishar’s hand touching his ear and cheek.

“There.”

Whether aware of Etienne’s tension or not, Rishar remained relaxed. As he slowly withdrew his hand, he seemed to notice something and paused. Then suddenly, he bent forward.

“…!”

When the shadow fell across his face, Etienne instinctively hunched his shoulders. His heart surged like rippling waves at the even closer proximity. He forced down his agitation and managed to squeeze out his voice.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

Rishar straightened up and apologized at the curt voice. Then he added with an awkward expression.

“I could smell your scent.”

Scent. Etienne felt his heart sink at those words. His face crumpled without him realizing it.

Could it be my pheromones… No, that’s impossible. I put on the pheromone perfume today just to be safe, so he must be smelling that.

Etienne tried to maintain his composure as he slightly stepped back. Rishar narrowed his eyes as he watched Etienne distance himself.

But soon Rishar’s expression smoothed over as if nothing had happened, and with a slight eye-smile, he asked in a casual tone.

“You’re wearing perfume?”

“…I wear it sometimes.”

Etienne answered after a slight delay. Despite it being a simple question, he was momentarily speechless.

Will he think it’s strange?

Etienne swallowed dryly as he lowered his eyes. He wanted to study Rishar’s expression but couldn’t bring himself to look up.

“Hmm, didn’t you use to dislike perfume? I remember you disliking anything that had strong scents, whether food or flowers…”

Rishar asked again in the same casual tone. However, like before, Etienne couldn’t answer immediately. As Rishar said, he had disliked strong scents.

Despite their relationship becoming somewhat awkward, Rishar, having spent his childhood with Etienne, would certainly know his preferences and tastes.

Am I being suspected?

Etienne pressed his lips together to hide his anxiety. He couldn’t understand Rishar’s intention in bringing this up.

He must have noticed it’s different from usual.

Etienne decided to think positively. Being overly sensitive here would only raise more suspicion. Suppressing his unease, he answered as calmly as possible.

“Tastes change, you know.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Rishar nodded slightly. His voice trembled slightly at the end, but Etienne didn’t seem to notice.

“Anyway, it’s a nice scent. A bit strong, but.”

Rishar curled his lips up gently as always, feeling the fragrant scent that tickled his nose. Unlike his smiling face, his mind was troubled.

Was it just my imagination after all?

Rishar smiled bitterly, thinking of the strange scent he had noticed that day. Despite having his curiosity from the past few days resolved, an inexplicable disappointment rose within him.

It was probably because it didn’t make sense. The scent coming from Etienne now was similar to what he had smelled in the garden, but at the same time, different.

His dark blue eyes, tinged with a blue light, grew dim as he recalled the scent clearly etched in his memory. Though he had only caught it for a brief moment when their bodies touched, it remained as vivid as if he had just smelled it.

That scent wasn’t this artificial. It was more natural… yes, like an Omega’s pheromones tempting an Alpha, creating a strange thirst.

Haah.

A sigh escaped between his lips as his thoughts reached that point. Rishar stopped his train of thought and looked at Etienne again.

“Let’s go inside instead of continuing to talk here. I’ll have warm tea prepared.”

“Alright.”

Etienne didn’t refuse. Due to the earlier commotion, onlookers had gathered in the hall. Although he had some concerns, he thought it would be better to talk quietly in the office, as he also had something to say to Rishar.

“Then this way…”

“Eh? What’s everyone doing outside?”

Just as Rishar was leading Etienne toward the office, a clear voice rang out from the side. Etienne instinctively turned his head and paused at the sight of purple hair.

“Did something happen? Why is everyone out… oh?”

The woman who had been walking from the garden connected to the great hall stopped abruptly upon seeing Etienne. Then she suddenly vaulted over the terrace railing, her high-tied purple hair fluttering.

“My goodness! If it isn’t His Highness the Prince!”

The woman approached as if meeting a dear friend, having recognized Etienne at a glance. Her violet eyes sparkled.

“Hello, Your Highness!”

“Uh…?”

Etienne was taken aback by the woman’s friendly greeting. Unlike his discomfort, she seemed absolutely delighted by this encounter.

“It’s such an honor to meet you like this! You’re truly as beautiful as they say! How…”

“Stella.”

It was Rishar who interrupted the woman greeting Etienne with a flushed face. Extending his hand between Etienne and the woman, he spoke in a stern voice.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

The woman called Stella opened her eyes wide at the sudden reprimand. Rishar frowned at her reaction.

“You’re being disrespectful to His Highness. Greet him properly and use the proper etiquette.”

“Ah!”

The woman called Stella made an ‘oops’ expression at Rishar’s scolding. Ahem, after clearing her throat, she greeted him again with a bright smile.

“I pay my respects to the Star of the Empire. I am Stella from House Flang.”

After introducing herself in an extremely excited voice, Stella grinned broadly.

“I’ve heard so much about Your Highness from the Grand Duke. I apologize for my rudeness earlier; I was just so excited to meet you.”

“…Pleased to meet you, Lady Flanc.”

Etienne awkwardly returned the greeting to the grinning Stella. Stella beamed with a wide smile when Etienne acknowledged her greeting.

“I’m not just saying this to flatter you, but I really wanted to meet you. At the last banquet too, I wanted to greet you, but since the Grand Duke wanted to leave early, I didn’t get the chance. If I had known I would meet you today, I would have dressed better…”

Stella muttered regretfully. Etienne became a bit confused seeing her show such obvious fondness for him. It had been a while since someone had shown him such goodwill.

“Did Grand Duke Eckhart talk about me a lot?”

“Yes! A lot of times, really! Throughout the expedition, every day it was ‘my hyung-nim this, my hyung-nim that’… I thought my ears would fall off!”

“What did he say?”

“Ah, about that…”

Just as Stella opened her mouth to answer Etienne’s question, Rishar interrupted and stopped her.

“That’s enough, Stella.”

Again. He called her by name again.

Etienne’s expression hardened as Rishar kept calling her by name. When royalty or nobility allows others to use their name, it means they are that close.

Since they were lord and vassal, it wasn’t strange for Rishar to call Stella by name. However, the two didn’t seem like a simple lord-vassal relationship. Rather, they seemed closer than that.

Perhaps what the palace servants had said earlier wasn’t nonsense after all. Thinking this, his mood sank.

“Eh, why?”

Stella pouted, not liking Rishar stopping her. Then she let out: ‘Ah! Could it be that you’re embarrassed?”

With a grin, Stella playfully hit Rishar’s arm with a mischievous face. Her behavior was too casual for someone addressing their sworn lord.

“You’re troubling hyung-nim. Stop joking around.”

“What do you mean joking? I’m just trying to satisfy the Prince’s curiosity.”

Stella, who had been defending herself after feeling wronged, suddenly smirked as if nothing had happened.

“The one who’s troubled would be Your Highness, right? Aren’t you worried I might spill everything to the Prince?”

“You really…”

Rishar frowned and glared at Stella. Unable to watch the two bickering anymore, the adjutant stepped in.

“Both of you, please stop. What are you doing in front of the Prince?”

“Perfect timing. Elvin, you tell him. Tell him how much the Grand Duke lived with ‘hyung-nim’ on his mouth.”

“I don’t remember anything.”

“What? You traitor! How sneaky!”

Stella grabbed Elvin’s shoulder, bursting out in protest as he took a step back and distanced himself.

“Haah.”

Rishar shook his head watching Stella quarreling with Elvin, as if he couldn’t handle it. Then he shifted his gaze to Etienne.

“I’m sorry, hyung-nim. That one is making things chaotic, isn’t she?”

Etienne’s mood sank even further seeing Rishar refer to Stella as ‘that one.’ Perhaps because of this, his mouth moved before his thoughts.

“…You guys seem close.”

“Pardon?”

“You and Count Flang’s daughter seem close.”

“What nonsense… You’re mistaken. We’re not close.”

Rishar denied Etienne’s words firmly. At this, Stella made an expression as if she’d been hit on the back of her head.

“Look at that, Elvin! Did you hear that just now? The Grand Duke said he’s not close with me?”

“Please stop shaking me…”

Elvin, who was being shaken while caught by Stella, groaned. She let go of Elvin and protested to Rishar.

“Wow, how could you do this to me! Was I the only one who thought we were close?”

“Be quiet. I’m talking with hyung-nim right now.”

Rishar pushed away Stella, who was clinging to him, with an annoyed expression. However, Stella didn’t back down.

“If you firmly say we’re not close like that, what will the Prince think of my image!”

Etienne felt anger surge up seeing her act so casually with Rishar. He started feeling how his chest and stomach were getting hotter as if flames were rising within him.

“It’s quite difficult to have a calm conversation here.”

Etienne spat out the irritation that had risen to his throat. Even to himself, his voice sounded curt.

“Eh?”

“I’ll be going now.”

At this sudden declaration, Rishar blinked his eyes with a shocked expression. Stella, who had been making noise beside him, was the same.

“Hyung-nim.”

Rishar, sensing his weird mood, urgently approached Etienne.

“Are you angry?”

“No.”

Etienne responded coldly. Angry? How could he be? He wasn’t angry. Probably.

“I’m just feeling a bit tired.”

Etienne twisted one corner of his mouth toward Rishar who was watching his reaction. Once his mood sank, he couldn’t maintain his composure anymore. He turned his head, feeling his expression crumbling.

“Ben.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ben, who had been rolling his eyes while holding the cardigan wrapped in waterproof cloth, quickly responded. Etienne gave a light chin gesture toward him.

“Hand over the item to the Grand Duke’s adjutant.”

“Understood.”

Ben moved simultaneously with his response. After confirming that Elvin received the cardigan with a bewildered expression, Etienne turned around as if his business was finished.

“Then, see you next time.”

“Hyung-nim!”

Etienne ignored Rishar calling him and moved his feet. Why he was angry, why his chest felt so tight, he didn’t know the reason himself. He just wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. Etienne left the large corridor almost running.

“Ah.”

As he came outside, almost as if fleeing from Rishar, cold raindrops hit his face. Only then did Etienne stop walking. The cold rain streams made him come to his senses.

“Haah.”

Etienne covered his face with his hands, not even thinking about avoiding the rain. He had acted impulsively, unable to overcome the emotions that had suddenly risen. It was so unlike himself.

But he couldn’t go back inside either. Etienne stood still in the rain, unable to move forward or backward. He still needed to cool his hot head.

“Your Highness!”

Ben, who had followed him belatedly, was shocked to see Etienne standing in the rain in the middle of the road. He hurriedly opened an umbrella. But someone moved before Ben.

“What are you doing right now!”

“…Rishar?”

Etienne stiffened in surprise at the rough hand that grabbed his shoulder. Through his blurry vision, he could see Rishar’s deeply furrowed face.

“Why…”

“Excuse my rudeness.”

Rishar, seeing Etienne soaked in the rain, took off his jacket and put it over his head. Then before Etienne could react, he lifted him up with a swift motion.

“What, ah!”

His body floated in the air before he could do anything. Startled, Etienne reflexively grabbed Rishar’s shoulder. Rishar, who had lifted Etienne, walked straight toward the carriage with large strides.

“Your… Your Highness?”

The coachman, who had been sitting on the driver’s seat with a bored face, gaped at the sight of the two. Rishar shouted irritably at the frozen coachman.

“What are you doing! Open the door quickly!”

“Eek! Yes, yes!”

The coachman, startled by Rishar’s shout, hurriedly opened the carriage door. Rishar, after setting Etienne down on the seat, grabbed a towel that was prepared in the carriage. Plop, plop, raindrops fell to the floor as he removed the jacket covering Etienne’s face.

“I’m sorry.”

Rishar apologized in a heavy voice while wiping Etienne’s face with the towel.

“I was too excited because you came to visit me in person. It’s all my fault.”

No, it wasn’t Rishar’s fault. He just got heated up on his own and acted arbitrarily.

Etienne shook his head. He wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but only the sound of teeth chattering came from his blue lips.

Rishar’s face crumpled seeing Etienne shivering from the cold. He dried Etienne’s hair with another towel and wiped the jacket as well.

“As you said, it would be better for you to return for today. And…”

Rishar placed the waterproof cloth he was holding in his other hand on the seat. He had hastily grabbed it while chasing after Etienne when he suddenly ran out.

“Since this is the only dry clothing…”

Rishar, who had personally removed Etienne’s jacket, paused for a moment. The soaked shirt had become transparent and was clinging to his pale skin. He bit his lower lip firmly and took out the cardigan.

“The journey back is quite long, so please wear this.”

“It’s fi-fine.”

Rishar placed the last remaining towel over his shoulders and put the cardigan on top of it. Etienne murmured in a lowering voice, suddenly having to wear again the one thing he had come to return.

“It’s not fine. Are you aware of what your face looks like right now?”

Rishar’s face showed distress at the voice that sounded as if it had been submerged in water.

After buttoning up the cardigan completely, Rishar turned his attention to Ben, who had been fidgeting anxiously outside the carriage.

“Take good care of hyung-nim.”

“Of course I will.”

“Hah…”

Rishar stood up with a short sigh, as if he had finished all his tasks. When the warmth that had been close disappeared, Etienne’s fingers twitched.

He had almost grabbed him. Etienne clenched his fist while watching Rishar move away. Otherwise, he felt like he would grab onto Rishar.

“Then, please return safely.”

Rishar, who had gotten out of the carriage, brushed up his wet hair. A water droplet that had been clinging to the end of his eyelashes fell down.

Etienne, who had been blankly staring at the water gathering at his chin, unconsciously shuddered when those deep blue eyes turned toward him.

The worried gaze traced Etienne’s eyes, nose, and lips in order. Etienne tightened his clenched fist, feeling his mouth go dry. It felt like heat rose wherever that gaze looked at him.

“Next time, I’ll be the one who visits you.”

“…Alright.”

Rishar, who had been staring at the blue lips for a moment, closed his mouth tightly as if holding something back and withdrew his gaze. After hearing Etienne’s response, he closed the carriage door.

With a thud, the door closed and the wheels began to move. Etienne relaxed when Rishar disappeared from view. His cold body began to shiver.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

Etienne answered weakly and curled up. When he glanced back, through the misty window he could see Rishar standing without an umbrella. He was watching the carriage with a perfect posture.

“Why is he standing there…”

Like a fool.

Etienne muttered in a gloomy voice. Regret for his actions washed over him. But at that moment, he couldn’t control his emotions. He felt strangely angry, and his chest was unbearably tight.

No, I’m the fool.

Etienne buried his face between his knees, blaming himself. His mind was in complete chaos. Unlike his body that had grown cold, his insides were still burning hot.

“Your fever has finally gone down.”

Ben’s expression brightened as he checked the thermometer. He let out a relieved sigh and placed a cushion on the bed’s headboard so Etienne could lean back comfortably.

“The new medicine must have worked. I’m so glad.”

“Yeah.”

With Ben’s help, Etienne sank into the soft cushion and responded with a weak face. His fragile voice sounded a bit hoarse. Ben handed him the ginger tea he had prepared for Etienne’s sore throat.

“Now if only the cough would stop.”

“Mm.”

After taking a sip of the steaming ginger tea, Etienne set the cup down on the wooden tray. His throat was so swollen that even swallowing tea was difficult.

“Please drink a bit more.”

“My throat hurts…”

Etienne replied while rubbing his stinging throat. Ben looked at him with concerned eyes, seeing how weak he was. Even now, remembering what happened five days ago made him dizzy.

What happened that day?

Ben wondered as he cleared away the ginger tea. That day, even to him, Etienne seemed a bit strange. Though he had served as head attendant for many years, he had never seen Etienne act so emotionally.

It must have been because of that Stella or whatever her name was.

Ben suspected Stella was the cause. No matter how he thought about it, there could be no other reason. That day, she was the only element that was different from usual.

Moreover, her attitude had been frivolous and rude. How dare she act so familiar with Etienne when they had just met? Even Ben, watching from behind, thought ‘What’s with her?’ So how must Etienne have felt?

The only reason he hadn’t gotten angry at Stella was because she worked under Grand Duke Eckhart, and she had previously driven away some palace servants who had been gossiping carelessly.

Ben was almost certain of his theory. However, there was one question that remained unresolved.

That was the fact that Etienne had gone outside alone and stood blankly in the rain. No matter how angry he might have been at Stella, there was no reason for him to act so emotional.

“Cough, cough…!”

“Oh dear.”

Broken from his thoughts by the coughing, Ben quickly held out a handkerchief. Etienne covered his mouth with the offered handkerchief and coughed several more times. When he finally stopped coughing, Etienne wheezed with a pale face. He seemed to have difficulty breathing.

“I’m sorry, I should have taken better care of you…”

Ben apologized, unable to contain his distress as he examined Etienne’s sick face. Etienne gave a faint smile in response.

“There you go again. I told you it’s not your fault.”

“But it is my fault.”

Despite Etienne’s consolation, Ben’s expression remained troubled. For the past few days, he had been plagued by guilt for not properly attending to Etienne. The cold had worsened because he had been caught in the cold rain.

“If I had reacted properly then and followed you right away, Your Highness wouldn’t have gotten caught in the rain.”

“I acted on my own. You don’t need to apologize.”

Etienne raised his hand and patted Ben’s arm. Seeing him blame himself made Etienne feel apologetic. If anyone should apologize, it should be himself.

“I need to sleep now. I’ll call if I need anything, so you can go.”

“…Very well.”

Though hesitant at Etienne’s dismissal, Ben reluctantly left. Now alone, Etienne collapsed onto the bed.

“Haah.”

Pulling up the blanket, Etienne curled up while letting out a tired breath. Though the fever had broken, the chills continued. Still, it was fortunate that, unlike a few days ago, he now had the luxury to think clearly.

“Five days…”

Etienne muttered to himself, reflecting on the time that had passed. It was hard to believe that five days had already passed since returning from the military. It was proof of how out of it he had been.

After returning from the military, Etienne had suffered from severe fever and chills. On the first and second days, he could barely hold onto consciousness, let alone think. His memories were patchy, so he lost consciousness at times.

He properly regained his senses on the afternoon of the third day. As the fever began to break, his foggy head gradually cleared, and his body, which had felt as heavy as if submerged in a swamp, became somewhat manageable.

But definitely not good.

Etienne thought about his condition while clenching and unclenching his trembling hands. Though he had always been prone to falling ill, the past few weeks had been truly awful. Especially since the triumph ceremony, things had been getting progressively worse.

While the doctor was right about his body reaching its limit, the increased stress likely played a role too. After all, he had been emotionally unstable ever since Rishar’s return.

Rishar.

Thinking of him brought back memories of their last encounter. Etienne felt his heart grow heavy as he clutched the blanket tightly.

Since the doctor had insisted on absolute bed rest, Etienne had to stay in bed all day. During this time, he repeatedly thought about that day when he had been overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t understand.

After days of contemplation, the feelings that he couldn’t define at the time gradually took shape. Finally, Etienne could put a name to the emotion he had felt upon seeing Rishar and Stella.

It was unmistakably jealousy.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped his dry lips. Recognizing his own emotion made his behavior even more embarrassing.

Etienne rubbed his face as he recalled Rishar and Stella’s dumbfounded faces. He had thought acknowledging his feelings would make things easier, but it hadn’t.

He wasn’t even sure if this was something worth being jealous over. Who was he to be jealous of their relationship when he and Rishar weren’t anything to each other?

“Ugh.”

As that thought struck him, his chest tightened and ached. Etienne pressed firmly on his hurting chest. Somehow, it felt like a direct hit to his core.

Rishar and Stella’s relationship wasn’t as sweet as rumors suggested. If no one else knew this, at least Etienne did.

Though they had grown distant, Rishar and Etienne had over ten years of history together.

Before Rishar entered the military academy, no, even after Etienne unilaterally distanced himself, they had been the closest people in the world to each other.

That’s why he noticed immediately. How comfortable Rishar was with Stella.

It wasn’t just her. Etienne sensed the stable atmosphere that existed between the three: Rishar, Stella, and Elvin.

From Rishar’s tone and behavior toward Stella and Elvin, Etienne could tell they were quite precious to him. They were people in Rishar’s world that Etienne knew nothing about.

The moment he realized this, Etienne was devastated. While his world remained exactly the same as it was three years ago, Rishar’s world had grown even larger.

Why are you making that expression?

Why are you looking at someone else, not me, with those eyes?

These were the words that welled up from deep in his chest to his throat. If he had stayed there any longer, Etienne might have actually said them aloud.

So he ran away.

Because he hated that Rishar had met other people precious to him besides him, because he was jealous of Stella who knew about Rishar for a time he knew nothing about.

Yet when Rishar chased after him through the rain, he felt relieved. He was comforted by the thought that he might still be the most important person to Rishar.

“Idiot.”

Etienne cursed himself while pressing his stinging eyes. He was the one who decided to distance himself from Rishar, the one who coldly pushed away Rishar’s desperate attempts to hold on.

And yet, he was hurt after seeing Rishar give his attention to others. How could he be so selfish? It couldn’t get any worse than this.

‘Hyung-nim.’

The gentle voice rang in his ears. The dark blue eyes, curved softly with affection directed at him, also appeared in his mind. Etienne closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the urge to cry.

Perhaps he had been caught up in a sense of superiority all this time.

He had become complacent with Rishar’s persistent approaches despite being pushed away, with those eyes that shone just as brightly as when they first met, with that voice always filled with affection.

That shattered five days ago. The moment he confirmed all the changes that happened after those three years, his arrogant assumption that he alone could receive Rishar’s affection was destroyed.

What remained in place of the unconsciously held emotional superiority was intense self-loathing.

I should stop thinking about this.

Etienne pulled the blanket over his head, ceasing his thoughts. He felt that if he continued thinking about Rishar any further, he would fall into an inescapable pit.

He had the feeling that he might realize another truth he didn’t want to acknowledge, like this time.

Etienne tried to force himself to sleep, feeling an inexplicable anxiety. At times like this, escaping reality through dreams was the best solution. However, his attempt failed.

“Your Highness, are you asleep?”

Etienne couldn’t ignore Ben’s voice calling him and opened his eyes. He reached out and lightly pulled the bell cord. That was the permission to enter.

“Excuse me.”

Ben entered as soon as the bell cord was pulled. His face showed signs of something troubling him.

“What is it?”

“Uhm, Grand Duke Eckhart has come to visit again.”

“Rishar?”

“Yes. He says he must see you today, even if just for a moment. He’s so persistent that we couldn’t turn him away, so we’ve led him to the reception room for now…”

Ben trailed off, watching Etienne’s reaction carefully. Rishar had been coming every day since Etienne fell ill. However, he had to turn back each time without meeting Etienne.

While Etienne’s condition wasn’t good enough to receive visitors, the main reason was that Etienne refused to meet Rishar.

The faithful Ben had been turning Rishar away for the past few days in accordance with Etienne’s wishes. However, today he couldn’t do so. Rishar’s demeanor was unusually forceful, unlike his usual self.

 

34.

‘I apologize, Grand Duke. His Highness, the Prince, has just gone to bed.’

Earlier, when Ben said this, instead of accepting it and leaving like yesterday, his expression hardened.

‘So it’s not possible today either?’

‘I’m truly sorry.’

Ben swallowed dryly, noticing that Rishar’s voice had become lower than usual. Rishar quietly observed Ben, who was bowing his head apologetically, then slowly opened his mouth.

‘Would it not be possible to just go in briefly to see his face?’

‘That’s…’

‘It’s been 5 days already. I can’t stand worrying like this anymore. I just want to see his sleeping face and leave.’

Rishar was adamant. After being rejected for five days straight, it seemed his patience was reaching its limit. Ben, who hadn’t expected him to be this persistent, was a bit flustered.

‘Even if you say that, I cannot allow Your Highness into the bedroom on my own authority. It goes against protocol…’

‘Just for a moment. I feel like it’s my fault that hyung-nim caught a cold.’

‘How could that be Your Highness’s fault? The Prince’s fever has already gone down, and he’s getting better. Please don’t worry too much.’

‘Then I’ll wait until hyung-nim wakes up.’

‘Pardon?’

‘What? Is there a problem?’

Rishar crossed his arms while staring sideways at Ben, whose eyes had widened. His attitude showed he wouldn’t back down easily.

‘I’ll wait quietly, and you can inform me when hyung-nim wakes up. If I don’t get permission then, I’ll leave.’

‘…Very well. I’ll escort you to the reception room for now.’

Ben, overwhelmed by Rishar’s determination, finally led him to the reception room. No matter what, he couldn’t leave a Grand Duke  of the country standing in the corridor.

“What should we do?”

“Hmm…”

Etienne let out a small sigh at Ben’s question. Right now, both his body and mind were in a weakened state. That day, although he had realized what his feelings were, he hadn’t regained his composure. He worried whether it would be alright to meet Rishar while his heart was still unsettled.

“I suppose it would be fine to meet briefly.”

After contemplating for a moment, Etienne made his decision. Ben, surprised by this unexpected resolution, asked with an astonished face.

“Are you going to meet him?”

“I know that kid’s stubbornness well. Even if I refuse to meet him, he’ll probably say he’ll wait until I give permission.”

Etienne spoke with certainty. He stood up, staggering. He couldn’t go see Rishar in this state.

“I need to wipe myself down with a wet towel. And use some eye drops.”

“I’ll prepare them right away.”

After standing up, Etienne frowned at the scent permeating the bedroom. Perhaps because he had been seriously ill to the point of not being fully conscious, his pheromones filled the room.

What if Rishar had come in here? He probably would have immediately discovered that he was an Omega. Just thinking about it made him dizzy, and Etienne hurriedly tried to contain his pheromones.

However, with his notably weakened body, it was difficult to perfectly control his pheromones. After checking his scent by lifting his wrist, Etienne urgently called for Ben.

“Ben!”

“Yes, Your Highness. What is it?”

“Bring the pheromone perfume we used last time too.”

“Perfume? Ah! Understood.”

Ben, realizing why Etienne was asking for the perfume, ran toward the dressing room with a face that showed he’d just remembered something important. Even though he knew that pheromone control becomes difficult when sick, he hadn’t thought to prepare the perfume until Etienne mentioned it.

“What a stupid fool.”

Ben repeatedly slapped his forehead while grabbing the perfume. At times like this, he really regretted being a Beta who couldn’t sense pheromones.

 

* * *

 

“Whew.”

Standing in front of the reception room door, Etienne took a deep breath in and out. After composing his expression one last time, he nodded to Ben.

“…! Hyung-nim!”

Rishar, who had been sitting on the sofa with an anxious face, jumped up when he saw Etienne entering. Etienne raised his hand to signal him not to approach and walked to the seat opposite Rishar.

Rishar’s gaze followed each of Etienne’s steps. Etienne put strength into his toes to prevent his walk from stumbling.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not at all.”

Rishar responded as he sat down following Etienne. He examined Etienne’s complexion with eyes full of concern.

“I didn’t mean to disturb your rest. I just wanted to briefly see your face to make sure you were alright…”

Rishar couldn’t finish his sentence as he saw Etienne’s appearance, which had clearly deteriorated compared to a few days ago. His already pale skin was not just lacking color but had taken on a bluish tint, and his face had become so thin that his cheekbones were slightly protruding.

“Are you alright? Should you be moving around like this?”

Rishar asked in a careful tone, unable to continue speaking at the sight of Etienne’s sickly appearance.

He had insisted on seeing him because he felt he would go crazy if he couldn’t verify with his own eyes just how sick he was and what exactly was wrong, but seeing him looking like he might collapse at any moment made him regret his stubborn persistence.

“Well… I was quite unwell until yesterday, but I’m a bit better today. Ah, please understand if there’s any weird smell.”

“What?”

“I haven’t been able to wash properly for days because of the fever. I quickly wiped down with a wet towel and put on perfume, but…”

“There’s no weird smell at all.”

Rishar cut off Etienne’s words and responded. There was a flower scent coming from Etienne, but he wasn’t in the state of mind to pay attention to that right now.

“That’s good then.”

Did that work? Etienne narrowed his eyes while examining Rishar’s expression and picked up the teacup prepared for him with a slight curve of his eyes. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any signs of suspicion.

“So what’s your business? You didn’t really come just to see my face, did you?”

“That is actually why I came. I couldn’t just sit still not knowing how sick you were. I was planning to just check if you were alright and leave, but…”

Rishar made an embarrassed expression at Etienne’s question. His voice gradually became quieter until it suddenly stopped.

“Rishar?”

Etienne tilted his head when Rishar suddenly stopped speaking.

Rishar couldn’t meet Etienne’s eyes and looked down gloomily.

Just moments ago, he thought he would feel relieved if he could see Etienne’s face, but that wasn’t the case at all. Seeing his incredibly pale face brought up heavy guilt. It was entirely his fault that he was this sick.

“I’m sorry for… disturbing your rest and bothering you.”

Rishar apologized with a stiff expression. He straightened his posture and bowed his head deeply.

“I want to apologize about that day. I didn’t behave properly then and caused you trouble. I’m truly ashamed.”

For Rishar, the past 5 days had been time filled with worry and regret. Even now, he couldn’t understand why Etienne had acted that way. While he had some guesses, he wasn’t confident about what the real answer was.

“I’ve also given Stella a warning. I’ll tell her to formally apologize to you later.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Etienne stopped Rishar when he mentioned Stella.

“Neither you nor Lady Stella did anything wrong. So there’s no need to apologize.”

“But…”

“If anything, I should be sorry. That day… I wasn’t in a good mood even before I came to find you. I had some concerns.”

“Concerns?”

“Yes. Originally, I was planning to return your cardigan that day and discuss something with you…”

How could he hide from Rishar the fact that he had been jealous, that he had realized his unconscious sense of superiority towards him and had run away out of shame?

Etienne moved his lips, carefully choosing his words. Fortunately, there was a decent excuse available. He decided to use the people who had been gossiping about Rishar as scapegoats.

“As you know, there was that incident in between. Those servants, I mean.”

“Ah.”

“I was already in a bad mood, and hearing what they were saying made it worse. Then suddenly having to exchange greetings with Lady Stella in that state made me flustered. I was also uncomfortable with how she spoke as if she knew me well.”

“I apologize. Lady Stella knowing about you was because of me.”

“Uhm, well… I suppose it’s not strange that she knows about me since she’s your vassal. Anyway, I felt like I kept being interrupted when I was in a hurry, and I guess I just snapped in the moment.”

“…”

“And the cold… I didn’t catch it from the rain. I was already coming down with it before then.”

“Still, if you hadn’t been caught in the rain, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”

Rishar muttered with a dark expression. Etienne let out a small sigh as he looked at his face full of guilt.

“While I can’t say the rain had no effect… even so, that’s not your fault. I’m the one who stormed out impulsively, and I’m the one who stupidly stood in the rain to cool off.”

“But I…”

“Stop. No more self-blame.”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Let’s end this conversation here. I have no intention of receiving apologies from you or Lady Stella. I don’t want to argue with you over something trivial.”

“…I understand. If that’s your wish, there’s nothing I can do.”

Rishar, whose eyes had been twitching as if wanting to object to something, raised both hands with a sigh. Yet he stubbornly added.

“But please accept Lady Stella’s apology.”

“Alright.”

Etienne nodded lightly and picked up his teacup. His throat was stinging after talking without a break.

“Anyway, since we have the chance to talk today, I’d like to discuss what I couldn’t do then.”

“Please do.”

Rishar leaned forward as he spoke. A slight tension appeared on his face.

“Rishar.”

Clink. Placing the teacup down on the table, Etienne looked at Rishar with a more serious expression than usual. It was time to negotiate with him.

“Would you like to become Emperor?”