The war was over. The rumors spread to the capital faster than anything else. People whispered about the emperor’s army returning whenever they t. The ruler of the country returned after six years. However, the words that ca out of their mouths varied.
The emperor led all the fights to victory and returned.
No, the Emperor died. That’s why the war ended.
The emperor’s army was originally led by his commanders.
The emperor is just a figurehead, and the title of the King of Slaughter belongs to soone else.
And so on.
As ti passed, the falsehoods covered the capital more than the truth—as if soone had maliciously spread them in advance. And in the Minister’s Palace, where the rumors originated, an angry voice echoed in the awkward atmosphere.
“The emperor is dead? Are you claiming to have seen the emperor’s death with your own eyes? How dare you?!”
Crash!
The decorative plate that was pushed by Norhox’s hand shattered with a sharp noise. The fragnts scattered in all directions and even bounced off the legs of the attendant who had just arrived. He looked at Norhox with a bewildered expression, watching him vent his rage at the report.
“Yes, I clearly saw with my own eyes the emperor being crushed under a pile of rocks. He fell for the bait that looked exactly like Abel and walked right into the trap. There’s no way anyone could have survived—ugh!”
The attendant couldn’t avoid the flying candlestick. Though he turned his head, his forehead was torn, and blood flowed down his face. Clutching the wound, he asked quietly:
“Why on earth are you doing this...?”
“Why am I doing this? Ask that idiotic look of yours!”
With a scream, the sound of more objects falling and breaking echoed again. Norhox, unable to control his fury, approached the attendant. In his hand was an important letter received that morning—from a relative’s son, a commander in the 3rd Battalion.
“The emperor you claim to have seen crushed to death under the rocks is currently leading his army back here. Alive and well.”
Norhox spat out the words through clenched teeth. The attendant’s face turned pale.
That couldn’t be. He had seen it—the rocks falling from the cliff, the emperor beneath them. The trap had been deep. Escape was impossible. Even the enemy king had mocked it, calling it the grave of Karas.
“Th-that can’t be true. I wasn’t the only one who saw Karas die. The enemy king saw it too.”
“The enemy king who beca an exhibit after having his head cut off?”
His... head?
The attendant’s eyes widened. He had rushed from the Crimson Valley without rest, hoping for glory. He hadn’t sent ssenger birds, thinking early news would lessen his achievent. Now, instead of reward, he was facing Norhox’s wrath.
“How on earth did you handle the situation?! Karas is alive and well. Moreover, he killed the enemy king and led all the wars to victory!”
Though Norhox repeated it, the attendant still couldn’t believe it. But soone else appeared to confirm the truth.
“And by now, they should be near the original borders.”
A calm voice ca from the doorway.
“The news of the emperor’s return has already reached the capital.”
Truyde, who had been standing at the door, stepped in across the floor strewn with broken items. He looked at Norhox and twisted his lips.
“Fortunately, thanks to your quick belief in the emperor’s death, negative rumors about him are spreading.”
Then Truyde looked at the attendant again.
“But did you really see the emperor being crushed by the rocks?”
“Yes, I definitely saw it with my own eyes.”
“Did you also see his body?”
“Well, that...”
“So, you ran here excitedly claiming the emperor was dead without even confirming his body.”
Though Truyde’s tone was calm, it hit harder than Norhox’s rage. He scanned the trembling attendant up and down.
“You seem to think the emperor’s survival over the past six years was just luck. But you should have confird his head was cut off before coming here.”
The attendant finally realized the gravity of the situation and knelt down.
“I-I have committed a sin worthy of death.”
The question of how the emperor survived no longer mattered. His own life was now at stake. But even as he prostrated himself, the tension didn’t ease. Especially not from Norhox, who threw the letter to the floor.
“Damn it! How could you fail so miserably that Karas is still alive? And he even gave the order to prepare a Regas! Do you know what that ans?! It’s a mockery! He’s rubbing our failure in our faces! And he specifically wants a Regas with blond hair and green eyes?! It’s an insult! This is all your fault!”
Finally, Norhox drew his sword—but stopped when the attendant blurted out in desperation:
“If... if it’s soone with blond hair and green eyes... it’s him!”
“What?”
Norhox narrowed his eyes. The attendant nodded frantically.
“Th-there was soone who ca with Karas into the trap. A very beautiful man, blond hair, green eyes. He jumped in first, as if Karas was using him as bait—like he knew about the trap in advance.”
“Bait? Are you sure Karas was with soone?”
Truyde's interest sharpened. The attendant looked up pleadingly.
“Yes, I’m sure. I was surprised too. Karas brought soone with him... Ah, the blond man was also crushed under the pile of rocks. It’s the truth.”
Truyde turned his eyes toward Norhox, whose expression tightened.
“Perhaps it’s not such a useless command after all.”
“Karas, who had no interest in anyone, brought a beautiful person with green eyes and blond hair...”
Norhox muttered to himself, then snapped:
“Leave the palace. Don’t show your face until I call for you. Understood?”
Relieved that his life was spared, the attendant scurried away. Truyde, still curious, asked Norhox:
“Shouldn’t we ask more about the blond person who was with the emperor?”
“Hmm. Why bother talking about the bait buried under rocks? What’s more important is the emperor’s true intentions. Has he finally taken an interest in soone? Or is he mocking us? Or...”
Norhox smirked.
“Perhaps it’s a small revenge—to take away the toy that is Duke Truyde’s taste.”
Truyde’s eyes narrowed, but Norhox calmly added:
“It’s a well-known fact that, to catch your attention, nearly every noble family has tried to offer you blond young n with green eyes over the last six years. Even among Regas, none fit the type. Maybe even the emperor, from his distant battlefield, wondered what was so special about a Regas with blond hair and green eyes.”
Truyde’s expression briefly turned cold, then softened into a smile.
“Specialness, huh. Lord Norhox, have you found it? I heard you recently acquired a Regas with blond hair and green eyes. Ah, right. You couldn’t bring him out, so perhaps you found nothing special. Or maybe... you don’t have the money to bring him out.”
This ti, Norhox’s eyes filled with anger. However, he could only grit his teeth at Truyde’s next words. The calm voice that followed touched on flaws Norhox had recently tried to hide.
“You wouldn’t have ti to find sothing special when you can’t even afford a house for yourself, let alone give one to your beloved Regas. Isn’t that right? You’re on the verge of losing your own house, after all.”
“Where did you hear such nonsense...?”
“Is it truly nonsense that soon there will be two bankrupt families among the King’s Hearts? Especially now that the emperor has returned safely, and you, a pathetic fool, have no way to stop those war profiteers?”
At the sudden change in tone, Norhox raised the sword in his hand, trembling with humiliation.
“How dare you....”
“Yes, I’m speaking to you. Why should I show respect to soone who is obviously about to go bankrupt?”
“Truyde, you bastard!”
Clang!
Norhox couldn’t hold back any longer and drew °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° his sword with a loud shout. But Truyde only laughed louder, even as the blade pointed at him.
“Do you want to kill ? , who’s your only salvation?”
Truyde took a step closer, lowering his voice like a threat.
“Listen well. With the emperor’s return, there will be no one to help you. The other King’s Hearts will be too busy protecting their own interests. Don’t even dream of asking them for help. Your only chance to survive is through . I’m the only one who can kill the emperor.”
Norhox glared at him, teeth still clenched, but Truyde just kept smiling.
“I’ll give you one chance. Kneel before right now. Then I’ll leave you with at least a roof to shelter from the night dew.”
Norhox remained still, gripping his sword like a statue—but Truyde could see him trembling. His pupils shook like waves. Truyde laughed inwardly. The balance of power among the five great families would soon collapse, and he would be the one to trample them all—one hand on the emperor, the other on the King’s Heart.
Thud.
As Norhox’s sword fell and his body collapsed, Truyde smiled, eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
****
Abel listened to lmond’s awkward explanation while the butler wrapped a fresh bandage around his wounds. He was being told why Karas wouldn’t let him leave the room without covering his face, even on the ship.
“Um, so you see... Sohow your appearance ca up in front of the Commander-in-Chief, and it was ntioned that your beauty attracts a lot of attention from the soldiers. It could interfere with their duties.”
Abel’s mouth hung half open. He’d gotten used to his small, weak body. But being called beautiful still felt surreal, like it was about soone else. The idea that his looks could disrupt military duties was absurd to him. He didn’t even look in the mirror much—his face never felt like his own.
But what lmond said next was even more baffling.
“Moreover, your appearance...”
lmond hesitated, embarrassed, eyes drifting toward the empty space behind Abel.
“If soone sees you, their expectations will rise. It could cause discord in their family... and thus have a significant impact on the country’s developnt, ahem.”
Even saying it a second ti was humiliating. lmond finished with a cough and looked at Abel again.
“Anyway, your appearance poses such risks. So, you must always cover it.”
The butler had already finished bandaging, but Abel lifted his arm and muttered absently:
“You’re joking, right?”
“No.”
“...”
“Haha... hahaha. Co on, you must be joking, right?”
Abel burst into laughter, stunned. But neither lmond nor the butler laughed along. Instead, their expressions turned more serious.
“I’m talking about you. This isn’t sothing to laugh about.”
“That’s right, young master,” the butler chid in. “You need to take your appearance more seriously. It’s dangerous to walk around with your bare face exposed.”
Abel fell into a daze again.
It’s dangerous to walk around with his face exposed.
He’d heard that phrase before his reincarnation too—back then, it was because he was terrifying. Still, he walked around smiling, and eventually even children stopped crying when they saw him.
But now, to hear the sa thing because he was too beautiful? That the solution was to hide his face? It made him feel more uncomfortable than before.
At least back then, he hadn’t needed to cover up.
When Abel slumped his shoulders in frustration, lmond and the butler exchanged worried looks.
“Do you hate covering your face? Because it’s stifling?”
lmond asked on both their behalf. Abel weakly shook his head.
“No. It’s just that I keep receiving more help.”
Then he looked up and gave a faint smile. To others, it might have seed like sadness rather than amusent.
“I’ve gotten used to having a weak body and constantly fainting. So much so that at so point, I began to take receiving help for granted. Moreover, I started to think of myself as weak. ntally as well.”
lmond and the butler couldn’t say anything to that. They couldn’t exactly tell him to ignore his condition.
Realizing the atmosphere had grown heavy because of him, Abel quickly chuckled and tried to change the subject.
“But now that the inflammation of my wound is subsiding, all I have to do is drink the snake wine and get better, right?”
“Yes, while drinking snake wine...”
lmond, who had nodded along, suddenly fell silent as sothing occurred to him. Drinking the snake wine wasn’t the problem. But if Abel did it here, wouldn’t the person sharing the room see... that?
That alluring sight.
Then ca the mory of last night’s question. The bed!
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