“This is essence-of-grouse meatball soup, made from birds that survived the harsh northern winter. There’s nothing better for restoring your strength.”
Luan stared at the spoon in front of him with dead eyes. The one holding that spoon was a man built like a bear—Harkan, commander of the Northern Knights. He was pushing the food at Luan with the devoted care of a mother bird tending to a chick.
“…Sir Harkan. I ate the spirit-herb stew ten minutes ago. My stomach’s about to burst.”
“Just one more bite! Look how gaunt your face has gotten!”
Harkan’s eyes were brimming with tears. Ever since Luan had declared that he intended to “lie still and do nothing, as good as dead,” Harkan had taken it upon himself to wait on the empress hand and foot, hoping to wash away his sins. The problem was that he’d gone so far overboard it had practically become livestock-rearing.
“And please get this fur off me. It’s the middle of summer. Are you trying to steam me to death?”
“No, Your Majesty! A patient must be kept warm. This bearskin has been treated with magic, so its breathability—”
“It’s hot!!”
Luan kicked off the blanket. He was burning up with fever. His blood vessels felt like they were swelling to the point of bursting. It wasn’t only because of the pelt. Thanks to the palace’s powerful warding, at this rate he really might explode.
This is my limit.
Luan heaved out a labored breath. He had to escape this prison. Somehow he had to get to the temple and put in a request for after-sales service. And to do that, he first had to deal with this clingy nuisance.
“Sir Harkan.”
Luan called out to him, deliberately wearing a solemn expression.
“Yes, Your Majesty! Just say the word!”
“It’s time for you to return to the North.”
“…Pardon?”
The spoon slipped from Harkan’s hand. His face crumpled as though the world were ending.
“A-Are you casting me out? Do you find me a bother? I knew it, I’m a sinner who can never be forgiven—”
“That’s not it.”
Luan hurriedly spun a story. Why is this bear of a man so emotionally sensitive? If he burst into tears here, there’d be no salvaging the situation.
“You are the sword of the empire and the shield of the North. If you stay here playing nursemaid to me, who will guard the northern border?”
“But… if I leave it to my adjutants…”
“They’ll just embezzle again, won’t they.”
At Luan’s words, Harkan flinched.
“Go back and tighten the discipline. And… build me the safest North you can. Only then can I rest with an easy mind.”
What he really meant was you’re driving me up the wall, so please, for the love of all that’s holy, just go. But to Harkan’s ears—filtered through his loyalty-tinted, hopelessly misunderstanding mind—it came out as something else entirely: Hold your post for my sake. I trust you, so I’ll entrust my back to you.
“…Ahh!”
Harkan clenched his fist, overcome with emotion.
“And here I was, blind to Your Majesty’s deeper intentions… how foolish I’ve been! As you command, I’ll guard the North like an iron wall and make it your sanctuary!”
“Yes, yes. Now hurry along. Right this instant.”
“I’ll return as a knight commander worthy of your pride, without fail!”
Harkan dropped into a bow so deep the floor seemed to shake, then strode out of the bedchamber wearing the grave look of a warrior setting off on a great expedition. Luan watched his retreating back and let out a sigh of relief. He bit back the urge to add that there was no need to ever come back.
Whew. That’s one down.
Now all that was left was the boss monster. The emperor, that is.
A little while later, Kirian entered. His expression was complicated. He’d evidently seen Harkan leaving.
“So you sent Harkan away.”
“Yes. A knight commander can’t leave his post empty for too long.”
“…I see.”
Kirian dragged a chair over and sat down beside the bed. Get rid of one and the next one shows up—it’s maddening. At least Kael came as part of the Kirian set, so he didn’t turn up separately. That was a small mercy.
Kirian’s gaze settled on Luan’s pale face. The sweat-dampened forehead, the labored breathing. No matter how fine the medicine they fed him, there was no improvement. If anything, ever since Luan had declared he’d “lie still as good as dead,” he only seemed to wilt further, and Kirian’s insides were charring black with worry.
“Your Majesty,” Luan said, struggling to speak.
“I have a request.”
“Speak. I’ll grant you anything.”
Kirian answered on reflex. Right now, if Luan asked him to pluck the moon from the sky, he looked ready to fetch a ladder.
“I need to visit the temple.”
“The temple?”
Kirian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You’re hardly in any state for it—why insist on going to the temple? If there’s something you need, just summon a priest.”
“No. Summoning won’t do. I have to go myself.”
Luan clutched at the front of his robe as if to tear it open. It wasn’t an act. His heart truly felt like it might burst.
“In here… I can’t breathe.”
“…”
“And it’s about time for my purification rite.”
I can’t breathe. Those words made Kirian’s chest lurch. He took them in their psychological sense—that the suffering of the past five years, and this bedchamber where he’d tried to confine Luan, were suffocating him.
“…The purification rite.”
He’s leaving. It was that talk again. Divorce. Parting.
Kirian’s red eyes sank into something dangerous. A destructive urge welled up in him—to clamp that mouth shut here and now and bind Luan to this bed forever. But he had to endure it. If he indulged his own greed now, the man in his grasp truly seemed as though his last breath might give out.
“…Fine,” Kirian answered in a hoarse voice.
“I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you. Then let me prepare—”
“On one condition.”
Kirian cut him off. His gaze fixed on Luan without wavering.
“Not alone.”
“What?”
“I’m coming too. Sending you alone… I can’t bear it, I’d be too uneasy.”
Luan looked troubled.
“No, Your Majesty. The purification rite is something I do on my—”
“There’s no compromise.”
Kirian was firm. Looking into his eyes, Luan clicked his tongue inwardly.
Ugh, this is a pain. But this was no time to be picky—choosing between a cold meal and a hot one. His blood felt ready to flow backward at any second.
“…Suit yourself.”
Luan nodded as if resigned.
“Then I’ll have things prepared at once.”
Kirian shook a bell to summon the chamberlain. But the one who came bursting through the door—as if he’d been waiting just outside—was, somehow, Kael.
“Kael! Prepare the empress’s procession. Our destination is the Grand Temple.”
“Yes, sir! How many escort knights shall I bring along?”
“All of them.”
“All of them?”
“That’s right. Make sure not so much as a pebble gets in the empress’s way—clear it all out.”
Has he lost his mind? In the middle of that thought, Kirian swept Luan up into his arms. Yeah, he’s lost his mind.
“Let’s go. Wherever it is you wish to be.”
Cradled in Kirian’s arms, Luan swallowed a sigh. They must’ve all eaten something bad, the whole lot of them.
A short while later, at the main palace gate, Luan felt dizzy at the sight before him. He’d wanted to slip out quietly. He really had.
But there in front of him stood the emperor’s gold-trimmed personal carriage, with several hundred Imperial Guard knights drawn up in formation behind it. At the head, Kael held a banner aloft, looking ready to shout “Long live Her Majesty the Empress!”
“…Your Majesty. Isn’t this a bit much?”
“What is.”
“We’re just going to pray. We’re not marching off to war.”
“My empress is on the move. This much is basic. Get in.”
Kirian climbed into the carriage with Luan still in his arms. The moment they settled onto the plush velvet seat, the carriage began to glide forward smoothly.
This is definitely off. The goodwill’s too much. This was exactly the sort of thing to be wary of. Goodwill stops at pork. If someone offers you beef, suspicion should come first—and this wasn’t just any beef, this was top-grade Korean Hanwoo, this was wagyu.
“Are you in pain?”
Kirian asked with a worried face, wrapping an arm around Luan’s shoulders. The warmth of his body. But even that felt like a burden right now. How did things get so tangled up?
“…Your Majesty. When we reach the temple, promise me one thing.”
“What is it.”
“I’ll go into the rite alone. You absolutely must not enter until it’s over.”
“Why is that.”
“It’ll bring bad luck.”
Kirian hesitated for a moment, but seeing Luan’s earnest expression, he finally nodded.
“…Fine. I’ll stand guard at the door.”
“Thank you.”
Luan sank deep into the carriage seat. We’ll be there soon. The way Kirian was acting toward him had to be because he hadn’t been able to meet Aiden. It was as if all that homeless gullibility had landed squarely on Luan. Thought of that way, maybe tagging along after the emperor had been the right call. Once he met Aiden, he’d come back to his senses.
But Luan didn’t know. That the very first button had already been done up wrong, starting with Aiden himself.
