The check, issued by the bank of Ares Trading—the most trusted in the Empire—came from a place sanctioned by the imperial court. Perhaps for that reason, even the texture of the check itself was exquisite. Luan stroked the parchment, smoother than silk, with his fingertips, then gazed with a full-bellied look at the parade of zeros that warmed his heart. He counted the zeros until his eyes ached. I'm happy.
Luan wore a contented expression as he held the check up to the sunlight. The imperial crest engraved as an anti-counterfeiting measure glittered radiantly.
Thrilling.
A sigh of admiration nearly slipped out, his brow creasing despite himself. The pain in the cheek Duke Requies had clobbered, the embarrassment of playing show-window couple with the Emperor—all of it had long since washed away. Wasn't this the legendary financial therapy that even modern medicine couldn't match?
At this rate...
The hazard pay and outdoor-duty overtime bonus he'd billed Kirian were sweet beyond words. As expected of an emperor, the man's generosity ran deep. He'd handed over a sum large enough to buy a grand mansion on the outskirts of the capital and still have plenty left over.
Even with nothing, I did at least have a handful of jewels.
When Luanisiel married, the family must have had some expectations, because they'd prepared a proper dowry. The jewels he now held as assets were mostly what he'd brought from the marriage. As an empress's fortune it was meager, but compared to ordinary nobles' dowries it was hard to match. He'd never even thought to liquidate them before, but now it was different. The moment the divorce went through, he'd sell every last one.
Done. My retirement's all set.
About four and a half months left, it seemed. Luan counted off the remaining cooling-off period in his head. Once he was a free man, he'd live comfortably off this money, eating and playing as he pleased. If the Emperor showed a little more goodwill, he might somehow acquire a warm southern estate and live out his days sipping fruit wine.
At this point, Luan couldn't help thinking of the god who'd summoned him to this world. The truth was, the god had said merely keeping this body alive would guarantee him wealth, but...
Honestly, this guy is way too sloppy. A botched download leaving me a bloody mess—does that even make sense?
There had been the god's promise that reviving Luanisiel would keep his money flowing, but judging by the god's work performance, it wasn't exactly reassuring. A manager was just a manager after all, unable to display the kind of competence a frontline worker had. He couldn't help but prepare against the day the god might go “Whoops! Short on blessings!” and beam down a single ray of light.
Above all—
Cash is king after all.
Maybe because he'd lived through the golden, money-is-everything age of capitalism, a bank check in hand felt a hundred, a thousand times more reliable than some invisible divine blessing. Atheism's the best. Long live gold, long live capitalism.
Luan didn't shy from such irreverent thoughts, unable to stop his contented smile. The corners of his mouth twitched up uncontrollably. But this peaceful time didn't last long.
“...”
He could no longer ignore the stinging gaze on his cheek. It was a persistent, sticky stare.
Ah, damn. I wanted to forget it for a bit while counting my money. He didn't want to admit that his room had become less his own private space and more like some family's parlor.
Luan slowly lifted his eyes from the check and turned his head. On the sofa that had naturally been swapped out for a top-of-the-line model once the Emperor's stays grew longer—damn it!—Kirian sat with his legs crossed, and their eyes met. Beside him, the single goldfish dropping no longer even grated. He felt rather like a piece of furniture.
It had been strange since the garden. Kirian had worn a wistful, grave expression. He had no idea what the man had immersed himself in, but the moment they returned to the palace, Kirian had summoned the Finance Minister with the face of someone who'd firmly resolved something. The voice that had come through the door was, frankly, the kind that made you wonder if he was sane.
Process it immediately. Procedures? Documents? Handle those tomorrow. Right now, issue a check in the Empress's name and bring it.
Up to here, Luan had been content.
Bring it before my eyes this instant, or I'll issue your head before the check.
That kind I'd return even if offered. Picturing the elderly Finance Minister scrambling around ashen-faced with the approval folder, Luan felt a touch sorry. But then his chest warmed again. Doesn't the result make me this happy?
So the Kirian who'd carried on as if he'd unleash a bloodbath through the whole palace had ample qualifications as a tyrant-in-waiting. Luan had been a little spooked, half expecting a “How dare you haggle with the Emperor!” and his own head issued first. But right now Kirian was...
“...”
Resting his chin in a comfortable pose, gazing at him with an exceedingly content, gentle face. The usual cold, arrogant furrow between his brows had completely smoothed away, and unmistakable warmth dripped from the red eyes. Anyone who didn't know the original story might have mistaken him for a devoted man at a loss over how much he adored his lifelong partner.
Luan quietly tucked the check away. First, secure what's to be secured. He asked in a dry voice.
“...Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
At the absurd question, Kirian, far from withdrawing his gaze, only drew the curve of his lips softer.
“No, nothing.”
“Then why have you been staring at me so hard this whole time?”
“No reason.”
Kirian's voice was a tone lower and gentler than usual.
“Seeing you genuinely happy puts me in a good mood too.”
This is, by any measure... A blaring siren began to wail in Luan's head.
Whoo-woo-whoo!
Has he lost his mind?!
A chill swept over him. It seemed he'd awakened Kirian in a strange direction. He was supposed to be a “tyrant who'll do anything for his own people,” but this had crossed well past that. To direct such an expression even at Luan, who wasn't the intended target...
“You've had the most color in your cheeks lately. Had I known, I'd have opened the treasury for you sooner.”
Kirian muttered, sounding genuinely regretful. He was overflowing with fulfillment at seeing Luan delighted by what he'd given, at the very fact that he could do something for him. Guilt and regret remained, but the knowledge that he had a chance to make amends, even now, brought him joy.
But hearing this, Luan's pupils shook wildly.
He's cracked. Why open the treasury for me?
Luan swallowed hard. Whether this world or the original, the truth was singular. Generosity buys a portion of pork; for beef, always suspect. It had been so before, but now it was worse. Kirian was spooning premium wagyu slathered in gold flakes into his mouth.
This staggering check extorted by threatening the Finance Minister. The affectionate gaze. Even the trouble of sleeping in catnaps on the sofa in his room for days now, claiming to nurse his injuries. This had strayed far past any reasonable bounds of goodwill.
Luan looked down at the check in his hand. Radiant. Dazzling. But to swallow it whole felt like a poisoned chalice. This was, by any measure...
I've made a doormat of him.
It seemed he'd awakened Kirian the wrong way. The goodwill meant for his destined partner had apparently spilled over onto the wrong person and caused a malfunction.
Ah, Aiden!
At the name that flashed through him like lightning, Luan began to feel newly sorry toward the two of them. The cause, it seemed, was that the pair, who weren't supposed to meet for several more years, had been made to meet far too early because of him. The obsession and affection were supposed to go to him, and yet...
The impact of their meeting had been far too weak. Kirian not being driven to his limit, and Aiden not having awakened, both seemed to have created problems. The proper route should have been Kirian, his heart worn ragged amid countless political storms, being saved by an encounter with the dazzlingly gentle Aiden at the temple. I got ahead of myself.
I was relieved when they seemed to notice each other.
He'd watched the two fret over each other like mad and thought, as expected, destined partners are different, feeling content—but apparently that had been a mistake. With the circumstances and timing off, some error seemed to have occurred. On top of that, they hadn't met since, so their intimacy hadn't built up properly either. This was entirely his fault.
The timing's off because of me. So Aiden's doormat became just a plain doormat!
I have to fix this. Errors should be caught early. If this dragged on and Kirian's emotional arc went wrong, there was no telling where the flow would veer. He had to salvage what he could. His current survival plan was premised on the two building their relationship per the original while he quietly bowed out, so unexpected developments were a bit of a problem.
First, I need to get them meeting often. They have to keep seeing each other's faces and talking to get Kirian hooked on Aiden.
Wasn't Aiden the purest and gentlest of young men? Kirian would surely fall for that character soon enough. It was only a matter of time. And if he needed to speed things up, he could devise other methods too.
Resolved, Luan looked back at Kirian, who was still gazing at him with that contented expression. He pushed past the burdensome stare.
“Your Majesty.”
“Is there something more you need? You said you needed clothes. Shall I call a designer? Ah, while we're at it, the entire furnishing of the Empress's Palace—”
Why bother changing the furniture now when it'll have to be redone once Aiden comes? Luan shook his head.
“No. None of that. I should go out for a bit.”
Kirian's smile faltered.
“No.”
He said firmly.
“The swelling hasn't fully gone down. You need rest.”
“That's exactly why I should go.”
“Go where?”
“The temple.”
Luan let the perfect excuse roll off his tongue with complete ease.
“I need to recover, and I have to perform a purification rite as well.”
The temple. A purification rite. The instant those words came out, a cold chill flickered through Kirian's red eyes.
Divorce. Yes, that was what the man was focused on, so he could acknowledge it now. He could persuade Luan slowly. The problem was something else.
The personal priest.
“I don't mind even if I have no standing. The qualification to be by your side matters more.”
The brat who'd dared to make such impudent remarks with his eyes wide open before him. That insolent kid. Aiden Levis, he'd said. By the results of the investigation, a kid with nothing remarkable about him. Cast off by his family, the only thing he had was a passable face.
But that was what made Kirian uneasy. He had a face appealing enough to win favor on top of a background that would earn the Empress's sympathy. The fact that he was the same age as Kirian rankled even more. His own age stirred nothing in Luan, but for the kid it could become a means to approach with familiarity...
“Do you really have to go in person?”
“Where else would I do it?”
Luan said firmly. To meet Aiden, he had to go to the temple. The place where the two first met should have been the temple to begin with. So what if it's a few years early. Just get the place and the people roughly aligned and it'll come together somehow. The picture, when they did meet, turned out rather well.
With no way of knowing Luan's plan to steer the runaway, unhinged Kirian Express back onto its rails, Kirian's insides charred black.
Could the reason he's insisting on dragging himself all the way to the temple in that ailing body possibly be to see that brat? Kirian's jaw clenched. Jealousy boiled up black from the pit of his stomach. But he couldn't simply forbid it outright either. He was afraid Luan would clam up and ignore him again.
After a heavy silence, Kirian slowly rose from his seat.
“...Fine. I'll allow it.”
Luan's face brightened. He's more reasonable than I thought.
“On one condition.”
Kirian came up to the front of the bed and bent down, casting a deep shadow over Luan. Their faces drew precariously close. Luan blinked slowly.
“I'll accompany you.”
Kirian smiled, the corner of his mouth tilting up at an angle.
Let's go, then. I'll watch closely and see exactly what kind of conversation you have with that impudent brat in front of my eyes.
“By all means.”
I was going to ask you to come along anyway. Why make it sound so dramatic, I wonder. Ah, the Emperor can't very well say outright that he's tagging along because he wants to see Aiden, so that's why he's getting all solemn?
With no way of catching the inner thoughts that only kept drifting further apart, the two were watched by Kael, who stood like a folding screen and clutched at his chest. My stomach's already starting to burn.
