🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 08
Exactly nine times.
I had been rejected by Resius—precisely nine times.
Normally, the stern royal guard would lower his head in deference, but now he was watching me nervously.
“I’m sorry. His Majesty has ordered that the Duke not be admitted.”
My frustration boiled over.
It had already been three days since the Hessian territory was attacked. Three whole days.
The Hessian lands bordered the Duchy of Verwen. And most importantly…
“Kellian is coming here himself!”
According to the original story, Kellian was supposed to be manipulating things behind the scenes, acting as a shadowy figure…
“Why is he coming? Why!”
Kellian was an unofficial Swordmaster.
And the only one capable of stopping him was me. I wanted to rush to Hessian territory immediately, but…
“Report it again. There is urgent news that must reach His Majesty.”
Resius blocked me.
Naturally, I had assumed my deployment would be approved, so I had fluttered over with the order papers in hand. But the approval stamp was denied.
“Duke of Verwen’s deployment is denied.”
“But Your Majesty, as you know, the command structure in Hessian territory is in chaos! And the Crown Prince of Bahart is unpredictable! Please grant permission to deploy.”
“I do not reverse decisions I have made once. Return.”
I was even placed under restraint.
“Resius… act like an emperor! If I don’t go, soldiers will die!”
“As Emperor, I declare that, effective immediately, the Duke of Verwen will be placed under a week’s restraint for insubordination.”
Resius brushed my cheek with a sad expression.
“Not this time, Lewin. Return.”
He had never been so resolute before.
So there was no way that firm door would open this time either—
Thud.
…Or so I thought.
The intricately carved door swung open with a heavy thud.
“Come in.”
Inside the bedroom, Resius sat behind a desk prepared for the workaholic Emperor.
Adjusting his monocle and looking over documents, he lifted his head.
I deliberately avoided his gaze as I stepped into the room.
“You’re upset.”
Yes. I was sulking.
Not out of friendship, but as a Duke, I couldn’t accept my lord’s decision.
“No matter how close a friend I am to you, there’s a line between duty and personal ties. Didn’t I raise you to know that?”
Thud.
The heavy door closed, and silence filled the room.
“Your Majesty, I cannot accept this order. I beg you to reconsider…”
“Understood.”
“Huh?”
Resius removed his glasses and placed them on the desk.
Without the glasses softening his expression, his sharp eyes became even more striking.
‘So that’s why he’s the Wild Duke.’
Always smiling warmly, it was strange to see him like this.
Resius washed his face and, with a tired expression, nodded.
“Alright. Do as you wish.”
Was I supposed to feel relieved or…?
‘Look at his face… he’s clearly been through some mental stress…’
Seeing Resius, weary and on the edge of collapse, pricked my conscience.
“…Yes. I will proceed accordingly.”
I rolled my eyes and stepped back hesitantly.
It was the first time I had argued with Resius so openly, so it still felt a little awkward.
“Lewin, I’m…”
A hoarse voice held me in place.
I turned back to see Resius pressing one hand against his eye.
Are you… crying?
“Don’t hate me.”
His tears had subsided, but his voice remained hoarse.
“Wait a moment…”
I approached him.
“How could I hate you…”
I was too stunned to continue.
The last time Resius had cried in front of me was when the previous Emperor passed away.
This time, it wasn’t full-on crying—just a quiver in his voice.
“…You still cry easily, don’t you? You used to cry every day when I hit you.”
Yes. That was true.
In our childhood, whenever I accidentally struck him during sword training, I would comfort him.
‘It was strange, really.’
The more we trained, the worse his skill seemed to become. That still puzzled me.
He had been called a sword prodigy as a child.
“Yes. And every time, you would hold me.”
Just like back then.
Resius looked up at me with a pitiful expression.
“Am I too big now?”
“Huh?”
“To hold… am I too big?”
Seeing Resius so despondent, I closed the distance between us.
He might look composed, but to me, he was still a child.
“Are you alright? What’s the matter?”
I awkwardly wrapped my arms around his head.
Resius said nothing and pulled me close to his waist.
“You told me to act like an Emperor.”
Ah. It’s because of me.
It must have been difficult for him—Resius has a sensitive nature. He probably suffered silently on his own.
“It’s always hard for me. You know that. You’re all I have. If not you, who else can I lean on?”
His sharp green eyes looked up at me. He lowered his brows and bit his lips.
Between the occasional words he whispered, his firm chest peeked slightly through the gap in his shirt.
‘When did he grow like this?’
Like the male lead in a romance novel Rosaline had laughed about—how the more reserved the man, the more appealing he becomes when vulnerable.
‘Ah. Resius is the male lead too.’
He was handsome.
Even as a supporting male, he was among the finest men in this world. I couldn’t look away.
“I’m not going to die. I’m a Swordmaster.”
I broke the awkward silence.
With his deep green eyes, Resius buried his face in my stomach.
I could feel his hot breath through my shirt.
“…Sleep here.”
In a particularly low voice, he whispered.
“I’ll arrange a brief deployment ceremony early tomorrow morning.”
Still leaning his forehead against me, Resius gripped my clothes tightly.
“You won’t have enough time to sleep if you return to the mansion. I’ll instruct the steward to prepare everything.”
Hmm. Logical, I admit.
It takes an hour to get to the Duke of Verwen’s estate, and another hour back to the palace.
‘Two hours wasted on the road.’
It’s better to have someone bring my armor here.
“Lewin, are you still angry?”
Resius lifted his head, eyes bloodshot.
His puppy-like eyes were terrified of being abandoned.
Strangely, the burst blood vessels in his eyes gave a faint sense of forbidden thrill.
…He looks like he’s excited.
“Well… as long as it doesn’t bother you, it’s fine with me.”
I’d save time, and I didn’t mind.
“Then you’re really sleeping here?”
Resius nuzzled against my shirt and nodded.
I adjusted my slightly disheveled shirt and walked toward the Emperor’s enormous bed.
‘Ah. I need to change clothes.’
I had disguised myself with dark magic, but I wasn’t fully male. My height and torso were fine, but…
If I asked for new clothes, the knights might bring a full gown, so I simply removed the outer layer.
“When will you sleep?”
Lying across the bed in a thin shirt, I asked.
“I still have documents to sign.”
Resius replied, opening the window. Cold air crept in.
“Are you cold?”
Worrying about a Swordmaster—typical.
“You should come sleep too. You have to wake early tomorrow, right?”
“I don’t think I can wait.”
I raised an eyebrow at the strange reply.
“…Sleep.”
Resius’s reddened eyes narrowed sharply.
“Too much to do to sleep.”
Indeed. An Emperor’s life is hard.
Seeing Resius work tirelessly for the empire while Rosaline always judged him…
‘I’ve seen it for over twenty years.’
Poor Resius. I sighed and closed my eyes.
“Your Majesty.”
Resius perched on the bed, his gaze on me full of concern.
A shadow approached him.
“The task you ordered has been completed. Kellian’s forces have likely encountered the Tohor tribe by now.”
“I see. Make sure the Duke’s men are also handled swiftly. If there was a way to defeat them, there should also be a way to wake them.”
“Yes.”
The shadow vanished, leaving the room silent again.
Resius gently stroked the furrow of my brow.
‘What kind of nightmare are you having?’
Even after clearing out all the empire’s wild wolves, now external threats were causing chaos.
Resius was displeased with the situation.
‘It’s so hard to let you sleep peacefully, Lewin.’
His gaze rested on my composed face.
At the same time.
Kellian’s camp, deep in a gorge where the Bahart Second Prince couldn’t notice.
Dragging a bloodied sword, Kellian emerged from the barracks.
“Your Majesty!”
A knight’s eyes widened as he looked between Kellian and his sword.
“Did you… kill them?”
“Yes. They were annoying, so I killed them.”
The knight gasped.
Those inside had been envoys of the Tohor tribe, likely there to propose a secret deal.
As barbarians, they didn’t haggle much but sometimes made outrageous demands.
Their lord had little patience, so Kellian likely struck them for their nonsense.
“Your Majesty… if these forces reach the capital immediately, those lying in wait may run rampant again!”
Kellian, unshaken, brushed the blood off his head.
“You should return immediately!”
“I will not.”
Kellian tossed the bloodied sword to the ground. It clanged sharply.
“I’ve been curious. The Duke of Verwen was commander of the border defense for a while. Normally, he should have crossed paths with me. Shouldn’t he?”
“….”
“But it never happened. We always missed each other. Now I know why.”
Looking back, it was all Emperor Hylen’s doing.
Thought he was just a bookish man, but bold enough to orchestrate this.
“I think it was Hylen’s scheme to provoke the Tohor tribe.”
“What do you mean…?”
“To make sure the Duke and I didn’t meet.”
Kellian wiped his bloodied neck with his palm.
The palm became soaked with blood, so it smeared further.
“The more you tell me not to do something, the more I want to do it.”
Kellian smirked.
His wild eyes turned south, toward the Hylen Empire.
“Makes me want to see it more.”
The eyes of a beautifully cruel man glimmered with playful malice.
