“Isaac! Isaac!”

The voice calling Isaac’s name drew closer, accompanied by a mouth-watering aroma. It’s meat pie today. He could tell just from the smell that it was going to be absolutely delicious.

Isaac, who had been resting with his eyes closed under the warm sun, turned his head toward the voice. He saw Auntie Natasha approaching, carrying a plate.

“Aren’t you hungry? Have some of this while you rest.”

Sure enough, the plate held meat pies. Isaac eagerly accepted the plate, which contained two hand-sized pies. “Wow, this looks amazing. Thank you!” he greeted her brightly. Auntie Natasha patted Isaac’s back with her thick, warm hands and sat down beside him, lighting her tobacco pipe. Having finished cleaning up the Blue Shadow Palace kitchen after lunch and prepping the afternoon snacks, it was time for her to take a short break as well.

As the head chef in charge of the Blue Shadow Palace’s entire kitchen, she was incredibly humble and easygoing—so much so that it was hard to believe she held a rank equivalent to the Head Chamberlain. She always wore comfortable, neat clothes, and looking at her, she seemed no different from a cook at any ordinary tavern. Of course, there was a distinct difference in that even if she just threw ingredients together haphazardly, the moment her hands touched them, they transformed into some of the most delicious food in the world.

“Did you mix minced lamb and pork? Mmm—it’s so good, so good. Did you add thyme? The flavor goes together surprisingly well.”

Auntie Natasha watched with a pleased smile as Isaac inhaled one pie in the blink of an eye and picked up the second. Having lost her husband and raised her son alone, only to lose him 10 years ago, she lived alone now. She adored Isaac, often saying, ‘His gentle, drooping eyes look just like my boy’s. If he were alive, he’d be exactly this age.’ She looked absolutely nothing like Isaac’s real mother, but Isaac liked her; she felt like a warm, comforting neighborhood auntie. When he first saw her stern expression and sharp eyes, he had thought she might be strict and difficult, but after spending time with her, he realized that wasn’t the case at all.

Actually, most of the people working in the Blue Shadow Palace were like that. At first, they all had stiff expressions and strict attitudes, making Isaac think it would be hard to fit in. But after actually living here, he found it was quite alright. Because the master of the palace was who he was, the staff’s general demeanor was always tense, terrified that a single mistake might cost them their lives. But perhaps because of that, there was a surprisingly strong atmosphere of looking out for and taking care of one another behind the scenes…… Is this what they mean when they say people unite when they have a common enemy? No, it’s more accurate to say that people in difficult situations help each other survive……

“So, how is it? Is the work manageable?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Isaac nodded at Auntie Natasha’s worried question.

It had been a little over two weeks since he started working at the Blue Shadow Palace. 

Isaac was doing much better than he had expected.

Aside from the fact that the master of the palace was the literal God of Death – which, admittedly, was a rather massive point to overlook – it wasn’t a terrible place to work. His working hours and duties weren’t particularly different from before, and since there was absolutely zero pressure or harassment from outside factions, it was actually more comfortable than other posts in some ways. Furthermore, the Prince never called for his subordinates outside of designated hours or threw tantrums for no reason, which also made him a better superior to serve than most……. No, no matter how you spin it, that’s not right. You can’t call someone a ‘good superior’ when you never know when your head might fly off your shoulders.

Isaac choked on a piece of pie and coughed violently a few times.

“Eat slowly, slowly.” 

“Yes……. But this is really delicious. Your Highness would probably love this too.” 

“Who knows. That man’s inner thoughts are so impossible to read.”

She said that, but Isaac knew that whenever a plate sent to the Prince came back completely clean, Natasha would be overjoyed as if she were flying. And conversely, when a plate came back with only one bite taken out of it, she would sigh so deeply the ground seemed to cave in.

Hard as it was to believe, the Prince was, in many aspects, generally a ‘good master.’ It was true that if you were caught making a serious mistake, you risked losing your life without any room for excuses, but he never nitpicked or acted unreasonably over trivial things like other royals or nobles did.

Even a few days ago, there was an incident. One of the kitchen maids had found a squirrel that had been bitten by a stray cat and was dying. Feeling pity, she brought it into a corner of the kitchen, fed it, and treated its wounds. But somehow, the squirrel recovered its strength, escaped its cage, and scurried around the palace until it darted into the Prince’s study and knocked over an inkwell right onto his lap. The squirrel’s neck was instantly snapped in the Prince’s grip, and it died on the spot, but the maid, who had been trembling like a leaf, waiting for her punishment, was completely spared.

“…… He is a very peculiar person in many ways, the master here.”

Isaac mumbled around a mouthful of pie, looking up at the blue sky.

The Prince was a cold-blooded, merciless figure. Yet, at the same time, it was not uncommon for him to completely ignore things that would normally have ordinary nobles frowning in displeasure and throwing fits.

He had no idea what the man’s standards were. Isaac shook his head.

“You can never fathom what goes on in the heads of those high up.” 

“If we can’t even fathom what’s in their heads, imagine their hearts. The hearts of those above and below are all the same.”

Natasha muttered, puffing smoke from her pipe. Isaac stared at her for a moment, then looked back up at the sky.

‘I suppose……. That’s true.’

Whether it was the people high above in the sky, the people down on the earth, the people who lived a hundred years ago, or the people who would live a hundred years from now—feelings were feelings, and a heart was a heart. No matter how much time passed or positions changed, the things that made people human remained the same.

Even that man.

He wasn’t entirely sure, but there had to be a part of him like that. Because he, too, lived as a human being.

“Still, you should be careful now. The crescent moon is approaching. You need to be especially cautious around that time……. This will be your first time working at the Blue Shadow Palace during the crescent moon, won’t it?”

Natasha looked at Isaac with deep concern. Isaac gave a somewhat bitter smile and reassured her, “Yes, well, I used to do some guard duty near the Blue Shadow Palace occasionally even when I was in the Royal Guard, so it’ll be fine.” Then, he quickly stole a glance at her expression.

“But I heard a passing rumor that nothing much happened during the new moon for the past little while……?” 

“Yes, that’s true. For whatever reason, Prince Kyan’s condition was quite good around the new moon recently. It would be wonderful if it continued like that from now on.” 

“…………..”

Isaac, who had been desperately hoping no one would dig too deeply into the matter, chewed his pie with a stinging guilt in his chest. Whatever the case, it was thanks to my sacrifice those nights that several people found a fleeting peace, so let’s consider it a good deed. He was now working at the Blue Shadow Palace, so he was benefiting from his own sacrifice anyway.

Isaac swallowed the pie, feeling like he was chewing sand.

Regardless of his internal turmoil, the Blue Shadow Palace up until now hadn’t been a difficult place to work. Break times and quitting times were strictly observed, and nobody called for him unexpectedly.

Since he was an escort, he did have to stay within the Prince’s line of sight, but it wasn’t as if the Prince specifically went out of his way to torment him. In fact, compared to how he treated the other servants, he completely ignored Isaac, treating him like someone who didn’t even exist. Honestly, Isaac almost wanted to ask him why he even brought him here if he was going to be like this.

So, consequently, Isaac was spending his days without much issue, leading a rather uneventful, unremarkable life.

“But you…… um……. are you alright? Nothing hurts anywhere?” 

…… Except for this.

Isaac suddenly realized that Natasha’s gaze had been lingering near his waist and backside for a while, and his face instantly rotted.

“Yes, thanks to your concern, I am still perfectly fine.” 

“Right, well, that’s a relief. They say that once you go through that, unless you’re exceptionally well-endowed back there, it’s normal for men to not even be able to stand properly for a while. Especially since His Highness’s ‘equipment’ is supposedly too large for most ordinary women to handle……” 

“…….Auntie, not only am I fine right now, but I have absolutely no intention of receiving a man from behind in the future either…….”

“Of course, I know, everyone feels like that at first. But what can you do? That’s the way of the world. It’s better to prepare in advance so it hurts less. As for advice, start with something thin, and gradually work your way up…….”

Natasha, who was approaching her sixtieth birthday, had lived a long time in the palace and had been through all the trials and tribulations of life. She had no filter when it came to speaking her mind. That was precisely why Isaac usually kept this warm auntie at arm’s length.

Since he was brought into the Blue Shadow Palace under the title of ‘Escort,’ he had been receiving these kinds of looks from all directions for days. Is that guy the newly acquired paramour? I wonder if the Prince’s tastes have changed, seeing as how his face is so different from the past ones.

Then, after a few more days, the looks changed slightly. Why is that guy walking so perfectly fine? Does he have incredibly strong lower body stamina? Or is his elasticity just that good?

And then, after a few more days passed, people finally seemed to realize the truth. Ah, I guess he really isn’t a paramour. And then they thought, Well, that makes sense. No matter how strong his lower body is, there’s no way a human could look that perfectly fine after serving the Prince in bed.

Thus, Isaac had finally been freed from the bizarrely sympathetic gazes of the staff. However, there were still some people, like Natasha, who genuinely worried for him.

“Just try practicing with a sausage first. Start with a smooth, soft sausage, and that should be enough. Then, once you get a bit more used to it, go to the vegetable market and—”

“This is really uncomfortable and awkward to listen to…….”

‘I need to figure out how to get out of here,’ Isaac agonized.

Right then, two figures walking toward the Blue Shadow Palace from the far side of the path caught his eye. Isaac shot up from his seat as if he’d been waiting for an excuse.

“It looks like we have visitors. I should head inside. You should go back in too, Auntie Natasha.”

When guests arrived, there was naturally work to be done in the kitchen as well. Of course, exactly what work needed to be done depended entirely on who the visitors were, but finding out who was visiting was the first step. Natasha glanced toward the approaching figures and clicked her tongue in clear distaste before turning away.

Freed from the uncomfortable topic, Isaac breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out onto the path to block the visitors’ way. However, upon recognizing the faces of the guests leisurely approaching the Blue Shadow Palace in the lazy afternoon sun, Isaac’s face subtly stiffened. He locked eyes with them.

Wizards.

Just as Isaac unconsciously frowned, the men who recognized Isaac also wore deeply displeased expressions. It was the wizards from the incident following the hunting competition.

They were the public enemies of the Royal Guards…….

‘I should have avoided them sooner. Why are they here of all places?’

“Who are you? You are not from the Royal Guard.” The man standing at the forefront of the wizards spoke. Isaac hid his sour expression and bowed his head respectfully.

“Welcome. Have you come to see Prince Kyan?” 

“Indeed we have. But what are you doing here?” 

“I have recently been transferred to serve as an escort working in the Blue Shadow Palace.”

As Isaac spoke, the wizards finally seemed to remember him, their lips twisting into a sneer.

“Ah, I see. I suppose it makes sense. I wondered if the Royal Guard Isaac might suffer some retaliation from us, and it seems Your Highness has personally brought you into the Blue Shadow Palace.”

Isaac bit his lip at the tone completely laced with mockery.

Come to think of it, there was that rumor too. A ridiculous rumor that after the hunting competition incident, the Prince had taken Isaac under his wing to protect him from the wizards seeking revenge. As if that man would ever care about anyone else’s safety.

But looking at it from another angle, these bastards had almost killed him and his colleagues and caused massive damage, yet instead of apologizing, they kept picking fights. Lately, I’ve already come to hate wizards, witches, and cats alike, and these guys are just acting detestable.

Isaac looked right at the wizards and smiled brightly.

“Are there people saying such things? To think someone would harm a person without reason within the palace walls! Surely that isn’t true. If it were, it would be a truly terrifying thing.”

“…….”

“…….”

The older wizard’s expression grew freezing cold. Isaac simply continued to smile flawlessly.

“If you intend to harm me, there must be a reason.” 

“A reason, you say. Pulling people down while doing that, making the guilty stick to the innocent—is that what you call a reason?” 

“…….” 

“…….”

The young wizard, glaring terrifyingly at the brightly smiling Isaac, finally ground his teeth and growled, “You……!”

Just then. Isaac suddenly felt a burning sensation on the crown of his head. He realized there was a presence above him and shifted his gaze upward.

The Prince was standing at the window on the upper floor. Judging by the fact that he was looking down at them as if watching a scenic view from the study window instead of the reception room, he had probably been there for a while.

Isaac, flinching, lowered his head, and the wizards, belatedly discovering the Prince, hurriedly bowed deeply.

“W-we have come to see you, Your Highness.”

Looking down at them indifferently, the Prince slowly nodded.

“If you are done talking, come in.”

Leaving those words behind, he disappeared from the window. Just before the Prince went inside, Isaac caught his eye, and the moment their gazes met, Isaac flinched and quickly averted his eyes, but somehow he felt like the Prince’s eyes were curving faintly…… ‘I must have seen it wrong.’

‘Ah, that startled me. The person I was certain was in the drawing room eating meat pies suddenly appeared here out of nowhere—truly like a ghost appearing and disappearing. Even if I’m wrong, this is still someone you can never let your guard down around. Careful, careful.’

Isaac rubbed his chest. Then he quickly followed after the wizards hurrying into the palace.