The poor relationship between the Blue Shadow Palace – or more precisely, Kyan – and the wizards was something everyone knew. Most people in the palace were aware that the prince hated wizards, and because of that, the wizards were not fond of the prince either.

At first, the wizards coveted the prince’s power and tried in every possible way to form a contract with him, but every attempt failed. Then came the incident at the recent hunting festival, after which the wizards stopped seeking him out altogether. Given that situation, why had these wizards suddenly come to the Blue Shadow Palace? It turned out—

“Restricting the right of free audience is an extremely unjust measure.”

Watching the wizard speak in such a stern tone, Isaac, standing guard in a corner of the audience chamber behind the prince, clicked his tongue inwardly.

Isaac also knew who the young wizard was. He was an absolute genius who had only been born once in a hundred years. Despite having entered the Royal Palace not long ago, he had quickly risen to a considerable position. The Guild Master, who had highly valued his astonishing talents, cherished him immensely, treating him like an adopted son. He had even heard that this young man was acting as a proxy, wielding the Guild Master’s authority in his stead.

But there’s a time and a place. Acting so brazenly here will surely end up in a mess…….

Isaac watched the young wizard with an anxious gaze, and finally understood why they had come to visit.

Commoners could meet nobles only if there was a clearly defined, legitimate reason. Even if a wizard was of commoner origin, they were mostly treated according to strict procedures and granted an audience on par with nobles in advance. However, an exception was made for the Blue Shadow Palace. Even on the day of the request, they could catch an appointment if they sent a message in advance.

However, at a recent State Council meeting, the Prince had brought up an agenda to place restrictions on their right to free audiences. Naturally, the Wizard Guild had fiercely opposed it and rose up in protest, but ever since the hunting competition incident, the wizards’ position had weakened significantly. Furthermore, because the Prince’s influence had originally been strong, and his right to speak had only grown stronger recently, the wizards were practically searching for a way to appeal directly to the nobles in the center.

…… They must have come to negotiate directly, is what this means…….

“As you know, many nobles maintain close relationships with the esteemed members of the Royal Family, as well as with us wizards. To try and suppress us more than anyone else and require us to be thoroughly vetted every time we request an audience—”

The young wizard spoke covertly. The Prince listened to him with an indifferent face.

“Well, I’m not sure if it has nothing to do with me. And, it’s not as if you can’t have an audience, you just have to go through the originally established procedures. What exactly is the problem?”

He’s not a man to just say the same expected things. That logic won’t work on him. Moreover, speaking so bluntly like that would surely earn him punishment… Isaac grew increasingly anxious as he watched the young wizard.

“But is there not an urgent need to contact us?” 

“If an urgent matter arises for the merchants, they will request an audience first. And if an urgent matter arises for them, they will come looking for you immediately. And what urgent business do you have that requires you to seek them out? Unless it concerns something personal or political.”

“…….”

The wizard clamped his mouth shut, as if pierced by the Prince’s direct words.

Although it was not a particularly major issue, any group of people inevitably had complicated political relationships. Because of that, there were countless cases of alliances forming and breaking apart, connections being made and severed, and in such circumstances, a system requiring appointments to be registered in advance for a certain period of time would naturally be inconvenient. On the other hand, the policy was more beneficial than harmful when it came to strengthening royal authority, so even members of the royal family who had contracts with wizards turned a blind eye and tacitly approved of the prince’s intentions. The situation, the balance of power, even the flow of the conversation—none of it favored the wizards.

Even so, Isaac could understand why they had deliberately come here despite all that. But the strangest thing was—

“……”

Isaac looked at the prince with suspicion in his eyes. The prince remained silent, simply watching the wizards with an unreadable expression. He was someone who clearly disliked them and fully understood the situation, so Isaac could not understand why he had allowed them into the Blue Shadow Palace and agreed to meet them instead of driving them away.

Just then, the young wizard, who had been stammering at a loss for words, suddenly lifted his eyes and looked straight at the prince.

“We wizards have provided much assistance to the Royal Family over the years and believe we have maintained a good relationship. I know that Your Highness also gets along well with us due to the King’s grace, but we would be put in a difficult position if you try to cut ties with us and suppress us like this, would we not?”

‘Ah. He stepped on a landmine.’

Hearing this, Isaac’s expression hardened without him realizing.

The old servants of the Blue Shadow Palace nearby also lowered their heads and stopped moving.

Behind them, the white-haired eyebrows of the older wizard twitched as he listened to the words.

The young wizard, who had confidently spoken words that were nothing short of a threat, and the Prince, who was looking at him with an entirely expressionless face.

“Indeed, the Wizard Guild’s power is so immense that it boasts influence rivaling any royal or noble. I suppose that statement isn’t wrong.”

The Prince, who had been silently staring at the wizard, buried himself deep into the sofa and muttered. “Your Highness, it hasn’t been long since this child entered the Royal Palace,” the older wizard hurriedly opened his mouth, stepping forward to intervene.

‘I suppose that man lacks the tact to match his age. Or perhaps he simply wanted to be beaten.’

“Most of the direct royal lineage have forgotten the subject after entering into contracts with wizards due to the Witch’s Curse, but don’t act so arrogant. Do you know how many nobles’ manors these bastards have infiltrated and gathered power? I didn’t know the extent to which these bastards’ influence was threatening me.”

The Prince, who had been staring out the window, slowly walked toward them. The young wizard finally seemed to feel a sense of crisis and backed away, saying, “Your Highness, I did not mean it as a threat,” but he couldn’t finish his sentence. In that exact moment, the young wizard’s arm fell to the floor.

“——.”

Looking down with eyes that clearly stated he couldn’t believe his arm had just been severed from his shoulder, the young wizard let out a horrific scream. The older wizard flinched and quickly recited a spell. The scream erupting from the young wizard’s lips was instantly erased. The older wizard cast another spell, and the young wizard, whose eyes had rolled back as if he was about to faint from the pain, suddenly regained color in his pale face. However, his face was still perfectly dyed with the shock of looking down at his severed arm.

“You’d better drop the idea of reattaching it. That is, if you don’t want your neck to fall off next.”

“…—” 

The young wizard, trembling violently, looked up at the Prince. A cold sweat dripped from his jaw.

The Prince casually tossed his sword aside and walked to the window. Without showing the slightest hint of agitation, the Prince looked out the window with a completely bored expression. The young wizard remained frozen in shock, while the older wizard rose from his seat and knelt heavily on the floor.

“Please forgive the incompetence of this one who is still unaccustomed to the palace, Your Highness. Please calm your anger. We will submit to you as loyal servants of the Royal Family.”

“How would we dare hold opinions different from Your Highness’s decisions? Regarding the restrictions on meetings that Your Highness mentioned, we came here only in the hope of receiving your generous understanding and asking that you hear our plea.”

‘Truly, age and experience made all the difference,’ Isaac thought that if the man had spoken like this from the beginning, things would have gone much better. He looked at the prince suspiciously. It was strange that they were even quietly listening to those words. Let alone the fact that he had casually sliced off the arm of that young wizard when he could have easily taken his head without a second thought.

“Although we, of lowly birth, enjoy the overwhelming glory of serving the esteemed nobles, even

the lowly have their own face to maintain. If you would graciously look back upon the goodwill we have long shown you, we would be eternally grateful.”

The Prince slowly turned and returned to his seat. Sitting down, he tilted his head and looked at the wizard.

“Is it not the fundamental duty of the Court Wizards to conduct research? What point is there for those who belong in the ivory tower to meet with nobles so frequently?”

“Magic is immeasurably diverse and acts upon even the most minuscule parts of the world. Therefore, the research for it is also immeasurably vast. It is the law of the world that even the smallest trivialities of the world are worthy of study.”

“Is that what they call keeping noble ladies’ skin looking young?”

“There are also trivial matters such as that, for instance.”

Despite the Prince’s sneer, the older wizard replied without changing his complexion in the slightest. As the Prince stared at him intently, the wizard’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously, but he forced himself not to show it. Eventually, the Prince spoke.

“However, I seem to occasionally hear unpleasant stories regarding your people lately. Wouldn’t it be better to exercise some restraint? I hear wizards are also involved in the recent incidents concerning the Roberni faction.”

The wizard clamped his mouth shut. The others who came with him also hardened their faces. And Isaac, who knew all too well about the ‘recent incidents concerning the Roberni faction,’ inwardly shrank back as well.

A rumor had been secretly spreading that the corpses of wizards had been found mixed among the recently slaughtered members of the Roberni syndicate. Because the Wizard Guild’s power was so immense, no one dared to speak of it openly, but anyone who was anyone already knew. And the impact this had on the wizards’ standing was definitely negative, not positive.

“Regarding that rumor, please know it is merely a baseless rumor. It is assumed that someone who wishes to slander us maliciously spread it. By some slim chance, it might be the work of illegal wizards acting secretly outside the Guild, but we are sparing no effort to root such individuals out. We strictly forbid any collusion with such forces, Your Highness…… However, apart from that, we will take extra precautions at the guild level to ensure we do not get swept up in worldly affairs.” 

The older wizard smoothly played dumb and spoke with a completely polite, dignified attitude. And then, he requested even more respectfully.

“Therefore, I beg you to reconsider the restrictions on free audiences. While there are those who harbor malice, in our tireless efforts to conduct various research, there are times we must closely contact and seek the aid of esteemed nobles. We would be immensely grateful if you would look upon us with broad magnanimity.”

The Prince silently looked down at the older wizard, who bowed his head once more. For a while, silence flowed through the reception room. At the end of that silence, the Prince opened his mouth.

“Various research……. I suppose it could also be used to find people.”

At the Prince’s words, the older wizard raised his head. A glint appeared in his eyes. Isaac felt exactly the same way.

The Prince was not a man who enjoyed dragging out conversations. Let alone keeping wizards, whom he didn’t even like, around for this long……. ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ Isaac watched them with a heavy heart.

“Is that what you mean? Is there someone you are looking for?”

The wizard, having caught onto the thread of a deal, let his eyes shine and lowered his voice.

The Prince spoke, resting his chin lazily on his hand.

“Not a human. A witch.”

“——.”

The older wizard’s face stiffened. The others were the same.

Witch. Amidst the atmosphere that froze at that taboo word, the Prince’s calm words continued.

“He’s likely taken on the appearance of a human and is living among them. The building he lives in is a stone structure about forty or fifty years old, and he might be living with someone else. He’s probably taken the appearance of a young man, and seeing how he comfortably fit in that chair over there, his build is average or slightly on the smaller side. He likely lives near the capital or frequents it often, and works in a profession that uses swords, blades, or weapons. He won’t be of a very lowly status. He’s educated enough to at least know proper tea etiquette……, and it’s highly likely he raises an animal or keeps one close by. And for the past two crescent moons, he hid his presence entirely. He will likely continue to do so.”

Isaac’s heart plummeted to his stomach.

Isaac couldn’t even breathe for a moment, slowly taking a deep breath. If he didn’t do at least that, he felt like his pounding heart wouldn’t calm down. He was terrified the sound of his heartbeat would be heard. If a rat was hiding in a shallow, narrow hole, and a cat playfully swiped its paw just inches from the rat’s nose—this must be what it feels like.

It was glaringly obvious that the person the Prince was describing was none other than Isaac himself. Not a single one of those conditions was wrong.

‘I have to stay calm at a time like this. I’m sure my expression hasn’t changed.’ Isaac, who had turned his head to look at his own reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall next to him, suddenly locked eyes in the mirror with the Prince, who had casually thrown his gaze in that direction.

“…….”

‘Mommy.’

The Prince stared blankly at Isaac, who was frozen stiff and blinking rapidly like a frog in front of a snake. Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, he looked at Isaac again, his gaze lingering slightly longer this time. As that gaze methodically scanned Isaac from top to bottom, Isaac’s heart splashed and plummeted all over again.

‘It’s not me. I’m telling you, it’s not me. Where in the world would you find a witch who works a mundane day job this diligently in broad daylight? Plus, yeah, you even touched the charm! The holy silver that’s been blessed for over a century!’

Fortunately, it seemed the Prince had remembered that exact detail at the same time Isaac did. After lingering in the air for a moment, a faint glimmer of ‘Ah, I guess not’ crossed the Prince’s indifferent gaze as he looked at Isaac.

In stark contrast to his internal screaming and pleading, Isaac’s expression reflected in the mirror was perfectly composed. Thanking his newfound ability to maintain a poker face, Isaac stared back at the Prince with the most clueless, vacant expression he could muster, as if to say, Why are you looking at me like that?

“A witch, you say…….? Is that the only clue you have?”

The wizard asked with a troubled expression, and the Prince shifted his gaze back to him. Only then did Isaac inwardly sigh in relief. His heart was pounding. He was breaking into a cold sweat.

“Can you find him?”

At the Prince’s question, the wizard fell deep into thought with a severe expression, but he had no choice but to nod his head. He knew this was the unspoken condition of the deal. If you fulfill what I want, I shall fulfill what you want——that was the implication.

“We will do our utmost to find him.”

The wizard bowed sincerely and promised, and the Prince lightly nodded his head.

With that, their conversation was over. As if indicating he wouldn’t speak of it any further, the Prince waved his hand dismissively. The wizards, having accomplished their goal for the time being, left their parting words and obediently rose from their seats.

When Isaac opened the door to the reception room, the young wizard whose arm had been severed was placed at the front, and the other two wizards followed closely behind. Isaac stepped aside to let them pass, but frowned slightly when he saw the young wizard. The young man, his face frozen in a deathly pale hue, was no longer trembling. However, walking out while clutching his severed arm in one hand, his face was terrifyingly dark, his eyes completely devoid of any light.

Isaac knew those eyes. They were eyes filled with nothing but pure resentment and curses.

“——.”

But before Isaac could say anything, they left the reception room. Staring after their retreating backs for a moment, Isaac closed the door feeling profoundly uneasy. I have a really bad feeling about this…….

However, even that thought vanished completely the moment he made eye contact with the Prince, who was still sitting in his seat.

“…… The witch you are searching for…… does it have anything to do with searching for the Witch of Roberni?”

In a moment of fluster, he blurted out a question he wasn’t even curious about—because he obviously knew it had nothing to do with it. Isaac instantly cursed his own stupidity, realizing he should never have brought up such a dangerous topic in the first place.

The Prince didn’t answer. As if he hadn’t even heard Isaac’s question, he stared out the window at the departing wizards, lost in thought. Just as Isaac thought the Prince had forgotten he even asked the question, he opened his mouth.

“It’s a separate matter.”

“……I see…….I hope you can easily find the person you are looking for.”

Isaac told a barefaced lie without an ounce of sincerity. But this is enough. I shouldn’t bring up the word ‘witch’ in this room ever again.

“Those bastards won’t be able to find him. But they’ll stay quiet for a while.”

Saying so, the Prince withdrew his gaze from the window. Watching him lift his teacup to wet his throat, Isaac was left speechless.

‘Ah, of course. Since they can’t fulfill their end of the bargain, they won’t be able to come back here and bother him……. No, but what if they DO find me?! ……Of course, there’s no way I’ll get caught. I absolutely must not get caught, naturally.’

“…… But, if they can’t find him, how do you intend to find that witch…….?”

Isaac had promised himself not to bring up the witch again, but since his own safety was on the line, he couldn’t help but be intensely concerned. Besides, if the Prince revealed his plan, Isaac might be able to come up with countermeasures.

When Isaac asked cautiously, the Prince cast a brief glance at him. Flinch.

“You’re very interested.”

“…… Because I want to earn a merit.”

When Isaac mumbled awkwardly, the Prince seemed to recall something he had heard before.  “Ah, the reward,” he muttered. Then, he looked at Isaac with narrowed eyes.

“You’re greedier than you look.”

“……Well, yes. As much as anyone else.”

“If you find that witch and bring him to me, I’ll acknowledge it as a merit and grant you the reward you desire.”

“…………..”

Isaac felt his emotions tangle into a complicated knot. ‘Finding that witch and offering him up on a silver platter is as easy as breathing. But you’re telling me you’ll grant the reward I desperately want, even if it means risking my life, if I do that? But if I do, I’ll probably end up spending the rest of my life in a subterranean dungeon…….’

Isaac thought the Prince would notice the regret over the impossible choice displayed on his complicated, gloomy face, but the Prince withdrew his gaze without much interest. Standing behind the Prince as he silently drank his tea, Isaac let his shoulders droop in depression.

How long did that quiet silence last?

“Witches must vanish from this land, without a single one left.”

It sounded like a sudden, low whisper.

Isaac snapped his eyes up to look at the Prince. The Prince was still drinking his tea with an expressionless face.

It was a soliloquy he muttered unconsciously. And at the same time, it was his true, unfiltered feelings slipping out.

Witches must vanish from this land, without a single one left.

Isaac suddenly realized that this was the Prince’s ultimate goal. And if that was the case, he would achieve that goal no matter what it took.

“——.”

It felt like his heart had been plunged into freezing water. A chilling sensation spread from deep within his core. Isaac flinched, clenching his shrinking fingers. The blood must have drained from them; his fingertips were ice cold.

As Isaac quietly clenched and unclenched his fists, the Prince suddenly looked back at him. Isaac flinched, hiding his frozen fists, and stood rigidly at attention.

“Come to think of it, yes. I received this yesterday.”

The Prince opened a drawer in the table and pulled out a bundle of papers. As Isaac watched with a puzzled expression, the Prince unfolded the papers, his eyes scanning the text as he began to mutter.

“Isaac Lafaud, born June, year 280 of the Ritzen calendar. Father Gaia Lafaud, born March 248, died November 282. Mother Kalyna Lafaud, birth record incomplete due to orphan status, died December 290. After this, Isaac Lafaud lived independently. Enrolled in Higharden Common School, no record of graduation. Worked as a mercenary through broker Sana Grakium until 299……. Hmm, a fairly decent resume……. Indeed.”

The expression vanished from Isaac’s face. As Isaac stared at the Prince, who was scanning the papers as if reading a boring book, he held his breath for a moment before forcing it out. The Prince, submerged in silence, seemed to be reading Isaac’s history from his time as an errand boy, and judging by the details read aloud so far, it was bound to be highly accurate.

If possible, he hadn’t wanted to reveal it, but it wasn’t something that strictly had to be kept a secret—at least, not the things found in that background check. But they had investigated thoroughly. Given that he had lived a hard life as an orphan and left almost no paper trail, it couldn’t have been easy to dig up such detailed information. The Prince must have employed an excellent informant. ‘Well, I suppose that’s how he tracked the movements of the Roberni faction so well.’ Isaac clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“After that, you passed the apprenticeship course, were selected for the Royal Guard, and served as a guardsman…… is it?”

The Prince, who had been slowly muttering the contents of the paper, lifted his gaze to look at Isaac, who was standing in silence.

“If you had this level of skill as a mercenary, the pay and treatment would have been incomparably better than a mere Royal Guard. Why did you join the Guard?”

“……Because I wanted to live comfortably and safely, even if I earned less.”

“Then why the sudden desire to risk your life and earn a merit?”

“…….Because even if you try to live comfortably, life doesn’t always go the way you want.”

Isaac replied sullenly. Thinking about it made him depressed again, and a sigh escaped his lips. ‘Who could have known at the beginning of this year that my life would become this rocky?’

The Prince merely stared at Isaac, who bowed his head with a dark expression, and didn’t pry any further. Instead, he dropped his gaze back to the paper. Just what kind of detailed information was written in that report? Isaac glared intensely at the paper, the contents of which he couldn’t see from his position. Surely it doesn’t contain details like ‘His mother is a witch’, but I can’t help but wonder just how thoroughly my personal history has been laid bare.

“Special trait: No record of having dated either the opposite or the same sex. No other specific sexual preferences confirmed……..”

“…….”

‘I’d love to meet this informant. They’re incredibly competent. How did they even dig that up?’ Isaac’s jaw dropped, and he smacked his lips bitterly. The Prince, who had been reading the paper with an expressionless face, flicked his gaze back to him. Sure, it was an extremely private matter, and whatever his past was, it was none of this man’s business, but Isaac inexplicably felt intimidated and began to stammer.

“No, I mean, it’s not that I’ve never dated. There were a few times I briefly saw someone, but it just happened to not work out. Plus, I was busy trying to make a living, and you have to treat women delicately like flowers, and…….”

Isaac didn’t even know what he was saying. Under the Prince’s piercing stare, Isaac sacrificed his rambling mouth and clamped it shut. A brief silence flowed.

“Are you a virgin?”

“It’s not that……, ……, ……just so far.”

Reflexively, a lie wrapped in bravado almost popped out, but somehow feeling like those blue eyes could pierce through everything, Isaac ended up mumbling the pathetic truth.

“Is there a defect in your body?”

“Absolutely not!!”

This was genuine. After shouting his denial, Isaac realized a beat too late, ‘Wait, maybe saying yes would have been the correct answer.’

Isaac wasn’t particularly unpopular, and he had had several opportunities to date women. He had gone on dates a few times, too. But whenever it came time to enter a deep relationship with them, he always stopped there. It was because of the witch’s blood flowing within him.

He couldn’t easily reveal to them that he had witch’s blood, and more than anything, he didn’t easily feel the desire to mix his body with someone else due to the witch’s nature of stealing human essence (Ki-精).

Unknowingly exchanging energy with one another is the act of mixing bodies, but witches possess this trait incomparably stronger than humans. If a witch mixes bodies with a human, they end up stealing the human’s essence even without intending to. The greater the difference in power, the more severe this is, and as the act is repeated, the human’s energy gradually wanes, eventually even risking their life.

Enjoying a light, one-night stand might only end up making the partner feel a bit tired for a day or two, but seriously dating a human was difficult for Isaac for this exact reason.

‘But still, if I miraculously meet a woman with incredibly strong energy, or if the blood in my body dilutes as time passes, or if I meet someone I can live happily with like siblings without necessarily mixing bodies, then someday I can live in a pretty house with a pretty wife, raising pretty chickens,’ Isaac thought, continuing to live diligently today while dreaming of a future without a script.

The Prince, entirely unaware of Isaac’s thoughts, was looking at Isaac with an unreadable expression. It was a bizarre, blank look that seemed like a mix of surprise, disbelief, pity, and bewilderment.

“What does it feel like to live without sex?”

Eventually, the Prince opened his mouth, speaking as if he truly didn’t understand, sounding like someone completely full and satisfied. Isaac was instantly offended. Whether he was depressed because it sucked, or feeling intimidated, it was his own business.

“Once you get used to it, it’s nothing. Your Highness, is it always new and fun for you every time you do it?”

“Not really. It’s more or less the same no matter who I do it with. It’s just a matter of whether the excretion is a bit more refreshing or not.”

“……………”

‘This guy really has some issues…… he has issues.’

To talk about ‘excretion’ so casually. Moreover, judging by his expression and tone, it was clear he genuinely thought of it that way. Completely excluding any emotional exchange, the warmth felt from a person’s skin or body heat—reducing it purely to the act of expelling animalistic desires.

“……If that’s what sex is, I’d rather live without it.”

Suddenly feeling a pang of pity, and finding him so pitiful it made his heart ache, Isaac unknowingly muttered his thoughts aloud. He wished he hadn’t. ‘I wish he could experience something that feels much better and warms the heart.’

Then, Isaac suddenly felt the Prince’s gaze fixed intently on him and flinched. ‘I spoke out of turn. But it probably doesn’t matter.’ Knowing him, he doesn’t care about what others think anyway, so he’ll just brush it off.

……Or so he thought.

“You have a rather unique trait.”

The moment the Prince spoke in a low voice, Isaac felt something had gone wrong.

“I don’t know the reason…… but it’s not nothing, and it’s not something I don’t care about. Occasionally, there’s a time when it strangely scratches the corner of my mind and passes by.”

It wasn’t a voice that sounded angry, but an unknown warning siren blared in Isaac’s head. And a bad premonition is never wrong.

“——.”

Isaac’s eyes widened in shock as he watched the Prince, who was staring intently at him, unbuckle his pants belt. No, why is he suddenly doing that? Before Isaac could even interpret the creeping, ominous premonition, the Prince unfastened the front of his pants and pulled his member out from within. As Isaac stared at it, blinking blankly in shock, wondering what was happening,

“Suck.”

The Prince threw out that single word.

Isaac snapped his head up to look at the Prince’s face. The Prince’s unchanging, expressionless face was right there. No, uh, what? His lips twitched several times, but the Prince’s complexion didn’t change in the slightest, maintaining his indifferent expression. He simply used his chin to gesture downward again.

“…….”

‘I stepped on it. I stepped on it. I stepped right in it.’

Isaac’s vision went pitch black.

But even waiting a moment longer, this was reality, not a dream. The attendant standing in the distance was making a grim face, as if thinking ‘It’s finally happened’, and as a little more time passed, the Prince’s eyebrow twitched slightly upwards. ‘If I dilly-dally any longer, he’s going to hit me.’

Isaac swallowed hard and walked over to the Prince, dropping to his knees. ‘Yeah. It’s not like I haven’t had to suck up to people I didn’t even know. Living a harsh life, I’ve suffered through much more humiliating and miserable things, and my mental fortitude isn’t so fragile that I’d get shocked by this. It’s a hundred times better than getting my neck cut off out of nowhere.’

But the reason my heart is still trembling is because I’m wondering if it will really end with just this. It won’t, will it? There’s no way this man will stop at just petting with his mouth. Don’t tell me the peace of my lower half ends today. Looking at his previous paramours, they were torn apart and bleeding everywhere……. ‘Ugh, I don’t know. But I still have to survive. I guess I’ll just have to owe the medics a favor. Yeah, it’s a hundred times better than getting my neck cut off out of nowhere.’

Isaac steeled his resolve and turned his head. And pulling himself close to the Prince’s crotch, he reached out his hand to grab the Prince’s member, but,

“…………………”

‘Mommy…….’

His mind went completely blank.

He knew it was big, but he had never seen it this directly, this close up. Now that he was witnessing it like this, he realized the rumors he had heard weren’t exaggerations……. My god. Is this really a thing attached to a human body?

Isaac couldn’t believe it even as he saw it with his own eyes, just staring at it, blinking for a long time. Above his head, the Prince let out a long sigh, as if he couldn’t wait any longer.

‘I’ll die. If I get pierced by this, I’ll definitely die. I will die.’

“…… I’m sorry. I won’t ever provoke you again.”

Isaac, too terrified to even look up, slumped down between the Prince’s legs, pressing his hands against the floor and bowing his head deeply. His fading voice trembled violently. He didn’t think the Prince was the type to listen to others or accept apologies anyway, but he felt he had no choice but to grab onto anything, even a rotting straw.

However, the Prince didn’t do anything to him. Looking up with eyes that looked ready to cry, Isaac observed the Prince’s expressionless face looking down at him, and his shoulders slumped. ‘I guess I’m done for.’ Isaac, who had lifted his head from between the Prince’s crotch with a jaundiced face, squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth just inches away from the Prince’s chin.

“It makes no difference who I excrete into, but”

Right then, the Prince opened his mouth.

“I do have standards.”

It sounded exactly like his usual voice, but the tone was subtly different. It sounded like he was joking……, no, but this man didn’t know the first thing about joking. Pausing at the hard-to-describe tone, Isaac opened his closed eyes. Slowly raising his gaze, he met the eyes looking down at him.

The blue eyes, which were always indifferently looking down at him, were curved. ‘Now I’ve exposed your sins,’ the eyes seemed to say, looking strangely as if they were smiling. Even though it was the same expressionless face as always.

The Prince lightly waved his hand. Isaac, who had reflexively scrambled backward, stared blankly at the Prince from a distance before a wave of immense relief washed over him, and he slumped to the ground.

‘He was teasing me……. Even though I’m still bewildered because it’s such an uncharacteristic thing for him to do, the attendant who was watching nervously from a distance was also blinking his eyes with a face that said ‘What in the world is happening?’—he was just teasing me.’

“I am deeply grateful.”

Isaac quickly bowed respectfully and scrambled to his feet, terrified the Prince might change his mind. Perhaps his relief was too obvious, because this time, the Prince’s eyes clearly smiled. It was so close to being expressionless that one might not even notice, but those were definitely smiling eyes.

“You can relax. There’s no need to prepare in advance with a sausage.”

The moment the Prince adjusted his clothes and dropped those words, Isaac was briefly confused before a memory flashed through his mind, and his face turned bright red. He heard what Natasha was saying earlier. Come to think of it, this person was in the study right above us at the time.

“…… That’s a relief……, thank you.”

As Isaac mumbled, keeping his bright red face lowered, he heard a short “Pfft” sound. However, when Isaac snapped his head up, the Prince had already finished adjusting his clothes with his usual, perfectly expressionless face and was standing up from his seat.

“Find out where those bastards are gathering next.”

The Prince commanded. The faint glint of amusement from a moment ago had completely vanished, replaced by his usual cold, sunken tone. Isaac also corrected his posture. And replied with a single word, “Yes.”

There was no need to ask who “those bastards” were. Not only was it not a name to bring up in a place where attendants were present, even from a distance, but Isaac was also just thinking that it was about time for the Robernis to gather again.

The Prince cast a brief glance at Isaac, then withdrew it. He didn’t know exactly why, but a feeling of having passed the test crossed Isaac’s mind. It was likely because he hadn’t added any useless complaints or questions.

After that, the Prince moved to his study and began to read. Knowing the Prince had no other scheduled obligations for the entire afternoon, Isaac checked the thick spine of the book he had picked up, breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and took his post guarding the door. It seemed all he had to do was stand there just like this until his shift ended.

Feeling as if a brief, violent typhoon had just swept past him, Isaac finally found a sliver of peace. He watched the Prince, who never once took his eyes off his book, and swallowed a quiet sigh.

‘I feel like I’m constantly being tested without even realizing it.’

It was like walking a tightrope over a sheer cliff—a test where a single misstep could cost him his life. But what made it so terrifyingly nerve-wracking was that he had absolutely no idea what constituted passing, or what would cause him to fail.

Isaac quietly pressed a hand over his heart.

‘Wishing that everything goes smoothly.’

‘For myself. And for that man as well.’