The incident in which everyone staying at the Blue Shadow Palace was wiped out in a single night on the full moon sent massive shockwaves throughout the kingdom. Since so many people had died en masse within the royal palace, it was only natural that the workload, large or small, multiplied across every department. Amidst this, the fear of witches and those associated with magic grew exponentially, but the one who drew an equal, if not far greater, terror from the people was the living man himself: Prince Kyan.

He was already an object of fear and awe among the masses. But with such an atrocity occurring right under his nose, even if it had not been his intention, the people’s fear of the Prince reached its absolute zenith.

The newly assigned servants of the Blue Shadow Palace went without saying. Even the veteran servants who had worked there for years, but had miraculously survived because they happened to be off-duty on the night of the massacre, trembled so violently they could not even look the Prince in the eye. Everyone had always feared the Prince, but the current atmosphere was entirely incomparable to the past.

Moreover, this dread was not confined to servants and subordinates. Fear is often an irrational thing. Sometimes it lacks a clear identity, and sometimes it needs no reason at all. Even among direct blood relatives.

“……, Tsk.”

Isaac, who had been inwardly clicking his tongue, winced and scrunched his face. Even though he had swallowed the groan, his distress must have been evident, as Selvero, who was standing next to him, glanced over.

“Are you alright?”

“……y-yaes, ‘m f-fin-e,” (“……yes, I’m fine,”)

Isaac, mumbling in a slurred whisper, covered his mouth and distorted his face again. “Hey dude, I get it, so don’t speak, don’t speak,” Selvero quickly waved his hands to stop him.

Isaac nodded and sighed, stroking his parched lips. Dry lips were one thing, but from his mangled, heavily chewed-up tongue, the sickeningly metallic taste of blood continued to ooze. Thanks to that, even looking at the mouth-watering delicacies being enjoyed by the royal family at the banquet before him, his stomach churned with nausea rather than appetite.

In the spacious hall where the royal guards stood along the walls, the King, the Queen, and their respective children, the princes and princesses, were sharing a harmonious meal. Though they were royalty, the conversations flowing over the dinner table were not vastly different from those of commoners: which relative had done what, whose child was causing trouble, which vacation spot was nice.

Yet, what made this meal entirely different from those just days ago was the atmosphere.

They were casually exchanging stories as if nothing was wrong, but an underlying, rigidly tense air – a collective tension everyone implicitly felt – was woven heavily throughout the room.

The space surrounding Prince Kyan, who was quietly eating his meal without saying much, was exceptionally so.

The Prince was no different than usual. As always, he was swallowing his food with an apathetic, dry face, looking as though he were chewing on tasteless paper. It was only the onlookers who were practically holding their breath, hypersensitive to his every casual movement. It was as if something entirely alien, a creature of a completely different species, was sitting among them.

Right then. The Prince reached his hand toward the side where the Queen was sitting.

The moment the Prince’s hand drew near, the Queen recoiled, her shoulders violently flinching, and dropped her spoon. *Clang——* It struck the serving tray before plummeting to the floor, the sound ringing out exceptionally loud. The silence that instantly followed was just as deafening.

The silence, as if every feigned conversation had been holding its breath all at oncel, converged on the Queen’s deathly pale face, and then on the Prince, who was staring at her with utter indifference.

The blatant panic plastered across her face was proof that the fear she had been so desperately trying to conceal had been unequivocally exposed in that split second.

“——.”

The first person that fear infected was the Prince’s younger brother, the Second Prince, who was sitting directly across from the Prince. He had been cautiously studying Kyan’s face for a while now, barely managing to force his food down his throat.

Isaac suddenly felt a sharp, throbbing sting on his lips and tongue; he swallowed his breath with a frown. It was just yesterday that his lips had been busted and his tongue crushed. It happened immediately after that very Second Prince had come looking for Kyan and left.

The Second Prince, Illian, possessed a gentle and soft-spoken nature, making him a young man beloved by everyone around him. He held the right of succession to the throne right after Kyan, but he had no notable achievements to his name, nor was he particularly ambitious. Because of this, it seemed the position he held was a massive burden to him. Whether he had heard something from those around him or let his own imagination run wild, Illian had visited the Blue Shadow Palace yesterday afternoon, his tension palpably clear.

‘Brother, I plan to depart for my territory soon and spend the rest of my life tending only to my lands. Unless you summon me, I shall never step foot in the capital again.’

Standing behind Kyan, Isaac had looked in confusion at Illian, who was spouting this out of nowhere with a deathly pale face. He had wondered why Illian, who usually feared Kyan so much he wouldn’t even come near the Blue Shadow Palace, had sought him out first to say such things.

‘I…… I truly have no ambition or ulterior motives regarding the high seat. Therefore……, therefore, if you look upon me with displeasure, Brother, please ease your heart……’

It was only when he saw Illian bowing his head so deeply he looked ready to prostrate himself that Isaac finally understood the meaning behind those words.

Illian had come to beg for his life out of sheer terror. He was terrified that Kyan might suspect him of coveting Kyan’s position—even though Kyan had never once shown any such indication.

Isaac had shifted his gaze to Kyan. Kyan was watching Illian with an entirely expressionless face. He silently observed Illian, who was cautiously gauging Kyan’s mood while continuously bowing his head deeper and deeper.

For as long as Isaac had stood by Kyan’s side, he had never once heard Kyan speak of the throne or power. Not once had he ever shown the slightest interest in such things. Yet right now, right before his eyes, someone was trembling in absolute terror over it, bowing their head to him.

‘I do not care.’

Kyan finally spoke.

That one cold sentence was undoubtedly his sincere truth. It would have been best if Illian had heard that answer and promptly backed away. However……

‘Brother, I will truly, truly become your most loyal subject. I beg of you, please do not be wary of me or look upon me with suspicion. Please believe me.’

Illian repeatedly pleaded with Kyan in a desperate tone.

‘Please, please tell me that you will believe me. Brother, if you command it, I will gladly accept even death.’

Illian, trembling with fear, clung to Kyan as he spoke. Kyan’s apathetic gaze fell upon Illian.

Annoying.

That exact emotion flashed across Kyan’s face. It was an emotion akin to mild displeasure, or perhaps irritation. And then,

‘——Prince Kyan.’

Isaac stepped forward to Kyan’s side, calling out in a harsh whisper. Because at that very moment, Kyan’s hand was reaching toward the sword resting beside him. In his usual manner of simply eliminating whatever he deemed annoying or bothersome right in front of his eyes.

‘Prince Kyan, you must not do that.’

It was only after he blurted it out that Isaac realized his mistake. Kyan had slightly raised his eyebrow. Keeping his gaze fixed on Isaac, his hand continued its motion and gripped the sword. Illian’s face drained entirely of color, turning stark white.

‘What do you think I am going to do?’

Kyan asked. His gaze was still directed at Isaac.

‘I apologize.’

Isaac simply answered as such and bowed his head.

Kyan could have harmed Illian. Not because he disliked him or found him threatening, but simply because he was annoying right now. Isaac had thrown away the vague, hopeful expectation that Kyan surely wouldn’t harm his own blood brother.

Kyan stared intensely at Isaac. Looking at Isaac’s hardened face, the corners of Kyan’s mouth suddenly seemed to tighten. At the same time,

‘——.’

Kyan drew his sword. The blade descended straight toward Isaac, slashing diagonally from his shoulder down to his waist. It was quite deep, though not deep enough to be fatal.

The stench of blood instantly flared in the air. Isaac’s breath hitched, and he collapsed to his knees right where he stood. His heart pounded wildly against the fiery, burning agony. Drops of blood fell with a splat, splat.

Looking down at Isaac, who was enduring the pain while gasping for rough breaths, Kyan flicked his sword clean. Even with drops of Isaac’s blood splattering onto his face, Illian was completely frozen in place, trembling violently without even the thought to wipe it away.

Casually wiping the blade on a cushion, Kyan turned his gaze back to Illian. Illian visibly flinched, his lips barely parting to stammer, ‘B-brother……, Brother……, please……, please……’

‘I do not care whether you harbor greed for it or not. Furthermore, if there is something I desire, whether it is what it is, whether it is yours, or whoever’s it may be, I will take it. It is impossible for you to steal what I intend to take, and if it is something I do not care for, it matters not whether you have it or not.’

Kyan’s calm words were neither a declaration nor a threat. He was simply informing him of an absolute, undeniable truth.

‘Leave.’

At Kyan’s word, Illian hesitated for a moment but stood up without saying anything more. He had realized that Isaac, bleeding profusely and enduring the pain, had paid the price in his stead. And that if he stubbornly remained any longer, the blade would truly fall upon his own neck this time.

After the deathly pale Illian hurriedly fled, Kyan looked back at Isaac. The cats, who had been lying on the windowsill basking in the sun, had run over at some point and were frantically licking Isaac’s wound.

‘Child of a witch. Do not step out of your place so presumptuously.’

The Prince said. The slow, chilling words were a direct threat.

‘——I had to step forward.’

Isaac spoke. It was a hushed whisper, but it surely reached the Prince’s ears. The Prince looked down at Isaac without a word.

‘You should be reprimanding those who did not step forward.’

He had to have done it. At the very least, in a situation where an older brother might harm his younger brother, someone had to block his path.

Isaac raised his head and looked straight at the Prince, and the Prince looked back at Isaac. Suddenly, the Prince’s brow seemed to twitch faintly. Right, I knew you were this kind of bastard, it seemed to say.

The Prince grabbed Isaac by the throat. *Crack,* a sound of bone popped.

‘Child of a witch. Just for the blood flowing in your veins, you are a hateful breed that deserves to be torn to shreds a hundred times over. Yet your tongue wags without the slightest hesitation.’

The Prince’s coldly sunken eyes stared at Isaac from point-blank range. Eyes as shockingly blue as frozen ice.

‘Do you think you won’t die?’

‘Haven’t I already died several times over?’

Isaac barely forced the words out through his constricted throat.

Even now.

Even now, blood was endlessly pouring from the wound where the Prince’s sword had struck; if these cats hadn’t been licking it, he wouldn’t have been able to move properly for a long while.

The Prince stared at Isaac as if he were going to pierce a hole through him. Then, his hand, which had been crushing Isaac’s throat, slowly slid up and touched Isaac’s lips. The moment those fingertips made contact, Isaac flinched and clamped his lips shut tight. But as if he didn’t care in the slightest, the finger that had stopped there forcefully dug its way between Isaac’s lips. The Prince’s fingers pushed into his mouth.

As if stroking it, or perhaps checking the sensation with his fingertips, the fingers pressed firmly down on Isaac’s tongue. The chillingly foreign sensation of something alive burrowing into his mouth——followed by,

‘You would do well to keep your tongue tightly guarded.’

Along with the low whisper, came the sensation of flesh being brutally crushed. Crunch.

He had merely crushed the tongue using two fingers. However, that terrifying strength was more than enough to mangle a small piece of flesh. Unknowingly letting out a muffled groan, Isaac wrenched the hand away.

The Prince let go easily. Numb and completely stripped of sensation, the pain was so profound he wondered if he might never be able to use his tongue properly again. Unable to even close his mouth, Isaac looked up at the Prince. Taking a step back, the Prince stared right back at Isaac.

‘You seem to have some hidden backing that allows you to flap your tongue so recklessly, but do not forget. I am leaving your life attached to you for now, but as long as you are a witch, you can die by my hand at any moment.’

It was a clear warning. Not a simple threat, but a warning spoken as absolute truth.

It was something Isaac already knew, yet the reason those words carved themselves so vividly into his chest like a driven nail was because of the faint hatred seeping through his voice just by uttering the word ‘witch’.

His heart felt heavy because he was disheartened. Dropping his shoulders in despondency and gloom, Isaac turned away and muttered to the Prince’s back as if to say his piece anyway.

‘…… Even if I cannot use my tongue, I will speak when I must.’

Through his crushed tongue, his pronunciation was terribly slurred. The words flowed out low and hazy, like a groan. Because of that, perhaps the Prince hadn’t heard him. The Prince seemed to pause his steps for a very brief second, but he didn’t look back, and Isaac simply shut his mouth in melancholy.

That was exactly what had happened yesterday.

At first, he had been able to speak somewhat, but as time passed, his tongue swelled up so much that now he couldn’t even pronounce simple words properly. It was painful to even put anything in his mouth, so he had eaten almost nothing all day today.

Still, standing guard behind the royal family’s banquet, the reason Isaac wasn’t staring enviously at their exquisite delicacies was, firstly, because the lingering metallic taste of blood in his mouth completely killed his appetite, and secondly, because of the impossibly tense atmosphere of the banquet.

The atmosphere, where everyone walked on eggshells and acted overly cautious just because Prince Kyan was present, wasn’t exclusive to today. It was almost always like this wherever he was. However, the reason the air was exceptionally rigid today was likely heavily influenced by Illian’s visit to Kyan yesterday.

As if terrified of waking a sleeping beast, no one wanted to unnecessarily provoke him, wondering if his mood might have been worsened by yesterday’s events.

Amidst this, the Queen’s complexion had been pale and sickly even before the meal began. She couldn’t look the Prince in the eye properly, and occasionally, when the Prince said something, she would avert her gaze and barely manage a stuttered, brief reply.

The Queen had always feared Prince Kyan. Unlike her benevolent treatment of her own biological children, the other princes and princesses beneath him, she feared and acted exceptionally carefully around Kyan, treating him like some sacred, or ominous, entity. The King, though he showed it less outwardly than the Queen, felt much the same.

And this was entirely unsurprising, especially now, after the massacre at the Blue Shadow Palace, which was believed to have been touched by something inhuman. Therefore, when the Prince suddenly reached his hand toward the Queen, it wasn’t particularly strange that she jolted in terror and dropped her spoon——.

“…….”

The spoon the Queen dropped seemed to shatter the thin veneer of hypocrisy draped over the room. The truth they had all been desperately trying to look away from. Even as they acted and conversed with feigned composure as if nothing was wrong, the reality that every single one of them shunned and feared one man – Kyan – was laid bare in the deathly silence.

The pale Queen’s face drained entirely white in an instant. The way she hastily dropped her gaze, looking at the Prince as if she had committed a blasphemous crime and feared divine punishment, was not the look of a mother looking at her son.

No one said a word to her, or to the Prince. Not a light reprimand, not a word to smooth things over, not even blame or comfort. It was as if everyone were silently agreeing with her, merely stealing glances at the Prince. As if they and the Prince were standing on opposite ends of a standoff.

The Prince, who had paused his reaching hand, stared blankly at the Queen for a very brief moment. Soon, he casually picked up the salt shaker that had been sitting in front of her, sprinkled a little on his plate, and resumed eating as if absolutely nothing had happened.

“Haha……, it seems the seasoning is a bit bland today.”

“Someone bring a new spoon here, quickly.”

“Please bring a blanket for her knees as well. It seems the Queen Mother is cold. Her complexion is……. Well, the weather has suddenly gotten chilly lately, so it’s quite cold in the mornings and evenings now.”

Amidst the hasty, overlapping words of people trying to cover it up, the silence was awkwardly and unnaturally dispersed piece by piece. However, the sense of alienation that had crystallized in that single moment completely dominated the space.

He and they were sitting in the same place, yet they were in completely different worlds.

Because that reality was so painfully visible to the eye——.

“Isaac? ……Does it hurt a lot?”

It was only upon hearing Selvero whisper that Isaac realized he was tightly clenching his jaw. Belatedly tasting the throbbing pain in his tongue all over again, he grimaced and brought a hand to his mouth.

He already knew. It wasn’t anything new. Everyone feared him. Everyone. And now, even more so than before.

“You seem to constantly get hurt working at the Blue Shadow Palace. You were completely unconscious until a few days ago too…….”

Selvero looked at Isaac sympathetically and spoke in a hushed tone.

“I mean, it’s great that you’re working a stable job with high pay at the royal palace, but how can you stay somewhere so dangerous? You should think about quitting the guard.”

“I can’t quit.”

Isaac shook his head. Selvero, thinking Isaac could just quit if he wanted to, said, If you can’t, you can’t, but he didn’t know the reality. With his identity already exposed, there was no way Isaac could ever escape from under the Prince’s thumb. If he could have escaped, he would have done so long ago.

“…….”

‘But would I have quit……?’

Leaving that man to sit utterly alone among all these people.

Standing so far apart from the very people who should be the closest to him in the world.

‘I probably wouldn’t have.’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the simultaneous question was ‘Why?’ And the words that could serve as the answer surfaced as well.

Sympathy. Pity. Compassion.

None of them fit. They seemed vaguely similar, but they weren’t quite right. Yet, for some reason, even though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact feeling, he knew this much with absolute certainty: For whatever inexplicable reason, Isaac felt he wouldn’t quit working by his side of his own free will.

“The weather has indeed gotten quite chilly.”

The Prince abruptly spoke up just as the meal was nearing its end. As he, who usually barely spoke a word, opened his mouth for such a mundane comment, everyone simultaneously fell silent and looked at him.

“Haha, well, summer has completely passed after all. If you are bothered by it, I shall instruct the court mages to cast a warming spell over the Blue Shadow Palace right away…….”

The King asked for the Prince’s intention. The Prince, who had been looking out the window, shifted his gaze back to him after a moment. And spoke casually.

“I am thinking of spending some time at the Heilen Villa. Will you grant me permission?”

The silence was short but deep.

The Heilen Villa.

It was a resort located a full day’s ride by horse southwest from the capital. Geographically, the weather there was mild all four seasons, making it a popular destination for the royal family to escape the freezing months. Though the weather in the capital wasn’t quite cold enough to warrant such a trip yet, the Prince was suddenly declaring that he wanted to leave and go far away from them.

Amidst the people who couldn’t utter a word and just darted their eyes around, the King showed a brief flash of fluster before quickly clearing his throat and nodding his head.

“Of course, if it is what you wish, where in this kingdom could you not stay? Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

The Prince replied shortly, and that was the end of it. Drinking his post-meal tea, he said nothing more, and the people, who were quietly making eye contact with each other, began to chime in one by one. “Heilen is a wonderful place.” “It’s warm and peaceful, the perfect place to spend the colder seasons.” “Yes, Heilen is beautiful.” Even the pale face of the Queen, who nodded and whispered her agreement, and the face of the Second Prince sitting across from her, recovered a tiny fraction of their color.

And standing behind them all, Isaac watched only the Prince.

Drinking his tea with an expressionless, slightly bored face, there was absolutely nothing different about him from usual.

Isaac’s chest grew heavy. Even the breath he unknowingly exhaled sank heavily. Isaac quietly placed a hand over his chest and rubbed it.

Among them, there was no one who would stop him, no one who would miss him, no one who wanted to be with him. It wasn’t surprising, and there was nothing that could be done about it. Still, unable to shake off the heavy feeling settling over him, Isaac closed his mouth bitterly.

At that moment, the Prince suddenly looked back. Their eyes met.

“——.”

As if pinned down by the piercing blue eyes staring straight at him, Isaac couldn’t move a muscle and stared back. Slowly sweeping over Isaac’s face, he had no idea what the Prince’s gaze was searching for.

The Prince’s eyes did not leave Isaac. The gaze, staring so intently it bordered on blatant, caused even the others to subtly cast questioning glances at Isaac.

Why is he looking at me like that? While Isaac blinked, desperately trying to hide his fluster, the Prince slowly drank his tea, keeping his eyes fixed on Isaac’s face, and only withdrew his gaze after swallowing the very last sip.

“I will excuse myself first.”

Leaving those words behind, he set down his teacup and stood up. From the people behind him, only a few clumsy words of farewell followed. As the Prince walked toward the side where Isaac was standing near the door, he seemed to slow his steps for a very brief moment right in front of him. Looking as though he might glance at Isaac once more, the Prince brushed past him without doing so, and Isaac, who had stood frozen for a second, quickly followed after him only after he was a few steps away.

Then suddenly,

‘——I thought you would be making a face like that.’

Isaac felt like the Prince had mumbled that. However, the words flowed by so fast and fleetingly that perhaps he had heard wrong. Isaac rubbed his own face and continued to follow behind the Prince.

“We leave for Heilen early tomorrow.”

“Pawdon? You meen… tomowwow?” (“Pardon? You mean…… tomorrow?”)

As they left the banquet hall and walked down the corridor, Isaac was startled by the Prince’s words and asked for clarification.

He had only just heard the plan to go to Heilen moments ago, but to leave tomorrow. Even for a day trip, one would prepare days in advance. To head out to stay at a villa for an extended period, yet leave as hastily as roasting beans over lightning—it was unheard of.

But the Prince was not one to speak empty words or misspeak; it seemed the servants would have to stay up all night packing. That included Isaac.

Knowing there was no time to pack properly, Isaac was mentally listing the essential items he needed to grab when the Prince, who had been walking while looking only forward, suddenly stopped and looked back at him. Isaac also stopped in his tracks and looked at him quizzically.

“Do those cats not have the talent to heal a tongue?”

“Pawdon? Ah……, weww, I zuppose ‘ey couwd, but……, I dun nawt wan ta get bettew if it meens habing ‘ose punks wick me tunge……” (“Pardon? Ah……, well, I suppose they could, but……, I do not want to get better if it means having those punks lick my tongue.”)

His pronunciation was terrible, and eating was painful, making it inconvenient in many ways, but he absolutely did not want to stick his tongue out and ask the cats to lick it. Whether the Prince understood this or not, he gave a small nod. After a brief silence, he mumbled, “It’s going to take a while.” It sounded slightly reluctant, but as he turned and resumed walking, Isaac couldn’t read his back to know for sure.

“There is no need to pack separately; just send word to Heilen ahead of time. Everything you need will be there. The servants do not need to accompany us either.”

“Ten are you panning tu gow a’one?” (“Then are you planning to go alone?”)

Realizing the faces of the servants who would have been frantically busy starting tomorrow, Isaac, counting them on his fingers, suddenly found himself face-to-face with the Prince, who had turned back around. Isaac stopped walking again.

“You are going, witch.”

“…… Ya-es…….” (“…… Yes……”)

Right, come to think of it, he was the painkiller……, and the Dark Moon wasn’t far off either. Recalling the things he had to prepare overnight, the appointments and schedules he had to cancel over the next few days, Isaac felt bleak for a moment, but obediently nodded his head. Even if he resisted, he would just be dragged along anyway; there was no point fighting it. Besides,

“I ‘ill gad-ly fol-low yu.” (“I’ll gladly follow you”)

Even though the pronunciation was slurred and leaking air, the reason he answered so firmly was because those words were sincere. He felt that he had to follow rather than let the Prince go alone.

The Prince stared intensely at Isaac. As if searching for something bizarre in that face, the Prince, after staring for a while, nodded without a word. As he turned and walked away, his steps were a little slower than before.