Chapter 37

Seunet never says he's serious about anything unless it's really important. If he says something like that, there must be something that needs to be dealt with immediately.

"Alright."

Rathil nodded and quickly got up.

"Let's go."

As Rathil went out, Klein's attendant stood there with a worried look on his face. He seemed anxious, wondering what was going on since the Knight Commander had suddenly gone inside. When the Emperor came out with him, the attendant was surprised and grabbed Rathil.

"Your Majesty, if you leave now…."

But the Knight Commander's icy gaze prevented the attendant from finishing his sentence.

"Take good care of Klein."

"Excuse me?"

"I have urgent business and need to leave in a hurry. Klein is in the bathroom now, so when he comes out, you comfort him."

"But…."

Since Klein had been waiting for the Emperor ever since they arrived, the attendant looked at Rathil pleadingly, but the Emperor left with the Knight Commander, leaving the attendant and Axian behind. They exchanged glances and then hurriedly went into the room. Klein had not come out yet. The attendant was unsure whether to tell Klein the Emperor had left or to wait, and he nervously tapped his foot. A moment later, the door slowly opened, and Klein appeared from the bathroom. Perhaps because he had just washed his face, he looked even more handsome with his damp hair sticking to his head. Moreover, a faint, sweet fruit scent wafted from his body, as if he had sprayed perfume inside. Klein came out in a loose bathrobe, and the attendant almost cried.

"What? Why are you here?"

Klein, still unaware of the situation, looked at the attendant and Axian in confusion.

"Where is His Majesty?"

His gaze turned to the bed where Rathil had been waiting. But there was no one on the bed. Only a teddy bear with a tag that read 'His Majesty 2' was sitting where she had been. Klein asked in a pale voice.

"Did he get angry and leave because of this? Is that it?"

"No, Your Highness. His Majesty had to leave due to an urgent matter."

"An urgent matter?"

Klein asked with a bewildered look.

"What could be so urgent that he would leave me in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know. But seeing the Knight Commander personally escort His Majesty, it seemed to be a very, very urgent matter."

It didn't seem that urgent, but the attendant exaggerated a bit to lessen Klein's hurt.

"…."

But Klein's eyes already betrayed his hurt. In his mind, instead of thinking about the 'very urgent matter,' he only saw the Knight Commander's handsome face always following Rathil. Klein clenched his fists and stared at the empty bed, then threw off his bathrobe and went back into the bathroom.

"Your Majesty!"

"I'm going to take a bath. Don't come in."

"You just took a bath… Yes."

Klein went into the bathroom, closed the door firmly, and crouched down, burying his face in his knees. His eyes stung, and his heart felt like uncooked dough, heavy and raw.

* * *

Unaware of how long Klein had been waiting and how disappointed he was, Rathil quickly left the donut-shaped harem building and asked Seunet.

"What's the urgent matter?"

"High Priest Hitra was murdered."

"!"

Rathil had guessed it was something serious, but what Seunet said was even worse than expected. Rathil stopped abruptly and turned to Seunet.

"Who was murdered?"

"…High Priest Hitra was murdered."

High Priest Hitra had come to the palace at Rathil's request that afternoon. That afternoon. And now he was murdered? He hadn't even left the capital yet, had he? Or maybe he was still in the capital?

"Where? By whom? Who's the culprit?"

Seunet pointed down the road.

"I'll tell you on the way."

Given the location, it wasn't a good place to discuss such matters. Rathil nodded and started walking.

"The priest was murdered about 15 minutes after leaving the capital by carriage."

"Was it a black mage?"

"There were no signs of black magic on the body. The driver and the attendant were all killed, so the identity of the culprit is unknown. And…"

"What else?"

"The letter His Majesty gave to the High Priest to deliver to the High Priestess is missing."

In the long corridor leading back to the office, Rathil stopped again.

"The letter you asked the High Priest to deliver to the High Priestess?"

"Yes."

As soon as Rathil entered the office, he roughly pulled out a chair and sat down, then called for the Chief Steward. He remained silent, lost in thought, until the Chief Steward arrived. After about 30 minutes, Rathil slowly spoke.

"At least this is clear. The culprit doesn't want me to call the High Priestess."

The Chief Steward, who had been waiting for Rathil to come out of his thoughts, quickly asked.

"Are the black mages related to the assassins of the late Emperor?"

Rathil shook his head.

"It's hard to say. If they were the assassins, they could just stay hidden. Why would they reveal themselves to me?"

Even if they did reveal themselves, it was always in bizarre ways, like desecrating graves, writing letters blaming the Emperor's death on him, or sending fake culprits. Why would they do such things if they were surrounded by enemies?

"Then they're not related to the assassins of the Emperor?"

"I can't be sure. There are madmen who enjoy spreading their evil deeds. Or maybe it's a signal that 'we're back' from a group that was once wiped out…."

Considering all possibilities, he couldn't come to a conclusion.

'There's a separate assassin, and the black mages are involved? No, Tella mentioned the name. Could Tella have teamed up with the black mages? Tella might have misunderstood and thought I killed her father and is seeking revenge… No, Tella is dead.'

Even though they had a bad relationship, Tella would have known that the longer her father lived and the longer she stayed as the princess, the more advantageous it would be for her. Despite their bad relationship, Rathil didn't think Tella was so stupid as to not realize this.

'Then who is it?'

The Chief Steward and Seunet offered various opinions, but none seemed convincing. Rathil ordered them to find the culprit but instinctively felt they wouldn't succeed. The fact that the culprit waited for the High Priest to leave the capital and then killed him in a deserted area showed how well-prepared they were.

"First."

After a long moment of thought, Rathil spoke again, and the Chief Steward and Seunet, who had been discussing the investigation, looked at him.

"We need to call the High Priestess. The enemies killed High Priest Hitra to prevent this, so we need to do it."

"You're right."

The Chief Steward agreed but asked worriedly.

"But the High Priest said no one knows the High Priestess's location…"

"We don't know."

"?"

"But the High Priestess herself would know, right?"

"Surely… Your Majesty?"

"Announce that Emperor Latrasil is inviting the High Priestess, and make it public."

Seunet was surprised.

"Then the culprit who killed the High Priest might target Your Majesty?"

Rathil chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"They stole the letter I wrote. They already know I'm looking for the High Priestess."

* * *

The next day, following Rathil's order, a public notice to find the High Priestess was posted throughout the country. Although Rathil didn't mention black mages, curses, or assassinations to avoid causing panic, he believed the High Priestess would already know about High Priest Hitra's murder. A person who hides their identity wouldn't leave the few people who know their true identity unattended. Therefore, Rathil also considered the possibility that the High Priestess might hide and not respond to his call.

"Have the people rumored to be black mages been caught?"

"Not yet."

While waiting for the High Priestess and dealing with the unexpected black mage issue, Rathil completely forgot about the day he went to Klein's room and left without a word. However, Klein was still suffering from that day.

* * *

Since arriving in the Tariyum Empire, Klein had experienced a series of unpleasant events. Lananwen had said unpleasant things to him, he had been drenched by water from Gestar, and Gestar's attendant had scolded him harshly after his master was drenched. The precious amulet he had bought was lost, and he lost the task of preparing the coronation celebration to Gestar and a sleep-deprived man. A few days ago, the Emperor had come to his room, gone into the bathroom, and left without a word. Again. Again. Again. Just like in Carisen, he had left without a word, and this time, he left his room without a word. Klein was known to have a bad temper, but he had been trying to control it since coming to this country. As these unpleasant events accumulated, Klein's patience grew thinner, and he was on the verge of snapping at the slightest provocation.

'Please, no one should provoke our prince…'

Klein's attendant lived each day as if walking on a tightrope over a cliff. But one day, someone finally shook that rope. It was a hot and sunny day. Klein was sulking in his room, and his attendant and Axian tried to cheer him up by taking him outside for a walk.

"Let's take a stroll in the garden."

"Prince, staying in here won't help. If you stay in, you won't be seen by His Majesty."

They managed to get Klein out and were slowly walking along the donut-shaped building when they saw Gestar and his attendant walking towards them. As the saying goes, enemies meet on a narrow bridge, and Klein and Gestar indeed met on a narrow path. Since they had a bad relationship since entering the palace, Klein, Gestar, and their attendants all had tense expressions as they looked at each other.

"Move."

Fortunately, Klein didn't have the energy to fight this time and just waved his hand.

"Get lost."

Although he was weaker than usual, his words were still harsh. But Gestar didn't move or leave.

"I heard that His Majesty came to see you and left after just five minutes… Klein, you look pale. Is it because of that…?"

Instead of backing off, Gestar's soft voice stirred Klein's wound, making his forehead veins pop.

"What?"

"…But Klein, you are very handsome, so His Majesty will come to see you soon. Don't be too disappointed."

Gestar then moved aside, speaking in a gentle, soothing voice, but to Klein, it sounded as terrible as nails on a chalkboard. The thin rope in Klein's mind had already snapped.

"This brat is mocking me!"

* * *

When Rathil came to the harem to ask Tashir about the black mage issue, he saw a shocking scene and let out a short, bitter laugh.

"Is this troublemaker really… a calf?"

Klein was pulling Gestar's hair, and Gestar was almost being strangled. Gestar's attendant, Tri, was screaming and trying to pull Klein off, but was blocked by Klein's guard, Axian, and couldn't even touch Gestar's clothes.

"Prince, no, Prince, hit him where no one can see!"

Klein's guard was trying to stop his master but was only making things worse.

"Klein!"

Rathil's cold voice made the five of them quickly let go of each other. Rathil's head was also aching from all the events. Seeing Klein, his ex-boyfriend's brother, causing trouble, Rathil was very angry. Although he didn't openly show his anger like Klein, his eyes were darker than usual.

"Gestar's attendant, take your master away."

To avoid humiliating Klein in front of Gestar, Rathil first ordered Gestar and his attendant to leave. As soon as the Emperor gave the order, Tri quickly helped Gestar move away. Once they were out of sight, Rathil asked Klein in a cold voice.

"Do you have no self-control? What are you doing where everyone can see? Why are you pulling someone's hair?"

"But that snake was mocking me!"

"Then mock back! Use your words, not your fists!"

"I…!"

"If you can't, go back. I brought a concubine, not a troublemaker. I don't need a troublemaker like you. Pack your bags and go back to your country."

"!"