Chapter 38

"Prince... Are you really packing your bags?"

As Klein threw clothes into the large bag haphazardly, the servant Vanil awkwardly waved his hands in the air and groaned.

"His Majesty didn't really mean for you to leave, did he?"

Klein put down the bag and shouted with a red face.

"Go, I said!"

"That... Of course, he said to go, but..."

"Pack your bags and go back, I said!"

"That... Of course, he said that, but..."

"If you tell me to go, I'll go. I don't like people who say goodbye so easily."

As the expensive clothes in the bag got wrinkled, Vanil couldn't help but groan. He anxiously tapped his foot and quickly signaled to Axian, who was standing beside him, to do something.

"Prince."

Under that fierce gaze, Axian finally stepped forward to stop Klein.

"His Majesty must have said it in a fit of anger."

"Of course, he did!"

"!"

"Even so, I'm going. When I leave, His Majesty will regret his rash words. I won't come back until he sends five envoys to apologize!"

"So you do plan to come back."

"Shut up!"

When Klein also packed the Emperor2 doll, Vanil urgently patted Axian's back. Do something, quickly, quickly. Axian had no choice but to step in again.

"Prince."

Originally, he wanted to say, "Calm down." But seeing that Klein wouldn't calm down easily, Axian decided to take a strong measure, even if it meant getting on Klein's bad side.

"If you leave like this, Emperor Hains will be in a difficult position."

Hearing this, Klein, as expected, stopped his actions and turned his head sharply. His eyes shot out sharp, fierce glares. Axian, while taking out the Emperor2 doll from Klein's bag, explained as calmly as possible.

"Prince, you are not just a concubine. You came here for the diplomatic relations between the two countries, didn't you?"

"No."

"…Emperor Hains must have sent you for that reason. But if you leave like this, it will put Karisen in a difficult position."

Klein, though not well-educated, was not stupid and understood Axian's words. As Klein, who had been moving busily, stopped and looked at him, Axian, after hesitating, handed the Emperor2 doll back to Klein.

"For the same reason, Emperor Latrasil cannot simply chase you away."

"Then..."

"Let's wait and see for now."

* * *

After walking around the garden a few times to calm down, Latil finally walked to Tahir's room. A few guards followed him and, when his expression eased, one of them asked cautiously.

"Your Majesty, is it alright to speak to Prince Klein like that?"

Though the voice was cautious, the guard didn't seem overly worried. Latil answered firmly.

"It's better to give him a stern warning. I've seen him hit someone twice, and that was just in front of me. How many times does he hit people when no one is looking?"

"Surprisingly, he hit someone twice, and both times were discovered."

"Is that even possible?"

When Latil asked, the guard thought for a moment and then laughed.

"It's unlikely, but possible."

While they were talking, Latil arrived at Tahir's room. Since he had come without prior notice, no one was waiting outside Tahir's room.

"Your Majesty!"

The guard who Tahir had brought with him rushed out into the corridor and was so surprised to see Latil that he almost ran on the spot.

"Where is Tahir?"

"He's inside. Sub-leader!"

The guard called out to the inside, and soon Tahir appeared, asking, "Why?" When the guard pointed to Latil, Tahir's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then narrowed.

"It's a pleasure to see you at this hour, Your Majesty."

* * *

This was the first time Latil had come to Tahir's room. He entered without thinking and was surprised by the unexpected scenery. Tahir's room looked more like a scholar's room than a concubine's, filled with books and studies.

"What's all this?"

Latil asked, looking at the books packed tightly in the bookshelf. Tahir, holding a teacup, approached and answered.

"These are books related to the merchant business. I may not be the heir to the merchant house forever, but I need to keep up with new information."

This room matched the intellectual Tahir Latil had imagined before meeting him in person and thinking, "He looks like a drug dealer." Latil found it amusing and chuckled, but then realized it wasn't the time and quickly sat down in the chair in the center.

"Did you find out what I asked you to?"

"Not about the banquet, right? It's about Prince Tella?"

"Yeah."

"Currently, there's no significant connection between Prince Tella and the late Emperor."

Tahir added regretfully.

"I wanted to resolve it quickly and ask for your favor, but it's still far from that."

He lifted the collar of his clothes slightly with two fingers and exaggeratedly flapped it, almost making Latil laugh. But the fight with Klein earlier stopped Latil's smile. Besides, he had come for a more important reason than fooling around with a concubine.

"Tahir, you've seen a lot working in the Black Forest, haven't you?"

"Countless times."

"Do you know anything about black mages or that kind of thing?"

"What I know, Your Majesty already knows. It's been 500 years since black mages disappeared, hasn't it?"

'Sure, everyone would say that.'

But when Latil asked a few more questions and got up to leave, Tahir said something completely unexpected.

"Prince Klein has been mocked a lot because Your Majesty visited him at night and left after five minutes."

When Latil looked at him with a "Why are you telling me this?" expression, Tahir shrugged.

"The story of Your Majesty telling Prince Klein to get lost has already reached here."

"Already reached here, already found out?"

"This time, it's the former."

"..."

"That night, Prince Klein cried in the garden all night. Because of that, everyone knows that Your Majesty left him."

"!"

"Prince Klein hitting Gestah was wrong, but with the recent talisman incident and other events, he must have been out of his mind, Your Majesty."

Latil looked at Tahir with interest. If Gestah had said this, it would have been expected, but it was amusing coming from Tahir. He didn't seem like someone who would defend others.

"Prince Klein must have reflected a lot on this incident, so please forgive him just once."

* * *

As soon as Latil left, Tahir's subordinate, Hyeran, grabbed his head and twisted his body.

"Sub-leader, are you crazy? There are only two concubines who haven't been with the Emperor! One of them is you! Who is helping whom?"

"So what? I just told the truth."

"You asked for forgiveness on his behalf!"

Hyeran, like a mad wild boar, rushed around the room and then collapsed, hitting the carpet and saying, "Oh, oh."

"Where did you get the audacity to suddenly become a gentle concubine? Sub-leader, your audacity is your charm! It's your only charm! If you act gentle, people will only think, 'What's this guy up to?'"

"..."

When Tahir stared at him, Hyeran quickly changed his words.

"Because you're too handsome. You look gentle because you're too handsome."

Tahir clicked his tongue and walked to the armchair, sitting down.

"Use your head."

"Yes, I'll use my head, but please use your body, Sub-leader! Take off your clothes and show the Emperor that amazing body! I'll tear your clothes for you! Make them come off naturally in front of the Emperor!"

Tahir clicked his tongue, looking at his half-crazy subordinate. This guy is efficient at work, but he breaks down immediately when things don't go his way.

"Hyeran, I have two reasons for helping the Prince. Calm down and listen."

"What are they? How can there be two reasons to help such a handsome rival?"

"I told you. I want to get close to Prince Klein to understand Emperor Hains' character."

"Oh...! That's right."

"So, what should you do from today?"

"Complain to the other concubines. Say that our Sub-leader, who isn't close to Prince Klein, is asking the Emperor to forgive him."

"Good. You're back to your senses."

"Then what's the second reason?"

"I told you. Gestah seems gentle, but he's actually very calculating."

"Yes."

"Such a snake-like personality is always looking for prey. To create the image he wants, he needs someone to stand out against."

"Right..."

"If Prince Klein is gone, he'll probably target the next person who reveals his true nature."

"!"

"So, I need to protect the Prince."

When Tahir finished explaining, Hyeran snapped back to his senses and gave a thumbs up.

"Amazing, Sub-leader! You're truly brilliant! I was foolish to worry that you were becoming too nice!"

"Right. Now, do something."

"Bring tea? Coffee? Snacks? Cake? Sugar is necessary for the brain to function, right?"

"Since you said you can make my clothes come off naturally in front of the Emperor, do it."

"!"

* * *

Although he returned to his office for work, Latil kept thinking about what Tahir had said. In fact, Latil had forgotten about leaving Klein. But when Tahir pointed it out and mentioned that Klein had cried all night, Latil felt guilty. Klein, who seemed to have a strong sense of pride, must have been deeply shocked to cry in the garden. In the end, after much thought, Latil instructed his secretary.

"Make a bouquet of morning glories from the greenhouse. Make the packaging bright and add a pretty, shiny ribbon."

That evening, Latil went to see Klein with a large bouquet.

'Hmm?'

But when he arrived at Klein's door, his servant was not there. Other concubines had their servants waiting or came out themselves.

"Was the message that I'm coming delivered correctly?"

When Latil asked the servant he had sent, the servant bowed hurriedly.

"I clearly informed that Your Majesty would come around 9 PM."

"Then why isn't the servant here?"

"That... I don't know."

The servant couldn't explain, and a guard who had taken over from Seunut to protect Latil that night spoke cautiously.

"Maybe he's asleep?"

"With the servant?"

Latil tilted his head and looked down at the white bouquet he was holding. * * *

At that moment, Klein was pressed against the door, listening intently. His eyes were wide open, and he was not missing a single word of the conversation outside. Klein smiled happily when he heard Latil's voice.

"Maybe you should just open the door..."

Vanil, finding the action meaningless, muttered anxiously, but Klein ignored him.

"Prince, what if His Majesty just leaves...?"

"Impossible. He'll knock."

"..."

"He might say, 'You seem tired, I'll come back later.'"

Still, Klein stubbornly kept his ear to the door, waiting for Latil to knock. Then he planned to rush to the bed and pretend to be asleep. He needed to show Latil that he wasn't an easy man to handle. Klein smiled, thinking that his sleeping face would be so beautiful that the Emperor would regret his harsh words. But at that moment, an unexpected voice reached Klein's ears.

"Your Majesty, we have urgent and important information to report."

"Sir Seunut? What is it?"

"This is not something I can say here."

Klein's eyes widened. Seunut? Didn't this guy take the Emperor away from his room before, saying there was an emergency? He's back?

'That guy?'

Klein couldn't hold it in any longer and opened the door with a bang.

"Your Majesty!"