Chapter 80

"Your Majesty?"

As he stood there, the merchant hesitantly spoke from behind. Haysin quickly turned around. However, due to the shock of the statue saying "It's me, Latil" earlier, his face was sterner than usual. Although his expression was not meant to scold the merchant, it appeared to the already nervous merchant as if he was being reprimanded. This won't do. It's better to be honest. Eventually, the merchant, feeling guilty and fearing the future, decided to come clean.

"Actually, Your Majesty. The statue I prepared is not this one. It seems there was a mix-up somewhere along the way."

"Mistake?"

"Yes. I'll bring the original one back, so please don't be angry..."

But before he could finish, Haysin, with a serious face, interrupted the merchant.

"Enough. I like this one."

"Really?"

Really? This one? The merchant was surprised and looked at the statue. It was indeed a lively statue, but... no, had the statue's expression changed a bit? Was it because the emperor had said it seemed to move? The merchant also thought the statue's expression had changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, this statue-"

Haysin quickly turned the merchant's chin towards him.

"Your Majesty..."

When the emperor firmly held his chin and made eye contact, the merchant was startled as if his heart had dropped. The emperor had a beautiful face like an elf from a dark forest, with deep eyes. A face that left anyone who met his gaze speechless.

"I'll use this one."

With that commanding look, the merchant nodded without thinking. Not just the merchant, but anyone in front of Haysin at that moment would have dared not to refuse. As the merchant, half-entranced, accepted, Haysin released his chin and instructed his attendant.

"This statue will help me concentrate better in my room. Move it there."

The attendant looked surprised, as if to say, "This one?" but Haysin, instead of answering, quickly covered the statue with a cloth again and muttered.

"It shouldn't get dusty."

'Thanks, Haysin. I thought my jaw was going to fall off.'

Latil sighed under the cloth.

'At least I managed to get through it somehow.'

* * *

While the servants carried the statue, or rather Latil, to Haysin's study, Latil had to tense his toes to keep from falling. Even if he fell, it wasn't a great height, but his pride would surely be shattered, so he did his best to maintain his balance. Fortunately, Latil didn't fall until he was safely inside the study. It was a result of a lifetime of diligent training.

"Is the statue usually this heavy?"

"Isn't it light for a statue?"

"I don't know. It's the first time I've carried one. But it's really heavy. My hands are shaking."

"It's made of stone, so it is."

As the servants grumbled and closed the study door, Latil cautiously lifted the cloth Haysin had covered him with and peeked out. No one? The door was properly closed.

'Good. I can come out now.'

Even trying to find the most comfortable position, pretending to be a statue was more exhausting than running 50 laps around the training ground. Latil quickly pushed the suffocating cloth aside, sighed, and crouched down to look around the study.

'The study is decorated just like him. ...But when will Haysin come?'

After waiting for about 10 minutes, the door finally opened, and Latil reflexively looked up...

'Who is it?'

Startled, he resumed his statue pose. The person who entered was someone he didn't recognize.

'He's carrying a lot. Is he Haysin's secretary?'

The secretary initially ignored the statue and focused on his work, but eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and he approached Latil, clicking his tongue.

"Goodness. The emperor wants this statue in his study?"

"..."

"Why put a crouching statue behind the desk? Then only the statue's head is visible, isn't it?"

As the secretary shook his head and left, Latil sighed and stood up. But less than three minutes later, someone else opened the door and entered. This time, it was a maid with cleaning tools.

'Damn, Haysin!'

Had they been talking about the statue among themselves? The maid kept looking at Latil while tidying the desk.

"Is this the statue the emperor fell in love with at first sight?"

The maid was so curious that she even leaned in to look closely, so Latil had to hold his breath.

"I don't see anything special. Is my aesthetic sense lacking, or is the emperor's extraordinary? The dancing statue from last season was much better, wasn't it? This one just stands there."

After the maid left, Latil clenched his teeth and quietly cursed Haysin. Fortunately, the next person to enter was Haysin. Latil's heart was already racing from the two close calls, but Haysin entered with a smile.

"Couldn't you tell people not to enter the room?"

Annoyed, Latil crossed his arms and grumbled, and Haysin laughed softly.

"Then people would say it's a ghost statue."

"What do you mean?"

"Our courtiers were discussing the statue. One said the crouching statue was strange, another said the standing statue was strange. The person who carried it said, 'It's a smiling statue.' If a rumor about a statue running around at night starts, what will we do?"

"It's because you came late."

"You always blame me?"

"It's your fault periodically."

"Sure, sure. Ask a hundred passersby if their ex ever disguised themselves as a statue to enter."

After saying that, Haysin took a chair to the center of the room, sat down with his legs crossed, and looked at Latil arrogantly.

"Disguising myself as an envoy was actually quite smooth."

"Stop teasing me."

"I love you, I missed you. I'm glad you're here."

"Teasing is better."

"Where did the original statue go? Tell me its location and leave. I've already paid the merchant."

"You really have no middle ground, do you?"

As Latil grumbled, Haysin laughed and asked, "Handkerchief?"

'Will a handkerchief do...?'

But there was no time for more arguments, so Latil weakly replied.

"A very large handkerchief."

The whole time, his body had been tense, and he was in great discomfort. His shoulders were stiff, his legs cramped, and his arms felt like they were made of stone. His heart had dropped several times. However, instead of giving him a handkerchief, Haysin took off his cloak, covered Latil with it, and put a hat on him.

"Why?"

When Latil looked at him, Haysin laughed and pointed to the door.

"You need a bath. A towel comes after the bath."

* * *

Latil realized Haysin had been late because he was preparing the bath when he went to the nearest bathroom. The bathroom was perfectly prepared with a head towel and a bathrobe. Latil soaked in the warm water, massaged his tense muscles, and scrubbed his skin to remove the white paint with a rough cloth.

'Ouch...'

After almost 40 minutes, he looked in the mirror. His hair was a light gray, but he no longer looked like a statue. However, some white patches were still visible. But he felt it would be unfair to Haysin to delay any longer, so he quickly put on the bathrobe and went out. As he wrapped his wet hair in a head towel and went out, Haysin was reading a book.

When he heard the door, he turned his head, and his expression became strange.

"I thought the makeup would make your face look different. Even without the makeup, you look like someone else."

"It's magic."

"Magic? You use magic?"

"I don't, but someone does."

Latil squeezed the water out of his head towel and leaned back in the chair opposite Haysin. When he laid his head completely on the back of the chair, he could see the light purple, comfortable clothes Haysin had prepared for him.

"Anyway, why did you come like this? This is quite a risky method, Latil. You know that, right? Your dignity was almost completely ruined."

Latil lifted his heavy head again. Haysin had already put the book aside and was staring at him, mainly at his changed face.

"I know. But it's an emergency... I had no choice."

"An emergency?"

Latil sucked in his cheeks and pouted, nervously pressing the towel with his fingers. He didn't know where to start.

'Should I talk about my mother and brother? Should I mention that I'm suspected of being a vampire lord? What if Haysin locks me up in the temple too? Should I leave that out? Then where do I start?'

"Latil?"

"Do you remember when we went to the border town of Carisen together?"

"Clearly."

"When I came back after taking care of business, someone who looked exactly like me had taken my place."

Haysin listened calmly, folding his hands, but when Latil mentioned the imposter, he widened his eyes, frowned, and sat up straight.

"An imposter?"

"Exactly. Remember the note I gave to Queen Aine to pass on?"

"The one where you had suspicions about Heum?"

"Yes. Actually, something similar happened on our side. There were several indications that Tlaga, who we thought was dead, was alive."

"Really!"

"Corpses affected by black magic also appeared."

Latil explained about the 'Lord' who appears every 500 years and the story of black mages reviving when the 'Lord' awakens, then sighed heavily.

"So, we were already on high alert for black mages. But I ended up being the one to fall for it. The imposter took my appearance and my position, and I became a black mage pretending to be the emperor with evil powers."

"How did the imposter steal your appearance?"

"I used a magical item to change my face. The imposter seems to have had a similar item, but I don't know what it is."

Haysin thought for a moment, raised his eyebrows, and leaned back in his chair.

"Even if it's an imposter, wouldn't their personality be different? How could people believe it?"

"...My brother is helping the imposter."

Haysin's expression turned fierce, like a lion about to attack.

"Leian?"

"Coward. How could he betray you? With that innocent face!"

"...We were just talking about you yesterday. The roles are reversed."

Haysin clenched and unclenched his fists, then stood up and approached Latil. He spread his arms awkwardly, but ultimately couldn't hug Latil. He let his arms fall and turned back, tearing at the sofa leather.

"Even if we expose the imposter, timing is crucial. Otherwise, my brother might claim that the black mage made the real me fake and the fake me real. Many of my supporters are former supporters of my brother, so without perfect evidence, they would believe my brother."

Haysin crouched in front of Latil and made eye contact.

"How can I help, Latil?"

"You'll help?"

Haysin's expression changed subtly, and one corner of his mouth curved up.

"Why are you like this? You already knew, Latil. That I'm still tied to you."

* * *

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

At the loud noise from the reception room, Aine removed the towel from her face and looked to the side. A maid was standing there, her face pale, her fists trembling, and her breathing rapid.

"What is it?"

"His Majesty has secretly brought in a strange woman!"