Chapter 59
Naitan clutched his chest and collapsed, and the startled emperor rushed over at once.
“What’s going on all of a sudden!! Why are you like this!! Wasn’t it already calmed down!?”
“Huff… huff…”
Whenever the presence inside him struggled to seize control of his body, he felt this sharp pain.
The stronger it struggled, the worse the chest pain grew.
So Naitan knew:
‘This is dangerous.’
He had never experienced such intense pain before.
Clutching his father’s arm tightly, he barely managed to say,
“Please… bring Claudia… my wife… immediately…”
Though Claudia was no longer the crown princess, Naitan could not accept it.
More precisely, he could not bring himself to accept it.
He convinced himself it was just a minor quarrel between his father and Claudia,
And that his father was merely being grumpy for no reason…
He denied the reality.
“Huff, huff… Hurry, Claudia…”
He wished his father would stop the pointless games and call Claudia.
Only his wife could calm the torment inside him.
He wanted to hold her small, soft body and bury his face in her cream-colored hair.
Only then could he overcome the turmoil raging within.
But the emperor refused to say what his son wanted to hear.
“In this situation, why would I call that girl? She tried to use the cursed spirit power! She has no right to remain in the palace!!”
“…!!”
Suddenly, something changed within Naitan’s body.
“Ugh… ugh!! Aaaah!!”
Though he appeared normal on the outside, inside he was not.
The shock, received while still unstable, swallowed Naitan’s soul.
By the unknown presence he had so long feared.
“…”
Naitan’s screams abruptly stopped.
The emperor, sensing something wrong, cautiously called his son’s name.
“Naitan…?”
The reply came quickly.
“Yes, Father.”
Naitan, who had just screamed as if dying, now looked perfectly fine.
He even smiled.
Feeling a chill, the emperor stepped back.
Something about his son was different.
But he could not pinpoint what exactly.
“…Are you okay?”
“More than okay…”
Naitan clenched and unclenched his fist and replied.
“Better than ever before.”
“…”
The emperor, gripped by unease, said no more.
At that moment, Nayla, who had been watching from behind, approached them.
“Are you alright, Your Highness? I was worried.”
She reached out her hand as if to help him stand.
Her arm was covered by the long sleeve of her dress.
She was trying hard to quickly move past the self-harm incident, which was her own fault.
‘I must win the prince’s favor during this opportunity. He’s still an insufferable person though…’
With that calculation, Nayla smiled as brightly as possible.
“…”
Naitan just stared at her quietly.
His eyes showed no emotion.
A dry gaze as if watching a mayfly fluttering by his ear.
Watching her like that, he slowly spoke.
“Where is Claudia?”
“…”
Nayla’s face suddenly twisted in anger.
Despite her bright smile, all he asked about was Claudia’s whereabouts.
That irritated her.
But without caring, he looked around.
“Where is my wife?”
The emperor sighed with relief.
He had thought Naitan had changed.
But seeing him now, he realized it was exactly the same.
“You have the mind to look for Claudia, so I needn’t worry.”
“Where is she?”
“As I said before, she was kicked out of the palace. She has long since left for the duke’s estate. Do not think of bringing her back.”
“Hmm…”
Naitan seemed to think about something and then turned away.
“Are you going to rest?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Rest well. Don’t push yourself today.”
Though Naitan might disobey orders, he had never lied.
If he planned to see Claudia, he would simply say so honestly.
So the emperor believed Naitan when he said he was going to rest.
Unaware that something else inhabited his son’s body.
Naitan returned to his room and gave orders to his new servant, Wilter.
“I need to go out. Bring me the best clothes I have.”
“Your highness, all your clothes are the same white shirt…”
“What? Why?”
Wilter recalled what other servants told him.
“I believe you commanded to unify all your clothes into the same shirt, saying time was wasted choosing clothes.”
“Seriously? Damn, such a stubborn and boring prince…”
“…??”
Naitan had forgotten his own past order.
Moreover, he called himself a “stubborn and boring prince.”
Wilter pondered hard to understand the situation.
‘He suddenly feels different… Did he get some mental shock talking with His Majesty?’
Anyway, he had to serve.
He cautiously asked Naitan.
“…Shall I bring one of those shirts?”
“Yes. Oh, and bring some flowers too. I want to give my wife a gift.”
“What?! But His Majesty said never to go look for Miss Claudia…”
“Bring them if I say so!!”
“…!!”
Hearing Naitan’s shout, Wilter froze.
He clearly felt the prince’s wrath, as if being shouted at directly in his head.
“A-alright!”
Feeling threatened, he hurried to fetch Naitan’s clothes.
Meanwhile, the entity controlling Naitan clicked its tongue.
<What a bore… Even the servant is as boring as his master.>
Muttering, it approached a mirror to examine itself.
The face reflected was aesthetically perfect.
Elegant yet not arrogant — a perfect appearance.
But it was not satisfied.
<Still a boring face.>
It ruffled its neat hair.
It tore open the buttoned shirt and loosened it.
Though still beautiful, the neatness was gone.
<Better.>
It smiled wickedly at its disheveled self.
Then it slowly ran its bright red tongue along its lips.
My father’s permission was delayed.
But I wasn’t overly anxious.
‘I’m going anyway, even if he refuses.’
If I planned to back down, I wouldn’t have even started.
I was not standing before His Majesty and my father with a broken resolve.
As I steeled myself with a grim expression unsuitable for the peaceful duke’s garden, I saw Luke approaching from afar.
I grimaced just like when I saw Regis.
‘Why is Luke here…?’
Luke was scheduled to depart soon to help Regis, who was in retreat.
So he shouldn’t be leisurely sitting in the garden.
I had chosen the garden as a place to think for that reason…
Regardless, I hurriedly stood up.
“Sorry, I’ll move. I didn’t expect you here.”
As I turned to leave, his words caught my steps.
“Don’t run away.”
“…Hm?”
“I came to see you.”
I had been through a lot after searching for the spirit.
Since then, Luke’s gaze had softened.
Still, it was awkward hearing he came to see me.
‘Feels like hearing a cat bark.’
Even his eyes were different.
There was no familiar hostility in his gaze.
“Why did you come?”
“I have a question. Nayla said she hurt her arm…”
“I didn’t hurt her arm. She did it to herself.”
I cut him off sharply and let out a quiet sigh.
‘He probably won’t believe me even if I say it wasn’t me. I’ve changed a bit since the island, but people’s true nature doesn’t easily change.’
I had given up all expectations of Luke.
Not thinking to hope again.
Now I just hoped he wouldn’t waste more of my time.
“If you have something to ask, ask quickly. I don’t have time to listen.”
“…”
Luke remained silent.
That made me uneasy.
I feared he might suddenly become violent again.
But the anger in his eyes was gone.
The hatred he once showed as strongly as when seeing cockroaches was nowhere to be found.
Instead, there was something opposite to those negative feelings.
Like pity, or guilt…
While I was standing blank, trying to guess his feelings,
Suddenly he reached out to me.
‘He’s going to push me again…!’
I recalled the day Luke pushed me off the cliff.
I shut my eyes tightly by reflex.
But the feeling was not of being pushed.
“…?!”
Opening my eyes, I felt a large hand gently on my shoulder.
Before opening my eyes, I had half-doubted it, but it was real.
He was kindly placing his hand on my shoulder.
Just like a real brother would.
“I’m not angry because of Nayla. I heard about her self-harm. I know that’s why you were misunderstood.”
“…Then why did you want to see me?”
“My concern for you.”
He repeated the question to my silent self.
“I came to see if you were alright. If you were hurt by that incident… I was worried, as your brother.”
At that moment, a fierce emotion welled up inside me.
Anger.
My fist clenched tightly without my realizing.
‘Now you’re going to act like a good brother? Pretending the past never happened?’
Luke had used me to stay the good brother to Nayla.
Because to be a good brother protecting his sister, there had to be a villain threatening her.
Villain… that was the role Luke had given me.
How much I had been hurt taking on a role I never wanted.
And now he was trying to use me again.
This time, as a substitute for Nayla, who had escaped his embrace.
“Stop.”
“Claudia?”
With all my strength, I swatted his arm off my shoulder.
