Pr/Editor: Helen, Agenya
Erhart squinted at himself in the mirror. His hair bristled with gold, eyes a deep blue, his features sculpted. There were times when he could see a hint of restlessness in his eyes, but for the most part he wasn’t upset. But lately, the matter of his face had been bothering him.
‘King of humans… Can you overcome the shadow of Rayan’s past?’
As much as he wanted to brush off the resemblance, he couldn’t do anything about it, knowing that this resemblance was what kept Rayan from leaving him.
Encountering the complete form, rather than piecing together fragmented words to roughly infer, was much more unpleasant than anticipated. He had put on a nonchalant front in the presence of the cocky mermaid, but on the inside, he’d felt devastated.
Ever since that day, he’d felt an inexplicable surge of irritation, a nervousness that he couldn’t explain.
If it was before, Erhart would have warned Rayan to forget the bastard. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, not in case he did something wrong again. That Rayan would never be able to smile at him again, never be able to giggle again…or that when that man showed up, he’d leave him without a single regret.
Slowly, but inexorably, the possessiveness of the relationship took on a very clear form.
“…”
Erhart glared at the mirror that reflected him, and with a sharp crack, it shattered into dozens, perhaps hundreds of pieces, of his own reflection. Erhart waved his hand and the shards disappeared without a trace.
“…Y- your Majesty?”
The tailor, who had been busy basting a hunting outfit, stammered in surprise at the sound of the explosion, and everyone else in the room held their breath beneath Erhart’s gaze.
“I’ll call the physician.”
The aide, his cheeks rapidly reddening from scratches left by shards of the shattered glass, gestured to the servant.
“Never mind.”
It was an insignificant cut. Rather, it was simply a tingling sensation that spread, a fever that refused to leave his head. His unwillingness to comply had subsided somewhat.
“Your Majesty, the Minister of the Interior Palace is here.”
Outside, a servant announced the arrival of the interior minister. Unaware of the tense atmosphere in the room, the servant’s voice was calm in contrast to the frigid air.
“I assume you’re done trying on the clothes?”
“Yes? Ah yes, Your Majesty.”
The tailor broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if the Emperor was in a bad mood because he didn’t like the garment. He had never done this before. He didn’t praise much, but he’d never reprimand either.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Ah. Right.”
The tailor was about to leave when Erhart called after him.
“I will be fitting several spring suits. His measurements will be delivered shortly through a servant. They will have to be of the finest quality. Not even a single button can fall short.”
Spring clothes, his measurements. The Emperor’s expression, frosty this whole time, then softened momentarily… must be referring to the Emperor’s rumored paramour.
“In that case, please send a messenger at any time. I will do my best with my humble skills.”
The tailor’s mouth nearly fell open for a moment, but he managed to keep his expression in check.
“Your Majesty.”
Filling the void left by the tailor was Ralph Dillon, Minister of the Interior Palace.
“May the eternal glow of the Empire reach your Majesty.”
“Dillon. You’re here earlier than I thought.”
“His Majesty’s summons, how dare I delay?”
The palace minister smiled, but inwardly he was nervous and his eyes constantly flitted around apprehensively.
The Emperor rarely called on him personally, unless it was to discuss state affairs. Even when he did, he did it in public. Such was the case recently in Arhen. The chief mage had been bombarded by the Emperor in front of everyone, and his eyes had sunk into their sockets, and he’d been lifeless for some time.
“But may I ask why you have sought me out…”
Perhaps to hold a banquet? But the Emperor wouldn’t want to discuss that, as he found banquets troublesome unless it was an official occasion, nor would he be talking about the spring hunting tournament that would be held in a few days. Preparations for that were already well underway.
Knowing the Emperor’s impeccable and unforgiving nature, he had been thorough. He’d already posted the report to the Emperor, and he hadn’t said anything further on that matter, so he had no idea what he was going to say.
“It’s about the lake at the Renée Palace.”
“Pardon?”
The minister strained his ears. The Emperor’s reference to the Renée Palace’s lake was that of the imitative Little Kalea the Emperor had painstakingly constructed for his concubine Olivia Winston.
“I heard that you were in charge when that lake was built.”
“Ahem, it was indeed under my charge and overseen by me.”
There was pride in his voice. The Little Kalea was a masterpiece, an exact replica of the Kalea lake in Djerba. It had never been seen since its completion, but if the Renée Palace ever opened, it would be the crown jewel of the imperial court, nay, of Hesseles.
“I was wondering if it could be enlarged.”
“You mean the lake?”
The proud minister asked in surprise.
…Perhaps the Emperor’s lover, staying at the Renée Palace, had complained that the lake was too small. Otherwise, there was no reason for the Emperor to suddenly mention Little Kalea.
Besides, enlarging it would be a very tedious task, if not entirely impossible. The water would have to be drained, the ground would have to be dug up again, and new landscaping would have to be done.
Erhart was quite serious, whether or not the minister looked perplexed. The lake was certainly wide and deep. But it was inevitably cramped to contain a being that likely spent his entire life swimming in the vastness of the open sea.
Occasionally, he thought of taking Rayan to Arhen. But there was a possibility that he might run into ‘that guy’, so he would rather take him to Star Palace by the sea, but that would be no more than a few days a year. He would have to spend most of his time in Djerba, but at least he would have some variety.
So that Rayan could slowly push ‘him’ out of his mind and fill it up with himself. So that he wouldn’t feel anything lacking here, so that he wouldn’t feel the need to leave again.
The hidden despicable possessiveness surfaced.
“It would take a long time and cost a lot of money, Your Majesty.”
It was a euphemistic plea.
“That is none of your concern. I intend to open the treasury.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you thinking who in his right mind would open the treasury for such a personal matter?”
At this accusation of the Emperor’s past behavior, the palace minister stammered, unable to find the right words.
“But the fact that it would take so long… I’ll have to reconsider.”
He didn’t want Rayan to collapse again, so he’d have to find out how long he could last without water. Otherwise, he’d have to carry him to and from the ocean every day, and the magic he’d use up along the way would be no laughing matter.
“I understand. We’ll discuss it again after the hunt.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m sure you’re busy preparing for the hunt.”
“May the glory of God be with Your Majesty.”
Fearful of getting more orders, the minister promptly retreated. Erhart tilted his head back and blinked languidly in the gathering darkness, blue light fading and reappearing between his eyelids.
“Where’s Marielle?”
“I received word that you were at the Renée Palace earlier. Her Highness was said to be very pleased.”
“I see.”
He knew he would be restless again if he was left alone, so he looked for someone to pass time, and settled on Marielle. Rayan seemed to like her, too, and Marielle… well, need he say more?
Marielle’s joy was uninspiring, as it was the other who needed to be happy anyway. The aide shrugged at the tepid response, and spoke cautiously.
“Um, do you want me to send a telegram saying that you’re busy again today?”
“…”
“Your Majesty?”
Erhart had been avoiding going to see Rayan for two days now, using the excuse of being busy, as he needed time to control his emotions and feign calm.
“No. You don’t have to.”
But as much as he needed that time, the longing deepened. In the end, the longing won out today. Erhart touched his cheek, a dull ache running through his fingertips.
“I think it’s better to say you’re recuperating…”
“I said never mind.”
If he showed this to Rayan, would he worry about him, would that worry grow in volume, so that the space he occupied in his mind would shrink? Let the hurt grow a little more.
“By the way, Your Majesty, there’s a strange rumor going around the court right now.”
Not being a mind-reader, he dutifully performed his duties while the aide casually continued with a thought he would have flagged had he known.
“Originally, the Imperial Palace is known for not having favorable winds. I can’t be bothered with such trivialities.”
“It’s just that it’s a bit strange, and I thought you should know.”
The aide hesitated, but held his ground. Knowing Erhart’s temperament, it was unlikely that he would have come to report useless gossip. Erhart tilted his head as if beckoning him to speak.
“…”
Erhart’s expression hardened as he spoke.
Thanks for the update 🌹
Oho?
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