Chapter 134

The king gently pushed Esadien’s back as he turned to look at Minuelle.

“The Water Spirit also wishes to see you.”

“Can I go back after meeting the Spirit?”

“Hahaha. Is there something urgent you need to attend to?”

Of course. The most important thing was to stay by Minuelle’s side. Esadien once again looked around at his surroundings, which were filled with seawater.

‘I might be fine as a mixed-blood from this side, but Minuelle is a complete human.’

Considering the bracelet that emitted light and opened a path to the sea tribe, she seemed to be breathing by using its power… but he had a gut feeling that they shouldn’t stay for too long. Both Minuelle and himself.

As soon as he entered the sea tribe’s territory, Esadien was enveloped in two conflicting feelings. A warm and comfortable feeling, as if he had returned to a hometown that didn’t exist. He had never felt this way, not even when he visited the Caduren mansion where he spent his childhood. And on the contrary, a sense of pressure and tension as if his lungs were being squeezed. This feeling grew bigger and bigger as he followed his birth father deeper into the territory.

Whether he knew about Esadien’s state or not, the king asked in a leisurely tone. His noble eyes, which looked straight ahead, seemed to be shinier than before.

“Wasn’t it difficult to blend in with humans?”

It was an absurd question. Esadien was a person who had never tried to blend in with others. There was a reason why the Crown Princess playfully called him a hermit.

‘If it weren’t for Minuelle, I would probably still be living that way.’

Probably, until he died.

The king didn’t mind Esadien’s silence and continued his words.

“Even if there are no apparent differences on the surface, a living being instinctively recognizes those who are different from them.”

“…”

“No matter how small your social circle was, there must have been people who disliked you. Even if they gave a different reason.”

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t think of Austin when he heard those words. However, if he thought about it for a moment, a person who is loved by everyone simply doesn’t exist. Nevertheless, the king spoke smoothly, as if trying to instill in him the fact that he, too, was a member of the sea tribe.

“Look at you now. Only we, the sea tribe, can breathe underwater without using magic.”

As he continued to speak, the glistening light in the king’s eyes intensified. It meant that the king’s power to lead his tribe was being manifested. Conversely, Esadien’s eyes were getting a little blurry. He frowned and tried to focus.

“…Why… are you saying this?”

He wanted to nod his head to the king’s words. He wanted to kneel before the king and obey him. The only thing that was holding onto his mental state, which was constantly collapsing from such impulses, was the sense of tension that had been bothering him since before. The tension that a being from the land inevitably felt in front of the king of the sea.

The king’s eyebrows twitched.

“You’re holding up quite well.”

And then, a huge door that had appeared in front of them opened without a sound. Inside, elderly members of the sea tribe were lined up with a throne in the center. Esadien, who immediately gauged their status by their more splendid attire than those who had followed before, scoffed.

“They’re not the Water Spirit, are they?”

His mind, which had been loosening up from the power, hardened again. Even the slight gratitude he had felt because of the potion completely disappeared.

“Were you planning on keeping me here? Why?”

Esadien tried not to go inside, but he couldn’t resist the water that existed like air around him, which suddenly swept through him like a wave.

“Ugh!”

As his son fell to the floor like a sinner, the king calmly climbed onto the throne and sat down.

“Why, you ask? What is the reason for a king to seek his child?”

“…You’re not going to talk about handing over the throne to me, are you? How cliché.”

Esadien endured the pressure of the water and stood up straight on his two feet. At the same time, he threw away the minimum politeness he had, but the king and the tribe members, who were presumed to be his subjects, showed no change in expression.

“Is it cliché? But for us, it’s not a cliché ‘story’ but a reality.”

“I refuse.”

“Do you think I will let someone who defies the king’s order live?”

“If it’s okay for me to die, it means you don’t have to choose me as the successor.”

“…”

For the first time, the king’s gaze towards his son became sharp. Esadien was no longer amused. He revealed his emotions because he had been caught off guard? The Emperor, and even Sister Lumiere, would never make such a mistake.

“Anyway, if I live on land, it’s the same as being dead to you, isn’t it? Minuelle and I will leave now. We will never enter the tribe’s territory again.”

“What if I don’t let you go?”

At the king’s question, Esadien immediately drew his sword. His body was heavier than usual due to the pressure that constantly tried to crush him, but he couldn’t kneel like this.

“Are you going to commit patricide?”

“I’m going to cut the bond you’re trying to re-establish.”

After all, Esadien had never had a father his entire life. He wasn’t a child who would run into his arms just because he suddenly appeared now.

“…Is it because of that woman? I will allow you to stay in the tribe’s territory. Of course, it would be troublesome if the blood gets more diluted, so the queen must be a woman of the tribe…”

“Shut your mouth!”

A loud voice burst from Esadien’s lips. In response to his fury, the water currents under the king’s control scattered instantly.

Esadien was silent for a moment, controlling his boiling emotions. It was the first time he had ever shouted so loudly.

“…You can’t take back a heart you’ve given away. Well, of course, you wouldn’t know, since you just ran away after sweet-talking.”

“Is that so? You can only think that way.”

Just as Esadien had calmed down, the king was also calm. He returned to a relaxed posture and commanded.

“Then prove it, my son.”

“Why should I…!”

It was the moment Esadien was about to protest. A blue light poured from a huge stone embedded in the center of the ceiling and shone directly on him. His vision spun, and the sword fell from his hand. At the same time, he felt as if his body was being sucked somewhere.

‘He’s doing something dirty after all.’

Esadien gnashed his teeth even as he was falling. The king’s face, who was watching him, was filled with deep remorse and longing, but the furious Esadien couldn’t see it.

“Don’t… touch… Minuelle…”

He couldn’t finish his words, and his vision went dark.

***

Sunlight streamed in through the uncurtained window. Esadien’s eyelids fluttered from the sunlight that covered his face. The sounds he heard were of birds chirping and the wind rustling through the leaves. It was a sound that could never be heard underwater.

‘I had a nightmare.’

However, what greeted Esadien when he turned over was a sight he didn’t want to believe.

Wavy, crimson hair scattered on the pillow.

…Long hair.

A strange woman!

“!!”

He was more shocked than when he had become a beast after drinking the love potion. Much more!

‘Above all, this woman is Minuelle’s enemy!’

That’s right. No matter how he looked at it, this was the Third Prince’s Palace, Esadien’s own bedroom. So why was Lapheche Celesté sleeping next to him?!

Esadien, startled, moved as far away from Lapheche as possible. Of course, he wrapped himself tightly in the blanket to cover his body.

“Ugh…”

Lapheche, who had her blanket taken, let out an annoyed groan and finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the Third Prince, Esadien, wrapped tightly in a blanket like a girl who had spent the night with a scoundrel by mistake.

“…”

“…”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Esadien with a face full of caution, and Lapheche with a jaded expression.

“Your Highness. If I may be so bold, what are you doing right now?”

Lapheche tried to hide her annoyance and tidied her disheveled hair. There was no need to mention that she had intentionally spent time with the Third Prince after leaving the banquet hall last night. It was to awaken Theodore’s sense of urgency, which seemed to have grown lax recently.

‘I didn’t think I would fall asleep.’

She had planned to go back at dawn, but things went a little awry. But she wasn’t worried. Because Theodore genuinely loved her.

‘Even if he gets angry, he will be appeased by my tears.’

Just like always.

Whatever she was thinking inside, Lapheche had already put on an innocent expression.

“…”

A vein popped on Esadien’s forehead. The person he wanted to be with was Minuelle, not this detestable woman. If Minuelle had seen this situation, she would have immediately realized that this was an event from the original story.

But the ‘Esadien’ who was here wouldn’t know even if he died and came back to life. He bristled like a cat whose territory had been invaded.

“And what are you doing in my bedroom, my lady? Have you no shame? If you have any manners, leave at once.”

“…You don’t remember?”

Lapheche asked cautiously. Her eyes, which quickly drooped, and the trembling of her tightly bitten lips were subtle. Esadien’s eyes wavered.

‘Remember what?’

He thought it couldn’t be true, but a thought of ‘no way’ flashed through his mind. Followed by the face of a cold-eyed Minuelle glaring at him. He even thought he would rather have the reunion with his father be the dream.

“Hmph.”

At the sight of Esadien who looked like he was about to break out in a cold sweat, Lapheche couldn’t hold back her laughter. In fact, this kind of question would make even an innocent person flinch. She had only been teasing him because she was annoyed that he woke her up. Nothing happened between them, and she had no intention of doing anything.

“I was just joking, Your Highness. Nothing happened.”

“Then why are you in my bedroom, I asked.”

“Your Highness…”

The playful look on Lapheche’s face turned strange. When she gestured, the window opened on its own, and fresh air came in. Only then did Esadien realize that the room was filled with the smell of alcohol.

“You really don’t remember? You promised to be my friend, Your Highness.”

Friend? It seemed that the meaning of the word ‘friend’ had changed overnight.

“It’s true. You said you wanted to help me because I resembled your late mother so much.”

Lapheche went on and on, explaining how they drank together and both fell asleep. Esadien’s expression became more and more bizarre.

‘No way.’

Judging by the smell that filled the room and his very thirsty state, it was highly likely that he had been drinking. The problem was that his memory was completely different from what Lapheche was saying. The fact that Lapheche’s tone was so different from what he had heard before was also very strange.

“Look. Aren’t both you and I fully dressed, Your Highness? Although you’re currently wrapped up like a bagworm, as if you don’t want me to see your skin.”

Lapheche was mocking him in a quaint tone, but since he really didn’t want to show her his skin, Esadien let it slide.

“So what did I promise to help you with?”

Lapheche’s face brightened up.

“Oh! Are you going to start right away?”

“Answer me first.”

“You said you would help me stand by Theodore’s side instead of his madam.”

Esadien slightly shook his head. He couldn’t stand the feeling of having his mind filled with question marks.

‘Madam? Is she talking about the Countess Tregonan, Theo’s mother?’

But since Lapheche specifically said she wanted to ‘stand by his side,’ that didn’t seem likely.

‘No way…’

Esadien narrowed his eyes and asked again.

“Is Theodore married? Since when? And to whom?”

Then, all the playfulness completely disappeared from Lapheche’s face. Instead, a sincere look of worry filled her expression.