A Calculated Move
Nothing that ever touched his hands was anything less than precious, and nothing that ever entered his sight was anything less than beautiful. Thus, everything that passed Rasiah's lips was always the rarest, the most exquisite, and the safest. Not that anything dangerous could have truly threatened him anyway.
From culinary techniques designed to bring out the natural flavors of ingredients to dishes crafted with rare spices to stimulate his appetite, only the finest meals found their way to Rasiah's table day after day. Yet occasionally—very occasionally—he craved something far more rustic. Like the meat of a wild beast, freshly caught and roasted on the spot.
Thwip!
An arrow loosed from Rasiah's hand pierced the neck of a hawk soaring through the sky.
"I was hoping to tease you if you missed. What a shame."
At the playful voice, Rasiah turned his head and grinned at Dito.
"Did I not promise to feed you well today?"
Rasiah was more than willing to indulge his younger brother's cheeky banter. Today was, after all, an exceptionally splendid day.
News of the disappearance of the Selby family's fifth child had reached the imperial palace. The location, the timing, the pretext—everything aligned flawlessly. By tomorrow, the Imperial Guard would raid the Fidus estate.
In the past, such a sight would have been unimaginable, but things were different now. Above all, Rasiah could not suppress his smirk at the sheer joy of knowing he would soon find whatever that wretched bastard was hiding within the Fidus family—something that was surely the cure to his affliction.
"If you smile any wider, your mouth might tear open. You must have run into some very good fortune, brother," Dito said, amusement laced in his voice.
Rasiah glanced sideways at the servant roasting the game beside him. Deaf and mute, wasn't he? Since Dito had brought the creature, there was no risk of rumors spreading. Rasiah smirked and spoke.
"You heard the news as well, didn't you? A major incident has occurred at the Fidus estate. With this, it won't seem strange at all for the Imperial Guard to storm their home."
"Well... that may be true, but if you formally charge them with a crime, a report will surely reach His Majesty the Emperor or the Empress."
At Dito's response, the corners of Rasiah's mouth curled even higher.
"That is all the better. If my suspicions are correct, those mutts won't have a leg to stand on even if their entire bloodline is wiped out this time."
Speaking so freely in his relaxed state, Rasiah suddenly realized his slip of the tongue. Dito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Suspicions?"
"Uh, well..." Rasiah's eyes darted around awkwardly.
"It seems something has transpired without my knowledge," Dito remarked casually, observing Rasiah's awkward behavior.
"Oh... it's nothing major. I simply took a dislike to the fellow acting as their representative."
Swallowing a sigh of relief at Dito's seemingly unbothered demeanor, Rasiah replied.
"I do not know what occurred, but if he has caused you harm, brother, he must naturally pay the price. However, do be careful. The Fidus family has served as the imperial family's hounds for generations. If you stir the nest too violently, it might backfire on you."
"Are you suggesting I would be bested by a pack of mere dogs?"
Rasiah's brow furrowed at the warning he couldn't quite ignore. At his simple and immediate reaction, Dito quietly shook his head.
"Do not be so hasty. There is plenty of time to accomplish everything after you ascend the throne as Emperor, brother."
Rasiah's expression softened at his brother's words, which showed absolute faith in his future ascension. Yet, it did not sway Rasiah's resolve. Living with one's physical well-being entirely dependent on the hands of others was a horrific, humiliating existence. Rasiah, too, found the watchful eyes of the Emperor and Empress suffocating. Therefore, he had only one shot. He had to seize this single opportunity to uncover whatever that wretched Seventh Prince had hidden away in the Fidus estate—the cure that rightfully belonged to him.
"Do not worry yourself. I will handle this matter on my own."
Their conversation paused as the roasted hawk meat, cooked to a decent turn, was presented to them. Secretly relieved by the interruption, Rasiah tore off a leg of the hawk and stuffed it into his mouth.
It was tough, dry, and carried a subtle, gamey stench. No matter how skilled the mute servant was, there was only so much flavor one could coax from a wild forest hawk. Rasiah scowled and kicked the brazier used to roast the meat. Showered in hot embers before he could even think to dodge, the servant curled into a tight ball, trembling violently.
"Dreadful," Rasiah muttered, brushing himself off as he stood up.
"To find a beast that satisfies your palate, brother, we would have to scour the entire empire." Dito rose alongside him, teasing his brother's notoriously fastidious taste.
"It never tastes the same as it did back then," Rasiah murmured blankly, turning back to look at Dito. His eyes shone. Wearing a relaxed smile as if merely recalling the past brought him immense joy, he spoke dreamily.
"When we were young, we once got lost in the forest."
"I remember. Even back then, you suddenly insisted on hunting alone, and I got dragged into it." At Dito's playful chiding, Rasiah chuckled.
"Indeed. That was the start of you getting dragged into my affairs. Quite deeply, in fact."
It had been a time when they were far weaker—so young that they could not yet wield their powers properly. Recalling how he had wanted to fell a larger prey on his own, with his little brother trailing closely behind, even that dire emergency now felt like nothing more than a fond memory. Rasiah laughed at the irony.
"I broke my leg and couldn't move, and no one could find us. It was a disaster."
Though he spoke of it with a laugh now, it had been a genuine crisis back then—one where he had truly feared for his life. The ground had collapsed, trapping them in a cramped space beneath a boulder for several days.
Although his wounds healed quickly, it was the first time he had ever been so gravely injured, and the first time he had lost so much blood. Lying there, unable to stir even a single finger, the one who had saved him was Dito, who had always quietly followed in his shadow until then.
The boy had fed Rasiah his own share of meat, trickled water down his throat, and stayed by his side for an entire day. When the search party finally discovered them, Dito was found lying beside him, completely collapsed from exhaustion. They said Dito had overexerted himself before his powers had fully awakened, starving himself to give his brother what little rations he had.
Rasiah occasionally recalled Dito's face looking down at him through his hazy vision, and the slightly chewy meat Dito had carefully pushed into his mouth. Unable to forget the taste of that day, Rasiah had often tasted his fresh kills during hunts, yet he had never again experienced that exquisite, heavenly flavor.
"Perhaps I was simply starving."
"What was that, brother?" Dito asked, catching the faint murmur.
"That day. The day you first saved my life. Do you really not remember what you caught? I feel as though I've tasted every beast in the Imperial Forest, yet I can never find that same meat." Rasiah grumbled, his brow furrowing.
Dito studied Rasiah's face intently, as if searching his own memory.
"...It was likely because you were famished. I was running frantically through the rain that day, so all I remember is that it was some small animal."
"I suppose."
"Perhaps it is better that you do not know. It might have been a forest dirt-rat, for all we know," Dito said with a chuckle to the smacking, disappointed lips of his brother. Disgusted, Rasiah's face instantly twisted in distaste.
"Fine, forget it. It's not as if I'll ever have to starve like that again."
"When do you plan to visit the Fidus estate?"
When Dito shifted the subject, Rasiah pondered for a moment. He wanted to handle this matter quietly and entirely on his own. In other words, he did not welcome the interference of any other imperial royalty in this affair. Even if it was Dito, this was one thing he would not share.
"Do not concern yourself. I shall handle it."
Deciding that launching his raid while the Emperor was occupied with a busy ritual would be ideal, Rasiah mounted his saddle. He felt as though everything was going to fall perfectly into place.
Mir calmly laid out their current situation in plain terms: whether they tried to escape or stayed put, they were facing death either way, and their only hope of survival lay in working together.
"So, to sum it up, we're in deep shit right now."
"Exactly." Mir nodded at Seya's simplistic summary.
"Are you guys idiots? That's not the point—argh!"
The boy, who had been dragged over because he had been here longer than the two of them and seemed slightly sharper than the other kids, started to grumble, but a swift fist from Seya to the crown of his head shut him up instantly.
The boy rubbed his head, whining that his skull felt fractured, but Mir ignored him and spoke.
"Even if we all band together and take down the guards standing out front, we won't make it out. We don't know the layout. We have to wait for a single moment when they let their guard down."
"Hey, has anyone actually gotten out of here?"
"Do you really think I'd just tell you after you hit me—there were four." At Seya's glare and a quietly raised fist, the boy quickly sang a different tune, though Seya kept his menacing gaze fixed on him. "One guy who got beat up pretty bad because he fought back when they dragged him in, and three others."
"What's that supposed to mean? What's their criteria?"
The boy stared blankly at Seya's face before answering.
"Kids like you. The ones who fight back and get heavily injured. You got lucky. A really thin man warned the guy from earlier because kids kept getting dragged out. He told him to stop beating the kids to death because disposing of them was getting annoying."
At the boy's answer, Seya fell silent for a moment.
"So just keep your head down. Don't go making trouble," the boy advised, assuming Seya had been cowed.
Lost in thought, Seya finally spoke.
"So, we survive as long as we can, and we get the hell out of here as fast as we can. That's the plan."
"Exactly."
At Mir's calm agreement, the boy's eyes widened.
"Hey, it's not that simple! Besides, do you really think you two have the power to escape this place?"
"Then what else are we supposed to do? It's clear they aren't just dragging out anyone at random. If they were, they would've taken me right then and there."
"Seya's right. I have a hunch about this too," Mir added.
Listening to their exchange, the boy crossed his arms and looked back and forth between them.
"Do you really believe that just the two of you working together is enough to get out?"
"Why else would we be sitting here racking our brains? We'll let you in on it, so pitch in." Seya replied, exasperated by the boy's suddenly haughty attitude.
Taken aback by Seya's matter-of-fact tone, the boy seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
"I'll pass," he said with firm refusal.
"What are you talking about? You want to stay here forever?" Seya asked, dumbfounded by his complacent response.
"How do you think those kids who got dragged out ended up like that? They tried to escape, threw a fit, and got beaten half to death. If you just stay quiet, you can live a little longer. Just stay quiet..."
"And how long do you think you'll survive in a windowless room on a fist-sized loaf of bread and a single cup of water?"
Mir's biting question cut the boy off. The boy opened his mouth as if to argue, but quickly shut it again.
"Sometimes doing nothing is the smarter move. You guys shouldn't do anything stupid either. Just stay put. Who knows? Maybe someone will come to rescue us."
"Are you a complete moron? Didn't you hear what that bastard said earlier? He's going to kill us all anyway..."
As Seya raised his voice in frustration, Mir placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Seya, let him do what he wants."
Seya reluctantly relaxed his shoulders, though he didn't stop glaring at the boy.
"Hey. What's your name?"
"Why do you care?"
The boy retorted sourly, but as Seya slowly raised his fist again, he scrambled to answer.
"Nihil! It's Nihil!"
Remembering the fiery sting of that fist, Nihil blurted out his name in a panic.
"Right, Nihil. Make sure you don't change your mind. If you do, it'll cost you dearly."
Though Seya's warning sent a cold shiver down Nihil's spine, the boy managed to squeeze out a scoff to save face.