Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Traitor Exposed
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The man was the most beautiful person that Ryan, who had been just a young boy at the time, had ever seen in his life. Thinking back on it now, the man had still been a boy himself.
"Play with me!"
After a moment of silence in response to Ryan's bright-eyed plea, the man ruffled his hair and muttered, "To a little shit like you..."
It was such a shock to Ryan that no one had ever used such vulgar language toward him before.
The man called out Ryan's name and met his gaze.
"Forget everything that happened here. And never set foot in this palace again. That's how you'll survive."
That was the last memory.
Memories didn't just come back on their own like that.
It would be more accurate to say that the man had restored them.
If this man had truly been in the imperial palace, it meant he possessed abilities worth exploiting. And if he'd been in an abandoned palace...
It had to be the work of Emperor Kies.
Ryan could understand why the emperor had wanted to use him.
"...He had brainwashing abilities, didn't he."
The power to control people—how tempting that must have been.
The only question was how Emperor Kies had managed to control someone so willful. Hatred was plain on the man's face right now.
'That's probably why he tried to get rid of him.'
The recent talk about the mages must have been an excuse.
Handing over the Saisen Palace where the man had been staying was a way of erasing all evidence.
Naturally, the man himself wouldn't have been left alive either...
But here he was, standing perfectly fine right in front of Ryan. He wasn't just alive—he strolled through the imperial palace with an air of leisure.
'What happened to the emperor?'
It was a world where you either killed or were killed. Ryan suddenly realized he hadn't seen the emperor in days, and cold sweat trickled down his back.
"Talking's such a hassle anyway."
Darsi replied with an expressionless face. Ryan, gritting his teeth, asked in a chilling tone.
"...Did you kill my father?"
"There's no reason to kill someone who's still useful. He's the one who'll announce me as a prince in front of the ministers and nobles."
Emperor Kies, who had raised a monster, had ultimately been unable to overcome that power and was devoured by it. Ryan didn't think of him as a father, but it galled him that the man before him hadn't been properly dealt with.
Ryan was someone with strong pride in his bloodline.
"...Do you really think it's right to brainwash the emperor with your demonic powers and become a prince?"
"You're overestimating it. I earned my recognition as a prince without using brainwashing. And aren't you the one closer to a demon?"
Darsi, seated at the table with both legs crossed, rested his chin on his hand and leaned toward Ryan.
He stared at Ryan with a blank expression, then suddenly turned the gun to the side.
Bang!
Darsi's gunshot grazed right past Leti's ear. His aim was perfect.
"Hnngh..."
Leti gritted her teeth and clutched her ear.
"Leti!"
Ryan rushed to her side with a dumbfounded look on his face. It was just like him to cherish his own people so fiercely.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine."
As Ryan turned his attention to Leti, Darsi smashed the butt of the gun into the back of Ryan's head.
"For not killing the spy—that's something. And you didn't even reveal this disgrace to the emperor? Even angels would shed tears."
Rubbing his throbbing head, Ryan glared at him. His eyes quickly shifted to the object in Darsi's hand. The power it had unleashed earlier, too fast for the eye to follow, had been incredible.
"What the hell is that?"
"Something that can take your life in an instant."
As if to prove it, Darsi fired at the wall again. The sturdy marble pillar shattered into pieces and toppled over unsteadily.
*Cough cough.* Amid the thick dust, Ryan coughed repeatedly and was suddenly seized by fear. A weapon that even a sword couldn't match felt like magic.
'Is it magic?'
There were restrictions on who could use magic in the palace, but this man might have broken those taboos.
The situation had reversed. Ryan stood frozen in place, unable to move.
Darsi confirmed the sense of defeat in Ryan's eyes. To think this coward, who flinched at something like this, had tried to claim everything.
"Is protecting the woman you love so much that you had someone monitor Marso's every move?"
Ryan frowned at the sudden mention of Marso but declared confidently.
"Marso Etwar's actions more than justify it."
"Like father, like son. You're quite talented at rationalizing yourself."
Darsi's voice was icy.
"This is just a warning for today. Don't even think about assigning anyone to Marso from now on."
From the first time they'd met, Darsi's behavior toward Marso had been consistent.
His gaze and actions were all for her sake. Regardless of how deep it ran, he was on her side and cherished her.
'How the hell did those two even meet?'
Were they drawn to each other because they were cut from the same cloth?
"How can you possibly take that woman's side?"
The conclusion was clear, but Ryan couldn't understand it.
"No time to waste answering that."
Darsi cut him off immediately.
"For the record, I'm not the type to fall for a pretty face."
Ryan's face flushed red.
Everyone knew he'd fallen for Resuan at first sight and courted her right away.
But things were different now. Her appearance was just one part of what made Resuan who she was. He loved everything about her.
"I—"
"I'm sick of listening, so get out. Our business is done, and I have to go eat with Marso."
He couldn't miss an important appointment because of something like this.
Darsi scowled and waggled the gun in his hand.
Ryan flinched.
"If you don't want to move her yourself, call a servant."
"...No, it was my oversight, so I'll help her myself."
"How touching. It's enough to bring tears to my eyes."
Darsi watched, arms crossed, as Ryan supported Leti, who was clutching her ear.
"Don't show your face in front of Marso."
Ryan gritted his teeth. This had happened to his subordinate because of his own mistakes.
"Punish me instead. She only did it because I ordered her. I don't understand why my subordinate has to suffer."
"Why should I? Watching you like this is pretty entertaining. I've always been annoyed by you strutting around like you're already crown prince."
Smiling as he spoke, Darsi folded a finger.
"You were by Marso's side for a year. So isn't it fair for the punishment to last the same amount of time? That weakling Marso clearly couldn't punish you properly anyway."
...That woman was weak? It was enough to flip heaven and earth.
It was absurd, but the blinders over that man's eyes wouldn't come off easily.
"I'll do it for her. Torture's a hassle, but it's pretty effective."
There was even a hint of affection in his tone.
Ryan let out a hollow laugh.
A man like this was a prince?
His speech sounded like some street thug.
As Ryan stared at him in disbelief, that grating voice rang in his ears again.
"I've had enough of talking to you today, little brother. Want me to put a bullet in you and your subordinate so you can die side by side? The head seems like the best spot."
The man had no sense of decorum. He only cared about achieving his goals.
'...How did Father control a monster like this?'
Ryan was reminded anew of how terrifying Kies must have been to handle someone like Darsi.
If a man like this became prince, the imperial family's future would be in peril. If Kies was still alive, he needed to meet him immediately. They had to discuss and gauge how deeply this man had been brainwashed—no, how much the brainwashing had worked on him—and plan accordingly.
To move forward, sometimes you had to know when to retreat.
Ryan acknowledged the humiliating situation and realized his own power and thinking had been shortsighted.
He didn't know Darsi, but Darsi knew him far too well.
Today, he had no choice but to lose.
Ryan opened the door while supporting Leti. She groaned softly, half-leaning on him. Blood trickled from her grazed ear.
'I need to get her out of here quickly.'
She had volunteered to infiltrate the Etwar House for his sake.
With no time to waste, Ryan hurried down the hall but suddenly stopped. He had come face-to-face with an unwelcome sight.
An unwelcome guest—Marso Etwar—was leaning against the corridor wall.
"..."
Ryan and Marso's eyes met.
Even Leti, whom he was supporting.
I was sure I had to be seeing things.
But that was definitely Leti. The Leti who prepared desserts for me, who apologized for crossing the line.
...The Leti who should be working at the marquis's estate right now.
Bewildered, I blinked a few times before finally opening my mouth.
"Leti?"
At my question, the woman's head jerked up as she leaned on Ryan for support. No matter how I looked at her, she knew who I was.
I noticed red blood dripping from her ear.
"...Leti, why are you here? What's that wound? Are you hurt? But..."
As I panicked and asked while staring at her bleeding ear, my eyes met Ryan's.
Remembering who he was, my voice turned icy in an instant.
"Why are you with His Highness the Prince?"
An uneasy feeling washed over me. A disturbing assumption popped into my head.
I shook my head slowly. I hadn't heard Leti's answer yet. Assuming the worst on my own would only poison me.
But I needed to know the truth.
I quietly pressed Leti for an answer.
"Leti."
Leti remained silent. It wasn't like her at all.
With her head bowed, I couldn't see her expression.
'...The male lead really pulls every trick in the book.'
There must have been some deal between Ryan and Leti. I should have suspected her from the moment she was first hired.
He'd finally gone and planted a spy on me.
Every single one of my actions must have been reported to him. It made my stomach turn.
It might have been better if she'd denied it. If only she'd pretended it wasn't true, so I could turn a blind eye.
I let out a hollow laugh as I looked at her, unable to answer me. It seemed her flimsy conscience had only shown up at the last moment.
Darsi emerged from the room behind Ryan. He hurried toward me.
"Marso, this is—"
Honestly, part of me wanted to deny reality. She was the girl who'd taken such good care of me. There was no way she could be Ryan's spy.
"Leti, explain it yourself."
But the puzzle pieces were falling into place one by one.
"What am I looking at right now?"
Ryan, who knew far too much about me.
"Is even this part of your actions for my sake?"
My dry voice cracked roughly.