“You already know, don’t you? That the prince is in this mansion right now. He’s been staying with Oscar all this time…”

However, as Mother was speaking, the former Duke suddenly dropped the snack he was holding. Though it was a small sound, both Mother and I immediately turned our attention to him.

“You… didn’t know?”

We could both clearly see the surprised expression on his face.

Mother and I were also taken aback by Ayles’ reaction.

I had known him since childhood, but he was always a man whose thoughts were impossible to read. He always acted as if he knew everything, with an inscrutable attitude.

“Why… in the Serpentine mansion?”

He was clearly flustered now.

“It seems you really didn’t know. I’ve already created a temporary identity for the prince.”

As Mother spoke with surprise, he shook his head and said, “It’s natural that I don’t know, now that I’ve stepped back from the front lines.”

All of Serpentine’s information no longer flowed to Ayles Serpentine. But it seemed that neither Mother nor I had fully realized this yet.

“I’m sorry. If you’re concerned about any harm coming to the family, we can leave right at midnight tonight.”

By the way, to think the Empire was looking for Zachary. All this time, Zachary and I had been staying in the God-forsaken land. Since my body was still undergoing treatment, we feared some strange reaction might occur if we entered even the slightest bit of land imbued with divine power.

‘I suppose it was also convenient to move around without prying eyes.’

But I never thought this would end up hindering the Empire’s search for Zachary.

‘Should I tell Zachary about this?’

No, perhaps he already knew. He had been going back and forth to the village, so he must have heard the news about the Empire searching for the prince.

‘If he returns to the Empire, will Zachary become Emperor?’

If it was true that Celestia had gone mad, there was a high possibility that Zachary would be appointed as Emperor. Just imagining Zachary as Emperor was impressive. But there were too many other things to consider, and my mind was in turmoil.

My body hadn’t fully recovered yet – could I live together with him in the Holy Empire’s land? And as Emperor, for the next generation, he would need an heir…

“Oscar, are you tired?”

“Mother.”

As my thoughts kept spiraling, Mother, who had keenly noticed my state, asked. Seeing her face full of nothing but worry, I quickly erased my concerned expression and smiled.

“I guess I’m a bit fatigued from the long journey. If it’s alright with you, could we continue the rest of the conversation tomorrow?”

“Of course. I’m happy that I’ll be able to see you tomorrow too.”

I hugged Mother warmly and stood up. The former Duke also slowly rose and awkwardly patted my back. After saying goodbye to both of them and announcing that I would leave first, I opened the door.

With a creak, the door opened to reveal a corridor that had darkened while we were talking. I flinched at the sight of the grotesque statue visible as soon as I stepped into the hallway, then found myself smiling. Why couldn’t I get used to this statue no matter how many times I saw it?

‘A smell?’

As I was slowly walking down the corridor to return to my room, I noticed a musty odor. Tilting my head in confusion, I realized it was coming from the nearby terrace and slowly headed there.

Through the slightly open door, I could see a tall, slender figure leaning languidly against the railing, tapping ash from a long pipe. It was a man wearing custom-tailored clothes made of the finest fabric that fit him perfectly. His cheeks looked more gaunt, as if he had lost quite a bit of weight recently.

“Brother.”

It was Erhan.

At my soft call, Erhan froze mid-tap, then slowly turned around.

“Oscar.”

He looked a bit surprised, as if he hadn’t expected me to be there. Seeing that expression made me feel like the distance between us, which had felt so unfamiliar and vast until just moments ago, had narrowed a little.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now.”

He set down the pipe he was holding.

For “just now,” there was quite a lot of accumulated ash.

“I was having tea with Mother and Father, why didn’t you come in?”

Judging by the amount of ash piled up, he could have easily joined us during tea time. As I tilted my head and stepped onto the terrace, he lightly waved his hand in the air as if to disperse the remaining smoke, then smirked.

“Just because.”

“Just because?”

Could it be that things were still bad between him and his father, Ayles?

But the last time I saw them, it seemed like their relationship had improved quite a bit. As I was racking my brain trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind his words, a long hand reached out to me.

Erhan’s hand, not covered by black gloves but bare and white. Unlike his delicately formed hand, his palm and the back of his hand were covered in faint, long lines. His hand lightly touched my cheek. His hand, cold from being outside for a long time, traced my cheek, then brushed my hair back before gently pinching my nose.

“That’s why.”

Erhan always speaks in such a convoluted way. Deciphering his cryptic words has always been my job since we were young. I’ve gotten used to it by now, so I just burst out laughing.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, my vision was blocked. A large hand had covered my eyes. Then I felt my body being pulled back, a solid chest pressing against my back.

“Your Highness, you haven’t changed at all, have you?”

The familiar scent and warmth… Zachary had come to me without warning.

“Refrain from unnecessary contact.”

Zachary spoke to Erhan in a sharp voice. With my eyes covered, I couldn’t see what expression Erhan was making.

“Calling familial contact unnecessary, does Your Highness not have a family?”

Erhan immediately retorted with sarcasm. As his voice cut sharply through the air, I felt a cold sweat run down my spine.

‘Come to think of it, these two…’

The last time these two met. Zachary and Erhan had tried to kill each other. Having the two who had been entangled with murderous intent now in the same place together, of course there couldn’t be a friendly reaction.

“My, my, your appearance has… improved? I thought some foreign merchant had come to the mansion.”

“Is this the extent of the Serpentine family’s reputation? It’s more laughable that you can only grasp at such trivial straws.”

“Straws? I was complimenting you.”

…Honestly, it felt a bit childish. Caught between them, I looked back and forth between Zachary and Erhan. Of course, unlike the somewhat childish dialogue, the looks and aura they were exchanging were so chilling that I couldn’t just watch with a smile.

“It’s getting late, so we’ll head in first.”

If this escalated beyond a war of words, it would be a big problem. As guests, we didn’t want to cause a disturbance in the Serpentine mansion. I grabbed Zachary’s clothes and hurriedly said goodbye to Erhan.

Erhan’s gaze turned to me. Then he stared intently at my hand gripping Zachary’s clothes.

“…Have a good night.”

“You too, Brother. See you tomorrow.”

Hearing my words, Erhan suddenly burst out laughing. There was nothing particularly funny, but Erhan still had a peculiar sense of humor. His laughter made me chuckle along unconsciously, and he naturally reached out as if to tousle my hair.

“Yes, see you tomorrow, Oscar.”

Of course, he couldn’t actually ruffle my hair. As soon as he approached me, Zachary immediately grabbed my waist.

To be precise, he lifted me up and carried me like a sack of potatoes, swiftly turning around. I opened my eyes wide in shock. Erhan also made a surprised “Huh?” sound, but Zachary remained nonchalant.

Despite my considerable weight, he carried me effortlessly and moved quickly.

“Zachary, no…”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence properly due to the shock, while Erhan watched from afar with his arms crossed. We had already moved too far away for me to see his expression clearly, but Erhan’s bewilderment was evident.

“Put me down.”

“…”

I patted his shoulder and asked to be let down, but Zachary didn’t budge. I couldn’t believe this. As I fidgeted anxiously, Erhan had already disappeared from view. Even as we approached my room, Zachary remained silent, making me worry if he might be angry.

“Don’t laugh.”

It was an unexpected remark. Far from laughing, I had been too busy trying to gauge his mood, so I was even more puzzled.

“…I’m not laughing?”

“I’m jealous.”

He stopped momentarily and bluntly said in a chilling tone.

“Very jealous.”