I woke up with a start, feeling as if something was strangling my neck. Ian, who was touching around his neck, coughed repeatedly between his teeth.

It was a vivid sensation, too chilling to be a dream. He pressed down on his oddly undulating chest and rose from the bed.

Feeling that he would no longer be able to sleep, Ian left the bedroom. The palace corridors, where only the lamps placed here and there on the walls emitted light, were eerily quiet.

“Young Prince, shall I follow you?”

A knight from the guardian knights who had been guarding the room like a shadow approached and asked.

“No need. I’ll just walk for a while…”

Ian stopped speaking. It was because he sensed a presence in the opposite corridor. The footsteps that had been echoing on the floor ceased, and then the one who appeared was Callisto.

“I thought I heard voices, so I came to check, and it was you, Ian.”

“Your Majesty, why are you wandering alone at this late hour?”

Callisto laughed as if it wasn’t a problem. Well, the emperor had a personal guard that secretly followed and protected him wherever he went. They must be watching from somewhere even now.

“Once I woke up, I couldn’t fall back asleep. Judging by your expression, it seems you’re in the same boat?”

“Yes. I had a strange dream.”

“What kind of strange dream was it?”

An anxious look spread across Callisto’s face as he asked.

“You don’t need to worry. It was just a very vivid dream.”

“No other strange occurrences?”

“No, nothing else. How did you end up here, Your Majesty?”

With the banquet hall in the center of the second floor as a reference point, the Emperor’s and Empress’s rooms were on the left, while the rooms where the princes resided were on the right.

“I came because I have somewhere to go.”

“Where could you be going at this hour?”

Callisto took the lead, gesturing for Ian to follow. Where he stopped was at the end of the right corridor on the second floor, in front of a room surrounded by golden-colored iron bars, as if gold had been placed around it.

“Isn’t this a forbidden area? I heard it’s a room no one can enter…”

“Yes, this is a place no one can enter. Except for the Emperor, that is.”

“Do you have a key, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, the only key that can open this door is secretly passed down to the Emperor alone.”

Ian furrowed his brow as if trying to gauge the secrets of the room visible beyond the iron bars.

“What’s inside?”

“That… I hope you never have to know in your lifetime.”

“What do you mean by that? If you mean you don’t want me to become Emperor…”

It wasn’t surprising. Ian knew that Callisto had no intention of passing the throne to him, and Ian himself had no desire for the throne.

‘With the Empress’s faction still strong, Enoch, the second prince, will soon become Crown Prince and naturally succeed to the throne.’

“That’s not what I meant, Ian. Actually, in the imperial family…”

Callisto paused for a moment before speaking again.

“The day after tomorrow will be your twenty-second birthday, so after that day passes, I’ll tell you everything.”

“…Is something going to happen to me on that day?”

The anxiety he had been harboring all along inadvertently slipped out. As the sky was already brightening, it wasn’t two days until his birthday. After today passed, tomorrow would be his twenty-second birthday.

“Ian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As their eyes met, Callisto slightly creased his eyes. He placed his hand on Ian’s shoulder with a deliberately calm expression.

“Nothing will happen to you.”

A slight tremor was transmitted through the patting hand, but Ian just nodded.

*

“Klein, are you going to the training grounds?”

“I’m not sure.”

Ian answered while pressing his throbbing forehead. He was on his way out of the annex after attending a mandatory theory class for new knights.

“I heard Derrick is going to spar with Senior Raymon. Want to go watch?”

“I’ll pass.”

As Ian moved his feet, ignoring Jace’s invitation, he suddenly stopped. It was because he faintly heard the name ‘Rosebelia’ from a group of new recruits passing by his side.

“What did you just say?”

One of the new knights, whose arm Ian had suddenly grabbed, asked with wide eyes.

“Huh?”

“You were just talking about Senior Rosebelia, weren’t you?”

“Ah, we were talking about how Senior Rosebelia is getting married soon.”

“…Marriage?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Ian’s heart sank.

‘Suddenly marriage? With whom?’

At the banquet, Rosebelia had said she had no intention of getting married right now. She said she’d rather not marry at all than be pushed into a marriage she didn’t want.

“But it could just be a baseless rumor like last time.”

“I don’t think so this time. You know Senior Ernoa in our knight order, right? I heard there were even marriage talks between the Diaz family and the Winters family.”

“Senior Ernoa was from the Diaz family?”

Even amidst the confusion, the chatter of the group of new recruits kept piercing through. Ian barely managed to open his mouth, swallowing his shallow breath.

“Is Senior Rosebelia here today?”

“She should be.”

As soon as he heard someone casually drop those words, Ian ran to the 7th training ground. He stood in front of the tightly closed door, took a moment to catch his breath, and then opened it.

Rosebelia wasn’t inside the training ground. Only Renart and Conrad were in the spacious interior.

“Where’s Senior Rosebelia?”

“Ah, that…”

As Conrad froze up, only rolling his eyes, Renart put down his sword and approached Ian.

“Lady Rosebelia has not come to the training ground today.”

Renart, standing at attention, bowed his head to Ian as he replied. Watching this, Conrad belatedly bowed as well.

“She didn’t come at all?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then where on earth…”

Where could she have gone?

Ian bit his lower lip and hurriedly moved his feet. He searched everywhere Rosebelia might go, from the castle walls she often visited to the dining hall and even her quarters, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.

‘Where should I go now?’

Having just left the palace after merely closing his eyes until dawn, his thought process kept stuttering. Like his feet that didn’t know where to go.

It was then that the building behind the quarters caught his eye.

‘I think I heard it was a library.’

As he walked towards the main entrance of the building as if possessed, the tightly closed library door suddenly opened.

Ian, who had stopped in his tracks, let out a low groan. The one who came out was Rosebelia.

“Rose…”

Before he could fully utter her name, their eyes met.

“Oh? Klein!”

Rosebelia smiled brightly. For a moment, his mind went blank.

The sight of her calling his name and waving her hand as if she was glad to see him was so lovely it almost hurt his eyes.

Ian clenched his fingertips while putting strength into his legs. If he didn’t do this, he felt like he might rush over and embrace her right away.

He tightly suppressed the impulse that was crossing dangerous lines and closed his eyes. His heart beat violently in time with her footsteps coming towards him, and at some point, it became tightly constricted.

Ian opened his eyelids while taking rough breaths.

*

“Have you been in the library all this time?”

“Yes. What brings you here, Klein?”

“…Have you heard the rumor?”

Is he talking about my scandal with Ernoa?

As soon as I arrived at the knight order, Simon asked me in tears if I was marrying Senior Ernoa, which was quite shocking.

It must have been Olivia’s doing to spread such rumors. Just having such a scandal spread in the knight order was a troublesome situation for me.

“Ah, you heard about that too. It’s true that marriage talks took place, but I’ve resolved it well. It was something my stepmother pushed forward without my knowledge.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, I was actually on my way to find you when we ran into each other.”

Ian slightly raised his eyebrow as if asking what I was looking for him for.

“To give you this.”

“What is this?”

“I bought it when I stopped by a dessert shop yesterday. You’ve been helping me practice, but all I’ve done is say thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal later when I have time.”

Ian, who held the box I handed him to his chest, showed a faint smile. I thought he would accept it reluctantly, but he looked quite pleased.

Just as I was about to speak again, a clattering sound came from behind. Following Ian’s gaze, I turned my head to see Ernoa coming out of the library with an armful of books.

“Senior, are you leaving already?”

“Yes. I found all the books I wanted to read.”

“If… if anything changes, please let me know.”

Despite the abrupt statement, Ernoa nodded as if she understood perfectly well.

“Alright, I’ll tell you if anything changes. Will that be helpful to you?”

“Of course.”

Ernoa calmly entered her quarters. Watching her, I unconsciously let out a long sigh, when Ian suddenly asked.

“Is that senior perhaps…”

“Yes. That’s Senior Ernoa.”

“…Were you with that senior in the library the whole time?”

“We had some things to talk about.”

What Ernoa had said kept bothering me. Worried that perhaps this body and my soul weren’t harmonizing properly and that’s why I couldn’t use aura, I sought out Ernoa as soon as I arrived at the knight order.

“Are you really not in any kind of relationship?”

“I told you we’re not. Well, you can never be certain about human affairs, but right now we’re just senior and junior.”

I was too flustered yesterday to notice properly, but talking to her again in the library today, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

Perhaps Ernoa’s ability to see souls might be helpful to me.

She also said she would tell me right away if my soul harmonizes again like before or shows any different aspects.

“…”

“Oh right, that handkerchief you gave me the other day. I think I lost it. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it.”

I had hurriedly put it in my pocket before going to meet Dylan, but when I returned to my room, the handkerchief was nowhere to be found.

“Don’t mind it. You don’t have to return it.”

“How can I not? I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Is that mere handkerchief important right now…”

Ian stopped speaking and furrowed his brow. He sighed heavily and ruffled his hair.

Ian seems a bit off today, doesn’t he?

“Did something happen?”

Ian’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably. Slowly brushing up his hair, Ian lowered his gaze to meet mine.

“…Can you spare some time for me the evening after tomorrow?”

“You mean the evening two days from now?”

“Yes. There’s something I want to tell you, Senior.”

“But why does it have to be two days later? I’m free today or tomorrow too.”

“That’s…”

Seeing Ian’s expression, which seemed to find it difficult to answer, my lips moved on their own.

“You know, no one can predict what might happen. I might not even be in front of you on that day.”

I was actually the one surprised after saying those words.

Ian seems unusually rushed today, and it’s odd that he can’t immediately tell me why we have to meet specifically the day after tomorrow.

I had a strange intuition, as if today was the calm before the storm.

“…”

“You don’t need to make such a scary face. Did you take what I said too seriously?”

As I examined his tightly closed lips, I stood on my tiptoes and thrust my face forward. I was trying to lighten the mood playfully, but Ian tightly closed his eyes the moment my face got closer.

What’s with this reaction? Did I say something wrong?

After a long while, Ian opened his eyes, roughly rubbing his eyelids and letting out a low sigh. Looking at his jaw, which was tightly clenched as if he was holding something back, I spoke again.

“So what I meant was… if you have something to say, it’s better not to put it off…”

“If I don’t put it off? Are you sure… you can handle it?”

Handle it?

What on earth is he trying to say that he’s building up to it like this?

I couldn’t quite grasp it, so my words wouldn’t come out readily.

“…You probably can’t even imagine it, Senior.”

“What can’t I imagine?”

“How I see you, Senior, what kind of base desires are raging in my head…”

What? What desires?

“…You don’t know, do you?”