As soon as Will left Verdura Castle, a shadow that had been waiting nearby secretly approached him. From the hood to the shoes, everything the figure wore was entirely black like a shadow.

“His Majesty is looking for you.”

Approaching without a sound, Will, without showing any sign of surprise, followed the shadow as if he had expected this, displaying a calm and leisurely demeanor.

The shadow that approached Will on behalf of the Emperor, walking with him like a guard, carried an air of reverence. To them, Duke Will was nothing short of a legend.

It was already an honor to see him up close, and now, engaging in conversation and even accompanying him made the tension inevitable. He tried to calm himself and swallowed his dry saliva.

“How long have you been working as the Majesty’s shadow?”

Breaking the short silence, Will asked, and the shadow, with a tense expression, responded.

“It’s been three years as of this year.”

“But what if you still can’t hide your emotions.”

Will stopped walking and delivered a question, causing the shadow’s expression to stiffen. Even though his heart raced like crazy inside, he tried to maintain a calm and composed voice on the outside.

However, Will keenly sensed the subtle tremor in the voice and the accelerated breath.

“I apologize. I’m overwhelmed by the joy of meeting Duke.”
Even though the young shadow expressed joy at meeting Will with warm words, he did not change his expression. Rather, he stared at the young shadow with a more stern gaze than before.

“The Emperor’s shadows are emotionless beings. Joy, sadness, anger, frustration, and even hunger should not be felt. Do you understand what that means?”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The fate of the shadows was to thoroughly suppress human instincts and live without color or form.

Therefore, even for shadows with excellent skills, their active period was limited to a maximum of 5 years. Until now, the only one who broke that rule was Duke Will, who had been active as a shadow for 12 years.

Kai Edelgart served as the Emperor’s shadow for 5 years and as the shadow of the previous Emperor for 7 years.

The reason Duke Will was considered a legendary figure among the shadows was due to these facts.

“Do not reveal your presence under any circumstances. The day your role as a shadow ends, only then will you return as a human. For now, you are just a shadow. Shadows must never speak, show expressions, or express emotions. The moment your breath falters, you will become a target for the enemy.”

“Yes, Duke.”

While he was extremely pleased to receive invaluable advice that couldn’t be bought with gold, the shadow had to make a tremendous effort not to show it outwardly.

As Will entered the office, Kai covered the documents he had been looking at. Will quietly entered and stood in front of the Emperor’s desk.
“I heard you were looking for me.”

“You came out later than I thought.”

“Are you talking about the Verdura Castle?”

Though the question was abrupt, Will knew what Kai was curious about.

Harman’s eyes, glancing around, showed that he was trying to figure out what was going on between the Emperor and Will.

“Harman, step outside for a moment.”

Harman, quick to catch on, would probably find it troublesome if he knew that Kai was lingering around Verdura Castle, so Kai sent him out of the office.

In response to the unexpected command, Harman wore a disappointed expression, but he couldn’t help it. He politely nodded his head once more before leaving the office.

However, just before closing the office door, he couldn’t resist turning back and perking up his ears.

Although he wouldn’t stoop to eavesdropping on the conversation behind closed doors after issuing such an order, his curious nature would likely make him itch to know.

Separate from the conversation with Will, Kai shook his head at Harman’s persistent behavior.

“Why did you visit Verdura Castle?”

As expected, Kai didn’t beat around the bush as Will had anticipated.

Well, considering that Kai could do anything he wanted, from what he wanted to do, eat, and even hear, there was probably no need to express things indirectly.
Will smiled slyly as he observed Kai, who threw an unexpected question right away. Seeing the consistent appearance of the Emperor, he felt like nothing had changed.

“There isn’t much difference between the reason you visited Verdura Castle and His Majesty.”

Kai was perplexed. It was difficult for him to pinpoint a single reason for his visit to Verdura Castle.

“That’s not a response fitting for a master. I prefer clarity. I’ll ask again. Why did you go to Verdura Castle?”

For a moment, a chill passed through Will’s gaze as he looked at Kai. Although it was a fleeting moment, Kai, who had spent a long time with Will, didn’t miss his small change in expression.

“You called them Earth Fairies. Those little creatures.”

In Will’s calm voice, Kai’s eyebrows twitched. This time, Will didn’t miss Kai’s facial expression change and asked without letting it go.

“Do His Majesty also see them?”

“Or perhaps in the eyes of the master.”