“Yes, Master of the Magic Tower.”

As soon as those words ended, the Master of the Magic Tower created another space.

And he kicked Gelox in the butt.

But either due to lack of strength or resistance, Gelox did not enter that space.

“Are you resisting?”

“Please save me. Me, me…… Your Highness. Please…… please. The one who can save me……”

At those words, Teddy’s gaze turned cold.

“I save you? Why? Why would I save you?”

“What…?”

“You experience it too. Your life falling into hell.”

The ominous energy that emerged when Teddy couldn’t control his emotions, the killing intent that leaked out due to anxiety that Sesenia might be harmed, condensed into one.

That killing intent became a sharp, thorny spear that pressed against Gelox’s entire body.

“Huk……”

It was a different energy from the pain given by the Master of the Magic Tower.

It felt like being wrapped in a whip with sharp thorns all over, pressing against his heart.

He couldn’t even breathe, and if he moved even a little, it felt like the thorns would burst his heart.

Instinctively, Sesenia could tell.

That Teddy’s emotions had never been so well-organized before.

That power, which had always been clumsy towards her, was now being controlled so well.

‘Gelox. I wonder if your reason for existence was to make Teddy control his power even once.’

Of course, that didn’t mean there was any reason to spare him.

“Pl-please spare me……”

“Why should I spare you?”

“I-I’ve realized now, isn’t that enough? What great wrong have I really done? I just did what I was told. I just did those things for money…… What… What did I do so wrong that only I…!”

Tears had filled Gelox’s eyes. It seemed there was no way to survive no matter which way he went.

But if he didn’t do this, he felt he couldn’t live with the injustice. He had only done what he was told.

Was that so wrong? Wasn’t it the fault of those who ordered it?

“Did you ever think… even once… that someone might have suffered because of what you did?”

“That… I-I did think about it……”

Teddy’s power loosened a bit.

“You thought about it?”

“Y-yes!”

“You’re so shameless. A person who thought about it never once came to find her, or even thought about finding her.”

“That’s…!”

His words were cut off.

‘Damn it. Damn it.’

He had no intention of finding her. No, he had forgotten about it for 20 years.

He only recalled changing the hair color of a newborn 20 years ago in two cases.

When he felt anxious that his identity might be revealed because the noble had mishandled it, and when he wanted to gamble but lacked money.

If he had known this would happen, he would have asked for two times, no, three times more as hazard pay. Aside from feeling that regret, he didn’t even remember it.

It was something unrelated to him. It was a job he was commissioned to do, and what did it matter to him if that brat suffered while growing up?

But now they were making this fuss about judging his crimes. He was going crazy.

The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt.

Why only him? Those bastards were the ones who did wrong. They should make a fuss to the mother who abandoned her child, or to the one who ordered this.

Why him? Just because he’s an easy target, the world always makes a fuss only to people like him who are easy targets.

As that thought came to him, Gelox’s anger rose.

“Is it my fault! You should punish the ones who ordered it. Isn’t this just pushing the blame on me because you can’t find those people?!”

“Pushing the blame? I’m not pushing anything. You’re just receiving your punishment. And don’t worry, I’ll give even worse pain to those people when I find them.”

Unable to watch him act so brazenly in front of Teddy, Sesenia opened her mouth.

“……Damn it…… Damn it……!! It’s that bitch of a mother’s fault. She not only abandoned her child, but made it so she couldn’t be found!! Why are you doing this to me?!!!”

They say when faced with deadly pain, people either go crazy or become quiet – he was exactly like that.

Sesenia quickly approached him and slapped Gelox’s cheek hard.

The sound of the slap filled the room, and Gelox’s neck turned to the side with a cracking sound.

“Shut up.”

“…… Ugh…… ugh……”

“What do you know? Even if you did know, you shouldn’t speak like that. How can all you perpetrators be the same? What you did was always just something you couldn’t help, right? Fine. Then I’ll become a perpetrator too. Master of the Magic Tower. Please do everything you can while keeping him alive, not just barely alive, but make him desperately want to die every moment of every day.”

“Pl-please…!”

“Do it. Puppy. Go fetch.”

Something jumped out of the still open space.

It happened so quickly that it wasn’t clearly visible, but it was a huge creature with wings.

It was hard to specify what kind of animal it was, but it was clear that it wasn’t an ordinary creature.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

Gelox’s scream could be heard from inside, but the Master of the Magic Tower quickly closed the space.

“Ahem…… That…… what you just saw.”

“Yes?”

“Pretend you didn’t see it. Wouldn’t a Master of the Magic Tower ride around on at least one magnificent animal? It’s just that. Of course. It absolutely doesn’t eat ‘living humans’.”

“…… Ah…… I see.”

In the empire, there were animals that could be kept and animals that couldn’t be kept.

The Master of the Magic Tower’s ‘puppy’ that was briefly seen was closer to the animals that shouldn’t be kept.

But Sesenia didn’t dig into that. The Master of the Magic Tower had been helpful enough.

The Master of the Magic Tower approached Teddy, trying to avoid the gaze focused on him.

“Are you alright?”

“…… Ah.”

“I suppose it’s strange to ask if you’re alright.”

“I’m fine. Probably……”

Teddy’s eyes were drooping despite his forced smile. It was clear that he was absolutely not fine.

“Teddy……”

“What should I do now? Is this perhaps the moment you spoke of, Master?”

“I will find the person who did this to you. Your mother too, if you want. I’ll ask for the reason. If there’s no special reason, no, even if there is a special reason, I’ll take revenge for you.”

“Why?”

“Huh…?”

Sesenia lost her words for a moment at the unexpected question.

“It’s my business. You don’t have to do that.”

“Don’t you want to see? Don’t you want to know the truth?”

“…… I don’t know. Everything just feels surreal. I don’t know what to do now.”

Looking at him, Sesenia bit her lip hard.

“If you say you don’t want to see, if you don’t want to know anything, I won’t do anything. But if you have even a little doubt and curiosity, this time too…… I’ll bestow the hypocrisy of the wealthy.”

Teddy’s golden eyes trembled. Mysterious golden eyes.

Different from the Crown Prince’s. Different from before. As if being sucked in, the golden eyes were glowing on their own, almost too much to look at.

They were brilliant and noble.

“Do you want to?”

“…… Yes. I’m curious. Along with anger, curiosity came rushing in as I heard that person’s story. Just what was it that made me have to live like that?”

“I’ll solve that curiosity for you. It might be too raw, like just now. It might be hard to handle. Is that okay?”

“When it’s hard to handle…… can I hold your hand, Master?”

Teddy took Sesenia’s hand as she stood awkwardly looking at him.

Even though the heart wasn’t in the hand, Teddy’s heartbeat could be felt. Sesenia’s body stiffened in embarrassment.

“Yes……”

It was then. Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was becoming strange, the Master of the Magic Tower cleared his throat.

“Ahem…… I’ll go inside for a moment. Talk well.”

“What…?”

“I still have work to do. See you later.”

That was it. He created the same space that Gelox had been dragged into earlier and quickly entered it.

Thanks to that, an even more awkward atmosphere filled his room.

Trying to calm her heart from the embarrassment, Sesenia met his eyes.

“Teddy.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you think I saved you?”

“…… Because I’m of royal blood. You already knew that, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Feeling like the conversation would be long, Sesenia sat down.

Even then, Teddy didn’t let go of Sesenia’s hand he was holding.

As if it didn’t matter, Sesenia raised her head and met Teddy’s eyes as he sat in the chair.

“Is this… the hypocrisy of the arrogant?”

“That’s right. And there was a reason.”

“A reason?”

Sesenia’s heart was heavy.

Rather… rather if it had really been the hypocrisy of the wealthy, her heart would have been lighter.

She felt sorry because there was a reason for saving him and she still intended to use him now.

“Yes. Because I need you.”

“Because I’m of royal blood?”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

He was someone who had liked her. It was such a pure heart.

It was so pure that she wanted to preserve it. But she couldn’t.

She would accept it if he resented her, she would understand if he was disappointed.

Any kind of words would be fine. So she waited, but the words that came out of his mouth were so unexpected.

“I see. I… was useful after all.”

“Huh…?”

“To be honest right now… I feel desperate. That I lived like that despite being of royal blood. That even my mother didn’t want me. Of course, I knew. That my mother didn’t want me. But to go so far as to change my hair color… It’s like… she made it so I couldn’t live as a human. What wrong could a newborn have done.”

“Teddy……”

“Tens of thousands of thoughts are tormenting me… Being of royal blood… It makes me more desperate than just being told I’m a slave… But foolishly… The fact that you need me because I’m of royal blood… It makes me happy. Like a fool.”