In the empire, stones with special abilities were secretly traded.

Holding these stones allowed one to use the abilities contained within them.

These were the mana stones, remnants left behind by the generation that could use magic long ago.

However, the power was exhausted after a single use, so to use that power continuously, one had to absorb the mana stone.

Of course, absorbing mana stones like that was strictly illegal.

No fool in the world would use an astronomically expensive mana stone only once and discard it.

Therefore, everyone who obtained a mana stone would forcibly absorb it into their body.

In the case of Crown Prince Thanasis, he absorbed four mana stones with fire abilities.

It was also an unavoidable choice due to his insane mother, sisters, and the emperor.

For Thanasis to survive as the crown prince, he needed something distinctive like the ability of fire.

But he couldn’t control the ability he gained. Like most people.

Felix was the same.

He too, while living a harsh life, to eliminate his father.

Even at the cost of his lifespan, he absorbed mana stones. Thanks to that, he was able to use abilities that weren’t human-like.

And he was experiencing severe side effects.

Everyone who absorbed mana stones died, unable to overcome the side effects that occurred to each of them.

“Stroke more.”

“I am. I’m worried because you’re having trouble falling asleep today, Master.”

Most side effects were due to the mana flowing through the body becoming turbid.

And they manifested differently depending on one’s constitution.

In Felix’s case, it was insomnia.

He was taking sleeping pills he developed to rest his mind, even though he couldn’t sleep properly.

At least when he took them, he could completely put his original personality to sleep, as if becoming a different being.

Both speaking and moving the body were like sleepwalking.

“Your clothes are bothering me.”

“Should I take them off? Ah… I’ll undress.”

“Stay still.”

Felix tightly hugged the squirming Reniel, then slowly began to remove her top.

The sound of her vest falling to the floor was heard. Reniel thought the feeling of the fabric brushing against her shoulders was very soft.

“Don’t leave that on the floor.”

“Then?”

“Give it to me. I want to keep it.”

He looked at her dreamily as if half-asleep, then gave her the removed clothing.

Soon, her fragrant hair was flowing down her shoulders, conveying sweetness to him.

Reniel placed her clothes nearby. Felix couldn’t wait and leaned against her body, snuggling in.

“Is it not bothering you now?”

“It’s soft.”

“I’m glad.”

Right now, Reniel was in a strange state where fear and embarrassment coexisted.

Her voice trembled, and she kept worrying about the ring she had put in her shirt’s inner pocket.

As she relaxed her body in resignation, Felix said,

“Do you know the princess of Nirnberg?”

“No. But I think you told me something about it before, I forgot.”

“Why did you forget that?”

“Well, I don’t forget about you, Master, but I easily forget other things?”

Reniel said that nonchalantly. It was true, after all.

It was her professional duty to know and remember well about Felix, her master. But there was no need to remember trivial conversations.

However, in reality, she was pretending not to know while remembering.

She was uncomfortable with everyone mistaking her for the princess of Nirnberg.

She thought there was no way she could be such a great lady.

Above all, during that long period in the poorhouse, no one searched for her or cared about her.

She had to spend about a year in the poorhouse, enduring mistreatment. Life in the poorhouse was also the most terrible memory throughout her previous life and this life.

Having to earn money by running errands around the age of ten was also unavoidable.

Reniel felt a bit bitter as she recalled those memories.

This world was extremely harsh, and it was difficult to make a living with an unremarkable status and job.

If she left this place, she would have to face that reality again.

Because of the thought that Ianathas, who would still be guarding outside the door, might kill her at any moment.

The thought that she must leave this place was becoming even firmer.

She just had a little lingering attachment.

Perhaps that attachment was sympathy for Felix, who couldn’t sleep.

The Felix she knew was a very cruel and frightening person, but when he leaned on her like this, falling asleep, he didn’t always show that cold-hearted side she knew.

“The princess of Nirnberg has the ability to purify mana.”

“I see.”

“Someone with such an ability is born only once every century.”

“Once every 100 years?”

“Yes.”

Reniel didn’t resist when Felix moved his hand near her head as if asking her to stroke it, and she stroked his hair.

“If you kill that woman, the side effects gained from mana stones disappear. Moreover, unstable mana also finds stability.”

“I’m… not someone great like the princess of Nirnberg.”

“…Then?”

“I’m just someone who really, really likes you, Master, and belongs to you.”

She said that as if pleading with him. Felix chuckled and then looked into her eyes.

“Strange.”

“What is?”

“Your words don’t seem like lies.”

“Because they’re sincere.”

She smiled brightly and hugged him.

Felix found her racing heartbeat amusing but amusing but remained embraced. Soon, he too hugged her tightly.

Outside the door.

Unaware of how confused Ianathas was listening to that conversation.

Dong, dong, dong.

The sound of the grandfather clock announcing 2 o’clock echoed through the mansion.

Ianathas was still standing in that spot.

The sound announcing 3 o’clock was heard, and then the sound announcing 4 o’clock.

Whether she had fallen asleep with Felix, Reniel opened her eyes drowsily and searched for the ring in her shirt, putting it on her finger.

But as she tried to move,

“Stay still. You’re mine, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Master.”

Reniel had to close her eyes again in bed, held by him like that.

****

Ianathas couldn’t sort out his thoughts until morning came.

When it finally became 8 o’clock, Felix got up first. Originally, Ianathas had planned to push open the door and enter.

However, he just held the doorknob and peeked inside for now.

“…Hah.”

Felix sighed as if he couldn’t understand what he had done.

He seemed confused by the fact that Reniel’s upper body was bare and that she had fallen asleep hugging him tightly.

Yet when she shivered as if cold, he pulled the sheet up to her neck.

Felix, who was slowly lowering his legs out of bed and standing up, looked the most confused right now.

Ianathas opened the door and entered at this point. But Felix gestured for him to leave.

Ianathas left as instructed, but his head was very dizzy with this incomprehensible situation that he had to understand.

****

Soon after waking up in the morning, Felix went to his office, and Ianathas, though it was his time to sleep, followed him to the office.

It was around 9 o’clock, but Reniel was completely knocked out, breathing rhythmically as she lay in bed.

Left alone in the office, Ianathas spoke up.

“Crown Prince Thanasis tried to escape.”

“So Reniel is a spy after all?”

Felix said this, but he was confused as he recalled her sleeping defenseless in his room until morning.

“No. That’s… not it.”

“Then?”

“Rather, she attacked Crown Prince Thanasis as he tried to escape but failed.”

“…What a fool.”

Felix said this, but he was recalling Reniel’s body. He retraced his memories, wondering if she had any injuries.

“I’ve confined him in the secret room again, so don’t worry.”

“I see.”

“By the way, my lord, how was your morning?”

Felix sighed and rubbed his face dry, thinking that Ianathas must know about the situation in his bedroom.

He had naturally kept women at a distance until now.

After all, most of the assassins who came to kill him were women. But he never forgot how his body reacted to women.

Yet when he touched Reniel, he strangely forgot that she had a man’s body.

While her body was clearly male when looked at, whenever he saw her eyes, he kept forgetting that she was a man.

Though clearly a male body, his body reacted as if looking at a woman.

“I slept too well. Unbelievably so.”

Ianathas despaired even more at Felix’s answer.

He decided to keep quiet, thinking he should tell his lord when everything became certain.

****

The next day at dawn.

Reniel was in the underground prison to treat Thanasis, who had become a wreck.

“Traitor.”

Thanasis said that reproachfully while crying.

He resented Reniel for betraying him, but just her coming back to him seemed to ease his pain.

How miserable and resentful that was.

“I’ve made up my mind. Let’s run away together.”

But when Reniel said that, the humiliation and anger he had felt until just now began to disappear little by little.

“What?”

“This time, I’ll help you. In return, please practice using your ability more stably so that when we escape, you can set the mansion on fire a bit…”

Reniel had sincerely decided to run away. She was truly afraid of this Le Pelique ducal family now.

She had already diligently saved up money.

She resolved to no longer be greedy for money, but for life.

“Please… make it look like I died.”