“Stop looking at me that way. I don’t have any intention of antagonizing you. Rather, I want to use this opportunity to strengthen my friendship with you.”

“Even if Your Majesty does not insist, I am Your Majesty’s person.”

“Of course, you would be. Once the cleaning is completely over.”

“….”

Bake instinctively stiffened his eyes.

“Is your brother doing well?”

“He will be blessing Your Majesty from the noble land….”

“Noble land… Indeed, he must be receiving a very good treatment. He was a man who had a lot of followers in his lifetime.”

Certainly exists, but a name that can’t be spoken out loud.

Rugen, picturing a face that became blurred as time passed, smiled faintly. The halfbrother, who was praised for resembling the young days of the previous emperor, was called the deceased, but the coffin for him was empty.

Both men looking at each other knew that fact all too well.

Rugen, to brew the tea, closed the lid of the teapot, and slightly tilted his head.

“Count, can you see the tea cup in that cabinet?”

“Yes, I see it. It looks like a very old object.”

What on earth is this tea cup story about?

Bake, unable to erase the feeling of annoyance, politely turned his head in the direction Rugen pointed.

The small teacup placed on top of the cabinet was the only old and shabby object in the brightly decorated emperor’s office.

“That teacup is a thing I received when I was born. An object that shares my birthday. Therefore, it’s also an object that I cherished and treated carefully.”

“….”

“But no matter how carefully you handle it, you can’t defeat time. Although it’s a cherished object, you can’t drink tea with a broken teacup.”

Just as the tea was brewed perfectly.

Rugen, as if to show off, poured tea into a new cup and pushed it towards Bake. Bake’s face reflected on the murky surface of the liquid.

“People can’t easily throw away objects they’ve grown accustomed to, but that doesn’t mean those objects are useful. Now all that teacup can do is remind me of the days when I used it.”

“….”

“People are no different from objects. There comes a time when you should leave memories as memories.”

Rugen’s smile deepened.

With the halfbrother hiding his body, the forces that followed him gradually decayed, while Count Creighton grew too large. When the head grows and the belly is full, it’s natural to start having different thoughts.

“Think about it well. Depending on the choice you make, the value you will give to me will be determined. Of course, it could be the other way around.”

“….”

“I think you will like my idea. I’m talking about offering you the same thing that my brother offered.”

For example, your beautiful wife.

Rugen gently squinted at Bake who was noticeably agitated.

Even if Creighton is in decline, Creighton is still Creighton. Who would swallow Creighton whole was of utmost interest, and the lineage of a merchant who bought a title with money didn’t even qualify as a candidate.

But even then, Bake became Count Creighton. Holding the white deer of the social circle that every man looked up to, he quickly rose as one of the social figures. It was a feat possible only with a strong backing.

“The reason I could have a relationship with my wife was thanks to the previous Emperor.”

“Of course, it would be. But you see, I was one of the few people who knew the condition of the previous emperor at the time.”

The previous emperor was the one who ordered and approved the marriage of the Count Creighton couple.

But was that really a thought from his mind?

Rugen rubbed the back of his head.

The wet nurse told him how much the young previous emperor was praised as a conqueror, but the image of his father Rugen saw was not like that.

The whitehaired old man who should be called a grandfather rather than a father was more emotional than anyone Rugen had seen so far.

He feared the approaching death, and was jealous of the blooming youth, different from his withering self. He wasn’t in a state to have a sophisticated thought of downgrading Creighton’s honor with a merchant’s son.

“Yet, I said nothing to Calix. I knew it well. That Calix isn’t truly mine. Especially as I carry the blood of his enemy, the Emperor.”

“….”

“It’s a difficult situation. It’s not like I can change my bloodline.”

Lugen shrugged nonchalantly. Bake was still on guard, but his ears were open.

“So I thought about it more. If Calix doesn’t choose me, there’s no difference to me either. I need to find a new breakthrough.”

“… It seems like a heavy topic to divide over this matter.”

“Don’t tell me that I’m going to shut up about this. Don’t worry. This is just a catalyst. It’s separate from the collateral issues that will follow. Of course, except for one thing that’s for sure.”

Liviana Creighton, your wife.

Lugen’s eyes flashed for a moment.

Bake swallowed dry saliva at the blatant gaze.

“We’re back to back now, but that’s why it’s going to be an attractive deal.”

“….”

“You don’t have to answer right away, take your time to think about it. We’ll probably be better off as enemies in the long run anyway.”

Isn’t the most terrifying thing an internal enemy?

Lugen smiled. Between the eyes folded into a halfmoon shape, the brown eyes hidden looked as innocent as a child’s, as if they never revealed any greed.