While saying that, he didn’t forget to put a mocking smile on his face.

“It seems I’ve been lenient because I let you be until now.”

Although it seemed like his fist would be the first to hit that annoying face, unnecessarily escalating the situation might upset Belia. Khalid gathered his patience to endure it.

“It won’t change even if you don’t endure.”

But Raul touched the last nerve of Khalid.

“Now, it seems like you’re winning. But you know…?”

Raul smiled brightly.

“From the beginning, she was mine.”

Khalid was momentarily speechless at Raul’s words.

“…Are you delusional? Did you go crazy?”

First, he messed up the attitude towards Belia.

Belia was not an object. It meant that she wasn’t someone to be treated casually.

“Kuk…”

Raul laughed as if he found it amusing.

Khalid seemed to understand what Raul meant when he said that Belia found Raul’s condition a bit strange.

When talking about Belia, Raul’s gaze was completely different from usual. It was an eye full of possessiveness and obsession. Dim and dark.

“Khalid. You probably don’t know. Even before you reached out to her, she was already mine. I came first. That’s a natural fact, an unchanging truth.”

“…You’re insane.”

“Yeah. I might be insane. But.”

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Raul casually clenched his fist.

As if he were the winner.

“You know nothing.”

Khalid couldn’t hide his displeasure from Raul’s actions.

“Hey, brother.”

Even though he usually pretended to be clever, why did he become such a fool?

“I haven’t been silent all this time for nothing, you know?”

It’s not that he endured because he had no strength, but rather, he was waiting for the right moment.

Raul probably knew that.

Wasn’t he hiding spies nearby to monitor him?

“Those pitiful upper ranks, mercenaries, the guard force you’re talking about? Of course, there must be something else hidden. But you know…”

Raul lightly chuckled.

Then, looking Khalid in the eyes, he conveyed the obvious fact with a steady expression.

“You’re powerless. So, struggling won’t get you out of there.”
In response to that, Khalid burst into laughter as if he couldn’t bear it any longer. However, his willingness to continue the conversation disappeared completely, and he got up from his seat.

“Well, fine. But from now on, I plan to take away one thing at a time from you.”

Since he had more than enough things until now, it was time to share a bit.

As Khalid left the office, he shook hands without any regrets.

“So, watch carefully. I won’t let you take it away.”

Erzé sat blankly on the luxurious bed, lost in thought.

How did it come to this?

All day long, without doing anything, he pondered over and over about everything that had happened so far.

But the despair that kept coming back made Erzé cover his face with both hands. Huddled over, Erzé murmured.

“I wasn’t wrong…”

All his actions were motivated by good intentions.

But why should he be blamed?

‘Princess Belia is bad. Having 2nd Prince by her side and still having such a conversation with 1st Prince.’

On the first day he came to the palace, the two had a serious conversation.

Upon arriving at the dreamlike palace, he felt like a discarded baggage, and Princess Belia was indifferent to him.

‘I really liked the princess sincerely…’

Erzé felt tears coming for some reason.

Princess Belia was so beautiful that one might wonder if there could be someone like her in this world. Moreover, her speech was elegant, and her actions were noble. It felt even more impressive to think that she commanded many tasks with that slender body.

He wanted to get closer. He wanted to become someone like Princess Belia.

‘But she wasn’t the princess I knew…’

Erzé bit his lips. He clenched his fists.

He was angry. In a relationship with such an impressive 2nd Prince! Did he want to have 1st Prince in his hands because one person wasn’t enough?

Since coming to the palace, those gazes that stared at him like a thorn in his side may have been worried about losing attention and affection from them.

Somehow, it felt like he had stolen a glimpse of Princess Belia’s true self.

“…It wasn’t a misunderstanding.”

Princess Belia did not describe it as an awkward situation. She just said that 1st Prince had ‘misunderstood something.’

He clearly heard the whispered words of 1st Prince saying he loved her, that she would keep Princess Belia by his side. Yet, even then.

“2nd Prince must be pitiful.”

If it were me, I wouldn’t have allowed it.

If it were me, I could love only one person.

If it were me…

In Erzé’s inner self, admiration, jealousy, disappointment, and anger were swirling.

And the culmination of those emotions was sympathy for Khalid.

“2nd Prince loves Princess so much that he can’t believe in reality.”

Tomorrow, Erzé had to leave the palace. Once he left the palace, he might never have a chance to meet him again. So, before that, he wanted to comfort Khalid.

Although he menacingly said that if he noticed, he would kill him, that might be because he had been so hurt. Isn’t he a kind person? It couldn’t be sincere.

Erzé closed his eyes.

‘If I tell him to cheer up, that I’ll be by his side… Would he open up to me?’

If I comfort him in that way, maybe he’ll open his heart to me.

All along, his heart had been heavy, but thinking of that made him feel a bit better.

Erzé’s lips, who found the answer, curved up.