Among the male leads, the most ill-mannered and rude one was the silver-haired Hillstain.

In the original work, when I died,

– “If you embrace me tonight, it will comfort you.”

He was the very man who had uttered such words.

How could that be! To someone crying over the death of a friend!

At first glance, his voice sounds youthful, and his single-lidded smiling eyes appear gentle and friendly, but Hillstain had a temperature difference between when he wasn’t smiling and when he was.

And that charm was the secret to his popularity, but he was crazy in a different sense from Edan.

A pleasure addict of healing power. He was the pervert who tried various things at night the most and tormented Ivy most explicitly.

Anyway, Hillstain ignored Ruben’s greeting and blurted out only what he wanted to say, and I shrank further, hiding behind Ruben’s back.

Meanwhile, Ruben calmly responded to Hillstain’s question.

“There’s nothing to hide.”

Then a sound of Hillstain chuckling was heard, followed by the sound of a sword being drawn.

Startled, I reflexively turned my head to see a long sword swinging in the air.

“Saying that only makes me more curious.”

Hillstain took one step closer towards us.

And in a very brief moment, I felt Ruben’s back flinch.

It was such a subtle movement that if I hadn’t been clinging tightly to Ruben’s back, I would never have noticed such a small reaction.

As I slowly raised my head, I could see a sharp blade entering between Ruben’s nape.

I wasn’t sure if it was piercing his neck or not, but judging from Ruben’s reaction earlier, it seemed certain that it had pricked him a little.

My whole body trembled. I mustered all my strength to keep from falling.

Nevertheless, my lips went dry, and I gripped the flag tightly.

‘Why are there only crazy people here! Can’t they just talk it out!’

With his sword at someone else’s neck, Hillstain leisurely added a small chuckle and commanded:

“Hand over what’s behind your back.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”

“Even if it’s an order?”

“I refuse.”

It was then.

Hillstain’s sword moved up to Ruben’s chin and began to slowly cut across his skin.

I held my breath for a moment.

“Working under an unlucky bastard makes you unlucky too, doesn’t it, Ruben? Since when did you become so disrespectful?”

Giggling, Hillstain taunted.

He was deliberately choosing provocative words to upset Ruben, who valued Edan more than his own life, but Ruben didn’t move an inch.

Even though it must hurt because of the sword, he stood like a wooden statue in front of me, seemingly unaffected as if he had lost all sense of pain.

‘Ruben…’

Ruben absolutely cannot point a sword at Hillstain.

Hillstain was the captain of the Imperial Knights and the right-hand man of the Crown Prince. So it was a sensitive issue that could easily lead to accusations of treason if mishandled. It was even more so because Edan was an illegitimate prince and was at odds with his brother, the Crown Prince. Knowing this well, Hillstain always took advantage of his favorable position and spoke again.

“Move aside.”

“I refuse.”

“I told you it’s an order. How many times do I have to say it?”

“No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same. I cannot move aside.”

As the tense tug-of-war continued, blood finally seeped from Ruben’s chin.

Hillstain, who had been lightly scratching the skin, had applied more force to the hand holding the sword.

‘Crazy..!’

I felt like my conscience was being scratched along with Ruben’s wound.

Hillstain doesn’t even know who I am anyway, so is it right to keep hiding like this?

Gritting my teeth and holding my breath, I decided to give up hiding.

Just as I was about to take a step to the side.

Ruben’s arm tensed as he sensed my movement, and at the same time, there was a sharp sound of swords clashing.

“…?!”

Hillstain, Ruben, and I simultaneously turned our heads to one side.

Hillstain’s sword had flown away to the distant stone wall along with another blood-soaked sword.

After confirming this, the three of us naturally shifted our gaze to where the sword had come from, as if by agreement.

There stood Edan, covered in the blood of monsters.

“Greetings.”

Edan uttered in a low voice without properly looking at Hillstain.

Then he received a towel from another subordinate following him and began wiping his hands.

Sticky blood covered the entire handkerchief. After roughly wiping the blood off his hands, Edan carelessly wiped off the blood splatter on his cheeks as well before handing the towel back to the soldier.

Then, running his hand through his hair, he finally looked at Hillstain.

No. More precisely, it was me, then Ruben’s chin, and then Hillstain.

“Greet-ings.”

As if displeased, Edan repeated the same word twice, and only then did Hillstain place his hand on his shoulder and bow his upper body in respect.

“Hillstain Mathias, in the presence of His Highness Prince Edan Dietrich, the Star of the Empire.”

Normally at times like this, one should reciprocate the greeting, but Edan remained silent.

Hillstain, who had been waiting, raised his head, and right on cue, Edan spoke.

“Sir.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Who told you to raise your head?”

Hillstain’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden nitpicking.

“I don’t like your greeting. Again.”

Edan ostentatiously put one hand in his pocket and stood with one leg crossed, leaning to one side.

In contrast to his more refined speech, his attitude was absurdly self-willed.

“It’s been a while since I’ve greeted you.”

Hillstain bowed his head to Edan again. And Edan.

“More.”

As if he would kill him if he didn’t give a satisfactory greeting, he demanded in an ice-cold tone.

Hillstain’s shoulders could be seen flinching. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but soon Hillstain bowed his shoulders and head even deeper.

As if intending to deliberately humiliate him, Edan left him standing like that for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

“I thought you had no business in the North, what brings you here?”

His behavior was even more lacking in manners than Hillstain’s. Fortunately, his question implied that it was okay to raise his head now, so Hillstain could finally straighten up.

Hillstain, who had raised his head, had completely lost his smile due to the humiliation.

“We sent several invitations to the Grand Duke’s castle, but there was no response, so Prince Killian ordered me to get a definite answer.”

“What invitation?”

“You didn’t receive it? It’s a matter that’s causing quite a stir throughout the Empire.”

Edan tilted his head as if annoyed. He looked down at Hillstain with an arrogant gaze, as if to say, ‘Why are you asking back instead of just answering the question?’

“Sir. Is that what I asked?”

“I apologize. Regarding the celebration ball for the Grand Saint…”

Edan jutted out his chin, interrupting Hillstain who was calmly continuing his answer.

“Bring it.”

Not only did he cut off the words, but it was also a baseless command.

Hillstain frowned and turned his head following Edan’s chin.

It was where the two sword blades had fallen earlier.

‘He must be really upset.’

Edan was extremely angry that Hillstain had messed with Ruben, and was pushing him around with his willful attitude.

Suppressing his anger and exercising patience, Hillstain went to where the swords had fallen, put one in his own scabbard, and brought the other to Edan.

“Seeing your sincerity, I’ll attend.”

It’s not sincerity. You’re going to meet Ivy.

A sardonic smile appeared on Hillstain’s lips, who was probably thinking the same thing as me.

“I will convey that. See you on the day of the ball.”

As Edan nodded, Hillstain turned around.

However, as the portal opened and Hillstain was about to enter, he suddenly turned back towards us.

“Your Highness, if I may be so bold, could I ask what you’re hiding behind Ruben?”

You fool! Just go! Please go! Put aside your curiosity! Put it away!

As the attention returned to me, I gripped the flag even tighter with my trembling hands.

Edan slowly moved and perched slightly on the defensive wall next to me. Then he ostentatiously turned his head to look at me and smiled as if he had found an interesting toy.

Since I would certainly be hidden from Hillstain’s view by Ruben, he was undoubtedly teasing or provoking him.

“Of course, you can ask.”

“Then please tell me…”

“But you’ll have to pay the price.”

“…Price, you say?”

I fidgeted nervously and secretly glanced at Hillstain while avoiding Edan’s gaze.

Hillstain was trying hard to maintain a smile, but he couldn’t hide his subtle displeasure.

“If you offer one of your arms as food for monsters.”

It was an absurd trade condition.

Hillstain’s lips, which had parted slightly while speaking, closed. His eyes, which had been smiling until now, had already cooled coldly.

“If those are the conditions, I’ll have to decline. Then.”

Hillstain disappeared into the portal.

And as soon as he left, all the strength drained from my body and I collapsed onto the floor.

Perhaps because the tension had eased, my body started to ache and the cold I had forgotten about rushed in.

Snowflakes were now fluttering down from the sky.

“Beautiful…”

Though it wasn’t the time for such appreciation, I couldn’t think straight due to accumulated fatigue. There had been many events since writing resignation letters to escape… Well, it ended up failing anyway.

Suddenly my vision spun and I fainted right there.

The escape failed, Edan was on the verge of madness, and even meeting Hillstain – everything was a mess.

It’s another nightmare. In the dream, I was floundering in a mud pit.

“Huff…!”

I opened my eyes, gasping for breath.

But either I wasn’t fully awake, or I had entered another dream.

“Edan…?”

Golden hair sparkled in front of my eyes, reflecting the sunlight.

Even up close, clean skin without visible pores, well-groomed eyebrows, a sharp nose bridge… Appropriately long eyelashes and soft eyelids, and even perfectly shaped lips. Edan, who could never be criticized for his appearance. Look at that jawline. How can it be this sharp even when lying on the side?

Moreover, the thick veins rising along his neckline, sexy collarbone, broad shoulders and thick, firm arms… And my hand resting on his magnificent chest.

“…?”