CH 13

RADKIEL feels like being trapped in an endless maze, unable to escape, like an everlasting nightmare. He blinked his blurry eyes, feeling a severe thirst burning in his throat.

‘Where am I?’

He saw an unfamiliar ceiling above him. He quickly tried to recall his memories, but no specific place came to mind. The last thing he remembered was that his trusted subordinates were monitoring him and had administered poison.

…No, if they were just trusted subordinates, he wouldn’t have been so shocked.

Radkiel’s mother was murdered in a cold-blooded way. To suppress his rage and desire for revenge, he pretended to lose his sanity, deceiving everyone.

The emperor, who should’ve provided him support, was sick and confined to a bed, and the helpless young boy had no place to rely on. In front of the empress consort1I’m not sure if it’s the proper term or not, but she’s supposed to be someone who had lower rank and level of power compared to the empress. This word was translated as head of concubines before, by the way., who had orchestrated the assassination, and the brothers who tolerated it, he laughed hysterically, as if mocking them.

However, every night, he shed tears, thinking of his mother, who suffered from melting vocal cords and tongue due to poison, vomiting blood, and sobbing. He pledged over and over again that he would slaughter them all and soothe his mother’s spirit.

Even when he was in his right mind, no one cared about the prince who was subjected to cruel punishments. Except for two people who knelt in front of the young boy, smiling kindly no matter what he said. He considered them friends. Although they weren’t blood related, they were more like brothers to him than the brothers who had never considered him a family.

One day, he realized that they were controlled like a puppet. They were never truly his people from the beginning. All the schemes he had been planning for a long time must have already been revealed to the empress consort. It was all over. Everything was over.

Simultaneously, the overwhelming emotions that surged within him were not anguish or anger but resignation and sadness. Radkiel’s mother had always smiled brightly, even while enduring such treatment in the palace. Until the moment she faced a painful and unjust death.

He knew that what his mother desired was not revenge.

From the moment he was born prematurely and barely let out a cry, the unhappiness and tragedy began. Yet his mother never let go of the tiny baby she embraced so dearly.

He knew that all his mother wanted was for her son to live a happy life.

“Mother.”

Gasping for breath, he coughed, thinking of his dying mother.

The tea he had drunk, consumed in a state of lowered guard, had been laced with poison. The place he collapsed was his own palace. Yet right now, all he could see was the shabby wooden ceiling.

There was only one thing he could think of. Someone had saved him after he had ingested the poison. But there would be no benefit to saving him. And if they had intended to abandon him, it should have been a secret underground prison, not a room.

After some time, his senses slowly returned to his sluggish body. Blinking his eyes open, he suddenly realized that there was someone by his side.

Being sensitive to the presence of others, it was surprising even to himself that he only noticed now. No matter how unwell his body was, it was strange. With a confused feeling, he struggled to lift his upper body and fixed his gaze on the woman with black hair lying on the bed.

She was a stranger. However, upon seeing her black hair, he immediately thought of someone. The empress consort’s Velosa.

The empress consort greatly admired and desired every kind of beauty. From jewelry, dresses, ornaments, furniture, and even people. She raised a slave with ashen skin as a pet, and even presented a man with different-colored irises as an exquisite showpiece at a banquet.

Recently, there was information that she had brought in a woman with black hair from the eastern continent as a maid. Ashen skin and odd-colored eyes were rare, but black hair was also something that could hardly be seen in the empire. It was too coincidental to be mere chance.

Radkiel nervously bit his dry lips.

Entering the palace required going through strict procedures and verification, whether it was a person or an object. There was no exceptions. However, if there was someone who could secretly sneak him into this hidden place, there was no one else but the empress consort who wielded power instead of the emperor.

He wanted to ask the woman about the situation, how she managed to save him and what happened, but he couldn’t muster any strength in his body. Lifting his upper body was the limit.

Whether it was due to the poison mixed in the tea or because he lost consciousness, he couldn’t tell, but he felt miserable.

D*mn it, d*amn it all. He let out a bitter laugh, and his eyes welled up. In the end, he had been played around by that wicked woman from the beginning. It would have been better to just kill him, d*mn it.

His face hardened with frustration. Radkiel’s hand reached towards the woman’s shoulder, shaking her as if to push her away.

The woman, who was trapped in a deep sleep, soon jolted awake.

Perhaps it was because of the bangs covering her forehead. A rather disheveled woman blinked her eyes wide open. As soon as their gazes met, Radkiel shot a sharp question.

“…Why did you save me?”

It didn’t take long for something bizarre to appear before Radkiel’s eyes.

‘?’ thought, ‘What I had in mind was a charming gentleman who would express his gratitude, saying ‘Thank you for rescuing me’ and asking, ‘How can I repay this kindness?’ while adding a touch of light to my ordinary life…!’

Radkiel’s face remained fixed on it, filled with astonishment, as he witnessed a peculiar magic he had never seen before. Coincidentally, the woman directly across from him misunderstood the expression in his eyes, interpreting it differently.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure.

The experiences he had accumulated throughout his life, pretending to be a fool, were not to be ignored. If the information was true, it meant that this woman had no connection to the empress consort. Of course, that was if this bizarre magic wasn’t orchestrated.

Radkiel spoke with a noticeably softened voice.

“If you sought something in return for helping me, I’m sorry, but as you can see, I have nothing…”

However, as he trailed off and absentmindedly glanced downwards, he realized that he was completely naked. How utterly embarrassing…!

He panicked and hastily pulled up the blanket. His mind spun wildly. Could it be that this woman desired his body? Despite the uncomfortable thoughts running through his mind, he made an effort to not show it and added,

“…You must’ve seen my state. It would be best for you to let me die.”

He didn’t know what intentions the woman harbored, but his words were genuine. Even if she truly desired his body, he knew that the empress consort would never allow it to pass without consequence.

Betrayed by those he had believed to be his own, his body defiled, he had already lost everything. Rising solely for the sake of revenge, he couldn’t endure a second wave of despair. He simply yearned for rest.

Perhaps hanging himself or slitting his wrists would suffice. No, his body was already ravaged by poison. Radkiel thought that even a little strain would end his life easily. But when he attempted to rise, the woman abruptly stood up and pressed her hand against his shoulder.

It felt as if he was being crushed by a boulder. It was firm. Radkiel, utterly taken aback, collapsed under the pressure that couldn’t possibly be human strength.

Utterly bewildered, he stared at the slender woman before him. She averted her gaze with a slightly embarrassed expression and spoke.

“I-I didn’t seek any repayment or anything like that. Y-you got caught in my fishing line…”

“…Your fishing line?”

“I-I’ll explain the details later. Please, just lie down a little longer. I’ll quickly boil some water for you.”

Without waiting for a response, she hastily left the room. He furrowed his brow and exerted all his strength to prop up his body. As he struggled to sit up, a golden fabric tumbled down.

Its shine and color were extraordinary. He absentmindedly grasped it and widened his eyes at the smooth texture and peculiar warmth emanating from his palm. Was this also an enchanted item?

Pausing for a moment, he suppressed the pain that twisted his organs and gathered his strength. Something began to shimmer before his eyes.

Beautiful. Unbeknownst to himself, his gaze followed the shimmering clusters of light scattered throughout the room. Eventually, he looked down at the fabric he held. This too emitted a warm radiance.

How could it be so bright? Somehow, it felt like tears would well up. It was reminiscent of the light that his mother, whom he lost a long time ago, possessed.

He had been able to see other people’s aura since he was young.

Kind, upright individuals with pure and generous hearts were accompanied by a bright and vibrant glow. On the other hand, those who harbored ill intentions or had committed wrongful acts were enveloped in a dark, sinister glow.

Most people in the palace carried a dangerous aura. Though goodness and wickedness couldn’t be objectively judged, his eyes were generally accurate. If the woman with the black hair who saved him was the owner of this house, she was a good person.

However, Radkiel found it difficult to easily let his guard down because he no longer trusted even his own eyes. After all, the subordinates who betrayed him also harbored warm light.