Published: August 1, 2025
The floor was paved with white porcelain tiles, and a crimson carpet stretched straight ahead. I carefully avoided stepping on the acacia flower—embroidered in silver thread—the emblem of the Flaria Kingdom.
Every few meters, I was stopped by attendants who looked like maids or butlers.
“Well, well, isn't this Lord Ruifeng Sandalqia Dilz of Dilz? Welcome to the Flaria Embassy…”
Hidden in the trailing off of their words was the question, “What business do you have here?”
I smiled faintly and waved my hand.
“I just came to visit. Princess Mylene invited me for tea.”
“...I see. My apologies.”
Normally, without prior arrangement, it would be unthinkable for a man to visit the embassy. Yet Mylene’s attendants neither questioned nor stopped me, nor did they offer to guide me. Apparently, they were aware of her usual behavior—or perhaps my reputation.
I smiled wryly and walked steadily through the corridor without hesitation.
“The eyes are shaped like a waning crescent moon. The lips resemble a plate…”
—Before coming here—I had visited many places.
First, my eldest brother’s room. Then, the second brother Richard’s. At this pre-dawn hour, both were asleep and wouldn’t answer no matter how hard I knocked. When I returned after dawn, both were absent and I couldn’t see them.
In a rush, I hurried to the castle annex, the cylindrical tower. My biological father, whom I rarely saw even a few times a year, lived there. Though semi-retired due to physical and mental decline, he was still the king of the country.
—But.
“An iron padlock!?”
The door to the tower was secured from the outside with a sturdy lock.
This was absurd! That hadn’t been there a few months ago!?
I grabbed the guard’s collar and demanded to know what this lock was about. He was not a prisoner but the king of the nation—this was imprisonment, or at the very least, confinement.
But the guard smiled gently.
“Oh, don’t worry. That was put on by the Crown Prince.”
“My brother!?”
“About two months ago. There was a theft inside the royal palace… no, it was just a new servant who took a colleague’s wallet, nothing serious. But it made us tighten security to protect His Majesty the King.”
I asked further. On the first day, of course, the lock was applied from the inside, with the king holding the key. But somehow, the key was lost the very same day. Luckily, Lionel had the spare key with him, so the situation was resolved. However, the careless mistake caused my father to abandon managing the key himself.
“I’ve apparently gone senile, so it can’t be helped. Lock it from your side, and Lionel will manage it. The inside of the tower is comfortable, and if he needs anything, he can tell the guards, right?”
…Thinking this might be true, I asked.
“Before your father made that choice... did Lionel scold him severely for losing the key?”
“Yes, very much so.”
The guard gave a wry smile.
“His Majesty is elderly… and he’s someone who, when involved in government affairs, works tirelessly day and night. The Crown Prince insisted that perhaps the Queen’s care was inadequate—”
“So my brother said it was father’s fault that mother died?”
“No, no, certainly not. The Crown Prince never said it like that! He only said, ‘I’ve been worried about Father’s senility for some time. When you were nursing Mother, did you surely give her the correct medicine?’…”
That was almost the same as accusing him. In fact, that was when my father retired.
“Father!”
I looked up at the tower. Originally a watchtower, it was taller than any building in the royal palace. I doubted my voice could reach the top floor, let alone climb up there.
“Damn it…!”
A black bird—a swallow, perhaps?—flew across my line of sight. It was the first time I truly wished to fly like a bird.
Finally, I visited Princess Reimia’s room.
She looked like she hadn’t slept since last night, her face swollen from crying.
“Is there nothing I can do?”