Chapter 115
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 115
The atmosphere was decidedly awkward.
Yet what surprised even me was that in this moment, with our bodies pressed together....
'I don't hate it. If anything, my heart is racing.'
I recalled all those digestive aids I'd left behind at home in my haste, and the cold night air from when Kibon had carried me on his back as he ran desperately through the darkness.
On that bitter night when the wind cut like ice, Kibon's back—burning with fever—had been unbearably hot.
Even then, I'd thought I would never forget this night.
'Ah.'
My heart pounded wildly.
It was a feeling I'd desperately ignored under the pretense of being busy, but in this moment, I couldn't deny it any longer.
A truth I'd known deep down for so long.
'I... like him.'
This moment, and Kibon too.
'What is Kibon feeling right now?'
It had always seemed like he cared for me....
But precisely because of that, I needed to keep my wits about me.
It was fine to harbor such feelings privately, but revealing them could become a problem.
'Just imagine it.'
Because I was his superior. I had to constantly keep the power imbalance in mind.
'If it were me and Oson in this situation....'
It was truly horrifying. Just imagining it made my skin crawl.
'And all because of something Oson made me do....'
Now that I thought about it, Oson had also deluded himself into believing I didn't 'dislike' him. That at least our relationship wasn't bad.
'So I absolutely cannot let a subordinate become convinced that I care for them.'
I quickly engaged in self-reflection and spoke first.
"...I'm sorry."
"Pardon?"
"I'm sorry. For asking you to do something so dangerous... and for you ending up in this state."
"Ha...."
"Truly, I have no excuse. As your superior, I've dragged you into an unforeseen situation and caused you trouble... I shouldn't be doing this."
"That was a sigh of guilt. And doesn't that same logic apply to Crown Prince Kiaros as well?"
"Fair point."
This whole mess stemmed from Kiaros providing far too effective a weapon.
I answered quickly.
"Then let's just... blame it all on Crown Prince Kiaros."
"That's not just blame—that's the truth."
"Look at you, pinning everything on someone who isn't here. You've picked up some organizational savvy."
I laughed with amusement, then added sheepishly.
"Still, I'm sorry. This situation could be uncomfortable for you...."
"I'm not uncomfortable."
He answered immediately.
"Minister, are you perhaps displeased?"
"Hm?"
His dark eyes gazed at me steadily. Beneath the faint moonlight, my reflection rippled in his pupils.
My heart pounded.
Between us existed a line drawn clearly by the simple fact that we worked at the same place.
Whether that line would fade or become more defined depended entirely on my answer now.
I whispered while meeting his gaze.
"...No."
At that same moment, with a thunderous crash, the Warehouse collapsed completely.
"Ugh!"
Kibon's hand covered my mouth with a soft thud, barely stifling my scream. Simultaneously, he held me tight and rolled us both to the side.
Throughout it all, he kept me secure in his arms, rolling on his back so I remained completely unharmed.
After rolling across the ground several times, he finally managed to push himself up. The Warehouse was now completely in ruins.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
Kibon continued apologizing, though this wasn't his fault at all.
"I was just startled by the marriage proposal...."
"Hey, snap out of it. I said no. And why are you apologizing for the Warehouse collapsing?"
As I stepped away from Kibon's warm body, I could finally breathe properly. With the moon at his back, Kibon exhaled deeply, a long, weary sigh.
"It... looks like it's all over now. Let's go."
I was about to rise to my feet and follow him.
"Ugh!"
I couldn't get up and simply collapsed back down. Kibon grabbed my shoulders in alarm.
"Are you injured?"
"No, it's not that. I think my body was too tense—my legs have gone weak...."
Kibon looked at me and chuckled softly, then began brushing the dirt from my clothes. Though his own body was covered in dust as well.
I murmured apologetically.
"Here... this side has more dirt on it...."
After all, if he was going to brush me off anyway, it made more sense to focus on the dirtier spots.
He laughed once more and meticulously brushed away all the dirt.
Then he turned around and offered his back. The meaning was unmistakable.
"Hm?"
When I blinked as if I didn't understand, he spoke matter-of-factly.
"This isn't your first time being carried. Why hesitate now?"
"Right. Why am I hesitating?"
I brushed the dirt from his back and quickly climbed onto it.
With each slow, measured step, the night air mingled with his footfalls. With my legs suspended in the air, it felt as though I were flying through the sky.
I had been carried like this on the night I coughed up blood, but then Kibon had been running frantically, so I hadn't felt this comforting warmth.
"...This is nice."
The Imperial Palace Garden in the dead of night was serene and still.
At my soft whisper, Kibon answered immediately.
"I like it."
Our merged shadow stretched long beneath the moonlight.
I tightened my arms around his neck and spoke.
"Let's come back here again sometime."
"Here?"
"Yes. I like this path."
"It's so remote there's really nothing here."
"Really?"
Looking around for anything worth seeing, I spotted a bench sitting alone at a nearby distance.
It was quite an old bench, and since hardly anyone sat on it, vines had climbed all the way up to the backrest.
"Oh, that bench is pretty. So natural and organic. Before we leave the Imperial Palace, let's definitely sit there together once."
Here I was, being carried on the back of a man, saying such things—I was clearly guilty. Even if I confessed, I would have to pay the price for my crime.
"That's actually the ugliest Imperial Palace bench I've ever seen..."
Kibon chuckled softly and spoke in a low voice.
"Still, let's definitely come back again later."
Kibon's voice reached my ears like a lullaby, warm and gentle.
"From that day on, that bench might just become my favorite in the entire Imperial Palace."
One thing was certain: if I was the criminal tonight, then Kibon was my accomplice.
* * *
The High Priest, assigned a room in the Imperial Palace, ground his teeth in irritation.
On the final day, he had planned to lure Crown Prince Kiaros into the Chapel and bury him there. He had even prepared a drug to cloud his mind temporarily, so he couldn't escape quickly.
'I was going to sacrifice a few priests as well, and claim it was an unexpected accident on our side...'
Now that Construction Department officials would be coming and going constantly, his original plan had fallen through.
That was when it happened.
'Wait a moment.'
The High Priest, lost in anguish, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
He had just remembered Namia Loapi's words, which he had let slip past him before.
[If you listen well to what I say, I'll call you when it's just me and Crown Prince Kiaros alone. At that time, I'll ask him to take good care of the Temple, so you can subtly mention your requests and such.]
Namia Loapi and Crown Prince Kiaros. If he could go to a place where only the two of them were...
He could approach Crown Prince Kiaros without any great sacrifice or suspicion.
'After all, Namia Loapi is nothing but an ordinary woman with no power, and given Crown Prince Kiaros's suspicious nature, he would never reveal that he's in his Dark Period.'
In other words, there would be no guards.
It would be unimaginable for an Imperial Servant to bring guards when meeting a lover.
Besides, Namia Loapi was equally bothersome anyway.
'After I kill Crown Prince Kiaros, I can frame Namia Loapi. Then I can dispose of both of them at once.'
The High Priest smiled wickedly.
No matter how much of an Imperial Servant Crown Prince Kiaros was, assassination through close approach seemed not difficult given his Dark Period state.
Having grown extremely powerful through recent experiments, it would be all the easier.
'Yes, having come this far, I must accomplish my goal.'
Until I gained a certain degree of trust, I would need to bow and scrape before Namia Loapi somewhat, but that humiliation was a small price to endure for the greater cause.
And the very next morning.
The High Priest received a letter from Namia Loapi.
I heard the Temple collapsed last night? My goodness, even the heavens seem indifferent.
That letter possessed a power from its very first sentence that turned his insides upside down.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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