Richard's watery eyes widened.
His fingertips trembled faintly.
Inside the box, within that tiny space—
There was a small bottle beautifully tied with a multicolored ribbon.
A glass vial slightly longer than a finger joint.
Inside it was a faintly reddish liquid, and something resembling golden petals drifted slowly within.
"This..."
Richard carefully lifted the bottle.
The glass was cold to the touch.
When he carefully turned it to examine the side, an engraved pattern caught his eye.
A circular magic circle composed of intricately intertwined ancient characters.
Would you believe me if I told you there was a miraculous potion that made you fall in love simply by drinking it?
Of course, I don't think you would.
Because it doesn't actually exist.
If it had, I wouldn't have had to witness their wedding forty-eight times.
However, within this "story," something called a "love potion" does exist.
A love potion.
It sounds as though drinking it would make you fall in love, but in reality, it acts like a sleeping pill and merely puts whoever consumes it to sleep.
But...
The person who drinks the potion becomes "convinced" that they spent a passionate night of love with the potion's owner.
Once, even a villainess used that potion in one of her schemes.
Although it doesn't make anyone truly fall in love and merely creates an illusion, it is still a sufficiently useful tool.
Especially when you need to seduce someone you dislike.
"..."
The corners of Richard's mouth curved into a smirk as he gripped the bottle, its red liquid sloshing inside.
Zahir.
I didn't know you'd actually give me something useful...
It's exactly what I need right now.
A brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
If I use this well...
The smile at the corners of his mouth continued to grow.
Richard carefully slipped the bottle into his pocket.
Yes, I should thank Zahir later.
It seems I'll be able to put this to very good use.
Suppressing the laughter rising within him, Richard slowly looked toward the door.
"Shall we go, then?"
Muttering softly to himself, he pulled open the door.
In front of the mansion's entrance.
Golden carriages stood in a splendid formation upon the stone pavement, bathed in the hot morning sunlight.
White horses snorted and exhaled,
and guards stood solemnly with stern expressions.
Holding a bag in one hand, Richard
descended the steps one by one.
The sound of his footsteps echoed lightly across the stone pavement.
The tension following the engagement announcement still lingered in the air.
A knight who had opened the carriage door and stood waiting bowed his head.
"Young Master Friedrich, please board."
Richard nodded briefly and stepped up to the carriage.
Just as he was about to climb aboard—
"Wait."
A curt voice came from behind him.
Richard stopped and slowly turned his head.
"Enoch?"
The green-haired man stood like a shadow beside a pillar at the entrance.
His arms loosely crossed as though he had been there from the start, he silently watched Richard.
His green hair was neatly combed, and his attire appeared more carefully prepared than usual.
In one hand, he held a small, packed knapsack.
"I'll go with you,"
he said.
Richard slowly raised one eyebrow.
"With me?"
"To the Imperial Palace."
Enoch repeated himself in a calm voice.
"Don't you need a servant?"
"Me?"
Richard instinctively retorted.
"You are, nominally, the Crown Prince's fiancé."
Without averting his gaze, Enoch paused for a moment before adding,
Richard swallowed a hollow laugh.
"So you're saying you'll follow me as my servant?"
You mean you're going to act as a servant now?
Enoch, a member of the royal family?
That Enoch, whose pride pierced the heavens?
Richard's mouth fell open. He repeatedly opened and closed it as though trying to speak.
His lips moved soundlessly, like someone floundering underwater.
"Aren't you going to receive lessons on the duties of an Empress?"
Enoch furrowed his brow.
"I don't like leaving you alone."
At those words, Richard closed his mouth for a moment.
The wind swept past, lightly fluttering the hem of his cloak.
"Enoch."
Calling his name quietly, Richard tilted his head.
Enoch did not avert his gaze.
His expression remained placid, yet he very slowly raised one corner of his mouth.
"I still oppose this engagement."
His voice was low and quiet.
"So I'll tag along, even if it means serving you."
"..."
At those words, Richard's brow furrowed slightly.
Somehow, it seems I've tampered with the wrong thing in this regression.
Enoch wasn't originally this kind of person...
A soft sigh escaped him.
"So a royal wants to play servant?"
"It's a temporary position,"
Enoch answered curtly.
"Starting today."
Richard looked at him for a moment, then shook his head and turned back toward the carriage.
Would he even listen if I tried to stop him...?
He already knew that he could neither stop nor persuade him.
If Enoch could have been dissuaded, he would have returned to his kingdom long ago.
With a sigh, Richard spoke to the man standing behind him.
"Get in."
As though he had been waiting for those words, Enoch followed close behind.
Inside an abandoned ruin.
In a place where not even moonlight could reach, where only dark silence lingered,
the one wearing a butterfly mask walked alone.
"You understood the warning, didn't you?"
The butterfly pattern glimmered. The mask was incredibly beautiful from afar, but up close, it appeared strangely distorted.
"I sent them, didn't I? Those masked men with swords. His reaction was delightful."
The corner of the Butterfly Mask's mouth curved upward slightly.
"I didn't think you would intervene directly."
His gaze was fixed upon the void, upon the silhouette concealed in the shadow of a ruined pillar.
Beneath the robe that concealed everything, only a vaguely human form could be discerned.
From within, where neither light nor emotion could reach, only a presence writhed faintly.
"Don't become too attached to that child. It will become dangerous."
Crossing his legs, the Butterfly Mask leaned back.
"If it weren't for you, he might have realized the truth by now."
"Don't touch him."
A curt, low voice emerged from the shadows.
It was firm yet restrained, concealing emotion rather than revealing it.
"Are you worried?"
The Butterfly Mask slowly tilted his head and laughed.
"That child is instinctively avoiding the truth while making assumptions. You know that's even more dangerous, don't you?"
Silence.
"I know. You don't need to tell me. I also know how long you've been lingering around him."
Adjusting his mask, he continued,
"At first, I thought it was mere curiosity."
"..."
"But then you occasionally intervened directly. Like last night."
The figure beneath the pillar gave no answer.
Yet a faint tremor seemed to run through him.
"Fine. If that feeling is sincere, then I have even more reason to warn you."
The Butterfly Mask pointed a finger into empty space.
"The male lead and the second male lead. The moment those two become 'sincerely' connected—this world will end."
As he lightly traced a circle through the air,
the space cracked as though being torn apart, and faint fissures spread across it.
They sparkled like golden dust.
"This 'story' cannot withstand it. No matter how much you block it, conceal it, or try to protect it..."
"..."
"The moment 'that child' harbors emotion, plausibility will collapse."
The robed figure quietly bowed his head.
The face beneath his hood remained hidden.
However, he could not conceal the force with which he clenched his fist or its faint trembling.
"For that child's sake,"
the low voice said again,
"I will continue to protect him."
A moment of stillness.
At those words, the Butterfly Mask let out a stifled laugh.
"Well. If you insist."
He turned away indifferently.
"But remember. If this continues, fissures will begin to form, and the fact that the child stands at their center will not change."
Light footsteps.
As they receded, the darkness silently withdrew with them.
In the place from which even the shadows had been swept away, only the sound of the wind echoed.
The one left behind stood motionless, saying nothing.
The long hem of his robe swayed in the breeze.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter