Richard raced down the corridor.
No one was chasing him, yet he ran as though fleeing for his life.
The wind tousled his hair, and the shirt buttoned all the way to his throat felt suffocating, as though it were constricting his chest.
His heart pounded, and his breathing came hard.
More than anything, it was so damn unfair.
His feet finally stopped in a garden.
It lay in the innermost reaches of the Imperial Palace.
A secluded inner courtyard that few people visited.
It was occasionally used to cultivate withering medicinal herbs or aquatic plants,
a quiet place even the gardeners visited only from time to time.
No one will come here.
The fountain burbled softly, shadows from the trees spread across the ground,
and a small bird darted into the air.
Good. This place is still sane. It’s only the inside of the palace that’s gone mad.
Richard roughly shook out his still-damp hair and caught his breath.
But that peace
shattered far sooner than expected.
“Young Lord Friedrich.”
...Hm?
He slowly turned his head.
In that instant, the peaceful garden became a cesspit in three seconds flat.
“......”
“......”
A stone table.
A tea set.
A perfectly pressed formal uniform embroidered in gold.
And
Laios le Regnantia.
His Majesty the Emperor was enjoying tea.
“...Ha.”
The sigh that escaped Richard was not even coherent enough to be called a word.
It might have been preferable if someone had grabbed him by the collar and slapped him across the face.
“Young Lord Friedrich.”
Laios set down his teacup and smiled with narrowed eyes.
As though delighted to have caught him.
“You’ve been running around quite busily since this morning.”
“......”
“Have you been sweating? Your face is red.”
Richard instinctively rubbed his cheek.
Red, my ass. It was burning with rage.
“...Does Your Majesty often take tea here?”
“Sometimes.”
Laios calmly lifted his teacup.
“When the palace grows noisy, I find myself in need of somewhere quiet.”
“......”
Somehow, that sounded as though Richard was the reason the palace had grown noisy.
“...Last night.”
Laios lightly swirled his teacup as he continued.
“Was exceptionally noisy.”
“......”
“The whole palace shook. Those breathless cries sounded rather urgent.”
Richard’s pupils quivered violently.
The corners of his mouth twitched, and his fingers curled slightly.
“...That was not my intention. The... soundproofing appears to have been somewhat inadequate.”
Laios looked directly at Richard.
Then, in a very serious and faintly impressed tone, he said,
“No, I found it quite pleasing.”
“...Pardon?”
“Your first night with the Crown Prince. It was certainly grand.”
Richard struggled not to grimace, but the corner of his eye twitched.
The last shreds of pride inside him were slowly leaking onto the ground like spilled tea.
“Your Majesty, that is... forgive my impertinence, but it is a private matter....”
“The entire palace heard it, so I hardly think it remains private.”
Laios set down his teacup with a sharp click and stared at him in disbelief.
“Everyone is talking about it. The bed creaking, the two of you calling each other’s names, something about ‘more’....”
“Please stop.”
Richard bit down on his lip.
“...Please, stop.”
Laios nodded.
Then he added one final remark.
“For the peace and prosperity of the Imperial family, I must ask you to do it again. I look forward to another fine performance tomorrow night.”
“......”
Richard stormed out of the garden, stamping so hard that his heels seemed ready to tear open the ground.
...He sincerely wanted to throw himself into a river.
Something went wrong.
Richard clenched his teeth as he left the Imperial Palace. Then he walked like a madman.
As though he would lose his grip on sanity if he stopped.
Lord Richard, allow me to escort you!
Dame Fenrir, his newly appointed guard, had tried to follow him, but he had refused her with all his might.
If he heard one more thing about last night, he truly, genuinely felt as though he would throw himself into a river.
...That isn’t how a love potion is supposed to work.
A love potion was supposed to make someone falsely believe they had spent the night with another person.
At most, it caused emotional confusion. It was not a drug that compelled anyone to do something physical. And yet....
Did it have some hidden effect?
He needed to find out.
No, he had to find out.
Richard eventually arrived at a shabby tavern in the heart of Trancen Street.
It looked like an ordinary tavern from the outside, but a secret shop was concealed within.
“A toast!”
“To your safe return!”
Richard slipped through the boisterous crowd and quietly approached the counter where the tavern keeper stood.
“One glass of wine made from blood, please.”
Richard whispered the words.
The tavern keeper glanced him up and down, then nodded.
When he pressed a small wooden panel behind him—
Rumble—!
With a deafening roar, one wall of the tavern split open to either side.
An old stone staircase was revealed.
A staircase leading underground.
Richard immediately stepped inside.
The light was dim, but he knew exactly where to go.
Tap, tap.
The farther down he went, the stronger the stench of blood became.
Then—
“We meet again.”
A figure sat before a black table.
Zahir.
The black-haired man, whose hair fell to his nape, smiled pleasantly.
“...Zahir.”
Richard narrowed his eyes.
Then, as calmly as possible despite feeling as though he were coughing up blood inside, he began,
“That potion you gave me as a complimentary extra. The ‘love potion.’”
“Hmm?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zahir innocently tilted his head.
“Did it not work?”
“Work?”
Richard burst out laughing.
No, it was closer to a scoff.
“Oh, it worked. Spectacularly.”
Zahir raised his eyebrows.
“Hmm. Then what’s the problem?”
Richard slammed his palm against the table.
The faintly cracked table trembled.
“Do you want to die?”
“...Oh. You’re serious.”
Zahir leaned back and chuckled.
Then he crooked a finger, placating Richard.
“Now, now. Don’t be angry. What exactly happened?”
“That bastard ravaged me.”
“......”
“All I did was put the potion in his drink, and that bastard! He...!”
Richard shouted through gritted teeth.
“From above. With me underneath. Because of that potion. Do you understand?”
Zahir froze.
A moment later, he doubled over with laughter.
“Hahahaha...! Oh dear.”
Still laughing, he picked up a wine bottle and poured the red liquid into a glass.
Then he pushed it toward Richard.
“Richard. You see....”
“......”
“You do know how the potion works, don’t you?”
Richard shoved the glass back toward Zahir.
“Of course I do.”
“......”
“The person who drinks it falls asleep, then wakes up falsely believing they spent the night with the last person they saw.”
Zahir lifted the glass and smiled.
“Oh, Richard.”
He slowly shook his head.
“You know one part, but not the whole of it.”
“...What?”
Richard’s brow furrowed.
“What don’t I know?”
“You’re right. The potion’s apparent effect is exactly as you described.”
Zahir leisurely swirled his glass as he continued.
“Once the other person drinks it, they fall asleep. When they wake the next morning, they falsely believe that the two of you spent the night together.”
“That’s exactly the problem—!”
“But, you see....”
Zahir set down his glass and snapped his fingers.
“That only happens when the other person has no feelings for you.”
Richard’s pupils trembled.
“...What are you talking about?”
“If that person has no interest in you, it ends as nothing more than a false belief.”
Zahir shrugged.
“But if they already have feelings for you to some degree, it works a little differently.”
“......”
“There’s no need for an illusion.”
He looked Richard directly in the eyes and smiled.
“That’s why the two of you actually spent the night together.”
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