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“What the hell did you do? Milord!”
“……I’m sorry, father. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“Do you know what you ruined?!”
Crash!
A flying teacup flew past Milord and hit the wall, shattered in pieces. Milord was speechless, only swallowing his breaths.
“Father, I….”
“That’s why you can’t beat that tower master! If you want it, push it! Lock her up so she can’t escape! What can you have without such persistence……!”
Milord couldn’t say anything to the emperor’s fury. Milord had never seen him angry like this before in his life. He really couldn’t say anything as his eyes were filled with anger.
“I want to respect Valletta. I didn’t want to lock her up to have her…”
“Then give it up. She’s a woman you can’t even have anyway.
Back out of this one and don’t you dare step out of the castle for a while.”
“Father! What on earth is the reason!”
The Emperor’s frosty voice made Milord raise his voice in defiance. His father’s cold gaze reached him. The emperor slammed the desk violently with his fist.
“What power does she have to be able to escape like this?”
“I need Valletta’s abilities for the people suffering from Lost…….”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch someone once they’ve escaped, let alone twice! She’s a smart girl!”
Milord was speechless. He couldn’t get used to his father talking as if something had escaped, as if he was something without an ego. Milord swallowed his breath and the emperor sank into his chair with a low click of his tongue.
“Lost or not, isn’t it only with the child it can be resolved?”
“…… I’ll go and try to solve it somehow.”
Milord said with eyes filled with a determined will. The emperor shook his head with a sigh.
“Your lack of knowledge of alchemy will not help you if you go there. As I said, you should stay in the castle for a while to study imperial science and cool your head.”
“……Father!”
“You won’t gain anything with such a hardened head. In fact, your relationship with that girl has been going on for quite some time and you still haven’t been able to gain a single piece of her heart.”
“…….”
Milord was no longer able to move because of the emperor’s cold words. Valletta had said the same thing to him.
The words, “If you become a good emperor, I will be your friend as much as you want,” pierced him like a blade.
“If you want to be her friend, that’s fine. Either way, there’s no turning back on my decision, now take the Crown Prince to the castle!”
“Is it not enough to be sincere because I like her, Father?”
“Haven’t you always done that? Did you win a piece of her heart? If you can’t get it, it is better to create a memory that will be remembered forever.”
With that, the emperor waved his hand toward Milord, who bowed his head.
The knights approached, held him up, and carefully led him out of the office. The emperor raised his right hand and gently beckoned.
Gillian, who stood behind him, came forward, and knelt down. After lowering his vision from the emperor’s, the emperor slowly opened his mouth.
“If they do not wish to cooperate, I will have no choice. Use it. I feel sorry for Milord, but that’s the only way to get it undamaged. Bring it this time, Gillian.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Take Lagris with you and track them down. I’ll tell him separately.”
The emperor reached out and condescendingly swiped his thumb over Gillian’s eye patch.
“You will have to succeed unless you want your other eye to be plucked out as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Bring Lagris.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor dismissed Gillian from his seat.
When Gillian left, he tapped his chin slowly. He closed his eyes and waited for a while, and eventually he heard the presence of a person. The emperor was pleased with the presence of the person and opened his mouth with his eyes closed.
“I believe that magic is forbidden in the imperial court.”
“I didn’t know it applied to me as well.”
The emperor opened his eyes slowly to the light tone of the person. The emperor smiled and straightened up. Despite not having the Emperor’s permission, the person sat down on the couch as if it was natural.
“What’s the matter? I don’t want to talk too long.”
“You’re so mean to your only best friend, Lag.”
“I’m not your friend, your friend Lagris is dead. And Elise…”
Lagris bowed his head slowly. The flames fell from his short hair, gray hair, and gray eyes. He swept his hair roughly. The dark-skinned man twisted his face in pain.
“Since the day you killed Elise by making it look like an accident, I…….”
“But when you ask for help, I eventually help.”
“You never told me where her body was…!”
Gritting his teeth, Lagris reached across the table and grabbed the emperor by the chest. It was rude and disrespectful at best, but the emperor looked brighter as if he was in a better mood. Watching him smile even as he grabbed him by the chest, Lagris slowly released his hand.
“There’s something I want to have. Please track it down.”
“Is it Count Delight’s daughter?”
“You know? Who told you?”
The emperor’s gaze was fierce.
Lagris chuckled. He leaned back on the couch with a dry look in his eyes. The emperor’s eyes met Lagris’ as if he was trying to calm down and find out his true intentions.
“If you want to have a conversation, offer me a whiskey.”
“…… me?”
The emperor asked, pointing a finger at himself.
Lagris’ eyebrows raised with an expression that said, “Isn’t that obvious?” The emperor’s mouth quirked up.
“I’m the guest, Cain, and you’re the master, aren’t you?”
“You and Elise are the only ones who dare to treat me like this.”
The emperor shrugged happily, then meekly got up and came to the side table to get a bottle of whiskey and a glass.
Then, Lagris took out his wand and swung it lightly, and a fist-sized round of ice fell into the glass. Lagris poured the liquor, which was so strong that it made the tip of his nose twitch, and tipped the glass. The emperor had to fill the cup himself, but he didn’t seem to have any complaints about this.
“And who told you?”
“I only heard it in passing, since rumors about Count Delight’s daughter are rampant.”
“Hmmm.”
“And don’t you remember that time you told me to bring you the cursed necklace when that mansion collapsed?”
It was a light  way of speaking, with no courtesy. The slightly droopy lips and dark circles made Lagris look tired. The emperor was also well aware that Lagris lived with strong alcohol.
“So when are you going to let me and Elise go? Give her back to me.”
“Elise won’t be yours alone, Lag. I can’t even split her corpse in half for you…….”
The Emperor spoke quietly with a strange expression on his face. Lagris felt angry at the shameless answer. He gulped down his drink as if frustrated and tilted the bottle again.
“Cain, my son is dead. Elise is dead, too. I don’t know how you can be so cruel to what is left of me.”
“You have me, don’t you, Lag?
“You, of all people, are the one I would cut out of my life if I could.”
With a plump smile on his face, the bold-looking man threatened the Emperor coldly with a tired expression. His cold features, which appeared to be belligerent, were darkened under his tired, dark eyes.
“That’s cruel. No matter how much you’re hurt.” (Emperor)
“…… I thought of you, seriously, as a friend. From the moment I first met you, I liked your kindness.”  (Lagris)
Lagris recited bitterly and gulped down the liquor again. He didn’t even blink, even though the highly alcoholic liquor was coming down his esophagus and making him hot all over.
The emperor slowly tipped his cup. He shook his head as if to say it wasn’t true, and opened his mouth.
“I was kind. I was also willing to be kind to the end, no matter how much. It was you and Elise, who broke it.”
At the emperor’s words, Lagris paused for a moment. He tilted his glass again, feeling breathless.
When the emperor had not yet finished his cup, Lagris emptied his cup and filled it hard by himself, and finally opened his difficult lips.
“…… Cain, we were just in love.”
He spoke slowly, as if trying to convince the Emperor. Be as gentle as possible, as soothing as possible to the child.
The emperor tilted his head even as he seemed to listen to him.
“Even if the two of you get married, have children and become a family, it doesn’t mean anything about our relationship. We would have always been friends.”