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TPHO: Chapter 5
“Hyung-nim.”
The last time Etienne saw Richard was three years ago. He recalled Richard came to him and said goodbye before leaving for the expedition.
It was a particularly hot summer night.
“
Who is there ?”
He remembered it was the night when he couldn’t fall asleep easily. He tossed and turned for a long time due to the tropical weather that lasted for several days.
Etienne was forcing himself to sleep when he was alerted to the presence of someone from the balcony. Then a little voice came through the curtains fluttering in the hot wind.
“Hyung-nim.”
‘
Richard?’
Etienne immediately recognized the owner of the voice. He couldn’t help but know who the person was.There was only one person in the world who would call him, the prince “hyung-nim”.
“Why are you
”
Etienne had stiffened. He slowly stood up from his seat with a perplexed look. Then he hurried to the balcony and saw a familiar face through the curtain.
“What’s going on? Why are you here at this hour?”
Etienne asked in a voice as calm as possible. It was a shame because he knew Richard was staying at the Imperial Palace for tomorrow’s ceremony.
“I wanted to see you before I leave.”
Richard wrinkled his brows. At that moment Etienne’s heart beat erratically.
“Me?”
“
.Yes. But I didn’t mean to disturb Hyung-nim’s sleep. It’s just that I acted a little impulsively
.”
Richard smiled awkwardly, blurring the end of his words. Etienne folded his arms, sighing.
“For real, you
”
“Are you angry?”
“I told you not to call me Hyung.”
Etienne fired back on purpose. Etienne drew a line after Richard became Grand Duke of Eckhardt, and insisted on changing how Richard called him.
But Richard was still friendly, calling Etienne his brother.
“Why are you
”
The words that came out like a sigh were unfinished and scattered. Etienne closed his mouth, feeling something hot in his chest.
At the age of eighteen this year, Richard officially succeeded to the Grand Duchy. He was just at the boundary between a boy and a young man.
Etienne looked at Richard for a while, sighed long. He turned around with a cold face.
“You have seen my face, now go back.”
“Wait a minute.”
Richard called Etienne in an urgent voice and stretched out his hand. A large, strong hand grabbed Etienne’s arm.
“You really
”
At that moment Etienne frowned impatiently. He was about to say how disrespectful this was, but he stopped at Richard’s next words.
“Just for a little while, I don’t know when I’ll be back

 Can’t you stay with me a little longer?”
Etienne’s heart thumped at the news that Richard didn’t know when he’d be back. He could not shake Richard’s hand.
Earlier this year, Richard became Duke of Eckhardt. He was leaving on an expedition to fulfill his duty as the youngest general and knight loyal to the emperor.
It was different from the usual monster wave, so it would take months at the earliest and years at the longest.
Things could go wrong. It was a dangerous task that could lead to serious injury or death. When he thought about it that far, he could no longer reject Richard.
Etienne let out a long sigh and relaxed his body. Then, Richard’s face brightened.
“Hyung-nim.” Richard called Etienne in a low voice.
“Yes?” Etienne replied curtly.
“Can I write you a letter?”
Richard hesitated as Etienne looked at his eyes. His eyes twinkled as if they had moved from the darkness to the starry night sky.
Etienne stared at his gentle eyes that did not match his own. His heart ached more than before.
“
.I won’t reply.”
When Etienne finally answered, Richard’s face glowed. Even though Etienne said he wouldn’t reply even if Richard could only send a letter, he still seemed happy.
‘He is still a kid.’ Etienne thought as he stared at Richard smiling brightly. Strangely, the difficulty of breathing in his chest seemed to have disappeared.
“Deng!”
“I must go now.” muttered Richard regretfully, glancing in the direction of the sound.
Etienne hesitated to bid goodbye to Richard. At the end, he bid him goodbye. Richard’s indigo eyes shone like stars after that.
“I’ll be back.” Richard said with a smile. Then he carefully raised his hand. For a brief moment, a soft warmth touched Etienne’s cheek and then fell. Richard removed his hand and wrinkled his eyes as if crying and smiling at the same time.
“Stay healthy.”
Richard gave his last goodbye and turned around with a face full of regret. Etienne stood on the balcony until his figure completely disappeared from his view.
That night, Etienne couldn’t sleep a wink.
“
. What do you plan to do next?”
“Yes?”
Etienne had been engrossed in reminiscences. He returned to reality at the voice of the Empress. The Empress wrinkled her brow when Etienne asked blankly.
“I asked you what you were going to do now that he is back.”
“I’ll do whatever my mother, the empress, tells me to do.”
“Yes.” Perhaps she liked Etienne’s answer, the Empress lightly nodded her head.
“You just have to do what this mother says.”
“Yes.”
Etienne bowed his head in obedience. But there was a bitter smile on his lips.
So far, the Empress didn’t want Etienne to do anything on his own. The only thing she wanted from her son was to not be caught as an Omega.
“It is maddening to leave your own children behind and choose another member of the Imperial family as one’s successor.” The more the Empress thought about it, the more ridiculous she felt it was. The Empress murmured. “Some idiots call him a hero these days, but it doesn’t matter.”
“Yes.”
Etienne answered stiffly. Richard’s achievements over the past three years have been terrifying that even the Empress was wary.
He not only successfully blocked a large-scale monster wave, but also defeated barbarians who were eager to attack the empire. His performance was indeed comparable to that of a hero.
It was natural that the opinion regarding how Richard should be crowned as the crown prince was gaining strength instead of Etienne, who had yet to make any significant contribution,
“From now on, you will also be engaged in outdoor activities.”
“
What?”
Etienne opened his eyes wide at the unexpected words. The Empress snorted lightly.
“What are you surprised at? The situation has changed because of him and the emperor. Even if you can’t go out on an expedition like him and make a contribution, you should at least show your presence as a prince.”
“Ah, yes.”
“No need to worry too much. The stage will be prepared by this mother. You just need to be as careful as you are now and show your face a few times.”
“All right.”
“Oh, take care of your reputation.”
“Reputation
.?”
“Imperial b*stard.” she murmured. “I don’t want to hear anything like that.”
Imperial b*stard.
The word the Empress uttered made him laugh for a moment. Etienne strained the tip of his lips. The Empress will surely wonder if he laughed here. He had to manage his facial expressions so he wouldn’t be suspected.
“We cannot conflict with the self-restraint of aristocrats as we did last time. Please refrain from drinking for a while.”
“At that time, I had no choice. Because he dared to ignore me, the prince.”
When Etienne realized what the Empress was talking about, he spoke with a deliberate arrogance. If anyone else had heard what he said, they would have frowned, but the Empress didn’t.
The Empress had been a great aristocrat since birth. She had a solid hierarchical relationship and a deep sense of superiority.
“That was good. A foal who runs wild without knowing his place must be trampled on.”
As expected of Etienne, the Empress’s voice softened slightly. She wanted her son to say the right thing in an instant.
[T/N: Hyung / Hyung-nim: a word used by Korean males to address another male older than them who they are close to. Hyung literally means “older brother”.]