âIâm going to pretend I didnât hear what you just said. I think I need to wash my ears now.â
âJudging by your reaction, youâre certainly not like the rumor said. Well, thatâs goodâŠ.â
The king let go of the door handle he was holding, as if he had given up.
He raised her hands in the air as if to say Iâll do what you want, and then stepped back and said in a deflated voice.
âIâm the king, but I donât think Iâm the king in front of you, so it hurts my pride.â
âNo way, Your Majesty. Youâre more sincere than anyone else.â
âNo, itâs not a tell-tale sign, so Iâll say this: why donât you take this opportunity and join my chamber? I think the general and I would make a pretty good couple.â
âItâs a very good proposal, but Iâll have to give you my sincere refusal.â
Theo and Tamon had been trained at the same academy since they were nine years old.
At that time, the royal family of Amor trained their princes and princesses in the academy along with the noble children until the heir to the throne was decided.
They were given new names, made them look like children of distant local nobles, and integrated deeply into the noble society.
Then, at the age of 13, they would reveal themselves as royalty.
Tamon, Ronasso, and Theo were close at that time.
At that time, Theo Lantifu was the kingâs fifth child.
He had only two more brothers under him, so a total of seven siblings.
Theo held the throne proudly among many successors.
The biggest achievement was sweeping away the Kashan Cloud Sea pirates, which he did together with Tamon and Ronasso, and retrieving the national treasure that was stolen by Tanatos.
He also stopped the Rohikan invasion as well as rescued the youngest prince who was kidnapped and taken awayâŠâŠâŠ..
For Theo, Tamon was his most reliable ally, but he was like a sword in his pocket that could stab him in the heart if handled incorrectly.
Now he acted like a lion with a path, but Theo knew that Tamon was not yet fully on his side.
Therefore, while Theo maintained a close relationship with Tamon, he was wary of him.
âThink about it, Tamon, if you and I combine our forces, we can subdue the anti-King faction that is devouring me on the neck.â
The king said, putting his arm around Tamonâs shoulder in a friendly manner.
Tamon closed the door softly and replied.
âIsnât that only good for Your Majesty?â
âIf itâs good for me, itâs good for you too, right? Itâs a good thing if we combined.â
âDonât try to restrain me, Your Majesty. If you keep doing that, wonât I want to run away?â
Tamon smiled lazily and once again refused the kingâs blunt offer.
Theo put a hand on Tamonâs shoulder and strove to win him over.
âDonât run away and hold hands with me. Yes?â
He looked coarse, like a city clerk, not a king.
Tamon shook his head and gracefully removed Theoâs hand from his shoulder and shook his hand.
âWeâre already holding hands. Like this.â
âNo, I need a more secure alliance with you.â
âAs I said before, it is in the human mind to want to escape if you try to restrain them. Your Majesty.â
ââŠâŠOh, your mouth.â
The king clenched his fist with a grim expression. He wanted to hit Tamon with his fist right now.
The kingâs fist was clenched tightly.
Tamon laughed and let his guard down at the sight of him.
At that very moment, Theo made his move.
Quickly slipping behind him, Theo flung open the closed door and the two guards who followed Theo blocked Tamon from entering.
âNow, letâs find out what youâre hiding so secretly, shall we?â
The king laughed loudly and quickly ran inside the room.
Although Tamon had the advantage in terms of strength, Theo was also a fine gladiator who had traversed the battlefield with Tamon.
In particular, Theo neatly subdued his opponent with his speedy and precise movements, and was in the process of demonstrating his abilities to the fullest.
He strode to the large bed in front of the window with swift and precise movements.
With both hands, Tamon grabbed the necks of the guards who were blocking him.
He threw them on the floor at once.
Theoâs red face turned red with humiliation, but he had already expected this since the opponent was Tamon.
âLetâs see what kind of girl you tried to hide so badly.â
Fluttering under the open blanket, a woman looking up at him.
The kingâs eyes went wide.
The disordered, dazzling silver hair, the glittering purple eyes and delicate featuresâŠ.
Theo thought the Queen of Foucault was beautiful.
She was a gorgeous woman and drooled over Tamon. Theo admired her as a truly strange and beautiful woman, but she was like faded brass compared to the woman in front of him now.
No, it was impossible to compare the Queen to this woman.
Theo was mesmerized and admired her without realizing it.
A fragile silhouette beneath a thin slip dress that hung narrowly.
The traces left by Tamon on her slender body, scars, and bruised limbs also added a strange atmosphere.
It was also strange that even though she was dressed like that, she didnât look vulgar or debaucherous at all.
It was even stranger that her purple eyes, staring straight at him, were amazingly beautiful.
ââŠYouâve crossed the line.â
Tamon, who was close by, stood between the two of them, protecting Roselyn. Theo, who couldnât take his eyes off the woman, finally saw Tamon then.
âDazzling silver hair, purple crystal eyes âŠ.â
Theo murmured absently. He stared at Tamon as if trying to read his expression, but his face did not waver in the slightest.
ââŠâŠI think Iâve heard about this appearance somewhere before.â
The kingâs eyes narrowed.
Theo had never seen the Empress of Tanatos in person before.
She rarely left her country, and Theo hated Tanatos so much that they never ran into each other.
But that didnât mean that he didnât know the existence of the Emperor and Empress of the Empire.
There were plenty of self-portraits available of the royal families of major countries, and Empress Tanatos was actually one of the most famous ones.
Theo also had a clear understanding of how Tanatosâ political situation was going.
ââŠâŠIs this the woman you brought from Tanatos?â
Theo asked back in a cold voice. Tamon replied, frowning at Theoâs changed expression.
âI donât know where you got the wrong information.â
His voice was unshakably nonchalant.
âHave anyone seen what Iâve brought from Tanatos?â
âI have never shown it, so how in the world did you get that report?
I donât know who told you, but that person must be charged with reporting false information as if it were real.â
With his arms loosely crossed, his demeanor was regal as Tamon spoke his opinion properly.
The look in his eyes as he stared at the king was also firm. It was impossible for Theo to notice if he showed even the slightest hint of strangeness.
That arrogance, which seemed rather unpleasant than nonchalant, and as usual, confused Theo.
âFine. If youâre so confident, tell me what you brought.â
Tamon sighed briefly at Theoâs words.
He looked at the king with a look that said, âDo I have to?â
âSay it quickly. Itâs the kingâs order.â Theo urged.
Tamon said with a short sigh, as if he had no choice.
âThe fur of a silver deer.â
âItâs called the fur of the silver deer.â
Theoâs eyes widened at his words.
âUm, is it really the fur of the silver deer?â
Theo cheered when Tamon nodded.
It was the animal Theo had been looking for for a very long time.
Silver deers were famous for their magnificent antlers, but their skins were also very valuable.
In particular, the skin of the silver deer was the only leather that did not contain the toxicity of demon or beast blood.
Unfortunately, however, the silver deers were only found in the Winter Lands and were in danger of extinction due to overhunting.
Currently, they have almost disappeared in other winter countries, and there have been occasional stories of success in hunting only in Tanatos.
Most of the ones that were caught ended up in the Imperial treasury.
âBut why didnât you bring it to me sooner? You knew how desperately I was looking for it!â
âWhy did you think I would offer it to you, Your Majesty? I went through a lot of trouble to get itâŠâŠâŠ.â
âTamon, you clever man! Tell me what you want!â
âYou want me to say it now, dressed like this?â
âHaha! Itâs coolâŠBut come on, your heart looks fine. Get dressed and get out of here. I need to reward you for the long trip. So, what do you want to eat or have?â
The king immediately changed his attitude and patted Tamon on the back.
Tamon got to his feet, as if he had no choice but to be swept away by the kingâs hand.
But at that moment, as they were walking out of the room, the king turned his head and looked at the woman who was sitting still on the bed.