"Are you His Grace, Duke Felleta?"

"Yes."

The scent of raw iron lingered in the footsteps of those who approached.

"And who might you all be?"

"We are the Imperial Guard, under the direct command of the Crown Prince. We are relieved to see you unharmed, Your Grace. The Prince was deeply worried when you vanished abruptly and did not return for some time. He feared you might have encountered danger, especially given the assassination attempt earlier today..."

The soldier's gaze drifted to Yuder, wrapped head-to-toe in a golden cloth.

"But... if I may ask, what are you carrying?"

"What does it look like? It's a person."

Kishiar gently adjusted his grip on the figure in his arms, revealing a gloved hand from under the cloak. At the sight of its deathly pallor, the soldiers were visibly taken aback, allowing Kishiar to calmly interject.

"I didn't realize that my brief rendezvous with my lover would cause the Prince such concern. I should express my gratitude."

For a moment, the soldiers noticed the glove twitching.

"So... is that... person... Your Grace's...?"

Kishiar silently flashed a grin at the stammering soldier.

"Just a prolonged secret meeting. She grew weak in the legs, so I was helping her along. She's shy, hence the covering, isn't she adorable?"

Only then did the soldiers notice the disheveled state of Kishiar's hair and attire. His flushed face and sweaty brow induced scandalous thoughts in their minds.

Though they couldn't see the face of the figure Kishiar was carrying, they inevitably pictured a petite, delicate noblewoman, much like a doe. They were entranced by this illusion, unaware that it was simply the contrast between Kishiar's large build and the delicate white glove emerging from the cloak.

"So... that's how it was."

Well, of course, it was. What else could be expected from the Duke who loved to play more than to eat? As the soldiers' expressions conveyed their multitude of thoughts, Kishiar flashed them a roguish wink that befitted his reputation.

"So, keep this a secret, will you?"

She's still young and overly shy. Claims she can't go home without me. As he murmured, the gloved hand twitched again, reaching out as if to grasp Kishiar's clothing, before falling limp.

Leaving the sneering soldiers behind, Kishiar gracefully strolled out of the Deluma Palace. It was only when he was far enough to not feel anyone's presence that he halted, lifting the cloak and revealing the face beneath.

Looking up at Kishiar, a pair of eyes, carrying many unspoken words, glared from a face pale with exhaustion.

"...I didn't realize when you spoke of cooperation, you meant... this."

"Didn't I play the part well? We managed to escape, didn't we?"

"..."

He was flabbergasted. How could he describe the dizzying sensation of being cradled in his arms and introduced as his lover? But as vexing as it was, Yuder couldn't deny Kishiar's quick-thinking helped them escape without incident. As a response, he heaved a deep sigh.

"...How far... are you going? Weren't you supposed to have dinner with His Majesty, the Emperor, today?"

"That's right."

With a curt reply, Kishiar began to move again.

"There is a small palace where I used to live during my prince days, right next to Deluma Palace. There are familiar servants still staying there. Rest there for a while."

"But, returning to the Cavalry..."

His words came out haltingly, but Kishiar understood Yuder's intention without much difficulty and replied.

"No, there are too many Alphas who have not yet finished their in-heat period there. It's better to rest alone here, where ordinary people are numerous, rather than sending you, whose manifestation is not yet complete, back alone."

Remembering the Alpha Awakeners they had rescued from the Apeto Family, Yuder agreed that it was best to follow Kishiar's words. His stiff body finally relaxed and Kishiar began to move again.

As Yuder looked up at his face, his vision began to blur and he closed his eyes. His breath was turning sweet, so intense that he could tell it himself, and it would be more stimulating for Kishiar, but there was not a hint of trembling in the hands that supported his body.

Why had such a being, with such strong patience, collapsed all at once in his previous life? Until now, he had thought that their in-heat periods overlapping had been the biggest reason, but now that he thought about it...

'Maybe it had something to do with why Kishiar always wore gloves then...'

His consciousness blurred at that thought. When he opened his eyes again in sudden agony that pierced his lungs, they had already arrived in front of a strange palace.

"Ugh... uh..."

"Oh dear, you're awake."

"Your Highness, please hand him over. We will take responsibility and look after him."

The two elderly servants standing by lowered their voices and pleaded anxiously, and Kishiar carefully handed Yuder over to them.

"Yuder, can you hear me? This is the palace I mentioned earlier. Hang in there until I come back from dinner. I will try to be back as soon as possible."

He wanted to say there was no need, but he could not make a sound. Yuder grimaced and writhed, trying to make an effort, and suddenly remembered something he had forgotten as he felt a strange sensation rustling inside his clothes.

'Ah, the letter he found on Lenore's corpse...'

He should have handed it to Kishiar as soon as he saw him, but he had forgotten in the confusion. Although he could not speak, it seemed that he could at least hand that over, so Yuder fumbled for it in his pocket with great effort.

"Why are you suddenly doing this?"

Regardless of the servants' surprise at his squirming, he desperately pulled out the letter and Kishiar looked at it with a strange expression.

"That is..."

Taking the letter from Yuder's hand, Kishiar opened the envelope without hesitation and quickly skimmed the contents.

"A letter from Lenore Shand Apeto."

He was a bit worried that the poison might still be on it, but Kishiar, a man with the divine power of a high priest, would not be affected by that. Gritting his teeth, Yuder gathered the last remnants of his consciousness and opened his mouth.

"...It's... done... Already... taken care of. That... from the... corpse... sorry... for the... late... report..."

His body sagged before he could finish speaking. Surprised, the servants began to fuss, but Kishiar, who had read the letter in a matter of seconds, raised a hand to calm them down and slowly exhaled, raising his head. Emotion akin to shock briefly flashed across his red eyes.

"Indeed... this is astounding."

"Your Majesty... shall we bring him inside now?"

"Let's do that. Oh, the room where you'll be taking him is the one on the top floor. Don't let anyone else in besides the two of you."

The two servants naturally made eye contact at the mention of the room on the top floor.

"That room is where you stayed when..."

"Yes. So it's the safest place, isn't it?"

Kishiar, who had been looking at the small palace hidden in the darkness with a bitter smile, quickly gave his instructions.

"Place a barrier around the bed. He's only manifesting, not dying of a disease, so just change his clothes and wipe off his sweat. That should be enough. And if there are still any purification stones left there, find them and bring them to me when I return."

"Understood."

After seeing the servants carry Yuder inside, Kishiar immediately turned around. His eyes, while holding Lenore's letter and returning to Deluma Palace, had already turned as sharp as a well-honed sword.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor sent me after hearing that you had left Deluma Palace. If you have any requests, please feel free to let me know."

As he approached Deluma Palace, one servant naturally followed him from somewhere and whispered.

"So it was His Majesty. He knows everything that happens within the palace."

Emperor Keilusa, who didn't leave the palace himself, had placed people in various places to act as his eyes and ears. The fact that this servant had appeared meant that Emperor Keilusa had already received the news of Lenore's death and the attempted assassination of Katchian, and had decided to assist Kishiar's movement.

"The reason I left the palace isn't of importance, so that's settled. However, this..."

Kishiar handed over Lenore's letter, which he had just read, to the servant.

"Judging from the contents of this, it seems to be something that His Highness, the Crown Prince, is desperately searching for. After I return alone, find an appropriate time to naturally deliver this to one of the Crown Prince's servants. Say that it was found while cleaning the second-floor hall. That should be believable enough."

"Understood."

Without harboring any doubt, the servant politely bowed and left Kishiar's side.

Left alone, Kishiar paused before returning alone and looked at his reflection in the window. It wasn't to fix his disheveled formal attire or hair. When he slowly brought his sleeve to his nose, the strong scent that still lingered on it was distinctly noticeable.