“It’s not that. I’m the problem.”
“……”
“That person values reading and writing highly, but rather than those things, I want to quickly grasp how to listen. It’s just that… even when His Highness the Crown Prince speaks to me, I can’t understand properly… I want to understand his intentions… correctly…”
With narrowed eyes, Cayden stumbled over his words as he met Amun’s gaze.
He offered an excuse longer than all the sentences he had uttered over the past few days combined, right in front of Amun whom he had just met today. It was also the first time he had poured out so many words to someone whose name he had only just learned.
“They say I can learn slowly, but that doesn’t seem right… I’m just impatient, so I said something unnecessary.”
Cayden gave an awkward smile. But feeling Amun staring at his face, he quickly hid his expression. He felt even more embarrassed, as if he had been caught not knowing how to properly converse with others.
“The Imperial language and the Kingdom language have the same word order, and there are quite a few common words, so you’ll quickly become familiar with listening. There’s no need to be afraid of learning, to that extent.”
“……”
“Two Imperial language teachers…”
Amun seemed lost in thought for a moment. However, without dragging it out, he soon opened his mouth again.
“You didn’t say anything unnecessary.”
“……”
“I’ll teach you the Imperial language. I’ve never played the role of a teacher before, but I’m confident I can teach you well. At least, I’d be better than that useless person.”
It was a definite answer.
The request to teach the Imperial language had truly emerged unexpectedly. But while Cayden had no one to ask for help, no one to grant his request, it was something he had been wishing for all along.
He felt uncomfortable, as if an innocent teacher was repeatedly being called useless because of him. Nevertheless, Cayden was happy.
To make a personal request to someone he just met. And for that request to be accepted. Such an unfamiliar event, such luck, might come only once every few years at most. Cayden’s mind, which had been sunk in anxiety, softened momentarily.
Amun could speak the Kingdom language so they could communicate, and he didn’t look at Cayden with disgust or contempt in his eyes. Although coldness had returned to those brown eyes where laughter had faded, there was a different kind of kindness sitting alongside that coldness.
Cayden carefully took both of Amun’s hands. He expressed his gratitude to Amun, who was willing to grant his strange request without expecting anything in return.
“Thank you, Amun.”
Rare relief and joy passed across Cayden’s smiling face.
Amun looked down at his hands held by Cayden’s stiff ones. His gaze moved to Cayden’s softened face, showing a subtle expression.
“It’s nothing.”
Pulling his hands free from Cayden’s grip, Amun stood up.
“Let’s start the lesson right away.”
Amun entered without further words, taking large strides. His footsteps were loud enough to make one forget he was the person who had entered the bedroom without making any sound.
“…Lesson?”
Cayden, who had hurriedly risen, asked. But no answer came back.
Cayden followed Amun back into the bedroom. His fingertips stiffened with tension at the sudden situation.
But he couldn’t help smiling a little. He was grateful both to Assad who had sent him a companion, and to Amun who had accepted his troublesome request.
* * *
Amun was the Crown Prince’s man.
He was a direct attendant of Crown Prince Assad Mekerius, the only servant who neither took orders from the two head servants nor needed permission to freely come and go inside and outside the imperial palace.
No one knew where Amun came from or when he started working at the palace. But people stopped wondering, saying it was natural for someone brought by the Crown Prince to have many secrets. What he did was also not a subject of curiosity. Everyone assumed it was something extraordinary and no one questioned it.
But only the Crown Prince knew exactly where Amun came from and why he came. Because none other than Assad Mekerius himself was Amun.
Some of the imperial family of Helio were born with one very special blessing in hand. It was a blessing that only those who shared the deepest blood ties with the Emperor, who was born with immense magical power, could receive.
That blessing manifested differently for each person, and one naturally came to know it as they entered adolescence. It was through the voices of gods visiting in dreams.
Assad received the ability to change his appearance. From head to toe. Assad could transform into a completely different person. He could create a new appearance regardless of gender, traits, or age. He could also perfectly copy the appearance of others.
The Emperor clicked his tongue, saying that in the history of Helio spanning over 2,000 years, only two people had possessed the same ability as Assad. It was added that they all had willful personalities like Assad.
Princess Mat, who had been gifted with the ability to distinguish truth from lies, teased her brother, telling him to become a one-man theater troupe, but Assad quite liked his ability. Why wouldn’t he be fond of a blessing that could be of great help for survival and scheming?
Assad found it nothing but enjoyable to change his appearance and mingle freely with the servants, or to come and go as he pleased throughout the palace to hear people’s stories.
The world changed to a slightly more pleasant color when Assad took the form of a servant rather than that of the Crown Prince. Assad cherished his ability, feeling he might have died of boredom without it.
‘Do I look too young?’
Amun, who was Assad, thought to himself as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Amun was an appearance Assad had created two years ago. Since he deliberately made his build small so as not to appear threatening to others or unnecessarily attract attention, it was natural that he looked younger than his original appearance. He thought he should make some adjustments soon.
Amun turned and lightly made his way to the second floor of the west wing.
It had been more than two weeks since he had kissed his companion in front of people. But then and now, the relationship between him and Cayden remained the same. There was only silence following silence.
It was natural that they couldn’t have proper conversations when he had pretended not to know the language used by the man who struggled with the Imperial language. The only Imperial phrases his bride had clearly learned through the useless teacher were “thank you” and “I’m sorry.” Well, now that Amun was with him, his Imperial language skills would improve quickly.
There was a reason Assad borrowed Amun’s appearance to meet Cayden.
Assad had dreamed of becoming a perfect emperor. No, he would naturally become a perfect emperor, so rather than dreaming… he should say he wished to walk smoothly along the path laid out neatly before him.
The heir’s education, which was said to be painful enough to make flesh tremble, was nothing difficult for Assad. He had never experienced frustration by hitting the limits of his talent, no matter what it was.
Some might take issue with Assad’s character being far from that of a sage, but his mother and his deceased grandfather also had bad tempers. It was also the current Emperor Heset Mekerius’s opinion that the Emperor of the Desert should have a fiery aspect, so it wasn’t grounds for disqualification.
Assad did not believe in the oracles or fate given by silent gods.
Tara, the twin deity with two faces in one body. She who was both mother and father of Helio was the goddess of abundance and the goddess of poverty, the goddess of war and the goddess of peace. So the fate whispered by the gods might also have two faces.
Real fate was created by people who stood with both feet on the desert. Even the gods couldn’t hold back his ankles.
Thus, Assad decided to venture into the unknown territory of meeting his real companion. For now… he intended to clear away the things that bothered him.
But the Crown Prince’s marriage was an issue involving the goddess Tara, whom the imperial people loved and respected. He had to act carefully, slowly.
Even ordinary servants working in the palace couldn’t be driven away abruptly just because they weren’t to one’s liking. Then, to dismiss a bride introduced and arranged by the gods without reason? That shouldn’t be done.
He needed to get to know Cayden.
What secrets his bride harbored inside, why he decided to come all the way to the distant desert, what words were exchanged between the kingdom and the empire, what sinister thoughts he was hiding behind that desireless face… he needed to know. He also needed to find out whether he was someone good to deal with, or someone who needed to be managed.
All these were things that couldn’t be known from words engraved on paper.
For that, Assad had to abandon the appearance of Assad Mekerius. It was impossible in the current state where conversation was difficult.
Assad wanted to become someone who could speak with his bride while looking into each other’s eyes. That’s why he chose Amun. Instead of his original appearance, he chose one that could establish an appropriate intimacy with Cayden.
“I’ve sent a child to be a companion to the Crown Prince’s consort. I plan to have that person meet him at least once every two days.”
“By the child who will be a companion, do you mean Amun?”
“Yes. Amun will move according to my will. So cooperate well, and let the Crown Prince’s consort and that child do anything together. Don’t interfere.”
Assad had conveyed the message to Saban, the head servant in charge of the separate palace. He had also informed his always-busy secretary.
He needed to become close with Cayden. Until the day he would leave the desert of his own accord.
Assad smiled in Amun’s form. Thinking about parting with his bride, his churning insides calmed down as if by magic.
However, as he was about to climb the stairs in good spirits, he was soon stopped by a familiar voice.
