The next morning, Lunarsion woke up, basking in the sweet afterglow. He wasn’t naked—he was wearing his nightclothes, and his body was in pristine condition.
However, there was no one next to him. For a moment he wondered if it had all been a dream, but soon he realized that Dagan was in the room. Dressed in the same nightclothes as himself, Dagan was standing by a slightly ajar door leading to the hallway, quietly conversing with someone. With a deep sigh of relief, Lunarsion exhaled.
“You’re awake. Take your time,” Dagan said, closing the door while turning back and smiling. Lunarsion’s heart raced with anticipation. Had he ever seen Dagan looking so dashing, so charming, and attractive? Was it the morning sun streaming through the window after such a long time of them seeing each other, or perhaps the memory of last night… The thought made Lunarsion blush deeply, and he buried himself back under the sheets.
A gentle, indulgent voice spoke at that: “Lunarsion, show me your cute face… I want to see my husband who was wonderful yesterday.”
The warmth in that voice sent shivers through him, and an affectionate, almost needy tone escaped his lips. Dagan scooped Lunarsion up—sheets and all—and held him close.
“I find myself falling for you all over again. I even worry sometimes whether I’m truly the man you deserve…”
Lunarsion shouted as he tossed aside the sheets, “I only want it to be you, Dagan! …I mean, didn’t I already say that…?”
Though his words trailed off at the end, Dagan clearly understood.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m sorry. I too wouldn’t want it to be anyone but you, Lunarsion.”
“Dagan… that makes me so happy.”
For a while, the two exchanged tender, passionate words.
After a brief pause, Dagan began to explain the events that led to the previous night.
Three days ago, while Dagan and his group were continuing the hunt for the remnants, Sanrayan arrived with his subordinates. His face was visibly dejected and creased with worry, and for some reason, he started speaking in broken, halting phrases quite unlike his bold and hearty self:
“I—I’ve angered Lunarsion. I’m also at fault with you…I apologize. I truly am the worst… You, you should take my place…”
Before anyone could fully grasp his meaning, one of Sanrayan’s attendants stepped forward with a letter. It was from Skyred, explaining Sanrayan’s blunder and stating, “His Majesty’s permission has been obtained, so please return to Lunarsion as quickly as possible.” The irrepressibly cheerful and good-natured Sanrayan was very popular with the people—a perfect substitute for the hero. Though Dagan had many thoughts on the matter, he took solace in entrusting the Third Division to Sanrayan.
“I see… so it was brother Sanrayan…”
Lunarsion’s heart was stirred by a mix of indescribable emotions. Had that elder brother—despite what others said about his faults—finally reflected and changed his ways? It felt as if, at last, he had developed a human heart. Even as his anger towards Sanrayan slowly melted away, Lunarsion wasn’t willing to voice it outright. Instead, he donned a cool, aloof expression and said in a haughty tone,
“I suppose there is nothing to be done. Whether I forgive him or not is another matter, but I’ll accept his apology.”
“That’s true. He’s still your precious family. What matters most is getting along well.”
“Right. And of course, you know you are a part of this family too, don’t you?”
Seeing Dagan’s eyes widen, Lunarsion realized that his husband still hadn’t fully grasped the reality of the situation.
“Just give up and accept it. We, the Roselant royal family, are a clan deeply devoted to our family. You will remain our family for as long as you live—destined to be cherished your whole life.”
“Tch… I’ve really caught the attention of some unbelievable guys.”
Dagan turned away bashfully, his ears flushing red.
While relishing his husband’s cuteness, Lunarsion’s thoughts drifted to what Dagan had deliberately left unsaid—no, perhaps Dagan wasn’t fully aware of all the underlying details (even regarding the fate of that man). But in truth, for Lunarsion, it didn’t matter. With a soft smile, he leaned into Dagan, allowing himself to be lovingly spoiled.
“Dagan, stop being so shy—look at me. Next, I’d like to discuss the wedding reception. I also want to have the fitting for the outfits together with you.”
“…Alright, I understand. But before that, why don’t we have breakfast and then get some extra sleep? You put a lot of strain on your body yesterday, and it seems we’re allowed to take it easy for the rest of today.”
“Even though it’s technically public duty, you’re suggesting we slack off? What a bad husband~”
And so, for as long as time allowed, the two spent the day in sweet conversations and playful banter.
★★★★★
Catastro Girikhora regained consciousness in a narrow, damp stone chamber.
It appeared that he had been forced to sit in a chair and restrained. Fortunately, his mouth was free, but the rest of his body—arms, legs, even his neck—was utterly immobile. The room was dark, with only a lone candle on the table before him providing any light.
Not only was he bound, he was also confined.
As Catastro registered his dire situation, a bead of cold sweat suddenly trailed down his back. At that moment, he heard a voice he recognized.
“Ah, you’ve finally woken up.”
The speaker seemed to be seated diagonally across the table. Catastro tried to focus his gaze, but only caught a fleeting glimpse of the speaker in his peripheral vision. Nevertheless, ever the diplomat, he recognized the man solely by his voice.
“Skyred Roselant! What do you intend to do? Have you forgotten who I am?!”
Catastro bellowed these words from the depths of his being.
Skyred Roselant—the First Prince of the Roselant Kingdom—a crown prince who had achieved great accomplishments through his mastery of magic and his strategies. Yet, Catastro had always judged Skyred to be nothing more than a mild-mannered youth, a man who posed no real threat to the Girik Kingdom except on the battlefield, and who in everyday affairs functioned merely as a conciliator among the nobility. This very assessment had emboldened Catastro to speak his mind boldly.
Perhaps it helped that Skyred’s voice remained as calm and placid as ever.
“Who you are? Ah… of course, I know. You are the fool who incessantly pestered my younger brother, insulted my brother-in-law, and a great sinner, a traitor of monumental proportions who betrayed both our kingdoms, among others.”
Catastro gulped. Even though he had somewhat anticipated the initial accusations, he had not expected the latter to be so unmistakably acknowledged—even if, in truth, he himself was not the one who had committed that deed.
“Let’s go through it step by step. It all began with the Rubilic invasion two years ago. This was a great humiliation and a mystery for our kingdom. Why, even if only temporarily, did they succeed? The Southern Border Army, led by the Marquis and his wife, was formidable and nearly double in number. Even a surprise attack wouldn’t have secured a victory against them—and yet, every single one of them was slaughtered. It was all too unnatural. Don’t you agree?”
“Spare me your baseless accusations! Our army won simply because it was strong!”
Catastro spat out his retort, only to be met with a firm denial.
“That’s not the case. In fact, even when His Majesty led the retaliatory expedition—which numbered only half of the Girik forces—a complete victory was achieved. So… why did the Girik army suddenly become weak? No, that’s not it. It’s the opposite. They were strong only at the beginning because the demon race lent them a hand.”
Suddenly, something streaked into Catastro’s line of sight and was slammed onto the desk.
“Hieek!”
Twisted horns, black eyeballs widened in shock—devoid of any white—and a bleeding, jagged cut revealed itself. It was the corpse of a demon, cleaved in two.
“I had my suspicions. Demons sometime forge pacts with humans, after all. But I never imagined that conclusive evidence would come so directly to us. The information and evidence assembled by ‘Shadow’ alone were lacking in decisive proof. For that alone, I thank you.”
Catastro trembled. Skyred’s voice remained as soothing as ever—unnaturally so. But Catastro finally realized that it was only on the surface.
“Let’s get back to the topic at hand. So, what was the purpose of the Rubilic invasion in the first place? A country that violates the Yuran Continental Treaty loses trust. Then why did they invade our territory? Was it to seize our lands? To eliminate the powerful Southern Border Army? To deliver the final blow to our kingdom, which was already threatened by the Demon King? Or was it nothing less than unbridled greed? No— it was something else entirely. Everything was orchestrated to depose the former king of Girik and to ensure the current king took the throne.”
Yes. That was exactly the truth. Catastro recalled the events vividly:
The Rubilic invasion had been executed by the former king’s trusted aide. Manipulated by demons, the aide had led his forces into Rubilic. The end result was a crushing defeat, marked by dishonor and death on the battlefield. Naturally, the houses of that aide and all his subordinate lords were utterly eradicated. Moreover, several princes and princesses—including the crown prince who had the aide’s daughter as his mother—were given poisoned cups as punishment. Ultimately, the former king of Girik, unable to handle the aftermath of his aide’s reckless behavior, was forced to abdicate while still living. In short, he was compelled to step down.
It had all been the scheme of the current King of Girik—Catastro’s own brother. Had it not been for that vile scheme, both Catastro and his brother might have met their end.
Before he knew it, Catastro found himself screaming:
“It couldn’t be helped! Those guys! They were envious—intending to assassinate us for our noble looks and pure blood! How dare those filthy, ignoble wretches!! How despicable!”
“Was that your motivation? I see,” replied Skyred coldly. “I can’t understand it. Even though they were your half-siblings, they were still your blood.”
Skyred’s imperturbable tone only served to fan the flames of Catastro’s anger.
“Don’t you dare speak out of turn! Is that why you were able to assign that filthy beast to that man?! Entrust that esteemed person to that impure half-demon bastard that has no business calling himself a hero?!”
“Enough. Shut him up.”
“……Gah!……Ugh……!”
Almost immediately, a cold, detached command came from Skyred—and with it, Catastro’s breath was abruptly snatched away. A crushing pressure seized his throat, and he desperately reached out to struggle, but not even a single finger budged. The agony kept intensifying.
“Ah, don’t kill him. Their wish is merely to render him forever voiceless. They said that ‘traitors who harmed both we and our loyal subjects, causing vast casualties shall be publicly executed after torture’. Yes. And only after every sin has been exposed. This is a tremendous debt to us indeed, as not only were they involved in the attempted coup, but they can provide irrefutable evidence of the crimes committed.”
Catastro’s mind went blank. It was inconceivable. No way, no way. Could it possibly be that his father—who was supposed to be imprisoned—was alive? No, that couldn’t be true! By now, surely, the assassin dispatched by his brother should have already claimed his life!
“Yeah, I guess it would be more convenient if you couldn’t move your body. There exists a drug that leaves one’s senses intact yet transforms the victim into a doll-like state—something they use to confine heinous criminals in a holding cell. It might just be a punishment entirely befitting your misdeeds.”
“Ugh… sto… stop!… ugh!… ugh…!!”
Suddenly, a firm hand grasped Catastro’s hair forcing his head up. Before his wide-open eyes stood Skyred, his face sporting that serene and unwavering smile as always.
“I don’t care about your internal squabbles, but I will not forgive those who harm my people and my family. May you now receive the punishment befitting your despicable and filthy nature. Traitor.”
The next moment, the sound of a throat being crushed echoed through the chamber.
Author: Yohan O
A bit of this, a bit of that, a bit of everything except straight
