He’s a hard man to like.
Kyle thought so of Lorenz.
From early on, he knew the man was two-faced. Unlike Belial, who displayed his raw hostility outright, Lorenz never sharpened his claws at the young Kyle. Yet, there was always a strange trace of contempt in those green eyes of his.
But Kyle didn’t care.
Lorenz’s ambitions did not conflict with Kyle’s goals. Lorenz wanted the throne. Kyle only wished to protect this frigid land—nothing more, nothing less.
So when Lorenz emerged victorious in his political struggle against Belial, Kyle believed they would no longer cross paths. No—he wanted to believe that.
“You seemed quite fond of your handmaiden, Your Grace.”
At those words, Kyle slowly took his seat.
Lorenz, as if this drawing room were his own, casually fetched a bottle from the cabinet. The golden liquid sloshed in the glass he placed before Kyle, yet Kyle did not spare it a glance.
“She was not merely a disposable tool.”
‘The Heart of Winter,’ the string of disappearances throughout Meinhardt, and Lorenz’s cooperation with Nox—Shu had already briefed him on all of it.
Kyle felt nothing but revulsion and fury toward the two men seated leisurely before him.
His people were precious to him. They had survived together, which made them all the more meaningful.
To treat them as mere ‘materials’ was something he could never forgive. And the fact that it was all for the sake of someone’s eternal life—someone’s everlasting power—only made it more reprehensible.
“But fondness so easily turns into a weakness, doesn’t it? Just like right now.”
“What have you done to Sen Langde?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just stirred up her little nest a bit. Took quite some time to find it, though. You even had elite soldiers guarding the place. Naturally, there was some bloodshed.”
His voice carried not even a hint of regret. Despite knowing full well that his own men had likely not returned from that mission.
“She’s a clever woman. It only took a few pushes before she bolted straight for the North with Belial in tow. Does she think she’s safe just because she got away with her life?”
Sen had insisted on staying apart, believing that her presence might put Kyle at a disadvantage. But Kyle had told her that if ever danger arose, she should return to Blake Territory. Even with reinforcements, there were limits to what they could do.
She had remembered his words. She had fled north to escape Lorenz. By now, she had likely reached the estate—or was still on her way there.
A satisfied smile spread across Lorenz’s face, as if everything were proceeding exactly as he had planned.
Lorenz had hunted for Belial for a long time. Rumors of Belial’s death had spread, but Lorenz had never believed them—not without a body. He had been too caught up in celebrating his victory to claim the corpse, a mistake that had come back to haunt him.
In the early days of his reign, the notion that Belial was alive had been dismissed as mere gossip. But over time, the rumor had gained traction among dissenting nobles, becoming a fragile yet persistent source of hope.
Even after ascending to the throne, Lorenz could not shake the fact that Belial had once held greater influence than him as a prince. That lingering shadow hounded him relentlessly.
Hope could be crushed. Even if Belial were alive, he could accomplish nothing. But it would be better to eliminate him entirely—to solidify his own reign beyond all doubt.
And while he was at it, he might as well take down the uncontrollable Kyle as well. If he could rid himself of both imperial princes, absolute power would finally be his.
“You plan to spread rumors that Belial is alive.”
Kyle’s voice carried a sharp edge as he saw through Lorenz’s scheme.
He wanted nothing more than to end this pointless conversation and return to his estate. But his lover’s message lingered in his mind.
[Just play along. Lorenz is letting his guard down. He thinks he has us exactly where he wants us, so he’ll run his mouth trying to taunt us.]
And just as Shu predicted, Lorenz, drunk on his own arrogance, began to reveal everything he knew with a sneer.
“The people have a right to the truth, don’t you think?”
“……”
“Belial Serena Meinhardt and Kyle Jane Meinhardt, working together… The entire empire will be in an uproar.”
Belial is actually alive. And Sen, who was once nearly crowned princess consort, took him to Kyle and asked for his help.
On top of that, Kyle is currently increasing his forces, preparing for war.
With just the right distortion of the truth, it could easily be framed as the two of them conspiring to commit treason.
That alone was reason enough for Lorenz to act. After all, anyone who truly knew the facts would soon be erased—reduced to mere ingredients for strengthening his rule.
“What a pity. You would’ve been quite the formidable force in this war… But it must be frustrating if you don’t even get the chance to fight in the first place.”
Kyle remained silent.
Just then, a small message window popped up in front of him.
[Say something already! You need to keep them both here.]
The message arrived at the same moment Shu stood up. Nox tilted his head.
“Where are you going, kid?”
“Listening to this bullshit is exhausting. I’ll leave the negotiations to you and get some rest. Don’t bother following me.”
His tone was audacious—almost cheeky.
Kyle couldn’t help but smirk.
What was he up to now? Was it something dangerous? He was worried, but following his lover right now wouldn’t help Shu at all.
For now, he needed to do as Shu said—he had to keep Nox and Lorenz occupied.
Kyle finally spoke.
“Belial isn’t even conscious. Even if he were to wake, there’s no guarantee he’d still covet the throne. And as you know, I have no interest in anything beyond protecting my own land. So why go through all this trouble?”
“To make a point.”
Lorenz flicked his glass with a finger, smiling. It was a dark, insidious smile.
“I want to show them that there is no hope beyond me. That the moment even the tiniest ember appears, it will be trampled mercilessly. So they should abandon any foolish thoughts and submit completely.”
“……”
“True submission is born from despair.”
What meaning could there be in a world seized in such a way?
Kyle could not understand Lorenz. And he didn’t want to.
“When did you start working with the Northern Mage Corps?”
“A long time ago. It spans generations, at least. Consider it a hidden power of the Klein ducal house.”
Kyle’s lips curled into a smirk—one laced with venom.
The sworn enemies of the North.
The Northern Mage Corps had toyed with those who struggled desperately to survive in this harsh land. And now, Lorenz was in league with them.
Kyle’s voice was steady and deliberate, each word carrying the weight of his resolve.
“No. No matter what, I’m going back to my land.”
“Hm.”
“And when we meet again, I’ll make sure to take your life myself.”
A cold silence settled between them.
Kyle rose to his feet.
[Is it done? Where the hell are you even going?]
[I’ll explain later. Ah, it’s done. It’s all set. Let’s meet in the room.]
A moment later, another message arrived.
[We need to hold a strategy meeting.]
Kyle let out a small chuckle.
For just a brief moment, a smile—free of hostility or coldness—flickered across his face before disappearing.
“Where are you headed?”
Nox asked, intrigued. Kyle gave a slight bow to the two men.
“Listening to this bullshit is exhausting.”
“……”
“Well then, enjoy your scheming.”
With that, he strode out of the drawing room with light, effortless steps.
***
“What the hell is this…?”
Kyle’s face went pale as he arrived in the bedroom.
The moment he realized what was in his hand—a vial of magic potion—he looked almost angry.
“I stole it from the lab. I saw them make a couple of extra batches last time, and luckily, they hadn’t disposed of them yet.”
“…You’re not seriously thinking of drinking that, are you?”
“I absolutely am.”
If I left him alone, he’d probably nag me about this all day.
I quickly guided Kyle to the bed, sitting him down before climbing onto his lap. Cupping his face with both hands, I pressed my forehead against his. I could hear him taking a deep breath, as if trying to suppress his frustration.
“There’s no point keeping secrets between us, so I’ll just tell you everything. You already know that this potion contains Nox’s magic, right?”
“I do. Your body tried to absorb that power and ended up making you cough up blood from the backlash.”
“That was because the numbers spiked too fast. You see, there’s this thing called ‘Deviation Interference Rate’…”
Kyle’s expression shifted. As always, he listened intently, absorbing every detail of my explanation.
As I spoke about the Deviation Interference Rate, the concept of Deviation itself, and the nature of Miracles, he calmly organized the information in his mind. Occasionally, he asked a few simple yet precise questions.
“So, in short, you want to absorb as much of that power as possible without overstraining your body?”
“If I can reach 100 percent, I’ll be able to interfere with their abilities. That means I can cancel or neutralize their magic. Even this noose around my neck—I’d be able to remove it at will.”
Being able to strip a mage of their magic was an incredible advantage. In a situation where all-out war was unavoidable, this power was practically our only hope. Kyle must have realized that too.
“…But I don’t want to see you suffer like last time.”
“That’s why Your Highness will have to help me this time. Honestly, I don’t want to take this potion either. I’ve found that I can increase my Deviation Interference Rate through experiments or by gathering information, without having to absorb magic directly.”
“How much have you accumulated so far?”
“Let’s see… Around 55 percent.”
While I was at it, I also explained the Luck stat and the Compass.
We had no clear way to escape from this tower, but once I mentioned that we could use the teleportation magic circle in the drawing room—and even destroy the one connected to the imperial palace—Kyle’s eyes gleamed.
“Shu, you really are… a miracle.”
I grinned playfully and kissed his cheek.
“Which is why… I plan to steal the Heart tomorrow morning. We should move fast and return north before sunrise. We can’t predict when Lorenz will make his move.”
“Agreed. That’s the best course of action.”
“It’s going to be dangerous, Your Highness. Nox won’t just let us take it. We’ll have to fight, just like last time when we forced open the main gate.”
I hesitated before adding,
“We might have to risk our lives.”
Kyle reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers tightly. Then, he lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a firm kiss to the back of it.
His voice carried warmth, passion, trust—and even a kind of unwavering devotion.
“I will stake my life on you.”
“……”
“Let’s go home. Together.”
