Chapter 40. Trust and a Little Scheming

Rasiel smoothed the skirt of her dress, checked that everything was in order, and left the room.

Her gentle footsteps crossed the quiet ducal residence.

Though it was her first time in this place, she no longer looked around frantically or darted her eyes about as she once would have.

Moreover, the capital’s ducal residence had a similar structure to the Abelon duchy, allowing her to find the kitchen as easily as if she had lived here all along.

“Oh my! Miss, did we miss your call?”

As soon as Rasiel entered the kitchen, bright-eyed staff members flocked around her.

Faced with their intense interest, she smiled awkwardly and waved her hands lightly from side to side.

“No, no. I just came down myself because I wanted to get familiar with the mansion’s layout.”

“That’s a relief then. What would you like?”

“Could I just have a glass of ice water?”

“Won’t it be too cold?”

“It’s fine. Ice water is exactly what I need right now.”

“Would you mind waiting a moment?”

“Of course not. Take your time.”

Rasiel stepped back to the edge of the kitchen to avoid disturbing the staff.

Though she tried to stand in the most inconspicuous corner possible, the employees seemed to have eyes on the backs and sides of their heads, remaining acutely aware of her presence.

‘They must be very curious about me.’

Despite the pressure of their inquisitive gazes, Rasiel remained composed.

She understood their curiosity.

Rasiel herself recognized that she had become a rare and unusual existence.

Once of lower status than even commoners, she had now become someone awkward for others to approach casually. Since becoming Mosteros’s benefactor, she had been left floating, belonging to no particular social class.

Aware of her ambiguous and delicate position, she simply accepted it and waited patiently for her ice water.

“Here you are. I wrapped it in cloth so your hands won’t get cold.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Carry on with your work.”

Rasiel nodded slightly and turned around.

Behind her, a small murmur of voices arose. Fortunately, the comments weren’t unkind.

‘That’s a relief.’

Rasiel left the kitchen with a small smile.

⁕⁕⁕

Though less cold than the north, it was still winter with biting winds when Rapellian finished showering with cold water. Yet his imprinted body refused to calm down.

He finally understood why the Emperor called out for Michaela every day.

Rapellian leaned deeply against the chair’s backrest and folded his hands over his stomach. With his eyes lowered, he tapped the back of his hand with his long, well-shaped index finger.

‘Ah. Yes, His Majesty must have……’

Ian had experience with imprinting alone.

Rapellian, who had been sitting in silence, suddenly opened his eyes.

His icy blue eyes flashed red for a split second before returning to normal.

With an utterly cold expression, he picked up the internal phone.

“Calyx, I need to go to the imperial palace. Make preparations.”

No sooner had Rapellian put down the receiver than he hurried to prepare for his palace visit.

He changed from his comfortable attire into his formal uniform and tidied his carelessly scattered hair.

The hair that had covered his forehead, giving him a somewhat languid appearance, was now properly styled, returning him to his usual sensitive and sharp-edged self.

As Rapellian descended the stairs with his habitually silent footsteps, he sensed Rasiel’s presence nearby.

Instinctively, his feet wanted to move toward her.

But to rid himself of the imprinting that bound him so tightly, he needed to maintain a proper distance from Rasiel.

Rapellian struggled mightily to pretend he hadn’t noticed her, to hide his true feelings.

But soon Rasiel’s voice reached him, capturing his complete attention.

“Young Master.”

Rapellian ignored the voice that threatened to root his feet to the ground and continued walking.

“Young Master……”

Her voice broke off before she could finish calling him again.

Rapellian continued to pretend he hadn’t heard as he passed through the hall and stepped out to the portico.

‘Is this right?’

After taking a few more steps across the garden, he stopped abruptly.

‘Whatever my situation, Rasiel doesn’t know anything about what’s happening.’

He realized his determination to hide his condition from Rasiel had perhaps gone too far.

‘How can I ignore her just for my own sake?’

Rapellian couldn’t bear to hurt Rasiel because of himself. He didn’t have the courage to treat her coldly.

“Anyway, once my vacation ends, I’ll be too busy to see her much……”

After returning to work, he would undoubtedly be too busy to spare a moment.

Maintaining distance from Rasiel would happen naturally without much effort.

Recalling his upcoming schedule, he turned around from his path toward the exit.

“Ah. Rasiel.”

Rapellian pretended to have just noticed her as he re-entered the mansion.

“Oh? You came back in. Did you forget something?”

“No. When I was about to get in the car, I thought I heard your voice.”

“You seemed deep in thought, so I thought you hadn’t seen me.”

Rasiel smiled genuinely, holding her water glass with both hands.

Her eyes held no suspicion toward him whatsoever. Only unwavering trust.

For Rasiel, it was impossible to find ulterior motives in his actions or harbor any doubts.

‘The Young Master would never treat me badly.’

The belief that Rapellian would always be on her side.

The belief that Rapellian would always look out for her.

That solid trust—that he would always care for even the smallest details about her—had been firmly rooted in her since childhood and would never waver no matter what he did.

Rapellian was driven to distraction by those clear red eyes that shone without any distrust.

‘How could I treat such eyes coldly?’

His heart, captivated by that bright red purity, began to pound achingly once more.

⁕⁕⁕

Ian couldn’t believe his eyes.

He deliberately blinked several times. Yet Rapellian standing before him didn’t disappear.

‘How is it that this guy who always looks sullen about coming to the palace appears so willing today?’

Even Rapellian’s pheromone flow was different from usual, making Ian doubt his very existence.

The typically sharp, edgy pheromones that signaled displeasure were absent today.

“Why are you actually here in person?” Ian asked with a serious expression.

He looked slightly frightened, as though he’d seen a ghost.

Whether aware of Ian’s state of mind or not, Rapellian returned his gaze with a look that said, ‘Is this somewhere I shouldn’t come?’

His expression remained largely impassive, appearing thoroughly indifferent.

Ian sighed softly and approached Rapellian with a solemn expression, rising from his seat.

He examined various parts of Rapellian’s standing form.

He even kneaded and prodded Rapellian’s solid body.

It seemed as though he was checking whether this was a ghost or monster wearing Rapellian’s skin.

“Rapel, I wonder if our deaths are approaching soon?”

Ian asked seriously, folding his arms and resting his chin on his hand.

At this strange question, Rapellian’s eyebrows twitched momentarily before relaxing.

“How do you arrive at such a conclusion?”

“They say when people do things they never normally do, death is coming.”

“Then I should be the only one dying. For what reason would Your Majesty join me? Don’t tell me you’ve been in love with me rather than my sister? I must respectfully decline.”

Rapellian visibly distanced himself from the Emperor.

It was a clear and relatively polite expression of his intention to reject any further intimacy.

“If you die while working under me, would Edeline—no, Michaela—leave me be? That day would be my death day too.”

“So you knew that all along as you worked me to the bone? I feel like death from overwork is waiting with open arms.”

“……You still have that knack for sounding respectful while being completely insufferable……”

Ian hummed low, tapping his chin with his fingertips.

After pondering what wind had blown Rapellian’s way, he could no longer contain himself.

“Why is someone who took vacation time here now? A person who’s usually desperate to leave work. Is it really time to die?”

“I came to ask for a few more days of vacation.”

In his current state, being busy with work seemed better than continuing to stay in the same house as Rasiel. But to achieve his goal, he used his usual excuse.

If he managed to get more vacation days, that wouldn’t be a bad thing either, as he had good use for them.

“Ah, I see. That makes more sense. You’re not going to die……”

“I’ll contact my sister. Please ask her to expedite her return to the capital……”

“Are we really going to die?!”

Ian had been thoroughly disappointed by the request for more vacation time, but at the additional comment, his eyes widened dramatically as he grabbed both of Rapellian’s shoulders and shook him vigorously.

His expression was deadly serious, without a hint of playfulness.

In that moment, Ian’s left eye briefly changed to the same color as Michaela’s before returning to normal.

Rapellian didn’t miss that momentary change.

“You’re too excited. Please calm down.”

“How can I not be excited? You’ve always been displeased even when I just mentioned Michaela’s name.”

“That’s because you keep calling for my sister instead of doing your work.”

Now he somewhat understood why.

Rapellian hid the rest of his thoughts and maintained his usual lukewarm, expressionless face.

“Anyway, will you really tell Michaela to come quickly?”

“I’ll consider it if you give me a few more vacation days. Two days seems far from enough to help Rasiel adjust here.”

“Ah, our child? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped then.”

Ian shrugged as if there was nothing to be done about it and stepped away from Rapellian.

Rapellian grabbed him with a terrifying expression.

“……”

“W-why are you l-looking so scary?”

“Since when has Rasiel become ‘our child,’ Your Majesty?”

“She’s Michaela’s child, so she’s mine too.”

“You’re not even married.”

“Want me to hit your sore spot? You bastard.”

Ian, who had been patient until now, finally resorted to force.

His fist struck Rapellian’s shoulder and withdrew.

Rapellian could have easily avoided it, but he deliberately took the hit. This much seemed necessary to achieve the purpose of his palace visit today.

“About that. The imprinting.”

“What? You disrespectful punk.”

“Still, your situation must be better than when Your Majesty imprinted on my sister alone.”

“Well, yes. Just thinking about that time……”

With Rapellian’s slight prompt, Ian completely wiped the playful expression from his face, shaking his head and letting out a deep sigh.

“Was it that painful?”

Ian stared at Rapellian with an expression that asked if he was seriously asking such a question, stubbornly keeping his mouth shut.