Chapter 32. Resolving an Unsettling Curiosity

“Ian!”

“Your Majesty!”

Like true siblings, Michaela and Rapellian reacted identically.

They both slammed the armrests simultaneously.

Ian couldn’t help but smirk at their fiercely changed gazes.

Who else in this empire could possibly look at him this way?

From Ian’s perspective, he rather liked it, but since overheating wouldn’t help the current situation, he gestured for them to calm down.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.”

“You speak so casually about someone dying and then tell us to calm down?”

Rapellian was dumbfounded.

If he was going to say calm down, he should have given a proper explanation before dropping such a bombshell.

Had he not been the Emperor, Rapellian would have wanted to give him a good smack.

“Well, Rasiel isn’t a pickle, so who told you to preserve her so thoroughly? I heard about Rasiel’s situation, but she’s been exposed to too much power while in an extremely weak state.”

“Even ordinary families use that level of protective pheromones. As you’ve seen, Briel and Riello are growing up just fine without any problems.”

Ian shrugged as if to say, “Is this my fault?”

At his brazen response, Rapellian let out a hollow laugh before furrowing his brow.

Fundamentally, Ian’s statement was wrong.

“No, before that, how can a human be affected by pheromones?”

The phenomenon Ian described occurred when someone with overwhelming pheromones intentionally forced down another, or when a child born from beastmen with a large difference in pheromone strength resembled the weaker beastman parent.

Since this wasn’t a situation about displaying power dominance, Rasiel could be considered to fall into the latter category.

Beastmen, following the law of survival of the fittest, tended to suppress those with weaker pheromones and even devour the other’s pheromones to make them their own.

For this reason, the Empire thoroughly educated beastmen on pheromone control.

Thus, couples with large differences in pheromone strength usually had difficulty planning for a second child.

If the fetus’s pheromones were stronger than the mother’s, the mother was likely to die; in the opposite case, the fetus had a high probability of dying.

However, this situation only applied to beastmen.

“You’re right. It’s an impossible story. You need to explain properly.”

Humans originally weren’t affected by beastmen’s pheromones, which was why they could live in the land of Aserion.

Therefore, it made no sense that Rasiel, a human, could be affected by pheromones to the point of death.

“I don’t know that much either. My ability is to read the other person’s psychological state, power size, and flow through pheromone wavelengths. Perhaps she’s endured this far because she’s human.”

“Is she only reacting to my pheromones?”

“That’s my assessment. Strangely, she doesn’t seem to be significantly affected by you, Briel, or Riello.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Though not pheromones, humans also have a fundamental energy. That energy has assimilated with the pheromones you’ve surrounded her with and is flowing toward you. That’s the biggest problem.”

At Ian’s explanation, Rapellian’s expression twisted into a color never seen before. His face, instantly becoming parched like a dried-up paddy field in a long drought, resembled someone who had witnessed the death of a loved one.

Only then did Ian realize his mistake. No matter how mature Rapellian acted, he was still a child.

He had been dignified and calm about everything since he was much younger, so Ian had momentarily forgotten this fact.

“Rapel.”

Rapellian remained silent with a complex state of mind, tangled with confusion and dejection.

What greater despair could there be than knowing your good intentions were driving someone to death?

‘Rasiel saved Riello, but I’ve been killing Rasiel? How……’

Unable to hide his devastated feelings, Rapellian rubbed his face dry.

His fingertips, which hastily swept downward, trembled finely.

He tried to hide the trembling by interlocking his fingers. However, he couldn’t stop his index finger from tapping busily on the back of his hand.

“It’s true that I used more pheromones than I do with the twins. That’s……”

Rapellian, who had opened his mouth with difficulty, couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Even if Rasiel has a unique constitution that makes her susceptible to pheromones, she might have been fine if she were healthy. Or perhaps it would have been different if she were a fully grown adult.”

In the end, it was a special situation that no one had predicted, combined with poor health, leading to the worst possible outcome.

Rapellian exhaled deeply.

The expressions of Ian and Michaela weren’t particularly bright either, but not as grim as Rapellian’s.

“Being suddenly exposed to massive pheromones in a weakened state must have been a huge physical shock.”

“……If things continue like this.”

Rapellian, who had been looking down at his feet, raised his gaze to stare directly at Ian.

Seeing his eyes sunk in sadness at the end of despair, Ian was about to speak but stopped. Yet his silence was more certain than any answer.

“If things continue like this, she’ll die from having all her energy stolen by me. Just like beastman children who die crushed under their biological parents’ power.”

“Because even the energy Rasiel needs for daily life is all going to you. She probably won’t be able to grow up healthy. In fact, it’s remarkable she’s endured this far.”

Rapellian bent over, clutching his head with both hands.

“So that’s…… So that’s why.”

This explained why Rasiel’s height hadn’t increased and she hadn’t gained weight, even though her nutritional state should have improved incomparably from before.

The clue to a question that had continuously puzzled him was now revealed, but it didn’t feel satisfying. Instead, his mouth felt bitter and his stomach churned.

A throbbing migraine made him dizzy.

“There’s no need to be so serious. You know the solution is simple.”

“I know. I know. But……”

Michaela stroked Rapellian’s back as she spoke.

“Since she’s started losing energy to you, it would be unreasonable to try making her adapt to your pheromones at this point. For now, separating you two is the most urgent matter.”

“She’s right. At least until Rasiel becomes similar to others her age. That’s why I asked earlier.”

“Asked what?”

“I asked Rasiel if she would come with me.”

“You didn’t tell Rasiel the truth, did you?”

Rapellian jumped up from his seat and stared at Ian as if he could devour him.

His expression, which had been like a dried-up paddy field in an old drought, finally showed a different light.

Ian quickly denied it, waving his hands.

“Even I wouldn’t be so honest with such a tiny child. How could I tell her that she’s dying because of the person she lives with?”

Only at his denial did Rapellian finally feel relieved and slump back into his seat.

“Ian, please don’t forget that my brother sitting in front of you is still a child too?”

“Ah…… Yes.”

Michaela changed her tone while grinding her teeth.

At times like this, one had to be cautious.

Ian nodded, avoiding her gaze.

“I just told her that I like her. But we’ll need to reveal the truth eventually.”

“What if we maintain this state? It might improve on its own.”

“Isn’t that too much of a gamble? Considering various circumstances, it’s most reasonable for Rasiel to leave here.”

“……That won’t work.”

Rapellian responded a beat slower.

His complexion had improved from earlier, but his complex feelings were still evident all over his face.

In just the few minutes of conversation with Ian, his sensitive aspect became even more pronounced.

“Won’t work?”

“Of course not. She’s a child with an unusual past.”

“This unbelievable, special situation could become an excuse. She’s a child who has been abandoned and hurt amidst countless excuses. If we’re not careful, she’ll think she’s been abandoned again.”

She had been abandoned from the moment of her birth, he said.

Even if she was too young to remember the moment of abandonment, the very fact of being abandoned would remain like a lump in her heart.

Rapellian didn’t want to make her repeat such an experience.

“Then there’s only one answer. If you’re willing to put your name in the nobility council, I won’t stop you. Come to the capital.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“It would be better to decide quickly.”

Ian lightly struck the table with his fist as if announcing the result of a trial.

At the dull sound echoing through the room, Rapellian took a small deep breath and rose from his seat.

It seemed impossible to spend tonight without worry.

⁕⁕⁕

Rasiel stood blankly in front of the mirror.

‘He said he likes me?’

Rasiel rubbed her cheek.

She even twirled around, looking at herself from various angles in the mirror.

“Ow, I’m dizzy.”

She had only turned about twice, but her vision was quite wobbly.

Rasiel tightly closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the dizziness.

Only after repeating the same action several times did she feel a bit better.

As the dizziness gradually subsided, she looked at herself in the mirror again.

The dress for the memorial banquet caught her eye. Although the attention of people made her uncomfortable, she had decided to attend because she had resolved to have confidence.

“Hmm. It’s definitely different from back then……”

Compared to when she lived on the streets, her current state was like going from a match flame to a dragon’s egg.

But that was only by the standards of when she lived on the streets.

No matter how fine her clothes were, she was clearly shabby and utterly unremarkable in noble society.

‘Why would someone like me…?’

Rasiel’s head in the mirror tilted to the side.

She was neatly dressed up and no longer had dirt anywhere on her body, but she was still skinny and didn’t know much.

When Rasiel objectively judged herself, she wasn’t particularly attractive to others. Especially to the Emperor—what use could he possibly have for a child like her?

Nevertheless, Ian’s words kept circling in her mind.

‘Rasiel, I like you. Would you like to come with me and live in the imperial palace?’

His voice buzzed in her head, making her chest tingle.

“Or maybe not. Perhaps I’m somewhat presentable.”

If the Emperor said he liked her, maybe the day would come when she could stand beside Rapellian more proudly and match him more splendidly.

“Ah! Maybe my efforts have paid off!”

She wondered if her attempts to resemble Rapellian—following him around to learn from his strength and elegance—had shown through, even if just slightly.

Rasiel thought of the kind, gentle, and affectionate Rapellian and smiled faintly.

Come to think of it, her smile didn’t seem too bad either.

“I should smile more.”

Then perhaps she would look a bit better.

She wanted to look good. She wanted to show that day by day, she was shedding her street appearance and becoming a better person.

To him who had taken her in, to him who had trusted and accepted her.

Rasiel looked in the mirror and smiled broadly, lifting the corners of her mouth.

But something was strange.

“Huh? Why is it like this?”

Rasiel rubbed her eyes.

Strangely, her vision wasn’t clear, and her reflection in the mirror appeared hazy.

“I didn’t even spin that much, why is this happening?”

The mild dizziness returned, along with the unusually tired feeling from this morning.

Rasiel shook her head and stepped toward the bathroom, intending to wash her face.

At that moment, her body swayed unsteadily.

“Whoa!”

Unable to maintain balance, her body finally fell to the floor with a thud.

Despite hitting her knee hard, rather than feeling pain, she first thought about just lying there and sleeping.

“Why is this happening……”

The incomprehensible sensation made her slightly afraid.

But in times like these, Rasiel acted tough. She ignored the fear rising in her forearms, moistened her dry lips with her tongue, and tried to act as if nothing had happened.

“Face wash. Let’s wash my face.”

Rasiel placed both hands on the ground and put all her strength into her legs as she stood up.

Fortunately, she managed to stand up well without stumbling.

However, the problem came next.

“Cough, cough.”

Perhaps she had risen too quickly.

Something seemed to get stuck in her throat, causing her to cough. And after several coughs, something suddenly gushed out of her mouth.