“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. I think I need to wash my ears now.”?

    ?

    “Judging by your reaction, you’re certainly not like the rumor said. Well, that’s good….”?

    ?

    The king let go of the door handle he was holding, as if he had given up.?

    ?

    He raised her hands in the air as if to say I’ll do what you want, and then stepped back and said in a deflated voice.?

    ?

    “I’m the king, but I don’t think I’m the king in front of you, so it hurts my pride.”?

    ?

    “No way, Your Majesty. You’re more sincere than anyone else.”?

    ?

    “No, it’s not a tell-tale sign, so I’ll say this: why don’t you take this opportunity and join my chamber? I think the general and I would make a pretty good couple.”?

    ?

    “It’s a very good proposal, but I’ll have to give you my sincere refusal.”?

    ?

    Theo and Tamon had been trained at the same academy since they were nine years old.?

    ?

    At that time, the royal family of Amor trained their princes and princesses in the academy along with the noble children until the heir to the throne was decided.?

    ?

    They were given new names, made them look like children of distant local nobles, and integrated deeply into the noble society.?

    ?

    Then, at the age of 13, they would reveal themselves as royalty.?

    ?

    Tamon, Ronasso, and Theo were close at that time.?

    ?

    At that time, Theo Lantifu was the king’s fifth child.?

    ?

    He had only two more brothers under him, so a total of seven siblings.?

    ?

    Theo held the throne proudly among many successors.?

    ?

    The biggest achievement was sweeping away the Kashan Cloud Sea pirates, which he did together with Tamon and Ronasso, and retrieving the national treasure that was stolen by Tanatos.?

    ?

    He also stopped the Rohikan invasion as well as rescued the youngest prince who was kidnapped and taken away………..?

    ?

    For Theo, Tamon was his most reliable ally, but he was like a sword in his pocket that could stab him in the heart if handled incorrectly.?

    ?

    Now he acted like a lion with a path, but Theo knew that Tamon was not yet fully on his side.?

    ?

    Therefore, while Theo maintained a close relationship with Tamon, he was wary of him.?

    ?

    “Think about it, Tamon, if you and I combine our forces, we can subdue the anti-King faction that is devouring me on the neck.”?

    ?

    The king said, putting his arm around Tamon’s shoulder in a friendly manner.?

    ?

    Tamon closed the door softly and replied.?

    ?

    “Isn’t that only good for Your Majesty?”?

    ?

    “If it’s good for me, it’s good for you too, right? It’s a good thing if we combined.”?

    ?

    “Don’t try to restrain me, Your Majesty. If you keep doing that, won’t I want to run away?”?

    ?

    Tamon smiled lazily and once again refused the king’s blunt offer.?

    ?

    Theo put a hand on Tamon’s shoulder and strove to win him over.?

    ?

    “Don’t run away and hold hands with me. Yes?”?

    ?

    He looked coarse, like a city clerk, not a king.?

    ?

    Tamon shook his head and gracefully removed Theo’s hand from his shoulder and shook his hand.?

    ?

    “We’re already holding hands. Like this.”?

    ?

    “No, I need a more secure alliance with you.”?

    ?

    “As I said before, it is in the human mind to want to escape if you try to restrain them. Your Majesty.”?

    ?

    “……Oh, your mouth.”?

    ?

    The king clenched his fist with a grim expression. He wanted to hit Tamon with his fist right now.?

    ?

    The king’s fist was clenched tightly.?

    ?

    Tamon laughed and let his guard down at the sight of him.?

    ?

    At that very moment, Theo made his move.?

    ?

    It happened in a flash.?

    ?

    Quickly slipping behind him, Theo flung open the closed door and the two guards who followed Theo blocked Tamon from entering.?

    ?

    “Get out of my way!”?

    ?

    “Now, let’s find out what you’re hiding so secretly, shall we?”?

    ?

    The king laughed loudly and quickly ran inside the room.?

    ?

    Although Tamon had the advantage in terms of strength, Theo was also a fine gladiator who had traversed the battlefield with Tamon.?

    ?

    In particular, Theo neatly subdued his opponent with his speedy and precise movements, and was in the process of demonstrating his abilities to the fullest.?

    ?

    He strode to the large bed in front of the window with swift and precise movements.?

    ?

    With both hands, Tamon grabbed the necks of the guards who were blocking him.?

    ?

    He threw them on the floor at once.?

    ?

    Theo’s red face turned red with humiliation, but he had already expected this since the opponent was Tamon.?

    ?

    “Let’s see what kind of girl you tried to hide so badly.”?

    ?

    Theo lifted the blanket.?

    ?

    Fluttering under the open blanket, a woman looking up at him.?

    ?

    “…!”?

    ?

    The king’s eyes went wide.?

    ?

    The disordered, dazzling silver hair, the glittering purple eyes and delicate features….?

    ?

    Theo thought the Queen of Foucault was beautiful.?

    ?

    She was a gorgeous woman and drooled over Tamon. Theo admired her as a truly strange and beautiful woman, but she was like faded brass compared to the woman in front of him now.?

    ?

    No, it was impossible to compare the Queen to this woman.?

    ?

    Theo was mesmerized and admired her without realizing it.?

    ?

    A fragile silhouette beneath a thin slip dress that hung narrowly.?

    ?

    The traces left by Tamon on her slender body, scars, and bruised limbs also added a strange atmosphere.?

    ?

    It was also strange that even though she was dressed like that, she didn’t look vulgar or debaucherous at all.?

    ?

    It was even stranger that her purple eyes, staring straight at him, were amazingly beautiful.?

    ?

    “…You’ve crossed the line.”?

    ?

    Tamon, who was close by, stood between the two of them, protecting Roselyn. Theo, who couldn’t take his eyes off the woman, finally saw Tamon then.?

    ?

    “Dazzling silver hair, purple crystal eyes ….”?

    ?

    Theo murmured absently. He stared at Tamon as if trying to read his expression, but his face did not waver in the slightest.?

    ?

    “……I think I’ve heard about this appearance somewhere before.”?

    ?

    The king’s eyes narrowed.?

    ?

    Theo had never seen the Empress of Tanatos in person before.?

    ?

    She rarely left her country, and Theo hated Tanatos so much that they never ran into each other.?

    ?

    But that didn’t mean that he didn’t know the existence of the Emperor and Empress of the Empire.?

    ?

    There were plenty of self-portraits available of the royal families of major countries, and Empress Tanatos was actually one of the most famous ones.?

    ?

    Theo also had a clear understanding of how Tanatos’ political situation was going.?

    ?

    “……Is this the woman you brought from Tanatos?”?

    ?

    Theo asked back in a cold voice. Tamon replied, frowning at Theo’s changed expression.?

    ?

    “I don’t know where you got the wrong information.”?

    ?

    His voice was unshakably nonchalant.?

    ?

    “Have anyone seen what I’ve brought from Tanatos?”?

    ?

    “….”?

    ?

    “I have never shown it, so how in the world did you get that report??

    ?

    I don’t know who told you, but that person must be charged with reporting false information as if it were real.”?

    ?

    With his arms loosely crossed, his demeanor was regal as Tamon spoke his opinion properly.?

    ?

    The look in his eyes as he stared at the king was also firm. It was impossible for Theo to notice if he showed even the slightest hint of strangeness.?

    ?

    That arrogance, which seemed rather unpleasant than nonchalant, and as usual, confused Theo.?

    ?

    “Fine. If you’re so confident, tell me what you brought.”?

    ?

    Tamon sighed briefly at Theo’s words.?

    ?

    He looked at the king with a look that said, ‘Do I have to?’?

    ?

    “Say it quickly. It’s the king’s order.” Theo urged.?

    ?

    Tamon said with a short sigh, as if he had no choice.?

    ?

    “The fur of a silver deer.”?

    ?

    ” What….?”?

    ?

    “It’s called the fur of the silver deer.”?

    ?

    Theo’s eyes widened at his words.?

    ?

    “Um, is it really the fur of the silver deer?”?

    ?

    Theo cheered when Tamon nodded.?

    ?

    It was the animal Theo had been looking for for a very long time.?

    ?

    Silver deers were famous for their magnificent antlers, but their skins were also very valuable.?

    ?

    In particular, the skin of the silver deer was the only leather that did not contain the toxicity of demon or beast blood.?

    ?

    Unfortunately, however, the silver deers were only found in the Winter Lands and were in danger of extinction due to overhunting.?

    ?

    Currently, they have almost disappeared in other winter countries, and there have been occasional stories of success in hunting only in Tanatos.?

    ?

    Most of the ones that were caught ended up in the Imperial treasury.?

    ?

    “But why didn’t you bring it to me sooner? You knew how desperately I was looking for it!”?

    ?

    “Why did you think I would offer it to you, Your Majesty? I went through a lot of trouble to get it……….”?

    ?

    “Tamon, you clever man! Tell me what you want!”?

    ?

    “You want me to say it now, dressed like this?”?

    ?

    “Haha! It’s cool…But come on, your heart looks fine. Get dressed and get out of here. I need to reward you for the long trip. So, what do you want to eat or have?”?

    ?

    The king immediately changed his attitude and patted Tamon on the back.?

    ?

    Tamon got to his feet, as if he had no choice but to be swept away by the king’s hand.?

    ?

    But at that moment, as they were walking out of the room, the king turned his head and looked at the woman who was sitting still on the bed.?

    ?

    ***?

    ?

    T/N : *I smell trouble.