IWBCAS 03

Chapter 3

When was the last time he had slept so deeply?

Kahlheil woke up feeling refreshed. As he opened his eyes slowly, sunlight was pouring in through the window. He saw Bayen’s sunburned and worried face looking at him.

“…Bayen?”

At Kahlheil’s weak voice, Bayen stopped rubbing his arms and looked up.

“Your Highness! Are you awake?”

“…Where am I? How did I get here?”

Kahlheil groaned and tried to sit up.

“You’re in your bedroom. A guard found you unconscious in the garden last night and brought you here. You had a big bump on your head… What happened, Your Highness?”

Bayen helped him sit and quickly explained the situation.

Kahlheil didn’t answer. He just held his head and shook it slightly.

“Do you know how worried I was about you?” Bayen said, his eyes watery with tears.

Kahlheil smirked slightly at the sight.
He thought, He’s built like a bull, but he cries over something like this?

“There was a thief last night,” Kahlheil said casually.

Bayen jumped up in shock. “What?! A thief?! Who would dare break into the Imperial Palace?!”

“Strangely enough, someone did.”

And not just any thief—one who had the nerve to roll around in the royal garden during the robbery.

That silhouette… it was clearly a woman’s, Kahlheil recalled, thinking of how small and delicate the figure had been. He let out a dry laugh.

Bayen looked at him confused. “Why are you smiling after being attacked?”

Kahlheil quickly wiped the smile off his face. “I wasn’t smiling.”

‘You were just smiling a second ago…’ Bayen thought, but he didn’t dare say it.

Bayen handed Kahlheil a glass of water and sighed. “Your Highness… are you sure you’re okay? You were defeated by a mere thief. That’s not like you. You’ve taken down powerful beasts with your bare hands before…”

Kahlheil rubbed his temple again, avoiding Bayen’s eyes.

“…Or was that thief unusually skilled?” Bayen asked hopefully.

Kahlheil couldn’t admit he was taken down by something as cheap as pepper powder.

“…Yes. The thief had… unique skills.”

“I see…” Bayen seemed relieved.

Then he asked, “But what did the thief take? There hasn’t been any chaos this morning.”

That was true. If something valuable had been stolen, the whole palace would be in an uproar. But the only thing that happened was Kahlheil collapsing—and Bayen had made sure to handle it quietly so no one would know he was poisoned.

But still… if something had been stolen, there would’ve been rumors. Why is it so quiet?

Kahlheil squinted, trying to recall the night before.
The thief didn’t seem to be carrying anything. All they had was a shiny golden object used to hit him.

A bowl? No… it had a handle.

He remembered the object more clearly.

I’ll have to look into this.
All royal treasures were recorded, so if anything valuable had gone missing, they could find out.

Just as he was about to stand up, Kahlheil suddenly froze.

He frowned and touched his chest.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?” Bayen asked, worried.

“Should I get the doctor?”

“No… It’s nothing.”

Actually, it wasn’t “nothing.” It was the opposite.

His heart, which had been weak due to poison, was now beating strong again. The usual stabbing pain in his chest was also gone.

Kahlheil muttered in surprise, “Something’s strange.”

“Pardon? What is?”

Kahlheil didn’t answer. Instead, he began unbuttoning his shirt. Bayen panicked.

“Your Highness! What are you doing?!”

Ignoring him, Kahlheil unwrapped the white bandage covering his chest.

Underneath was the mark left by the beast’s poison—a blue-stained wound on his chest. But something was different.

Kahlheil stared at it in silence.

“…The poison… is gone.”

Bayen’s eyes widened. “What?! That poison wouldn’t heal no matter what we did! How could it be gone overnight?!”

What did I do differently last night?

There was only one strange thing that happened.

He kissed someone.

A thief.

His hand slowly touched his lips. He could still feel the warmth, the soft lips and tongue…

What on earth did I do?

He remembered how he’d lost control kissing a stranger—a thief, no less—and ran his hand through his hair in confusion.

Was I hypnotized? Or am I crazy?

He had resisted temptations all his life. Many women had tried to seduce him—even noble ladies stripped naked for him—but he’d never lost control. He knew what happened when royalty acted carelessly.

But last night, everything fell apart with just one kiss.

The more they kissed, the stronger he felt. Even the pain in his chest vanished.

Was it the kiss itself that had power? Or… did that thief have some special ability?

But since it was Kahlheil’s first kiss, he had no way of knowing.

Should I try kissing someone else just to check?

He glanced around. The only person in the room was Bayen, blinking like a confused ox.

“…Your Highness? Why are you looking at me like that?” Bayen asked, feeling nervous.

Kahlheil waved his hand quickly. “No, no. Just a crazy thought.”

Even if he wanted to test it, he couldn’t go around kissing random people.

Except… that thief.

Since it already happened once, he might not feel so awkward again.

Anyway, it was clear that the kiss had affected him.

If I try it one more time, I might figure it out.

But first, he needed to find the thief.

“…I need to find that thief.”

Bayen nodded firmly. “Yes, we must. Hitting Your Highness on the head like that… Once I catch that scoundrel, I’ll make sure he can never be a man again.”

That was probably the worst punishment Bayen could imagine.

Kahlheil looked at him, then shook his head again.

“If Your Highness gives the order, I’ll start the search immediately. Do you remember anything about the thief?”

Kahlheil frowned.

The thief had been completely covered, even wearing a mask. The only thing he remembered clearly was during the kiss…

He thought for a moment and then said slowly, “Long eyelashes.”

“Pardon?”

Realizing it was a clue, Bayen quickly pulled out a notepad and began writing.

“Long… eyelashes…”

“…And sparkling emerald-colored eyes. The thief smelled sweet, too.”

Bayen tilted his head but kept writing.

“That’s… all the clues?”

Kahlheil suddenly added, “No. One more. Soft, full lips. Like a sweet, small fruit.”

“…Soft, full lips?” Bayen stared at him.

“And how do you know what the thief’s lips felt like?” he asked sharply.

Bayen, who was usually dull like a bear, now looked sharp as a hawk.

Kahlheil quickly tried to explain. “You could just tell by looking. Anyway, that’s what I remember. Try to find them—but quietly.”

Bayen frowned. “Your Highness, we can’t find someone with just that. Long lashes, green eyes, soft lips? Do you know how many people in the capital look like that?”

“Even if there are hundreds, bring them all to me. I’ll question them one by one if I have to.”

Bayen sighed at Kahlheil’s stubbornness.

Then he noticed Kahlheil’s unbuttoned shirt.

“Let’s change your clothes first. We didn’t get a chance to last night.”

He fetched a shirt. As Kahlheil rolled up his sleeve, something caught his eye.

“…Bayen. I think I found another clue.”

“A clue?”

Bayen looked at Kahlheil’s sleeve. Something was tangled in the jewel button—long and thin.

Seeing it, Kahlheil’s eyes gleamed like a predator.

Bayen clicked his tongue.

Whoever that thief is… her life is about to get very difficult, he thought.

He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.