“Ahhh!”
I buried my face in the pillow and screamed.
Anyone who saw me would have seriously questioned my sanity.
But right now, that wasn’t important compared to the shock of what I had learned yesterday.
Why? How did it come to this!
“I didn’t realize that Senon was the crown prince?”
Not only had I failed to realize it—I hadn’t even suspected it for a moment.
I thought he was just a strange servant, but I had brushed it off thinking that was simply because he was Senon.
Now that I think about it, it was an incredibly foolish thing to do. No matter how favored he was, it should have been difficult for a servant to act so freely around royalty.
More importantly, if the crown prince had placed his twin in his position, he would clearly stay close to observe what was happening.
In Arnoan Palace, all the other servants had avoided me like the plague.
The only two who stayed by my side were Arnon pretending to be the crown prince—and Senon.
I had been so focused on the 4th prince that I completely failed to find the real crown prince! You idiot, sea cucumber, fool!
“Haah…”
I stopped screaming and flopped face-down onto the bed.
Alright, breathe. One, two, three.
Fine. I didn’t want to admit it, but even if I had tried to find the crown prince, it would have been hard to suspect Senon.
Senon’s acting was perfect.
He completely hid his presence, and while he toyed with me, he flawlessly carried out his duties as a direct attendant. I just thought the crown prince had excellent talent under him.
Now I feel like asking how I could have missed it, but you only understand after experiencing it yourself.
…Let’s stop the self-destruction here. If I got tricked yesterday, then today I’ll repay it threefold!
From now on, what I must do is—
“Survive at all costs.”
No matter what, I have to survive that insane bastard.
—From now on, entertain me.
Arsen’s voice echoed in my ears.
“Entertain me?”
What is he, crazy? Am I a clown? Am I supposed to amuse him?
“Right. Let’s stop trying to understand the mind of a madman.”
The bigger issue was how I should respond to the crown prince from now on.
In terms of strength and swordsmanship, Arsen seemed superior. Even my last resort—marksmanship—had been exposed.
And this was the crown prince’s palace. Anything that happened here might never reach the imperial court.
It wasn’t like the Emperor would just ignore the fact that Prince Ryu had supposedly returned from the dead.
There was a high chance the Emperor, bedridden, hadn’t even been informed. And I couldn’t exactly contact him myself.
“So… I might have to bury Arsen…”
But there’s no real answer to that.
Knock, knock.
While I was lost in thought, a knocking sound came from the door.
Who is it? If it’s Arsen, he would just come in.
“Come in.”
Despite my permission, the door didn’t open.
The knocking continued.
“I said come in.”
Knock knock knock.
Still, the sound didn’t stop.
What is this supposed to be?
I glared at the door, but the person outside seemed to be waiting for me to open it.
Fine. I’ll go out myself.
“Yes, yes. I’m coming out.”
Just as I stepped toward the door—
Who could have known? The floor was slippery!
“Waaah!”
I lost my balance and fell flat on my face with an undignified thud. Ouch, my nose.
A faint savory smell drifted from the floor where my face hit.
There was a slick liquid spread across the ground. That familiar scent was definitely…
“Sesame oil?”
Ha… who was it? Who spills food on the floor like this!
No. I didn’t even need to ask. I already knew the culprit.
A low laugh came from the side, and I snapped my head around.
But it wasn’t the crown prince. It was a man in a neat servant uniform, with black hair and a mole under his eye that stood out.
“Senon?”
Good heavens. Why is that crown prince in this form again?
“Wow, I didn’t expect you to fall for something like this. Even after resisting sleeping drugs and being good at shooting, I didn’t think sesame oil would do it.”
“You…”
“Thanks for the good show. It was almost too good to watch alone. Your movements were art—do you practice falling too?”
Arsen chuckled.
“Good morning, Ryu-an. But your expression is something else. Did you see a ghost? Should I bring you some tea?”
“….”
I couldn’t respond and just stared blankly at Senon—no, Arsen.
The crown prince’s dark blue hair and icy glass-like eyes were gone. The person in front of me was just Senon, the direct attendant.
Why is he in this form again? Am I hallucinating?
As I didn’t answer, Arsen gestured casually.
“Shall we go inside first? There are too many eyes in the hallway.”
Like I was under a spell, I stood up—
But that was another mistake.
I had forgotten the sesame oil on the floor and slipped again in a tragic repeat!
I stumbled once more, and this time even more embarrassingly.
And Arsen’s laughter grew louder.
Ugh… how humiliating. What a mess.
But thanks to the fall, my sense of reality returned.
As soon as the door closed, I spoke first.
“H-hyung! Why are you in that form?”
“I’m a direct attendant and part of Senon’s unit. I already created a servant identity, so no one will find it strange.”
“What about your duties as crown prince…?”
“I dumped them on Arnon. Having a reliable twin is really convenient.”
For a moment I felt a twinge of pity for Arnon, but I immediately erased it.
Why worry about others when I’m barely surviving myself?
But Arsen didn’t look pleased.
He frowned at my face.
“What is it?”
“Lift your head.”
Like this.
Arsen reached out and grabbed my chin.
I tensed, thinking he might strangle me again, but instead his long white fingers only lifted my face.
When his fingers brushed the bruises around my neck from yesterday, goosebumps ran down my spine.
“There it is. A mark.”
Arsen clicked his tongue.
“It looks like a flaw on a perfect piece. You should hide it with your collar for a while.”
Hey, this is your doing!
“That should make you easier to understand.”
“Wait a second—”
His finger pressed against my neck.
“Now listen carefully. Don’t speak until I finish talking. Got it?”
Nod, nod.
I desperately nodded. This crown prince is terrifyingly good at threats.
“From now on, there are three rules.”
“…”
“First: act like this from now on.”
“Huh?”
“Stop pretending to be prim and proper like when we first met. I don’t want to deal with a fake version of you.”
I nodded again.
“I became interested in your honest self, so don’t disappoint me.”
Good. I actually prefer this.
Being quiet like a real prince would’ve been suffocating anyway.
“Second rule: if I’m disguised, treat me as that identity. Don’t call me ‘hyung’ in front of others.”
What a strange preference.
“Third rule: obey all orders given to you.”
He explained further:
“If you’re in a position of responsibility, you must act accordingly. That applies to you too.”
So basically, no freeloading. I actually like that.
“And you will be working under me from now on.”
“What?”
“I need someone for miscellaneous tasks anyway. You’ll learn as you go.”
You’re the only one benefiting from this!
“…And don’t worry. When I’m Senon, I’ll still be your attendant.”
If I refuse, I might actually die.
But wait a second.
That means I’ll be working under him as crown prince, and also stuck with him as Senon…
“So in other words, you and I will be together all day.”
That’s a death sentence!
My head spun.
“And one good thing: you don’t have to start working immediately.”
“You’ll study first. I even called a tutor.”
“B-but I’ve been studying all the time before coming here!”
