Chapter 56
A late morning.
Tezet arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.
“I was told Your Highness called for me.”
Cedric, who was still in his bathrobe and drinking, did not lift his lips from the glass. He only tilted his head slightly and gestured toward the sofa across from him.
Tezet sat down with his usual expressionless face.
Cedric filled an empty glass beside him and pushed it toward Tezet.
“How’s the matter of catching the Tower Master going?”
“We’ve stationed soldiers at the entrances of every mage tower within the Empire. But so far, no one has seen Rasiel Celeste.”
The Mage Tower consisted of mages from various nations and thus existed as an independent organization, belonging to no country.
Because of that, even the Empire couldn’t act recklessly toward the Tower or its mages. A careless move could turn into an international incident.
If they were to capture Rasiel, they’d have to lure him out of the Tower first.
If he refused to leave, the conflict could drag on indefinitely.
But Cedric, smiling leisurely, raised his glass.
“No need to overwork yourself. He’ll come out on his own eventually.”
There was a knowing glint in his eyes, as if he had something planned.
“I intend to throw some bait soon.”
With a self-satisfied grin, he took another sip, then looked at Tezet’s untouched glass across the table.
“At least try it. It’s not an easy drink to come by, even for a duke.”
“I don’t care for it.”
Cedric’s brow twitched slightly at the dry reply.
Other nobles, even if they disliked what he offered, would at least pretend to accept it out of courtesy.
Tezet, however, never did.
‘Is it because he grew up unrefined?’
Cedric disliked that about him—and wanted him all the more for it.
He recalled the day three years ago, when Tezet came to the palace after killing the former Duke of Rittenhaus and his heir.
Even with his father’s and brother’s blood on his face, he had shown not a trace of guilt or grief.
“Why did you kill the Duke, Sir Rittenhaus?”
To that, Tezet had replied, unbothered:
“You should address me as Duke Rittenhaus now.”
Since both his father and brother were dead.
His voice had carried no emotion, making it all the more chilling.
The Emperor, who had long despised the noble faction led by the Rittenhaus family, took Tezet under his wing—recognizing him as the new Duke and making him a close aide.
He often said there was no thrill like taming a beast.
But Cedric had never believed his father truly tamed Tezet.
Tezet followed orders on the surface, yes, but there was no real loyalty behind his obedience.
A beast even the Emperor couldn’t control.
Cedric wanted to tame that beast himself.
Once he had, he planned to use Tezet in his secret schemes involving the Demon God.
“Enough about that,” Cedric said. “I called you today for something else.”
Tezet silently fixed his green eyes on him.
“It’s been quite some time since I heard about your engagement. Yet, I haven’t heard any news since. Is something wrong between the two of you?”
Cedric wanted to fasten a leash around his neck—a marriage leash.
When he said that, Tezet recalled Elses’ words about breaking off the engagement, but he answered blandly, pretending not to know.
“No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why hasn’t the wedding taken place yet? If you wanted it, you could’ve held the ceremony long ago.”
“She needed time to prepare.”
Cedric immediately sensed the lie.
Tezet was not the sort of man to wait out of consideration for someone else. More likely, he had simply found a temporary excuse to avoid marrying Princess Rinael.
“For your own sake, allow me to say this,” Cedric began.
“…”
“The Viscount’s daughter isn’t much of a match for you. Hardly anyone in the capital even knows her face. Her family has little standing and, if I recall, her father died leaving behind a mountain of debt.”
“…”
“For your future, it would be best to break it off. Unless, of course, you’re one of those fools who get tangled up in silly things like love—”
“I love her.”
“…What?”
“I said, I love her.”
Cedric, who had been about to mention Rinael again, froze mid-sentence, staring at Tezet as if he’d been struck.
The word love, coming from Tezet’s emotionless lips, felt disturbingly out of place.
“Love, huh… not exactly a word that suits you, Duke.”
Cedric tapped his finger on the rim of his glass, then set it down, as though remembering something.
“Speaking of which—did you know there’s a banquet at the palace this Friday?”
Every year, on the final day of the festival celebrating the defeat of the Demon God, a grand banquet was held at the Imperial Palace.
The Rittenhaus family had received their invitation two days prior.
“I must admit, I’m curious about the woman who’s to become the next Duchess of Rittenhaus. You’ve kept her hidden all this time—makes me wonder if she even exists.”
There was an unmistakable edge in his tone—a veiled accusation.
Tezet looked back at him calmly.
“If Your Highness wishes it.”
With a polite bow, he left the chamber.
Waiting anxiously outside, his aide Felix immediately approached, gnawing at his fingernails.
“What did His Highness say?”
“…He’s just like him.”
“Eh? Who? The Crown Prince?”
“The bastard I want to kill.”
Felix almost fainted at those words, quickly glancing around in panic.
He knew “that bastard” referred to Rasiel—but to anyone else listening, it would sound dangerously treasonous.
“Sir! We’re still in the palace! What if someone overheard you?”
But Tezet, who had said the risky words, didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
“I mean, I understand wanting to kill your superior—oh! Not that I want to kill you, sir! Just—ah, anyway, let’s discuss this in the carriage!”
Felix hurriedly dragged Tezet out of the Crown Prince’s palace and into the waiting carriage.
“So what did the Crown Prince say?”
“He brought up my fiancée. Suggested I break the engagement and find someone else.”
“Ahh… well, he’s not wrong. You haven’t even met her in ages. Maybe you should just marry the princess like His Highness wants. It’d be the safest alliance.”
Felix had once served as a servant under the former Duke of Rittenhaus, three years ago.
The day Tezet killed the old Duke and his heir, Felix was sure he’d die too.
But Tezet had spared him and made him his aide instead—because he was quick-witted and had a sharp memory.
Ever since, Felix had been working for the man who saw through his cunning and valued it.
“If only things could settle down! Peacefully! If only he’d just marry the princess like His Highness wants…”
Felix wished Tezet would marry the imperial princess and secure his position once and for all—but knowing Tezet’s nature, he doubted it.
And sure enough, Tezet’s answer was what he expected.
“The princess is annoying.”
“Then maybe the daughter of a border duke? Or a marquess’s young lady?”
“…A marquess’s daughter?”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be a marquess! Anyone would be better than Miss Elses. Her family’s already ruined! If she doesn’t leech off you, that’d be a miracle—”
Felix stopped mid-ramble when he noticed the faint chill in Tezet’s eyes.
Though Tezet’s expression rarely changed, after three years of serving him, Felix had learned to read his moods.
This was not the time to keep talking.
“M-my apologies, sir. I overstepped.”
“…I should meet her.”
“Eh? Meet who?”
Without answering, Tezet turned his gaze toward the carriage window and said quietly,
“My fiancée.”
Or more precisely—
the stranger wearing the face of his fiancée.
A quiet afternoon in the library.
Elses pretended to read a book while sneaking glances at the sofa across from her.
Rasiel lay there, a book covering his face, fast asleep.
It had been a week since she began working as his assistant.
So far, he hadn’t shown a single suspicious sign. No shady visitors, no strange behavior.
Even the books he read were all ordinary magic texts.
She had no idea what he did at night, but during the day, things were perfectly peaceful.
“Maybe Lerti’s hunch was wrong…”
But could it really just be a mistake? After all, she herself had sensed the masked man’s aura in Rasiel before.
“I just want to grab him by the collar and shake him until he admits it—‘Was it you or not?’”
This kind of subtle watching and waiting was not her style.
She was reaching the limits of her patience.
As she stared at Rasiel’s sleeping form, she finally stood up quietly.
“Maybe I’ll take a walk. Look around the mansion a bit. Who knows—maybe I’ll find something suspicious.”
She moved toward the door, careful not to make a sound.
Just then—
“Where are you going?”
His drowsy, half-asleep voice stopped her in her tracks.
Startled, Elses turned around.
Rasiel, who had seemed to be sleeping moments ago, was now sitting up—eyes open, fixed directly on her.
