“All the More Tempting”

Amin, who had ascended to the throne as sultan, was obsessed with gold, loving it to the point of madness.

Typically, the throne is passed down to the eldest son. This rule was established to prevent every succession ending in bloodshed. The throne passed from father to son, and then to the next in line. According to this principle, Amin should never have become sultan.

However, he could not bear to yield the vacant throne to any rival. The mere thought of the palace, with its gleaming golden walls and ornaments, only strengthened his determination to keep it. Amin was the man who traded his brother’s life for that golden palace.

“To think a person’s hair could be that color.”

He had heard tales of the fairy folk who lived in Belpharo Forest. Nevertheless, what had happened in the Kingdom of Ganon was indeed astonishing.

It was said that the king’s illegitimate son, who had been mocked all his life for being born without color and called cursed, was found to carry the blood of the fairies. It was also said that he had been bonded to the forest’s elder.

If the story had ended there, Amin might have dismissed it as mere rumor. However, the queen spoken of in the tale was said to have hair of dazzling, radiant gold, like pure treasure. This stirred an unbearable curiosity within him.

When he sent envoys to request an audience and ask whether her hair truly gleamed like bars of gold, they confirmed that it did. From that moment on, Amin could hardly contain himself. He was desperate to see it with his own eyes and was almost driven mad by his desire to do so.

“I hear they aren’t even formally married.”

As Sultan, he often heard secrets that other nations tried to keep hidden. Desperate to save his drought-stricken kingdom, the King of Baclos had supposedly sent Egon to trick the fairy folk into conceiving a child, under the pretense of breaking their barrier.

“If she’s foolish enough to fall for a trick like that, then there must be some other way to lure her in.”

Even if he couldn’t seduce her, Amin had already decided that he would take Laerte by force. He had never failed to obtain anything he desired, not even the sultan’s throne or this golden palace.

“Make the preparations thorough.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’m looking forward to tonight.”

Amin’s lips curled into a vile smile.

∘₊✧───────────────✧₊∘

The banquet was lavish and lacked nothing. Mountains of meat and wine, and delicacies from land and sea — even seafood, a rarity inland — filled the tables. The dishes suited Laerte and Elvit’s tastes so well that they were both eating heartily, their cutlery never still.

“Chew slowly, make sure to eat properly.”

Egon said, looking after Elvit.

Even if one enjoyed carriage travel, the constant rattling and shaking often caused nausea. It was difficult Eating and drinking on the road wasn’t easy, and stopping to relieve oneself wasn’t easy either. Most people ended up eating less while travelling.

But tonight, with tables piled high with food and drink, no one could resist overindulging — especially Elvit, who had developed a taste for seafood.

“Dad, the shrimp’s staring at me.”
“Close your eyes, and I’ll peel it for you. Just wait.”

Elvit pouted and said that he liked shrimp but was afraid of their heads. He wanted to eat more, but couldn’t bring himself to touch them with his hands.

Both Laerte and Elvit sat with their mouths open like baby birds, waiting for Egon to peel the prawns for them. Exotic music filled the hall as dancers took to the floor, moving fluidly and mesmerizingly. Meanwhile, the guests enjoyed a feast that left no desire unfulfilled.

Egon covered his mouth as another yawn escaped him.

‘The banquet’s far from over… but I’m getting tired.’

Perhaps it was the relief of finally arriving safely after such a long journey, but he felt his head growing heavy and his eyelids growing increasingly heavier.

“Ladies and gentlemen of Iras, are you enjoying tonight’s banquet?”

Amin rose from his seat, lifting a goblet high.

“Let us all drink together, in celebration of your welcome here!”

As he raised his glass, Egon leaned toward Laerte and murmured quietly.

“Don’t drink that.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t even know how to handle alcohol.”

He didn’t forget to hand Elvit a glass of water, since the boy always tried to imitate the adults.

“All together now—cheers!”

“Cheers! Cheers!”

Voices rang out in a lively chorus as everyone downed their drinks in unison.

Then—clang.

A glass slipped from someone’s hand, shattering on the floor. At that same moment, their body slumped sideways as if its strings had been cut, and they collapsed to the floor.

The room spun.

Egon was disoriented by the sudden dizziness and violent spinning of his vision.

“Egon!”

Laerte’s panicked face blurred before his eyes, spinning round and round—then everything went dark.

…Laerte.

When Egon regained consciousness, he discovered that his wrists and ankles were tied up with rope. He was lying on the floor of a lavish room adorned with gilded pillars and a gilded ceiling. It was the kind of room only a sultan would inhabit.

As he tried to lift himself up, a mocking voice echoed nearby.

“So, you’re finally awake.”

The soldiers stepped forward, hauling Egon upright and chaining him to a pillar. They forced him to sit with his back pressed against the cold metal.

“What is the meaning of this? You summon me all the way here, only to—”

“Ah, I’m the sort of man who takes whatever I wants. From the moment I heard the rumors, I couldn’t resist wanting her.”

Egon’s face twisted.

“Your wife.”

Only then did he notice Laerte lying on the bed.

She had changed into different clothes — if they could even be called that. The top half of her chest and stomach were exposed, and her hips were barely covered by attire resembling a dancer’s costume from Iras — except it was thinner, lighter and so sheer that the faint color of her skin showed through.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Isn’t this rather generous of me? At least I’m letting you watch it for the first time, so you can see for yourself what she’s about to experience.”

He drew a short dagger and flicked it lightly, slicing through the delicate strap over Laerte’s shoulder.

“Ugh…”

At the sound, Laerte stirred, her eyelashes fluttering as she began to wake.

“Remarkable… even the hair on her body shines like gold.”

Amin murmured, running his fingers through her golden hair and winding the strands around his hand.

Egon thrashed violently, chains clattering against the pillar.

Clang, clang.

“You bastard—take your hands off her!”

“If you keep shouting like that, she’ll wake up completely and it’ll only make things worse for her.”

Egon bit down hard, his jaw trembling with rage.

Then—

“Ahhh!”

Laerte screamed as her eyes opened and saw Amin’s hand in her hair.

“Y-you…!”

“No need to be so shocked, I’ve heard the rumors. That you were deceived by him… and bore his child.”

The Sultan gazed at her hair with a spellbound look in his eyes.

“A golden-haired child… that would be splendid.”

“…So the peace talks are off, then?”

Egon’s voice was low and cold.

“Peace?”

“You dragged all these people here—just to pull something like this?”

At that, Amin let out a derisive laugh.

“Just? Did you say just? You really have no idea how fortunate you are.”

“…”

“How could possessing the only one of her kind in the world ever be called just?”

Amin’s hand clenched around the thin fabric covering Laerte’s br*ast, as though he might rip it away.

“It’s worth staking a nation on. Imagine it—both the woman and the Kingdom of Ganon in my grasp.”

“You’ll regret those words.”

Crack.

A loud splitting sound rang out, followed by a shower of dust raining down from the ceiling above the bed.

“W-what’s happening?”

Rumble… crash!

Something heavy groaned and broke apart. Chunks of stone the size of fingernails fell from the ceiling.

Egon rose to his feet, and Amin’s eyes widened in horror.

Despite being bound with iron cuffs and chained to a pillar by the sultan, Egon had pulled so hard that the entire column shattered.

Thud!

The massive stone pillar toppled sideways, striking the floor with a deep tremor that made the golden ceiling quake.

Crack, crackle—crash!

Fissures spread like lightning across the gilded ceiling, Amin’s most prized possession, before it collapsed with a roar.

“N-no! Impossible!”

As dust poured over his face, Amin tried frantically to brush it away—only to be struck by Egon’s iron shackles.

Crunch.

Just one blow and the sickening sound of bone breaking echoed through the hall.

Now pale with terror, Amin dropped to his knees, stammering.

“I–it was a jest! I swear, I would never harm a guest—!”

“Too late.”

Egon swung again, still bound at the wrists, the iron cuffs striking like a weapon.

Then—

Shhhk!

A sharp stream of water sliced through the air, severing the chains around Egon’s hands and setting him free.

Amin turned toward the bed and froze in horror.

Laerte stood there, eyes cold and unyielding, a massive surge of water swirling behind her like a living serpent.

Her voice was low and chilling.

“Elvit. What have you done with my son?”