Laurencia organized her thoughts while drinking tea with a complicated expression, then continued the conversation.

“So what happened between you two that turned such close friends into enemies?”

“I don’t consider Ashar an enemy. Only he thinks of me that way.”

“Then that means you committed an unforgivable sin against Ashar.”

Rubid’s expression, which had been pretending to be relaxed, darkened for a moment.

But the man quickly composed himself and answered lightly again.

“It depends on one’s position, but from Ashar’s perspective, that would be true.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you did nothing wrong.”

At her persistent questioning, cracks slowly appeared on the man’s face that had been pretending to be relaxed.

“Everyone has their own circumstances. I simply had such circumstances.”

At Rubid’s noticeably changed voice, Laurencia let out a small snort.

She didn’t know what circumstances he meant, but it seemed like nothing more than a cowardly excuse.

If that weren’t the case, Ashar wouldn’t have shown such hatred.

Like favoring one’s own, Laurencia unconsciously concluded that Ashar must have been right.

“You seem to care for Ashar quite a bit.”

At the unexpected question, the smile immediately vanished from her face.

Snapping to attention, Laurencia quietly stared at Rubid, who was testing her.

Soon selecting her answer, she smiled faintly again, acting like he was asking something obvious.

“He was my lover, so naturally. He was so affectionate and attentive—”

“What? That guy was affectionate?”

At Rubid’s reaction, his face scrunched up like he’d eaten something inedible, Laurencia’s expression also contorted.

Soon, with a sharp look, she sneered with an arrogant face.

“He was. Why, didn’t he act that way with others?”

“If anyone who knows him heard this, they’d all react like me. That taciturn, cold guy—affectionate?”

“I guess it depends on the person. He was nothing but sweet and warm with me. He was the most gentle and affectionate man I’ve ever met.”

“Ha! How interesting. It seems you two were much closer than I thought. It’s like you’re defending a lover.”

Her expression visibly stiffened. Only then did Laurencia realize she’d made a mistake.

Whatever his true feelings, Rubid was currently Jedrian’s man.

She’d revealed too much about her relationship with Ashar in front of him.

She drew a line with a deliberately calm face.

“A lover? He was merely my paramour. It’s natural for a master to care for their paramour.”

“Well, if that’s the case, that’s fortunate. I was worried Your Highness might be hurt—”

“Hurt?”

When Laurencia cut him off sharply with a barbed tone, Rubid chuckled and spouted nonsense.

“When you give your heart to someone you can’t have, all that comes back is hurt, isn’t it? But since that’s not the case, it’s a great relief.”

“Even if that were to happen, I don’t see why you’d be relieved.”

“If the person I’ve given my heart to had given hers to another man—and to my friend at that—wouldn’t I be upset too? But since you say that’s not the case, I said I was relieved.”

At the sudden confession, her expression stiffened briefly before she let out an empty laugh.

“Ha, the King of Morzen is more sinister than I thought.”

“When a man sees a beautiful woman, anyone becomes sinister. That’s a male’s instinct.”

“So you want to become my paramour too?”

To her subtle mockery as she delivered what she thought was a decisive blow, Rubid responded with something even more outrageous.

“If you’d give me the chance to enter Lauren’s bedroom, I’d gladly do so.”

Laurencia’s face hardened coldly, unable to dodge the arrow that returned to her.

Her inner self was still quite pure to counter such low-quality jokes.

Rubid suddenly laughed loudly, then scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“The joke went too far. Ah, though of course I’m not entirely insincere.”

“I’m curious where the sincerity begins and ends.”

“Then, may I speak my real truth now?”

As though the probing time had ended, Rubid’s gray eyes slowly revealed their true nature.

* * *

While Laurencia was making some kind of deal with Rubid, Ashar, wearing a black mask, slipped behind the main palace.

Behind him, the Knights of Silvarnel who’d infiltrated with him all wore black masks and surveyed their surroundings.

Then one knight approached from behind and whispered quietly.

“Noir is on the second basement level.”

At that, a knight right beside him expressed concern.

“It’s dangerous. If we get trapped going in there, it’s all over.”

Ashar pondered briefly.

He couldn’t just leave Noir behind. But he couldn’t take everyone into what might be a trap either.

Then Turner, the knight who’d come to Adel Palace to inform them of Noir’s whereabouts, urged again.

“The shift change is coming soon. It’ll become even more difficult then. Now, when there are the fewest guards, is our chance.”

“My lord.”

After quietly listening to both subordinates’ opinions, Ashar soon made his decision and commanded.

“You all wait here. Only Turner and I will go in.”

“My lord! That won’t do. I’d rather—”

“I’ll follow.”

At Turner’s answer, the worried knight ground his teeth.

Ashar patted that subordinate’s shoulder and lightened his worry with a deliberately casual tone.

“Just because I lived as a slave doesn’t mean I put down my sword, so don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon, so just keep watch.”

“My lord… if things don’t go well, you must just come out. You must. Without you, my lord, Silvarnel has no more hope.”

“I know. But if something happens after I go in, you all must leave the palace no matter what. That’s an order.”

“My lord…”

“Let’s go, Turner.”

Leaving behind his subordinates watching with anxious faces, Ashar crouched low and surveyed the surroundings. After readjusting his mask, he soon gave Turner a signal and quickly hid himself against the left wall of the old building located behind the main palace.

Turner hid on the right wall, then quickly dealt with the knights guarding the prison entrance as they’d coordinated.

When Ashar gave the signal, Turner, who knew the structure well from having stood guard at the underground prison, entered first.

Following behind, Ashar quickly descended the dark stairs after Turner leading the way.

The deeper they went, the more a foul smell assaulted his nose. Forcibly smoothing his naturally contorting face, Ashar expanded his senses.

As Turner had said, there weren’t many presences felt. At this level, it seemed they could easily subdue them and rescue Noir.

Ashar’s eyes, gripping his sword hilt tightly, gleamed more viciously than ever.

As they descended the fairly long and steep underground prison with their presence minimized, he suddenly felt strangely uneasy.

‘Why is there no movement?’

There were definitely human presences. But those presences weren’t moving from the same spot.

Normally, prison guards except for those guarding the entrance would all patrol the perimeter.

Of course, given the nature of underground prisons, the radius wasn’t wide, but by now they should have encountered knights climbing the stairs.

Yet far from encountering anyone, he felt no movement at all.

Then Turner gave a signal and pressed close against the wall.

Ashar, who quickly lowered his stance, also stuck close behind him and checked the surrounding presences.

But Turner let out an empty laugh and whispered.

“Looks like they’ve started a gambling den again.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing to do in here, so that’s their only pleasure. Thanks to that, this should be easier.”

Ashar, narrowing his eyes, tapped Turner’s shoulder.

“Then let’s hurry. We need to leave the palace as soon as possible.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After checking the surroundings again, Turner quickly descended the stairs.

Just how deep had they dug this underground—it seemed endless.

‘Vicious bastards.’

As he clicked his tongue at the harsh aspects of the Armazé people, a woman suddenly came to mind.

The woman who was the master of those harsh people yet alone wasn’t harsh.

To plead with him, her enemy, to live. Where else could there be such a foolish woman?

Nevertheless, thinking of Laurencia made the corners of his mouth rise naturally.

It had only been a few hours since he’d seen her, yet he missed that foolish woman.

That pretty face. That lewd face moaning obscenely beneath him—he missed it terribly.

‘She’ll probably cry when she finds out I broke my promise. As if. She’ll be angry.’

He couldn’t remain cold to the end at her tears, which he was seeing for the first time. He couldn’t just leave and abandon the woman trembling pitifully.

Even knowing she was a woman who wouldn’t do anything even if she knew his identity, he couldn’t just leave because he felt sorry for getting angry at her due to the hostility that had surged momentarily.

He was dumbfounded by how much his feelings had grown. If his subordinates learned of these feelings, they’d all despise him and leave.

How could they trust and follow a lord bewitched by the enemy’s daughter?

Nevertheless, he still missed her.

That moment when he’d left first without taking care of her kept bothering him.

‘I should have at least dressed her properly before leaving.’

Then Turner stopped again.

The moment Ashar snapped to attention seeing the wide space that had appeared before them and tried to expand his senses, strange words flowed from his subordinate’s mouth.

“I’m sorry, Prince.”