Chapter 31

Two hours later, at the luncheon with the King and Ashton, Reyes felt a chill down his spine as Kenneth himself delivered the news.

He couldn’t elegantly separate the fish backbone as usual. He pressed too hard with the knife and it snapped. The businessman from Retona opposite him pretended not to notice, eyes lowered.

“You won’t be jealous, will you, Rey? It’s just joint research.”

If he objected, he’d be seen as petty. He was used to this kind of talk. Reyes didn’t have much justification to oppose, so he kept his voice as low and calm as possible.

“Do you have a topic that would interest Sabina?”

“Of course.”

Kenneth smiled.

“My new friend gave it to me.”

Reyes instinctively looked at Ashton, and their gazes met in the air. Ashton smiled prettily. Reyes thought he might vomit.

“That businessman from Retona always gets in my way.”

“You know I mean no harm.”

“…….”

“So, Rey. Are you really upset? I haven’t given her the proposal yet, so should I just forget it?”

“…….”

Seeing Ashton and Kenneth act like this together made it hard to eat. His stomach felt like it was turning over. But since Reyes was sensitive about showing ‘un-kingly’ behavior, he couldn’t complain further and had to act as if nothing was wrong.

Even after finishing the meal, Reyes couldn’t easily calm down. Kenneth’s interest in Sabina, his liking for Ashton—these were all bad news for him.

Right now, Ashton was becoming the bridge between Sabina and Kenneth. In doing so, Ashton was strengthening the link between himself and Sabina.

As a result, the public would perceive Sabina and Ashton as a pair.

With the added praise for Ashton as the capable businessman who brought together the King and D’Vialis.

It was dizzying.

‘D*mn.’

Reyes gripped the outdoor corridor railing tightly, grinding his teeth.

There was a reason he’d spent the past few years maintaining the image of ‘a man who pines for Sabina’ at the cost of his pride. He wanted his name to follow Sabina’s whenever anyone thought of her. No matter how many men Sabina went through, no matter how much she rejected Reyes, people would always look for Reyes’s shadow in her love life.

The more Sabina repeated, ‘I like any man, except Reyes Brinita,’ the deeper that shadow grew.

Regardless of how Sabina herself felt, as long as people saw her and Reyes as close—a pair—the opportunity would come someday. Sabina was soft-hearted and surprisingly vulnerable.

Actually, he didn’t even need a relationship. What mattered was securing a single night on a set date. It was a game that favored Reyes. Sabina had to defend herself for three years, and Reyes only needed to break through for one night.

But now, another man was erasing Reyes’s shadow from her name.

It bothered him.

‘No. No.’

He shook his head to calm himself. Ever since Ashton sent the invitation saying he’d hold a carnival, this situation had been predictable.

That’s why he’d made acquaintance with Helio that day.

‘Just win over that boy and brainwash Sabina. Certanon Academy is a boarding school, so there will be times when he’s separated from Sabina. There will be openings even from that businessman.’

No need to get too excited. There’s always an alternative.

Wasn’t it the same in both previous timelines?

Yes, Reyes Brinita remembered it all. His magic attribute made it possible.

Reyes recalled the first timeline, when his rebellion failed.

He was tied up, watching Sabina’s execution. But Sabina’s execution went strangely. One of the executioners cut open her chest and took out her heart.

That person used Sabina’s heart to cast time magic. He was sure of it.

It was a bizarre event, but it gave Reyes an insight.

‘So the heart of a time mage can be used even by someone other than its owner?’

Reyes held a wine glass at the academy graduation party, thinking. The moment he faced the somewhat dazed Sabina, he felt a brief thrill.

He had gained the chance to attempt rebellion in a more cunning way.

No need for money or people.

All he needed was Sabina’s heart.

He planned to take the heart of the time mage and fly back to twenty-seven years ago, when he and Kenneth were born. Swapping which twin—born just one minute apart—was the eldest would be much easier than assassinating a king who’d already ascended!

So he persistently approached Sabina. It wasn’t easy, since she seemed to have memories of the previous timeline, but in any case, Reyes seized the opportunity.

On the same day as the execution in the first timeline, at a similar time, he was alone with Sabina. He even managed to cut open her chest and take out her heart. He was just unlucky to be interrupted at the last moment.

It’s fine. This time, he would succeed.

The memory of Sabina eventually succumbing to love for him fueled his thin sliver of confidence. If he’d succeeded twice, he could do it a third time.

“Ah, Your Highness the Prince.”

As Reyes was collecting himself, he flinched at the cool voice from behind.

“You haven’t gone back yet?”

Turning sharply, he saw a man in a bright sky-blue jacket, smiling just like Kenneth.

“I’ll be heading home soon.”

“You seem perfectly at ease in the palace.”

It was a jab—wasn’t it supposed to be hard for a commoner to feel at home in the royal family’s residence?

“Perhaps it’s because His Majesty has taught me so much?”

Ashton pretended not to understand. But beneath the words was a subtle boast: ‘I’m close to His Majesty.’ Seeing Ashton’s ‘I’m just a clueless commoner’ look made Reyes’s irritation simmer.

“Kenneth is a man of moods.”

Meaning, the king’s favor was just a passing whim, so Ashton should stay humble.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Meaning, even for a prince, it’s dangerous to openly badmouth the king.

Then Ashton, as if suddenly remembering, said, “Ah, Sabina is well. I thought you might be curious since you haven’t seen her in a long time.”

Reyes’s fist clenched so tightly the veins stood out. In that moment, he truly wanted to punch that smug face.

Even if his secret rebellion succeeded and he became king, he wouldn’t forget this bitter resentment.

He had to investigate Ashton immediately. Even if it meant postponing his time travel, he wanted to make Ashton die painfully while still young and powerless.

He glared at Ashton as if to kill him. Ashton looked completely unfazed.

Every time he saw this man, his neck tensed. Reyes was convinced the Retona businessman had interfered because Sabina had posted advertisements everywhere. What other reason could there be?

As for the fact that time had repeated several times, Reyes guessed only he and Sabina knew that secret. This meddler, who kept interfering and angering him, could not possibly be connected to Reyes’s plans.

It was only in the third timeline that this man appeared, so logically, Reyes thought Ashton knew nothing.

But the world is full of things that defy logic.

Ashton Bryant, wearing his usual cheerful face, reached out his hand. It was bare. He extended it to Reyes as if to shake hands.

Reyes didn’t even take off his gloves, nor did he accept the handshake. He simply slapped Ashton’s hand with his gloved hand and walked away.

Ashton watched his back for a long time, then sighed.

If only he could make a simple adjustment to Reyes’s mind, all these troublesome things wouldn’t be necessary.

‘Because the prince never takes off his gloves in front of anyone, I have to go through all this trouble.’

If he tried to force barehanded contact, the prince’s clothes—full of defensive devices—would immediately crush Ashton into a pulp.

He scratched his head.

‘Oh well.’

He’d just have to reach his goal by going the long way around.