Abuse. The fact that he called it abuse rather than experimentation made it clear that he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Was he going to keep it a secret for the rest of his life? 

“I was just… I was curious. I wanted to know what it was like before the abuse started.” 

Zetak fell silent, as if recalling distant memories. His eyes were shadowed, and for a brief moment a flash of intense murderous intent flickered in them. But when he spoke, his tone was calm and his words a blatant lie. 

“It was nothing special. Just ordinary.” 

As expected, he was hiding his true feelings far too well. Why didn’t he want to expose the people behind what had happened to him? Did he already know? Or was he just unwilling to show me his past? 

“When did you enter the orphanage?” 

“I am not sure. Probably when I was a baby. They said I was found wrapped in nappies and abandoned.

A baby. They probably wouldn’t have used an infant for experiments straight away. Maybe they waited until the children were a bit older and then chose them when the time came to take them to the basement. 

“Why are the children here so gloomy?” 

I remembered a young princess clucking her tongue in disdain at the atmosphere of the orphanage. The children, shy and withdrawn, huddled in corners. It wasn’t just a coincidence – it was probably because they had been sternly warned not to act out in front of the royals. But was that the only reason? 

The children upstairs were probably the ones who hadn’t been used for experiments – the normal ones. After all, the orphanage had to keep up appearances as a legitimate institution. They probably accepted real orphans to keep up the facade. But even these children must have felt something instinctively. 

They must have noticed, even unconsciously, that one by one some of them were disappearing. Those chosen were used as test subjects. Those left behind were used as cover. Even if they didn’t know the full truth, they must have sensed the ominous atmosphere. 

“Have you lost contact with the friends you made at the orphanage?” 

I thought there must have been at least one or two children he was close to before he became a test subject. But Zetak didn’t answer right away. There was a long pause before he finally opened his mouth. 

“One person.” 

“…” 

“Now that I think about it, I recently met someone from the same orphanage. Would that make her a friend?” 

His unexpected words made me widen my eyes in surprise. Since our reunion, Zetak had spent almost all his time with me. If he had met anyone recently, it must have been within the confines of the Academy. Was the person another servant, like him? 

“If they’re your friends, I’d like to meet them too. Could you introduce me?” 

“No need. You’ve already met them.” 

“I’ve met them?” 

Had I met any servants recently who might fit that description? I searched my memory, but couldn’t think of anyone who stood out. The only possibility that came to mind was – 

“……Ray?” 

Karial’s maid. As she appeared to be in her mid-twenties, I thought it might not be her, but Zetak didn’t deny it. So it seemed I was right. Something about this didn’t sit right with me. The connection to Karial’s family kept popping up, unshakable and persistent. 

There was Karial’s mother, who had become Zetak’s second guardian after he entered the palace. There was Liri, the doll based on Karial’s mother. Then there was the woman at the orphanage who looked like Liri. And now Karial’s maid was said to be from the orphanage. Was it all just coincidence? 

The orphanage had always been a facade, a nominal institution. Though officially under the jurisdiction of the palace, it operated in a blind spot where the royal eye didn’t really reach. There were occasional charitable visits from the royal family, but these were rare and limited to childhood appearances. Beyond that, it became an invisible but convenient hiding place. 

No one would have suspected that the Chimera experiments were taking place in a government facility. Still, outsiders couldn’t have been bold enough to carry out such acts. Not unless they were connected to nobles who knew the inner workings of the palace. 

It felt like I was putting things together too quickly, but the suspicion wouldn’t leave me. As I sank into my thoughts, I noticed that Zetak was watching me with a subdued expression. 

“What did you see at the Administration Palace?” 

His sudden question stopped my thoughts. 

“Your expression changed when you found out that Ray and I came from the same orphanage.” 

“…” 

“Now that I think about it, you suddenly decided not to go to the orphanage anymore. What did you see?” 

Did you look into my past? His eyes seemed to ask. As expected, he was quick to understand. I hadn’t secretly tried to find out about his past without him. If I wanted to know, I thought I should hear it directly from Zetak. If I had really wanted to know, I could probably have found out. The temple must keep records. With royal status, even buried events could be accessed through records. 

“What I know is superficial.” 

“…” 

“I’m waiting for you to tell me the details.” 

Zetak said nothing. He just stared at his hand, as if lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke. 

“Have you seen the schedule?”

It was an unexpected remark. I hadn’t looked at the schedule myself; it was usually kept by the servants. Seeing that I was silent, Zetak looked at me, waiting for an answer.

“Tomorrow morning’s class overlaps with Karial’s.” 

I thought I understood why he said that. Since the day Zetak had revealed his spider-like legs, he hadn’t had a class that overlapped with Karial’s. Before that, she had been in almost every class. It seemed like a deliberate avoidance. He must have been reluctant to face someone who knew his secret. But now he mentioned that the classes would overlap again. 

“She knows about your spider legs. It seems you’ve both realised that there’s no need to avoid each other when you both have secrets to keep.” 

“Or maybe she’s made up her mind.” 

“Made up her mind?” 

“I told you before.”

He said he hadn’t acted because the prince was a member of the royal family. Does this mean that now the Prince knows his secret, there’s no need to hesitate? Even so, if he were to lay a hand on a member of the royal family, it could lead to the destruction of his entire family. Given the risk, is there any reason for him to continue obsessing over me? Or is he so desperate to silence you that he’s willing to take that risk?

“You’ll probably come up with a plan soon, right? Maybe…” 

He stared blankly into the air, lost in thought. 

“A banquet.” 

He said it quietly. 

“Karial’s birthday is coming up. Since she comes from a family at the centre of high society, there will probably be an extravagant banquet. You’ll probably get an invitation as well. It’s the most conventional way to invite someone to the castle. 

“You mean she’ll do something?” 

“That’s just my guess.” 

“Right. It’s possible. But do you really remember her birthday?”

The Zetak’s mouth tightened. Somehow his eyes had gone cold.

“I just only …… know.”

“Because we share the same birth day.” 

His murmured words reminded me of the document I had seen at the Administrative Palace. Then I realised that Zetak’s birthday was also approaching. But did he really have to show such an expression just because they shared the same birthday? Surely it couldn’t be such a superficial reason – being born on the same day as someone he disliked? I felt there was something deeper. Maybe something unpleasant happened to him every year on his birthday, especially if it involved Karial. 

For example, instead of getting a present, he might get things like flowers forcibly placed on his body. It seemed plausible enough. For some reason, I felt a pang in my chest. Before I realised, I had taken his hand in mine. A child who should have been showered with good wishes and joy on his special day had instead experienced only pain and hardship. The pang I felt in my chest – perhaps it was pity, or perhaps it was sympathy. 

“What are you going to do?” 

Just because an invitation comes doesn’t mean I have to accept it. He was asking me – would I go to Karial’s castle or not? On the surface it was a simple question, but the underlying question was different. It was about the secret he wished to keep. While we were talking about that secret, he suddenly brought up Karial’s invitation. 

This was his way of giving me a clue – that Karial’s family might be connected to the Chimera experiments. He wasn’t ready to reveal everything, but he knew I would be curious. So he took a step back, indirectly allowing me to investigate by going to Karial’s castle, even though deep down he didn’t want it exposed. 

“As expected, you’re such a pus…” 

I stopped mid-sentence, almost saying ‘pushover’, but his piercing red eyes stared at me through the strands of his hair, glowing eerily. What could I do? I had to let it go – the guilt weighed heavily on me. Avoiding his gaze, I decided to change the subject. 

“Speaking of which, your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it?” 

At the time he asked me for the handkerchief I had used. I don’t remember whether I gave it to him or not, but I probably did. Knowing his personality, he would have made sure he got what he wanted. Assuming I gave him the handkerchief, what did I give him the following year? I must have given him something. Or rather, given Zetak’s nature, he must have managed to get something from me.