Darvin looked at the nanny standing behind him, who responded by removing a small glass vial from her robes and placing it on the table. The vial, about the size of a finger, contained a single black pill no larger than a fingernail.

“I couldn’t just ask for your help without offering something in return, so I brought this. It wasn’t easy to get. The manufacturing process is so difficult, with a high failure rate, that I even had to bid against other royals from foreign lands to smuggle it in.” 

Darvin spoke with surprising confidence about committing an illegal act. He seemed quite brave for such a thing, but he kept glancing at Zetak, clearly wary of his reaction. Was this something he didn’t want Zetak to know about? When I didn’t dismiss my companion, Darvin sighed in resignation and finally spoke.

“Actually, this is… a fragment of a demon’s testicle.” 

“I see. A demon’s… A demon’s what?” 

The hand I had raised to take the teacup froze. Behind me, I could feel Zetak stiffen as well. Perhaps thinking I hadn’t heard him correctly, Darvin repeated himself slowly and clearly. 

“A fragment of a demon’s t*sticles. From a centipede demon.” 

“A centipede’s…” 

Why, of all things… 

“It’s originally a remedy for infertile women, but they say if a man takes it, he’ll be unstoppable for three days and nights.” 

“…” 

So my t*sticles had this effect in my past life? Without meaning to, I looked down at myself. If this information got out, infertile women and men with dreams of virility would all be after me. What a horrible thought… Or maybe not. Do I even have that effect now? 

Darvin held up the vial with a proud expression, his face radiating a sense of accomplishment. Strangely, I felt a strange sense of indignation emanating from the small bottle. *Could this really be a piece of my testicle from a previous life? Perhaps my corpse had found its way into the human realm by some unknown means… No, it couldn’t be. 

I instinctively looked away from the vial. The thought alone was too disturbing to face. A strange pain seemed to manifest itself underneath, causing me to tap lightly on the area underneath the table to reassure myself. 

Left. Right. Luckily, everything was still intact. I exhaled softly, relieved to confirm that nothing was amiss. However, I could feel Zetak’s incredulous or annoyed gaze boring into me from behind. What could I say in my defence? Darvin had just claimed that these were the t*sticles of a centipede demon. What if, by some bizarre twist of fate, they really were connected to me? Even without confirmation, the thought was deeply disturbing. 

“I wasn’t sure what you would like, brother… So I looked into it and, well, ahem. I heard some rumours. About, uh, tentacle play… or, rather, that you’re in a passionate relationship with someone.” 

I suddenly remembered the maid who had run off muttering about a reverse dynamic relationship. I knew rumours would spread, but what kind of stories were circulating that he was going to present me with a demon’s testicle? Darvin fidgeted with the ampoule, sneaking glances at Zetak. Did he just mutter something about me being the ‘bottom’? Was I imagining it?

“It’s OK. It suits you. Don’t worry about what people say. I’m rooting for you, brother.” 

‘Cheering me on for what?’

And Zetak, why are you nodding so slightly? Why are you looking at Darvin with such kind eyes? You’ve never looked at me like that before. 

“Tent… ahem, I mean, I heard it’s quite difficult to deal with your partner. So I thought this might be just what you needed. I spent most of my annual allowance on it. They say it’ll help you cope… or rather, enjoy your time together.” 

A boy gives a demon’s testicle to one who was a demon in a past life and another who is one now. Maybe Darvin is a lot braver than I thought. Let’s say he doesn’t know about my past life as a demon. Still, for him to say such things in front of Zetak – was that honesty or just stupidity?

“Please, for the sake of my sincerity, put in a good word for me with Brother Bapharos.” 

Frankly, with that level of audacity, there seems to be nothing you couldn’t say to Bapharos himself. Just as I was about to point that out, a hand suddenly reached out from behind. Zetak took the vial without a word, his expression completely blank. 

As Zetak took the vial, Darvin’s face lit up. 

“You accept! Thank you, brother! I’ll never forget your kindness! I leave everything in your hands!” 

Wait. It wasn’t my intention for Zetak to take the vial… I tried to speak, but Darvin was already waddling towards the door. But before he could reach it, he stumbled and collapsed. 

Startled, the nanny moved quickly to catch him. I had no idea where she drew such strength from in her old age, but she managed to lift Darvin’s massive frame with ease. 

“Your Highness! Please wake up! Could it be the chocolate you ate before coming here?” 

The nanny glared fiercely, as if vowing to make Bapharos pay. Darvin, cradled in her arms, waved weakly. 

“N-No, Nanny… it’s all right. I just got dizzy, that’s all.” 

I haven’t had meat for three days… Mother is…”

He murmured in a weak voice, Darvin’s eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

“Your Highness…” 

The nanny, her expression full of pity, reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a small wrapped loaf of bread. Does she always carry such things? Darvin held the bread in both hands as if it were a precious gift. 

“Well, I’ll be going then.” 

Darvin, clutching the bread tightly, bowed to me once more before he left. Technically, he didn’t really bow, just imitated the movement as his stomach prevented him from doing so. Just before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of him walking down the corridor, nibbling at the bread. Truly a brave child – suspecting the food might be poisoned, yet not hesitating for a second to eat it.

Of all my siblings, Darvin is perhaps the bravest. With that level of fearlessness, I could see him speaking freely in front of anyone, not just Bapharos. It wouldn’t be hard for him to get a message to Bapharos. So there would be no reason for him to refuse. But then again… 

“Are you really going to make me eat this?” 

No matter how long I had lived, I had never consumed anything from my own… well, my testicle region. It just feels wrong, doesn’t it? Isn’t it cruel? Even the butterfly man who tore my insides apart had never touched it. 

“It’s just a precaution. There’s no harm in having it.”

What could he be preparing for? I wanted to ask, but decided against it. Even though he was acting like an old man, he was still young. I had used my intuition in relationships, but I had never used my own feelings. In reality, I was still a virgin, so I probably still had illusions about relationships. I remembered the medicine Darvin had brought with him. It was originally a remedy for infertile women. Darvin had said so clearly.

“Oh… it seems your wife has died.”

The word ‘infertile’ made me think of the future. In the future, I had no children. Zetak had informed me of my wife’s death, but hadn’t mentioned children. That was probably because I had no children. Was the problem with me? Or was it the Empress?

I had never really thought about who the Empress was. In the future I had seen, the Empress was just an image of being ravaged by monsters and dying. The visions I saw were just fragmented scenes. They felt vivid, as if I had experienced them myself, but they were only snippets of the future.

The Empress, already dead and collapsed. What did she look like? I imagined the corpse under the monster. Her face was not visible. It was hidden by the monster’s body. All I could see was her blood-soaked lower half and torn abdomen.

The medicine Darvin gave me might be more necessary for the woman who would be my Empress in the future. But…

“Very well. Do as you wish.”

What else could I do if she wanted it so badly? Maybe when she realises that she can’t grow in the future, she’ll try to use the cocoon to bring it to her. I don’t mind, but I wonder if Zetak would allow it out of pride. Zetak stared at me in silence. His expression had darkened slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

“Sometimes, Your Highness…”

He doesn’t seem human. He said this suddenly.

“I even despise the things that are attached to my own body. Yet Your Highness has always maintained the same attitude. Didn’t you remain unimpressed when I showed you the spider’s legs?”

“……”

“From your actions, I sometimes wonder if it’s not me but you, Your Highness, who is the monster.”

In a way, it was a valid observation. My body was human, but my mind was probably still that of a monster. Or was it? But I wasn’t quite the same. At least I didn’t get hungry when I looked at humans.

“Your Highness, your attitude towards me…”

Zetak stopped speaking. His face remained expressionless and his eyes, hidden by his hair, were hard to see. For a brief moment, however, he looked as if he were on the verge of tears. But did he seem sad? Not really. When I looked again, the corners of his mouth seemed subtly raised. He turned away without another word, as if he did not want to continue the conversation.

“It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”

Zetak reached for the magic orb on the table. A light touch should have extinguished the light of the orb that illuminated the room. But instead of turning it off, he pushed the orb to the floor, shattering it.

“Zetak…?”