If I could hear it, there was no way that Zetak, standing behind me, couldn’t as well. The shift in Zetak’s aura was proof enough. Even if the nobles couldn’t feel it directly, they instinctively sensed that something had changed, causing them to hesitate and step back. 

“A male concubine, is it…” 

Zetak took a single step forward, and at that moment the nobles recoiled in panic and stumbled backwards. The abrupt retreat sent their chairs clattering to the floor. Whether it was mob psychology or sheer fear, their reactions were exaggerated. If they were so frightened, they shouldn’t have provoked him in the first place. 

As I looked back, Zetak’s expression was eerily calm and cold. 

“You know very well that calling a member of the royal family a ‘male concubine’ leaves you with no defence, even if you were to die for it.” 

His voice had dropped lower than usual, as if to express his disgust. If it was just the tone, it might not have been a problem. The real problem was his appearance. Blue scales began to spread, covering half of his face, while the whites of his eyes darkened to a deep black. This made his pale grey irises gleam unnervingly, almost as if they were glowing. As his pupils narrowed and scanned the room, the nobles froze in fear and retreated even further in shock. 

It’s all right. This is inside the Imperial Palace. The Temple had declared him safe. 

A storm of emotion washed over the faces of the nobles. The noble who had called me ‘male concubine’ stumbled backwards and fell on his backside. The other nobles had already distanced themselves from him. He probably regretted it now – he probably never imagined that his words would be heard. 

Zetak shifted his gaze from the fallen noble to scan the rest of the group. 

“‘If you receive funds to maintain your dignity, you should act accordingly’? Hearing that, one might think that these funds come from the nobles’ own pockets. No one seems to know that two-thirds of the so-called Dignity Funds are donated each year to orphanages and scholarships for commoner students throughout the country.”

No, that’s not it. My nanny took care of it herself because I had no use for the money, and I just told her to distribute it appropriately. After all, I rarely leave the palace, so there’s nothing for me to spend it on. But when I hear it put that way, it makes me sound like some kind of great saint. Some of the nobles looked at me in surprise, as if they had no idea. Don’t look at me like that – it wasn’t my doing. I simply didn’t correct the statement because I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere that Zetak had created.

“You cannot have a monster at your side, Your Highness.” 

“Do I really seem so dangerous to you? If I’m considered a threat even when I’m standing still, then it’s only fair that I do something worthy of that label.” 

The moment he took a single step forward, someone let out a strange shriek and fell backwards. That one person was enough to set off a chain reaction – nobles gave short shrieks and scrambled for the walls. 

What had Zetak done to warrant such a reaction? He had taken only a single step forward. Perhaps it wasn’t reason that was guiding their behaviour, but sheer disgust and fear – or perhaps it was their own guilty conscience that was reacting. 

“Zetak.” 

This had gone too far in the presence of the Emperor. Even if Bapharos was willing to let it slide, some nobles would later claim that such behaviour from a servant was a blatant disregard for royal authority. 

Zetak turned to face me. His eyes, blackened white, no longer resembled anything human. 

But in the blink of an eye, his gaze returned to normal. The black sclera faded, and the blue scales that had appeared on his skin disappeared, as if retreating beneath the surface. 

He looked at the nobles and smiled crookedly, an expression that was equal parts mocking and threatening. 

“Dangerous because I’m a monster? Have you ever really seen me as such? When you pass me in the corridors, when you point your fingers at me at banquets, you have always treated me as nothing more than a lowly servant. And yet, here in this chamber, you suddenly declare in unison that I’m a dangerous monster. It’s ridiculous.” 

“How… how insolent…” 

Someone murmured faintly, almost like a groan, but that was all. When Zetak’s eyes met theirs, they quickly averted their gaze, pretending otherwise. 

“Don’t play both sides. Decide whether you want to treat me as a monster or a human and stick to it.” 

“I will take appropriate action.” 

At these words, the nobles avoided Zetak’s piercing gaze. Perhaps he was right. The truth was, the nobles weren’t really afraid of Zetak. They knew the Temple had declared him safe. And unlike seven years ago, his appearance was now entirely human. Deep down, the nobles might even have thought of Zetak as human. Even though they called him a monster and claimed he was dangerous, they didn’t really feel threatened by him. 

Zetak had simply reminded them of that reality. Perhaps for the first time, they truly felt – deep in their skin – what it meant for him to be different. 

Zetak took my hand and we walked out of the meeting room together. I knew that as soon as we were gone, the nobles would swarm around Bapharos. They would ask, “Are you really going to let this disrespect go? This was practically a threat to the Emperor! It cannot be ignored!” They would undoubtedly cause an uproar. 

But I wasn’t worried at all. 

“I never thought the immunity I secured would be used in this way.” 

Bapharos would let it go, just this once. That was the agreement. 

“You’re quite an actor, by the way. Anyone watching would think you were really angry.” 

The nobles had been completely fooled by him. The impressive display would leave a lasting impression and ensure that they wouldn’t dare mention Zetak’s presence at my side again. 

As I thought this, Zetak suddenly stopped. 

“Acting…? You think I was pretending to be angry?” 

“Wasn’t it?” 

I assumed he had done it to set the mood. Zetak stared at me for a moment before he let out a small sigh. 

“Are you really unaffected by being called a male concubine?” 

“I have lived with people calling me a corpse. At least a male concubine is a living being – better than being compared to a corpse, don’t you think?” 

He glanced at me briefly before turning his head away. The hand that pulled me forward gripped mine with considerable force. 

“That is true. You needn’t bother with such words, Your Highness.” 

“Pay no attention.”

His murmured voice was firm and determined. 

*** 

Calm and peaceful days followed. Since the noble gathering, no one dared to mention Zetak again. Even the marriage proposals that had once poured in had ceased altogether. Though there were still those who harboured discontent, none of them expressed it outwardly. 

“I wish it could always be like this.”

Zetak said as he opened the balcony window. 

The wind was strong enough to blow a butterfly into the room. Zetak gently caught it in the air and let it out through the window. He watched in silence as it fluttered away. 

“By the way, what happened to Karial’s castle?” 

It was the first time he had said Karial’s name. Months had passed since our return, and now he spoke of her. This time his voice wasn’t full of bitterness. It was calm, as if he were asking out of simple curiosity. 

“I hear it’s empty at the moment. It’s likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.” 

Even though the temple had performed purification rites, no one wanted to buy the castle. It had been the subject of far too much gossip among the nobles, making it undesirable. It would probably remain empty for at least another ten years. 

Zetak was silent for a long time, lost in thought. 

“Do you want to go there?” 

“Something is on my mind. I wonder if that room has been found.” 

“That room?” 

“There is a hidden room in the northern annex that Karial mentioned. It wasn’t mentioned when I testified in the temple.” 

Zetak’s words brought back something Ray had said long ago. Karial’s handmaiden had indeed spoken of such a place. She had tried to lure me to the northern annex. 

What had she planned if I had gone there? 

“You did a big investigation, so most things should have been uncovered… But why didn’t you mention it?” 

Zetak fell silent. Perhaps he thought I was accusing him. 

“I’m not blaming you. Leaving a room out of your testimony isn’t a problem. I’m just curious why you didn’t mention it.” 

“It was a rather unusual monster.” 

After a pause, as if piecing together a memory, he began to speak. 

“I caught a glimpse of it as it was being dragged in by the hunters. But… it shed tears for those who captured it. Maybe that’s why I didn’t say anything.” 

His words confused me. Tears? That implied emotion. If it had emotions, it must have been a very old monster. But to be captured by humans? And then to weep for those who captured it? 

Could it be that the room Zetak spoke of hadn’t been discovered? If so, the monster he spoke of could still be lying dormant. I didn’t feel any particular kinship or pity for it. But I was fascinated by the monster’s reaction. 

“Do you want to set it free?” 

If it had emotions, I thought it might not attack us blindly if we released it. However, if it were to go on the rampage and be discovered, leading to misunderstandings about us releasing a monster, that would be troublesome. Zetak, as if sensing my thoughts, shook his head slightly. 

“It won’t be dangerous. It was almost… human.” 

He stood up. From the look in his eyes, it looked like he was about to leave. Once Zetak had made up his mind, he acted on it. Even when I tried to stop him, he wouldn’t listen.