Prologue. Emperor of The Northern Empire
The Northern Empire., which boasts a cool atmosphere throughout even the southernmost city on the continent.
The solid black castle in the middle of the capital, Alin, overwhelmed the people. Although it is actually gray in color, it looks dark as if it was coated in black, so it was nicknamed 'Black Castle'.
Euseniel Hardland crossed the castle as heavy and quiet as the color it had.
"Isn't it crazy?"
There was no one to stop me as I crossed the castle, and also the Emperor's residence, Hill Palace. Even the knights as well as the chief attendant at the entrance of Hill Palace.
Thump.
I opened the door to the familiar Emperor's quarter.
I couldn't see anyone in the achromatic room, so I headed to the office next to the bedroom.
A tall man was standing there leaning against the window.
A book was held in the large hand of the man dressed in black with a matching top and bottom. He didn't move even when I went in, but he looked like he was concentrating on a book, but I know.
All of this was made up by him.
Long eyelashes, a smooth nose that runs under the sharp nose, and red lips that captivated people's attention despite the side profile.
I opened my mouth to look at the face that was terribly to my taste.
"Tess."
"… Euseniel?"
As if surprised at the sound of my calling, my childhood friend who was the Emperor turned his head towards me. Then his black hair moved softly.
Even my favorite soft hair was abominable at this moment.
"I can't believe Euseniel came to see me first."
Tess, who put the closed book down on the wooden desk with a popping sound, came to me with his eyes wide open.
"I'm happy."
The slightly trembling voice sounded thrilled, but I am not deceived.
"I missed you, Euseniel."
His cold hands, compared to the others, wrapped around my cheeks.
"What are you trying to do?"
"What?"
"Son of Marquis Gilber."
"Are you talking about another man as soon as you arrive?"
Tess's voice, which was smiling, subsided. His black eyes grew even darker.
"I don't want to."
Tess slowly lowered his head, and then his high nose tip touched the tip of my nose. I seemed to feel a hot breath.
"You're here to see me, so look at me, Euseniel."
"Tess."
A scent that made me hazy filled my nostrils.
"Don't talk about other people, just tell me your questions."
The low, subdued voice scratched my eardrums in a tone that I couldn't tell if it was a threat or a plea.
As always, I shouted before things went haywire.
"Don't play with me!"
"I'm serious."
The tip of his nose looked a little crushed. Our lips are about to collide soon, so I shake off the large hand that was holding my cheek. And I grabbed Tess by the collar.
"Don't play with me and tell me. What are you going to do this time again? What did I do to have Marquis Gilber come to me and beg? It's not even the first time something like this has happened."
"Ah, the son is stupid, but the father is quick-witted."
"Tessvalun Neussville!"
I called him by his full name only when I was really angry, but my childhood friend was still smiling. Rather, he wanted to release my wrist that had grabbed his collar, so he interlocked his fingers on it.
"Why, Euseniel?"
"It's strange that everyone's been sentenced to death penalty out of the blue."
"Why?"
As Tess tilted his head, his fine hair flew down. There was an urge to tidy up his hair, but I tried to focus on the conversation.
"The eldest son of the Marquis. You said you ordered the man to be put to death. Marquis Gilber is a man who works tirelessly for the country. Suddenly, why?"
The son of Marquis Gilber could have been guilty. However, considering this, his usual conduct was always neat.
Moreover, unfortunately, my childhood friend was one who suddenly gave orders such as 'Cut that bastard's head off!'
"That guy, he did something wrong."
"What is wrong with that man? Did he plot treason? Did he extort taxes?"
"No."
"Then?"
"It's not like that, but… His sin, there's definitely a price for it."
What the hell is he trying to say?
Tess slowly rubbed the back of my hand with the tip of his finger, and I bit my teeth in the unsuitable heat.
You always try to get over the situation like this.
I tried to get my gripped hand out, but it didn't come off as if it was clinging to him. I was going to try to take it off by force for a while, but if I did, I'd be caught again, so I left it alone.
Instead, I stared at his black eyes. As if to absorb the light, I was reflected in the black eyes.
I made a face that I didn't like him very much.
"What sin? Tell me."
"He proposed to you."
"Huh?"
I frowned at the incomprehensible words.
"Son of Marquis Gilber, he proposed to you."
"… How do you know that?"
I didn't get a big proposal, but the son of the Marquis quietly asked me to marry him.
Instead of answering, my friend raised his red lips and smiled.
"You!"
"There's nothing I don't know about Euseniel."
I was trying to argue if that was something to be proud of, but I decided to stick to the urgent topic.
"He's proposing to me and you're going to kill him?"
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"Yes."
"He just proposed to me?"
"Then I must kill him."
The black eyes twinkled.
"How dare he propose to Euseniel."
"What...?"
"The sin of proposing to Euseniel without knowing his place."
I was speechless.
"That's his sin."
So, it meant that, in the end, Marquis Gilber's son was going to die because of me.
At my age, I would have received enough proposals, and it was not at all strange that the son of the Marquis sent a proposal to me, since I have no one to date.
In this way he came to hold me tight. Please dig a hole for me to escape.
But I am unable to leave this place to save the son of Marquis Gilber who will die because of me.
"Tess."
"Euseniel is going to marry me."
As he smiled after speaking, Tess seemed to really believe that.
"What nonsense."
"Why, we decided to do that when we were young."
"I never agreed."
As a child, Tess, who was always in the habit of making arbitrary decisions without asking for my permission, continued to insist.
"You should marry me. Or don't tell me."
Tess, who suddenly opened his eyes, whispered sharply.
"You're going to marry him… ?"
"It's not like that."
"I should have killed him sooner. Before proposing to Euseniel. I didn't like the way he looked at Euseniel."
Contrary to his smiling mouth, his eyes were full of murderous energy. I took the hand of the man who was about to move away from me, fearing that he might decapitate the innocent man at any moment.
"Why, Euseniel?"
Tess bent his eyes in arc and began to caress my cheeks with one hand.
"Euseniel."
My friend's voice cracked.
"Euseniel, let's get married. Yes?"
I thought to carefully pull out the hand that was holding me, but then he grabbed my waist. My childhood friend whispered into my ear.
"Then we can get up in the same bed, share the same space...."
The sweet smell of heat tickled my ears and neck.
"We can see each other at any time. Yes?"
The hand on my waist began to draw a large circle. As if the flame that had been staying on the back of my hand had moved, my back began to ache.
"Look at me, Euseniel."
I think I will fall into the hands of temptation.
I tried to step back, but my feet didn't move, as if I had fallen into a sticky swamp. It's invisible, but it's like being caught.
"Look at me, Euseniel...."
Eventually, I let go of the large hand that was holding me. Then the hand that ran from my ankle to my calf disappeared.
"Euseniel?"
I calmly pushed the hand that was trying to catch me again and started to tidy up Tess's bangs, which I had been worried about for a long time.
Then Tess meekly put his hand down and started savoring my touch instead. His eyelashes were long enough to allow even raindrops to rest.
"I love you, Euseniel."
He whispered softly and hugged my waist tightly.
My hand, which had been touching his silky hair, passed through his pretty ears and stretched out into the air. In the end, my arm rested on a hard shoulder, and the broad back.
The little boy of the same age, who was smaller than me, suddenly was one head bigger than me, and the small body I could hold in my arms was wide enough to hold me in his arms instead.
Actually, Tess's hair was not originally black. The same goes for his eyes.
The Northern Empire's imperial family's main line of descent is born with bright blonde hair and blue eyes for generations. No, they must have that appearance to qualify for the next Emperor's position.
"Tess."
"Yes?"
"How… Did you change your hair and eye color?"
The six-year-old boy who remained in my memory was saying with his whole body that he was a member of the imperial family. The kid with pure gold hair and blue eyes like sapphires was like the bright sun.
But he has now turned into a man who has sunk deep and dark, hugging me so tightly that my breath suffocated.
"You want to know?"
"Yes."
"If you want to know, you should marry me."
"It's fine then."
"Why, don't you want to know?"
Normally, he would have told me without me having to ask, but seeing that he keeps his mouth shut, it seems like it's a really big secret for Tess too.
"I want Euseniel to ask a lot of questions about me."
I had to run away right away.
"It's proof that Euseniel is interested in me."
When did I have to run away?
When my immature childhood friend asked me to marry him because he loved me? Or when I see him who has changed like this?
Or, at any moment.
"Aren't you curious why I changed my appearance like this?"
"I'm not curious."
Tess, who heard what I said with one ear, answered arbitrarily. There was a smile on his lips, as innocent as that of a child, yet trying to seduce the other.
"Because it's Euseniel's taste."
I couldn't say anything.
"Because I like you, Euseniel."