Knock, knock.
The sound of fingers tapping against the table brought Yuma back to himself. He returned his gaze to the document in his hands, his expression calm.
After Chaiden left, Rue arrived carrying a stack of documents containing information on wealthy merchants—people whose names they could “borrow.”
“What do you think? Do you like any of them?”
“Hmm...”
“I sorted through Camelia’s documents again. The ones you’re holding now are only the merchants with the best reputations and financial standing. They would allow us to provide you with everything you need... without arousing suspicion.”
“...This is excessive.”
“No, Yuma.”
Rue shook his head firmly.
“Even if you’re going undercover, you’re still a prince. There’s no way I’m sending you out with the identity of an ordinary commoner.”
Yuma placed the document back down.
“What do you think?”
“I chose Merchant Cody. His reputation is clean. He regularly donates to orphaned children and has never been involved in any conflicts. He was once married and had a child... but both of them died in the pandemic ten years ago. His child would probably be around your age now. Quite a good coincidence.”
Yuma’s gaze turned cold.
“Don’t use the name of the dead to accomplish something.”
Rue immediately lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I meant. The information about his child... was actually given by Cody himself.”
“Hmm?”
“He said he was happy to work with the Empire. In return, he only asked for permission to trade freely. He even offered—if necessary—for us to use his child’s identity.”
A faint crease appeared between Yuma’s brows.
Rue opened his eyes slightly wider. His golden pupils glimmered faintly.
“He’s telling the truth.”
“...”
“There’s no lie. Only facts.”
His eyes narrowed again.
“Ten years ago, he was only a small traveling merchant. Even his child’s death was never officially recorded. He said that even if we use his child’s identity, we’re still not the same person. So there’s no need to worry.”
“He’s quite...”
“Level-headed,” Rue finished.
“That’s merchants for you. Ten years is enough time to swallow grief—or bury it.”
Yuma let out a quiet sigh.
“How did you narrow them down?”
“Camelia gathered the information first. After that, we went there ourselves and asked them directly. The selected candidates were investigated more thoroughly.”
Rue tapped the documents on the table.
“I narrowed them down again based on the latest results.”
“You think he’s the best?”
“Yes. If you agree, I’ll prepare the contract and bind him with a soul oath.”
A soul oath.
A vow bound upon the human soul.
Once spoken, even those incapable of using soul power would still be bound by it.
Breaking it meant destroying the soul itself.
And death.
Yuma nodded slowly.
Rue hummed in satisfaction as he tidied the documents.
“So.”
“Hmm?”
Rue looked at Yuma.
“A week?”
Yuma raised an eyebrow slightly.
“...A week?”
“Professor said school doesn’t start a week from now. It’s only three days.”
Rue cleared his throat softly and looked away.
“And that’s only registration. Classes won’t begin immediately.”
“...”
“Explain.”
Yuma looked at him calmly.
“I wasn’t lying,” Rue said quickly. “A week is the normal schedule when there aren’t many applicants. The process can be completed in four days.”
“Hoo...”
Rue broke into a slight sweat. For some reason, Yuma’s calm gaze made him feel like a huge liar.
“What’s the registration process like?”
Rue cleared his throat again and took a sip of tea.
“On the first day, they’ll register their names. After that, all students will be asked to stay in the dormitories.”
“...”
“On the second day, there will be a simple test to assess their level of strength according to their specialization. If they’re an offensive type, they’ll fight a Shadow. If they’re a purification type, they’ll face a teacher directly for testing. Healing types will be asked to heal an injury.”
Seeing Yuma listening so attentively, Rue began speaking more smoothly.
“Now, everything depends on the number of applicants. It could take four days... or even three weeks.”
Yuma furrowed his brow slightly.
“They can’t leave?”
“No. Students are expected to build bonds with one another. Soldiers aren’t meant to stand alone. What we need is teamwork.”
Rue raised a hand slightly, as if explaining something that should have been obvious.
“That’s why they aren’t allowed to leave. This method is used to help students become accustomed to socializing and learn to work as a team.”
Rue’s face was still filled with enthusiasm.
Until he saw Yuma’s face.
...
“Oh, damn.”
Yuma looked at him calmly.
“What about the palace administration?”
“We’ll have it delivered if there’s anything important.”
“What if there’s an attack?”
“We’re capable enough, Yuma.”
“Then—”
“Yu.”
Yuma immediately closed his mouth.
Rue rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“Don’t you trust your own soldiers?”
“That’s not it. I—”
“Wasn’t the reason you overhauled the old system because you wanted the Empire’s security to be more organized and secure?”
Rue’s voice began to tremble.
“Weren’t you the one who forced yourself onto the battlefield at the age of nine... to instill discipline in the soldiers so that our future would be better?”
The words came through Rue’s clenched jaw.
He tried to hold back his emotions and keep his voice calm. But the image of a small child covered in blood still remained in his mind.
“Yuma... please.”
His voice gradually softened.
“It’s peaceful now. Can’t you rest, even just a little?”
He took a breath.
“I promise... a war like the one before, that damn war that caused all those casualties, won’t happen again. So... just relax, okay?”
Yuma remained silent.
Rue roughly ran a hand through his dark-blue hair.
“Do you know that our Empire now has the highest survival rate?”
He looked at Yuma.
“Even the common people are grateful to you. Ever since you changed the old system, they’ve been able to live more peacefully.”
His voice rose again.
“Then why can’t you feel it too?”
Rue clenched his fists.
“Why do you still act as if someone will die the moment you leave?”
He shook his head.
“We’re not weak, Yuma. Our soldiers aren’t the way they used to be.”
“...”
“Just look at the last war. A war that large resulted in so few casualties.”
“I—”
“Yuma, let me tell you the truth.”
Rue took a breath, but his voice was still trembling.
“Normally, a war like the previous one would have destroyed a quarter of the Empire and caused hundreds of casualties.”
He tapped his own chest.
“But that didn’t happen.”
“...”
“That proves we’re capable.”
He stared intently at Yuma.
“Go outside and ask for yourself. Who would say that our Empire is in danger?”
Rue let out a short laugh.
“If anything, they’re grateful. They praise our Imperial Commander and prince.”
His breathing began to quicken.
“You have no idea how often I’ve had to hold back proud soldiers so they wouldn’t spread the fact that those two people are actually the same person.”
“They’re proud, Yuma.”
His voice rose without him realizing it.
“So please...”
He clenched his fists.
“Trust us.”
Rue fell silent.
Only now did he realize that his voice had risen.
His hand was still gripping the table. His breathing was rough.
“Ah...”
He covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Damn.”
He had just raised his voice at his little cousin.
Rue rubbed his face with his other hand, trying to calm himself down. He was about to apologize.
But when he raised his head again—
he froze.
Yuma was still sitting there.
One hand pressed against his chest.
His gaze was empty.
Confused.
The corners of his eyes were red, as if the slightest touch would make the tears spill over.
Rue’s chest felt as though it had been crushed.
Not because Yuma had argued with him.
Not because Yuma was angry.
But because Yuma did nothing at all.
He simply sat there, as if he didn’t understand what was happening to him.
Rue’s heart broke at the sight.
“Yuma...”
Panicking, Rue immediately stood and knelt in front of him.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
His hands trembled as he reached toward Yuma’s shoulders.
“Was Big Brother too harsh? Did little Yuyu get scared?”
He shook his head quickly.
“Big Brother was wrong. I’m sorry, okay? What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”
Yuma only looked at him.
Rue’s face, which had been filled with frustration just moments ago, had now turned panicked.
His hands were trembling.
His breathing was uneven.
Why?
Yuma lowered his gaze.
One hand was still pressed against his chest.
Something felt heavy there.
His heart hurt.
But it was not like any wound he had ever felt after a regression.
Not the pain of a wound in his soul.
Nor the tightness caused by something pressing against his body.
This was different.
He didn’t understand.
His throat felt hot.
His eyes felt strange as well.
Yuma blinked slowly.
The corners of his eyes felt wet, even though no tears had fallen.
Why?
It felt as if he wanted to cry.
And yet, strangely...
there was a sense of relief beneath it.
Yuma tilted his head.
He tried to understand the feeling that had appeared out of nowhere, but he couldn’t find an answer.
Why... did he have to cry?
He wasn’t hurt.
Nothing had happened to him.
Then why did his chest feel like this?
“...I...”
His voice came out very softly.
Yuma looked at Rue again.
His big brother still looked panicked.
His hands were even trembling.
Slowly, Yuma’s thoughts stopped searching for an answer.
Ah.
His brother was worried.
Not because he was angry with him.
Because he was afraid something might happen to him.
That understanding came before the feeling that should have accompanied it.
Yuma slowly drew a breath.
The heaviness in his chest was still there.
His eyes still felt hot.
But seeing Rue so worried made him not want to make his brother even more anxious.
Slowly, he calmed himself.
He pushed the feeling back into a place he didn’t need to understand.
Then, as always—
he smiled.
“It’s all right.”
His voice was gentle.
“I know you’re just worried about me.”
Rue fell silent.
Yuma smiled faintly again.
“Even though that wasn’t my intention, I seem to have disappointed everyone by making them think I don’t trust them.”
“No, that’s—”
Yuma shook his head gently.
“You’re right. I understand.”
He took another breath, making sure his voice remained calm.
“I’ll focus on my mission at the academy. If something important happens, just send it directly to me.”
Yuma paused for a moment.
“Richard is the headmaster, right? It shouldn’t be difficult to ask him for permission.”
He smiled faintly.
“We can also find a way for me to have my own room. That way, if there are guests or work I need to take care of, I can still handle it.”
“Yuma...”
“Big Brother.”
Yuma looked at Rue.
This time, he made his smile a little brighter.
He didn’t want to make anyone panic or worry.
“I understand. I’m sorry for troubling you.”
Rue opened and closed his mouth several times.
That smile.
Again.
It wasn’t the smile he wanted to see.
He knew Yuma. If he kept arguing with him, the boy would only try harder to look as if everything was fine. Not because he actually was fine, but because he didn’t want to make anyone worry.
And that was exactly what he was doing now.
Rue lowered his head.
Behind them, the servants also lowered their heads further. Not a single person said anything.
Yet they all understood what had just happened.
Their gentle prince was always trying to comfort everyone else.
Even when he should have been the one being comforted.
Seeing him smile when he shouldn’t have felt painful.
It was always like this.
No matter what they did, in the end, Yuma would be the one trying to calm them down.
A child who seemed so mature in their eyes, yet never truly acted like a child his age.
Rue let out a quiet sigh.
Then he raised his head and forced a small smile at Yuma.
“Is that so?”
“Hmm.”
“All right. Big Brother has to go.”
His voice sounded steady.
Too steady.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow. There’s someone you need to meet.”
“No need,” Yuma replied gently. “I’ll come to the main headquarters myself.”
“...Yeah.”
The answer came out a little quieter than he intended.
Rue stood from his kneeling position.
“For now, keep resting. I hope you’re feeling better before registration.”
“I understand.”
Yuma nodded with a faint smile.
The same smile.
Rue gave him a brief salute before turning away.
His steps were quick.
Too quick for someone who was usually so calm.
As soon as he left the hall and passed through the western wing toward the main headquarters, his pace gradually slowed.
Until eventually, he stopped and leaned against a wall.
His breathing was heavy.
“...I hope Yuma can return to normal.”
The words were almost a whisper.
Ever since seven years ago—ever since the First Prince’s contamination disappeared—Yuma’s emotions had disappeared too.
Rue covered his face with one hand.
“Haaah... what am I supposed to do...”
That wasn’t the complaint of an Archduke’s heir.
It was the complaint of a big brother.
“Captainnnnn! I can’t take it anymore!!!”
The whining of one of Lavis’s subordinates came from the training grounds.
Rue took a deep breath.
He straightened his clothes and composed his expression. His gaze became calm again.
There was still plenty for him to handle.
At the very least... he had to make sure Yuma’s registration went smoothly.
Holding onto one small hope—
that Yuma might be able to laugh again among children his own age.
Meanwhile—
Yuma remained seated in the garden.
A storybook was in his hands. He wasn’t sure when the head servant had brought it to him.
The confused, empty look that had appeared earlier was gone.
For now, he was once again the calm prince.
“Hmm.”
Yuma slowly shook his head and hummed softly.
A headache came and went, accompanied by a faint pain from the wounds in his soul.
But it didn’t matter.
After all—
he was already used to it.