At that moment, an invitation arrived for Rashiel.
“A letter from the imperial palace, my lord.”
His steward presented the envelope, stamped with the imperial seal.
Rashiel gave a lazy tilt of his head.
“Read it.”
By now, he had expected Cedric to send him a challenge first.
‘He must be getting impatient, dying to confirm whether those red eyes of his are real or not. Since I never leave the Tower of Magic, he must be restless.’
So, it was obvious Cedric would set up some elaborate trap to lure him out.
But what his steward read wasn’t what he had anticipated.
“The imperial palace will be opening a rift between dimensions tonight.”
Rashiel frowned as he watched the invitation burn to ash, leaving no trace.
He expected a trap.
But he hadn’t expected Cedric to use his own home as the stage.
A dimensional rift, inside the imperial palace.
Such an event would severely damage the empire’s reputation and stability.
Yet Cedric still went through with it.
‘He’s completely insane. But now, I see his weakness.’
For Cedric to go this far—to harm his own foundation just to provoke him, it meant Cedric saw him, Rashiel, the man with red eyes, as an undeniable threat.
If Cedric was this desperate, then Rashiel had even less reason to take the bait.
“It’s an obvious trap. He wants to lure you out and pin everything on you—right in front of every noble in the empire.”
The steward’s words faded into the background as Rashiel’s mind flashed back to something Elsez had said yesterday.
“There’s a banquet at the imperial palace tomorrow. I was invited, but since it was the Crown Prince’s invitation, it’s hard to refuse…”
The steward continued, “Shall I send someone to handle the situation discreetly—”
“No need. I’ll go myself.”
“…What?”
The steward’s eyes widened as Rashiel threw on his cloak without hesitation.
“My lord, it’s a trap. You know that better than anyone. You’ve already chosen to remain in this world—you can’t afford to get caught up in this.”
“Step aside.”
“Master Rashiel!”
Ignoring the steward’s protests, Rashiel drew a teleportation sigil and vanished.
The steward could only watch helplessly as the magic circle faded.
Rashiel had always been rational, calculated, and meticulous.
Every move he made was carefully planned.
But recently, he had started acting unlike himself.
Ever since he took in Anna Ritz—no, “Anna Ritz,” the false identity of Elsez Rohen.
Just a few days ago, Rashiel had called off his plan to open a dimensional rift—
A plan he had prepared for three years.
And now, for the first time ever, he had made a reckless decision.
The steward had no idea what consequences it would bring.
****
The banquet had reached its peak. A slow melody filled the grand hall, replacing the fast-paced tunes from earlier.
Most of the nobles, now pleasantly tipsy, danced with their spouses, lovers, or engaged in quiet conversation.
Some had already left for the night, while others had slipped into the gardens for more private moments.
As a result, the banquet hall was noticeably less crowded.
‘Hah, what a nightmare.’
Elsez tilted her head back and gulped down her wine as if it were water.
Thanks to Tezette’s presence, she had been forced to endure far more social interactions than she would have alone.
‘I was supposed to be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, but at this rate, I’m the one losing my soul.’
Just as she sighed in exhaustion, Tezette suddenly leaned in toward her.
His movement was subtle—enough that an outsider might not notice, but deliberate.
Ordinarily, he would never behave like this.
But after Elsez spent the entire night whispering for him to “act like her lover,” he was finally playing along.
Curious, she glanced up at him.
The man, whose face could belong to a devil stealing souls, spoke in his usual calm, quiet voice.
“Can I kiss you?”
…Huh?
The unexpected attack left Elsez’s eyes widening in shock.
‘He didn’t drink wine, did he?’
While she sat there, stunned, her gaze unintentionally landed on a couple.
A pair of lovers stood close together, whispering as they exchanged a gentle kiss on the forehead.
‘Ah, he’s just trying to keep up the act.’
It seemed he had started learning by observation.
All her efforts to make him act like a proper lover were paying off.
Not only that—normally, he would have just done whatever he pleased without asking.
But today, he had asked for permission first.
Feeling oddly proud, Elsez nodded without hesitation.
‘A forehead kiss? Sure, whatever.’
The moment she agreed, his arm snaked around her waist.
Half-lowered lashes framed dark eyes that seemed to swallow her whole.
‘Men aren’t supposed to have such pretty faces.’
She was still admiring his features when she felt his warm breath brush against her lips.
And then—
Her body stiffened.
Something was wrong.
‘Wait. WAIT. NOT MY FOREHEAD?!’
At the last possible second, Elsez’s hand shot up—blocking his lips with her palm.
Tezette blinked, confused, his lips pressed against her hand instead.
Elsez could barely contain the relief surging through her.
She quickly removed her palm from his lips and exhaled.
“You don’t kiss on the lips in public.”
“They do.”
He gestured toward another corner of the room.
There, a few inebriated couples were engaging in light kisses while chatting.
“Those people are drunk. They’re not thinking straight.”
Tezette remained still, his lips still resting against her palm, watching her intently.
“So, I can do it when no one’s around?”
The heat of his breath tickled her hand.
The soft press of his lips was distinct, unmistakable.
His staring gaze seemed endlessly patient—as if he didn’t particularly care what answer she gave.
‘He probably just means in general, right?’
‘He’s not actually talking about himself …So why does it feel like a promise?’
Before she could answer, a voice cut through the tension.
“Duke Tezette.”
Elsez turned her head.
A chamberlain had approached.
“His Highness requests your presence.”
Tezette finally straightened.
But he didn’t release her waist.
Noticing this, the chamberlain quickly added,
“It will only take a moment.”
At that, Tezette let her go and followed the chamberlain away.
Elsez glanced toward where Cedric and Rinael had been earlier.
Neither of them remained.
Staring at the empty space, a question lingered in her mind.
‘There wasn’t even anyone watching… so why did he try to kiss me?’
Elsez shrugged the thought off—
But as she did, a dark mist seeped out from the brooch on her chest.
“Human… I want something delicious…”
At the sound of Reti’s dazed mumbling, Elsez suddenly remembered his existence.
She had hesitated to bring Reti along, worried he might cause trouble with Tezette again.
But the moment Reti realized she was headed to a banquet, he insisted on coming.
His goal?
The desserts.
Scanning her surroundings, Elsez subtly approached the dessert table.
She lowered her brooch toward her waist.
“Here. Eat.”
Reti immediately snatched up a piece of Stollen, his dark mist quivering in delight.
“So, the human king used to eat this alone? That makes him a terrible person.”
“Exactly. He ate these fancy things alone while making us suffer.”
“Yes, that’s unacceptable. I should just conquer this world myself. Then I’ll force people to make delicious things every day and only share them with those who obey me.”
His grand ambition made Elsez burst into laughter.
As she kept watch while he ate, something suddenly changed.
Reti, who had been happily devouring sweets, suddenly froze.
“Reti? What’s wrong?”
“Something’s strange, human.”
“What?”
“Isn’t this the home of the human king? Then this shouldn’t be happening…”
A chill crawled up Elsez’s spine.
She picked up her brooch.
“What is it?”
“The energy of another world… it’s getting stronger.”
“…Another world’s energy?”
“Yes. It feels just like when we first crossed dimensions. I can sense the presence of the world you originally came from.”
Elsez’s eyes wavered violently.
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