IYAMD 188

Marsilia stood in front of the closed door before turning to face Malek.

“Did you see that? He was so angry he went out the door instead of the window.”

Malek let out a sigh.

“Most people use the door.”

“Jaha isn’t exactly ‘most people.’”

Marsilia clicked his tongue and glared at Malek, who couldn’t understand what the problem was.

“You should’ve cut the nagging short.”

A crack appeared in Malek’s expression. A look of confusion surfaced on his previously blank face.

“His Majesty isn’t upset because of me.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault Jaha is acting like this?”

Before Malek could answer, the office door opened and Serez stepped with a startled expression.

“Why did Lord Jaha leave through the door?”

“People usually use the door…”

Marsilia, who had repeated Malek’s exact words, fell silent.

Damn it.

“Never mind that. Just give your report.”

To Arhen, Helga was like sour grapes, so they hadn’t paid it any attention until now. Part of the reason was that there were simply too many problems within the empire to worry about.

But this time was a little different. The children had to go with them.

For the children’s safety, Marsilia could not tolerate even the slightest risk. That was why he had urgently ordered Serez to investigate the situation within Helga.

Since there were several merchant guilds traveling to and from Helga, it wasn’t particularly difficult to gather intelligence on the country’s affairs.

“The word is that the first prince’s faction holds a significant advantage. The fifth and ninth princes, who share the same mother, have already sided with him, and the tenth and thirteenth princes are about to join him. Even if a civil war breaks out, it will likely be resolved quickly… but it seems the eight prince has his own assassins. They’ve taken over a business run by the eight prince’s maternal family, and they’re quite famous, even Your Majesty knows them. “Tarik Mahir.”

Tarik Mahir. It was the name of a group notorious for its dirty dealings [stolen content]– slave trading through human trafficking, operating illegal gambling dens, and assassinations – centered around Helga.

Marsilia wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with them either. He had crossed paths with them a few times back when Exion was actively sending assassins.

“A name I remember well.”

Marsilia chuckled, and Serez nodded.

“It seems they’ve been getting even dirtier than before since the eighth prince took over. I heard they expanded their business by forcibly taking over a few slave traders who travel to and from the Eastern Continent.”

“Is there a high demand for Eastern Continenters as slaves?”

“With Lord Jaha in the Empire, it hasn’t been noticeable lately… but there are probably still quite a few in places far from the capital. After all, every noble harbors a desire for the rare and exotic. Besides, Helga has some peculiar customs…”

It was said that in Helga, when droughts were severe, there was a custom of offering blood to perform rain rituals. While they usually sacrificed sheep, rumors have circulated that human blood was also offered.

They vehemently denied that human sacrifices were performed these days, claiming it was an ancient custom, but it was unlikely to be entirely untrue.

“Since that matter doesn’t directly affect us right now, let’s just keep an eye on it for the time being.”

Serez’s report continued.

Rumors were circulating that the first prince was in seclusion, with guards in the lead, due to assassination [Read on]threats. It was said that thousands of mercenaries hired from all over are standing guard at his mansion.

Furthermore, since the eighth prince had long been a proponent of advancing north, it was also mentioned that preparations for war might be necessary should he seize the throne.

Arhen, which was well-versed in monster extermination, was ready to march at any moment, so that wasn’t a particularly troubling prospect. Even if they didn’t go out of their way to fight, they certainly wouldn’t refuse if an enemy invaded.

With the number of monsters dwindling, a war or two wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would certainly keep the nobles on their toes.

“How is the sultan’s health? Is it a matter of days?”

“He’s always had a lot of chronic ailments, and given his age, I’m sure everyone is mentally prepared.”

After praising Serez for gathering so much information in such a short time, Marsilia decided he needed to tackle the immediate task at hand.

“It doesn’t look like we’ll have anything to worry about on our end for the time being, so I’m going to take my leave.”

“It’s still broad daylight, are you leaving already? Who’s going to handle the work?”

“If you insist on hearing it from me, I won’t deny you an answer, but do you really want to hear it?”

Serez rubbed his face with his palm and straightened his posture.

“Go ahead. Go cheer up Lord Jaha. You won’t be able to focus on unauthorized copyyour work even if you stay here.”

Thinking it was better than being a hindrance, and sensing his attempt to shoo him out, Marsilia left the office with a light heart.

Jaha had said he was going to the children’s palace, so perhaps he should follow him there. But for some reason, he didn’t think Jaha would be there.

He couldn’t sense his presence on the roof of the main palace, so that left the roof of the sleeping quarters or the training grounds.

Even though he knew Jaha wasn’t really angry, Marsilia hurried along.

He didn’t want to make him feel hurt, even if it was just a passing remark or for just a moment. The desire to go and comfort him spurred Marsilia on.

However, Jaha was nowhere to be seen in either place. Wondering if he might have gone back to the twins in the meantime, he went to check, but he wasn’t there either.

That wasn’t all. He couldn’t sense his presence at all, which had always been perceptible. Jaha was the type who never hid his presence, because he wanted to let Marsilia know where he was.

Was he more upset than he’d thought? Yet he believed that wasn’t like him. Whenever Jaha had been sulking before, it had been a joke or a tantrum.

On the other hand, he wondered if he’d been too confident. Maybe he really was hurt after all.

Just because they got along well didn’t mean they shared everything.

An unfounded anxiety reared its head, but Marsilia shook his head.

He believed that Jaha wouldn’t be like that. If there was anything he was hiding or not saying, it was definitely for his sake.

Marsilia had to believe that. He felt that the least he could do to repay him for everything he’d done for him was to start by trusting him.

So he set out to find him. He searched every rooftop in the imperial palace, and when that wasn’t enough, he even went to the stables and the lakeside.

Finally, he returned to his sleeping quarters, only to be greeted by Malek, who had already returned from the main palace.

“Why are you only coming now? Lord Jaha has been waiting for you all this time.”

“Jaha?”

“Yes. He was waiting in the reception room and finished his tea first, but he should be in the bedroom now.”

As he rushed into the bedroom, Jaha was waiting there with a smile on his face.

“Did you enjoy playing hide-and-seek?”

Marsilia felt his energy drain away and let out a sigh. So he’d been hiding his presence all along, even though he knew he was looking for him?

Marsilia leaned against the doorframe and grumbled.

“No, I was just so frustrated because you wouldn’t show up no matter how hard I looked. I started to worry I’d be ‘it’ for the rest of my life.”

Jaha’s eyes widened. He asked in return.

“Did you think I’d run away or something?”

Marsilia crossed his arms and shook his head.

“I was wondering if you were really angry or just playing a joke. I spent a long time thinking about what I should yell to get you to show up.”

Jaha approached him and tilted his head back.

“What were you going to shout?”

A pleasant scent wafted from his hair, which swayed gently with his small movement. Marsilia took a strand of his long hair and brought it to his lips.

He gazed into his eyes as he whispered.

“If you didn’t show up soon, I would have started crying?”

Jaha wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed his lower body stolen contentagainst his. In that position, he leaned back slightly and burst into laughter.

It was so lovely that it melted away the small knot in his heart.

“That was a close call. A rumor that Your Majesty is a crybaby was about to spread.”

“I haven’t cried yet.”

Jaha whispered as he kissed his chin.

“Don’t cry. I don’t like it when you cry.”

Marsilia tilted his head toward him and whispered.

“Then comfort me.”

“All right.”

The man replied briskly and pressed his lips against Marsilia’s. As the moist lining of his mouth enveloped his lips and gently sucked them in, he closed his eyes.

At the same time, he wrapped his arms around his neck, and Marsilia wrapped his arms around his waist. As he bounced slightly from the momentum, his legs clamped around his waist.

Jaha licked the inside of Marsilia’s mouth very carefully. [stolen content]He tapped his teeth with his tongue, and when Marsilia made room, he gently rubbed his mucous membranes.

His kiss was not rough but tender, yet at the same time, it was deep.

His tongue plunged deep, as if to lick the cavern of his throat. It swirled around his mouth before gently withdrawing.

“You have to keep comforting me.”

As Marsilia whispered for him not to stop, he showered his entire face with kisses. The corners of his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his upper lip, and his chin, his earlobes and forehead. One by one, soft kisses settled upon him.

While he covered his entire face with kisses, Marsilia led Jaha toward the bed. He pulled his shirt out from inside his pants, and stroked his bare back.

As he slipped his hand into his pants, Jaha squirmed and slightly lifted his body. But a moment later he settled back into his original position, and soon the sweet scent of his breath tickled his nose.