Chapter 283

The atmosphere of the Imperial capital, Akbaran, was likely murky and lukewarm. However, the room I was in now was pleasant.  

Hoo.  

I almost wanted to keep taking deep breaths. The air, purified through a complex filtration system, was so clean and refreshing that it felt like it was washing my lungs.  

I took in the high-quality air and gazed out the window.  

The first thing that caught my eye was the towering buildings of Akbaran’s upper district. True to the style of Imperial architecture, the geometric lines formed a precise symmetry and balance, exuding a sense of stability. The buildings were both simple and elegant.  

Beyond the upper district, the lower district came into view. From a distance, it resembled an anthill—twisting, chaotic, utterly devoid of any sense of harmony.  

And yet, it was the lower district that stirred my emotions more.  

Old memories resurfaced. If I had to call them something, I suppose they were memories. But I had no time to dwell on the echoes of the past.  

‘What I need to focus on now is reality.’  

I turned my head sharply and took in the room I was in.  

The infirmary within the Imperial Palace was obsessively clean and spacious. The marble floor gleamed as if it would not tolerate even a single speck of dust.  

‘It doesn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.’  

I had stayed here before.  

Intricate golden patterns of circles and lines stretched along the ceiling’s edges, their meaning unknown. Below them, muted red fabric hung down to cover the windows, swaying gently.  

‘I…’  

…had arrived in Akbaran’s airspace aboard a spaceship with Ilay.  

Then, the Imperial forces appeared and took us in tow.  

It seemed that only a select few within the Empire were aware of my return. I was placed under confinement, cut off from any external contact.  

The Emperor’s Shadow had been assigned as my observer. Even now, he was probably standing outside the door, draped in his pitch-black coat.  

‘Ilay was also taken away somewhere.’  

I made an effort to suppress my growing anxiety.  

‘Ivan wouldn’t recklessly execute or torture Ilay Carthica.’  

As far as I could tell, Ivan and Ilay were maintaining a delicate cooperative relationship.  

Confined within the Imperial Palace, I was left to recover. Whatever happened later, I needed to rid my body of exhaustion before I could do anything.  

Even just over a week of rest had been enough for my body, worn from forced marches, to recover rapidly.  

‘Ivan still hasn’t come to see me. No proposals, no orders.’  

The Emperor’s Shadow had only told me to wait.  

‘This isn’t what I expected.’  

From what I had observed of Ivan’s behavior so far, he should have been eager to make contact with me. He wouldn’t waste a whole week.

A cold sensation settled in my chest.  

‘Was my judgment wrong?’  

Had I rendered Ilay’s resolve meaningless? If so, I would have rather died.  

‘Ivan is acting differently from what I expected.’  

Did he have some hidden intention? Or was there simply something delaying our meeting?  

My thoughts stalled at that point, unable to progress further. Even in the comfort of recovery, the fatigue in my nervous system did not fade easily.  

‘Even at this moment, time is passing.’  

I remained still while the world kept moving. That fact alone made me restless.  

If Ivan’s intention was to unsettle me, then he had succeeded spectacularly.  

In the worst case, I might end up as the fool who walked into the Empire of my own volition, only to struggle and attempt an escape. I would be the most pathetic idiot in existence.  

Fortunately, Ivan did not make a fool of me.  

Before the full week had passed, the door opened, breaking me out of my thoughts.  

Creaaak.  

A shadow, draped in a pitch-black cloak, pushed the door open.  

- Follow. An audience.

A thin glow emanated from beneath the hood. The partially revealed face looked almost metallic at a glance, like that of an android.  

‘A combat machine stripped of its humanity.’  

The Emperor’s Shadow was still functioning as Ivan’s enforcer.  

I rose to my feet and followed the shadow. The controlled corridors of the Imperial Palace were eerily silent, as if by design.  

Click, clack.  

The sound of our footsteps echoed, deep and hollow, like in a vast cavern.  

The scale of the palace was always overwhelming.  

It felt more like a temple dedicated to the Imperial bloodline. Murals depicting the valor of past emperors stretched across the walls and ceiling.  

The emperors portrayed in the murals, portraits, and statues were impossibly perfect. Their presence exuded an aura of divine flawlessness.  

The shadow guiding me suddenly came to a stop in front of a set of double doors, adorned with reliefs of golden trees.  

- His Majesty awaits.

The shadow pushed the doors open and bowed slightly, signaling the end of its duty. It waited for me to enter.  

I stepped inside at a measured pace. From the moment the doors parted, the scent of grass and water filled the air. A delicate floral fragrance followed.  

Creak, boom.  

The doors closed behind me. The sensation of being cut off from the outside world was absolute.  

I took in the sight before me.  

‘…An indoor garden.’  

A soft light filtered down from the ceiling, illuminating the lush greenery.  

Standing before a pond, hands clasped behind his back, was Ivan Accretia. His violet hair, as always, gleamed like silk.

Old memories slowly surfaced.  

It was a garden like this when I first met Ivan. A small pond in a garden adorned with Earth's native plants, where fish swam freely.  

Today, Ivan wasn't using the public-facing prosthetic of a young man. Instead, he wore a peculiar body—one that made it impossible to tell whether he was a boy or a girl.  

In that form, Ivan was undoubtedly beautiful, but it was not the dignified image of an emperor that the citizens of the empire desired.  

"Hello, Luka."  

Ivan turned around as he spoke. His irises shimmered with a mix of colors, radiating a unique brilliance.  

I stood upright, looking at him.  

"You were late in calling for me."  

I spoke from the shadowed entrance.  

"Did that make you anxious?"  

"I wondered if I had made a mistake."  

"Haha, the fact that I made you impatient is quite amusing. Maybe I should have made you wait longer. How do you like the garden? I recreated it in honor of our memories."  

Ivan sat on a flat rock. His feet didn’t quite reach the ground, so they swayed gently. The dirt clinging to his unnaturally white bare feet crumbled off, falling away.  

"I just realized that was a memory for you. For me, it was one of my nightmares."  

I spoke as I stared intently at him.  

Ivan enjoyed my blunt remarks. Even now, he chuckled as if finding them entertaining.  

‘Why was he late in calling for me?’  

There had to be a reason. It was likely tied to why he wanted me here.  

Observing and understanding someone like Ivan Accretia was extremely difficult. If this were my first time meeting him, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.  

‘But I know Ivan well. I’ve seen the cracks in his mask.’  

I remembered the moment when he had been cornered and showed raw, human emotions. I had to find another opening, pry into his thoughts once again.  

The deeper I delved into my thoughts, the more intense the glow in Ivan’s eyes became.  

"I can see your brainwaves fluctuating. The new sensors I installed are performing exceptionally well. I added them to understand you better."  

Ivan tapped the corner of his eye with a fingertip. A clear sound, like glass tapping against glass, rang out.  

I still hadn’t stepped into the garden, standing instead at its outskirts.  

"Did you capture Kinuan—"  

"Let’s take our time with that conversation. It’s been a while since I last saw you, and I’d like to savor this moment a little longer. Heh, Ilay kept his promise to me."  

The moment I heard those words, I struggled to suppress my wavering emotions. Even so, Ivan would likely sense my slight unrest. It would be difficult to completely hide my feelings from someone who could read the flow of my brainwaves.  

‘Ilay and Ivan’s promise.’

Ivan's words lingered in my mind—Ilay had kept his promise.  

"So, Ilay Carthica promised to bring me to you."  

"Ilay Carthica is a remarkable one. If he weren’t a soldier, he wouldn’t be called a fox—he’d be a snake instead. One carrying a poison even deadlier than mine."  

My mind swarmed with thoughts.  

‘Ilay…’  

Had that desperate rescue been an act? Or had he lied to Ivan to buy me time?  

Ilay had made a promise to bring me here. One way or another, I was now standing before Ivan.  

‘Ilay knows my personality well.’  

He must have known that I wouldn’t be able to abandon him when he came to rescue me.  

What if he had staked everything on this gamble and succeeded in bringing me here?  

‘If this was your plan all along, you really are something else, Ilay.’  

What would Ilay say if he were here right now? His true intentions remained difficult to read.  

Still, I believed that he had no intention of harming me.  

Even if he had planned to hand me over to Ivan, his desire to save me from Mushir al-Kashura must have been genuine.  

Even if he had deceived me, in his own way, he must have thought this was the best choice for me.  

Alright. No wavering.  

I finished sorting my thoughts in the blink of an eye.  

Drip.  

But I couldn't stop the blood trickling from my nose.  

"You're pushing yourself too hard. You always try to do things beyond your limits."  

Ivan rose and walked toward me, lifting the hem of his robe to wipe my nosebleed.  

Whoosh.  

I did something disrespectful—I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Instead, I wiped the blood away with my forearm.  

"Let's talk about Kinuan. I was this close to capturing him. Next time, I'll get him for sure. He's finally showing his hand."  

Ivan’s expression turned melancholic. His eyebrows slanted downward.  

Don’t pity that face. It’s all an act.  

"…Yes, we have to capture Kinuan. You're right. But not like this. I know you'll just try to run away."

Ivan's lips curled into a grin, as if he had never worn that melancholic expression moments ago. He reached into his robes and pulled out something—a metallic collar, designed to tighten mercilessly around the throat.  

"You’ve prepared a dog leash, I see."  

I smirked coldly. Even for a split second, I had almost felt sympathy for Ivan. What a fool I was.  

"If you want to hear everything, put this on. You've tried to escape my trust too many times. You're the one who forced me to resort to this, Luka."  

Ivan handed me the collar. Though, calling it a collar was an understatement—it was more of a neck shackle.  

The device was an intricately designed piece of electronic equipment. Even the texture of the metal felt unusual. It had a pliable, resilient quality to it, almost like rubber, despite being unmistakably metallic.  

Ivan took four steps back, motioning for me to put it on.  

'Should I be grateful that he isn't cracking my skull open and turning me into one of his dolls?'  

I let out a dry laugh. Ivan didn't bother explaining anything about the collar.  

‘If I want to move forward, I have to accept his restraints.’  

I lifted the collar and pressed it against my neck.  

"How merciful of you, Your Majesty."  

"It's a merciful method of control, don't you think? I could have shoved you into a full-body prosthetic or implanted a chip in your brain, but I chose to respect you."  

Hmph. Thinking about it, from Ivan's perspective, this really was the most lenient option.  

Seems I've been away from the Empire for too long. I’d forgotten just how ruthless and dark the Imperial Court truly was.  

Click.  

I secured the collar around my neck. As the locking mechanism clicked into place, circuits within it flickered with a pulsing blue light. Whatever this device was, I doubted I could remove it on my own. This wasn't something so easily dealt with.  

A cold sensation wrapped around my nape, sending a chill down my spine. Well, I’d get used to it soon enough.  

Clap!  

Ivan, seemingly pleased with how I looked, clapped his hands together once—loud and sharp. With his hands now clasped behind his back, he grinned as he leisurely circled me.  

"It suits you well. Now then… shall we finally talk about Kinuan? And about the item he stole?"

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