Gadiel’s curse.

Several hours had passed since Elen and the others had begun talking. Lovell alternated his gaze between the king and Prince Gadiel.

As a spirit who governed space, Lovell had the power to erect a barrier around himself, allowing him to draw near the royal family to the point of touch.

That’s when he noticed something—his head tilted.

(What in the world…?)

Unlike the king, Gadiel’s curse was settling far too quickly.

Even though the prince still had dark swirls swirling around him, Gadiel himself was already fading. And something felt off—the curse’s power within the royal family seemed unusually weak.

Lovell furrowed his brow. It hadn’t been this way the last time he’d seen him, years ago.

“Ugh…”

Just as he thought that, a soft groan escaped Gadiel—then, faintly, his eyes cracked open.

He tried to sit up, but clutched his head as if in pain.

“Worst case scenario, I assume… how are you feeling?”

“…Lovell, Prince? Where… is this…?”

He relaxed, realizing it was his own chamber, and let himself fall back down.

“Ahh… yeah, definitely the worst.”

“My man’s sorry. He was furious, knowing Elen was the target.”

Gadiel nodded, as if this were expected, even as the apology came out flat.

“Spirit beings are sacred, after all…”

“…”

Lovell stared at Gadiel’s quiet muttering.

“Prince… has anything unusual happened lately?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Anything… related to spirits?”

“…………?”

He frowned, clearly drawing a blank. Nothing came to mind. He even looked a little sad, like he was admitting to himself that he couldn’t possibly have anything to do with spirits.

(Then why only you…?)

The instant I thought Gadiel might be able to interact with spirits, only Elen or Van—her guard—could possibly be involved. Then I hesitated. Could it have been Elen after all?

But I dismissed that thought instantly. I should’ve been the one by the royal’s side every time they met.

(Then again… they’d met before…)

Suddenly it hit me—Elen sneaking off to meet him in secret. My blood simmered.

“…Lord Lovell?”

Gadiel, sensing the tension, spoke hesitantly.

I smiled back—warm, sweet, perfect.

“Prince,” I said, “you’ve been meeting my daughter in secret before.”

“Ugh…”

“Did she… do something to you?”

“Huh…?”

Gadiel suddenly flushed crimson—something clicked. My fingers curled. I wanted to kill him.

“N-no! That didn’t happen! I didn’t do anything like that!!”

Gadiel stammered out a frantic defense, and Lovell exhaled a black wave of killing intent.

“Then I’d kill you.”

“Wait, wait, wait!! You’re serious!! I just talked to her from a distance!!”

“…You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

Gadiel nodded rapidly, repeatedly, and Lovell barely managed to suppress the boiling rage in his chest.

With Lovell’s murderous intent finally fading, Gadiel collapsed in relief.

“I was told not to touch Elen’s family, not to force myself on her. Just… to listen, from afar.”

“…”

“If we’d been able to talk like this before my ancestors did those things to the spirits… would anything have changed?” he’d asked.

“Even if you talked, it would’ve ended in a split.”

“…”

Gadiel stared at Lovell, stunned.

“Humans and spirits can’t coexist… I received mercy from the goddess, from Orri.”

“…I see.”

Though he looked sorrowful, Gadiel quickly regained his composure, remembering his exchange with Elen.

“She listens to us at all… that’s different from the other spirits.”

“…………”

Lovell frowned, unimpressed.

Encouraged, Gadiel grinned, pleased.

“Thankful. I should thank Elen.”

Then—what was this? The curse surrounding Gadiel flickered, and for a moment, seemed to vanish entirely.

Lovell’s eyes snapped open in shock.

“…What was that?”

Gadiel blinked, confused. But Lovell immediately composed himself, waving a hand and saying, “Nothing, nothing at all,” though his mind was racing.

At a closer look, it wasn’t that the curse had vanished—it was just different, unmistakably unlike the others in the royal bloodline.

(What the hell is going on!?)

It looked like the curse had disappeared the very moment he’d said he should thank Elen.

(…Elen?)

He knew Elen’s presence had been powerful enough to shift even the Emperor’s actions. Even her own daughter had laughed, calling it terrifying…

Maybe this was the same thing.

“Seems your health’s improved. I’ll return to the Emperor’s side.”

“Ah, yeah. Please do.”

Gadiel blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift in conversation, but nodded quickly anyway.

He exhaled from deep in his bones—relief tinged with tension—after Lovell vanished in an instant.

He rang the bell, throat parched, and called for a servant to bring water.

While waiting, the three guards and the personal guard arrived with their reports.

"Prince, how are you feeling?"

"Ah, a bit of a headache remains, but I'm fine now. Sorry for worrying you."

"No, that's not it... But seeing the spirit's curse again, no matter how many times, it's truly frightening... I'm just glad you're safe."

"Ah... Yet it's my ancestors' doing. If I carry their blood, I must accept that."

"You're admirable."

"Not really. I'm always screaming inside, Why? Why me?... I want to talk to her, but I can't even get close..."

"..."

Everyone knew Gadiel wanted to speak with Elen.

Of course she’d refuse—still, despite her fear, she was speaking with him.

And Gadiel looked utterly delighted by this, so the attendants watched with fond amusement.

"...Prince, um... I have a report..."

The guard hesitated, clearly uneasy. Gadiel asked, "What is it?" and the guard, steeling himself, finally spoke.

"…After Your Highness collapsed, Lady Elen and Lady Rylla had a conversation…"

"What?!?"

Gadiel shot upright, flailing toward the door, but the guards and courtiers swiftly pinned him back onto the bed.

"Hey! Let go!!"

"Your Highness, please just hear me out～!"

"You're not well enough to be seeing Lady Elen in that state! Do you really want to face her looking like a corpse?"

"…Guh…"

"By the way, it’s already dark. Lady Elen has already gone home. The meeting will resume once His Majesty and Your Highness have recovered."

"…………"

Gadiel glared at the reporting guard, his eyes sharp with annoyance. The guard who’d known him long enough, Lave, smirked knowingly.

"Relax. Lady Rylla was thoughtful—she made sure the talk happened in front of everyone."

"Of course. In fact, you should never, ever be alone with a foreign royal!"

“Huh-huh… you’ve got that ‘I’m dying to know what you’re talking about’ face going on, you know?”

“Y-you two…!!”

Gadiel, realizing he was being mocked, flushed red and sputtered in annoyance.

“The topic you were discussing… seems to be about the connection between Your Grace and the spirits.”

“…What does that mean?”

“It appears that the soul of Lady Ruel is tied to the first king of Helgner, but Her Majesty herself seemed to have doubts… Elen-sama figured it out and explained it all. She’s truly brilliant, isn’t she?”

“Ah… Elen… she’s the one the King said would be unbeatable.”

The attendants’ eyes widened in shock at that. But the guards, having seen it with their own eyes, seemed oddly convinced.

“Also, she managed to find out where Amiel-sama is. That was discussed with Prince Sauvel and the head of the guard—so we can act quickly once the King and Prince awaken.”

"...You've gone to so much trouble."

"Nonsense, such kind words are wasted on me."

We bow to each other. Yet, even after hearing the report, Gadiel remained restless.

That's when the water arrived. He drank it in one gulp and climbed out of bed.

"Prince!?!"

"I need to speak with Lord Ruel."

"Ah... I figured you'd say that."

Rafe scratches his head, chuckling. The three guards fall in behind him.

"Ah, Truuk. Let Lord Ruel know we're coming. There'll be a spirit near him, won't there?"

"Understood."

Truuk vanishes—just like that. Rafe always marvels at it.

"How does someone even manage a move like that...?"

"His family's special. Probably bloodline magic."

Gadiel steadies himself and steps forward.

His heart still buzzes with unease. No sign of calming down anytime soon.