Julian... was short of words.

What could he say? He didn’t know what the Emperor wanted from him, because that rumor he was referring to was already so absurd.

His pulse began to quicken. If he made a mistake in his statement and made the Emperor displeased, wouldn’t that be the end of him?

Or... Or was the Emperor actually looking for an excuse to end him, after realizing his brother was somewhat close to another man, even though it wasn’t true?

Julian believed he wasn’t that close to the Duke.

And he believed no amount of explanation would clear that, given the Duke had taken him to the palace, where he had no business being.

He wasn’t even a nanny or a caregiver. He... Was just... A tutor.

Even he knew how ridiculous that would sound... But it was the truth.

The silence in the throne room was suffocating. Julian could feel a single bead of cold sweat dripping down his spine, tracing a slow path through the linen of his shirt. The Emperor’s golden eyes remained fixed on him, sharp and dissecting, as if he were looking for the exact thread to pull to make Julian unravel. It felt like standing before a gallows built of gold.

And the emperor would surely send him there with a smile once he heard what Julian had to say.

Thanks to ’Calm Mind’ being in effect, Julian’s hands didn’t shake, and his breathing remained steady, though his internal monologue was a frantic mess of survival strategies.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words felt like dry sand. His instincts screamed that any truth—"I’m just a teacher" or "The Duke just needed someone to talk to"—would be interpreted as a lie or, worse, a challenge to the Emperor’s intelligence.

Then, the Emperor laughed. It was a bright, sudden sound that didn’t reach his predatory golden eyes.

"You don’t have to look so nervous, Julian Von Astrea," Emperor Aurelian said, his voice returning to that smooth, terrifyingly friendly tone. "We can take our time getting to know each other, can’t we? I’m sure the walls of the North have plenty of stories to tell."

It looked like the Emperor was letting him go... for now. But this did not ease Julian at all. It only meant he would have to meet with this man once again.

And the next time might not go as smoothly as it did this time.

The Emperor stood up, still effortlessly carrying Lucius, who looked like he was slowly accepting his fate as a royal plushie.

"Anyway, brother," He turned to the Duke, his expression shifting to one of casual friendliness. "I’ve prepared the Jade Wing for your stay. You’ll spend the night, right?"

The Duke, whose eyes had been fixed on Julian’s pale face with an intensity that only fueled the Emperor’s belief in those rumors, finally tore his gaze away. His voice was stiff, echoing with a defensive edge.

"We didn’t have plans to do so."

He said this for Julian’s sake, believing Julian, who didn’t even want to come to the palace to begin with, would not be comfortable spending the night here.

And he was not used to new places either, so he considered that.

But the Emperor had no plans of taking a no, and only a yes.

"Well, now you do," the Emperor countered with a grin that gave no room for argument. "And I’ll be borrowing your son, too. He needs to get acquainted with his cousins. My children have been dying for a new playmate, and Lucius is... well, he’s perfect."

The Duke looked back at Julian one last time—a gaze full of unspoken warnings and a lingering, awkward guilt—before sighing.

He did not even worry for his son, who had become a royal plushie, but was concerned about Julian instead.

He just had to do what the Emperor wanted. He knew what an eccentric his brother was, so better not stand his ground for too long. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Alright, do whatever you want."

As they were led away by a troupe of silent, gold-clad servants, Julian felt the shift in his status.

He wasn’t being treated as a tutor anymore; he was being treated as a high-value guest, which was infinitely more dangerous.

The Jade Wing was an architectural marvel, separate from the main palace and surrounded by the very gardens Julian had been eyeing. The air here was thick with the scent of rare blooms and magical stabilization.

It was probably why this wind was only reserved for Royalty.

To think he would be given an opportunity to stay here in this life. Though it did not thrill him because this was just a closely guarded space that the Emperor was surely going to keep his eyes on.

’I’m doomed,’ he thought.

He had caught the attention of the one man he wanted to avoid by all means.

"This is your room, Master Astrea," a head maid said, bowing with the 15% extra grace provided by his ’Imperial Favor’ and having an affection level of 2%. "The Duke’s suite is just across the hall."

Julian nodded and stepped into the room. It was luxurious, filled with silk hangings and a fireplace that didn’t need wood to glow because it was a magical fireplace. Then, his eyes went straight to the balcony.

The view from there was beautiful. So much that it could take Julian’s breath away... If only he hadn’t just knocked on death’s door a few minutes ago.

He leaned against the balcony door, invisible tears tracing down his cheeks.

"What do I do?" He cried. "Why is my fate so unlucky?"

He didn’t know what he did to deserve this fate, but he sure was a good person in his past life, so all this was karma towards the owner of his body.

Julian’s Karma.

Julian had been worried that the Emperor would force them to have dinner together, but to his appreciation, his dinner was brought to his room.

He was joyful, but then thought of Lucius, wondering if he made friends with his cousins. He was mute and not very social compared to the children of the capital, so he hoped the boy wouldn’t be left out.

Right, the Emperor probably wouldn’t let that happen. That was his relief. The Emperor treasured Lucius.