“Are you alright?”

“I should be the one asking you that. Are you alright?”

Kishiar asked gently. There was no trace left of the man who had just crushed Kachian with sheer presence, piercing him with words sharper than any blade.

Still... that pressure was overwhelming.

Kishiar rarely released his aura against someone weaker than himself. Partly to conceal his intent—but also because he understood better than anyone just how dangerous his power truly was. Even a small release from him could be fatal to a normal person.

That was why the thick, vast energy he’d just unleashed was all the more astonishing. It had felt like the sky itself had fallen. Even Yuder had instinctively tensed at the sheer force of it.

Recalling that energy, still faintly lingering in the air, Yuder gave a small nod.

“As you can see, nothing happened.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“But that power just now... was it intentional? Or...”

“Let’s say... half and half. Half because I thought it was time to show it—since there’s no longer any need to hide—and the other half because it flowed out more than I expected.”

After answering, Kishiar paused for a moment before continuing.

“You could say it was childish to treat someone so young that way. And I wouldn’t argue. But... even if I had to do it again, I probably would’ve done the same.”

“If that’s what you wanted to do, then that’s enough. Honestly... I was relieved. That you didn’t hold back in front of him.”

It was actually a good sign. It meant Kishiar no longer felt the need to tolerate what he once had—and that he believed it was time to reveal more of himself. Yuder didn’t want to see him treated with silent distance anymore, alone and sidelined in the palace.

Kishiar finally smiled like he used to. Yuder looked at him for a moment before casually asking:

“So, when exactly did you start watching?”

“Hmm. Probably around the time the Crown Prince was trying to prove how brilliant a talent he was to you.”

Which meant he’d seen everything—Yuder confronting Kachian with the truth about the Sage and pushing him to the edge.

“They say one of the cruelest punishments is forcing someone to confront the truth they’ve long ignored. And in that sense, you did a masterful job. You picked out the one thing he least wanted to hear and told it to him straight. Honestly, I felt like I should take notes.”

Even Yuder, who rarely felt embarrassment, found it strange to be praised for what he’d said to Kachian.

“There’s nothing worth learning from that. Please, don’t.”

“Hahaha.”

Kishiar laughed aloud. Then, as if deciding not to push the point further, he smoothly changed the topic.

“Well, in any case. I hope the Crown Prince doesn’t let what he learned tonight go to waste. I even brought up Marin for that very reason—it’d be a shame if it didn’t have the intended effect.”

“You brought up Marin... so he wouldn’t be able to just dismiss everything?”

“Exactly. I gave him information positioned completely opposite to what you gave him. No escape through ignorance—he’ll be forced to choose one path or the other.”

It sounded complicated at first, but the moment Kishiar smiled that sharp, chilly smile, Yuder understood what he meant like a lightbulb going off in his head.

Ah. That’s what it was.

If Kachian had only learned the truth about the Sage, he might have tried harder to distance himself from Duke Diarca.

But the moment Marin—the sister of Maiki, whom he’d killed before ascending as Crown Prince—entered the equation, everything changed. If he feared that his past might be exposed, he couldn’t risk opposing Duke Diarca. If anything, he’d have to forge an even deeper alliance.

He might manage to spin things using the excuse of the Sage’s brainwashing... but only if he swallowed his pride and made a rational decision.

And only if Duke Diarca still considers Kachian an ally and is willing to help him.

Despite all the trouble Kachian had caused, Diarca had continually shielded him. But this time, the Crown Prince’s unauthorized disappearance had likely pushed that tolerance to its limits. The Sage—who had likely been planted to restore relations—had failed catastrophically. That disaster had surely left a deep mark.

Even if Diarca learned what happened today, would he still want to move for Kachian as he once did?

If anything, he might now be thinking it’s time to replace him.

Kachian la Orr—who wants to be free of Diarca, yet needs Diarca to bury his past. Unlike the previous life, this version of him had no young noble allies, no loyal servants at his side.

He must’ve realized that the position of Crown Prince itself was now at risk. That no matter what, he had to make a choice.

And as always, the more desperate people become, the more mistakes they make.

Especially when their emotions are in conflict, like now.

Yuder, knowing Kachian’s personality well, was sure this moment—this crossroads—would be the most agonizing for ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) him. Kishiar had planted a dagger of indecision directly in his heart with just a few words.

“...I understand now.”

“Whichever he chooses, it’ll be worth watching. It’ll be the best birthday gift he could give me. He didn’t even say congratulations earlier—this would make up for it, don’t you think?”

Only then did Yuder remember the one thing that had briefly slipped his mind: Kishiar’s birthday. And with that, the memory of how utterly shocked he’d been when he first learned about it.

“...Did you really want the Crown Prince to congratulate you?”

“Not really,” Kishiar replied without hesitation, giving a sly wink.

“Speaking of which... when His Majesty mentioned your birthday earlier, I was kind of surprised.”

“I thought so.”

“You... really forgot?”

“Hm... How should I put it. I didn’t forget—but let’s say I acted like I did. Does that make sense?”

As he murmured this, Kishiar approached the carriage, which had been parked in the wrong place. The coachman—one of the Cavalry’s own—finally spotted them and jumped in surprise. After offering the flustered man a gentle word of reassurance, Kishiar boarded the carriage. As it began moving toward the spot where Nathan Zuckerman would be waiting, he lowered his voice so no one outside could hear.

“I think I’ve mentioned this before, but... I was never meant to live long. People whose vessels were cracked young, like me, rarely made it past thirty. So I stopped celebrating birthdays long ago. At most, I’d share a meal with family. Even that stopped when I went to Peleta. I felt there was no point in marking the time.”

“......”

“Even after I Awakened and recovered, that feeling didn’t change. Maybe that’s why... over the past two years, I’ve still found myself recognizing the date only after it’s passed—like it’s someone else’s story. As if the date and the meaning behind it have become completely separate from me.”

“So... this time was the same?”

“Right. I didn’t forget it on purpose, but... even if you said I did, I wouldn’t deny it.”

He gave a bitter smile as he spoke—one that quickly faded.

“The Emperor’s health hasn’t been great, so it wouldn’t have been strange for me to quietly let it pass. Even though I’ve escaped death, even though I can handle my power better now... somehow, it still feels easier to just let the day go by unnoticed. Maybe it’s because this was exactly my thirtieth.”

He paused, then muttered as he gazed out the window.

“To be honest... I still don’t really know. If this is the right way to pass my thirtieth. I was truly grateful that His Majesty remembered and congratulated me. But a part of me wonders... would it have been better if things stayed quiet, like always? It’s just one day among thousands, after all... Sometimes, understanding one’s own heart feels harder than anything else.”

“......”

“So if you realized it was my birthday too late and didn’t congratulate me, don’t worry. It’s not worth feeling bad about—especially when I was trying to forget it myself. I even told Nathan to forget the date.”

Only now did Yuder understand Nathan Zuckerman’s indifferent attitude. It wasn’t that he’d truly forgotten—it was because his loyalty demanded he follow his lord’s wishes above all else. Truly, that was just like Nathan.

“Sharing that meal in the dandelion room with you... it was already the happiest birthday I’ve had in my life. That’s more than enough for me.”

The man smiled.

Yuder bit his lip, suddenly recalling the face of someone who had turned thirty—but had never made it to thirty-one.