<Episode 13>

* * *

I pulled a chair from the table and sat down across from the bed.

Sien was bundled up in the blanket, only his eyes peeking out.

Yawning, he let out a soft breath, his large eyes watering slightly from the motion.

‘If it weren’t for that pretty face, I might have mistaken him for a reclusive shut-in.’

Sien’s beauty was well-known throughout the Empire.

His skin was pale to the point of looking almost translucent, his black layered hair falling gracefully over his neck.

His eyes, a soft shade of violet, were unfocused, and his full lips and sharp nose completed the image. His crisp, unwrinkled shirt and slacks that fell neatly to his ankles added to the image of a noble young master.

“…Haaa.”

Sien yawned again, his tear-streaked eyes blinking slowly. His bangs, disturbed by his long eyelashes, quivered slightly.

At that moment, the Crown Prince dragged a chair beside mine, crossing his legs as he sat down.

His sculpted features and graceful posture almost made me forget we were in an old cabin and not a luxurious hotel lounge.

If only he wasn’t wearing that sour expression.

He’d had that look ever since I mentioned bringing Sien along.

“So… the plan is to escape this place, Tower Master. Did you understand everything I explained?”

Even after I had finished explaining the zombie situation, Sien continued to yawn, his face sleepy and uninterested.

“Tower Master? …I still haven’t heard your decision.”

I said, trying to read his expression. He finally turned his eyes towards me.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a bother.”

…Right, this guy was more than just a little spoiled—he was practically a finicky princess.

“And also—”

Sien lifted his gaze to the Crown Prince. His previously languid eyes sharpened slightly.

“Why should I travel with him? It’s dreadful.”

Sien grimaced and turned his head away sharply.

The Crown Prince, tilting his chin slightly, looked down at Sien with obvious displeasure.

“See? It’s pointless to expect any cooperation from him. Let’s leave him and find other survivors, Lady.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

“Your Highness, please, just stay quiet for a moment.”

Not only was he not helping, but he was also making things worse.

The Crown Prince looked at me in disbelief.

“…Are you siding with him instead of me?”

“Are we really going to start picking sides like children?”

“…”

There was a hint of hurt in the Crown Prince’s eyes as he looked at me.

‘…Why does he look like that?’

Sien lay on the bed, propping his chin on his elbow with a bored expression, completely indifferent to whether we were arguing or not. His gaze, lazily fixed on the view outside the window, showed not the slightest hint of motivation.

Sigh… I thought I had just managed to get past the mountain that was Jaeger, and now this.

I let out a deep sigh, running a hand through my hair, which only served to mess up the straightened bangs into a disheveled mess.

The history between these two men stretched back years.

When Sien was eight years old, the previous Tower Master found him and took him in as an adopted son. But it turned out the child he picked up was like a goose that laid golden eggs.

Before he even turned ten, he surpassed the Tower Master’s direct disciples.

Not only was he born with immense mana, but he could also easily solve magical formulas that even adult wizards couldn’t crack.

Surrounded by people who pampered him, Sien supposedly never had a reason to furrow his brow.

As the adopted son of the Tower Master and a prodigy with unparalleled mana, people naturally bent over backward to cater to him in the cutthroat world of magic.

But Sien had one nemesis—none other than the Crown Prince.

At the age of twelve, Sien visited the palace with the previous Tower Master. While his guardian was away, Sien encountered the Crown Prince, who was in the middle of training.

In the training hall, there was a sword that the Crown Prince held dear—it was a memento from his late mother. Unaware of its significance, Sien took it and played with it, only to accidentally drop it into the pond in the palace gardens.

The Crown Prince, though furious, held his temper. He didn’t want to stir up trouble that could strain the relationship between the royal family and the Tower.

Yes, he held back.

That is, until Sien refused to apologize, saying:

“I don’t want to.”

That was the start of their bitter rivalry.

“Such arrogance. To grow into a proper adult, you need discipline,” the Crown Prince declared, and promptly kicked Sien into the pond.

He watched the young Tower Master struggle in the water with a look of disdain before turning away.

“No one is to help him until he gets out on his own!” he ordered.

Splash.

Since unauthorized mages couldn’t use their mana in the palace, Sien floundered helplessly for a while.

It wasn’t until after the Crown Prince had left that Sien realized the pond was shallow enough for his feet to touch the bottom.

Dripping wet and humiliated, he glared at the Crown Prince through his soaked hair, feeling the sting of shame in front of the numerous attendants.

From that moment on, the two became rivals—enemies, really.

In short, they couldn’t stand each other, always ready to one-up the other.

With a deep sigh, I finished my reminiscence.

‘Even though Sien looks like that, he’s incredibly fierce in battle. Whenever they meet, they compete in all sorts of ways, evenly matched in strength.’

I glanced at the Crown Prince and Sien, both of whom were steadfastly avoiding each other’s gaze.

The more I watched them, the more irked I became.

‘Why are these two who later agree wholeheartedly to a polygamous marriage to spare the female lead from emotional distress, always at each other’s throats in front of me?’

Suppressing the brief flare of frustration, I forced myself to calm down.

Deep breaths, calm down.

Right now, convincing Sien was the priority.

‘Honestly, I’d love to just grab Sien by the collar and drag him along, but I should at least try to appeal to him rationally first.’

Changing someone’s mind takes time and effort, and you have to understand their perspective.

To do that, I need to…

I approached the Crown Prince and whispered to him.

“Your Highness, let’s stay here tonight and take our time convincing the Tower Master.”

“He’s not that valuable of an asset. Why not just leave him behind?”

“…I didn’t realize you were so heartless.”

I gave him a reproachful look.

Didn’t I save your life? Didn’t you make me cry?

The Crown Prince let out a low curse under his breath, ruffling his hair in frustration.

“Fine, fine.”

* * *

In the end, we decided to stay the night at the northern shelter, just as I had suggested.

In the original story, the northern shelter was safe as long as the barrier around the Sacred Forest remained intact, so I could relax knowing we were secure for now.

“Finally, a chance to rest.”

Hissss—

Oh no.

Lost in thought, I nearly burned the meat.

I quickly flipped the meat over and pressed down on the four pieces of tenderloin tied with silk thread with the tongs.

The juices mixed with the oil, creating a sizzling sound as the delicious aroma filled the air.

I added some green onions, which I had pre-seasoned with oil and salt, next to the meat on the grill.

After lowering the heat, I placed another pan on top as a makeshift lid, then stirred the mushroom soup I had made earlier to prevent it from sticking to the pot, and finally prepared the steak sauce.

It was a rich and popular demi-glace sauce.

I tasted a bit on the back of my hand and couldn’t help but be pleased.

“Mmm.”

As expected. My skills are still sharp.

These dishes were made from the finest ingredients I could find in the northern pantry.

Even though I know how important it is to manage food supplies for survival, there’s a reason for raiding the pantry like this.

Sien, born with exceptional abilities, was always surrounded by people driven by curiosity and greed. Their affection and attention often left him emotionally impoverished.

As a result, aside from his adoptive father, he never formed close bonds with anyone and instead filled his inner void with a strong desire for food and sleep.

‘Of course, that means he probably loves good food.’

So, my plan, even before arriving in the zombie zone, was to win him over starting with his taste buds.

‘…He should be reacting to the smell by now.’

I craned my neck like a deer and looked over at Sien, who was lying in bed, wrapped up like a caterpillar in his blanket.

How do you like that? The culinary skills I honed by working as an apprentice in a restaurant and teaching myself through trial and error.

‘As expected.’

I smiled with satisfaction.

Though his eyes were closed, I could see that Sien was subtly reacting to the mouthwatering aroma. He was pretending to be asleep, but the slight twitching around his eyes gave him away.