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“We can meet again. So don’t cry. You’re a good boy, right?”

Believing in her last words like religion, remembering her over and over again until he closed his eyes alone.

Born over and over for hundreds of years, until his memories were faded and erased. The leopard died many times while longing for something unknown.

A baby black leopard was born and lived a lonely life until he met a princess called Belinda.

“Now I can handle around two Shinsu easily.”

Joseph’s face was brimming with confidence. Adelai tapped Joseph’s face with a fan while he was sitting on one knee.

“Are you really confident?”

There was a faint doubt in Adelai’s voice. Joseph was the one who lost control while handling Shanti in the banquet hall, after all.

Joseph shook his head.

“Please trust me!”

“You can only make one mistake. Slaves who make mistakes twice deserve to die.”

“…..I understand.”

Joseph replied glumly.

No matter how skilled he was in handling the Great Shinsu, he was only a puppet as long as the magic stone embedded in his stomach.

“Get out.”

Adelai dismissed him with a chin gesture and leaned back deeper into the sofa.

She was feeling impatient. Even if that guy was confident, nothing had gone the way she wanted so far.

She was still the Princess, and if Lart became the next emperor, the relationship between the Shinsu and humans would be strengthened. There should be a turning point.

“Joseph’s ability has improved, it’s time to move now.”

Adelai tapped the table with a serious face. Count Otoman watched her carefully as he waited for her order.

Adelai raised her head as if she had made up her mind.

“We need to form public opinion. Destroy people’s faith in the Shinsu and instill fear into them.”

Adelai looked toward the sky where Shinsu forest would be. A place where the sky was still as blue as ever and the clouds moving so slowly.

It was pure and crystal-clear, unlike the evil command that was about to escape her mouth.

“His Majesty wants peace and I want the emperor’s seat….inevitable turmoil’s about to begin.”

Adelai lowered her eyes that looking up at the sky, finally facing Count Otoman.

“Tell Joseph to do it. Tell him to control that Shinsu tomorrow…..”

A dry voice quietly rang. If it’s for her goal, things like bloodline did not matter anymore.

Otoman bowed his head and answered her order.

“Yes. I will heed your order, Princess.”

On the other side, Joseph grumbled as he walked through the garden.

“Why is the Princess so full of herself? Talk about being so arrogant when all she did was plant a little magic stone in me,”

After confirming that no one was around, he kicked a pot of flowers.

“I’m a man who can control the Shinsu!”

He made a fuss and trampled on the fallen petals for no reason.

Shinsu is a great being. And it’s me who controlled them! How can you treat me like this?

He heaved a sigh.

“What’s the point of controlling the Shinsu when she held my life hostage like this?”

There was always a slight heat inside his stomach. The magic stone that always exuded heat, told him this.

Your life is not yours, it belongs to the great Royal Family.

He spent time circling the garden and began to roam around the exit as he waited for the Count to come out. The conversation was getting longer. He was going to walk up in the palace to kill his boredom.

Humming some tone under his breath, he walked toward the west side of the Imperial Palace.

Thump, thump, thump.

His heart began to palpitate rapidly all of sudden.

“Huh? What’s wrong with me?”

Joseph rubbed his chest when a cold sensation flooded into him. Nervousness built up like a white frost. It was such an unfamiliar sensation that he never felt before.

He began to stumble as if he was sleep-walking. Just like someone who got possessed.

A white temple was visible from a distance. His heart palpitating even more wildly. Even though he walked slowly, he gasped for air as if he had run for a long time.

‘I think I’ve been here before.’

He had been there before. The first time he entered the palace, Count Otoman brought him here, introduced him to the Princess, and fed him the damn magic stone.

The desolate temple, which seemed to be abandoned, was well-maintained without a speck of dust. Passing by the stone pillars, he entered the temple. As if it was reserved by time, the heavy smell scattered in disarray.

Gulp.

He gulped and arrived in front of a white marble wall. He put his palm on the wall where there was nothing. It was an action that he did unintentionally.

The chilly air that flowed from the marble wall made him tremble. He prompted his mind just like how he controlled the Shinsu, and the wall eventually collapsed with a loud sound.

“…….”

Joseph just stared at something beyond the shattered debris.

A huge harp was seen through the swirling dust. It reverberated as if calling out to him.

Joseph went inside with a careful step and examined the harp. The harp that greeted its owner seemed to cry alone.

Joseph unconsciously grabbed the head of the harp. Perhaps there was ‘Lapyan’s sword’ that was hidden by Barahan inside.

The hand that grabbed the lid trembled. A tiny electric current flowed through the gap in his fingers. Joseph gritted his teeth and gave strength to his grip as if bewitched.

“Ahhh!”

He took a step back, tried to catch his breath. The sudden outpour of divine power covered him in white.

***

A terrible rumor started to spread in the Imperial Palace. Words traveled fast from someone carrying a laundry basket, to someone who was cleaning the dishes or combing the horse’s mane. The whispers instilled fear in everyone.

The red-haired maid wiped the fountain and whispered to the freckled maid.

“Did you hear the rumor?”

“Is it about the servants that went missing?”

“Yes. Laura, Hans, and Morita are all gone. I’m sure there’s a lot more than that.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yeah, it’s really true. I’m scared to death. Because this place is close to the forest.”

The red-haired maid roughly threw the rag and sat down. The freckled maid also sat next to her and sighed.

“Maybe it’s true that we were sacrifices.”

They were Imperial maids who were stationed near the Shinsu forest.

Recently, eerie rumors came upon them.

Maids and servants who were on duty alone often went missing. At first, no one was really bothered by it. It wasn’t that uncommon for servants to sneak away.

But the number increased to two and three.

Not to mention, the testimony from the traumatized survivor.

“S-Shinsu caught and took them away….!”

It seemed like he had lost the strength in his legs, so he couldn’t stand upright and his pupils trembled violently.

It was still vivid in his mind. The moment when the beast snatched humans like prey and disappeared beyond the forest.

The servants and the maids were nervous. So many people went missing, yet the higher-ups did not say anything about it. Wouldn’t it only mean one thing?

Surely, the Imperial Family was turning a blind eye, even though they knew about the Shinsu’s atrocities.

Is it true that we were sacrificed?

In the cruel Kingdom of Sicilia, it was said that ten virgins were sacrificed every year to the Snake God they serve. So they would naturally have such thoughts.

“We shouldn’t have trusted the Shinsu in the first place.”

The red-haired maid muttered, tossing and grabbing the rag. The freckled maid agreed with a serious expression.

“I saw it in person at the banquet. At that time, a Shinsu attacked the marquis.”

“I heard about that, too.”

“It was really scary. I should’ve noticed back then….I only thought the Shinsu was such a cool being, and they only got too excited at that time.”

The Marquis, who was attacked by Shanti for blabbering nonsense, was notorious among the servants. There were times when he looked at the servants as lesser than bugs under his feet.

The Shinsu, who taught the likes of him a lesson, was admired by a lot of people. But their minds changed when their lives were threatened.

As expected, beasts weren’t reliable beings.

At that time, the Emperor was sitting across Lart, looking deeply troubled.

“You must have heard the vicious rumor, Prince.”

“Yes. But that rumor….”

Lart just scratched his nose as if he found it difficult to speak. He heaved a sigh before continuing.

“I think the rumor is true.”

“…….”

The Emperor leaned his back on the sofa with a distressed look. Lart just gulped down water as if his throat was parched.

“According to the survivors’ testimony, there were bloodstains all the way to the forest, Your Majesty. Not to mention, the claw marks that we found in the vicinity only lead to one conclusion. It wasn’t that hard to notice.”

What Lart meant about ‘one conclusion’ was simple.

The Shinsu’s attack.

Betrayal.

In reality, the death of servants or maids wasn’t a big deal for the Imperial family. The Imperial family stepped on the lower ones to reign. The Emperor was the highest of them all.

However, it was a very big problem that the incident involved ‘the Shinsu’.

The Emperor pressed his temple. He knew this peacefulness wasn’t something that could be maintained so easily, but he didn’t expect it to twist this way.

“How many people were missing in total?”

“Six.”

“Did all of them disappear near the Shinsu forest?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Emperor did not continue talking. He just pressed his temple with a troubled face. Lart, who was watching his father silently, leaned his body closer.

“But, Your Majesty. I can’t trust the rumor at all. There’s no reason for the Shinshu to do such things.”

The Shinsu had never acted in such a malicious way. They didn’t have to show off their power in this way. They were beings who reign above from birth, after all.

“Have you had any contact with the Shinsu?”

“Yes. I think they may not know yet. Because they are indifferent to things outside the forest.”

“Hmm.”

“Your Majesty, I’ll try to meet the chief. I’d like to ask him directly about his intentions.”

At Lart’s words, the Emperor raised his head.