TLDOWN 55

CHAPTER 55………………

It’s Not a Difficult Request

As Akkia entered the audience chamber, he saw Iley sitting at the central table. Seeing Akkia approach, Iley’s eyes widened, and a bright smile spread across his face.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you so healthy.”

More animated than usual, Iley stood from his seat and approached Akkia, embracing him tightly.

“My one and only younger brother, Akkia.”

The gentle hand stroking his back paused for a moment. Rumors had been circulating that the once frail Akkia had undergone a miraculous transformation.

As if to confirm those rumors, Iley could feel the firm muscles under his fingertips. Yet, he quickly masked his surprise and smiled.

“After that tea that day, I heard you became like this. I was utterly shocked. You have no idea what I felt then.”

“……”

“Even the late Empress Mother left us so suddenly. If something were to happen to you as well, I wouldn’t be able to go on. Akkia.”

The Emperor, still holding Akkia, gently stepped back. At the mention of the late Empress Mother, a faint crack appeared on Akkia’s expression.

It was a tiny change, barely noticeable to anyone else, yet the Emperor’s face showed the somber expression of someone acknowledging a truth.

“We may be cousins, but we grew up like brothers. You’re the only one I can rely on, Akkia. You can’t just leave because of a single cup of tea. No, absolutely not.”

Having returned to his seat, the Emperor motioned to the Duke, as if inviting him to sit.

“Let’s sit and talk. Are you feeling alright now?”

Even as Akkia sat, the Emperor’s intense gaze followed him persistently.

The Emperor’s eyes seemed to search every corner of the Duke, as if determined to uncover everything about him. Finally, their gazes met in midair.

According to rumors, the Duke had finally regained his voice. Iley wanted to confirm for himself whether Akkia truly could speak again.

As the Emperor’s expectant gaze landed on him, Akkia let out a small sigh.

“I’m fine.”

Iley closed his eyes. Hearing Akkia’s voice for the first time in years sent shivers through his entire body.

The deep, resonant voice lingered in his ears for a long while.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw Akkia meeting his gaze.

A golden sheen flowed through Akkia’s once-frail hair. His radiant blond hair now exuded the legitimacy of the royal family.

Not only that—his strengthened physique radiated an aura usually reserved for the Emperor himself.

‘No… perhaps even more than me…’

He could almost picture Akkia fitting into the Emperor’s seat.

Iley found himself exasperated by the Duke standing before him, showing his presence so boldly. Yet, the more anxious he felt, the more he smiled.

“It’s truly a relief to hear you’re fine. But… it’s strange.”

“……?”

“That tea was supposed to be just a tonic, yet you collapsed suddenly.”

The Duke, idly tracing the edge of his teacup, lifted his gaze at the Emperor’s words. No matter how potent the herb had been, it shouldn’t have threatened his life.

Clearly, this had been Akkia’s plan. Otherwise, there was no way he would have returned alive from what should have been a fatal collapse.

Iley’s sharp eyes scrutinized the Duke.

After a long silence, Akkia let out a low chuckle. The sudden sound caused Iley’s expression to shift.

“Your Majesty seems to have many thoughts, as always.”

“What?”

“I had thought it was simply due to weakness, but did Your Majesty consider even that possibility?”

“……”

‘Clever.’

The Emperor, momentarily struck by Akkia’s unexpected remark, was left speechless. Without knowing that Akkia took Porarium, it would have been difficult to link the tea to his collapse.

From Akkia’s composed demeanor, it was clear he had knowingly drunk the herb tea. He might even have realized that the Emperor had learned about the Porarium through Professor Rams.

‘I’ve underestimated Akkia all this time.’

Akkia lifted his teacup, inhaled its aroma, and then set it down gracefully without drinking.

Now, Akkia’s gaze softened.

“Of course. I’m always thinking of you.”

The Emperor’s lips, smiling for the first time in a while, trembled slightly.

“In any case, I will reward the pharmacist who healed you. I’m curious to see her face.”

“……”

“And that reminds me, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Iley framed his request in a way that Akkia could hardly refuse. The Duke’s eyes flickered for just a moment, as if aware of the inevitable compliance.

But Akkia soon composed himself and responded with a smile.

“If it’s something I can do, anything.”

Iley, as if waiting for this reply, called for the pharmacist.

“Bring the pharmacist in.”

The door opened, and Lea entered, bowing deeply without daring to meet the Emperor’s gaze.

“Your Majesty.”

As she slowly lifted her head and saw the Emperor’s face, she gasped.

‘Th-That man…!’

He was the same man she had encountered in the capital and the palace, the one whose eyes had shone brilliantly as he looked at her from the throne.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Grasping her wildly racing heart, Lea studied the Emperor. The man on the throne was the knight who had saved her when she first arrived in the capital.

‘That man is the Emperor…’

The way he had moved in the alley had seemed extraordinary, but she hadn’t realized he was the Emperor.

As Lea blinked in astonishment at meeting him unexpectedly, Akkia’s expression hardened for the first time.

Stepping between them, Akkia addressed the Emperor.

“You mentioned a favor for me?”

“Oh, that. It’s not a difficult request.”

Only then did the Emperor shift his gaze from Lea to Akkia, narrowing his eyes.

“I want you to give Lea to me.”

Akkia, momentarily speechless at the Emperor’s words, finally spoke. His eyes were as deep as an unfathomable ocean.

“……What exactly do you mean?”

“What I mean is exactly what I say.”

Iley stepped toward Lea. She froze in place as he gradually closed the distance.

The invisible tension between the Emperor and Akkia was palpable.

“Perhaps it’s because I’ve been overexerting myself lately. I’m not feeling well.”

Iley advanced, eyes fixed solely on Lea.

Step by step, closing the distance. Akkia placed himself between Lea and Iley, a firm stance warning him not to approach further.

“Excellent physicians already fill the palace, you know.”

The Emperor’s narrowed eyes shifted between Akkia and Lea. Then, he smiled at Akkia.

“The physicians of the royal court couldn’t cure your illness, but the pharmacist saved you from the brink of death. I see no reason she should be any less capable than them. Don’t you agree, pharmacist Lea?”

The Emperor’s sharp gaze landed on Lea, who was partially hidden by Akkia’s broad back. She flinched, feeling as if he could see right through her.

“I….”

Lea faltered, alternating her gaze between the two men. She couldn’t answer him outright.

‘What is even happening?’

She was bewildered. First, the man she met in the capital turns out to be the Emperor, and now he suddenly wants her working in the palace.

She cautiously looked at Akkia. His rigid lips and icy stare conveyed a single message: the Emperor was angrier than ever.

Lea exhaled quietly, feeling the tension squeeze her chest.

‘I don’t know what will happen if I accept this request.’

How could she possibly decline an imperial order?

Her mind raced for a solution.

“For your brother, you can manage that much, right?”

Seemingly ignoring the Duke’s state, the Emperor tapped his shoulder, his eyes saying: ‘You can’t refuse a simple request, can you?’

A tense silence stretched between the three. The Duke finally turned to meet Lea’s gaze.

“What do you want to do?”

“……I…”

Some might consider this an honor for her family—an invitation to serve the royal court from the Emperor himself.

But…

“While I appreciate Your Majesty’s offer, I…”

Just as Lea was about to clearly refuse, Iley interrupted.

“Oh, I didn’t give you time to consider. You don’t need to answer right away. Take your time and let me know later.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

‘Take time to think…’

Lea bowed deeply, feeling helpless in the awkward situation.

.
.
.

On the carriage ride back to the mansion, an awkward silence lingered between the two. The Duke was the first to break it.

“You’re not thinking of working for the royal court, are you?”

His face was filled with concern. From his earlier reaction to the Emperor, and now this question, it was clear: the Duke did not want to serve as the Emperor’s physician.

Lea nodded in agreement.

“Of course not. The royal court is suffocating, with too many restrictions. And besides, you take priority for me, Duke.”

Until they resolved the unpredictable side effects, she couldn’t leave him.

Her quiet words in the carriage caught the Duke’s attention, and he turned sharply.

‘She said I come first…’

He didn’t seem to realize that such a statement from someone so innocent could be misleading. Yet somehow, it was comforting.

Throughout the journey back, the Duke’s previously tense expression softened.

“Don’t change your mind on that.”

A faint smile spread across the Duke’s face as he looked out the window.