Wolfram watched over his teacup as Yuuri observed his father, wrinkling his eyebrows quizzically every now and then. After serving them tea, the maids left them alone in the room. Conrad was leaning against the wall near the door with his arms crossed, also watching Yuuri, and Gunter was asking his father how his travel went. Wolfram wasn't sure if the two knew each other well. He never saw them speaking earlier, but they were similar in age, so they had probably met before.

Now Yuuri shifted his gaze to him, again making a strange face.

"You never told me anything about your father," he said reproachfully in a hushed voice, but the whole room heard him anyway.

Wolfram did not feel like explaining his relationship with father in front of any witnesses, so he opted for an evasive answer.

"There is nothing to mention. Besides, he would probably be unhappy if I warned you," he muttered, took a sip of tea, and set the cup down on the saucer. "He's just a weirdo." He added, selecting a cake for himself from a tray standing in the center of the table.

"It wasn't very nice." His father reprimanded him but was more amused than angry.

"After the scene a moment ago, you shouldn't have any objections to it." Wolfram began eating the raspberry tart, making it clear that he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

"Good to know that you are on friendly terms," Yuuri commented but didn't elaborate when Wolfram looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well." He addressed his father. "What is the reason for your sudden visit?"

"Gwendal sent me a message saying that something was wrong with Wolfram, and he didn't want to talk about it with anyone, so I decided to come to check it out myself."

"I see." Yuuri looked at Wolfram and shuddered.

There were too many targets Wolfram could focus his angry gaze on, so instead, he stared at the cup he was holding in his hands. Of course, he didn't want to talk about it. They already think something was wrong with his head, and telling them what he sees would reassure them in this belief. Gwendal already tried to remove him from his duties, suggesting that he should rest.

He set the cup down with great force, making sure it sounded as loud as possible.

"And you think that if you would involve my father in it, I would suddenly talk with you?" He asked Gwendal.

"We are just worried. Your condition is alarming." Conrad answered instead.

"I'm fine." Wolfram got up from the table, abruptly pushing back his chair. "I repeat it to you again and again, but you have no intention of listening even to it." He started to circle the table toward the exit, but Yuuri caught him by the arm.

"Wolf, wait." Nobody wants you to talk about it now, right?" He looked around the room for confirmation. "It's a rare occasion for your father to visit, right? Just stay, and we will talk about something else."

Wolfram furrowed his brow and looked at the hand holding him. Trying to break free would be more trouble than it was worth, so he gave up, sighing heavily. He returned to his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest, making it clear that he was still unsatisfied.

"I see that you are handling him better than I assumed."

He looked at his father, not even bothering to be angry with him. There is no salvation for this man anymore.

Yuuri laughed nervously.

"Well, Lord Adelhard."

"Just Adelhard is fine."

„Well then, Adelhard." Yuuri started again but still sounded uncertain. "What do you do? Wolfram told me nothing about you, so I'm a little curious."

"Lord Adelhard is a high priest of the elemental temple," Gunter explained. "Due to his duties, he has little time to visit the castle. That's why he wasn't at the coronation."

His father smiled and nodded to Gunter. Wolfram started to suspect that they knew each other well.

"I see. It seems tough."

"It's an occupation that I voluntarily chose myself. And Wolfram visits me frequently, so there's nothing to complain about."

"Really?" Yuuri looked at him, but Wolfram averted his gaze.

"He was ordained a priest and has his own room in the temple."

"Only because you said I can't enter the library otherwise."

"Oh, right." He laughed. "One of the priests told you something about the books there, and suddenly you started following me and asking me to let you go there. What was that about again?"

"Nothing of your business," Wolfram cut off, giving his full attention to the teacup.

The priest, who told him he would find clues to find a treasure in the library, had already retired, and now Wolfram was the only one who knew about it. The man just wanted to encourage him to read the books there and being still under the influence of adventure novels, the vision for his own adventure was too great to ignore. When it turned out that all the books were written in the ancient language, Wolfram was even more excited, learning it so quickly that even his teacher was surprised. He never found the treasure, but the books he read were interesting enough to make up for his trouble. The reason for his interest will remain a secret for the rest of his life.

Yuuri looked at him expectantly, but Wolfram had no idea what he wanted to hear, so he turned to him and returned his gaze, waiting as he would speak himself.

"Are you something similar to the priestesses in the Shinou Shrine? But it was the first time I heard that name. What is it?"

"It's a sister religion to the Shinou Cult." Gunter again explained for everyone else. "When the Shin Makoku was first funded, everyone practiced both religions, but with time, the elemental one had fewer and fewer worshipers. But I heard a significant number of them are still in the Bielefelds."

"And you can see the effects of that," His father added.

Yuuri looked at him, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have time for conversations like this," Gwendal interjected before his father could say anything else.

Wolfram heard him complain about mazoku, who turned away from the faith because of laziness, and now the entire nation has less and less maryoku each year because of this. Each time this conversation began, it could take hours before it ended. And when accompanied by other priests, it could last all day and night. No one wanted to listen to it.

"We have another meeting soon, so we will return to our conversation later." Gwendal continued. "We also leaving the castle soon, so I would be thankful if you would keep an eye on Wolfram." He addressed his father.

"Are you going somewhere?" Wolfram asked, ignoring for a moment the insinuation that he was a child in need of a guardian.

"You're staying here." Gwendal got up and headed for the door. "I'll see you at my office," he said to Yuuri and left the room.

Wolfram looked at his fiancé, who slowly got up from his chair, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Yuuri."

"We will talk later, okay?" He asked uncertainly, and Wolfram sighed, urging him with his hand to go now.

Soon only Wolfram and his father were left in the room.

"So? Do you have any intention to explain anything?" The tone of his voice was more serious than during the conversation earlier.

Wolfram turned his eyes away but still felt his father's heavy gaze.

"Gwendal said that you see things. What is it?"

"I don't have any hallucinations." He protested. "And I can distinguish what is a reality and what is not."

His father did not seem satisfied or reassured by this answer. He grabbed him lightly by the forearm, and Wolfram finally looked at him.

"I believe that if it were any medical problems, you would have gone to the doctor with it. You can tell me anything, and I will try to help you if I can. There is no need to say everything, but if you keep it to yourself, it will only worsen."

Maybe he would have argued with this before, but after what happened today, he was able to believe that this could be the case. Fortunately, he managed to burn that painting before Yuuri found him. Besides, his father may be the only person in the castle who could help him. Wolfram knew perfectly well what was going on and what was causing it. The only problem he had was that he felt stupid and thus didn't want to admit to anyone what had happened. But with his father, he shouldn't worry about him telling anyone. At the most, he'll tease him later when it's all over.

Wolfram nodded slightly and turned fully toward his father. He felt like telling him not to be angry at him, but he knew that was foolish. His father was never mad at him, no matter what he did.

"Someone performed a ritual in an empty cell in the dungeon. I cleaned it up before anyone else found it, but it was only in the process that I saw traces of blood in the bowls."

Sometimes blood is used in the main bowl as a symbol of life, but this is usually discouraged. However, every priest is taught that if there is blood in other bowls, or worse, human remains, the first rule is not to touch them. The reason for this was never explained to him, but Wolfram discovered it firsthand.

No matter who performed the ritual, the bowls used for it are always considered sacred and should be taken care of properly after the ceremony is over before using them for anything else. If the guards had found them first, they probably would have taken them right away, thinking little of it, so Wolfram wanted to deal with them immediately.

"What were you doing in the dungeons?"

"What?"

"I doubt that you often go there. So why did you go to the dungeons?"

"One of the prisoners disappeared from his cell, and I went to search it."

"From the same one where the ritual was?"

"No, the ritual was further into the dungeon."

"Did you find him?"

"No."

"Someone else disappeared recently?"

Wolfram tilted his head, creasing his brow.

"No one I've heard of."

His father nodded slowly and crossed his arms, looking into the space in front of him.

"I have something that will temporarily help with this. However, we will have to go to the temple to completely eliminate the curse. But it would be better to wait until your brother takes care of what he is supposed to take care of. The temple is too close, and it would be too dangerous."

"Do you know where they are going?"

"Your grandfather had started causing problems again, and I'm afraid he's gone too far this time."

"What did he do this time?" Wolfram asked, concerned.

"Your boyfriend has already promised to explain it to you, right?" Said his father with a smug smile. "If he can't handle it, you can come to me. But getting back. Did you find any other crooked rituals?"

"Crooked?"

"The one you fund. They are similar to ours but use humans as offerings."

Wolfram's face went pale, and he looked at his father with big eyes. Nobody mentioned that they meant human blood.

"So, when you asked about that prisoner…."

"He was a human, right? Only human blood can be used for this. They don't want maryoku."

He slumped in his chair and locked his gaze on his hands.

"They killed him for a ritual?"

"And his remnants are still in the castle. I will ask Gwendal to help me find them." His father stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I will take care of it. You should rest." He left the room, leaving Wolfram alone.

The sky was painted a metallic orange, slowly turning into a bloody red. Wolfram observed the horizon outside of the window. It was the first murder in the castle in a long time. First death he was so close to since Yuuri arrived – at last, the real one. The king's politic of not killing also became his own, and now he felt uncomfortable thinking about what happened in this dungeon. He didn't want to think what Yuuri would do when he found out about it.

From what his father said, Wolfram felt that whoever did this had something to do with where Gwendal was heading. His Grandfather. It wasn't surprising.

He stood up, heading to Yuuri's bedroom, hoping he would show up there before Wolfram needed to go back to himself.


The city below was on fire, as was the sky above. Those who managed to escape the flames were snatched up by flying monsters, a strange mix of wolves and falcons. They howled fearfully, causing even more panic.

The screams of those locked behind the capital's walls reached even the very top of his tower.

Pain. Terror. Desperation.

Their end has come, and they will either die in flames or be torn apart by monsters. There is no escape from this.

Even their defensive fortress was no longer safe. Only this tower remained.

And, in the end, what was it of use to them? Building it seemed so pointless now.

Wolfram put his hand to the glass. One of the monsters flew so close to it that he could get a good look at it. Covered in gray fur and black feathers, with blood dripping from its mouth, it was already holding another poor soul in its claws.

He finally managed to get into the tower.

Like clockwork, always at the same moment.

He turned around and swept a glance around the room. You couldn't even tell from the shattered furniture what function it had previously served. Now, however, it would become a tomb.

Like his people, he knew his end was inevitable. Only a dozen more steps and his pursuer would get him. He will rip open his abdomen and gouge out his eyes, all the while mentioning what a great gift they will be.

But now, that vision didn't even scare him anymore. Just like the annihilation of his people outside the window, the thought that someone would kill him in a moment caused him only indifference.

In the end, this is not reality. Even if, for some reason, Wolfram considers these people to be his own, they don't exist. Even if he could see the tattered room at the top of the tower, he was actually in Yuuri's bedroom now.

He shouldn't be here at this hour, but Yuuri still owed him a conversation. Therefore, he can endure even this vision.

He was now looking at the door, which ironically was in the same place as the real ones. Heavy footsteps resounded behind them.

Just a few more steps.

Five. Four. Three. Two.

One.

The footsteps stopped just outside the door.

The handle dropped down, and accompanied by a loud creak, Yuuri stepped inside.

Wolfram blinked several times.

The bedroom had returned to normal.

"Are you okay?" Yuuri asked, closing the door quietly and approaching him uncertainly.

"Yes." Wolfram moved away from the window and walked over to a chair. He sank heavily into it, leaning against the velvet-clad backrest. On the table in front of him lay his book, one of the few signs of his presence here.

When these chambers belonged to his mother, one could tell by just the smell that hit every person entering that this room belonged to her. But when she resigned and took most of the furniture with her, new furnishings had to be ordered even before the new king arrived, making the room seem impersonal now.

The stone walls were shielded by decorative paneling, and thick, soft carpets protected the feet from the cold floor. Everything was black, and when it had any colors, they were dark. That's why Wolfram always tried to keep the curtains wide open, and the fire lit in the fireplace to brighten the room as much as possible. He also brought flowers in light colors. His mother had always regarded black as an unpleasant color, and her children should be surrounded by bright colors, which meant that now he was trying to do the same with his daughter. Since she was in that bedroom so often, Wolfram wanted it to be as friendly to her as possible.

He paid special attention to the dressing table in the corner of the room, near the bed. Lying, there were variously colored trinkets and hair brushes. Hair clips, brooches, bracelets. Greta loved to sit by it and get ready like a young lady. She also often asked him to style her hair, so Wolfram had to learn how to braid her hair, pin up her buns, and put her bobby pins so they wouldn't slip out.

Now, he was proud of his hairdressing skills.

"It took you a long time." Wolfram pretended indifference, running his fingers over the cover of the book. For some reason, he switched from adventure to romance. Not that it interested him, he was simply more inclined to look for answers in books than to ask his mother.

"Well, we had a lot of things to discuss. In addition, your father said he wanted to join." Yuuri took another look at the door as if to make sure no one would suddenly walk through it and sat down in the chair opposite Wolfram. He leaned over and stretched his hand across the table, placing it on Wolfram's palm, still resting on the book.

Wolfram looked at their joined hands for a moment but shook his head quickly before forgetting why he had come here. Maybe he was breaking the rules now, but that had no meaning with romance. Only when they had solved their current problems would he be able to return to this topic. Besides, it didn't look like Yuuri had any issues with it, so they could wait.

"Great. Then I'll join you, too."

"What? No way. You can't come with us. You're..."

"I'm what?" Wolfram interrupted him sharply. "You may have forgotten, but I'm still a soldier, and it's my duty to watch over you. Besides." He added, smiling slyly. "Gwendal told my father to keep an eye on me, didn't he?"

"Even so, I still don't want you to go. It's too dangerous."

"If it's safe enough for you to go, there should be no problem for me to join." He looked closely at Yuuri, who looked as if he was still having trouble accepting his decision and sighed, returning to a softer voice. "Father said he knows how to help with this, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Fine." Yuuri gave up in the end. It quickly came to him that there was no point in arguing with him. "But come here." He pulled lightly on Wolfram's hand.

His facial expression did not betray his intentions, but Wolfram stood up and approached him slowly, all the while watching him closely. Once he was standing next to his chair, Yuuri again pulled him by the hand, put his other arm around his waist, and settled him in his lap.

"What are you doing?" Wolfram screamed in surprise, feeling his face momentarily start to burn.

"Shhh. Or they will throw you out of here." Yuuri shushed him and hugged him tightly. "I was just worried. You've been acting strangely lately. On top of that, the things that started happening recently..." He hid his face in the hollow of Wolfram's neck and sighed heavily.

Wolfram shuddered slightly as he felt Yuuri's breath tickle his skin, which seemed more sensitive now. He didn't mind the feeling. And he didn't mind that he was now sitting on Yuuri's lap. If someone else had done it, even a person he had dated, he would have felt concerned and wanted to run away. However, he noticed that things worked very differently with Yuuri. He felt in a way he hadn't felt before when someone else tried to get close to him. And even if he didn't understand why others wanted to do certain things, lately, he'd been catching himself thinking about trying them himself.

His face started to get hot again, and he quickly returned his thoughts from that strange place they had fled of their own accord. He had no control over them at all. It was all the fault of the romances.

They should be talking about something else now, something else.

But it was hard to do when they were so close to each other. Yuuri's face was still pressed into him, and Wolfram raised his hand and ran it through his hair. They were starting to get dry. With a full schedule, it was hard to convince the king to take care of himself in any way. In addition, he thought it was perfectly fine to use the same lotion to wash his hair and the rest of his body. And his hair could forget about combing at all.

He would have liked to stay that way longer, but he didn't have much time before someone noticed he wasn't in his room. In this regard, his brothers still treated him like a small child. Therefore, Wolfram reluctantly freed himself from Yuuri's embrace and walked a few steps away, creating enough distance to calm down and not arouse suspicion if someone were to enter now. He cleared his throat before returning to the conversation.

"About those strange things you mentioned. Is that why you're going?"

Yuuri looked unhappy with this turn of events, and Wolfram worried he would not answer. However, he quickly got over it and leaned back in his chair with resignation.

"We're going to..." He made an attempt but paused, scratching his head in uneasiness.

"My father has already told me it's about my grandfather."

"Yes. That's why I still think it's a bad idea for you to go if it involves your family."

"All the more reason for me to go. This man has caused problems before, and I feel responsible for taking care of it."

"Your father said exactly the same thing. However, I don't think he thought of him as a member of his family. But he didn't want to say anything about their relationship."

"I don't blame him. It's hard for anyone to have a good relationship with this man. And he especially hated my father."

"Something happened?"

"Grandfather was furious with my father for suddenly giving up being the head of the family and deciding to become the head priest at the temple. He almost disinherited him, but my uncle intervened. Still, he forbade me to see him and kept saying the worst things about him all the time."

Yuuri took a moment to process his words, and something seemed to suddenly ignite in his head.

"But after all, you have a good relationship now, right? I mean you and your father."

"Even though I fought in several minor battles during the war, my uncle considered the upcoming battle in our area too dangerous and too close to the castle, so he sent me to the temple where my father was. Grandfather had already been sent to his residence, and everyone said he was crazy, so I didn't particularly care what he said anymore. Although I was angry about not being allowed to take part in the fight, father is someone who is hard not to get along with." He sighed at the memory of his first days at the temple. His father is just as pushy as his mother, and it didn't surprise him why they decided to marry and then divorce.

He never left him alone, even for a moment, and when Wolfram got angry with him, the man only laughed. Eventually, he let go of getting upset with him and tried to ignore him, but his father tried to do everything to get his son's attention. He would pester him repeatedly, make strange comments, and sometimes even purposely throw something on the ground to scare him with noise. And when Wolfram found out about the library, the older Bielefeld had a great laugh at the fact that the roles were suddenly reversed.

Yuuri smiled. It seemed that his mood had finally improved. Wolfram returned the smile and was about to approach him again, but the bedroom door opened abruptly.

Gwendal watched them from the hallway; more wrinkles formed on his forehead. Wolfram decided it was best not to speak and just return to his bedroom. He didn't want to step on his older brother's toes now, or he might forbid him to go with them.


"It's so pretty!" Greta exclaimed excitedly, looking at the bracelet on Wolfram's wrist. A thin silver chain with two gemstones, gray-blue and red. He wasn't a big fan of jewelry, but he could stand something so simple. He got the item from his father, who said it was a temporary solution to his problems.

"If you want, we can buy you a matching one." His father smiled at Greta, who eagerly agreed.

Wolfram introduced his daughter to his father, who was immediately shocked that he had become a grandfather at such a young age. Of course, he had known about Greta for a long time. He even gave him some advice about fatherhood, but Wolfram wasn't too convinced to believe him on the subject.

"Greta, don't jump around and go back to your chair."

His daughter obediently returned to her seat, but her gaze was still fixed on Wolfram's wrist.

They took advantage of the nice weather, sitting on a gazebo in the garden. Surrounded by white columns overgrown with flowering vines, they had a perfect view of the fancifully arranged flowers not far away. The colorful flowerbeds formed elaborate patterns, with narrow paths passing between them. It was a favorite place for their guests to stroll, but fortunately, no one was there now.

"Yuuri said you're leaving tomorrow," Greta said, getting serious suddenly.

"We need to take care of something, and we will return quickly. You have nothing to worry about; we won't even leave the country."

"But everyone says Gwendal is preparing an army."

"The person we are dealing with is still a nobleman." This time, his father answered and sighed as if he was unhappy about the fact. "Even if it was a matter that would only require one person to handle, still such measures would be needed. It's largely for the sake of being impressive."

Greta nodded, but her expression still did not lighten. Her big eyes stared at Wolfram with concern.

"You have nothing to worry about." Wolfram stroked her head. "I'll be fine with this." He showed her the bracelet. "And I'll keep an eye on Yuuri to make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

She finally smiled weakly, and his father slid a piece of cake to her, encouraging her to eat. Then he slid the cake to Wolfram as well.

After a few bites, Greta dropped the subject of their departure and instead inquired about life in the temple and what it was like to be a priest. Wolfram's father became even more talkative than before, and Wolfram worried that, in a moment, he would bore the girl with his verbosity. She, however, gave a perfect demonstration of what she had learned about being a lady and did not show from herself that it was boring her in any way. Fortunately, her teacher appeared and saved her from continuing to listen. She should now have music lessons, so she doesn't slack off during her stay at Shin Makoku.

She gave a demonstration of the manners she had recently learned, bowing and lifting the hem of her sky-blue dress, uttering the learned formula smoothly, and walked back toward the castle with her teacher.

"What a lovely young lady." His father laughed lightly.

Wolfram escorted his daughter away with his eyes, proud of how well she had mastered etiquette, and only glanced back at his father when she disappeared from sight.

"She learns manners faster than Yuuri."

"It was not nice." He laughed again.

"But it's the truth itself. I have a feeling that this wimp has made it his goal to never learn it." He shook his head in disapproval. During all those meetings where he accompanied the king, even when Wolfram wrote everything out on a piece of paper and tucked it in his sleeve, the man still greeted everyone with Hello, how are you?, and then said he had forgotten the note. ""It's an unreformable case."

"And yet you still try to do something about it."

"I have no other choice. Who would have thought the king would be such a wimp."

Wolfram crossed his arms and huffed, to which he got the same response from his father as usual – more laughter.

"You really care about him. It's good to hear that."

Wolfram sent him a stare and then looked around the garden, trying to find a different subject for conversation. He didn't feel like listening to his father's teasing.

"Did you find that body?"

"Yes. If you know where to look, it's not that difficult. It's a good thing, though, that no one has come across it before. That would only have caused even more panic."

" You know where to look?" Wolfram was curious on the one hand and slightly concerned on the other.

"If you sacrifice a human body, you must handle the remains in a certain way for the ritual to succeed."

"It seems like much work for something so sick."

By thinking about it, he didn't even feel like eating anything anymore. When he informed Gwendal earlier today that he was going to join them, his brother not only didn't mind but even explained the situation to him in detail. The murder committed in the castle was most likely the work of the same person who had done it in the rest of the country. Wolfram just didn't understand why someone had gone to so much trouble to slip into the castle and murder a prisoner. Perhaps they felt overconfident? After all, no one even saw anything; the strange ritual was the only trace.

He was surprised that his older brother immediately agreed, but it looked like his father had intervened again. He is remarkably good at convincing people, first persuading his uncle to let him return to the capital and now Gwendal.

"Have you been there before?" His father suddenly asked.

"Where?"

"At your grandfather's residence."

"A few times when I was younger."

The man nodded slowly, squinting his eyes as if thinking about something.

"This man has gone completely insane. However, I find it hard to believe that he would have devised such an idea on his own."

"Do you think someone is helping him?"

"He certainly doesn't get his hands dirty himself. However, we don't have a lot of information about it at the moment. We will have to find out everything once we are there."

Wolfram nodded. His grandfather was a person who only talked a lot. Sometimes he hit a maid, but that was as far as he went in terms of violence. Killing someone was unthinkable. Even toward Conrad, who was the main object of his insults, he never did anything else. So it was hard to believe that he so suddenly decided to commit these murders.

His father looked toward the castle and got up from the table.

"I still have a few more things to discuss, so I'll leave you for now. And don't take off that bracelet." He pointed to Wolfram's wrist and walked away.

He touched two gemstones on the bracelet. So far, he didn't feel any different, but again, when the visions began to appear, he didn't expect it either. He will have to walk around the castle to see if it works.

He still had to clean up the painting studio before they left. He didn't want the maids to find his paintings and start spreading strange rumors. Usually, they wouldn't look in there when Wolfram was at the castle, but any restraint would let them go as soon as he left for a while.

Painting is his way of sorting out his thoughts, and under the influence of his recent visions, these are quite dark and bloody. He doesn't need more strange stories about him circulating around the castle.

Located on the second floor, overlooking the garden behind tall windows, now opened to let the room air out, the studio was a real mess.

Brushes were scattered around, a stool was overturned, and canvases lying on the floor as if someone had held a contest to throw them. Oily paint stains and spilled pigments are everywhere. Wolfram had never left the place in such a state, but the unfamiliar painting resting on the easel was an explanation.

He painted something again, but he didn't even realize it this time. The first time he woke up next to the easel, but this painting he only discovered now. Had he done it at night? But no one even mentioned seeing him wandering in the hallway. After all, if someone caught him, he would immediately end up in front of Gwendal, trying to explain where he was going. And given the situation, they now had plenty of guards in the castle.

He approached the painting, and chills went down his spine just from looking at it. He knew the person painted on it all too well. That mocking look of dark blue eyes and the sneering smile on his face. Even though he was handsome and neatly dressed, the only thing Wolfram felt when looking at him was disgust. He wanted to pierce the canvas with his fist, but he had a better end prepared for him. The pursuer would end up in flames, just like his men.

He hastily gathered up the scattered supplies and checked the condition of his pigments - some of them were expensive, but fortunately, not much was missing. Then he hid the remaining paintings, covering them with sheets and tying them with string, and then looked for used rags.

He carefully wrapped the canvas with the man's image with paint-stained scraps of cloth, making sure the entire thing was covered. After this, he locked the studio's door and headed into the garden, going to the place where the previous painting had burned.

After his yesterday's trip, the passing guards were no longer even surprised to see him. Carrying a bundle under his arm, he reached almost to the wall and was about to untie the painting from the rags when footsteps from behind distracted him.

Yuuri walked toward him with a lively stride and a broad smile. He was strangely pleased with himself, and Wolfram had a bad feeling that he had done something he would not like. Maybe he had convinced Gwendal not to let him go with them after all?

"I was able to find you quickly today," he announced, walking over to him, and Wolfram placed the painting on the ground. "I saw you enter the garden," he explained proudly, although Wolfram did not understand the reason for this pride. "What's that?"

He looked down at the painting and kicked it back slightly.

"Nothing. Just a painting I don't like anymore."

Yuuri only glanced at the object briefly, paying no further attention. Then, he opened his mouth to say something but suddenly froze and turned around. Behind them, footsteps sounded again, and Wolfram sighed. Since when was this place so busy?

"It looks like someone else saw us coming here," Yuuri muttered, displeased, and looked around.

Wolfram looked behind him. He hadn't seen anyone yet but could hear careful footsteps on the stone path. Only a dirt path led to where they were, so maybe someone was just passing through and would pass the place.

"Let's hide."

"What?" Wolfram was about to say it was unnecessary, but the hand over his mouth silenced him.

He sent Yuuri a furious look. Who would have thought that a king would have to hide in his own castle? In addition, he was even silenced because of it. It's all because he's being too lenient and letting others get in on his head. The best thing to do is tell this girl immediately that she has nothing to count on and should leave them alone. But since Yuuri didn't want to do that, Wolfram would have to deal with it.

Except that he couldn't move now. Yuuri pulled them between the trees and pressed him against the trunk of one of them as if he expected Wolfram to try to break free. He couldn't even ask what he thought he was doing, as he still had his mouth covered with his hand. The thought of biting him crossed his mind.

But then Yuuri got so close that only a hand on Wolfram's mouth separated their faces, and then a completely different thought entered his mind, and he now wanted to push him away for a different reason.

The concerned look on his boyfriend's face from before as he was looking around now turned into a satisfied smile. The footsteps moved away, and there was not even a need to hide anymore, but Yuuri still did not let him go.

He slowly slid his hand away from Wolfram's mouth while still remaining as close as before, and when he twitched slightly as if he were about to lean even closer, an alarm sounded in Wolfram's head.

He pushed him away and took a few steps back himself. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"I am sorry," Yuuri said, approaching him slowly and cautiously like a wild animal.

"It's okay," Wolfram replied weakly and took several deep breaths. Surely in Yuuri's eyes, he must have looked frightened now, although that was completely not the case. "This is just not the best place."

He now felt the need to explain himself, although he didn't know how to do it. Lately, he had been thinking that maybe he wouldn't mind a kiss. After all, most people don't even think it's anything special. But the situation didn't suit him, and he wasn't mentally prepared for it. Just a moment ago, he was planning to burn someone (even if it was just a painting), and then he was furious about Yuuri nailing him to a tree so unceremoniously. Whichever way you looked at it, it was not a romantic atmosphere.

However he tried to put it, it sounded silly. It was because of all the romances he had started reading lately. In addition, Yuuri would probably consider it just an excuse. What was Wolfram even thinking? It's obvious that he'll be bothered by the fact that they're not doing what other couples normally do. Eventually, he'd get tired of waiting for him and give up.

He clenched his fists tighter. Why must there be something wrong with him? Why can't he be like his mother? If he won't let anyone touch him, what's the point of anyone wanting to be with him? After all...

"Yuuri?" He exclaimed in surprise when his boyfriend suddenly drew him close and hugged him tightly. This happened surprisingly often recently.

"You look like you're thinking of something stupid," he said.

"Are you trying to insult me?" Even though he was trying to sound angry, he actually felt better. Maybe Yuuri was correct. After all, if he was with him only because of his looks, it wouldn't have taken him this long to realize that he liked him.

He snuggled in tighter, enjoying the warmth spreading through his body, and listened to Yuuri's heartbeat. It was slightly faster, just like his own, which somehow gave him comfort. He could have stayed like this for the rest of the day, but the thought of having something else to do kept him going.

That painting had to be burned.

Wolfram stepped back and, despite their mutual displeasure, returned to where he had left the painting. It was still lying on the ground, wrapped in rags. He didn't even bother to pull them off and simply threw them all into the small pit in the ground he had used yesterday and then set it on fire.

"Do you really have to set everything on fire?" Yuuri stood behind him and put his arms around his waist as if hugging just now wasn't enough. In truth, it wasn't for Wolfram either.

"It's the best way to get rid of things." He watched the fire. He didn't like how the burning process was going. The rags burned almost instantly, but the canvas remained almost untouched. Mocking eyes stared at Wolfram.

Yuuri squeezed him tighter.

"Who is it?"

Wolfram lifted his head up and was surprised to see a furious look.

"It's just an old painting." He touched his hands, squeezing them reassuringly, but Yuuri still seemed furious. It didn't even seem like jealousy. Instead, he stared at the portrait as if the man painted on it had murdered his entire family. Fortunately, the painting finally burst into flames and quickly turned to ashes.

"Yuuri?" Wolfram asked uncertainly when the grip on his waist still hadn't eased. "Are you okay?"

Yuuri hid his face in the hollow of his neck and breathed deeply while Wolfram raised his hand and stroked his head. After a few breaths, the hug finally relaxed, and Yuuri stepped away from him and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"I still have a lot of things to do before we leave, so it will be better if I go back."

Wolfram was left alone, not fully understanding what had just happened. At the time, he felt a strange tingling sensation, the same as when Yuuri went into Maou mode. However, he didn't understand why he would do so because of the painting. It's not like he knew who was painted on it. How would he know? After all, he didn't have visions like Wolfram.

Was there something going on with him that Wolfram didn't notice? The only things he's been focusing on lately have been training and the strange things he's seen. He was now guilty of overlooking something. Just like with the murders, he hadn't noticed all the talk about them in the castle at all. He should now watch Yuuri more carefully.

He kicked the ashes around, getting rid of the evidence that something had been burned here, and returned to the castle to prepare to depart.