You don’t see anyone here

Warning content: rape, child abuse

It wasn't that Blair didn't anticipate it, but he didn't want to believe it.

"Execute according to plan, Raul. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Amidst the Royal Palace's chaos, Blair sits alone in a dark audience hall. Even though he was the only one in the room, Blair could hear the commotion outside. He heard people screaming, swords clashing, and even faintly smelling blood.

At this time, Blair should have led his troops and come down with them. But he chose to wait while letting things happen.

Blair wants to allow Aeneas to vent his anger on the Royal Palace.

"Get as angry as you want, Aeneas. After that, let's settle down with me…"

They could go on vacation together–for the first time in their lives. Which place does he want? Blair is willing to take Aeneas to Tullia, where Catalina grew up. There was a ruby mine he had once longed for and grew all kinds of flowers. Gemstones and flowers, those two beautiful things, would have suited Aeneas very well.

After that, they returned to the Palace and built a new era for Mesina. Blair knows how much Aeneas hates the Royal Palace, so he is willing to burn and rebuild it so that the remnants of his bad memories will disappear. Or just get rid of it altogether? Doesn't matter. Blair would be happy to live in the same Palace as Aeneas.

Anything… Anything! Everything Blair would do if it were for Aeneas!

A scream sounded from a corner. Along with that scream, Blair heard something heavy collapsing onto the ground. What's that?

Who's that?

"Don't want to come out and see for yourself?"

He has yet to learn since when Aeneas appeared from behind one of the doors disguised as a wall. His smile and pace were as casual as if they weren't at war.

"Oh, did Big Brother just know the existence of this secret door?" asked Aeneas. He closed it then. "There was a guy named Hacket who told me years ago."

"Hackets?" The name sounded familiar to Blair. "The knight Archibald chased away long ago…"

Aeneas nodded. "As well as the confidant of the late Lady Helena. More precisely, Lady Helena discovered the secret door, then told Sir Hacket to help me."

"How… could all this relate to the late Lady Helena?"

Lady Helena is Selah's mother. When she became his fiancee, Selah never once spoke about her mother. Blair himself has only met Helena once when she asked him for help...

"Don't tell…."

"Yes." Aeneas smiled. "I got this idea from Lady Helena. She also helped me get rid of King Tristan."

"What?"

"Poison potions, ways of escaping and smuggling, and passages for exit… all I got from Lady Helena. In a way, she sacrificed her life to get me out of this cursed Palace."

Blair had never thought that far. He had often heard complaints from King Tristan about Catalina's excessive feelings for Helena and vice versa, but he never thought that this woman would go that far to help Aeneas.

No wonder Aeneas could get close to Selah that fast without hesitation. It is possible that from that moment, Aeneas intended to marry Selah!

"And at that time, where were you, Blair?"

The question was like a splash of ice water on Blair's body. "I…"

The pat on Blair's shoulder was hefty. "The late Lady Helena apologized to me for having trouble helping me. After I discovered more, it turns out it was because of you?" whispered Aeneas. A pat on his shoulder turned into a grip. "Why?"

Why?

Blair knew exactly what disgusting things his father had done to Aeneas. He didn't learn from the servants' or knights' words. Blair knew because he had seen it himself.

It was the most horrifying sight Blair had ever seen. His father was on top of his brother, trying to force him to do something while his brother was struggling and crying. The resounding slap sound stopped his brother's thrashing and left small sighs and sobs. And as if hypnotized by the sight, Blair's feet froze in place. It took him a long time before he could finally crawl away.

Unfortunately, Blair's steps were heard by his father.

Blair's memory of his father at that time is still vivid.

"Enjoying what you saw?"

The question from King Tristan made Blair's legs weak instantly. He immediately fell to his knees, not knowing what to answer.

Then King Tristan dragged him by force into his room. His hands, which were still many times stronger at that time, grabbed Blair's collar inhumanly, then threw him into his room, making Blair's head hit the edge of the table.

But the sight of King Tristan's bed made Blair's consciousness forced to wake up. How could he faint when he saw Aeneas lying helpless with bruises all over his naked body?

"Do you know him?" asked King Tristan in a whisper.

"I-I don't know him…" Blair replied in a trembling voice.

King Tristan snorted sarcastically. "What do you mean don't know him? You don't see anyone here, Prince Blair. In this room, there are only you and me. You understand?"

No, Blair didn't understand. He didn't understand why Aeneas could be in his father's bed like that. He didn't understand why his father would do that to Aeneas.

Maybe because Blair didn't answer his question, King Tristan beat Blair.

"Prince Blair, don't make me hit you a third time. You are my son who will become king in the future, so listen to me carefully," King Tristan hissed. "Do you understand?"

"Yes… Your Majesty… I… understand," Blair answered, sobbing. "I understand…"

"Good." King Tristan wakes up Blair and hugs him. "You are my only son. When you grow up, you will understand this feeling."

No, even as Blair grew up, he still didn't understand those forbidden feelings.

"You don't understand? What do you think you're doing right now?" asked Aeneas, interrupting Blair's thoughts. His hands moved to cover Blair's eyes. "You think I don't know what you're up to?"

As the hand moved away from her eyes, Blair saw that Aeneas had a knife in his other hand.

"You want me just for you, right? You want to kill Selah and my child."