Chapter 207

Once upon a time—quite a long time ago, about six hundred years back.

In Joseon, ruled by the great King Sejong, there lived a man named Minister Hwang Hee.

Minister Hwang Hee was wise and exceptionally competent.

So King Sejong valued him greatly.

And along with that favor came an endless supply of work, day after day.

Each new assignment bent his back a little more.

So much that he wanted to run away.

One day, Hwang Hee finally pleaded with King Sejong.

“Your Majesty, I am old, and I wish to return to my hometown and spend the rest of my life in peace.”

The benevolent King Sejong replied, “Then I’ll send my palanquin. From now on, ride it to work.”

After that, Minister Hwang Hee pleaded every day.

“My mother has passed away. Please let me rest.”

“Please let me use my accumulated vacation days.”

“Please, just let me retire.”

“Just dismiss me.”

“Please fire me.”

And each time, King Sejong cheerfully declared, “No.”

Thanks to that, Joseon’s wise Minister Hwang Hee was happily exploited until he finally retired four months before King Sejong’s death.

And then?

He passed away without enjoying much of what little time he had left.

A hell ending. A hell ending.

‘……There’s a story like that. Depending on how you tell it, it’s a funny bit of history. But if you really think about it, it might not be someone else’s story. At least, not for me.’

Lloyd recalled the old saying—if you could even call it that—and clenched his fist.

A wise minister begging to retire.

A king who kept using him until the end.

It sounded like a slightly amusing footnote in history.

That’s what Lloyd used to think, too.

But these days?

It didn’t feel like someone else’s problem.

King Sejong and Minister Hwang Hee.

Queen Alicia and himself.

Somehow, the crisis of a similar situation felt real—like it was already brushing against his skin.

‘It’s not just a feeling.’

Lloyd bit his lip.

He’d felt it before, more than once.

Anxiety would surge so hard it woke him in the middle of the night.

Himself—who’d overcome everything and finally stabilized the estate.

Himself—trying to live at ease, sucking honey for the rest of his life.

And then the Queen calls him.

Hands him more work without pause.

He can’t escape the gears of it, groaning as they grind him down—

And in the nightmare, he looks on at his own miserable figure and admires it.

‘But that nightmare… if I’m careless, it’ll become reality. It really feels like it.’

His mouth went bitter.

It started when he received the Queen’s order and joined the special envoy to Ahinsa in the Sultanate.

From then on, the thought lodged itself in his head.

This wasn’t right.

Then, on the way, he went to the royal capital, Magentano, to meet the Queen and get permission for the rebel leader Termes’s defection.

That was when he became certain.

If he simply stood by and did nothing—

The sense of crisis flared so sharply that he could see the future clear as day: he’d become the Queen’s worker, her SCV, until he died.

‘That’s why. I need a plan.’

He’d shown too much of his abilities.

He’d fixed the estate’s financial crisis, physical crisis, and even the biological crisis.

He’d done more than necessary, more than anyone expected.

As a result, the Queen had recognized his value.

And Queen Alicia?

She was the type to use capable people.

A monarch who genuinely believed that the harder talented people worked, the more peaceful the people became and the richer the country grew.

So if Lloyd stayed like this without a plan, there was no avoiding a lifetime of forced labor.

And he’d have to say goodbye to the honey-sucking life he’d dreamed of.

‘That can’t happen.’

Just imagining it made him shudder.

He’d suffered enough in South Korea.

He’d struggled through every kind of hardship here just to get things under control.

Working until he died felt less like duty and more like punishment.

That was why—

The endless labor exploitation Queen Alicia would unleash in the future.

He needed a way to dodge it.

Lately, he’d been constantly thinking about what to do.

‘Of course, it’s not like I can rebel against the Queen.’

Queen Alicia was absolute authority.

Politically, she was among the strongest rulers in Magentano’s history.

And on top of that, she was a Swordmaster so powerful she had no equal.

Because of her, the country’s politics were stable.

But to start a rebellion because he didn’t want more work?

Lloyd shook his head.

‘Am I out of my mind?’

It would probably fail.

And even if it succeeded, it would be like opening the gates of hell with his own hands.

If he was unlucky, he’d become king and spend the rest of his life drowning in state affairs.

A true disaster.

Lloyd wanted to avoid that future at all costs.

‘Besides, Alicia trusts me. If I use that well, she can be the most reliable backing I’ll ever have. From my perspective, the longer she stays on the throne, the better.’

Alicia’s reign needed to remain firm.

And under that stable umbrella, Lloyd needed to do no work and only suck honey.

To pull that off, he had to rebuild his position.

A position full of rights.

With minimal obligations.

A way to seize a political seat where he could suck honey in peace.

That was Lloyd’s obsession lately.

‘But the problem was I couldn’t find a way. Until just now. Now it’s different. Julian—this is thanks to you.’

Lloyd’s lips curled.

His gaze locked onto the road below the mansion hill.

Julian and Scheherazade walked side by side there.

Avoiding the harsh summer sun—sometimes one a step ahead, sometimes a step behind.

Still, the two of them were awkward together.

Watching them, Lloyd’s brain spun.

A way came to him—one that could prevent Queen Alicia’s labor exploitation.

‘Good. It’s possible. I think it’ll work.’

He felt the opening.

He saw the angle.

This was worth trying.

If he succeeded—

It would be far harder than before for Queen Alicia to openly use him however she pleased.

No—at the very least, he could create an atmosphere where doing so felt uncomfortable.

A mischievous smile spread across Lloyd’s face.

‘That’s why. Julian—this time, your big brother’s going to have to owe you one.’

When a plan comes to mind, virtue lies in acting immediately.

It started that very evening.

To bring his new big picture to life, Lloyd began moving at once.

His first target was Julian.

♣

“Hoo.”

A sigh slipped out before Julian could stop it.

He didn’t understand why.

He didn’t understand why he kept sighing while eating.

Or why the first meal at home in so long didn’t taste sweet at all.

‘I really don’t know.’

Julian shook his head faintly.

For some reason, he couldn’t sit still.

Even while talking with his parents at the table, it was the same.

Even while eating his favorite smoked duck, it was the same.

Something felt off, and he had no idea why.

His heart kept pounding for no reason.

Then, as if he couldn’t breathe, a suffocating tightness would hit him—

And yet he’d smile without realizing it.

Because of that, he couldn’t even tell whether he was tasting the food or swallowing air.

If he had to put it in one word…

“Doesn’t it feel like you’re going crazy?”

Flinch!

Julian had roughly finished eating.

He’d left more than half the food behind.

He’d awkwardly reassured his worried parents that it was nothing and stepped into the hallway—

And then he shuddered at the voice from the side.

Because he’d been thinking that exact thing: Am I going crazy?

It felt as if someone had read his mind.

He whirled toward the voice.

“……Brother?”

Lloyd was there.

One hand stroked his chin, eyes oddly sharp.

“W-what do you mean? That I’m crazy?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Huh?”

“I was asking because I thought you were thinking that about yourself.”

“Oh…”

The casual way Lloyd said it left Julian speechless.

He hurried to explain, like he’d been caught doing something wrong.

“N-no, it’s not like that. It’s really nothing. I’m fine. I just have a bit of an upset stomach.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Uh.”

“Indigestion, then. Want me to prick your finger?”

“Huh?”

Prick his finger? How?

Julian looked up, startled.

Lloyd’s smile carried a strange meaning.

“It’s simple. Tie a thread tight around your thumb, then prick the base of your nail with a needle. Black blood will come out. Then untie the thread and rub your back. It’ll fix you right up. The indigestion will go down.”

“…….”

“Want to try it?”

“N-no.”

The image alone—needle, blood—made Julian recoil.

He shook his head hard and started toward his room.

“I’m fine. I don’t want to do that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Why was Lloyd following him?

Julian already felt restless and didn’t understand why.

He wanted to be alone.

But Lloyd followed as if none of that mattered, tossing out nonsense along the way.

“Julian, I know.”

“W-what?”

“What you’re thinking.”

“What… am I thinking?”

“You feel strange, right?”

“No, I don’t.”

Julian sped up.

But Lloyd’s pace matched him effortlessly.

Worse, Lloyd kept calling out his thoughts as if he could see straight through him.

“But you don’t know why you feel strange, right?”

“…….”

That was true.

He’d felt restless and wrong all evening.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find the cause.

And that only made him feel more unsettled.

Yet Lloyd spoke like it was obvious.

Julian finally stopped.

He looked up at Lloyd seriously.

“Brother. I actually have a problem.”

“Yeah. Tell me.”

“You’re right. I really feel strange.”

“Good. Admitting it is a great start. Want to walk for a bit?”

“O-okay.”

As expected of his brother.

The brother who’d changed from his delinquent past into someone dependable.

That gentle voice.

That expression that made it seem like he understood.

Julian lowered his guard without realizing it.

Before he knew it, he was walking with Lloyd along the path in front of the mansion, slowly spilling everything out.

“Actually… I’ve felt strange since earlier this evening. But I really don’t know why.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s look at it. Think back to late afternoon. When did you start feeling strange?”

“When?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm…”

Julian searched his memory.

“Um… I took a walk with Scheherazade this afternoon.”

“Yeah.”

“We talked a lot.”

“What kind of things?”

“About how she grew up. The difficulties of sword training. Why the desert is beautiful. Things like that. I liked listening to her. But…”

“But?”

“……”

Julian trailed off.

Then the answer clicked into place.

Now he knew.

“I think it started after the walk ended. After I came back alone.”

“Did it?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding made it feel real—solid.

“That’s right. Since then, I’ve felt restless and strange…”

“And empty. Right?”

“Yeah. How do you know?”

It was uncanny.

How Lloyd could name it so precisely.

Julian looked at him, desperate for an explanation.

Lloyd smiled like it was simple.

“That’s first love.”

“……What?”

“First love. Don’t you know?”

“I-I know.”

“Then that’s it. That’s what it is.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“First love?”

“Uh.”

“For Scheherazade?”

“Maybe?”

“…….”

Julian went silent.

The shock of realization—pulled out by Lloyd’s words—hit him all at once.

He swallowed hard, barely breathing.

Lloyd watched him and smiled inwardly.

‘As expected. I was right.’

His eyes hadn’t been wrong.

Julian and Scheherazade walking together earlier—

One glance had been enough.

It was the typical look of a man and woman just starting to flirt.

‘There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize it. Do you think I’ve only seen that once or twice?’

Back in South Korea, Lloyd had been a college student.

Sure, civil engineering didn’t exactly overflow with women.

But on campus in spring, he could still see couples everywhere.

And he’d watched it happen among his friends and classmates, too.

‘Especially the first semester of freshman year.’

Whether it was OT, department MTs, opening parties, blind dates—

He’d witnessed countless couples forming.

Sometimes he even had to drink with a friend who’d gotten dumped mid-flirt.

Of course, he’d flirted himself, too.

‘Damn it. If it wasn’t for that coin karaoke…’

Once again, he resentfully blamed the karaoke shop near the school gate.

And, as usual, he mentally cursed the classmates who’d dragged him there, hoping they’d all get athlete’s foot.

‘Tsk.’

Lloyd folded that memory away.

Then he looked at Julian again.

‘They’re flirting, all right.’

With the discerning eye honed on campus, it was obvious.

Julian and Scheherazade were flirting.

But the people doing the flirting didn’t even understand it.

Which made sense.

‘Of course. They’re both awkward at this.’

Julian had done nothing but study since childhood.

Scheherazade wasn’t any different.

‘She probably just trained with the sword until she dropped.’

They were two people who’d devoted themselves to their own paths, with a fence between them and romance.

And then, by chance, they ran headfirst into first love—something they’d never had any fate with.

Clumsy emotions.

Mistakes everywhere.

Awkward processing.

It was obvious they’d stumble through it.

‘I can’t let this flirting fall apart. That would be a waste.’

For them.

And for him.

So today, he’d be Cupid.

He’d connect a young couple in their first love.

And he’d make sure to collect the rice cakes that came out of it.

Lloyd smiled, satisfied, and fully loaded his face, gaze, and voice with the trustworthy air of an older brother.

Then he fired the line he’d prepared.

“You know… if you keep being this clumsy, you’ll lose Scheherazade.”

“……What?”

Lose Scheherazade.

Julian’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit.

Panic he couldn’t hide flashed clearly across his face.

Seeing that, Lloyd’s smile deepened.

Because he could already see it—the picture forming.

Through the union of those two, he could become a necessary figure to both the Magentano Royal Family and the Sultanate, straddle both sides, and seize the initiative.

And from that moment—

His tongue, now warmed up, pressed down harder on the accelerator of an even more fruitful scheme.