Esa Promesa

My actions made Diver frown deeply. I considered throwing out a sarcastic remark like, ‘Careful, Your Majesty, you’ll wrinkle that handsome face,’ but held my tongue. If I provoked him now, he would likely close the remaining distance between us and shove that pill straight into my mouth.

“Your Majesty, while I’m touched by your concern, the best cure for me isn’t that medicine, it’s leaving this palace.”

“Do you hate the palace that much?”

His tone wasn’t one of anger or accusation, but of genuine curiosity. Taken aback, I answered without hesitation.

“It’s not that I hate it. It’s just that it’s exhausting not being able to rest. Your Majesty, I’m a patient who needs absolute rest. While I might seem fine now, walking and talking like this, as time passes, I won’t even be able to do that. Imagine me trying to handle work until the end. Leaving aside being treated worse than a beast, think about how much trouble my unfinished tasks would cause for my successor. And if word spreads that I died in the middle of my duties, what would happen to the royal family’s reputation? That’s why I want to leave while I can still move.”

Diver listened to my lengthy explanation with an unusually serious expression, which naturally made my tone more persuasive.

I expected him to respond immediately once I finished, but instead, he looked at me thoughtfully, as if lost in deep consideration.

Good. He seemed on the verge of agreeing. I kept silent, waiting for him to say the words that would grant my freedom.

“Teian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Even if you’re about to die, I can’t accept your resignation.”

“……When you tore up twenty copies of my resignation letter in front of me, I thought at least you still had some humanity. But I see now I was wrong. Do you really want to watch me waste away before your eyes? This is too much, Your Majesty! After everything I’ve done for you, how could you, no, how could you treat me like this?”

“You’ve been mouthing off like that for years, and yet you’re still alive and well. Why do you think that is?”

His tone had shifted noticeably, and I cautiously chose my words, sensing I was treading dangerous ground.

“Well, it’s because your gracious Majesty recognized my talent and personally appointed me.”

“Didn’t you just say there are plenty of people who could replace you?”

The dissatisfaction in his expression was impossible to miss. Typical Diver, always quick to sulk.

“How could I possibly comprehend the depth of your Majesty’s noble intentions?”

“I.”

There had been times when I wondered if Diver was a beast in a previous life. His temper flared at my sarcastic response, and before I knew it, he was striding toward me and grabbing me by the collar with rough hands.

My clothes tightened around my neck, making it harder to breathe, but instead of cowering, I locked eyes with the fierce gray gaze glaring back at me.

I remembered reading once in a book that when faced with a wild animal, you should never break eye contact. This man no, this king devoid of reason might as well have been one. I braced myself, wondering what he would say. Nothing coherent came to mind.

“I… like you.”

“…Hah.”

The sigh I had been holding back escaped involuntarily. Grabbing his wrist, I lamented aloud.

An advisor’s role extends even to the king’s romantic affairs. It wasn’t just oversight but also guidance. I had accepted that role and had even given Diver lessons on love in the past. But this?

“Your Majesty, how many times have I taught you? For heaven’s sake, even an eight-year-old noble lady wouldn’t use such an embarrassingly naïve and idiotic line while playing with dolls. Hearing it now makes me feel like all the time I spent teaching you was utterly wasted.”

“Do you really have to criticize that right now? I just confessed to you.”

“Your Majesty, your cunning has truly grown. You like me? Yes, thank you. Now, will you let me go?”

Diver likes me? It was a good thing there was no one else in the room to hear this absurd claim.

If anyone else had been present, they would have burst out laughing. It was common knowledge in the kingdom that Diver disliked me, and now he claimed to like me? It was a plot too ridiculous even for a third-rate tabloid.

I couldn’t stop the incredulous chuckle that slipped from my lips. Diver’s face flushed red, and at first, I thought it was from anger.

Maybe he was restraining himself because I was dying, but I had just blatantly mocked him. Surely, he would drop the pretense and lash out at me or throw me out.

“….…?”

But no matter how long I waited, Diver didn’t lose his temper. What I had assumed was a face reddened with fury turned out to be something else entirely.

Looking closer, I noticed the slight redness around his eyes and the way his gray irises shimmered with unshed tears. Yet he was smiling though it was a smile I had never seen before.

It was unsettling. His furrowed brows contrasted sharply with his forced smile, and the mismatch made his expression even more frightening than outright anger. Instinctively, I stepped back. Diver released his grip on my collar, letting me go.

“You don’t have to believe me. But I can’t let you go. Even if you die, you’ll die by my side.”

“…Since you seem so determined to deal with a corpse in your palace, I won’t argue further.”

There was no point in continuing this conversation; it would only tire me out. Diver’s expression lingered in my mind, but it had to be just another one of his childhood tricks, a way to deceive me with his facial expressions. I was certain of it.

“I won’t leave without your permission, Your Majesty. But at least allow me to return to work.”

Diver’s eyes narrowed, clearly scrutinizing me to determine if I was lying. I met his gaze head-on, lifting my chin to show my sincerity.

Ideally, I wanted to leave with proper procedures in place, collecting my severance and other allowances. But if Diver refused to let me go until the end, I would have to find another way to escape the palace before my time ran out. Until then, it was better to carry on as usual and lull Diver into a false sense of security.

“Fine. I’ll allow it. But since there’s no guarantee you won’t try to run, I’ll assign someone to watch you.”

“Do you really think the palace has an abundance of staff right now? Didn’t we already decide to cut the number of knights and servants to half of what we had two years ago for security reasons? Please don’t waste precious manpower on me and put them to more productive use.”

“What if you run?”

“Don’t you trust me? If you’re so worried, why not just stick by my side and work with me?”

“That’ll do.”

Diver’s expression made it clear he thought it was an excellent idea. At that moment, I realized I had dug my own grave.

Up until now, Diver had spent half his day on state affairs and the other half enjoying his leisure time. Thanks to that, I have been able to work at a reasonable pace with plenty of breaks. But with my careless remark, I had just erased that invaluable free time.

It felt like I was bleeding internally, but true to his word, Diver personally opened the bedroom door he had refused to unlock until now. The knight standing guard outside glanced at me but stepped aside with a nod at Diver’s signal. Without even remembering to bid Diver farewell, I quickly stepped out of the room.

After being confined all day, I headed to my quarters to change before returning to the palace. There were tasks I hadn’t completed yesterday and new documents waiting for review today. Just thinking about it made me feel overwhelmed.

Because of that damn king, my entire schedule was in ruins.

“See you in the afternoon.”

As I stepped out of the room, I glanced back at Diver, who did something he rarely did: he offered a polite farewell. Surprised, I met his gaze, only for him to quickly avert his eyes, clearly embarrassed. It was irritating, but considering that he had let me go so easily this time, I gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment. Diver didn’t follow; he seemed content to remain in his chamber.

The door closed behind me, and the knight who had been stationed outside looked at me with a mix of disappointment and curiosity.

“His Majesty let you go? I thought for sure this time Sir Teian would be executed for lèse-majesté.”

“Watch your tongue, Sir Ewyn. And don’t worry; if I’m going to die, I’ll be sure to take you down with me first. Now, how much did you bet this time?”

“How… how did you know?”

Ewyn’s startled expression made me scowl. Did he really think I wouldn’t notice? Ever since I had begun serving as Diver’s advisor and had to frequent his chambers, the royal knights had made a habit of placing bets on whether I’d end up executed. It was a well-known secret among the palace staff. This time, given my confinement, they must have been more confident than ever and raised the stakes significantly.

“This time even the Dragon King joined in, so the amount was substantial.” 

That damn dragon. Though I couldn’t outright curse the kingdom’s guardian, I settled for a curt nod and got to the point.

“As usual, I won. Deposit the money into my account.”

I would’ve liked to savor the despair creeping across Ewyn’s face, but there was too much work waiting for me. Instead, I gave him a pat on the shoulder and hurried off.

Thanks to that damn king, my workload had piled up to the ceiling and was still growing as I stood there. The sooner I started, the better.