"Alright! Hand me the blindfold!" Harusheen ordered.
Three soldiers stood trembling with fear, apples balanced on their heads. Harusheen had declared he wanted to make training more fun, deciding that using apples as targets while blindfolded would be a good challenge for his archery practice.
"Y-Young Lord... i-is this really necessary?" one of the knights asked nervously, glancing at his unfortunate comrades now standing at the target zone.
"Come on, this is part of my training," Harusheen said cheerfully. "I'm not great with a bow yet, so I need to test my progress."
The knight sighed in defeat, handing over the blindfold while silently praying for the safety of the three human targets.
"Come on, Sheen. What if you miss and hit one of them?" Kasey called out, watching the scene unfold.
"Archery's not even your strong suit," Kiko added dryly.
"Stop this nonsense already," Tohru grumbled, clearly bored.
"Oh, lighten up! This is fun!" Harusheen grinned.
"Nah, you're the only one enjoying it," Kasey muttered.
"Why don't we make a bet—whether he hits the apples or not?" Shuu suggested.
"I bet he misses all of them," Tohru said flatly.
"Same here," Kasey agreed.
"Seriously? Why not cheer me on instead?" Harusheen protested.
Shuu chuckled. "Just focus on hitting the target so we can win our bets."
Harusheen smirked, slipping the blindfold over his eyes. He picked up his bow and took his position. "Alright! Here I come!"
The three soldiers squeezed their eyes shut, bracing for the worst.
Harusheen let three arrows fly.
They all missed—badly. The arrows scattered in random directions, far from the targets. The knights sighed in relief, thankful that no one was harmed.
Harusheen tore off his blindfold in frustration. "Tch. I don't want to use this useless weapon anymore," he muttered, tossing the bow to the ground.
Kasey laughed, clearly enjoying his brother's failure.
Just then, Rin arrived.
"Oh, Rin! You should've seen it," Shuu called, amused.
But Rin ignored him and walked straight to Harusheen, extending a hand.
"Give it to me," Rin said firmly.
"Huh?" Harusheen blinked.
"The pills," Rin said, his voice sharp.
Harusheen's heart dropped. Crap. Did Rin find out?
"W-What do you mean? They're just... vitamins," Harusheen mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
"I know what they are. Hand them over."
Kasey and the others moved closer, sensing the tension.
"What's going on?" Kiko asked.
Rin gave Harusheen a hard stare.
"I'm innocent!" Harusheen exclaimed.
"This idiot's taking those weird pills again," Rin said.
"No!" Harusheen shouted.
"You said you stopped!" Kiko added, shocked.
Harusheen backed away. "I-It's just a supplement! It calms me down and boosts my strength. There's nothing wrong with it!"
His brothers looked unconvinced.
Imman moved swiftly, snatching a small pouch from Harusheen's pocket and tossing it to Rin.
"My pills!" Harusheen cried in horror.
Rin opened the pouch and they examined the contents.
"Tch. I'm taking this to Sir Arthur. Get ready to explain yourself," he said coldly.
"Noooo!" Harusheen wailed, collapsing to the ground. "My pills!"
His brothers sighed and patted him on the shoulders as he sat there, sobbing over his confiscated stash.
.
.
.
Back at the old Wolfsbane mansion…
TJ remained silent, listening intently as the man recounted the history of the ruins around them.
"This mansion once belonged to the late Lord Gilmesh Wolfsbane, the former Duke of the South," the man explained. "He was branded a traitor for raising forces against the Serolf royal family. He assassinated Emperor Gustav, as well as his own parents and only brother, Lord Hadrian. Eventually, Duke Gilmesh was slain by Emperor Mikhail. With no surviving relatives, the title of Duke of the South was granted to another noble house. Since then, this place has been left to decay. Thieves came, looted everything of value, and now… nothing remains."
The man leaned back, the weight of the past heavy in his eyes.
"My family served this household long ago," he continued. "When the war broke out, they were all killed and our home was destroyed. I had nowhere else to go. I returned here to hide, thinking no one would bother with a ruin like this. I've been living here ever since."
"I see…" TJ murmured.
The man bowed his head slightly. "Forgive me for threatening you earlier. I thought you were another thief."
"No, it's my fault," TJ replied calmly. "I entered without permission."
"There's no need for permission anymore. No one owns this place now," the man said with a faint smile. "Ah, I should introduce myself—my name is Tobi."
"I'm TJ," he replied, nodding.
Tobi tilted his head. "Are you a traveler?"
"Something like that. I'm lost… and I don't really know where I'm headed."
"If I were you, I'd leave this empire as soon as you can. War is brewing, and travelers aren't safe around here," Tobi warned.
"I understand."
Tobi hesitated, then added with a furrowed brow, "When I first saw you, I was terrified. You look so much like the late Duke. For a moment, I thought Lord Gilmesh had returned from the grave to take his revenge."
"Even I was shocked when I saw his portrait," TJ said, his tone quiet. "But I have no connection to him. I don't even know who he really was."
"Gilmesh was a cruel man. It's a relief that he left no heirs." Tobi's words were firm.
But something still gnawed at TJ. He couldn't shake the strange feeling deep in his chest. Why did Lord Gilmesh resemble his father so much? Was it just a coincidence? Or was there something more—something buried deeper in the shadows of the past?
"Anyway," Tobi said, standing, "I can guide you to the empire's border. We'll leave at first light."
TJ managed a small smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
.
.
.
Jinny had returned to the main palace, where Matias was already waiting for her. The moment their eyes met, she saw the stern expression etched across his face.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with suspicion.
Jinny quickly recalled her agreement with Ran—the emperor must not find out about their plans.
"I just took a walk outside to get some fresh air," she lied, keeping her tone as neutral as possible.
Matias studied her closely, as if trying to read past her words. Jinny kept her expression composed, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.
"I see," he said at last. "But you shouldn't go out alone. You must bring knights with you whenever you leave the palace grounds. You're carrying my child."
"I understand, Your Majesty. Please forgive me. It won't happen again," she replied, bowing respectfully.
"You may return to your chambers and rest. I've instructed the servants to prepare one of the vacant rooms for you. You will stay there from now on," Matias said firmly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jinny bowed once more, then followed the servants quietly to her newly prepared room.