CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: COCKY LITTLE THING

Min-jae stopped a few paces away, bowing just enough to be polite but never submissive.

"Your Majesty summoned me without notice.." he replied evenly. "I thought it only fair to make you wait a little."

Radomir laughed under his breath. "Still sharp-tongued as ever. I suppose some things never change."

Min-jae’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "And yet you keep calling me back."

The west courtyard was drenched in sunlight when Radomir gestured for him to sit. Min-jae lowered himself into the chair opposite the king, the faint rustle of his coat cutting through the quiet.

Radomir’s expression was unusually grim, his hands folded on the table between them. "There’s been trouble in the south.." he began, his voice calm but weighted. "Your husband’s territory."

-_-

Min-jae tilted his head slightly. "Trouble? You’ll have to be more specific, Your Majesty. Trouble here is as common as dust."

Radomir didn’t smile. "Not this kind. These aren’t thieves stealing coin or cattle. They’re taking people."

Min-jae’s brows furrowed. "People?"

"Lives, Kaizar.." Radomir said. "Over two hundred gone within the capital alone.."

Min-jae’s fingers drummed lightly against the armrest. "And you called me here for what reason? I am your special advisor, not your hound."

Radomir leaned back in his chair, the sunlight catching the faint gold in his hair. "You are my most capable mind, Kaizar. If anyone can track the cause, it’s you."

"That’s not part of my duties."

"I’m making it part of them."

Min-jae’s patience thinned. "Then perhaps you should send an investigator. Or better yet, handle it yourself if it troubles you so deeply."

That earned him a sharp laugh. "You seem to have forgotten your place."

He didn’t see Radomir move...one moment, the king was seated, and the next, his hand was wrapped around Min-jae’s throat. The pressure wasn’t enough to choke, but it was enough to make him go still.

Radomir’s face was close now, his smile gone. "Do not test me, Kaizar. You serve under my crown. When I command, you obey."

Min-jae’s voice came out low, measured even through the strain. "You’re insane. So I will not bow to you.."

"Perhaps." Radomir’s thumb brushed the edge of his jaw before he pulled back, letting go as if nothing had happened. "But I’m still your king, you have no choice."

Min-jae inhaled slowly, steadying himself. His eyes flicked toward the wine glass beside them, briefly considering throwing it at him.

Instead, he smiled thinly. "Fine. I’ll go. But you’ll regret forcing my hand."

Radomir’s lips curved. "I’ve regretted worse things. You’re hardly the most dangerous mistake I’ve made."

Min-jae rose from his seat, fixing the folds of his sleeve. "Then this mistake will be memorable."

Radomir chuckled under his breath. "If you wish to make me regret it, you’ll have to try harder than that, love. I could fuck you here and now, and I wouldn’t lose a night’s sleep over it. Who knows, it would be exciting...fucking a married man."

-_-

The words hung heavy in the air, obscene in their casual cruelty. Min-jae’s jaw tightened. He refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Do whatever you please, Your Majesty. You always do."

"Good.." Radomir murmured. "Then we understand each other."

He stood and turned toward the garden, his tone suddenly lighter. "One more thing. There will be a ball in four days. A masquerade ball. I plan to choose a wife."

Min-jae scoffed quietly. "How romantic."

Radomir’s grin was sharp. "You should attend. I think you’ll find it... entertaining."

Min-jae’s thoughts flicked briefly to Syris.

The poor fool.

Maybe this was the chance she needed to secure the king’s heart before someone else did.

"I’ll keep that in mind.." he said, already walking away.

Radomir’s gaze followed him until he disappeared behind the archway.

"Keep it in mind.." he repeated under his breath, a dark smile curling at the corner of his lips. "You always do."

The corridor outside the courtyard was bright, the marble reflecting the afternoon light like shards of glass. Min-jae walked briskly, his heartbeat steady but his mind seething.

The audacity of that man, his words still clung to him like smoke, foul and impossible to ignore.

He reached the main hall, pausing for a moment to exhale. Breathe, he reminded himself. You’ve dealt with worse.

Radomir was always a storm..beautiful from afar, but catastrophic up close. And yet somehow, everyone in this cursed castle mistook his cruelty for charisma.

Min-jae brushed his fingers over his throat where the king’s hand had been, feeling the faint throb beneath his skin. "You’ll regret that.." he whispered, voice almost tender.

He turned toward the northern wing. There were more pressing matters than his irritation—namely, Syris.

If the ball was in four days, then she had less than to turn herself into something the king would actually want to look at.

Four days to learn every trick, tone, and charm that could bend Radomir’s attention her way.

The castle’s servants scurried out of his path as he walked, their eyes darting nervously. He ignored them, scanning the courtyards and terraces.

Syris wasn’t in her chambers.

Not in the gardens.

Not in the library.

Where in the world—

His thoughts were cut short as he turned a corner and nearly collided with someone.

The impact was firm, solid enough to make him stumble a step back. He blinked and his expression soured the instant he saw who it was.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Sun-browned skin. Eyes the color of molten bronze and a grin that looked carved from arrogance itself.

Icarus.

The real thing, just as the manhwa had drawn him, down to the lazy slant of his smile and that infuriating glint that screamed trouble.

"Well.." Icarus drawled, brushing his sleeve as if Min-jae had dirtied it. "If it isn’t the royal pet himself. They let you off the leash today?"

Min-jae’s gaze flicked up, cool and unimpressed. "You must be Icarus. I almost didn’t recognize you without a proper muzzle."

The man blinked, his grin freezing for a heartbeat before returning, sharper. "You’ve got a mouth on you. Careful, pretty boy. Words like that could get you hurt."

"By you?" Min-jae stepped past him smoothly. "Unlikely."

"Cocky little thing, aren’t you." Icarus reached out as if to grab his arm. "I’m talking to you..."