Kwon Minseong suppressed the urge to stuff a piece of bread into the automatic carrier pigeon's beak.
"I'm going to play my final trump card first."
He thought of the trump card waiting in the room at the far western end of the building.
Elun's first postpartum recovery suite had been prepared so that any expectant parent could be admitted at a moment's notice. A specially installed humidifier continuously puffed out white steam to maintain the proper moisture level. A phonograph played soothing string quartets around the clock.
And the room's occupant was none other than the Emperor's younger brother—the Grand Duke of this nation, pregnant with an enemy nation's child.
"A trump card? What is it?"
"Something special."
"You're just being stubborn. Stop pretending you've got something up your sleeve. Bluffing is a privilege reserved for people who actually have something."
"Your Emperor is the one who's best at bluffing."
"His Majesty?"
Adelgius let out a disbelieving laugh.
The Tillio he knew was about as far from bluffing and pretense as a person could get.
In fact, that was the problem.
He was too far from them.
"I don't know. He seemed like a virgin."
"Cough! Hrk—!"
"And it was funny watching him act like he knew all about Omega Derfyu when he clearly doesn't know much about Omegas."
The automatic carrier pigeon suddenly began spraying water everywhere.
For more than a minute afterward, Adelgius couldn't continue speaking.
Only after gulping down several glasses of water did he finally regain his voice.
"How dare you... speak so casually about His Majesty's private life...?"
"Maybe I'm wrong. Why are you getting so worked up?"
"You think His Majesty doesn't understand Omegas? Ever since his coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen, he has been subjected to relentless assaults from Omegas! Every Omega of marriageable age in Elunem constantly released Derfyu to seduce him—at balls, excursions, hunting tournaments, even in conference rooms where affairs of state were being discussed!"
"Fifteen..."
Wasn't that a crime?
"Especially the Marquis of Orphes. He tried to manipulate His Majesty through Derfyu. At one point he even shoved his son, who was in Heat Cycle, into His Majesty's study. And in the end, His Majesty did that thing to himself because of it..."
Adelgius sighed deeply.
"If I started listing all of that scoundrel's misdeeds, it would take all night."
So that's why he stabbed me while ranting about some marquis the first time we met.
What exactly did he do to himself?
No.
Don't ask.
"Still..."
Adelgius began cautiously.
"Did the two of you sleep together?"
"The two of us meaning?"
"You and His Majesty."
"Adel, I'm eating. If you're going to ask disgusting questions, hang up."
"Isn't it a reasonable suspicion? You keep saying strange things about His Majesty being a virgin or not understanding Omegas, and His Majesty keeps..."
Ding-dong.
Ding-dong.
A clear chime rang out at the perfect moment, cutting Adelgius off before Kwon Minseong could shove bread into his ears.
Taking the opportunity, he sprang to his feet.
Leaving the babbling pigeon behind, he hurried downstairs toward the entrance.
If escaping Adelgius's revolting theories was the reward, he wouldn't have minded if the visitor outside turned out to be a robber.
A patient would be even better.
Unfortunately, the visitor was neither.
A man dressed in a yellow uniform bowed politely.
Kwon Minseong returned an awkward half-bow while examining him.
"Doctor Kwon Minseong."
"Who's that?"
"I've been waiting for you, Doctor. Please board the carriage."
"A carriage? Who sent him? Which family? Verify it before you get on, Kwon Minseong! There are plenty of fake carriages out there!"
The automatic carrier pigeon flapped frantically around his head, screeching directly into his ear.
Kwon Minseong grabbed the bird, flipped it upside down, and exposed its belly.
Then he firmly pressed the red button hidden there.
The pigeon immediately snapped its beak shut.
A moment later it flew out the door and disappeared high into the sky.
"How can I help you?"
After sending the pigeon away, Kwon Minseong addressed the Imperial messenger.
The messenger bent one knee and respectfully presented a blue cushion.
Kwon Minseong wondered why he was being offered a cushion.
Then he noticed the white envelope resting on top.
It had been sealed with dark navy wax stamped with the Imperial eagle.
"What brings you here?"
"I have come under Imperial orders to escort you."
"Oh, come back another time. I'm a little busy right now."
Treating the Emperor's messenger like a door-to-door salesman, Kwon Minseong opened the gate wider.
The meaning was obvious.
Leave.
"The Emperor is one who gives orders, not one who waits."
"And you're not even going to tell me why I'm being summoned? What exactly am I supposed to trust here?"
"The Emperor is not one who explains. He is one who gives orders."
"Oh dear. What should I do? I'm the sort of person who needs explanations."
It was blatantly disrespectful.
Yet the messenger wasn't surprised.
Before departing, the great Emperor had warned him thoroughly.
The insolent, poorly educated doctor would not move easily.
"It is an Imperial command."
The messenger raised the cushion higher.
"Not interested. Please leave."
Kwon Minseong turned around without a second thought.
Again, the messenger wasn't surprised.
The wise Emperor of Elunem had anticipated this as well.
If the doctor refused twice, he had instructed the messenger to stop arguing and simply read the contents of the letter aloud.
A messenger existed solely to convey the Emperor's will.
Without hesitation, he broke the seal bearing the Imperial insignia.
"Hospital."
Kwon Minseong froze.
Halfway through stepping back into the entrance, he stopped.
"...His Majesty said that if I spoke that single word, you would understand."
Slowly, Kwon Minseong turned around.
The messenger held out the letter with both hands.
After a brief hesitation, Kwon Minseong accepted it.
Internally, the messenger was impressed.
Everything had unfolded exactly as the Emperor predicted.
Kwon Minseong read the letter and set it back on the cushion.
There wasn't much to read.
On the faintly shimmering stationery, only a single word had been written.
[Hospital]
With one word, the Emperor had made his intentions perfectly clear.
Fail to follow the messenger to the Imperial Palace, and the estate would be confiscated permanently.
And Kwon Minseong, unfortunately, was smart enough to understand exactly what that meant.
So this is what it feels like to have a hostage.
He glanced up toward the second floor.
Losing the hospital right now would create problems in more ways than one.
"How many hours will this take?"
"That depends on His Majesty's wishes."
"Will he at least let me leave before dinner?"
"That depends on His Majesty's wishes."
"Will dinner be provided?"
"That depends on His Majesty's wishes."
The Imperial messenger repeated the same answer over and over like a malfunctioning doll.
There seemed little point in continuing the conversation.
With a sigh, Kwon Minseong headed toward the carriage.
The carriage sent by the Imperial Palace looked very different from Adelgius's automobile.
Rounded and dark blue like an enormous blueberry, it looked exactly like the sort of carriage that appeared in fairy tales and movies.
"I feel like I should be wearing a formal gown."
The moment Kwon Minseong climbed aboard, the messenger followed.
After confirming that both passengers were seated, the coachman climbed into the driver's seat and pressed a red button.
A control panel unfolded before him.
It resembled two keyboards fused together and contained dozens of buttons.
The coachman manipulated them all with dazzling speed.
The horse snorted and stamped its forehooves.
It sounded and moved exactly like a living animal.
Yet the creature pulling the carriage was entirely mechanical.
From a distance, it was impossible to distinguish from a real horse.
This mechanical beast was almost certainly one of Adelgius's inventions.
The man might be hopelessly obsessed with social hierarchy, but there was no denying that he was a genius inventor of the century.
After twenty minutes of button-mashing worthy of a nightclub DJ, the carriage reached its destination.
Passing through a brilliant blue gate and a picture-perfect garden, it finally stopped before the palace.
The messenger descended first and opened the door for Kwon Minseong.
Then he led him toward a staircase consisting of hundreds of steps.
The white marble stairs were spotless.
Exactly as they had been during his first visit to the Imperial Palace.
The only difference was that now Imperial Guards stood in perfect formation along every step.
Kwon Minseong climbed one stair and looked at the messenger.
The messenger stared blankly into space, as though his assignment had officially ended.
"Aren't you going to do that thing?"
Kwon Minseong asked.
"The thing where the stairs move like an escalator."
Then he remembered.
"Ah, right. You probably don't know what an escalator is..."
He thought for a moment.
"Then... automatic stairs?"
The messenger remained silent.
There was no answer.
No reaction at all.
It was as if someone had switched off his power.