7- I don't want to be an emperor.

Hugo asked Loka to come to his office after another week.

Before discussing anything with him, he called for the butler to bring some tea and snacks.

"Did he make any trouble?" He asked the butler before he left.

"His highness?" The butler stuttered, "No, I don't believe so, he is quiet most of the time, however, the servants feel uncomfortable around him."

Hugo put down his tea cup before he drank from it. "Is he rude?"

The butler shook his head. "No, no. He's rather..." he paused, trying to find the right words, "scary? Well, he doesn't call any of us by our names, refuses our services, and sends us away all the time."

Hugo frowned. "How is that scary?" 

"I think I know what he means." Loka said, while thinking deeply. "His highness has a cold aura around him, putting a clear distance between him and others. It's really hard to understand him."

Hugo clicked his tongue and sent the butler out. He looked down at his tea and realized he would prefer something else at this moment.

"Does his highness know you are spying on him?"

"He should get used to being spied on." Hugo said carelessly, putting a piece of cake in his mouth, "He will become the emperor in the future."

"He said he wouldn't."

Hugo almost choked. "*Ahem* what?"

Loka's eyes hazed as he said, "He didn't want to engage in anything; he said he had no plans on becoming the emperor."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Hugo scuffed. The emperor himself made me responsible for making sure he would be a perfect future emperor.

'Does he want me to get in trouble?'

"HELL NO."

He threw what was in his hand and rushed out of his office. Loka followed him, running.

Raihle's back was leaning on a tree trunk while he read another story book. Practicing whenever he could helped him improve faster, but his reading session was interrupted by Hugo and Loka.

"You can't say as much nonsense about the throne as you like!" Hugo grumbled as soon as his eyes found him.

Raihle glanced at him, then returned his gaze to the book, "When did I speak of nonsense?"

Loka's face twisted; he felt like he had committed something wrong. "I told him what you said the other day_"

"Why would you say you aren't becoming the emperor? The emperor himself told me to make you a proper ruler; you can't spread false rumors at a time like this." Hugo's blood was boiling, not that Raihle paid any attention.

"They are not false rumors if they are true. I don't want to be an emperor."

"Really? Who will become the emperor then?"

Raihle wanted to sigh; there was no way for him to finish his reading at this rate. He got up and placed his eyes on Hugo's scowling face.

"Well, you should start looking for that person when you are sober enough."

Hugo's brow twitched, and he seized Raihle's arm before he walked away.

"I'm not drunk."

Raihle's eyes were on his hand, then he coldly looked at him and said, "Really? I thought that's why you've been hiding in your office for the last couple of weeks."

Hugo's expression stiffened, and he couldn't say a word.

"It seems that you just like to throw your responsibility on others and do nothing."

Hugo's job was to take care of him and suit his needs, but all he did was hire people, servants, and tutors and tell them what to do. 

Raihle wasn't really a child; he knows how to take care of himself and didn't really need Hugo for anything, but he has always been a person who takes responsibility seriously. That's why someone like Hugo didn't really suit his taste.

What's worse was that he thought of Real Raihle.

The nineteen-year-old boy who has been banished and neglected since he was a child. 

If it was him and not Hyun Wa who came back to the Imperial Palace, how would he feel about being ignored and treated poorly by the person who is supposed to be his guardian?

He didn't like Real Raihle, but he still got a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought of that.

"I'm not judging you." He eventually said to Hugo's darkened face as he pulled his arm from his grip, "Someone as old as you has his excuses."

"...Old?" Hugo subconsciously blinked; his hazed eyes were switched with confusion. He pointed at himself and asked, "Are you talking about me? Do you even know how old I am?"

Raihle let his words come from one ear and out of the other. He headed to the door to enter the palace.

"I'm not even forty, you little brat!" Hugo shouted.

Raihle suddenly paused and asked from behind his shoulder, "Can I go outside? I want to see the city."

Hugo was still burning from the insult he had just received. "Of course not! You don't have any guards or personal escorts yet."

"Hm.."

It doesn't really matter; he already expected the answer. Either way, tonight he is going to sneak out.

He had spent more time outside than inside the palace, so finding a blind spot to sneak out wasn't hard, especially when there weren't many guards yet.

When night fell, Raihle put on simple clothes, lifted his hair, and jumped out of his window.

The palace surroundings were empty and quiet; there were some guards, but their number didn't cover the entire place.

He moved stealthily, and within minutes, he was standing outside the palace walls.

He remembered the last time he sneaked out was in the forest, where he met the small goblin, Blue.

"Hasn't he found anything yet?"

He didn't get any news from him and started to wonder if he was scammed; if so, he needs to do his own research.

The city was bright and lively, even though it was near midnight. There was a bit of a crowd, so Raihle easily blended in and walked around, looking at the faces filled with joy, excitement, and other expressions everyone carried on them.

The merchandise hanging on the markets was mostly decorated with dragon symbols, dragon wings, dragon claws, or golden scales.

The capital city of the Dragon Empire really lived up to its name.

After a long walk, Raihle entered a two-story inn with the name 'Empire's Dawn" hanging on the top of the door.

A short, old lady welcomed him with a grin and opened hands.

"Welcome, my dear, are you looking for a stay?"

"No," he said, looking at the tables and the opened bar. "I just want something to drink."

He sat at one of the tables and observed the people inside the inn.

It was a small, wooden place, and it felt crowded even though there weren't many residents. A couple of drunk people were sitting across his table.

He looked at the inn owner and said, "Do you have any juice? If not, I want water."

She blinked in surprise and chuckled. "Usually when a nobleman youngster sneaks out at night, they look for doing something naughty."

Raihle's eyes widened slightly. "What makes you think I'm noble?"

She chuckled again. "You can't fool these old eyes; you have this noble aura all around you; you wouldn't be able to hide it even if you tried." She winked. "Don't worry, I would keep your secret if your parents came looking for you."

Raihle didn't say anything in response.

"We have apple juice; would that be okay?"

"Yes."

She went to the bar, where her husband was serving the residents.

Meanwhile, he focused his attention on eavesdropping on the two men beside him.

"See, that's what I told that asshole! Either he pays me, or I screw everything up."

"No way you said that! Hahahah!"

"Well, I said it in my head, but I absolutely meant it! Haha..*Ahem* Anyway, you know Hermon, don't you?"

"Who works at the blacksmith down the street? Yeah, what about him?"

"I heard he disappeared, like the others." 

"Are you serious? How many times did that happen this month?"

"I heard there are about thirty people who went missing, yet no one looked into the matter. It's because of the slums, I'm sure."

"Ha! Just because they went missing near the slums doesn't excuse them from not looking for them. The capital knights are completely useless!"

"It's not their fault; you know there isn't strict punishment against those who break the law, unless people are killed or something. So much peace."

"You are absolutely right; it's terrifying. My wife works near that place."

"Then you should watch out, or you will need to find a third wife. Hahaha."

The two men were giggling their way out after paying for the pill.

Before Raihle noticed, the inn owner placed a cup of iced apple juice in front of him.

"Do you want anything else, darling?"

Raihle asked her, "Do you know what they were talking about? About the missing people?"

She gave a sad frown. "Tragic indeed; I heard many of them were orphans and homeless families." She eyed him with concern. "You should be careful; stay around the lights and the main street; don't go near the slums."

"Do you have any idea what has happened to them?"

She shrugged. "Unfortunately, unless a body is found, no one will investigate it. The slums are the place where criminals and mercenaries hang out; troubles happen there all the time, so they don't want to start a fuss about something that might turn out to be a minor inconvenience."

You can't stop bad things from happening, so unless someone's corpse is found, it's not worth investigating.

That's what Raihle understood from their stupid logic.

Raihle looked down and touched his cup; the coldness of the ice made his fingers tingle.

Missing people.

It was the same as with the forest and the goblins, except these people were never seen again.

It felt too similar to be a coincidence, and it bugged him.

He needs to pay that place a visit.

Loka on his knees was the first thing Raihle saw the next morning, right after he opened the door.

He thought he was sleepy because he barely closed his eyes after returning last night, but even after blinking a few times, Loka was still there with his head down.

"What's the matter with you?" 

"I apologize for what I did."

Raihle frowned. He couldn't remember when this kid had done anything to him.

"What did you do?"

Loka raised his head, his eyes glazed with tears like a puppy.

"I shouldn't have told the duke what you said; he yelled at you because of me."

Raihle raised his brow in disbelief. "Why are you apologizing for that? It wasn't a secret. I would've told him myself if he asked."

No, he wouldn't even mind saying he doesn’t want to be an emperor out loud in the middle of the street.

"Get up." Raihle coldly told him, and he quickly got on his feet. 

"What even made you think I was bothered?" 

He looked like a whiny child who got scolded by his parents for getting the wrong idea.

Loka explained in a low voice, "I came to talk to you last night, but you didn't answer. I thought you were upset with me."

It must have been when he had already sneaked out.

"I was probably asleep." He lied, "Don't come late at night again." It would be troublesome if he was discovered.

Loka nodded obediently, and his usual bright smile was back.

"Can I share the breakfast with you then?"

"Do whatever you want."

After breakfast, he accompanied him to his study room and stayed with him during his lessons with Professor Joven.

Raihle lost his focus when Loka started answering the professor's questions instead of him. They were so easy for him that he didn't have the patience to not answer.

Raihle was confused about Loka Chiron.

Whenever he looked at him, he felt as if he were wearing a different mask or hesitating about which different side of him he should show.

Even though he couldn’t see him as a bad person by nature, Raihle was sure he was hiding something.

Professor Joven got excited to see how his knowledge was absorbed and got carried away into further subjects with Loka, to the point Raihle couldn't even understand what they were talking about.

It's like being the third wheel between two old friends catching up with each other.

He decided to take the day off and just let them go about their business while he started doodling on his book.

This knowledge-thirsty, overwhelming achiever is also a side of Loka’s character, as Raihle has realized.

He is the child who always does more than he is asked to do, seeking perfection and acknowledgment.

He didn't know how much they talked, but he had already finished five pages of drawings when they realized he was sitting there.

"Ah, I'm sorry, your highness, let's..." Professor Joven tried to speak.

Raihle closed the book and got up from his seat. "The study time is already over; see you tomorrow."

Loka rushed out of the room behind him and said, "I'm sorry."

Raihle suddenly stopped and eyed him. "You surely like to apologize."

Loka flinched and looked down, pressing his lips tightly. Raihle's eyes didn't leave him, making him sense heat on the back of his head.

Raihle couldn't tell if it was an act or not, but he had good judgment on kids. Raihle's students were from three to fourteen years old, but for some reason he felt a similarity with them and Loka. That was why he could tell Loka was a good person; only he was certain he had something up his sleeves.

"Since you stole my lesson for today, shouldn't you make up for it instead of apologizing?"

Loka instantly raised his lashes. "What?"

Raihle turned around and walked while nonchalantly saying, "Teach me for today."

He was stuttering and confused about how to explain something he had already learned to someone else, but he got the hang of it after a little time.

He did his best to simplify all he could so Raihle would understand, and he helped him read multiple paragraphs.

"Is it clear? Do you have any questions, Your Highness?"

Loka couldn't tell what was going on inside Raihle’s mind behind his frozen expression.

"You never taught anyone before, did you?"

Loka's expression crumbled. "Was it that bad?"

Raihle explained briefly, "A lot of people have knowledge, but not as many can deliver it to others." 

He looked into his shaking eyes. "You did good."

Loka's face brightened, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Really? I had like a million tutors but never tried teaching anyone before."

Raihle said while packing his books and notes, "That makes me your first student then."

He looked at him before leaving the room and said, "See you tomorrow."  Raihle left, and the door closed behind him.

Loka touched his curled lips and realized he was still smiling; his grin faded immediately.