No Entry Except for the Master

The engagement ceremony was held in the Imperial Palace garden. Thanks to the warm spring sunshine and the abundant blooming flowers, the venue overflowed with radiant beauty.

As it was the Crown Prince’s engagement, the most prominent nobles all attended. In truth, they had already been preparing to attend the Grand Duke’s engagement, so they could easily participate in this one, with only the key figures and location changed.

Though no one voiced it outright, all eyes followed Teia wherever he went. A new title had been added to his name:

The tragic man whose fiancée was stolen by his half-brother, the Crown Prince.

Some whispered that he was simply following in his mother’s footsteps—that it was the curse of his bloodline. But Teia met such gazes and speculation with a bright, ignorant smile and unbothered composure.

“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is entering.”

Even when the Crown Prince, the main character of the engagement, appeared—or when Eris, dressed in a lavish gown, followed—there was only a brief cheer. All attention continued to be fixed on Teia.

Grand Duke Teia Himeros, smiling gently like a flower in full bloom, congratulating the couple with grace.

His wavy silver hair shimmered warmly under the sun like soft milk foam. His ever-moist, coral-colored eyes looked upon the couple without a hint of jealousy or gloom, shining purely. His finely sculpted, serene face maintained its refreshing clarity as always.

With his tall frame, broad shoulders, firm chest, and slender waist flowing in elegant curves—his sturdy yet smooth legs added a subtly sensual allure that captivated all eyes.

Before the ceremony, people had pitied and mocked the tragic man betrayed by love. But once they saw Teia in person, they all expressed unanimous admiration. Truly, he lived up to his nickname: the unfading flower of the Empire.

Gone were the whispers about him being doomed to repeat his mother’s fate—betrothed to the Emperor but reduced to a mere consort. In their place remained only a silent, bitter evaluation of the Crown Prince and Eris: Who would cheat on a man like that?

Enjoying the subtle stares, Teia scanned the ceremony grounds. That odd sense of déjà vu crept in again. It was the same feeling he’d had the day he discovered the secret relationship between the Crown Prince and Eris.

Too similar again.

The room from that day had resembled the one Teia had prepared for the Grand Duchess—now this engagement ceremony eerily mirrored the one he had planned. The flower arrangements, the general layout and placement of tables, even the colors and designs of the ceremonial attire—everything was remarkably similar.

Though not completely identical, it was obvious someone had gone to great lengths to copy it. And yet, the suppliers and merchants involved had slight differences—like someone who lacked real knowledge had clumsily tried to mimic what they saw by eye alone.

Could the list have been leaked?

At first, he’d suspected that the Crown Prince had obtained the supply lists through the workshops or merchant groups. But Cesar’s investigation revealed no contact between them and the Crown Prince’s side—not even through anyone entering or leaving the Grand Duchy.

And if someone had really stolen the list, they wouldn’t have imitated it so poorly. This was the result of someone blindly picking out things that looked similar—crude and unrefined.

But there was no contact—not in documents or in people.

For the Crown Prince, who usually resorted to childish schemes, he had done an impressively clean job of erasing any trace. It was like a tiny thorn stuck in Teia’s sole—unknown and irritatingly persistent.

“Is something bothering you?”

Teia, who had appeared to be listening to the tedious congratulatory address without a change in expression, suddenly turned around sharply. Cesar, who was beside him, whispered quietly. A sharp glint flickered in Teia’s eyes.

“Just stalling for a moment.”

As Teia murmured while staring off into the distance, Cesar let out a sigh. Since becoming his right-hand man, he had grown fairly used to this kind of clown show. Cesar quietly tore off a few buttons from the cuff of his shirt.

Hidden inside what looked like ordinary buttons were specially crafted micro-firecrackers.
Pretending to check his shoes, Cesar bent over and flicked the buttons toward where the young ladies were gathered. The lavish and voluminous skirts of their dresses were perfect for concealing the buttons.

With a sharp gust of wind, the buttons flew underfoot and burst with a series of crackling, rather petty but noisy sounds, stinging the ankles of those nearby.

“Kyah! What is that? A bug?”

Though not powerful enough to cause injury, the continuous crackling under their feet made the young ladies shriek, fluttering their skirts in panic.

As the commotion drew attention just after the congratulatory speech ended, Teia quietly moved, concealing his presence.

Just moments ago, he had felt a gaze that was different from everyone else’s—not in identity or motive, but in nature.

The familiar stares filled with admiration or jealousy from others had long grown tiresome.

But the excessively cautious and covert gaze from someone unknown was jarringly out of place, irritating Teia’s nerves.

Ttak ttak ttak.

Very soft footsteps suddenly quickened.

Though the others noticed nothing, thanks to Teia deliberately erasing his presence, the one he pursued was no ordinary target—as soon as they sensed Teia chasing them, they began to flee swiftly.

Teia’s instincts whispered without pause that this was someone he absolutely could not lose.

Even during the cat-and-mouse chase, Teia’s expression remained composed.

The fleeing figure was fast, but their movement lacked the polish of a trained escape.
It was a bit disappointing that he couldn’t use magic inside the imperial palace, but Teia skillfully drove the target into a dead end.

‘Judging by how they don’t know the layout of the garden well, they’re not someone who frequents the palace.’

Turning the final corner, Teia sorted through what he’d gathered about the target.

But then, his body came to a sudden halt.

A chilly tension settled over his previously relaxed face.

He hadn’t even considered the possibility of losing them—he had been that confident—so he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“What the hell.”