A broad smile was clearly etched on his face, leaving the palace servants and guards baffled. What could possibly have happened for Ou Yuusha to smile so widely and look genuinely happy?
Now, Ou stood before the door of a certain room. He opened it, only for his gaze to immediately collide with a pair of sapphire eyes, which were staring sharply back at him. Even more shamelessly, Ou widened his smile and acted as if nothing were amiss.
"Aha, Brother, what are you doing here?"
The vein at the man's temple throbbed as Ou's purposefully innocent question slipped out. Yet, if it was not Orninn Danna, he would not be able to restrain his emotions, especially when dealing with his beloved younger brother.
"I've already forgiven you for yesterday," Danna said while standing up, tapping the table with his fingers as he shot an annoyed glare. "I thought it was fine to forgive you. After all, they were high-class criminals. Turns out, I was wrong."
Danna grabbed a stack of papers from the table. Ou remained standing by the door, smiling as if he hadn't committed a single sin. Danna held himself back from smacking Ou's head so he would stop fooling around. He was still playing nice, and he didn't have the heart to hurt him.
"Amputation of hands, gouging out eyes, execution by poison." Danna read page after page of Ou's report on the punishments for Urca's convicts. As he read it, part of him laughed inwardly, while the other part complained constantly.
Just imagine it! Gouging the eyes? Poisoned to death? Where did he come up with such creative punishment variations? The penalties listed in the Kingdom of Urca's laws were never that extreme. Astonished, annoyed, yet oddly amused by his brother's shameless behavior.
"Brother, I gave them fair punishments. That man cut off the victim's hand, so his hand must be cut off too, right? A hand for a hand, an eye for an eye, a life for a life. Isn't that fair?"
Once again, Danna slapped his forehead at Ou's astonishing way of thinking. Letting out a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose. His head throbbed. He slammed the papers onto the table. Danna's expression was hard to read. Was he angry or disappointed? Even he didn't know himself. Thankfully, it was Danna himself who reviewed Ou's work. Otherwise, Urca would have fallen into disaster.
Danna knew Ou never obeyed the laws of Urca. Yet, Danna cursed himself for agreeing to give Ou the position of Head of the Execution Division. He had no idea what had driven him to be hypnotized by Ou, who clearly concealed his cunning mind behind that smile.
"Meet me after dinner," Danna said softly.
He could not bring himself to scold or shout at Ou. No matter how many mistakes Ou made, Danna always treated him with affection. He had no idea that this was the biggest mistake he had ever made.
"All right," Ou responded briefly. He let out a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to sit through a boring lecture.
***
Her lovely eyes focused on the flower field outside the room. She sighed and turned her gaze to the nearest door. Even though she sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her mind wandered far away.
It had been several days since she began living with Ou Yuusha. At first, she believed Ou had genuinely saved her. But as time passed, his true nature revealed itself. Every day, she was locked in his room and forbidden from leaving or meeting anyone.
Whatever happened, she had to follow Ou's orders. If she did not, Ou's skilled hands would play with his knife. Ningyou now understood that the man had not truly saved her life, because he himself was an immortal being who could not be harmed. That fact had shocked her.
Every time Ou hurt Ningyou, her body would always recover as if nothing had happened. Yet that very ability was exploited by the blond-haired man whenever he was in a foul mood. From that, Ningyou realized that the prince of Urca suffered from a mental disorder.
Strangely enough, Ningyou wasn't afraid of Ou. When he hurt her, his expression was one of deep sorrow rather than cruelty. Sighing, Ningyou stood up and walked toward the window.
She felt an unbearable ache for unknown reasons. She didn't mind being treated harshly by Ou because it didn't really affect her. She didn't even protest when he was rough with her. Ou's gaze seemed to hypnotize her into becoming a doll. She felt an inexplicable bond with Ou, despite only knowing him for a few days.
The sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts. Ningyou turned to see Ou entering the room.
"Have you eaten?" Ou asked.
"Not yet. I–"
"Ah, all right. I will have the servants bring you food." Ou turned and headed out, while Ningyou remained still.
Thinking about it, Ou was indeed cruel when he was angry. But he still paid attention to Ningyou. He often kissed and hugged her, treating her like an expensive porcelain doll.
His behavior was entirely determined by his mood, as if he had two opposing personalities. Ningyou snapped back to reality when the door opened again, revealing Ou smiling at her. Somehow, that smile appeared to be sorrowful.
"They'll bring your meal soon," Ou explained.
He stepped in front of the mirror and took off his white cloak, leaving his body covered in a thin white shirt. Ningyou remained silent, occasionally observing her master.
"You did not go out, did you?" Ou asked, scrutinizing her.
"No, Master," Ningyou responded softly.
He turned to look at the silver-haired girl who had always brought him comfort. To be honest, when he first met Ningyou, he felt a part of himself returning. Warmth and affection, he found both in her innocent expression.
Unconsciously, Ou curved his lips into a faint smile. His doll, the one who could always comfort him. Even though he frequently hurt Ningyou, he couldn't deny that he regretted it. He took a breath and tidied his hair before putting on another cloak.
"Are you going out again, Master?"
"His Majesty summoned me." Ou opened the door and glanced back at Ningyou. "Do not leave the room, no matter what happens."
The girl nodded. Ou smiled and opened the door, but his face immediately turned pale. His red irises met a pair of blue eyes. His body instantly froze.
"Well then, Prince Shuu Ou Yuusha, who exactly is not allowed to leave the room, hmm?"
***