The King's Bedchamber.
When Shien, Roxie, Ria, and Shana arrived and met Anxi, his condition left them all stunned.
"Did you have insomnia, Your Majesty?"
Shien bluntly voiced his thoughts.
It couldn't be helped.
At this moment, Anxi, who was sitting in the room waiting for Shien and the others, looked utterly exhausted. There were deep dark circles beneath his eyes, and he was practically one step away from having the words "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep" carved onto his face. He had the frail air of someone who had pulled an all-nighter.
Aridia stood by his side as an attendant, as cold and silent as ever, holding his sword as usual. Yet for some reason, he, too, seemed to have faint dark circles under his eyes.
That gave Shien some rather wicked thoughts.
These two grown men hadn't slept all night. What had they been doing in here?
Practicing swordsmanship?
What refined tastes.
Before Shien could let his imagination run wild and launch into a storm of ridiculous thoughts, Anxi fixed him with a deadly stare.
That gaze was actually filled with killing intent.
"So Lord Poztut does remember to come and see me?"
Anxi's tone was particularly sharp.
That tone left Shien momentarily taken aback, while the sisters Roxie and Ria exchanged looks.
Why did Father seem so resentful?
Was he blaming Shien because of her—Roxie's—situation?
But this seemed to go beyond mere resentment. It could practically be called hatred, couldn't it?
Roxie and Ria couldn't make sense of it no matter how much they thought about it.
The three of them had no idea just how terrible Anxi's mood was.
After all, he had been waiting for Shien to come, and he had waited the entire night without seeing any sign of him, leaving him sitting