Prince Lionias's footsteps echoed along the quiet palace hallway, followed by Arvin's invisible existence shadowing right behind him. The two walked quite far from the main area of the palace, heading toward a hallway with slightly dimmer lighting.
The prince's steps finally halted in front of an ordinary-looking wooden door, a far cry from the luxurious impression that adorned the other doors in this palace. Without hesitation, Lionias opened the door roughly and stepped right in, leaving it wide open.
Taking advantage of the wide-open opportunity, Arvin freely slipped into the room. He immediately swept his gaze, analyzing the place.
The room was none other than a bedroom that could not be considered spacious, yet not too cramped for one person to occupy. The layout was neat and simple, reflecting the status of its occupant, who stood far below the royal family's hierarchy.
Inside the room, Arvin saw Lionias walk arrogantly toward a youth sitting quietly on a wooden chair near the window. The youth seemed focused on writing something in a thick book open on his lap.
Under the glow of the afternoon sunlight, the youth's physical features were clearly visible to Arvin's eyes. He possessed healthy, exotic brown skin, paired with short gray hair that was slightly messy yet framed his face perfectly.
"Hey, you!" Lionias exclaimed in a harsh and condescending tone, breaking the silence of the room. "My father orders you to carry out an important mission this very night!"
Startled by the sudden shout, the youth immediately turned his head. He hurriedly closed his book, stood up, and bowed his head deeply to pay his respects to the prince.
"What must I do, My Lord?" he asked in an obedient tone, though his voice sounded resigned.
Lionias stared at the youth with a commanding gaze. "You must approach someone named Arvin Vedegra from the Astoria Kingdom!" the prince decreed in an undeniably stern voice. "Remember this well! By any means necessary, no matter what you must sacrifice, you must succeed in seducing and marrying him!"
The gray-haired youth gasped. His head lifted slightly, revealing an expression of utter shock upon hearing the core of the absurd mission just forced upon him.
He wanted to refuse the order, but the bitter reality quickly struck his consciousness. As someone bound, he absolutely had no right to reject his master's command, or the unbearable pain of his slave seal would instantly torture every nerve in his body.
Realizing his status as a mere slave, the youth lowered his gaze once more. "Yes, My Lord. I will carry it out."
Hearing the fully obedient answer from his slave, Lionias smirked in satisfaction, completely uncaring about his slave's feelings. To him, the youth was merely a pawn that could be sacrificed at any time for the sake of the kingdom's interests.
Without saying another word, Lionias turned his body and walked out of the room. However, unbeknownst to the prince, he had just walked past Arvin, who was still standing silently inside the bedroom in his invisible form.
Now, only the two of them remained inside the room.
Arvin remained still in his position, staring intensely at the youth who had now sat back down on the wooden chair.
Good grief... Arvin complained inwardly, feeling half-shocked and half-disbelieving at what he had just witnessed. I truly never expected one of the hidden romance targets would share the exact same fate of being slaves in this kingdom like Arion.
With soundless steps, Arvin walked closer to the youth, then stood towering right beside him, observing every inch of his melancholic facial features.
Even though initially, I only wanted Allen and Ordion, who were the romance targets, to be my spouses. Arvin thought, his mind recalling his original plan. But as time went on, I ended up taking Dylan and Arion, who were also part of the romance targets in the game's storyline, as my spouses. Even Oliver will become my spouse in the future.
Arvin gazed at the cute face of the brown-skinned youth before him with an evaluating look.
And now... am I going to take this hidden romance target to be my spouse as well? he asked himself, realizing just how far he had strayed from his initial plan. Am I truly this greedy toward all the cute boys in this world?
Despite his rational mind questioning his greed, Arvin's dominant instinct and possessiveness had already provided an absolute answer. He would never let such a cute youth continue to suffer under the shackles of the Victoriaz Royal family.
"Why must my destiny always be like this?" the youth suddenly muttered, lamenting his fate with a voice that was on the verge of breaking.
He stared blankly out his bedroom window. That beautiful pair of light green eyes looked dim, losing the light of hope. "Father, Mother... will I continue to live as a slave like this until I die?"
Arvin stood motionless, listening carefully to every complaint the youth murmured to himself. The silence in the bedroom made his soft voice sound incredibly heart-wrenching.
"Will I never be able to obtain the freedom I have dreamed of all this time?" he whispered again, wiping his tired face.
The youth let out a resigned sigh. He closed his thick book, placed it on the table, and then stood up, walking with unsteady steps toward his bed before finally laying his body down on the mattress, staring blankly at the bedroom ceiling with a racing mind.
A heavy resigned sigh was heard once again inside the quiet room.
Not far from the bed, Arvin could clearly feel the heavy mental burden and despair that the youth was bearing from just that single sigh.
He walked approaching the bed, then stood right at the edge of the bed, looking down at the hidden romance target who was lying helplessly.
"I... I really want to be free from—"
Before the youth could finish his muttering, something completely invisible suddenly gagged his mouth forcefully.
Instantly, the youth gasped violently. His eyes widened immensely. He tried to move his hands and legs to struggle, but his body was stiff. Both of his legs and arms were pinned strongly against the surface of the bed, as if forcibly bound by invisible chains or thick ropes.
What's happening?! the youth screamed internally, his panic exploding. He tried to exert all his strength to free himself from the mysterious restraints, but the magic confining his movements was too strong to be fought off by his physical strength.
His panic worsened and morphed into sheer horror when he suddenly felt movement on his bed.
The bed sheet sank slightly, indicating that someone's body, which was completely invisible, had just climbed onto his bed.
The youth's heart beat wildly, almost leaping out of his chest. The fear reached its peak when he felt his legs being forcibly pushed apart by an invisible pressure, forcing them to spread wide open without him being able to resist.
"Mmmpphh...!! Mmmpphh...!!"
The youth tried to scream with all his might from behind the gag on his mouth, attempting to free himself while squirming. However, it was all in vain. He could now clearly feel that his body was being pinned down by a heavy, invisible existence. A cold, yet dominating aura instantly enveloped him.
Amidst that suffocating despair, a warm breath brushed against his ear, followed by the whispered voice of a man that was so deep, gentle, yet laden with absolute authority.
"Please calm down, Kaydan..." the voice whispered softly, shattering the terror that had seized the youth's sanity. "I will not hurt you."
Hearing that whisper, Kaydan widened his eyes to their absolute limit. His shock was not merely due to an invisible intruder pinning him down, but rather because the intruder had accurately spoken his name.
Who is he? How does he know my name?! Kaydan thought in shock, his mind racing wildly. What is his purpose in sneaking in and gagging me like this?
On top of that bed, Kaydan could only surrender in silence with his body pinned down, his mouth gagged, and both of his legs and arms tightly bound by a power he could not comprehend.