The Bird in the Gilded Cage

Ethan was aghast. He stared at me with wide eyes, as if unable to believe I could say such a thing, before shouting with a face flushed crimson.

“I’m not! I can win!”

At my provocation, Ethan completely forgot his initial question of why Chase was studying with us; he was now consumed by a competitive fire, determined to prove his superiority.

Just to be sure, I asked Chase if he disliked the idea of receiving an education. He shook his head.

“It is an honor that you would allow me to learn alongside you.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. Lessons begin tomorrow. Outside of study hours, you may do as you please—whether that’s using the library in the Central Palace or something else. As long as you don’t cause trouble, your personal time is your own. Any questions?”

“……No. I have none.”

After hearing Chase’s answer, I turned to Seamus. He thought for a moment before shaking his head. Knowing Seamus would be unfamiliar with the palace, I tasked Chase with showing him around. I told them they could retire for the day once the tour was finished.

“Come again tomorrow at this time. We shall begin lessons after lunch.”

“Yes. Understood.”

With the conversation concluded, Chase led Seamus out of the room. Once we were alone, Ethan smiled with satisfaction and leaned even closer to me.

‘This should be fine, right?’

In the original story, Seamus had been kind to Chase even when he was a s*ave. I figured he would treat Chase even better now that his circumstances were improved. If they built a friendship like this…

‘Won’t they naturally fall in love just like in the original?’

I sat lost in thought, absentmindedly stroking the hair of the chattering Ethan beside me.

After the audience with the Crown Prince, Seamus walked through the palace grounds, stealing glances at the boy walking beside him.

When his mother had suddenly told him to go to the Imperial Palace, his world had gone dark; he feared he was being cast out by his family. Though his mother, who had ascended to the rank of Countess as a woman, was not an affectionate parent, she had nonetheless raised him well as her heir. Despite his young age, Seamus was bright and had heard much of the world.

He realized immediately that his mother, the head of the Aristocratic Faction, was not sending him to the palace for a mere visit.

‘I heard the Crown Prince was a terrifying person.’

He knew him to be a man of immense divine power, an Omega chosen by God, whose arrogance and prickliness were so legendary that even the children of the Loyalist nobles couldn’t get close to him. Had he not nearly been poisoned by his father’s concubine because of his hatred and torment of his half-brother?

While the concubine who attempted the poisoning was the villain, Seamus believed the Crown Prince’s own actions had played a significant role in causing the incident. Of course, he could never utter such words aloud. To harbor the same thoughts as a traitor was a dangerous game that could end in ruin.

So why was his mother sending him to such a man? Seamus wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t.

“Seamus, starting next week, you will enter the palace as a study companion to the Crown Prince.”

“Mother…….”

Can I not go? Knowing his mother would be displeased by such a question, Seamus simply bit his lip. The Countess leaned down, meeting his eyes, and gripped his shoulders with both hands, offering a smile.

“Go and capture the Prince’s heart. I know you can do it.”

A bitter taste spread through Seamus’s mouth. He was a mere bookworm who preferred quiet study; how was he supposed to “capture the heart” of the Crown Prince? He’d be lucky if the Prince, surrounded by the finest luxuries in the world, didn’t simply scowl at a country bumpkin like him.

However, unable to go against the Countess, who asked, “You can do it, can’t you?”, he had no choice but to nod.

“We can climb even higher.”

Hearing the Countess mutter this with a distant look in her eyes, Seamus twisted his lips into a bitter expression where she couldn’t see.

Was climbing higher truly a good thing? She always hungered for the heights, for the pinnacle of power. From the daughter of a Baron to the wife of a Count, and then to the title of Countess herself—was this not enough?

The higher one climbs, the greater the risk of the fall. There was an old tale like that, wasn’t there? About a man who longed for the sky and made wings, but the higher he flew, the more the feathers scattered until he plummeted. Seamus, who was content with nothing more than a quiet, sunlit space and a book, could not understand her desire. He didn’t know how far she intended to go.

Before entering the palace, Seamus was subjected to the kind of rigorous skincare treatments usually reserved for high-born ladies.

“At least it’s a blessing you never enjoyed outdoor activities,” the Countess remarked as she watched him being practically marinated in aromatic oils. She scanned his skin—pale from lack of sunlight, devoid of a single scratch or blemish.

It was a far cry from her usual criticism of him being “unmanly” for only reading books. A sense of indignation boiled in his chest, but the timid Seamus simply submerged his mouth into the bathwater to keep himself silent.

After days of treatments, his skin was as smooth as a peeled hard-boiled egg. His nails were trimmed into perfect rounds and buffed to a shine. The Countess dressed him in a new suit she had commissioned in a shade that matched his deep blue eyes. As he prepared to leave for the palace, she whispered to him once more.

“Go and do well. You will be able to capture His Highness’s heart. You are my son, after all.”

She tucked a stray hair behind his ear. Seamus felt a surge of bitterness. No, ever since the decision to go to the palace was made, his mouth had felt as if he were chewing on bitter herbs. He had always craved his mother’s affection and kind words… but seeing her finally give him what he wanted only after his “utility” had been decided made him feel as if poison were spreading through him.

‘If I fail to capture His Highness’s heart… will I still be your son?’

She wouldn’t deny his blood, but Seamus wondered—and feared—if she would still consider him her son once the factor of blood was removed.

Watching the Countess let go of his hand, saying he must walk the rest of the way alone, Seamus forced his heavy feet toward the Crown Prince’s palace.

Unlike the Count’s castle made of grey brick, the Imperial Palace was so dazzlingly ornate he didn’t know where to look. It was as if someone had copied the sun and pasted it onto the earth. He had only stepped foot in the Crown Prince’s palace, but if this was his residence, Seamus couldn’t even fathom the splendor of the Emperor’s palace.

Walking across carpets woven with patterns so exquisite they felt a sin to step on, Seamus was struck by a sense of bewilderment when he finally arrived in the Prince’s chambers.

‘Mother, how on earth am I supposed to “capture” this person?’

He knew his mother must have seen the Crown Prince before, so he wondered how she could have given him such an impossible task. Even with his skin polished like a peeled egg, he felt plain and insignificant standing before the Prince.

With cream-colored skin, silver hair with a faint hint of rose, and mint-colored eyes that looked slightly cold, the Crown Prince looked like a being crafted from the very essence of beauty itself. Seamus began to wonder if his mother was the type to think her own child was the most beautiful regardless of reality. The mother he knew was certainly not that delusional.

Overwhelmed and feeling small, he offered a bow. He worried the Prince would sneer at his timid state and kick him out, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. The Prince simply explained the future schedule in a calm, steady voice.

Oh? Is he really that kind of person? Contrary to the rumors, he was dignified and didn’t seem particularly prickly. If anything, the pink-haired child sitting beside the Prince, staring at Seamus as if he wanted to kill him, seemed much more difficult to handle.

“It hasn’t been long since you arrived in the capital, has it? Since you are unfamiliar with the palace, spend today exploring and learning the layout. Chase, show him the way.”

“Yes.”

Seamus’s eyes brightened at the name Chase. The Crown Prince’s half-brother. He had heard the Prince had taken him in, but Chase’s condition looked better than he had expected.

‘I thought he was keeping him close just to torment him indefinitely.’

The Prince’s attitude toward Chase was plain and matter-of-fact, and Chase didn’t seem to be in a state of constant fear. Seeing things so contrary to his expectations, Seamus began to think he had misunderstood the Crown Prince as a villain. After all, this was his first time seeing him; everything he knew about the Prince had been through rumors.

Feeling embarrassed by his own narrow-mindedness, Seamus felt a bit sheepish.

“Come again tomorrow at this time. We shall begin lessons after lunch.”

Following those final words, Seamus left the Prince’s room and followed Chase, listening to his explanations.

“Over there is the Emperor’s palace, and behind it is the Empress’s palace.”

Since it would be exhausting to tour the entire grounds on foot, Chase pointed out the major buildings within sight.

“That is the Central Palace, where all official business is conducted. The library where you can find research materials is also located there.”

“The library?”