10x Rewards: Becoming Invincible With My Sign-in System

Once the two guards were down, Aegon moved forward toward the door, but before he could knock, the door slid open, revealing the charming figure of the Fifth Prince, Raphael.

Noticing his guards, he chuckled and said, "At least you went easy on my guards. What? Not satisfied with your victory, so you came to mock me?"

"You think I'm that kind of person?" Aegon asked.

"Certainly not. But who knows what's behind that handsome face of yours?" Raphael's charming smile returned as he leaned against the door.

"Just to be clear, I don't swing that way," Aegon said, giving him a strange look.

"Ah, don't worry. I don't swing either way," Raphael said, pointing at him. "But you are handsome, though."

"So, you're throne-sexual?" Aegon asked.

"Perhaps." Raphael slowly lost his smile as he continued, "Just tell me what it is, Aegon. I'm certain you have important matters to deal with instead of talking to a loser like me."

"Am I sensing low self-esteem?" Aegon couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

"A funny joke," Raphael said flatly.

"Care to join me for a short walk?" Aegon asked, gesturing toward the passageways.

Raphael frowned slightly, confused by the whole situation. Then he glanced behind him, where his entire team stood ready for a fight.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said before turning to Aegon. "I presume you aren't luring me out to kill me."

"I've got better methods," Aegon said, gesturing toward the knights.

"Fair enough," Raphael smiled gently once again before stepping forward. "Let's go."

Aegon nodded and turned around as they walked side by side in silence. Neither spoke, each lost in their own thoughts, but Aegon could still feel Raphael's gaze on him.

"I'm curious, are the rumours true?" Raphael asked. "Is the Red Veil under you?"

"If I asked you that question, would you answer?" Aegon asked in return, keeping his voice steady. "Also, be honest for once. I'm pretty sure even you're tired of playing snake games with others."

"Ah! I really want to hate you, Aegon Valeria Augustus," Raphael said, letting out a dry laugh. "You're one person who's so straightforward that I can't even understand you. Weird, isn't it? Spend your whole life among snakes, yet you can't figure out a simple organism like you."

"It's about perspective," Aegon replied as he stopped walking. "You learned to see everything through a cynical eye. You use it on people too. But it's different when you're seeing something simple. Your eyes are the same, so they can't believe something can be that simple. They feel as if that simple thing is hiding something behind a facade."

He turned around to face him and asked, "Am I right?"

"Are you a philosopher too?" Raphael asked after a moment of silence. "I really hate them as well, you know."

"Answer my question, Raphael," Aegon said as he leaned against the wall.

Raphael did the same on the opposite side and said, "The earlier one? Well, I would answer, but only after mixing truth and lies so I can maintain both your trust and my secrets at the same time."

Aegon stared at him deeply before scoffing. "Now that I think about it, I also want to hate you. You're one nasty creature."

Aegon's whole life had revolved around people who were straightforward or chose to speak the truth to him. He never liked telling lies, because a relationship built on lies would one day crumble for sure, and he didn't want a relationship like that.

But Raphael was exactly the opposite. Even for simple questions, he would lie and look at people from a perspective vastly different from Aegon's.

"Right?" Raphael laughed loudly upon hearing that, as if he had heard the funniest joke of his life. "Your existence is so detestable. I hate you."

Aegon continued to stare at Raphael, the Fifth Prince notorious for having a gentle personality on the surface but something far more wicked underneath that facade.

But at this moment, he felt that both sides were facades. The prince never truly showed his real self to anyone.

The only moment his true self leaked out was when he lost the thing he had worked toward for years. That single moment cracked the thick mask he wore.

'But why? Why that mask?'

Aegon groaned, feeling frustrated even though he couldn't understand why. He just felt that way. So he searched through his inventory and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter.

He opened it, placed one cigarette in his mouth, and offered the packet to Raphael. "Want one?"

Raphael took one out, staring at the cylindrical object with curiosity. Then he asked, "Doesn't this harm your lungs? I've heard about it."

"For normal people, yes," Aegon nodded. "We can heal our lungs, but if used for long enough, then even a godly healer wouldn't save you."

"Exaggeration?" Raphael raised an eyebrow, rolling the cigarette between his fingers.

"Nope. The materials used are extremely dangerous even for high-rank knights," Aegon shrugged.

"Then why use it?" Raphael asked, clearly confused.

"Never tried before, so I don't know why everyone gets addicted to them," Aegon replied calmly before lighting up the cigarette.

He took a puff and instantly coughed. Then he tried again and said, "It's shit, but it gets you high, so it's no surprise people get addicted to it actually."

"People really want to escape the reality they live in," Raphael said as he also lit his cigarette. "A bunch of cowards."

"Sometimes reality gets too hard to face," Aegon said, thinking of his past life. "They can't do anything about it, so they choose alternatives. A safe zone where they can feel happy for once."

"It's temporary," Raphael scoffed in disdain. "Running away from problems is the way of cowards. They'll have to return to face that reality sooner or later. The more you ignore a problem, the bigger it gets and the harder it'll be on you."

He turned toward Aegon, his voice resolute, as he threw the cigarette down and crushed it under his foot.

"So I would rather die facing that problem instead of finding temporary happiness. I am Raphael au Morningstar, the Fifth Prince of the Great Solar Empire, not a coward."