121

Gaslighting.

Continuously referring to and manipulating another’s psyche, clouding their judgment so they begin to doubt themselves. If you meet a boss like this, unless you’re foolish, you’ll have no choice but to endure a miserable work life.

My head began to throb.

“Chancellor, you don’t look well. Are you really okay?”

“Of course. It’s just a temporary deficiency. Don’t worry.”

I scooped a large piece of the strawberry cake on the table and shoved it into my mouth.

In my head, I was rifling through the past.

‘Is there anywhere a woman of that age could go?’

‘It’s awkward to say this, but we’ve been hearing unfavorable things about Won-young from above.’

‘If you act like this, you’ll be isolated.’

Those were words I heard from my team leader when I was a junior. At monthly interviews, no less.

They were so shocking.

Back when I was purely enthusiastic, it was a time of so much stress I couldn’t even get a wink of sleep.

After worrying and confiding in a close colleague, I finally learned the truth.

‘That nothing had happened.’

The world paid little attention or expectation to a new employee. I was getting along with people around me, and those above weren’t talking about me. My existence was effectively faint. After all, I was just a low-level employee.

But the stress back then was so severe I developed stomachaches and irregular periods. I had a harsh reality check. Looking back now I wonder why it affected me so much, but the team leader’s words hit me tremendously at the time.

“Chancellor, are you really okay?”

I snapped out of it at the worried voice of Prince Raven. This was not the time to be wallowing in the past.

I needed to focus on this poor person in front of me who had suffered years of gaslighting.

“Prince Raven. Please listen carefully.”

When I leaned forward and spoke in an unusually serious tone, he also leaned in.

“You clearly said you want to overcome this state of helplessness.”

“That’s right. But I know it won’t be easy. It’s okay if you can’t fix it immediately. I understand. I’ve seen your efforts.”

“No. I will make sure Prince Raven regains his former, splendid self.”

Prince Raven’s hand stopped as it reached for his teacup.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

I was about to say something, but to be safe I asked instead.

“Your Highness. Could you have the others give us a moment?”

He looked puzzled but gestured for the attendants and maidservants to step back, even the last servant who hesitated. I steeled myself. To move forward, he needed to realize.

“The one who stole your life is your older brother, the Crown Prince.”

“Is the Chancellor out?”

There had been no reply on the communication artifact for a long time, so she had come in person.

Was his name Lukan? A male colleague Ria recently promoted, whom he didn’t much like, spoke.

“Yes, he’s away from his desk.”

Vespera didn’t ask further and headed back to the Ministry of Justice. She was supposed to meet Prince Raven today. What could be taking so long?

‘The move isn’t far off.’

Ria was currently staying with Nicola’s family. Originally she planned to move in after they relocated and live in the empty house, but she couldn’t leave her sick friend’s father alone, so she brought him over right away.

On top of that, she was so busy with work and training lately she couldn’t catch a breath. She even made time for self-improvement after work; it was impressive.

In fact, he felt Ria wasn’t particularly invested in the move. The mansion was perfectly fine; she intended just to move her things in and live. Naturally, that didn’t satisfy him.

‘I can’t let this be sloppy.’

He stared blankly at the envelope in his hand.

It was the moving plan he had compiled bit by bit while making Dominic and Eldo work overtime. He had detailed the mansion’s interior and needed supplies. In fact, a specialist in the Duke’s residence interior was already on standby.

‘I should show this next time.’

He consoled his disappointment and moved on.

“This is absurd!”

I told Prince Raven everything I thought. Naturally, he vehemently protested.

“How dare you, how dare you accuse my brother…! What irreverent words are these!”

I refuted him point by point.

“Did you personally confirm that the documents didn’t get delivered properly?”

“Did you hear it yourself?”

“Did you personally check the resulting reports?”

“Aside from the Crown Prince, who else knows about this? Are they one of his close aides?”

While the Crown Prince could manipulate those around him, he couldn’t tamper with reports and outputs viewed by all central ministries. Since Prince Raven supposedly followed the Crown Prince closely, there would have been no need to go that far.

“……”

The prince couldn’t answer any question clearly. Still, he refused to change his mind.

“I can’t believe what you’re saying.”

“Most of the things you told me—didn’t the Crown Prince transmit them to you?”

“It was hard to tell me, so you told my brother…!”

“You would dare report a beloved younger sibling’s mistake to the Crown Prince? Even though he outranks you? That’s strange. If it were me, I’d have issued a reprimand. Even then, it would have been a one-time thing.”

“No, no, that can’t be…”

The more he denied it, the more it sounded to me like confirmation. Remembering the past, I drove the final wedge.

“Don’t you feel inexplicably depressed whenever you see the Crown Prince?”

“……!”

He looked completely taken aback.

My mouth tasted bitter. These were things almost never spoken of.

“I’ve gone through something similar. It was a long time ago, but you must have been very conscious of the Crown Prince’s mood, right?”

“……”

Forcing it has no meaning. He must accept his condition himself.

“Once something like that happens, you hesitate to say anything. You apologize… and even for trivial matters you compose long-winded explanations. You start to wonder if you’re overly sensitive, your confidence declines, and you lose certainty in yourself.”

“…How…”

Prince Raven’s hand trembled as he picked up his teacup.

“You thought it better to hide it than to get help or to let others know, didn’t you? Because it’s something caused by my sensitivity. Because I’m the problem. Because the cause lies within me.”

“You…”

He sprang up and paced the room. He repeatedly wiped his face, ruffled his hair, then sank down holding his head. None of it was unfamiliar to me.

“You’ve told me many things, but they were all fragmented. A list of events. You said you were distressed, but you never spoke in detail unless asked specifically like today. There were almost no stories about how devoted you were to the Crown Prince. Even then, you were hiding it. Defensively. The Crown Prince said a prince must not be weak. Even with worries, you must solve them yourself, or tell only him…?”

The prince visibly flinched.

He sat back down, his face flushed.

His eyes held a mixture of confusion, wandering thoughts, and shame.

“…This is maddening. Did you crawl into my head and come back?”

“Of course not. I’m truly glad you finally opened up even now.”

“……”

He bowed his head in silence. I didn’t rush him.

After a long time, he finally spoke with his head bowed.

“Could I… possibly… be okay?”

His voice choked and trembled. He pressed his lips together as if barely holding back tears. His eyes were bloodshot. I nodded.

“Of course. I am living proof.”

I felt tears welling up for no reason too. I quietly brought the tea to my lips.

The silence remained, but the discomfort vanished.

A moment later, Prince Raven slowly lifted his head and met my gaze. I didn’t look away and smiled. It will be okay now.

Tears began to fall from the prince’s eyes.

“…Really…?”

I nodded slowly.

“Huh, hic… sob…”

His tears, a tumult of sorrow, anxiety, and shock, showed no sign of stopping. Trying to hold them back only unleashed even louder sobs.

“Cry if you must. Is there a law that princes can’t cry?”

No sooner had I finished speaking than more tears poured from him. He wept aloud.

It was good I had cleared the room. Even if others heard, they had been told not to enter, so they would stay put.

As the sun began to set, his tears finally stopped.

‘How much anguish he must have endured.’

After crying, perhaps embarrassed, the prince covered his swollen eyes with his hands.

“I still find it hard to accept that my brother did this intentionally.”

“I understand.”

There was no need to storm off and make a scene right now. First, we needed to verify that my claim was true.

“We can check together whether I’m right or not. That will make it easier to accept. It’s not difficult. Will you follow my lead? It won’t harm the Crown Prince.”

“If that’s the case…”

No problem.

“Listen carefully, Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

“From now on, I will erase everything around you that the Crown Prince has touched.”