Chapter 70

The structure of Zair’s castle mirrored Seth’s Emerald Castle in an unsettling way. Although all five of the Emperor’s children had castles with the same exterior, the interior layouts were supposed to differ. Yet, walking through this place felt eerily like wandering through Seth’s castle.

Hovering down the hallway, Joo Yi-Gyeol cautiously passed through the door ahead.

‘Just as I thought…’

Beyond the door was a library, just as expected. Even the arrangement of bookshelves and the number of books were strikingly similar.

After learning to read, Joo Yi-Gyeol had stopped relying on the books Seth had one-sidedly retrieved from the Imperial archive. Instead, he started accompanying Seth to the library, personally selecting books each day. Back when he was merely an observing spirit, he had only looked around, but having carefully picked out books in the past, the similarities now felt even more pronounced.

Not only were most of the books the same as Seth’s collection, but their arrangement was identical. Other rooms at least had minor differences—additional furniture that made them distinguishable from Seth’s chambers. But here, it was so identical it almost felt as if he had wandered into Seth’s library by accident.

‘Could this really be a coincidence?’

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he was certain the answer was no. Seth wouldn’t have gone so far as to replicate the interior of Zair’s castle, let alone mimic the selection of books.

Whatever the reason behind this, it unsettled him.

After scanning the library, Joo Yi-Gyeol left the room and floated down the corridor once more. Passing through the walls would have been faster, but he refrained. Just because others couldn’t see him didn’t mean he should carelessly phase through rooms—Zair might be inside, and he was one of the few who could see Joo Yi-Gyeol in his current form. He had to be cautious.

Moving through the next doorway with care, Joo Yi-Gyeol resisted the urge to leave the castle altogether and search for Seth immediately. Given that Seth had been framed for the murder of a prince and arrested, there was no way he would be in Zair’s castle. He should have left to search elsewhere. Yet, stubbornly, he remained.

Even if he found Seth and ran straight into his arms, what good would it do? He was powerless like this.

‘I need to do what I can.’

As a spirit, even the white butterflies couldn’t perceive him—only a handful of individuals like Zair and Roa could. This was an opportunity.

‘I need to figure out what they’re scheming, what they’re planning to do next.’

Joo Yi-Gyeol knew Zair wanted Seth dead. In fact, all of Seth’s siblings did. It was baffling that Seth hadn’t retaliated despite their relentless assaults. He never sought revenge, never struck back with lethal force. He only appeared cold on the surface. To Joo Yi-Gyeol, Seth was practically a saint.

Yet Zair had managed to frame him as a murderer of his own kin.

—His Majesty knew that Seth was scheming to eliminate us one by one. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to die at his hands. We were assisting His Majesty in the investigation, but to think he had already killed our brother before the arrest…

Lies.

Seth would never do such a thing.

Everything was orchestrated by Zair.

And if Zair had fabricated this plot, then somewhere, a trail of evidence must exist. The most blatant clues would undoubtedly be closest to the perpetrator himself.

Knowing that Zair would be a serious threat if he noticed his movements, Joo Yi-Gyeol tensed, sharpening his focus as his mind raced.

So far, nothing seemed particularly unusual—except for how eerily similar the layout, room functions, and furnishings were to Seth’s castle.

Just as impatience began to creep in from the lack of progress, Joo Yi-Gyeol came to a halt at the end of a corridor.

Beyond the door in front of him lay a room identical to one he had seen in Seth’s castle—a salon for social gatherings. The room was filled with various decorations, artworks, several tables, and numerous chairs. Poetry books for recitals, chess sets, and card games were arranged neatly. Seth had never used his salon, leaving it abandoned. Peering inside now, it seemed Zair had done the same.

Joo Yi-Gyeol scanned the space briefly before retreating. As he stood in the open corridor, he instinctively turned his head.

Two spirit-like entities, familiar in their white butterfly forms, stood motionless before a wall, as if standing guard.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Joo Yi-Gyeol re-entered the room, scrutinizing it more carefully. While still spacious, it felt slightly smaller than Seth’s salon.

Stepping back into the hallway, he approached the spirits. Between them, the wall appeared solid—except for a small doorknob. From the entrance of the salon, it looked just like part of the wall.

Unlike the other guarded areas, this place was manned by spirits instead of regular soldiers. While spirits couldn’t physically block intruders, they could swiftly and discreetly alert Zair.

Joo Yi-Gyeol studied the uniquely shaped doorknob. Though it had a keyhole, there were also four tiny circular indentations surrounding it. A key of an unfamiliar design. This door had been crafted so that only its rightful owner could access it.

His instincts told him:

This was the one space that deviated from Seth’s castle.

This was Zair’s secret chamber.

Suppressing the thrill of discovery brought on by his heightened nerves, Joo Yi-Gyeol cautiously advanced toward the door between the two spirits.

* * * 

“…That’s what he says. So far, he isn’t saying anything beyond denying responsibility.”

The black-armored young knight, Teren, delivered his brief report. Zair, seated in a chair with his chin resting on his hand, frowned in dissatisfaction.

“What is he thinking?”

The rhetorical question left Teren at a loss for words. He parted his lips behind his dark mask but ultimately said nothing.

“And the subordinates left in the Emerald Castle?”

“They, too, only insist on Seth’s innocence but haven’t taken any particular action.”

The slight unevenness in Teren’s breathing pattern irritated Zair. Yet he didn’t reprimand him. Instead, he smirked.

“Tell the knights this—if something happens, they can kill the body if necessary, but make sure to capture him.”

Teren flinched, clenching his gloved fists. His fingers were oddly mismatched in size and length.

“…Without that body, we—”

Teren hesitated, but Zair’s piercing gaze silenced him. Though his mask concealed his features, the way his lips twisted awkwardly hinted at his unease.

Zair’s expression abruptly softened into a chuckle.

“Don’t worry. The next body I create won’t be a failure like the others. It will be indistinguishable from a real human. Since it’s constructed based on the soul’s data, the resistance will be far weaker than before.”

“A new body…”

Excitement seeped into Teren’s voice.

Having been expelled from previous vessels due to rejection, Teren couldn’t help but tremble at the thought of obtaining a body indistinguishable from a true human’s. His clenched fists quivered with anticipation.

After offering a deep bow, he left the laboratory. Zair watched his elation with an even deeper smile.

He pictured Joo Yi-Gyeol, resting in his chambers.

A body so perfect that no one would suspect it was artificial.

The very thought of mass-producing such bodies made his heart race.

‘But first, I’ll need to speed up the brainwashing.’

It might be slightly premature, but it was time to use the drug he had prepared through Eda. It would cloud judgment, weaken the mind, and induce extreme depression and loneliness, making the subject desperately cling to the nearest person.

A drug tailor-made for Joo Yi-Gyeol.

Just imagining Joo Yi-Gyeol sobbing and clinging to him sent a thrill through Zair.

Was this what Sethian had felt?

That thought only heightened his amusement.

Then another image surfaced—Sethian, marking Joo Yi-Gyeol’s neck with his lips. The traces were beginning to fade.

What kind of expression would Sethian make when Zair left his own mark in their place?

 

T/N: Hello, translator here!! Fairy Trap chapters will be hosted here for the indefinite future. I've also cleaned up most of the names, missing context, and incorrect meanings. After reviewing the atrocity of the translation that was Notion, I offer my sincerest apologies...

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