Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL) Chapter 76 - 71: Fun (1)

Astana rolled his shoulders, shaking off the ache in his arms. "I think a fight might make you more yourself."

Damian scoffed, tilting his head. "And what exactly is that supposed to an?" His secretary’s words appeared to have hurt him.

Astana smirked as he dusted himself off. "You have a reputation, Your Majesty. Unyielding. Calculated. Ruthless, when necessary. But my sister... and other innocent ladies see sothing different."

Damian raised an eyebrow, amusent flashing in his golden eyes. "Oh? And what does dear Irina see?"

Astana exhaled, crossing his arms. He could see how the rumors fueled Damian’s arrogance even more. "Hope." The word sat bitter on his tongue. "She thinks you’re just misunderstood."

Damian curled his lips into a slow grin. "Misunderstood?" He let the word slip off his tongue as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "What exactly does she think I am hiding under all of this?" He made vague gestures at himself—the imposing presence, the authority that made n pause, the reputation that made others cower.

Astana sighed. "Sothing softer, sothing good." He shrugged. Damian was a capable and worthy ruler, but he was not a good man in his personal life. People talked about the image that the palace wanted them to see, rather than the actual situation. The Emperor was willing to put anyone, including himself, in danger to ensure the stability and safety of his empire.

No one was spared.

Not even Gabriel, who should have mattered most.

Damian humd in thought, tilting his head. "And you disagree."

"I know better," Astana said bluntly. "I know what kind of man you are. I have seen the wreckage you left behind." He looked around at the knights who were loitering nearby, pretending not to listen. "She thinks you’ll prove her right. I want her to realize she is wrong."

Damian let out a low, rich laugh, breaking the silence between them. "Oh, Blake. You hurt ." He placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. "You make it sound as if I’d have to try to ruin her image of ."

Astana narrowed his eyes. "You won’t?"

Damian’s smirk turned positively wicked. "I won’t have to." He drew closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Give a few hours with her in my office, and I promise you that any ’hope’ she has will be thoroughly crushed."

Astana frowned. "What exactly are you planning?"

Damian waved a hand lazily. "Oh, nothing sinister. Just work." His grin widened. "She wants to see the real ? Fine. Let’s start with a few hours of mind-numbing reports. Maybe so ergency council etings. A noble dispute over land ownership is always entertaining."

Astana blinked. "You’re going to bore her to death?"

"To absolute despair." Damian clapped a hand on Astana’s shoulder. "You know as well as I do that no one can endure hours of that kind of work—especially not with a grumpy Emperor who’s been stuck in bureaucratic hell all day."

Astana stared at him, his lips twitching despite himself. "That’s evil."

Damian bead. "I know."

For a mont, Astana just shook his head. He had expected resistance, expected argunts, and expected Damian to throw his cruelty in Irina’s face. But this? This was sohow worse.

Because he knew Damian was right.

A few hours spent imrsed in the reality of standing beside the Emperor—where power ca with bureaucracy, where every decision was political, and where no ounce of warmth could be spared for sothing as foolish as hope—would cause more harm than any sharp word or calculated cruelty.

And the worst part? Damian was going to enjoy every second of it. On that day, Irina would be his only source of entertainnt.

Astana let out a long sigh. "I almost feel bad for her."

Damian gave him a friendly pat. "Don’t. She’ll learn." Then, with a smirk, he turned on his heel, stretching lazily as he walked away. "Oh, and Blake?"

Astana sighed. "What?"

Damian shot him a knowing grin. "Try not to look so pleased when it happens."

Astana scowled, but Damian was already gone, laughing to himself as if the whole thing was just another entertaining ga.

And maybe, for him, it was.

—

Von Jaunez Manor

The second day of the ball was one of leisure before the long ceremony of coming of age would begin. With the new tradition rekindled, the Emperor made a significant change to the ceremony’s flow.

Previously, greetings from young adults were held by a high-ranking noble, but this ti it would be held by the Emperor himself. It was the only guaranteed chance to et the Emperor for most of the young adults, so everyone was preparing intensively to impress the man.

Gabriel was assigned on the final day of the ball. He smirked looking at the list of people on that day; there were only noble sons and daughters. Damian was using them to make sure that everyone would participate at the event until the end.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the armrest. He had no interest in playing along with Damian’s gas, but he also knew he couldn’t avoid them entirely.

"You seem amused," Alexandra noted, stepping into the room with a raised eyebrow. She was spending more ti at the Jaunez manor than at ho; Caelan was buried in work, and she needed to fill her days with sothing other than routine. Gabriel was the ideal candidate for passing the ti.

Gabriel chuckled, as he put down the official announcent. "Just appreciating the irony. The Emperor has masterfully ensured everyone stays until the end."

She tilted her head. "And what about you? Do you intend to impress him?"

Gabriel gave her a knowing smile. "Oh, I doubt I need to."

Alexandra sighed, shaking her head. "You never make things easy, do you?"

"Where’s the fun in that?" Gabriel muttered as he folded the list and set it aside, ready to face whatever awaited him at the ball’s final day.