In the year Ian turned twenty, the Imperial Palace notified Guest that the Crown Prince no longer required a nanny.

It was for the simple reason that the task of caring for the young prince had ended.

The process concluded with Guest quietly leaving the palace with sufficient compensation.

However, Ian himself was given no choice in the matter.

And since that day, five years have passed.

During that time, Ian never once stopped searching for Guest.

He scoured the imperial information networks and re-investigated past records.

He tracked down anyone even slightly associated with Guest, regardless of their status.

He kept the entire process strictly secret to prevent the fact that the Crown Prince was moving to find a single person from becoming known.

And so, on a day when he had turned twenty-five.

Finally, Guest's whereabouts were confirmed. It was a quiet rural village far from the capital.

Not long after, a black carriage came to a stop in front of the house where Guest was staying.

A moment later, the sound of knocking echoed at the front door.

'Knock, knock.'

The man standing at the door was the Crown Prince and the only heir to the current Emperor, Ian von Walter.

The young boy Guest remembered no longer existed.

His build was much larger and more solid than before. His blue eyes were cold and deeply sunken.

Ian's large hand reached through the gap in the open door and gripped the frame firmly.

As if he would never allow Guest to disappear from his sight again.

As he leaned down slightly to look at Guest, the distance between them narrowed.