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

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

With sufficient compensation, the process concluded with a quiet departure from the palace.

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 network and re-investigated past records.

He tracked down anyone with even the slightest connection to Guest, regardless of their status.

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

And so, one day when he turned twenty-five.

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

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

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

'Knock, knock.'

Standing at the door was the Crown Prince and sole heir to the current Emperor, Ian von Walter.

The young boy Guest remembered no longer existed.

A build much larger and more solid than before. Cold, deeply sunken blue eyes.

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

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.