Tears flowed unceasingly. His throat was choked. Even if all the moisture in his body was drained away through tears and only dried skin remained, he felt like he couldn't stop sobbing. Jerome, the attending physician, and even the butlers all begged him to calm down, but he couldn't.
How can I calm down? How can I...!
One day, a maid came in to clean and she was so shocked that she ran away in panic. Kyle stood blankly by the window and watched the maid run away. He turned his gaze to the mirror. Only then did he understand the maid's reaction.
Through the glass, he could see a figure that looked like it had been rolling around in hell. The eyes were sunken, the cheeks were so gaunt that they were hollow, and the lips were black. It was the very image of a corpse.
Something fell from his fingers. The Blackwell family’s signet ring, passed down only to the eldest heir, was rolling on the carpet. Kyle slowly raised both hands. There was barely any flesh attached to them, like a skeleton. It was no wonder the ring didn’t fit and fell off.
Another month had passed. A month and a half had passed since he had come from the capital city of Hedestad to Te Deum, but nothing had changed. He was dying day by day, Angie's whereabouts were still unknown, and those around him were urging him to accept her death.
It was like going back to when Angie first came to see him, long ago. Even then, he spent most of the day in bed and rarely left his room.
But from the moment Angie entered the bedroom, everything changed. Her healthy warmth, her lovely breath, the sweet scent of flowers that seemed to come from a world where spring was the only season, Angie's very presence opened up a new world for him and turned his life around.
And now he was the cause of her death, one step closer to death. Kyle crouched down on the bed. His cheeks, which were soaked with both hands, were getting wet again. His face had no time to dry. The perfection he had always shown two months ago, the noble and arrogant appearance of the next Duke, was nowhere to be found.
Angie, please... stay alive. I would rather die. If my death means you are safe somewhere, I will sever this airway at any moment. I will rip this heart out with my own hands.
"What is your wish, Master?"
"Wish...?"
"Yes. Other than getting healthy, what other wish or wish do you have? Your body will definitely get better."
"Live forever..."
To be with you forever, always. If not in this world, then somewhere else. Heaven or hell, anywhere is fine. As long as you stay by my side like this...
"Huh? Are you talking about immortality? Or the afterlife?"
"No, nothing."
I don't dream of such a thing. Immortality and eternal life... there is no such thing. There should be no such thing. What I want is to spend every moment of this finite life with you until I die. That's all. And when this life is over, our souls will not be separated but will be bound together. For what I long for is the immortality of the soul, not of the body. Your soul and mine will never die, forever...
Kyle came to his senses only after running out of the bedroom when Jerome brought him a newspaper. The pages of the newspaper from Vintergar, a neighboring country bordering Trieste, were crammed with articles, even if they were printed in crude print. On the back of a paper published a month ago, there was an illustration and lettering about a shipwreck two months earlier.
“Your Highness! If you look at this, there is a record of a storm that struck the southern coast of Vintergar at that time. A private sailing ship belonging to Vintergar rescued the residents of a nearby island, which is not far from Cullinan. In addition, several sailors and passengers who were adrift in the sea were rescued, and among them were unidentified women!”
Kyle snatched the newspaper away and skimmed through the articles. His empty, glassy eyes began to shine brightly. His heart pounded with excitement. He looked up at Jerome and took a deep breath. Jerome’s mouth opened first.
“Angie may have been rescued on this ship too. She may have been identified by now, as the article was printed two weeks ago...”
“Investigate the ship, the owner, the people on board at the time, and even the police in Vintergar. If there are insufficient administrative records, create a montage and issue an arrest warrant. The reward for reporting the information is one million Vintergar Levant (VRB) in your currency. If you lead us to the location, add another one million.”
Jerome took a deep breath. Two million Levant was enough to live comfortably in Vintergar for a lifetime, regardless of social status. Of course, that amount would not hurt the Blackwell family's coffers at all. It was not a big deal to sell off a small piece of farmland among their vast estates. But the problem was the royal family.
“Your Highness. If news were to spread to the capital palace, it could be a headache. Recently, the royal family has been secretly encouraging the Blackwell family to pay off the national debt. Te Deum is under strict surveillance, so no one can set foot there, but as soon as you go up to the capital, royal spies will be following you everywhere.”
“Leave the territory as it is and sell one of the continent’s businesses for a luxury good. Coffee, tea, tobacco, spices... Whatever it is, give the distribution monopoly to any foreign company that wants it.”
“Understood, my lord. Then I will take care of the investigation, the search, and everything, so please, my lord, gather your strength. The delegation from the capital will visit in five days. If you show this kind of behavior and give them an opening... the royal family will definitely be able to plot something.”
“I know. The visit is just an excuse, and they’re just coming to spy on me. They want to see for themselves if the rumors that I’m dying are true.”
Kyle jumped up. For the first time, life was coming to his face, which had been like a corpse. His heart was racing at the thought that Angie might actually be alive. Even if it was a slim possibility, it was a ray of light to him.
“Jerome. Spread the word in the capital until the delegation arrives in five days. I am suffering from a severe case of madness, and I am in a state of irreversible confusion.”
Jerome immediately saw through his intentions. It was to strike the back of the head of the declining royal house of Trieste. Kyle was outwardly pretending to trust and rely on the dukedom while mocking the royal family for their greedy desire to seize Blackwell's vast wealth.
“Yes, my lord. I will spread it with maximum intensity.”
“From this time forward, we will move to the West Wing Chamber. Keep your mouth shut and act as if you were still in a coffin.”
Jerome said he would be happy to do so. The young master still did not trust Louis Dunst and her people. He was a completely different person from the previous Duke John Fitzroy, who had been transformed into a monster and met a miserable end.
“There’s one more thing to do, Jerome. Open an account at the central bank of Vintergar. If I can find Angie safely, I’ll put fifteen thousand Vintergar Levant in that account as well. That’ll be enough to cover one circulation. You see, the Dinesen, the currency of Trieste, is going to be depreciating, so it’s better to keep it in Vintegar.”
“Your High school? I have never wanted anything like that....”
“This is a token of my gratitude for being my right-hand man so far and for continuing to be so. I’m also planning to amend my will so that if anything happens to me, a much larger amount of money will be sent to that account. So...”
Kyle added, returning his gaze to the newspaper.
“Just do everything you can to find Angie. No matter how much it costs or what methods and means you use, that’s all I ask.”
“...I understand, Your Highness. I will devote all my efforts to the search.”
“I will meet the royal delegation in five days, and go up to the capital in two weeks. I will hold a title succession ceremony at the main residence of the territory...”
Kyle took a moment to gather his thoughts about his engagement to Leticia Dervan. The succession ceremony would also be attended by a collateral branch of the Blackwell family, Baron Dervan, a relative of John Fitzroy, who had been a landowner before he bought the title.
Samuel Dervan's cunning face came to mind. He was the de facto leader of the Caelum cult and Leticia's uncle. He was the one who had manipulated the memories of his poor niece, who had lost her parents in the war and sent her to Cullinan Island to use her as a remedy. He was also the one who had triggered the Black Mass' Eternity ritual in earnest.
His own daughter was deliberately married off to the Marquis of Crawford, a collateral member of the royal family, and his niece was going to be a ritual sacrifice until the end. Kyle was sullen. He had no interest in Leticia. He didn't even feel pity for her, considering what she had done to Angie before.
But in the end, Leticia had to be grateful to him. He was the one who would take her revenge. The Dervan clan was going to be completely wiped out by his hands.
That was the true 'blood causality' that Kyle had in mind. Anyone who had even the slightest connection to the Eternity ritual was going to be burned to the bone. That would be the price for going against the natural order and a severe punishment from God.
How can I calm down? How can I...!
One day, a maid came in to clean and she was so shocked that she ran away in panic. Kyle stood blankly by the window and watched the maid run away. He turned his gaze to the mirror. Only then did he understand the maid's reaction.
Through the glass, he could see a figure that looked like it had been rolling around in hell. The eyes were sunken, the cheeks were so gaunt that they were hollow, and the lips were black. It was the very image of a corpse.
Something fell from his fingers. The Blackwell family’s signet ring, passed down only to the eldest heir, was rolling on the carpet. Kyle slowly raised both hands. There was barely any flesh attached to them, like a skeleton. It was no wonder the ring didn’t fit and fell off.
Another month had passed. A month and a half had passed since he had come from the capital city of Hedestad to Te Deum, but nothing had changed. He was dying day by day, Angie's whereabouts were still unknown, and those around him were urging him to accept her death.
It was like going back to when Angie first came to see him, long ago. Even then, he spent most of the day in bed and rarely left his room.
But from the moment Angie entered the bedroom, everything changed. Her healthy warmth, her lovely breath, the sweet scent of flowers that seemed to come from a world where spring was the only season, Angie's very presence opened up a new world for him and turned his life around.
And now he was the cause of her death, one step closer to death. Kyle crouched down on the bed. His cheeks, which were soaked with both hands, were getting wet again. His face had no time to dry. The perfection he had always shown two months ago, the noble and arrogant appearance of the next Duke, was nowhere to be found.
Angie, please... stay alive. I would rather die. If my death means you are safe somewhere, I will sever this airway at any moment. I will rip this heart out with my own hands.
***
"What is your wish, Master?"
"Wish...?"
"Yes. Other than getting healthy, what other wish or wish do you have? Your body will definitely get better."
"Live forever..."
To be with you forever, always. If not in this world, then somewhere else. Heaven or hell, anywhere is fine. As long as you stay by my side like this...
"Huh? Are you talking about immortality? Or the afterlife?"
"No, nothing."
I don't dream of such a thing. Immortality and eternal life... there is no such thing. There should be no such thing. What I want is to spend every moment of this finite life with you until I die. That's all. And when this life is over, our souls will not be separated but will be bound together. For what I long for is the immortality of the soul, not of the body. Your soul and mine will never die, forever...
Kyle came to his senses only after running out of the bedroom when Jerome brought him a newspaper. The pages of the newspaper from Vintergar, a neighboring country bordering Trieste, were crammed with articles, even if they were printed in crude print. On the back of a paper published a month ago, there was an illustration and lettering about a shipwreck two months earlier.
“Your Highness! If you look at this, there is a record of a storm that struck the southern coast of Vintergar at that time. A private sailing ship belonging to Vintergar rescued the residents of a nearby island, which is not far from Cullinan. In addition, several sailors and passengers who were adrift in the sea were rescued, and among them were unidentified women!”
Kyle snatched the newspaper away and skimmed through the articles. His empty, glassy eyes began to shine brightly. His heart pounded with excitement. He looked up at Jerome and took a deep breath. Jerome’s mouth opened first.
“Angie may have been rescued on this ship too. She may have been identified by now, as the article was printed two weeks ago...”
“Investigate the ship, the owner, the people on board at the time, and even the police in Vintergar. If there are insufficient administrative records, create a montage and issue an arrest warrant. The reward for reporting the information is one million Vintergar Levant (VRB) in your currency. If you lead us to the location, add another one million.”
Jerome took a deep breath. Two million Levant was enough to live comfortably in Vintergar for a lifetime, regardless of social status. Of course, that amount would not hurt the Blackwell family's coffers at all. It was not a big deal to sell off a small piece of farmland among their vast estates. But the problem was the royal family.
“Your Highness. If news were to spread to the capital palace, it could be a headache. Recently, the royal family has been secretly encouraging the Blackwell family to pay off the national debt. Te Deum is under strict surveillance, so no one can set foot there, but as soon as you go up to the capital, royal spies will be following you everywhere.”
“Leave the territory as it is and sell one of the continent’s businesses for a luxury good. Coffee, tea, tobacco, spices... Whatever it is, give the distribution monopoly to any foreign company that wants it.”
“Understood, my lord. Then I will take care of the investigation, the search, and everything, so please, my lord, gather your strength. The delegation from the capital will visit in five days. If you show this kind of behavior and give them an opening... the royal family will definitely be able to plot something.”
“I know. The visit is just an excuse, and they’re just coming to spy on me. They want to see for themselves if the rumors that I’m dying are true.”
Kyle jumped up. For the first time, life was coming to his face, which had been like a corpse. His heart was racing at the thought that Angie might actually be alive. Even if it was a slim possibility, it was a ray of light to him.
“Jerome. Spread the word in the capital until the delegation arrives in five days. I am suffering from a severe case of madness, and I am in a state of irreversible confusion.”
Jerome immediately saw through his intentions. It was to strike the back of the head of the declining royal house of Trieste. Kyle was outwardly pretending to trust and rely on the dukedom while mocking the royal family for their greedy desire to seize Blackwell's vast wealth.
“Yes, my lord. I will spread it with maximum intensity.”
“From this time forward, we will move to the West Wing Chamber. Keep your mouth shut and act as if you were still in a coffin.”
Jerome said he would be happy to do so. The young master still did not trust Louis Dunst and her people. He was a completely different person from the previous Duke John Fitzroy, who had been transformed into a monster and met a miserable end.
“There’s one more thing to do, Jerome. Open an account at the central bank of Vintergar. If I can find Angie safely, I’ll put fifteen thousand Vintergar Levant in that account as well. That’ll be enough to cover one circulation. You see, the Dinesen, the currency of Trieste, is going to be depreciating, so it’s better to keep it in Vintegar.”
“Your High school? I have never wanted anything like that....”
“This is a token of my gratitude for being my right-hand man so far and for continuing to be so. I’m also planning to amend my will so that if anything happens to me, a much larger amount of money will be sent to that account. So...”
Kyle added, returning his gaze to the newspaper.
“Just do everything you can to find Angie. No matter how much it costs or what methods and means you use, that’s all I ask.”
“...I understand, Your Highness. I will devote all my efforts to the search.”
“I will meet the royal delegation in five days, and go up to the capital in two weeks. I will hold a title succession ceremony at the main residence of the territory...”
Kyle took a moment to gather his thoughts about his engagement to Leticia Dervan. The succession ceremony would also be attended by a collateral branch of the Blackwell family, Baron Dervan, a relative of John Fitzroy, who had been a landowner before he bought the title.
Samuel Dervan's cunning face came to mind. He was the de facto leader of the Caelum cult and Leticia's uncle. He was the one who had manipulated the memories of his poor niece, who had lost her parents in the war and sent her to Cullinan Island to use her as a remedy. He was also the one who had triggered the Black Mass' Eternity ritual in earnest.
His own daughter was deliberately married off to the Marquis of Crawford, a collateral member of the royal family, and his niece was going to be a ritual sacrifice until the end. Kyle was sullen. He had no interest in Leticia. He didn't even feel pity for her, considering what she had done to Angie before.
But in the end, Leticia had to be grateful to him. He was the one who would take her revenge. The Dervan clan was going to be completely wiped out by his hands.
That was the true 'blood causality' that Kyle had in mind. Anyone who had even the slightest connection to the Eternity ritual was going to be burned to the bone. That would be the price for going against the natural order and a severe punishment from God.
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