98. Nightmare of Asherad
Daphne looked at the sleeping Asherad. Strange. Why did this person apologize to her? She was the one who should be sorry.
The sleeping man's eyelashes were very long. Daphne blinked and observed it curiously. It was strange. Asherad, who usually did not sleep with Daphne, slept with her today. Daphne smiled bashfully because it was special.
It was a really lazy morning. The morning birds were chirping, and a cool breeze was coming in through the partially closed windows. Bright light was beginning to come in through the white curtains.
As the light turned to Asherad, Daphne held her breath. Asherad, bathed in light, was beautiful. Shadows on his straight nose, elegantly closed red lips. Straight eyebrows that did not frown, and long eyelashes beneath his closed eyes.
Just seeing the face was ecstatic.
Should I ask him to sleep with me next time? Daphne began to burrow into Asherad's arms, who was sleeping while facing her. She lifted Asherad's arms and leaned closer to him. Suddenly, his arms were tightly wrapped around Daphne's waist.
As Daphne flinched in surprise, Asherad opened his eyes. His green eyes, visible through his eyelids, shone like jewels. She whispered with a surprised face.
“Did you wake up because of me?”
Asherad nodded with a languid expression, the corners of his lips raised. What should I do? I woke Asherad up! When Daphne felt sorry and didn’t know what to do, Asherad put his hand on her cheek.
“If you hold my arm and move it like that, there’s no way I won’t wake up.”
"... Sorry."
“That’s okay too.”
Asherad pressed his forehead against Daphne's. Asherad's forehead was a little hotter. Daphne blinked, and Asherad whispered.
“I woke up from a nightmare.”
“Is this a nightmare?”
Asherad nodded. Daphne felt sorry for Asherad. If he has nightmares, it’s hard to sleep at night.
She remembered a time when she had a nightmare and went to her mother's room.
What happened to Mother then? Daphne seemed lost in thought, then suddenly moved her body and climbed a little higher up on Asherad. When Asherad made a puzzled expression, Daphne reached out and hugged his head.
Her mother was taller than her, but she couldn't help it since Asherad was taller than her. Daphne said to Asherad, who blinked.
“Whenever I had a nightmare, my mom would hug me like this.”
“...”
“So, it will be comfortable if you sleep like this.”
Daphne’s embrace was warm and soft. Asherad closed his eyes, savoring the embrace, then raised his head to see Daphne smiling. Daphne, looking down at him, was like a god.
I die without you.
I can't live without you.
Asherad buried his head deeper into Daphne's arms. He felt Daphne's affectionate hands.
He knew it too. This was an illusion. An illusion that would disappear like a mirage if Daphne's memories returned.
If her memories come back, he will capture her again.
Asherad realized what he truly wanted.
He never wanted them to love each other while hating each other. He realized it too late.
This moment of precarious peace. This precious time between he and her, where they don't hate each other.
The happier he was at this moment, the more he realized his mistake. He had a choice. There was a choice to hate but not take revenge, a choice not to hate, a choice to understand and forgive her.
If he had been a little more mature, he could have faced this future without any effort.
But it was he who chose hatred and the revenge that was not equal.
The happier he was, the more the guilt of his choices choked him. A tear flowed from one of Asherad's eyes. The summer sun was warm, her arms were fragrant, and her caressing hands were gentle.
He closed his eyes and fell into the nightmare he always had in her arms.
Asherad approached the Emperor's chamber. He was still the Crown Prince, and the Emperor lay groaning. Using Kalista's trickery, Asherad poisoned his father.
And now the Emperor was on the verge of death.
Asherad approached the Emperor, who was breathing heavily.
“How are you?”
The Emperor turned his head at Asherad's question. His father's eyes were blazing with hatred for his son.
“You... It’s your doing...”
“You found out too late.”
Daphne looked at the sleeping Asherad. Strange. Why did this person apologize to her? She was the one who should be sorry.
The sleeping man's eyelashes were very long. Daphne blinked and observed it curiously. It was strange. Asherad, who usually did not sleep with Daphne, slept with her today. Daphne smiled bashfully because it was special.
It was a really lazy morning. The morning birds were chirping, and a cool breeze was coming in through the partially closed windows. Bright light was beginning to come in through the white curtains.
As the light turned to Asherad, Daphne held her breath. Asherad, bathed in light, was beautiful. Shadows on his straight nose, elegantly closed red lips. Straight eyebrows that did not frown, and long eyelashes beneath his closed eyes.
Just seeing the face was ecstatic.
Should I ask him to sleep with me next time? Daphne began to burrow into Asherad's arms, who was sleeping while facing her. She lifted Asherad's arms and leaned closer to him. Suddenly, his arms were tightly wrapped around Daphne's waist.
As Daphne flinched in surprise, Asherad opened his eyes. His green eyes, visible through his eyelids, shone like jewels. She whispered with a surprised face.
“Did you wake up because of me?”
Asherad nodded with a languid expression, the corners of his lips raised. What should I do? I woke Asherad up! When Daphne felt sorry and didn’t know what to do, Asherad put his hand on her cheek.
“If you hold my arm and move it like that, there’s no way I won’t wake up.”
"... Sorry."
“That’s okay too.”
Asherad pressed his forehead against Daphne's. Asherad's forehead was a little hotter. Daphne blinked, and Asherad whispered.
“I woke up from a nightmare.”
“Is this a nightmare?”
Asherad nodded. Daphne felt sorry for Asherad. If he has nightmares, it’s hard to sleep at night.
She remembered a time when she had a nightmare and went to her mother's room.
What happened to Mother then? Daphne seemed lost in thought, then suddenly moved her body and climbed a little higher up on Asherad. When Asherad made a puzzled expression, Daphne reached out and hugged his head.
Her mother was taller than her, but she couldn't help it since Asherad was taller than her. Daphne said to Asherad, who blinked.
“Whenever I had a nightmare, my mom would hug me like this.”
“...”
“So, it will be comfortable if you sleep like this.”
Daphne’s embrace was warm and soft. Asherad closed his eyes, savoring the embrace, then raised his head to see Daphne smiling. Daphne, looking down at him, was like a god.
I die without you.
I can't live without you.
Asherad buried his head deeper into Daphne's arms. He felt Daphne's affectionate hands.
He knew it too. This was an illusion. An illusion that would disappear like a mirage if Daphne's memories returned.
If her memories come back, he will capture her again.
Asherad realized what he truly wanted.
He never wanted them to love each other while hating each other. He realized it too late.
This moment of precarious peace. This precious time between he and her, where they don't hate each other.
The happier he was at this moment, the more he realized his mistake. He had a choice. There was a choice to hate but not take revenge, a choice not to hate, a choice to understand and forgive her.
If he had been a little more mature, he could have faced this future without any effort.
But it was he who chose hatred and the revenge that was not equal.
The happier he was, the more the guilt of his choices choked him. A tear flowed from one of Asherad's eyes. The summer sun was warm, her arms were fragrant, and her caressing hands were gentle.
He closed his eyes and fell into the nightmare he always had in her arms.
***
Asherad approached the Emperor's chamber. He was still the Crown Prince, and the Emperor lay groaning. Using Kalista's trickery, Asherad poisoned his father.
And now the Emperor was on the verge of death.
Asherad approached the Emperor, who was breathing heavily.
“How are you?”
The Emperor turned his head at Asherad's question. His father's eyes were blazing with hatred for his son.
“You... It’s your doing...”
“You found out too late.”
Asherad smiled. The Emperor ground his teeth as he watched his son trying to kill him.
“You ungrateful bastard... You should be grateful that I saved your life...”
Thank you for keeping me alive. That was truly shameless. Asherad wanted to grab this man by the neck right away.
“You didn’t let me live because you had no other choice.”
“...”
“You didn’t want to hear people say that you were the father who killed his son, but you also didn’t want to pass the throne to a collateral line...”
“...”
“I know deep down that it was not mercy that saved me.”
Asherad spoke calmly. The Emperor was surprised by the sarcasm. Asherad was not a foolish child, and he was always sharpening his blade of revenge. And at this moment, he was completely defeated. The Emperor summoned up his last stamina and shouted.
“You didn’t even love your mother that much, so how could you seek revenge?”
“...”
“You didn’t even feel sad when your mother died!”
“To me, my father and mother are no different.”
Asherad raised the corners of his lips as he spoke. However, his eyes were moist as if he would shed tears at any moment, and the corners of his smiling lips were distorted as if he was going to cry. The Emperor, looking at that weak face, let out a snicker.
“Do you know that? I was oppressed by your mother. Aren’t you the same? There’s no way you’d like a cheap woman who beat you to death like that.”
“...”
“So I killed her myself...”
The Emperor looked at Asherad with an angry face. Yes, he knew that his mother was beating him to death, but he had tolerated it. However, his mother did not die because she had been violent towards him. It was just personal revenge.
Revenge on his wife, who killed his beloved concubine, the woman he believed was his true love.
If it had been revenge for Asherad, he might have been able to respect his father a little bit. It might not have come to this point.
In Asherad's mind, he suddenly remembered the small being that had been startled and healed him when she saw his sword wound. The daughter of the concubine he hated so much, the being that had pushed his life into the abyss. The woman whose hands were warm as she wrapped the bandages...
Asherad tried hard to erase that memory.
“I don’t think that’s something the person who told me to drink poison would say.”
“...”
“Your Majesty, you oppressed me too.”
The Emperor said nothing. Asherad looked at the man who was more like an enemy than his dying enemy. He had treated his mother coldly and had poisoned Asherad. He had never been able to let go of his obsession with his concubine, and he had tried to get his hands on Daphne... Daphne.
Even though he was his father, that alone was reason enough to die. At that, the Emperor rolled his eyes and laughed.
“Then why don’t you just drink the poison I gave you and die instead of seeing that dirty sight?”
“...”
“You could have died without so much pain...”
The Emperor tried to get up and fell down again. He seemed to realize his end with this. He had less strength than a child to slam his fist into the bed. Asherad looked at the man who had now fallen miserably.
A huge mountain that could not be overcome, a relationship that was worse than others, a robber who tried to take away what was most precious.
“It is better for my father to die than for me to die.”
The Emperor burst into laughter. At this moment, he was facing his most honest son. Asherad had always been hypocritical. How could he not be delighted to see such an ugly face?
But looking at this child, he began to have doubts. Wasn't it Asherad who had been sitting still? Why on earth would his quiet son move? Then he thought back to when he had fallen from his horse. At that time, he had not harmed Asherad in any particular way. At that time, he had... tried to get a new concubine... Ah!
Now everything is clear.
“Yes, that would be refreshing. Where would my bloodline go?”
“...”
“Yes, after I die, you will be able to reunite with my beloved daughter.”
The Emperor continued to laugh. Only when he was near death did he discover what he had in common with Asherad. This base obsession! This blindness excludes everything from obtaining what he loves. This madness that makes a son kill his father! This was proof that they were of the same blood.
Now he finally felt a little affection for his son.
“But you won’t be happy.”
“...”
“You look like me.”
Beatrice, the Emperor's woman, used him. Love never existed in the first place. Knowing this, he isolated Beatrice. He thought that if he did that, she would only love him. However, the result was a terrible deception.
“You will become just like me. You will explode with madness and ruin the woman you love.”
He will be used and not loved, just like Beatrice never loved him in her entire life.
“You will never receive that woman’s love. You foolish man will only receive hatred.”
Asherad spoke calmly about the Emperor's curse.
“Absolutely not.”
But the smile on Asherad's lips had long since disappeared. The Emperor was right. Daphne ran away from Asherad, and he killed Fabian, whom she loved, with her own hands.
He locked up Daphne, who was going crazy and trying to die, and got her drunk again and again.
Beatrice, the seductress who ruined his life, tried to deceive the Emperor. His own father was fooled. Then it means that she did not love the Emperor.
An object of use, not a lover.
Being used by Daphne.
Asherad thought he would never become a foolish father. However, the curse of the Emperor and his father remained deep in his heart.
And so, he meets his father on the verge of death, and is cursed, and cursed again. By his only blood relative, by his parents, who should be filled with love rather than hatred.
Those he had killed appeared in his dreams; that was Asherad's nightmare. When he realized that it was a nightmare and grabbed his head, only then did the person tied to the chair appear. The red-haired young man raised his head, dripping with blood.
“If Daphne finds out about this, she won’t run away, right?”
The young man, facing death, smiled broadly with a bloody face.
“But she will hate you for the rest of my life.”
Fabian sentenced his future.
“You will never be able to win Daphne’s heart.”
They all placed a curse on Asherad, and the curse became reality.
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