Meanwhile, Andrew, who had gone home, was quietly looking at Hillen lying weakly on the bed.
“Brother…what are you thinking?”
"Nothing."
That was a lie.
Andrew's mind was full of thoughts about Callius and Chloe.
Even though he begged him so much, he wouldn't give Hillen even a single drop of blood as a sacrifice.
"Shouldn't he be able to do that much? Instead of just saying no, shouldn't he be able to show some sincerity? He could at least try! Why? Why didn't he even do that?"
Andrew felt rejected by Callius.
Callius abandoned himself.
'Is it enough for the Princess to live?'
Andrew's breathing became rapid with anger.
"Hillen is dying too. What? Take a vacation and look after her? There's no hope, so he wants me to watch over her as she dies? What the hell?"
The more he thought about it, the more the negative thoughts became sharper and deeper inside him.
Andrew didn't realize that negative thoughts have a surprising life force, and if you keep planting them in your mind, before you know it, your entire mind will be covered in their roots.
Andrew became increasingly obsessed with his own thoughts, becoming blind, deaf, and eventually paralyzed from rational thought.
"Our mother's death was also because of Saint Ilya. Hillen's inability to recover was also because my lord turned away from her."
Andrew, who was lost in his resentment towards others, couldn't stand it anymore and suddenly got up.
“Where are you going, brother?”
Hillen held out her hand as if telling him not to go.
But Andrew turned away from Hillen and didn't see her outstretched hand.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Where?”
“Just a moment. I’ll be there soon.”
At Andrew's nervous voice, Hillen closed his mouth with a bitter expression. Her outstretched hand fell limply to the bed.
That was when Andrew was about to leave the house, leaving Hillen behind.
The front door opened, and Andrew's father, Basto, staggered into the house, a very drunk man, right in front of Andrew.
“Where did you wander off to with your sick sister?”
Andrew glared at Basto as if he found it pitiful.
“I went to a memorial service. Did you know there was a memorial service today?”
“Sacrifice... That’s right. I heard people talking.”
“All the people were gathered, but the drunkards at the bar my father frequented were probably still drinking at that hour.”
Basto listened to his son's sarcasm without saying a word and stood at the door, shaking off the snow from his boots.
Andrew raised his voice as if he was frustrated.
"While my father was drinking, not caring whether Hillen died or not, I went there, clutching at any straw, hoping that maybe I could save Hillen! I went there and begged the Prince in front of everyone! Please save Hillen!"
“..."
"But I was rejected! They rejected me outright. They said Hillen wasn't a disease that could be cured with sacrifice, or something."
“...”
After dusting off his boots, Basto staggered over to a kitchen chair and sat down.
Andrew glared at Basto, who was sighing deeply without saying anything, with eyes full of hatred as he asked.
“Do you have anything to say, Father?”
“...”
“You have nothing to say?”
Only after Andrew shouted did Basto open his lips heavily.
“...What am I saying?”
A strong smell of distilled liquor wafted from Basto, who was muttering like that.
Andrew stamped his feet as if he were frustrated.
Then suddenly, he remembered what Sernia had said in the dungeon.
“Your father said at first that no matter how much he wanted to save his wife, he couldn’t do something like that.”
“I heard that your father regretted refusing Empress Kavala’s offer and sought her out again.”
"But it was already too late. If your father had changed his mind a little sooner, your mother might be alive and well today."
An incompetent and pathetic father.
A man who not only betrayed Ronheim but also failed to protect his family.
A disgusting human being.
“I look just like my father.”
Andrew trembled.
'No, I don't resemble anyone like that. I'm different. I am!'
Hillen's sobbing could be heard from the room.
It seemed like she was crying after hearing his father get angry.
Andrew kicked open the door and left Hillen's crying behind him.
'At least I'll protect Hillen.'
The place he was headed to was Ronheim Castle.
To be exact, the underground prison where Sernia is.
The knights of Ronheim were excellent knights, strong and loyal, but they had one thing that was both their strength and weakness.
It means that they have a very close camaraderie.
So, there was a huge drawback in that he could hardly suspect his comrades.
It wasn't that difficult for Andrew to find Sernia and have a private meeting with her, even though it wasn't his work hours or place of work.
He grabbed Sernia, who had a pale face, and asked.
“What should I do?”
Same time.
As soon as Callius and I arrived at the castle, we washed the blood off our bodies and gathered back in the office to talk.
Callius checked my condition by lightly cutting the back of my hand, just like he had done to Hillen earlier.
I just found out that he can read information contained in the blood of others in that way.
'It's really amazing.'
A person with divine power.
So, through sacrifice, the life force of the offering can be transferred to another person.
“The power of the curse has certainly been greatly weakened.”
“Really? I feel so much healthier.”
We looked at each other in relief and smiled.
“Callius.”
"Yes."
“I have so many questions I want to ask today. Is it okay if I ask them all?”
“Of course.”
“There are really, really a lot. Is that okay?”
“Is this your second question?”
“Oh. That’s not it...!”
Callius chuckled softly.
I saw him laugh and burst out laughing along with him.
I don't know why I'm laughing so hard, even though I didn't say anything particularly funny.
'I think other people might think we look weird.'
I forced myself to stop laughing and asked.
"Today's ceremony was truly amazing and wonderful. I never imagined something like this would happen. But why were people cheering so loudly?"
It was a great enthusiasm that I could not simply say that I was enthusiastic about, and I accepted the cultural activities of Ronheim, which the people were proud of.
It was an amazing experience to be accepted into Ronheim in an instant and become 'one with us'.
“It was difficult to see the atmosphere as simply one of national pride.”
Callius nodded with an expression of approval.
“It must be because all the people witnessed the miracle that happened to Chloe.”
"Miracle...?"
Callius explained what happened before I went to the altar.
The story was that the offering went to the altar on its own.
It is said that such a large crowd gathered at that amazing sight.
“It’s an incredible story, hard to believe.”
I suddenly wanted to ask where this clever and precious offering had come from. I was curious about its identity.
But since Callius had veered off in a different direction, I couldn't ask about the sacrifice, so I just listened to his story.
"Such miraculous things have happened in Ronheim before. It happened when my mother, Saint Ilya, first appeared in Ronheim."
It was the first time I heard the story of Saint Ilya from Callius's mouth.
Meanwhile, Granada's chef Latina often told stories about Saint Ilya.
The people of Ronheim still seemed very proud of her and missed her.
Callius calmly told me his mother's story.
"My mother, like Chloe, was a foreigner. I heard from my father that she seemed to have fallen from the sky. She appeared out of nowhere, all alone."
"Oh."
"It was midwinter when Mother appeared in Ronheim. But with every step she took on the frozen ground, the snow melted and flowers bloomed."
It was an interesting story.
It felt like the contents of a fairy tale I heard in my mother's arms when I was very young.
"My mother never told anyone where she came from or how she ended up in Ronheim. She only occasionally told me that she was 'the one who returned.'"
“If you came back, where did you come from...?”
"Well, I still can't understand what she's saying because she didn't explain it in detail. She's someone who often talks about things that are difficult to understand. Like Lhasa."
“Is that a characteristic of priests?”
“Maybe so.”
Callius smiled faintly at my question. Then he continued his usual speech.
‘I am a person who has returned...’
I muttered the words 'the one who returned' to myself a few times before turning back to listen to Callius.
“People simply assumed she was a guardian of Ronheim sent by God who appeared out of nowhere.”
He looked at me with affectionate eyes.
“Today, the people will recall the memories of that day.”
The meaning in his gaze was clear, so I opened my eyes wide and shook my head.
"So, they really think I'm their guardian? I'm not that great! I'm just...!"
Callius whispered, gently tucking my hair behind my ear.
"Chloe freed her people from starvation. She saved many lives that might otherwise have perished in the winter."
“It didn’t start out with such noble intentions...”
What I did wasn't something grand like God's will or anything like that.
I just wanted to take what was Andrea's and make Kavala shed tears of blood.
“It was for you, Callius. Because you love Ronheim, and you love your people.”
Callius rolled his eyes and smiled softly.
“Why did that move Chloe?”
“Well... Callius is a good person, and a good King...”
"And?"
“And... I don’t know. I just wanted to do something nice for Callius. I wanted Callius to like it... Because I like seeing you smile...”
“Do you like it when I laugh?”
“Right...?”
The more I talked, the more I felt strangely drawn out.
'Doesn't this sound like a confession?'
The moment I realized that, my face turned red as if it was burning.
He smiled brightly.
“Then, is it better now?”
My honest opinion was 'yes'.
Strangely enough, just looking at Callius' smile makes me feel better.
It's like looking at a very beautiful flower.
'He's handsome... His smiling mouth and squinting eyes are really nice to look at... But I can never say this honestly! I'd die of embarrassment.'
I fanned my face with my hand and looked around.
“Here you are, aren’t you too hot?”
Oh my god. It's hot.
I, who had been so cold that I almost died, was now complaining of the heat.
“Brother…what are you thinking?”
"Nothing."
That was a lie.
Andrew's mind was full of thoughts about Callius and Chloe.
Even though he begged him so much, he wouldn't give Hillen even a single drop of blood as a sacrifice.
"Shouldn't he be able to do that much? Instead of just saying no, shouldn't he be able to show some sincerity? He could at least try! Why? Why didn't he even do that?"
Andrew felt rejected by Callius.
Callius abandoned himself.
'Is it enough for the Princess to live?'
Andrew's breathing became rapid with anger.
"Hillen is dying too. What? Take a vacation and look after her? There's no hope, so he wants me to watch over her as she dies? What the hell?"
The more he thought about it, the more the negative thoughts became sharper and deeper inside him.
Andrew didn't realize that negative thoughts have a surprising life force, and if you keep planting them in your mind, before you know it, your entire mind will be covered in their roots.
Andrew became increasingly obsessed with his own thoughts, becoming blind, deaf, and eventually paralyzed from rational thought.
"Our mother's death was also because of Saint Ilya. Hillen's inability to recover was also because my lord turned away from her."
Andrew, who was lost in his resentment towards others, couldn't stand it anymore and suddenly got up.
“Where are you going, brother?”
Hillen held out her hand as if telling him not to go.
But Andrew turned away from Hillen and didn't see her outstretched hand.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Where?”
“Just a moment. I’ll be there soon.”
At Andrew's nervous voice, Hillen closed his mouth with a bitter expression. Her outstretched hand fell limply to the bed.
That was when Andrew was about to leave the house, leaving Hillen behind.
The front door opened, and Andrew's father, Basto, staggered into the house, a very drunk man, right in front of Andrew.
“Where did you wander off to with your sick sister?”
Andrew glared at Basto as if he found it pitiful.
“I went to a memorial service. Did you know there was a memorial service today?”
“Sacrifice... That’s right. I heard people talking.”
“All the people were gathered, but the drunkards at the bar my father frequented were probably still drinking at that hour.”
Basto listened to his son's sarcasm without saying a word and stood at the door, shaking off the snow from his boots.
Andrew raised his voice as if he was frustrated.
"While my father was drinking, not caring whether Hillen died or not, I went there, clutching at any straw, hoping that maybe I could save Hillen! I went there and begged the Prince in front of everyone! Please save Hillen!"
“..."
"But I was rejected! They rejected me outright. They said Hillen wasn't a disease that could be cured with sacrifice, or something."
“...”
After dusting off his boots, Basto staggered over to a kitchen chair and sat down.
Andrew glared at Basto, who was sighing deeply without saying anything, with eyes full of hatred as he asked.
“Do you have anything to say, Father?”
“...”
“You have nothing to say?”
Only after Andrew shouted did Basto open his lips heavily.
“...What am I saying?”
A strong smell of distilled liquor wafted from Basto, who was muttering like that.
Andrew stamped his feet as if he were frustrated.
Then suddenly, he remembered what Sernia had said in the dungeon.
“Your father said at first that no matter how much he wanted to save his wife, he couldn’t do something like that.”
“I heard that your father regretted refusing Empress Kavala’s offer and sought her out again.”
"But it was already too late. If your father had changed his mind a little sooner, your mother might be alive and well today."
An incompetent and pathetic father.
A man who not only betrayed Ronheim but also failed to protect his family.
A disgusting human being.
“I look just like my father.”
Andrew trembled.
'No, I don't resemble anyone like that. I'm different. I am!'
Hillen's sobbing could be heard from the room.
It seemed like she was crying after hearing his father get angry.
Andrew kicked open the door and left Hillen's crying behind him.
'At least I'll protect Hillen.'
The place he was headed to was Ronheim Castle.
To be exact, the underground prison where Sernia is.
The knights of Ronheim were excellent knights, strong and loyal, but they had one thing that was both their strength and weakness.
It means that they have a very close camaraderie.
So, there was a huge drawback in that he could hardly suspect his comrades.
It wasn't that difficult for Andrew to find Sernia and have a private meeting with her, even though it wasn't his work hours or place of work.
He grabbed Sernia, who had a pale face, and asked.
“What should I do?”
***
Same time.
As soon as Callius and I arrived at the castle, we washed the blood off our bodies and gathered back in the office to talk.
Callius checked my condition by lightly cutting the back of my hand, just like he had done to Hillen earlier.
I just found out that he can read information contained in the blood of others in that way.
'It's really amazing.'
A person with divine power.
So, through sacrifice, the life force of the offering can be transferred to another person.
“The power of the curse has certainly been greatly weakened.”
“Really? I feel so much healthier.”
We looked at each other in relief and smiled.
“Callius.”
"Yes."
“I have so many questions I want to ask today. Is it okay if I ask them all?”
“Of course.”
“There are really, really a lot. Is that okay?”
“Is this your second question?”
“Oh. That’s not it...!”
Callius chuckled softly.
I saw him laugh and burst out laughing along with him.
I don't know why I'm laughing so hard, even though I didn't say anything particularly funny.
'I think other people might think we look weird.'
I forced myself to stop laughing and asked.
"Today's ceremony was truly amazing and wonderful. I never imagined something like this would happen. But why were people cheering so loudly?"
It was a great enthusiasm that I could not simply say that I was enthusiastic about, and I accepted the cultural activities of Ronheim, which the people were proud of.
It was an amazing experience to be accepted into Ronheim in an instant and become 'one with us'.
“It was difficult to see the atmosphere as simply one of national pride.”
Callius nodded with an expression of approval.
“It must be because all the people witnessed the miracle that happened to Chloe.”
"Miracle...?"
Callius explained what happened before I went to the altar.
The story was that the offering went to the altar on its own.
It is said that such a large crowd gathered at that amazing sight.
“It’s an incredible story, hard to believe.”
I suddenly wanted to ask where this clever and precious offering had come from. I was curious about its identity.
But since Callius had veered off in a different direction, I couldn't ask about the sacrifice, so I just listened to his story.
"Such miraculous things have happened in Ronheim before. It happened when my mother, Saint Ilya, first appeared in Ronheim."
It was the first time I heard the story of Saint Ilya from Callius's mouth.
Meanwhile, Granada's chef Latina often told stories about Saint Ilya.
The people of Ronheim still seemed very proud of her and missed her.
Callius calmly told me his mother's story.
"My mother, like Chloe, was a foreigner. I heard from my father that she seemed to have fallen from the sky. She appeared out of nowhere, all alone."
"Oh."
"It was midwinter when Mother appeared in Ronheim. But with every step she took on the frozen ground, the snow melted and flowers bloomed."
It was an interesting story.
It felt like the contents of a fairy tale I heard in my mother's arms when I was very young.
"My mother never told anyone where she came from or how she ended up in Ronheim. She only occasionally told me that she was 'the one who returned.'"
“If you came back, where did you come from...?”
"Well, I still can't understand what she's saying because she didn't explain it in detail. She's someone who often talks about things that are difficult to understand. Like Lhasa."
“Is that a characteristic of priests?”
“Maybe so.”
Callius smiled faintly at my question. Then he continued his usual speech.
‘I am a person who has returned...’
I muttered the words 'the one who returned' to myself a few times before turning back to listen to Callius.
“People simply assumed she was a guardian of Ronheim sent by God who appeared out of nowhere.”
He looked at me with affectionate eyes.
“Today, the people will recall the memories of that day.”
The meaning in his gaze was clear, so I opened my eyes wide and shook my head.
"So, they really think I'm their guardian? I'm not that great! I'm just...!"
Callius whispered, gently tucking my hair behind my ear.
"Chloe freed her people from starvation. She saved many lives that might otherwise have perished in the winter."
“It didn’t start out with such noble intentions...”
What I did wasn't something grand like God's will or anything like that.
I just wanted to take what was Andrea's and make Kavala shed tears of blood.
“It was for you, Callius. Because you love Ronheim, and you love your people.”
Callius rolled his eyes and smiled softly.
“Why did that move Chloe?”
“Well... Callius is a good person, and a good King...”
"And?"
“And... I don’t know. I just wanted to do something nice for Callius. I wanted Callius to like it... Because I like seeing you smile...”
“Do you like it when I laugh?”
“Right...?”
The more I talked, the more I felt strangely drawn out.
'Doesn't this sound like a confession?'
The moment I realized that, my face turned red as if it was burning.
He smiled brightly.
“Then, is it better now?”
My honest opinion was 'yes'.
Strangely enough, just looking at Callius' smile makes me feel better.
It's like looking at a very beautiful flower.
'He's handsome... His smiling mouth and squinting eyes are really nice to look at... But I can never say this honestly! I'd die of embarrassment.'
I fanned my face with my hand and looked around.
“Here you are, aren’t you too hot?”
Oh my god. It's hot.
I, who had been so cold that I almost died, was now complaining of the heat.
Comments
Post a Comment