Clack. Clink.
The sound of the door locking echoed through the room.
A faint groan escaped from the lips of the child lying on the floor. His breathing came in ragged gasps as he slowly opened his right hand. His fingers refused to move properly, as if the bones inside were broken. However, when he saw that the pendant was still intact, a faint smile touched his lips.
He was so scared. The thought of never seeing his family again made his entire body tremble. Even so... he endured it. He held himself back.
I’m a Schweiss, too.
He might have been young, but he was still a Schweiss. He was part of the eagle family. He had to stay strong and hold his head high until the very end.... That was why the child didn’t cry today. Instead, a single word slipped from his lips.
“Brother......”
***
《Brother......》
“......”
Duke Schweiss felt his chest tighten at the view before him. The child’s face was covered in wounds, yet he was still forcing himself to smile.
《I... I didn’t cry.》
Hearing those words, Duke Schweiss clenched his fists.
“Ugh... hic...”
“Ren, stop crying.”
“But, brother......”
“You’re a Schweiss. You can’t keep crying over something like that.”
“Alright...”
“Good.”
His little brother, who was much younger than him, had always been a gentle child with a soft heart. Every time he cried, Duke Schweiss had always told him the same thing.
Don’t cry. Endure it. You need to be strong enough to withstand that much...
Those were the words he’d always used to comfort him.
I never meant for you to hold them in... when you were suffering like this.
《I...》
Duke Schweiss took a deep breath as he looked at the child, who was smiling brightly as if he were waiting for praise.
The child smiled.
《I did well, didn’t I?》
At those final words, tears fell from Duke Schweiss’s eyes.
As though he were crying the tears the child had been unable to shed himself...
.
.
.
Side Story: The Savior
“Alex, does it hurt a lot?”
“I’m fine... cough!”
“Ah! Your fever is so high!”
I smiled faintly as I watched Cheion panic even more than I did. However, the pain that surged through me moments later quickly wiped the smile from my face.
“Cold towel, cold towel!”
Somehow, watching my brother place his hand on my forehead before hurriedly searching for a cold towel made me feel reassured.
Bang!
Just then, the door burst open, and someone stepped inside. The moment I recognized who was there, I smiled warmly.
“Father.”
“......”
At my call, he nodded before shifting his gaze toward my brother, who was holding the cold towel.
“Cheion, when did you arrive?”
“Just a little while ago! But Father, Alex’s fever is really high!”
“Isn’t it time for you to head to the Magic Tower?”
“I’m not going today.”
“The Tower Master will be waiting for you.”
“I want to stay with Alex.”
When Cheion shook his head firmly, Father gave him a stern look like he was reprimanding him. I flinched unconsciously. I had never seen Father scold Cheion before.
“Someone from the Imperial Family shouldn’t break a promise easily. Lessons and training are also promises that must be kept.”
“But I don’t want to. I’m not going today.”
Ah... there it was again. My brother’s stubborn streak. He refused to do anything he didn’t want to do. Honestly, he might be the only person in the world who could act like that in front of Father.
“Brother, I’m fine. You should go.”
“But...”
“You can come back after your lesson.”
Cheion looked very unhappy at my words, but in the end, he nodded. He probably didn’t want to argue with someone who was already sick.
“Alright. Wait just a little longer. I’ll finish quickly and come back.”
...Cheion, you’re going to study magic. What are you planning to “finish quickly”?
Before I could show my disbelief, Cheion had already disappeared from the spot using teleportation magic. To think he could already use teleportation magic at that age without needing an incantation. He really was a magic genius.
“Alex, how are you feeling?”
“Much... cough... better.”
A smile naturally returned to my face at Father’s gentle question. He stroked my head, but then a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
“Alright. Get some rest.”
“Yes.”
I felt a little disappointed when Father seemed ready to leave, but I forced myself to smile. After all, it meant a lot that my busy father had come all the way here to see me.
“Hm?”
After Father left, I was about to lie back down when something caught my eye. A small brooch was lying on the floor.
“That’s...”
I knew that item well. It was the brooch Cheion had given Father as a gift last year. Ever since then, Father had worn it on his clothes every single day.
“He must have dropped it.”
I immediately stood up. My head felt a little dizzy, but I wasn’t so weak that I couldn’t walk. Since Father had only just left, I could still catch up to him.
Fortunately, the attendants and maids who usually looked after me had stepped away for a moment, so no one stopped me from leaving the room.
He’ll be happy if I return it to him.
It was something Father treasured, so he would be upset if he realized it was missing. Imagining the smile on Father’s face, I hurried outside.
“Are you saying you still can’t determine the illness?”
“Yes. The healers say they have yet to find a treatment.”
That was Father’s voice.
Who is he talking to?
I slowly walked toward where the voices were coming from. The conversation between the two continued.
“Is it not contagious?”
“They still can’t say for certain.”
“Haah...”
...Contagious?
I stopped in my tracks. Judging by what Father was saying, the person they were discussing must be me.
“Make sure Cheion never comes here again.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It would be best to send Alex away for recuperation soon as well.”
...Recuperation?
“But Your Majesty, sending him away when we don’t even know the exact illness could make his condition worse.”
“Even so, we can’t keep him in the palace when there’s a chance he could pass this illness on to other princes!”
.....
My mind went completely blank. What did I just heard? Father... was he really planning to send me away?
So that was why...
Because he was afraid I would infect my brothers?
...I understood. If another member of the Imperial Family fell ill, it could bring disaster to the entire empire. Sending me away was the only reasonable choice.
I understood that. I truly did, but...
Father...
The fact that it was Father who said those words made something inside me crumble. A cold sensation rose from my feet and spread through my entire body, leaving me trembling.
My father had always been kind to me... I never once questioned his love or doubted his affection.
Thud.
The brooch slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. Did they hear it? The voices stopped immediately.
I quickly left the area. I felt like I couldn’t face Father right now, so I hurried back to my room as if I were running away.
***
“...Alex?”
At the sound of a faint noise, Emperor Devrica turned his head and thought he saw someone familiar. He immediately moved toward the spot, but there was no one there.
Did he mistake what he saw? He let out a sigh, then suddenly stopped.
“......”
A small brooch was lying on the floor. The moment he picked it up, the Emperor’s expression hardened.
“Did he hear that...?”
Another long sigh escaped his lips.
***
“Haa... haa... cough!”
Somehow, I was still alive. The healers said I would die within a few months, yet here I was, still breathing.
I endured countless moments when death felt close, suffering through a thirst that burned my body and pain that made it feel like I was being torn apart.
...Is this really living?
Was it truly right to continue living like this? That thought grew heavier with every passing day.
Ever since the day I saw a different side of Father, I gradually stopped visiting the Imperial Palace. Staying away while I recovered felt easier.
The smiles everyone gave me no longer felt sincere. It felt like they were all silently telling me the same thing.
Leave. You don’t belong here.
“Haa... haa...”
My breathing became more labored. Soon, that horrible pain would return and consume me again.
Why is it only me...
Why was it only me? Everything felt unfair. Why did I have to suffer through this alone? What did I do wrong? Why? Why?!
“You’re right. Why should you be the only one to suffer like this?”
“—!”
A voice I’d never heard before reached me. Even through my fading consciousness, it was strangely clear.
“I can help you.”
The voice was so sweet that I could taste its sweetness. Before I realized it, I almost nodded.
“Who are you?”
At my wary question, someone appeared before me. It was a man I had never seen before. How did he get inside?
“I can help you.”
“Help me? How?”
“I can free you from that pain.”
“...What?”
My mind went blank. He could make this pain disappear...? Was that really what he just said?
“Yes. I can take away that terrible pain.”
“......”
I couldn’t believe him, but I wanted to. Desperately. More than anything.
“We can save each other.”
The man smiled brightly and held out his hand. I stared at it for a long time before slowly reaching out my own, hoping that this moment would truly become my salvation.
“My name is Veilks.”
The man named Veilks smiled even wider.
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