#046

His submerged consciousness was abruptly pulled to the surface. His eyelids felt a prickling sensation. It was ticklish, and also warm. The sensation that had been bothering his eyes gradually became clearer. It was indeed ticklish. As if something very soft was gently touching his eyelids.

With a languid feeling, Cullen slowly opened his eyes. Bright sunlight was the first to greet him. He unconsciously squinted slightly, then let out a low, hoarse voice and barely managed to see.

Then, he saw blue eyes.

A sharp pupil within a clear blue. Mysterious eyes, surrounded by a golden band, stared intently at him. A delicate forehead, a refined nose, and lips tinged with a sweet, fruity pink color registered in his vision belatedly.

“……Kiyen-nim?”

His mind snapped back. Cullen realized Kiyen was far too close. What had been tickling his eyelids was Kiyen’s soft hair. The golden strands, falling softly, were touching Cullen’s face.

At a distance where a slight movement would brush their lips, as it had the other night, Kiyen spoke.

“You’re finally awake.”

With a toneless voice, Kiyen stepped back. The sudden distance between them brought an inexplicable sense of regret. He straightened his posture like a beast that had finished its observation.

“Did I…… sleep for a long time?”

“You ask that well.”

This time, a faint dissatisfaction tinged his dry tone. Like when Cullen had been planning.

Cullen slowly sat up. As he sat on the bed, he felt his body stiff. He thought he had broken quite a lot, but there was no hindrance to his movement.

“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ask how you survived?”

“Seeing as you’re breathing… it seems it wasn’t a mistake that Kiyen-nim saved me. Is Arne alright?”

Kiyen did not answer. He got up from the bed and walked to the window. Then, he sat on the windowsill, opening the window. His hair began to flutter in the wind, swaying gently. The breeze that seeped through felt refreshing.

It felt warm and invigorating, as if true spring had begun.

Cullen, watching Kiyen blend with the scenery, said softly, without anyone telling him.

“It seems the curse has been lifted.”

Kiyen dangled his bare feet and gazed outside. Cullen’s gaze was drawn to his long, white nape, tilted at an angle.

“Yes. While you were sleeping and being lazy, the work was finished.”

“Where did you learn to pick and choose the answers you give?”

“I learned from you.”

As Kiyen leaned so far forward he seemed about to fall, Cullen unconsciously moved closer to him. Even though he was an immortal Dragon.

“It’s dangerous to stand like that.”

Then, Kiyen’s gaze pierced Cullen sharply. He stared at Cullen with an uncomprehending face. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke. Whatever it was, it seemed his displeasure from that time hadn’t fully dissipated.

“That’s not something you should say. You are my contractor. If you go around looking to be killed like that, even I can’t stop everything.”

It seemed this was indeed the cause. Cullen lowered his hand, which had been about to pull Kiyen’s white robe. His heart sank with a complex feeling.

“What am I supposed to do if you act like you’re about to die before I can grant your wish?”

“Didn’t Kiyen-nim save me?”

When he spoke calmly, Kiyen’s expression softened slightly. He raised his eyebrows and stepped down from the windowsill. Seeing his feet touch the floor brought him relief.

“That much is not difficult.”

Like a child seeking praise, Cullen quickly dispelled his complex feelings and gave him the answer he wanted.

“The Dragon’s power is immense.”

It truly was. Cullen had never seen such intense flames before. The forge’s furnace, the first flame, wouldn’t have been this hot. He finally understood that the stories of it burning the land for seven days without extinguishing were true.

However, the compliment didn’t seem to please Kiyen much. At his words, he gazed at the floor and, without a word, stood up and walked past Cullen. He couldn’t figure out what had offended him.

Feeling anxious, Cullen hurried to follow him. But his legs gave out, and he swayed. He must have been lying down for much longer than he guessed.

“You need to learn to stay still.”

Cullen, who had been trying to regain his balance on his own, was caught by Kiyen. His waist was snatched and he was pulled into an embrace, just as he had been about to fall. The sudden closeness made heat surge through him. The solid body felt through the robe evoked a strange sensation.

It wasn’t as intense as the day he had sought out Kiyen while drunk on Rodiak, but it was something similar. Cullen, flustered, grabbed Kiyen’s arm. Then he was surprised again.

His neck felt warm.

“You slept for a whole day. I was just thinking about how to scold the High Priest since you wouldn’t wake up. So, it’s best not to overdo it today. Humans are weak.”

Kiyen said, looking down at him. Even though he had grown accustomed to Kiyen’s presence, this eye level was still unfamiliar. As was the whirlwind of strange sensations he gave off. And the unfamiliar aura.

He should have said he wanted to be let go, but Cullen let him hold him. Then, the sensation crawling inside his body grew stronger. He opened his lips.

Kiyen-nim, my body is…

No, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t making him burn with desire to the point of madness. It was just a little bothersome. Cullen suppressed the question for now. He had a premonition that if he were to do ‘that’ again, he would fall into an irreversible abyss. He decided to say something else.

“Is everyone alright?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you go and see for yourself?”

Kiyen skillfully put an arm around his waist as if to support him. That was the limit Cullen could endure. His heart pounded so hard his ribs ached.

“I can walk myself.”

Kiyen’s lips curved into a crooked smile. His arm was released as if to say, ‘Go ahead and try.’ Cullen, feeling a strange sense of regret despite asking for it, slowly straightened himself. The sensation of the stone floor against his bare feet was chillingly cold. How could Kiyen find this acceptable?

Thinking this, he tried not to look at Kiyen’s bare feet, which had discarded the shoes he had given him. It might bring back the bitterness of last time.

Even if he gave him other shoes, they would be discarded just the same. Such a thought crossed his mind.

“Our business here is finished. Once the whereabouts of the human priest you’re so eager to save are resolved, we can leave immediately.”

Kiyen called Cullen back to reality from his reverie. Cullen nodded.

“Understood. I will prepare.”

At the swift decision, Kiyen raised his eyebrows once more.

“There’s no need to leave immediately. You can’t even walk properly, like a newborn chick.”

…Kiyen had a knack for comparing people to strange animals. First a hedgehog, now a chick. Kiyen’s hair color was more fitting for a chick, really. Except for the fact that he was a fire-breathing lizard.

“No. We’ve wasted unnecessary time… it would be best to leave at dawn.”

Kiyen turned his back sharply, as if to say, ‘Do as you please.’ Cullen quietly watched his receding figure, and suddenly wondered if Kiyen had been by his side all day.

The answer was obvious. It was unlikely.

Packing was quickly done. Having wandered his whole life, it was easier than eating. As if they had heard he was awake, the servants brought bathwater. Their faces, brightened within a day, seemed to signify the end of the crisis.

While the overall atmosphere had brightened, the servants’ behavior was unsettling.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness. Thanks to you, we escaped certain death.”

“Thank you for saving us, Your Highness. To risk danger and save us.”

The two male servants who brought the bathwater bowed deeply, expressing their gratitude. No matter what they had heard, from whom, and how, their faces held a look of admiration. Cullen slightly furrowed his brow.

“I understand, now leave.”

“Yes, understood!”

He’s so humble, too. Such whispers could be heard from behind him, but Cullen ignored them. He was annoyed by the unnecessary attention. He entered the bathroom to wash away the unpleasant feeling and splashed water on himself.

After finishing his preparations, he went out into the corridor. The knights guarding his room straightened their postures and bowed with sharp, precise movements.

“You are awake, Your Highness!”

…This was also something new. Cullen swallowed his unease and quietly told them.

“Guide me to Duke Exion’s office.”

“Yes, we will follow your command!”

Their sharp voices were also unfamiliar. Unlike their previously distant, professional demeanor, the knights’ voices held a hint of admiration. In an unpleasant mood, Cullen was led to Silfir’s office. Lasano, Arne, and Kiyen were there.

Upon seeing Kiyen, the knights stiffened rigidly and then subtly retreated behind Cullen. This he had anticipated. Having witnessed such magic before his eyes, they would naturally be afraid. They might know his true identity now. No Sorcerer in the world could create such powerful flames.

“I am relieved you are safe, Your Highness.”

Silfir, rising from amidst the piles of documents on his desk, bowed respectfully. Cullen gestured towards him and first checked on Arne. Intact with his neck, arms, and legs, he stood next to Lasano with a flustered expression. He seemed to have been treated by Lasano as well.

“May I have a situation report?”

Silfir, as if prepared, immediately complied.

“Yes. The majority of the corpses collapsed along with the cave, and when the curse was lifted, those surrounding the main gate lost their power and turned into corpses. Within a day, we mobilized the villagers to burn the bodies. Restoration will likely take time.”

He seemed to be a person who handled things quickly. Ironically, Cullen found him the most likable among the nobles. Even more so than Duke Refellon or his close associates, who openly supported him.

“Have you made an announcement about the mine?”

“Yes. There is much opposition, but there is no practical way to deal with it, so they will adapt. If Your Highness….”

Silfir paused mid-sentence.

“…if His Majesty keeps his promise.”

Cullen remained silent. He had never wanted to be Emperor, so he naturally bypassed that part.

“Since the one in the palace is Kihelene, she will naturally handle matters if you send her a carrier pigeon. It concerns the Duke’s affairs, not anyone else’s, so you needn’t worry about that. Kihelene is wise, so you can find a solution together.”

Silfir gazed at Cullen and then slowly bowed.

“Thank you.”

“……I am merely following the oracle.”

More precisely, he was merely following the traces of those who had killed his mother. Cullen felt he hadn’t done anything worthy of thanks.

“If it weren’t for His Majesty, the situation would have been far more complicated. Regarding the mine… I share your sentiments. Thanks to you pointing out the sacrifices we took for granted and were accustomed to… this place will change from now on.”

Silfir gazed outside with an impassive expression. After a short silence, he said.

“Please stay for a while. I cannot hold a banquet as I must retrieve my father’s body and conduct the funeral, but please allow me to at least do that.”

Cullen refused with a nod. He had had enough rest during his time at the Imperial Palace. He was not the type to enjoy banquets.

“Please prepare horses for four people and enough provisions for a horse. We will depart this afternoon.”

When he mentioned four people, Arne looked up. Silfir’s gaze also fell on him.

“Your Majesty, I apologize, but that priest is still a criminal who attempted to assassinate my uncle. It is not a matter related to the oracle, so his punishment is within my jurisdiction.”

A noble is a noble, after all.

Cullen thought this and opened his lips. However, someone had spoken first.

“No. That human priest is my cook.”

Kiyen said that out of the blue.