#068

“As you yourself said, Cullen is a noble royal. There’s no reason for me to help you; rather, I should be punishing you on his orders. Knowing about the Dark Island alone makes you a criminal.”

Lasano was the first to step forward regarding Ulli’s condition.

“Then kill me. I don’t have the strength to resist now, so it will be easy. Noble royals or nobles mean nothing to me. What’s so important about these esteemed people who don’t protect me?”

Ulli answered before Cullen could intervene. Her unwavering, resolute eyes and calm expression showed a firm resolve. It was a trace, accumulated over a long time, that couldn’t be guessed from her outward appearance.

People with nothing left to lose wear that kind of face. Those who have nothing to lose wander, driven by their last purpose that sustains their empty selves.

“Understood.”

Instead of pressuring Ulli, Cullen accepted her condition. The gazes of the group then turned to Cullen. This time, Kiyen spoke.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

Ulli, who had been impassive, smiled at Cullen’s acceptance. Smiling like a mischievous girl, she added,

“It won’t be difficult for you all. Besides, if your goal is to investigate the Dark Island, the person I want revenge on and the direction are the same. We have to go east.”

“East?”

When asked with surprise, Ulli continued her explanation.

“Actually, I’ve never been that far. But everything that has come from the Dark Island has come from the east. We can exchange details once we leave here.”

“Agreed.”

Kiyen seemed displeased with the situation. He watched Cullen’s decision unfold before expressing his dissatisfaction.

“That seems like a rash decision. You have things you need to do.”

It might seem so. In fact, he did have many things to do. His mother’s revenge, and later, fulfilling his deal with Kiyen. If he wanted, he might have been able to pressure Ulli or find out in other ways.

However, as he had felt in the cave… the loneliness that had hovered around Kiyen was transmitted from Ulli.

It was hard to ignore. Moreover, Ulli reminded him of Cecil. It might be an illusion caused by a similar appearance, but her personality, easy to get along with for someone her age, evoked nostalgia for the undead.

“Ulli will be helpful. It’s fine, Kiyen-nim.”

Kiyen looked at him quietly, then gave a silent affirmation.

“Understood.”

Having received his answer, he turned away. As Cullen watched him pass Arne and Lasano, he felt a rare moment of panic. He swallowed his agitation, but he couldn’t stop himself from calling out his name in haste.

“Kiyen-nim, where are you going?”

“I’ll be nearby. It’s your business to handle, so it’s better for a meddler to disappear.”

Kiyen began descending the stairs without looking back. His eyes met Arne’s, who looked bewildered. Cullen quickly commanded him.

“Follow Kiyen-nim, Arne.”

“Ah, yes, understood!”

“Lasano, you too.”

Watching Arne quickly run after Kiyen, Lasano shrugged.

“I agree with Kiyen-nim’s opinion. It’s Cullen-nim’s decision, so I can’t stop it, but… well, understood.”

Saying that, Lasano left through the door at a more leisurely pace than Arne. Soon, only Ulli and Cullen remained in the room. She broke the awkward silence.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

It would be fine since Arne followed. Furthermore, Kiyen couldn’t be far from his side.

Cullen bit his lip slightly at this unfamiliar reaction. He recalled Kiyen floating in the sky, unfurling his elegant wings, and his heart felt uneasy for a moment. But the conversation had to be concluded.

“Please excuse me for what just happened.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m used to being disliked.”

Ulli said so nonchalantly and leaned back against the pillow.

“Anyway, so now… am I a temporary companion?”

“It seems so. How is your body?”

“I’ll be better by tomorrow. It’s a side effect. Pantel takes a lot. If I exert myself too much like this time, I won’t be able to do anything for about two days.”

She let out an “Ah,” and quickly added.

“Still, I’m useful even without Pantel. Much more so than a tall, brown-haired man, at least.”

“I’ll make the deal regardless, so don’t worry.”

“Who said I was worried?”

Ulli said playfully, then pouted and whispered.

“…Thank you. For saving me. I thought I’d just be left there to die. That was the kind of death I had always imagined, so I was a bit surprised when I woke up.”

Cullen looked down at Ulli expressionlessly. Adding words of comfort was not his nature; he just listened. The only one who truly made him feel at a loss was Kiyen.

A silence like the night air settled between them.

“We’ll leave the day after tomorrow. You should prepare your things by then. We’re staying at an inn called ‘The Shining Cow’s Eyes,’ so come there.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Ulli waved her hand. Buried deep in the pillow, she yawned softly.

“Then I’ll go back to sleep. Sorry. I’ll probably… keep sleeping until tomorrow.”

As if she had been holding back her sleepiness, Ulli closed her eyes again before Cullen even left. Cullen gazed at her lying in bed for a moment, then blew out the candle lighting the room and closed the door.

Quickly leaving Gael’s residence, Cullen went out into the street. Lasano and Arne were standing at the entrance.

“Where did Kiyen-nim go?”

A sense of urgency washed over him, given the situation where he had sent them to stay together, only for Kiyen to disappear. Arne said hastily,

“He went towards the western border. He said he was going to get some air for a moment… He got angry when I tried to follow, so I had no choice but to stay here.”

Lasano nodded, siding with Arne.

“He’s still too young to die.”

“Ha…”

Cullen, rarely showing his emotions, ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the darkness of the street that had settled in, then decided to send Lasano and Arne away.

“Go to the inn first. I’ll find Kiyen-nim.”

“Yes.”

Barely acknowledging their reply, Cullen began to run in the direction Arne had indicated. Passing by the densely packed brick houses where lights were gradually extinguishing, he walked at a near run for twenty minutes until he saw the open desert. Rippling sand was being swept away by the wind.

Kiyen stood in the vast desert.

His white robe fluttered. He looked so ethereal that his sudden disappearance would have seemed natural. Anxiety rose, and Cullen cautiously walked towards Kiyen.

As he approached Kiyen’s upright back, before Cullen could touch or call him, Kiyen spoke first.

“If you ran here thinking I might escape, don’t worry. Unless you willingly distance yourself, I cannot leave this vicinity.”

His voice was dry and monotonous. It overlapped with Kiyen’s image, who had embraced him as if to envelop him until dawn, and his heart ached.

“That’s not it. You seemed upset… so I followed you.”

“It’s not your concern.”

“Do you dislike Ulli?”

At that, Kiyen turned. His expressionless eyes looked down at Cullen.

“That’s not your concern either. Was my opinion ever important to you? Even if I dislike it, what difference does it make?”

His tone suggested that the trust they had built up over time did not exist. Cullen’s insides churned at the voice filled with doubt, no different from how he treated Larkan. A sense of insecurity, as if the ground beneath his feet was collapsing, washed over him.

He thought they had narrowed the distance. He thought he had erased some of the distrust, the distance, the image of Larkan that tormented him.

If he left Kiyen like this, everything he had painstakingly built would crumble. Overwhelmed by a rising sense of urgency, Cullen gazed up at him endlessly. What should he do? As he thought, he recalled what Kiyen wanted.

“If Kiyen-nim dislikes it… I won’t bring Ulli.”

He knew it was a foolish thing to say. Ulli knew about the Dark Island, and Cullen cared about her. It was unlike him to reverse a decision he had already made. Especially for the mere reason that Kiyen was displeased.

Yet, Cullen did not regret these words. If it could restore Kiyen’s mood, that was enough.

A change occurred in Kiyen’s dry expression. His handsome eyes narrowed, and he stared at Cullen with an expression of utter incomprehension.

“What is the reason?”

Kiyen asked the same question he had asked that morning.

“Why are you acting like this towards me? I clearly do not like your decision. Even with our transaction not yet complete, I consider dealing with someone else a futile act. However, it is none of your business.”

Kiyen’s voice lowered. He looked at Cullen before him with an expression of complete bewilderment.

“Why?”

A single question, compressing all his doubts, fell. Cullen quietly met Kiyen’s eyes. His sacred eyes, flowing with stars and the sea, clearly revealed he was not human.

The emotions he had tried to avoid and suppress gnawed at his insides. A weak sandstorm pushed against Cullen’s back. Even the slightest force made him sway.

“It’s because I…”

Cullen watched Kiyen’s hair flutter and settle, then parted his lips.

“It’s because I… you…”

It felt strange.

The feeling, which he had never imagined would come to him in his life, felt strange. He had never even imagined a moment would come to confess this feeling. Yet, as if he knew how to breathe, his body, his heart, moved.

As if he had foreseen this day from the very beginning of his life.

He felt that certainty.

“It’s because I like you, Kiyen.”

A tremor ran through him the moment he uttered the word ‘like.’ His insides boiled, and his fingertips grew hot. The weight of the emotion, now given form by being spoken, pressed down on Cullen. This was the reason his gaze kept being drawn to Kiyen.

I like Kiyen.

This beautiful, absolute being who would live forever, never dying.

I cherish the purity that I want to protect more than anyone else. I want to embrace this pitiable being who was trapped without even knowing his loneliness was loneliness. I am captivated by his immortality, which I can cherish without reservation. All that makes up Kiyen…

“Very much…”

I like you.

Cullen’s whisper echoed. The sandfield, spread out in purple hues, was vast and wide, yet his voice resonated clearly.

Kiyen looked down with a confused expression. His slightly furrowed brows, his wavering eyes, his closed pink lips showed no smile or joy. Cullen stood dumbfounded, blankly observing his face.

He had never pictured the moment after confessing his overflowing heart.

But he realized now that Kiyen’s expression was not the kind he had hoped for. It wasn’t difficult. Kiyen, who had heard the words ‘I like you,’ seemed more confused than happy.

Seeing that, the inside of his ribs, his heart, tightened. A sharp pain pierced his heart.

The silence was long.

As the wind ruffled their hair several times, neither spoke. Kiyen simply watched without even blinking, as if observing an incomprehensible phenomenon.

After a silence so long that it felt like he could stop breathing, Kiyen finally parted his lips.

“How can a human… like me?”