#095

Kiyen rarely spoke the name Ria. It was only when Cullen mentioned she resembled Ria, and when he mentioned her while examining the murals.

However, this was the first time he had shown such caution among those few mentions. In the past, Kiyen seemed to miss Carias, along with his mother, which somehow weighed on his mind.

“She didn’t say anything. I saw a scene, and I’m not sure if it was a futile dream or someone’s memory.”

He felt a faint sense of dissonance. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like a small grain stuck in his heart. Nevertheless, Cullen reported it honestly.

“Has this happened before?”

“This is the first time.”

The golden hue in Kiyen’s eyes deepened. After a moment of brief thought, he asked again.

“What exactly did you see?”

Cullen hesitated for a moment. He did so for no particular reason. But the scene from the dream was truly nothing special. Not wanting to hide anything from Kiyen, he described the scene he remembered exactly.

“There were two people. One seemed like a being with a form that was somehow… not quite human. The one called Ria had short hair, the same hair and eye color as mine.”

“It was Ria. What did the other person look like?”

“It was a woman with long silver hair.”

Kiyen, whose lips had straightened from their crooked smile, looked down at Cullen. As if gauging something.

“And then?”

“The woman handed a sword to Carias. It was a long, heavy greatsword, and jewels were embedded in the hilt.”

Kiyen rubbed his chin and shook his head.

“It’s a sword I don’t remember. Is that all?”

The goddess called Carias by her pet name and said that someone would decide. Just as he was about to relay this, Carias’s eyes, which had turned to look at me, flashed in his mind. As the calm face, which seemed to be silently saying something, surfaced, his lips closed.

The intuition that had kept Cullen alive until this point brought hesitation. The dream was clearly like a scene. Carias, an ancestor of Larkan, appeared directly, and there must be a reason why Cullen saw such a scene.

In this situation where nothing was certain, what if speaking rashly turned out to be poison for Kiyen?

“The goddess called Carias’s name, but I couldn’t hear the rest of what she said. Then the dream ended.”

For the first time since meeting Kiyen, Cullen hid the truth. As if sensing this, Kiyen looked at Cullen intently. Looking into his mysterious eyes that quietly gazed at him, he was consumed by the desire to speak immediately.

The moment the thought of not wanting to disappoint him, even with something small, intensified, Kiyen broke the silence.

“The other woman you saw was probably the goddess. Judging by her appearance and what you felt, it seems certain. After all, if there was a female companion for Carias, it would only be her.”

Kiyen moved on to Cullen’s dream explanation with a calm demeanor. His palm, which had been supporting the bed, tightened. His mouth felt slightly dry with guilt. After a slight hesitation, Cullen asked him a question.

“Did the goddess appear often?”

“Not often, but Carias didn’t keep people by her side. She had many followers, but she never brought anyone along, except for me.”

Was that why Kiyen said I resembled her?

“So… you said you thought of her when you saw me?”

Kiyen lay down on the bed at an angle. His golden eyelashes fluttered and lifted. With a look like a finely sculpted statue, he replied calmly.

“Your confident demand for a contract reminded me of her. But being alone is also similar.”

Kiyen’s gaze drifted elsewhere. Staring into the air as if recalling the past, he continued.

“Given her personality, her actions after unifying the Empire were unexpected. She got married, had children. She didn’t seem like someone who would cling to relationships, but… I misjudged. She was human, after all.”

Kiyen, with a dry smile in his eyes, turned his gaze back. His sharp pupils seemed to pierce Cullen.

“Seeing how my covenant with her made me this way, I was foolish from the start.”

Cullen’s heart grew heavy as Kiyen spoke about his circumstances, something they hadn’t discussed for a long time. When he left on his journey, Cullen had also intended to find a way to free Kiyen. He felt pity for him, bound like a slave by the greed of the Imperial Family.

As time passed, that wish grew stronger. Watching Kiyen’s self-deprecation, Cullen thought quietly. He had tried various things to find a way to make him happy, but none succeeded. In the end, there was only one way, wasn’t there?

There certainly was.

“If only Kiyen-nim could be free, I will do everything I can.”

He spoke words he had never uttered aloud. Kiyen, with his eyelashes curled upwards, gazed at him as he lay there.

“If that would… make Kiyen-nim happy.”

If the Kiyen I love could truly be happy.

“I really want to.”

As he had thought before, Cullen could do anything.

Kiyen beckoned with a white finger, looking at Cullen, then slowly sat up. The sound of his hair scattering was long. Kiyen, who had moved closer to Cullen again, gazed at him with a complex expression for a long time, then said only one thing.

“In this aspect, at least….”

“You are different from Ria.”

The softly whispered voice scattered in the air, leaving only a trace. Kiyen’s hand flickered and silently brushed Cullen’s eyes. Kiyen, who had gazed into his purple eyes for a long time, was the first to rise.

“Let’s go to the temple. I need to see what this Akesis’s Stone you mentioned is.”

As if the events that had just transpired were nothing, he got out of bed. Cullen briefly looked at the bed where Kiyen’s traces remained, then carefully rubbed his eyes. The warmth that had been transferred by his touch spread through his fingertips, soon soaking his entire body.

He imagined for a moment. A future where Kiyen finally regained his freedom and was no longer bound. Would Kiyen say sweeter words then? Would he touch more gently than now?

It would be nice if so.

Slowly getting up, Cullen thought so.

Upon arriving at the temple, Cullen was greeted by Arne. He was helping out, dressed in a priest’s robe, as if he had been a member of the temple for a long time. Arne was in the process of moving two large sacks. A few potatoes that rolled out of a sack stopped at Kiyen’s feet.

“You’re back, Kiyen-nim!”

Arne’s face was more energetic than it had been in the morning. He recalled Arne’s appearance that morning, where he had worked diligently but seemed listless. Lasano’s injury seemed to have troubled him greatly, but fortunately, he seemed quite well now.

“Yes. How is Lasano?”

“He’s much better! At this rate, he’ll wake up soon.”

“What could have changed in just half a day?”

Kiyen chided him. Arne glanced at Kiyen and then whispered to Cullen.

“I expect he’ll wake up sooner than you think. His wounds are visibly healing.”

“You must not have left his side.”

Arne smiled shyly at the remark. Leaving the stiff atmosphere of the Duke’s estate and seeing Arne made him feel much more at ease. Perhaps it was also because the place they had arrived at was the temple.

Cullen bent down to pick up the potatoes and took one of the sacks from Arne. When he stared wordlessly at Arne, who was refusing, Arne sheepishly handed the sack over.

“You’ve come at a good time. It’s mealtime, so I decided to take charge. Potatoes are the main ingredient, but if there’s anything you’d like to eat, please tell me.”

“Anything is fine with me.”

Arne, who had apparently become friendly with the temple staff, diligently greeted passing priests. Just like at the Duke’s estate, Arne had great sociability despite his appearance.

“Kiyen-nim, can I make you what you had before?”

“Do as you please.”

Kiyen did not refuse. Curious about what kind of food it was, Cullen looked at Arne, who smiled and said.

“He likes mashed potatoes topped with ganeo powder and flower petals.”

That was a dish Cullen could also make. As he stored it in his mind, Arne led them to the dining hall. He remembered he hadn’t eaten anything since last night and felt hungry.

Kiyen said to Cullen, who was contemplating whether they should see the artifact first.

“Eat first. You don’t seem to have eaten anything.”

“……Thank you.”

“I also want to eat something without looking at an annoying human’s face, so it doesn’t matter.”

Not wanting to agree, having seen the Duke grieving the death of the Young Duke, Cullen led Kiyen to the dining hall. There were many people inside. Not only priests but also knights and displaced villagers.

While Arne went to prepare the food, Cullen dealt with those who recognized him. The knights and villagers, who had been praising Cullen and Kiyen since they entered the temple, expressed their gratitude as if paying homage to a goddess before turning away.

After dealing with people who persistently greeted him despite being ignored, Arne returned. He held two plates in his hands.

“Here you are. Oh, I need to take a break too.”

“Arne, aren’t you eating?”

“I had a simple bread. I don’t want to waste food when I haven’t done much.”

He said good-naturedly and sat opposite them, watching Kiyen eat the mashed potatoes. Cullen saw Arne’s self-condemning thoughts and wanted to say something, but he remained silent. He was still too clumsy to comfort people.

Arne’s food was still delicious. Cullen ate the roasted vegetables and potatoes sprinkled with ganeo powder, while Kiyen started by picking at the flower petals. The food was quickly finished.

“Shall I bring more?”

Arne asked, as Cullen had finished his food too quickly. Cullen shook his head, but Arne was one step ahead.

“Cullen-nim must eat more since you’ve been through hardship!”

Seeing Arne quickly grab the plate, Kiyen shot back.

“Wasn’t what I did hardship?”

“I’ll give Kiyen-nim more flowers.”

At that remark, Kiyen fell silent. He seemed satisfied. Cullen thought his expression was incredibly cute and was about to let a smile creep onto his lips when he noticed a faint light seeping from his robe. No, precisely from the pocket area.

“Kiyen-nim, you should check your pocket.”

Kiyen lowered his head. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small object. He felt a sense of déjà vu. Just like the night he and Lasano discovered a goddess’s item working, a faint light was seeping from the round object in Kiyen’s palm.