#078

A shadow fell across the window without warning. Cullen, who had been watching the window, approached before the door was even opened from the outside.

Seeing a face half-shadowed by the sun, an unstoppable joy surged within him. His eyes crinkled naturally. His thick eyebrows curved gently, and his usually stern lips softened.

Even though his unrequited feelings should have cooled or faded day by day, his heart held on tightly, as if unwilling to let go of affection. It was a warmth he had long forgotten and an excitement he was experiencing for the first time. The ember that had settled in the space where only solitude remained seemed intent on disappearing only after burning him.

“Did you sleep well, Kiyen.”

As he greeted him, Cullen extended his hand so Kiyen could easily enter. Kiyen looked at his hand for a moment, then, without taking it, climbed over the windowsill. Cullen’s hand hovered in the air for a moment before returning to its place.

“You seem to have returned unharmed.”

He felt like he was doing better before he confessed. Cullen admitted that it was impossible for them to act as they did before. The hand that had held him without ulterior motives would now have no occasion to be held.

Cullen then recalled the lingering influence of Rodiak. If, as Kiyen had said, the curse, or Akesis’s power, was a medium that incited Rodiak, then perhaps something similar might happen in this encounter with the monster.

Would Kiyen…… be alright with that?

Until now, it had been part of a deal and purely out of his goodwill. But now, even holding hands was something he shied away from, so wouldn’t anything more be too much for Kiyen?

“Yes. I found out a lot.”

Burying his swirling thoughts beneath a poker face, Cullen guided him. Kiyen looked around the room and sat on the bed. He was glad that one habit seemed unchanged.

“What is this?”

Kiyen was wearing a flamboyant outfit, unlike yesterday. One shoulder was bare, and the back was cut in a diamond shape, revealing his white torso. It was a flowing, robe-like garment made of white and red fabric. The garment itself didn’t seem to bother Kiyen.

“The item imbued with the goddess’s power that you found has moved. I don’t know the exact principle, but it seems to only work at night.”

Cullen presented the item as he spoke. Kiyen seemed intrigued and got up from the bed, standing before him. As their bodies drew closer, a lily scent wafted.

As Kiyen took the item, their fingers brushed slightly. Cullen took a brief breath in, and Kiyen opened the lid and examined it. The tension was solely Cullen’s.

“Where did it lead you?”

“It led me to where the Demonic Beasts appeared. A Demonic Beast reappeared near the city walls where we arrived.”

At that, Kiyen’s brow furrowed.

“Surely you didn’t try to fight it.”

Cullen was about to say no, but as always, he told the truth.

“……I only tested it.”

“If you hadn’t sent Lasano with you, you would have been injured for sure.”

The same expression he always saw.

The frown, whether of concern or annoyance, lingered around Kiyen’s eyes. While he didn’t dislike seeing negative emotions marring his beautiful face, it was enough to plunge Cullen into self-loathing.

“No. Surprisingly, that Demonic Beast spoke to me. I wasn’t injured or anything.”

“It spoke to you?”

Fortunately, Kiyen’s attention seemed to have shifted elsewhere. He asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes. Just like you speak to me in my mind, Kiyen.”

“……That’s strange.”

Kiyen rubbed his chin.

“What is conveyed in the mind is not language, but my will. To communicate like that, one needs the power granted by the gods.”

He muttered to himself, then moved closer to Cullen and asked.

“What did it say?”

“It asked me to kill it.”

Cullen faltered at that point. The monster was suffering because it was alone and had no friends, meaning no kin. And that was the same as Kiyen’s situation. Kiyen was a Dragon who existed only alone.

He regretted speaking those words, fearing that Kiyen might wish for death upon hearing them. Even though he lived an Immortality, perhaps he had wished for such a thing at some point…….

“It asked you to kill it?”

Kiyen’s face was clouded with confusion.

Cullen was about to mention what else he had heard but closed his mouth. Since he himself wasn’t sure, he decided to refrain for now. The preceding information alone seemed to have confused Kiyen enough.

“Yes.”

“Did it say how to kill it?”

“It said it would tell me today. We should probably go out around the same time as yesterday.”

“Take me with you.”

Kiyen said firmly. Cullen was happy about that. However…….

“Will you be able to come out?”

“Do you think the Young Duke can hold me back? It’s a matter of making him sleep deeply, so don’t worry about that.”

Kiyen made it clear that he was being held back only by his own will. It might sound arrogant, but Cullen liked that confidence. He was concerned about how he would be put to sleep, but…… it wasn’t something Cullen could interfere with.

“Understood. It would be best to meet outside the city walls. Shall we decide on a specific location?”

“No, that’s fine. I can find you wherever you are.”

With those words, a lizard he had forgotten for a while appeared on Cullen’s shoulder. The golden lizard crawled over Cullen’s shoulder and neck, then disappeared. A smile he had erased faintly returned.

“……Yes.”

“Then I will go. We will meet at midnight.”

“Yes.”

As he watched Kiyen turn his back without hesitation and head for the window, something suddenly came to mind. Since he had prepared it, he couldn’t just discard it, so Cullen gently held onto Kiyen’s hem.

“Kiyen.”

At the slightest touch, he turned around. His golden-rimmed blue eyes stared intently at him.

“If it’s alright……”

Instead of elaborating with grand words about wanting to give it, Cullen carefully picked up the moonflower he had cut and placed on the table.

He had chosen only the most beautiful ones. The soft petals and fresh blossoms were unaffected by the eyes, appearing as they did in spring.

“I brought it because you like flowers, and I thought seeing them would make you feel better.”

His long, rough hands, marked with scars unlike Kiyen’s, offered the flower. The purple hue on his pale hand shone intensely in contrast. Kiyen looked at the offered flower.

Kiyen, his expression returning to blank, slowly accepted the flower Cullen offered. The three blossoms, arranged by length, looked beautiful in Kiyen’s hand.

“You’ve done a useless thing.”

However, what he heard was not a smile of joy.

“Flowers are beautiful as they are. The moment they are plucked by human greed, the most beautiful moment of their life disappears.”

Kiyen looked at the flowers blankly, then turned and moved towards the window. Before Cullen could say anything.

He hurried to follow Kiyen, whose back was disappearing quickly, giving no time for farewells. Looking at his unreturning back, Cullen saw the three flowers discarded on the path Kiyen had taken.

His chest felt heavy.

His throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and Cullen quietly just looked at the flowers on the ground.

Before midnight, Cullen busied himself trying to forget what had happened during the day. He avoided eyes and surveyed the Duke’s mansion’s general military strength and defensive structure. He also discreetly checked on the banquet preparations through Ulli and Arne.

It seemed that quite a few children of high society attended this party whenever it was held. All the children of nobles in the Imperial Palace.

Did they know that the heirs had become like this during the months they spent in the Imperial Palace?

If Moet’s words were true, it was highly likely that most of the heirs who would lead their respective territories were poisoned by Cadmium, like the Young Duke. Could it be detoxified? It became more complicated if Akesis’s power was involved, not just Cadmium.

He didn’t pity the nobles, but if the lords of the territories were not in their right minds, it was the people below who suffered. Cullen realized that this poisoning phenomenon was more serious than he had thought.

“Please return safely.”

Moet accompanied Cullen with knights for his outing. Before leaving the room, Cullen seized a moment to ask about something that had puzzled him.

“Where are the Young Duke and your wife?”

“Ah.”

Moet gave an embarrassed smile.

“It’s an open secret, so I’ll tell you. As soon as the abnormal signs began, we evacuated them to their family’s territory, the Marquess of Grove, just in case.”

Judging by Moet’s expression, it didn’t seem like an evacuation.

“They are not feeling well, so it’s also for recuperation,” Moet added. Cullen didn’t ask further and brought up Anan’s name.

“Are you concerned about the Elves because of Anan?”

Moet, perhaps caught off guard, quickly looked at him. A bewildered expression appeared on his face.

“Did you meet Anan? Is she alright?”

“She is fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Moet’s face relaxed considerably. After a moment of silence, he dismissed the knights. Having them wait behind, he stopped at the castle’s back gate and said calmly.

“I know Anan likes me. However, I am a married man, and I have no intention of neglecting the mandate and duties given to me.”

When Cullen remained silent, Moet added.

“Anan also knows my intentions. However, Anan’s heart is her own, so I don’t think I need to force it. If that is the path to Anan’s happiness.”

There was clearly more than mere concern in Moet’s voice; there was consideration. Cullen recalled that they were of different races. And Kiyen’s rejection, who had definitively said that humans and he could not be together.

“Elves are a different race from their appearance to everything else. Many things are different from the aesthetic standards humans speak of, yet…… do you like Anan?”

Instead of denying Cullen’s last words, Moet smiled gently.

“What’s important is the heart that considers the other person. Of course, someone will criticize Anan and not understand her. It’s also nonsensical for me, the Duke’s son, to be with someone of a different race. But if we speak only of the heart, then yes.”

His voice was firm, unwavering. Unlike his small and thin physique.

“I cherish Anan precisely because she is Anan. Her appearance and race are both elements that make her who she is. I cherish all the environment and elements that have made Anan who she is now. Such a kind being is rarely seen.”

Then Moet bowed his head.

“I have spoken too much. Please return safely, Your Highness.”

Cullen silently gazed at the bowed figure, then turned. Moet’s words kept weighing on his mind.

Emerging from the back gate, hood pulled up, Cullen leaned against the wall and listened to the sounds of the forest beyond the Duke’s mansion. Amidst the quiet chirping of birds, footsteps were soon heard. Kiyen, wearing a hood just like Cullen’s, appeared.

The moment he saw him, Cullen hardened his resolve.

Like discarded shoes, gifts held no meaning for Kiyen. He was a Dragon, and Cullen, a human, could not satisfy him.

The best joy he could give Kiyen was to not get hurt and not bother him.

But Cullen decided not to grieve over that. As Moet said, Cullen loved that aspect of Kiyen. The thoughts of Kiyen, the Dragon, and the actions that resulted from them made Cullen happy, and that was enough.

Therefore, he would no longer try to make him happy by his own human standards. If he searched, someday, there would be a way to make Kiyen happy.

Until then, Cullen decided not to bother Kiyen.

That would be for the best.