By Zephyria 
Alexis covered his mouth and gazed at the blazing firewood.
He couldn’t help but smile at Cecile, who was constantly searching for something to eat, whether it be raspberries or plums.
However, he seemed so serious that he had to struggle to suppress the corners of his mouth that kept rising.
Eventually, he lifted his slumped body. Leaving Cecile alone, Alexis headed straight to the kitchen on the first floor. He wondered if anyone would still be there at this late hour, but fortunately, he encountered a maid who was tidying up.
“Your Highness! What brings you here at this hour?”
The elderly maid rushed over, thinking something serious had happened when the rarely seen Crown Prince barged into the kitchen.
“…I was wondering.”
Alexis rolled his tongue in his mouth for a moment before speaking.
“Are there any plums?”
“Plums?”
“Raspberries or blackberries would be fine too. No, any fruit would do.”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have any fruit…”
The maid looked quite flustered by the sudden request. As someone responsible for the guards’ meals, she was well aware of the usual ingredients, but here, they primarily consumed vegetables and meat.
However, since it was the Crown Prince’s request, they had to come up with something even if it wasn’t available. Just then, a bright idea struck her.
“Oh! We have candied apricots!”
“Great. Could you bring me some of that?”
“Of course! Please wait a moment.”
The maid quickly dashed into the kitchen pantry. Soon, she returned with a charming glass jar filled with candied apricots and a small teaspoon, handing them to the Crown Prince.
“They’re soaked in sugar and lemon juice, so they should be just right to eat now.”
“Thank you. I think she’ll like it.”
Feeling satisfied, Alexis smiled gently, his eyes softening. The maid, taken aback by his rare and charming smile, bowed her head repeatedly in gratitude.
His steps back to the room felt incredibly light. Just imagining how Cecile, who was drunk, would react to this filled him with anticipation.
“I really am hopeless.”
Alexis scolded himself as he quickened his pace, taking two steps at a time up the stairs.
The wooden door creaked open, but there was no sign of life inside.
Upon entering the room, Alexis found Cecile dozing off in front of the fireplace. He placed the candied apricots on the table and moved swiftly.
He gently moved the sleeping Cecile to the bed. He generously offered his only pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chest.
She seemed to be in a deep sleep, not stirring even once while he tended to her. Looking down at her peaceful face, Alexis let out a sigh of relief.
He then extinguished all the candles illuminating the room and lay down on the bed himself.
Though it was relatively spacious, it felt cramped for two men, forcing him to twist and turn to find a comfortable position. In fact, it was the first time he had ever shared a bed with someone.
Rather than feeling uncomfortable, he felt a sense of comfort. It was strange, even to himself. Was it because it was Cecile? That in itself was a problem.
Alexis rested his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. This unfamiliarity didn’t feel too bad. Somehow, he felt like he would have sweet dreams, so he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
‘I cannot forgive this! He must be executed!’
‘To behead a member of the royal family is unthinkable! He must be granted immunity under imperial law…’
‘What immunity is there for someone who has committed the grave crime of treason!’
Shouts erupted from all directions. Amidst the pointing fingers and loud voices, Alexis sat at the head of the table, staring straight ahead.
On the opposite side sat Empress Elizabeth, who remained equally silent. She narrowed her snake-like eyes and glared at Alexis.
Alexis closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He could not continue this tiresome meeting any longer. It was time to make a decision.
“I will exile Cecile Adrian from the Empire. Tomorrow morning, he will be sent to the Black Forest. You will inform me of your opinions on this matter. That is all.”
“Exile? I will never accept that!”
The Empress jumped up from her chair, screaming in a voice close to a shriek. With bloodshot eyes, she glared at Alexis, but he didn’t flinch.
Sending Cecile to the Black Forest was the best decision for Alexis.
It was far too easy for him to disappear into the mist of the execution ground. He didn’t want to imagine his severed head rolling on the execution ground.
Cecile Adrian must not die until he has paid for all his sins. It was far better to watch him suffer and beg for his life.
Would there ever come a day when Cecile would kneel and ask for forgiveness? He recalled how he hadn’t even flinched under severe torture. He was stubborn to an extreme degree, making it hard to imagine.
After exiling him to the Black Forest, he planned to secretly instruct the nearby guards to keep an eye on his safety.
If he could survive a few days of life and death, that selfish and reckless personality would surely be tempered. At that time, he intended to have another private meeting with Cecile.
Before long, the Senate also gathered in favor of the decision. Reports came in that the Empress had fainted from shock, but that was of no concern.
There were less than five hours left until Cecile’s exile.
Alexis called Claude and instructed him to inform the condemned of the recent decision. Just then, Yuria arrived, wanting to speak with Cecile, so he handed over his cherished dagger, adding that it was the last favor he could offer Cecile.
Even as a condemned man, he should at least have one weapon to protect himself, shouldn’t he? There would be a significant difference between being thrown into the Black Forest unarmed and having a dagger. He hoped he could endure without going mad.
‘…….’
For a moment, he felt a confusing mix of emotions. Was he worried about Cecile, or did he want him to be unhappy? It was hard to discern even for himself. It was certainly different from how he would treat an ordinary criminal, but Alexis shook his head, trying to ignore his feelings.
Finally, he had confirmed all matters related to Cecile’s punishment. Setting aside other tasks, Alexis headed straight to the underground prison.
It was a night when everyone was asleep. The already dark underground prison felt increasingly filled with despair and loneliness the deeper he went. Flickering torches illuminated Alexis’s feet, and the soldiers guarding the prison greeted the Crown Prince with respect.
The cell where Cecile was imprisoned was located at the innermost part. As he approached, he heard unsettling sounds. Alexis quickened his pace, and when he reached the bars, he was met with an unexpected sight.
Cecile’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, was as pale as a corpse.
His body, weakly leaning against the wall, was covered in blood, with no intact part to be found. He had been perfectly fine just until the afternoon. There was no way he could have deteriorated to this state in such a short time.
Claude, sensing a presence, turned around. Perhaps he was trying to clean up the mess, but his hands were also stained with blood.
Alexis rushed over and took the spot where Claude had been sitting. He knelt in the filthy muck without hesitation and pressed down hard on Cecile’s wounds with his own hands.
‘What happened?’
His voice came out strained. His teeth clenched involuntarily. The bleeding was beyond control. It was hard to believe that so much blood could flow from such a frail body.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I couldn’t stop it in time.”
Claude, as if he were the condemned, placed his bloodied dagger at Alexis’s feet. He didn’t need to see to know. Cecile had attempted to take his own life with the dagger he had given him.
“Open your eyes. Cecile!”
Alexis pressed down harder on Cecile’s chest. He knew it was hopeless, but he couldn’t just let Cecile go like this.
“Don’t cowardly run away. Are you planning to die peacefully like this?”
His voice echoed loudly in the prison. Anger surged uncontrollably within him. Alexis began to shake Cecile’s shoulders. But his frail body merely swayed like a rag doll.
Cecile’s eyelids, which had been shut tight, finally opened. As his murky eyes revealed themselves, Alexis seized the moment, roughly grabbing his chin to force their gazes to meet.
A faint smile spread across Cecile’s pale face. Countless indescribable emotions flickered in his eyes.
To Alexis, it read as a kind of relief. Cecile was trying to escape to the side of the divine, leaving him behind. It was a typical act of Cecile Adrian, who had always been selfish and reckless.
“You, until the end!”
Alexis spat out his anger mixed with frustration.
He felt disgusted, repulsed, and resentful. He hated Cecile to the point of wanting him dead, but he absolutely did not want him to die.
Cecile struggled to reach out. Breathing seemed laborious, and his chest heaved, but at some point, his breaths began to slow. The eyes that had always looked down on others with arrogance lost their focus.
The hand that fell to the ground seemed to signal something. Alexis pulled Cecile into a tight embrace.
“Your Highness!”
Claude tried to dissuade him, but he couldn’t let go of the now cold body.
“No, you can’t die like this! I haven’t forgiven you yet. You must live your life atoning to me. Without my permission… how dare you.”
Alexis muttered. A tangled web seemed to tighten around his heart. Despite hating him like an enemy, he was deeply drawn to him. The feelings he had tried to deny and ignore now burst forth, having nowhere else to go.
His eyes flew open. Alexis quickly propped himself up. His breath was ragged, and his heart still throbbed painfully.
He swallowed something hot that had pooled in his throat. Rubbing his face, he felt his cheeks damp with sweat and tears. What kind of nightmare had made him cry?