SLDS 2

A shadow of suspicion settled thickly in Claude’s brown eyes.

How many people had fallen for that beautiful face and glib tongue? Even though he had fallen to the very bottom, Cecil Adrian’s shamelessness was the same as ever.

“How can I trust you? Who knows what you’ll do.”

“Surely you don’t think I could harm you, the Knight Commander? With a mere dagger?”

“…”

“I have never used a sword in my life. If I’m going to die, I’d like to do it cleanly. I detest things that are messy.”

Claude roughly tousled his bangs. He hated to admit it, but Cecil was right. Even if he put a knife in the hands of a chained prisoner, there was absolutely no chance he would be harmed. If, by some one-in-a-million chance, he were attacked, it would be a disgrace worse than death.

Most of all, he was curious. It was incredibly tempting that Cecil, who had not opened his mouth during any interrogation, was now offering to tell the truth himself.

“Promise that you will tell the truth.”

“I promise.”

Claude bent his legs to squat down and, placing the dagger’s hilt in Cecil’s hand, showed him the proper form.

“Here, you stab this part. Don’t hesitate, do it in one go. Even if the blade only goes in halfway, it will reach the heart.”

The blunt sheath poked at a spot on his chest. The thin body swayed easily from that alone. Cecil smiled weakly.

“Easy enough.”

“I’m telling you because you promised, but if you’re planning something foolish like trying to fight monsters with this, you’d better give up. At your level, your limbs will be torn to shreds before you can even stab.”

“…”

Cecil, without replying, opened the sheath. Shing— For such a small dagger, it made a sharp sound. The blade, which sparkled more than any jewel, boasted a keen edge.

“Now it’s your turn. Talk. Why on earth did you act like such a demon? What were you so greedy for that you tormented Alexis? Why did you try to kill Yuria? Tell me everything, without leaving anything out.”

“Claude.”

Cecil sighed softly and called the Knight Commander’s name.

“Before I leave tomorrow, will I be able to see Alexis?”

At the unexpected question, Claude’s thick eyebrows furrowed. Before long, he too let out a long sigh.

“Exiling a prisoner is solely the duty of our knight order.”

“Then I suppose the last person I’ll be able to see is you.”

“…Do you have a message to leave for His Highness?”

“…”

Cecil pulled the corners of his mouth into a short smile.

“Never mind. He wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.”

“…”

“I loved Alexis. That is the only reason.”

“What? Wh-what?”

Claude’s eyes widened. It was so obvious how surprised he was that Cecil let out a limp laugh. For the last time, he made a request, filled with honorifics and politeness.

“Sir Claude Vandel. I hope that you, and only you, will know of my heart.”

“Wait!”

Cecil’s hand moved. The small dagger, its direction changed, was aimed at his frayed silk shirt before anyone could stop it. It was the very spot Claude had pointed out.

Thrust. The sensation of the blade piercing his flesh was ghastly.

Cecil looked down at the area near his heart. Along with the properly embedded blade, an overwhelming pain washed over him. The fabric, quickly soaking through, was a conspicuous red.

“Adrian! Dammit!”

Claude hastily grabbed Cecil’s hand, but the dagger had already pierced his heart. The terribly tough Cecil Adrian pushed the blade even deeper amidst the excruciating pain.

Claude forcibly pulled the sword out. For a moment, blood spurted out like a fountain.

“Damn it! Not like this! You’re not supposed to die here!”

Claude pressed down on Cecil’s gasping chest with his large palm. The gushing hot blood pulsed against Claude’s palm. The blood, flowing down his chest with no hope of staunching the wound, pooled on the floor, creating a red puddle.

I’m screwed! Claude lamented inwardly. It was already too late to save him. He could feel the light of life extinguishing at a rapid pace.

Thud, thud, thud.

Just then, a bright torch flickered from the entrance of the underground prison, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps. A line of formal greetings directed at the Crown Prince followed. The noble procession gradually headed deeper inside.

Ah, so you came after all.

In the end, I’m showing you my miserable state.

Cecil trembled and smiled faintly. As his mind began to grow hazy, the pain was already subsiding.

The strength drained from his whole body. He could not even lift his eyelids, and only the thick smell of blood filled his nostrils. The only way he could sense the Crown Prince’s presence was by the sound of footsteps approaching him.

Maybe this is for the best.

Although the chance to see him one last time before dying had arrived, the truth was, he was so terrified of facing him that it made him shudder. He did not have the confidence to endure that cold gaze, those eyes filled with near contempt.

Before long, Alexis stepped into the prison. A scene splattered with blood greeted the Crown Prince. Alexis, who had frozen for a moment, immediately rushed to Cecil. He unhesitatingly brought his noble knees to the mire.

“What happened.”

The sound of him gritting his teeth as if to crush them reached Cecil’s ears. As his consciousness faded, the voice, sunken to the very depths, was the only thing he could hear clearly. He’s very angry.

“You dare close your eyes in comfort within the Imperial Palace?”

A voice filled with indignation echoed thunderously inside the prison. Alexis grabbed Cecil’s shoulders and shook him, but the body, its will to live already broken, only swayed limply.

Cecil gave a faint, sorrowful smile.

Alexis, in your eyes, does my death seem like I have found peace?

“You insult me to the very end.”

Alexis crudely seized Cecil’s lower jaw, forcing their eyes to meet. Though his deathly pale complexion was no different from a corpse’s, Cecil was smiling, one corner of his mouth lifted.

His chest hurt so much it felt like it was tearing apart. He could not tell if it was because of the blade embedded in him, or because he had finally witnessed Alexis’s cold face.

Cecil reached out a blood-soaked hand. His fingers, with all their nails pulled out and not a single patch of sound skin, hesitated over the beautiful platinum blond hair, but then fell down with a thud, unable to touch it.

Focus vanished from the emerald eyes that had always been arrogant and brilliant, leaving only emptiness behind.

Cecil Adrian. His short life ended inside a cold prison.

✽ ✽ ✽

«Cecil. My pitiful child.»

A dreamlike voice, like that of a man, a woman, or an old person, was heard like an auditory hallucination. A gentle wind caressed Cecil’s nape as if to soothe his sorrowful heart. Cecil slowly lifted his weary head.

He had been sure he would fall into hell, but what spread before his eyes was a tranquil lakeside. A fantastic skyscape was reflected on the surface of the water, which stretched out endlessly, like a mirror.

«You foolish, pitiful thing. To have died without once receiving love, what should I do with you?»

No form was visible, only the voice could be heard. Cecil blinked his heavy eyelids. He knew instinctively who was speaking to him.

“…So God does exist.”

«You resented me for not answering your prayers, I hear.»

“What use is any of it? It’s all in the past.”

«Do you regret it?»

“…Regret.”

Cecil smiled faintly. He hugged his knees with both arms, hiding his face full of remorse.

“What’s the point of regretting something that can’t be undone anyway?”

«Look.»

With a short command, the goddess Gaia summoned the past. Cecil’s past mistakes rose vividly on the surface of the water, which had been filled with clouds.

“…How awful.”

Cecil’s fine brow furrowed as he watched the evil deeds he had committed.

Having done such things, he had no excuse for being condemned by everyone. It was perhaps only natural that he met a lonely death with no one to love him.

But the divine power of the goddess Gaia did not end there. In an instant, a thick fog rose up around them and then dispersed. Cecil frantically looked around at the suddenly changed location.

A familiar being came into his view. Someone he thought he would never see again.

“…Alexis.”

The voice that pushed through his choked throat trembled wretchedly. But, as if he could not hear Cecil’s call, Alexis was only focused on his state affairs.

In that moment, he realized. This was a future he did not know, a future after his death.

A lamp flickered in the pitch-black darkness. Half of Alexis’s features were covered in dark shadow, but he was easily recognizable. The handsome forehead clearly visible, the straight eyebrows, the sharply defined bridge of his nose, and the lips that always spouted only cold words. They were all things Cecil had dearly loved.

Cecil tightly clenched the hand that was about to reach out on its own. It was obvious he could not reach him anyway, yet he did not dare to touch him.

‘Your Highness, the night is late. Please retire to your chambers.’

‘I just cannot seem to fall asleep. I will stay a little longer before I go.’

‘But tomorrow is the coronation.’

‘…Right, so it is.’

Alexis put down his quill and sighed heavily. His face was more laden with worry than ever.

“You are finally becoming the sun of the empire.”

Cecil looked at him and smiled with a sense of relief.

Alexis, you will undoubtedly be a good emperor. This must be the goddess Gaia’s final gift to me.

It must mean that by showing him Alexis’s future, he was meant to let go of all his lingering attachments and old affection and depart with a peaceful heart.

‘I don’t know why I’m so troubled.’

‘Shall I bring you a glass of wine?’

‘You have my permission.’

A brief, bustling movement followed. When a servant brought a glass of wine on a tray, from which a silver spoon had been dipped and removed, Alexis drank it without suspicion.

‘Gack!’

“…Alexis!”

The voices of the living and the dead rang out at the same time.

Cecil was shocked by the sight of Alexis collapsing while vomiting black blood after drinking the poisoned wine, and he ran to him. He tried to lift the fallen Alexis from the floor, but his hands kept missing, as if grasping at an illusion.

He suffered before his very eyes. Every time black blood gushed out, Cecil’s tears burst forth as well. A pain greater than when his heart had been gouged by the knife tore Cecil’s chest to shreds.

Before he knew it, the location had changed back to the lakeside. Unable to forget the brutal future he had just seen, Cecil slammed his forehead against the ground again and again.

“Ah, no! This can’t be!”

«It was the Empress who killed the Crown Prince. Ever since you took your own life, she has been vowing revenge. Many are suffering because of your choice. What should be done?»

“Please! Do something! You’re a god!”

Cecil wailed. To be clear, Alexis’s death was not the future Cecil had wanted. His desperate cries summoned the goddess Gaia. A woman in a white dress walked toward him, stepping lightly on the surface of the water with her bare feet.

The woman stood before Cecil, who was kneeling with his head bowed to the ground.

«Are you all right with shouldering the pain of others?»

“I don’t care. Throw me into the fiery pits of hell, tear my limbs apart, do whatever you want. I’ll do anything! Please… just save Alexis.”

«It will be very painful.»

Cecil shook his head, saying he did not care. His own life had already been dreadful enough.

«I shall grant my poor child a thousand days.»

“…”

«How much the destined future will change, I too cannot know. If you reveal the secret, you will pay a harsh price. Everything depends on you. When the promised thousand days have passed, return to my embrace.»

The goddess Gaia gave a short kiss to Cecil’s damp forehead. The god’s blessing spread faintly from his forehead.

«I pray you come back after enjoying a happy life, however brief the time may be.»

With the words whispered in his ear, Cecil closed his eyes. The world went dark as if blacked out, and his whole body collapsed. The ground beneath him gave way, and he began to sink rapidly into the water. It was not scary. Unlike the water temperature that felt like it would freeze him to the bone, a comfortable feeling enveloped Cecil’s body.

At some point, his trembling eyelids shot open.

“Gasp!”

Coming to his senses, Cecil panted for breath and looked up at the ceiling. The pure white canopy and the bedposts, intricately carved with leaves, were all too familiar.

This was undoubtedly the Peridot Palace, where he had resided.