TTQI 31

“…Alright.”

Ade agreed, surprisingly calm. However, it was less because Zizlon’s words sounded reasonable and more because he knew how much Zizlon wanted to hide that fact. He couldn’t insist when he knew it was a shameful secret Zizlon would want to hide even in death.

“So, do you have any plans in mind?”

“Not yet.”

Zizlon shook his head back and forth.

“Our side is severely lacking in information. The queen, for all his looks, is very thorough and leaves no openings. He doesn’t even carelessly reveal his thoughts to his own men. Do you think even his loyal retainers know so much as a fragment of the queen’s thoughts?”

“I didn’t realize it was that severe. To think he has such an innocent face, as if he’s never had anything to do with matters of state his whole life.”

Zizlon laughed softly. Ade’s assessment wasn’t entirely wrong, but if he were to touch the queen’s calloused palm, he would change his mind.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I have to wait for the queen to make a mistake. That’s why we need to hide our relationship. I have to stay close to his faction and watch for an opportunity.”

“…I understand that part.”

“What do you mean, you understand that part?”

Ade answered, frowning slightly.

“…If what you say is true, it means there’s no telling when you’ll get your chance, right? But you want me to treat you coldly all that time? To pretend I don’t see you, just like I have until now. To frown, to embarrass you in front of the servants?”

Zizlon’s brow furrowed in turn, and he took Ade’s wrist as if to soothe him.

“Ade. What’s gotten into you? You agreed to this.”

“I think I need to reconsider. I don’t think it’s right to just take your word for it.”

“Please, I’m begging you. Ade, think about it. It’s not for me, it’s for the country.”

At that moment, Ade whipped around to face Zizlon.

“Damn it! That’s exactly what I don’t like about this!”

“……”

“You foolish oaf! Do you really not know why I’m agonizing over this? To be honest, I don’t give a damn about Yonaras right now. You! I’m worried about how to keep you alive, damn it!”

Furious, Ade slammed his fist against the wall. Thump! Zizlon flinched at the loud noise. But he immediately returned to a resolute expression and tried to persuade him again.

“…Then let me correct myself. Do it for me.”

“Zizlon!”

“If the queen continues to wield power as he does now, there will be no way for me to escape his grasp. He is using his authority to keep me tied to his side. Even my father wouldn’t hesitate to order me locked in your wife’s bedroom if the queen told him to. Ade, you said you saw it too. At this rate, forever….”

As Zizlon’s calm voice continued, Ade’s face contorted more and more wretchedly. And as increasingly horrifying stories came from his lips, Ade eventually couldn’t bear it and cut him off with a shout.

“Stop! Stop! …Alright, I get it!”

Zizlon quietly closed his mouth, and Ade buried his face in his hands as if in torment. Ade, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, stewed in his anguish. A long while later, after organizing his thoughts, he finally spoke. His voice was very low and subdued.

“……Still, I won’t send you to the queen. Stop letting him into your room. If you can’t avoid it, then stay with me from now on. I won’t interfere with whether you hide the fact that you’re staying with me from the queen or not. But I won’t yield on this.”

“Ade… as I said before, if we provoke the queen….”

“What more do you want when I’m willing to get close to that man’s disgusting minions?”

Ade raised his head and shot him a fierce glare. Zizlon averted his gaze slightly.

“…It might be hard to understand, but… just by being close to me… there’s a high chance you’ll fall out of the queen’s favor. If I don’t go to him for even a single day, he’ll look for a reason. And it’s because….”

The prince trailed off, glancing at Ade. His hesitation and fumbling for words made him seem uncharacteristically dejected. In that instant, Ade understood his hidden meaning like a lightning strike. Just the thought of it made his blood run cold. The horrific scene he had witnessed last night flashed before Ade’s eyes like a bolt of lightning. Soon after, Ade, his face frighteningly hardened, muttered in an icy voice.

“In that case, I will yield even less, Zizlon. It’s useless to oppose me on this one thing. If you try to stop me from even doing this, I’d rather draw my sword right now, go to the castle, kill that man, and then kill myself.”

“……”

The prince, unable to continue speaking in the chilling air, fell silent. Now that Ade had put it like that, Zizlon could no longer argue. And for good reason, because he couldn’t find a trace of exaggeration in Ade’s expression. He knew all too well that he was serious. He had the air of someone who would carry out his words at once if Zizlon rashly tried to dissuade him, and Zizlon had no choice but to reluctantly compromise.

As Zizlon slowly nodded, Ade’s intensity thankfully subsided. Seeing his friend’s much softer face, Zizlon, able to breathe again, let out a sigh. It was truly a difficult situation, but ironically, a warm feeling spread from a corner of his heart. Even though he was taking a risk, he had a positive feeling that things would work out somehow. It was a positive feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

The two friends had reached a dramatic compromise. Then, Ade took the empty cup from his hand and was about to say he should get some more rest as he picked up the tray to leave. Just as Ade was about to cross the threshold, Zizlon stopped him.

“Oh, right. And… Ade. It’s embarrassing to bring this up, but… you said you aren’t seeing anyone lately, right?”

“…And?”

Ade stiffened, frozen in place, and swallowed hard. The moment he heard the question, his heart, for some reason, began to beat faster. Feeling the blood rush fiercely through his veins from the tension, Ade feigned composure without even understanding why he was reacting this way. As he replied in a prim voice, pretending to be nonchalant, Zizlon spoke with an awkward laugh.

“Then could you… get close to the queen’s attendant? Sorry. For asking for something like this. But, there’s no one closer to the queen.”

“……”

The moment he heard the prince’s answer, he felt his energy drain away. It was that damn plan again. His mood sinking, Ade replied with a hollow laugh.

“……It’s not enough that you’re making me act like a scumbag, now you’re telling me to date someone I don’t even love.”

Zizlon smiled bitterly.

“Ah, if you really don’t want to….”

“No, it’s fine. If I can pretend to be a stranger to you, what more is there that I can’t do? Fine. I’ll do it.”

Ade replied as coldly as a winter wind and spun away. Even he himself thought there was no need to be this upset. Just before closing the door, he looked back to see the prince smiling sheepishly and scratching his head. Zizlon called out to his departing back.

“Thank you. Ade.”

“……”

In that moment, Ade found the prince unbearably detestable for some reason. He stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, then, out of spite, closed the door without a reply. Stepping out of the room, Ade slumped his back against the closed door. Then, looking up at the sky and sighing, he suddenly muttered.

“…Honestly, what was I expecting?”

It was a regular gathering. As usual, people with long faces were gathered in one place. Despite having to listen to their constant whining, Zizlon was in a cheerful mood for the first time in a while.

“Oh, right. Lord Villeneuve’s recent activities have been suspicious.”

As soon as Ade’s name came up, Zizlon brought a hand to his lips to hide his smile.

It had been several days since he and Ade had hatched their scheme. As expected, many had taken notice of Ade’s movements. So many, in fact, that it made him wonder if there had always been so many quick-witted talents among his associates.

Although he hadn’t done much of anything, some of those gathered at the meeting asserted as if it were fact that Villeneuve had started to throw his support behind the queen. They were exaggerating the annual routine training of his private soldiers into something akin to a conspiracy for a rebellion. Political infighting was certainly a high-risk activity, and it was only natural to be cautious, but was it something to be this afraid of? One might feel pity, but for some reason, Zizlon felt like laughing.

“Your Highness, they say that Lord Villeneuve wrote and circulated a piece of writing mocking Your Highness along with others.”

Just then, one of the men sitting there, with a rather solemn expression, pulled a note from his breast pocket. This was an unexpected new source of amusement. What kind of absurd speculation were they making? Zizlon, feeling a sense of anticipation, accepted it gracefully.

“Hmm.”

Quite pleased with this farce, Zizlon unfolded the note and let out a thoughtful hum as if he were serious. In truth, from the moment he saw the note, he had secretly guessed its identity, so he skimmed over the flamboyant handwriting on the paper without really looking.

As befitting a dazzling figure of high society, the elegant handwriting was a display of its own, and the writing was, in conclusion, Ade’s. The content was also familiar. The fable-like plot mentioning a rabbit and a lion might seem profound at first glance, but it was actually a meaningless joke. It was a prank note that Ade sometimes passed around with his subordinates.

The only hidden meaning, if any, was at most ‘live life like a pig or a dog since you only live once,’ yet this insignificant note had been transformed into a slanderous one against him. It was truly astonishing how it had ended up in this man’s hands.

‘Did he think the rabbit mentioned here is a metaphor for me? Oh ho, he must have thought of me when he saw the line ‘gutless, spineless coward.’’

Unaware of what Zizlon was thinking, the retainer who had offered up the note was indignant.

“No matter how estranged they may be, he was once Your Highness’s friend, and he is still a man who will be Your Highness’s subject. How can a man holding the title of Vice-Captain of the Royal Guard behave so arrogantly? We must remind him of the royal authority!”

The prince, who had been listening quietly to his words, momentarily let his guard down and scoffed openly.

“Do not speak of the royal authority so carelessly.”

“……”

Seeing all their mouths snap shut at once, Zizlon thought, ‘oops.’ The next moment, he quickly composed his expression. And yet, for some reason, even after making a mistake, he didn’t feel particularly threatened. On the contrary, looking at their dumbfounded faces, he felt an inexplicable sense of exhilaration.

It was a strange feeling. It was as if he could understand the heart of a mischievous child who bullies his peers for no reason. It was a new side of himself that made him question when he had developed such a playful hobby.

‘Look at those dazed faces. It feels like all my fatigue is melting away.’

Zizlon thought without any sense of crisis and calmly folded the note and set it down.

“Your Highness…! I-I had no intention of insulting the royal family….”

At that moment, the man who had produced the note, his face flushing red, tried to protest something. If he had been trying to offer sincere advice, he must have felt quite humiliated. But Zizlon was skeptical of that possibility. He replied in a gentle tone.

“I am well aware of the lord’s intentions. And I am well aware of your utmost loyalty, of course.”

‘This man was definitely loitering suspiciously around the queen’s faction four days ago. He’s testing the waters between the queen and me, and I know he intends to leave without a second thought if he can’t make a place for himself in this faction.’

While his inner thoughts were as cold as could be, Zizlon smiled gently on the outside, as if he had never shown a cynical reaction. This smile was Zizlon’s signature. Considering the tolerance the prince had always shown with that smile, no one would have thought there was a dark intention behind it.

Sure enough, he could see the frozen expressions of the men relax one by one. They seemed to think the prince’s strange behavior was a simple whim. It was understandable. How could the prince, famous for his gentle nature, dare to laugh at a loyal subject’s candid advice? The man who had been embarrassed by him also stroked his beard, feigning composure, and straightened his posture.

“Hmph…!”

The prince, showing a harmless smile, encouraged him in the gentlest voice possible.

“You always go to great trouble, rushing about for my sake. I will keep this matter in mind, so please continue to work hard for me.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Well, I suppose this is all we have to discuss today? Let us adjourn.”

Then, Zizlon announced the end of the meeting. His associates bowed one by one and left the room in succession, and Zizlon was soon left alone in the room. The nobleman who had received the cold rebuke had a lingering expression until the very end, but after hearing Zizlon’s consolation, he left without another word. Zizlon, who had maintained a gentle gaze until he saw the last person off, promptly erased his smile as soon as he was alone.

“Hmm.”

Zizlon frowned and put a hand to his forehead. Soothing the ministers who whined about trivial matters and expressing gratitude he didn’t mean felt increasingly tiring and draining. He seemed to recall trying to attend to each and every one of their moods and be considerate down to the smallest detail in the past, but the feeling from that time was so distant he couldn’t remember it well. Zizlon had become more and more indifferent to catering to them.

It must be because of this dreadful fatigue, Zizlon concluded nonchalantly. The exhaustion that had built up from being unable to relax day or night had, in fact, made Zizlon somewhat emotionally numb. Just like how one’s threshold rises with repeated stimulation.

Then the door opened and a servant entered to clean. Just as he was thinking he should get rid of the note, he looked around and saw it had fallen at his feet. Zizlon, without even looking in the servant’s direction, casually pushed the note under his foot with his shoe.

“Get rid of this too.”

Zizlon gave the order dryly and glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. The servant quickly bowed his head and picked up the note.

“Burn it on your way out. Oh, and right. You’ve worked hard.”

Zizlon, realizing a beat too late, kindly commended his efforts. It was an utterly formal greeting, but that alone brought a noticeably relaxed smile to the servant’s face. Zizlon had learned a much more efficient way to win popularity. And yet, Zizlon felt no particular emotion upon seeing that smile. For some time now, he had lost interest in winning the favor of his inferiors.

And then he was on his way out of the room. As the prince walked down the corridor, he was not particularly flustered even when he spotted the queen standing in his path. He looked silently at the ground and approached the queen at a steady pace. The prince, who had calmly walked right up to the queen, gave a slight bow to the man who was staring at him with a cold gaze.

“A hunt, you say.”

The queen spoke as soon as he bowed his head.

“That’s unusual. Seeing as you haven’t gone out once recently.”

The prince hadn’t slept with the queen for several days. For the first few days, he used recovery as an excuse, and after that, he made up various reasons not to go to his room. The queen, who had been quiet until now, had finally come to confirm things himself. What was bound to happen had happened. The prince answered, looking nonchalantly somewhere other than at Aion.

“Someone suddenly invited me.”

“Lord Villeneuve? You must have reconciled when I wasn’t looking.”

The queen immediately questioned him sharply, but the prince calmly brought out his prepared words.

“Lord Villeneuve was merely present at the time; another person invited me.”

“Who was it?”

“It was Lord Beskky. You may confirm it.”

Zizlon’s voice was calm, yet confident. The queen watched the prince for a while with narrowed eyes. The prince met his gaze unflappably. Outwardly, he appeared perfectly upright. Not only did he show no sign of agitation, but his mind was also at peace, thanks to having coordinated his story beforehand. Even if the queen actually checked, he would get the same result as what he had said.

“Do you still doubt me?” the prince asked, quite shamelessly. Hearing this, Aion clicked his tongue briefly.

“Then what about that night?”

The queen changed the subject. He was talking about the day the prince had suddenly disappeared at dawn.

“The very next night after sleeping with me, you didn’t return to your room. Even dragging your ailing body around. Why?”

“I went hunting that day as well. I went too far chasing a deer, so I stayed the night at a nearby hunter’s lodge.”

“Are you saying you weren’t in the royal castle at all?”

“Why would I lie? You are welcome to check.”

“……”

“Were you perhaps waiting for me? I’m sorry.”

Zizlon, who apologized with a slight frown, looked quite sincere, and also meek. The queen, who had been watching the prince for a while, soon realized it was a pointless endeavor and decided to drop his suspicion. His frowning expression relaxed to its usual state, and he changed the subject in a calm tone.

“Then let’s meet in my room tonight. I should tell you in advance that I might be a little late. I’ll arrive around dawn, so if you wish….”

“Ah, about that.”

Zizlon suddenly cut Aion off. It wasn’t a common occurrence, so the queen raised an eyebrow and looked up at Zizlon. Zizlon had an ambiguous expression that seemed both sorry and troubled.

“Actually, there’s a ceremonial event soon, isn’t there? The one we always have in the summer.”

“Ah, that thing you call a Yonaras tradition.”

“Yes, that’s right. The thing is, I have to get my ceremonial robes tailored soon, and the tailor might see my body then, so….”

“And so?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to refrain from meeting for a while so that no marks are left on my body?”

“I can just make sure not to leave any marks.”

“Aion.”

Zizlon looked at him with a bitter smile.

“Let’s do this. For both our sakes.”

“……”

It was a reasonable suggestion. But Aion, for some reason, felt displeased and furrowed his brow. There was no flaw in the prince’s proposal, yet for some reason he felt like he was being played. But there was no better alternative even if he delayed his answer, so he eventually nodded.

“I understand. I suppose there’s no need to take any risks.”

“Oh, and in addition, His Majesty has entrusted the preparations for the ceremony to me, so I will be away from my seat often for the time being.”

“…Yes.”

Aion reluctantly nodded at the subsequent notice as well. At that, the prince smiled faintly as if relieved. As if it were his beloved, the queen’s heart melted at the sight. Laughter escaped him right after. It was ridiculous how he was getting flustered by a single suave smile, even though he could clearly see the inner thoughts of his partner, who was happy about not having to meet with him.

“Well then, I shall be on my way.”

The prince bowed politely and turned around. As he walked with his shoulders squared, his back to the queen, Zizlon clenched and unclenched his sweaty hands several times.

‘Thank goodness. He let it go without much questioning.’

After Ade insisted on keeping him away from the queen, Zizlon had to come up with a valid excuse not to sleep with him. The ceremonial event was what came to mind. As it was a short period, this excuse wouldn’t last long, but it was suitable for buying time in a pinch. And having finally succeeded in persuading the quick-witted queen, Zizlon was inwardly cheering. He quickly disappeared, hiding his sweaty hands, before the queen could sense anything suspicious.

Aion watched the prince walk away for a while. Specifically, his ear, which he had bitten and injured. His blond hair, which he hadn’t cut for a while, was now long enough to precariously hide the injured area. But if one looked closely, one could see the white bandage underneath, and the moment he spotted it, he felt his twisted mood calm down, if only a little. That was why he let Zizlon go so readily.

‘Something is suspicious.’

Left alone, Aion became lost in thought. Although he was a man who believed in cold reason over intuition, the prince’s attitude just now had something dubious about it.

Aion, who was looking at the sparkling sunlight with his hand on his chin, suddenly looked back. His attendant, Pym, was standing there silently, as if he weren’t there at all.

“Pym.”

“Ye-Yes? Yes, yes! My lord Queen. Pym is here.”

When his name was called, Pym, who had been staring blankly as if his mind was elsewhere, answered with a start. Although he had been daydreaming, his reaction was strangely excessive.

Aion asked.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“…N-Not at all. I don’t know anything….”

“Is that so?”

Pym, who had responded somewhat doltishly, closed his mouth and kept glancing at the queen. The queen, who had always found the attendant’s behavior disagreeable, shot him a disgusted look before quickly losing interest. He had never paid careful attention to Pym’s state of mind in the first place. He once again sank into his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Pym’s complexion turned bluish by the second.

‘…Oh no! What should I do! I’m a dead man.’

Pym continuously fiddled with his cold hands. His heart, which had dropped with a thump the moment the queen called him, was still pounding violently. Fortunately, the queen didn’t seem to have noticed his inner turmoil yet, but Pym was skeptical. How much longer could he hold out?

A few days ago, after inadvertently revealing his master’s huge secret, his every day became a living hell. He couldn’t relax, day or night. When he thought that his cruel master might find out the truth at any moment, Pym wanted to scream like a madman right then and there.

‘Did Lord Villeneuve really go to the prince’s room that night? What if it’s all been exposed? What if he told someone else about this? What if he reveals that I was the one who exposed the secret?’

The fear of death made Pym even forget the pain of his heartbreak. Every time the queen sought him out after that night, his heart sank. He didn’t know when his master would change his attitude and drive him to his death. It seemed he hadn’t been found out yet, somehow, but it was only a matter of time. Pym agonized every night, tearing at his hair, wondering if he should secretly run away before his crime was discovered.

Could he escape? What about money, and food? Even if he ran away, where would he stay? As these worries piled up, his mind would become so completely full that he couldn’t even hear someone calling him right next to him. Just like right now.

“Pym.”

“……”

“Pym!”

“Yes? Yeees! Yes, my lord Queen.”

The queen shouted at him as he unwittingly drifted into his thoughts. Having been completely absorbed in other thoughts, Pym only snapped to his senses after his name had been called three times. When he looked up, he saw the queen looking at him with a contemptuous gaze. Pym’s blood ran cold, and he hung his head low.

“I will be returning now,” the queen said frigidly.

“Ah, yes…”

Just as Pym was about to lead the way toward the tower, the queen stopped him.

“I will go alone. Since the sun has come out for the first time in a while, you are to take the herbs spread out in the basement and dry them in the sun.”

“By when should I be done?”

“Return when the sun sets. Or you may withdraw when people begin to pass by.”

Having given the cold order, Aion spun around. Leaving behind the muttered words, “Useless thing,” Aion walked in the opposite direction from where the prince had disappeared. Pym, his face still pale, chewed his lip as he watched the queen’s neat back.

He was just about to calm his anxious heart and leave the corridor. Just as he rounded the corner, a hand shot out from somewhere and grabbed Pym. Pym was dragged into a dark room in a single motion.

“Huk…!”

“Shh… Pym, it’s me.”

Pym, who was about to scream, immediately clamped his mouth shut as soon as he recognized the other’s face. But, instead, his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. The person who had snatched Pym was none other than Ade.

“Lord Villeneuve? Why are you here….”

A fleeting sense of relief passed, and just as quickly, an intense wave of anxiety crashed over him. Feeling his breath quicken, Pym looked around nervously. He was so flustered that he didn’t even notice Ade gazing hotly at his face.

“Lord Villeneuve! You can’t be here. The queen is nearby…!”

Pym, intending to quickly hide Ade, urgently pushed at his shoulder. It hadn’t been long since they parted, so the queen must be close by. If the queen caught a glimpse of them together and found a clue, both he and Villeneuve would be dead.

However, for some reason, Ade did not yield so easily. Instead, he gripped Pym’s hands on his shoulders tightly and narrowed the distance between them.

“Shh, shhh, Pym. Please look at me.”

“Ye…? Hi-Hiccup?”

Frustrated, Pym turned to look at Ade, and the moment he did, he saw his face was far too close and hiccuped in surprise. The handsome face he adored was staring at him with blazing eyes. Only then did Pym become conscious of the other’s presence. In an instant, his entire face flushed red like a carrot.

“Lo-Lord Villeneuve…?”

“Pym, I’ve been looking for you.”

“What?”

Pym blinked his eyes rapidly. It was so surprising, so bewildering, and so unbelievably blissful. Pym, who was about to instinctively grin foolishly, remembered what had happened the other night a beat too late and reined in his giddy smile.

Come to think of it, how had he treated Pym the last time they met? Hadn’t he coldly rejected him when he clung to him, threatened him, and criticized him? In the end, he had even abandoned him and disappeared while he was begging for his life.

Though lowborn, Pym was also a man with honor and pride. It wouldn’t do for his pride to smile meekly in this situation. Thinking so, Pym hid his joyful heart and put on a deliberately cold expression. In truth, though, his anger had completely melted away the moment he saw Lord Villeneuve’s handsome eyes.

He snapped at him in a sharp voice.

“Well, why did you come here? What will you do if you get caught? What about when you cast me aside, saying you didn’t need me? I suppose you have something you need from me?”

Ade whispered, his serious eyes shining.

“I came because there’s something I absolutely must say to you.”

“Whatever could it be? I have nothing to say.”

“I went to the castle that day after hearing what you said.”

“……”

Pym’s reddened cheeks turned deathly pale once more. Oh, dear. What on earth had he been expecting? This man was surely here to threaten him.

As Pym fell silent with fear, Ade shook his shoulders as if to say, ‘I knew it.’

“Hear me out.”

“Yes? Yeees….”

“After sending you away that day, I did a lot of thinking. About how well you treated me, how much you cared for me, things like that… When I realized it belatedly, I came to regret it.”

Gradually, Pym’s expression grew strange.

“What… do you mean…?”

“How should I put this. That day, what I felt when I saw the prince was….”

Ade paused for a moment and frowned, as if the thought alone was agonizing.

“Disgusting.”

“!”

“Should I say I realized his true nature? I never imagined he was such a vile person. When I came back, as if fleeing from the disgust, only then did I think of you.”

“Uh, uh uh… Lord Villeneuve?”

Villeneuve placed both hands on the wall, trapping Pym’s body between his arms. Pym, flustered, looked back and forth between the two arms that looked ready to embrace him at any moment and Ade’s serious face. Was this a dream or reality? Pym was utterly confused.

Ade’s gaze, boring into him, was so hot that his mind grew dizzy. It was so blissful that he even thought he wouldn’t mind dying right then.

“Pym, I’ve only just realized how precious you are.”

The moment Ade lifted his chin, Pym’s body trembled faintly as if electrocuted. Pym was unable to move a muscle in his arms, as if paralyzed. The very next moment, Ade brought his lips to his ear. Then, as if to drive the final nail in, he whispered in that terribly low and sweet voice.

“Will you forgive me?”

What could Pym do in the face of that dizzying, devilish charm? He was already Villeneuve’s, a slave to love. Pym, who had been staring at Ade, frozen, soon nodded his head blankly. At that, Villeneuve rewarded him with a smile more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. A sharp and ecstatic smile colored his face, like a flower blooming in a garden. Pym’s heart, which had been frozen in a sense of unreality, began to grow warmer and warmer.

Pym, watching Ade’s face gradually draw closer, at some point gently closed his eyes. His slowly lowering eyelashes were trembling with nervousness. Finally, lips met lips, and a warm body temperature was conveyed, and Pym’s mind melted away in a daze. The fear that had made him shrink away vanished without a trace, and a dizzying sense of elation took its place. It was, without a doubt, one of the best moments in his miserable life.