Chapter 306: As If Bereft of Reason (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 306: As If Bereft of Reason (2)
Calian had never intended to bring Hina along.
After all, hadn't Calian himself been practically dragged on this journey by Franz? Having barely managed to bring his crazy, blue-haired lackey and Rachel, Calian was in no position to personally assemble the traveling party.
Even if Calian had been able to decide who would come, Hina would not have been included. For one, Louise's illness was not yet severe, and both Calian and Franz—who never spared their own bodies—possessed the power of blessing.
When he saw Eila among the group, he only felt a heavy weight in his heart, thinking she had ended up following them after all. He hadn't even considered that Eila was simply carrying out his own instruction to "stay by Hina's side" with the utmost dedication.
If Calian had known from the start that Hina was coming, he wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink. He would have spent every moment worrying about his precious, darling Hina—fearing she might be blown away by the wind on their winter journey, buried under the snow, her hands and feet frozen in the bitter cold, or her delicate skin dried out by Secritia's salty air.
That was why Franz had simply kept his mouth shut.
By the time Calian—who found it fascinating how Coco had left Arsen's arms to become exceptionally fond of one particular knight—realized something was amiss, the border was already right before their eyes.
What could he do? He couldn't grab his older brother—as fragile and tender as a young spinach sprout—by the collar for a second time. Deciding he would just have to spar with him a bit once they returned, Calian had traveled all the way to Secritia with Hina in tow. He had tried desperately not to pay too much attention to the knights, lest he look suspicious, swallowing his complaints all the while.
For the record, Hina was actually older. Two years older, to be exact.
Well, anyway.
Though she didn't know what the princes were up to, Hina knew it was bound to be dangerous, so she had stepped forward first. She had persuaded Franz, explaining they could just borrow the mysterious disguise magic tool Eila possessed.
And to Hina, who was incredibly glad she had followed them…
—What would you have done if I hadn't come with you?
Calian received a thorough scolding.
"Hina. I think I'm all better. Starting tomorrow, I…"
—Even if it takes longer, I am going to treat you both together, so not another word. If you say something like that one more time, I won't speak to my kind prince anymore.
On top of that, he had to listen to the scariest threat in the world.
—Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is for others when you walk around pretending you aren't in pain?
Franz wasn't the only one with a lot to learn. Calian, who still hadn't fully shed the habits of a lifetime where he never had the luxury to consider such things, could only offer a sheepish smile.
—Even if you look at me like that, I won't let you off the hook.
He felt a sudden pang of sorrow.
Now there was one more person on whom his pretty face had absolutely no effect.
"Alright. I'll be careful. I'll be really careful, Hina. I'll tell you when I'm hurting, too."
Having finally extracted those words from Calian's mouth once more, Hina nodded.
In any case, the situation didn't allow Hina to push herself to heal more of their wounds and then get plenty of rest. It was her first time treating two people simultaneously, and she couldn't afford to stay in Louise's room for long periods without worry. On top of that, since no one knew what might happen next, they couldn't let Hina completely exhaust her strength.
Therefore, Hina decided to visit Louise every single day to treat her, no matter what. Calian also promised not to refuse and to receive at least a little treatment each day.
Knock, knock.
And just then.
"It is Crown Prince Franz of Kairis. What shall we do?" Teilan approached and asked.
Since Hina was still in the middle of treating Calian and Louise, Chase simply nodded without a word.
Soon, the door opened, and Franz walked in with steady, heavy steps.
Hina turned her head toward him. After checking his complexion, a sigh escaped her lips.
Another patient had been added to the list.
Deciding to treat all three of them just enough to keep them out of immediate danger and conserve her strength for now, Hina gestured to Franz.
—Come here.
Fearing Hina might try to treat all three of them at once if he didn't move, Calian, who now felt slightly more comfortable, yielded his seat to Franz. A triumphant smile played on his lips.
You're going to get scolded too, brother.
Seeing that highly suggestive grin, Franz furrowed his brow slightly, but what choice did he have? He walked over to where Calian had been sitting, and his wrist was quietly taken by Hina. Without fail, her hands grew busy once more.
Calian casually tuned out Franz, who was repeatedly saying "Alright" with an unfamiliar expression—one that wasn't his usual withered or pickled look. After watching Hina resume her treatment, Calian turned his head. He gently patted the shoulder of Chase, who was still silent, and pointed toward the terrace.
"Shall we talk for a moment?"
"Sure," Chase nodded.
Calian walked past the sleeping Louise, past Hina with her hands on Franz's arm, and past Teilan who stood guard beside them, stepping out onto the terrace. Chase quietly followed.
He hadn't originally factored in himself and Franz receiving treatment from Hina, but it couldn't be helped. Since there was still some time before Arsen arrived, they would just have to get treated as Hina said and then move diligently.
Thanks to this brief respite, he had a moment to pause. Drawing back the dark curtains, he stepped onto the terrace, which offered a sweeping view of the vast garden.
"Please sit, brother."
Chase's room.
The long terrace attached to it. A glass table and black chairs. A place he was visiting for the very first time. Yet, looking around at the scenery without a single trace of unfamiliarity, Calian naturally walked over to a chair, sat down, and spoke.
"Hina is a girl who can heal anything, so you can rest easy. Since we've decided to do the treatments gradually, it will take a few days, but she will be completely cured soon. Do not worry too much."
"You aren't telling me how you are."
"I am…"
What should he say? How could he phrase it so Chase wouldn't worry?
Having already forgotten Hina's scolding, Calian pondered this before speaking in a low voice.
"...My waist was torn open by a serrated sword. The poison seeped inside and spread near my heart, and my internal organs were damaged. I also have a laceration on my back where my spine was almost severed. After getting hurt like that, I slept for one night, woke up, and came here. The poison has been neutralized, but the wounds remained. My ruined insides were barely regenerating thanks to the power of blessing, and just a moment ago, Hina made it so I could at least eat."
Chase closed his eyes tightly.
Instead of asking if he was alright, he should be asking how he was even alive.
"It hurts a lot. If someone were to attack me right now, I might actually die. Just moving is painful."
"I see."
Calian, who had calmly summarized his condition, let out a small laugh.
"I wasn't the only one hurt, either. Brother Franz was also badly injured. Yet we came. We passed the position of Crown Prince to him to keep the assassins away, and knowing it would be dangerous, we endured the excruciating pain and came anyway. We didn't come blindly because we failed to understand your warning; we came to save Mother. We came because we can save her."
Chase slowly nodded.
Watching him for a moment, Calian spoke again.
"I know you're partly to blame for Secritia rotting from the inside to this extent. But you seem to have felt sufficiently sorry for failing to properly assess the situation, so please, wipe that look off your face now."
Was he trying to offer comfort or add to his burden?
At the words Calian had managed to squeeze out with great difficulty—having never comforted anyone in his life—Chase let out a soft chuckle despite himself.
Deciding that Chase had regained some composure, Calian turned his head. He saw the garden bathed in the long rays of the afternoon sun, and in the distance, the annex where Louise was staying came into view.
"I never expected to see this again. I had forgotten what it looked like."
He had climbed the spire he used to look up at from outside the inner castle, and he had stepped into the garden. He had entered the annex, and even Bern's room, which had been recreated in the villa. He had even gone to the royal sea.
"...And I never expected to see you living in a way that suits you so poorly, brother."
A single fireplace, a single bed, a bathroom with a white tub. A sofa, a desk, a bookshelf. That was all there was to the room. A dark room. A simple room. A desolate room, just like the one in Queen Diena's villa.
"Why did you leave your own room to live here?"
Only now did he truly realize that Chase had recreated the exact room Bern used to live in, growing his hair long just as Bern had, and living there before coming to Kairis.
"By the time I came to my senses, I was already doing so."
Calian nodded quietly, and Chase sat down silently across from him.
Yet, Chase's gaze was directed neither at the garden nor at Calian. It was fixed beyond the terrace, on the dark-colored bed where Louise lay, and on Hina and Franz sitting beside her.
After watching them for a long while, Chase spoke.
"I watched your end, Mother watched my end, and Arianne seems to have sent Mother off first… And now, the person who must have witnessed all of that is sitting by Mother's side. Seeing this, I find myself without any other worries. What on earth am I supposed to say to that?"
"Well, what should we say? Perhaps 'strange' would be fitting. Though I have always called it 'interesting.'"
As if he had finished speaking, or perhaps just paused, Calian fell silent.
"I thought it would never happen again."
Then, after a long silence, he spoke quietly once more.
"Watching Sinasta ascend to the sky. Seeing that sea. Climbing the spire, sleeping in that villa, coming to this room. Meeting Mother. Sitting beside you, brother, and talking like this. I thought I would never be able to do any of those things again. But now that they have all been realized, it is only right to call it interesting."
"Indeed."
Calian nodded, then, as if suddenly remembering something, brought up another matter.
"He told me to come back and live here again once everything is over."
As Calian spoke, his gaze drifted toward Franz before returning to Chase. Watching this, Chase asked in a gentle voice, "Did he say that?"
"Yes. That is what I heard."
Calian did not say what answer he had given Franz that day, nor did he ask what Chase thought of it. He said nothing more on the matter.
"I am currently using your room, though. What shall we do about that?"
Chase merely said this, and Calian nodded, sharing a laugh with him.
*
The reason Mother chose the poison in the same manner as I did was likely…
Because she hoped that, at the very least, Devlan would not destroy his own child with his own hands.
But… well.
*
Alan looked at Devlan.
'Looking at Mother, he must have known who his son was. He must have felt pleased to see him.'
Why Louise had made such a choice. The last words Calian had shared with him before he came here lingered in his mind.
'But… well. I wonder if that pleasure was the kind of welcoming feeling Mother had hoped for.'
The moment he saw the gentle smile plastered across Devlan's face, Alan knew. Ah, it certainly wasn't that kind of pleasure.
"When I return, I must give my disciple a tight hug."
He thought about wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tight, and patting his back while telling him that everything was alright now.
He also thought that, while he was at it, he should hug the fellow who was playing the rascal to his heart's content thanks to his disciple. Though that fellow, who seemed rather excited to be a rascal, would probably hate it.
"Baron Manasil, you are more… than I thought."
"I have met the late king, your father, Your Highness," Alan said, cutting Devlan off. "He had eyes that were similar to the current Crown Prince Chase, yet slightly different. I had never seen such pale violet eyes anywhere else, so I remember thinking how fascinating it was."
Saying this, Alan lightly tapped the teacup in front of him. Just as he always did in front of Lemain, white frost coated the warm teacup, and the tea cooled rapidly. After taking a long sip of the cold tea and setting it down, Alan continued.
"Since he was a man who truly knew how to smile with benevolence, I considered it a great honor to receive the title of Baron from him. I believed that Secritia would enjoy blessings for a long time to come."
"It has been a long time since I met someone who knew my father. It is indeed a pleasure."
"It must have been a long time. After all, when Your Highness raised your sword against your father to ascend to that throne, you must have eliminated everyone else along with him. How could you not be pleased?"
Devlan let out a chuckle.
"You seem to cherish your disciple more than I thought. The thorns in your words sting quite a bit."
"When he saw his father looking at him with that same look of pleasure, how must he have felt? Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. So please, do not complain about a few mere thorns."
Devlan nodded quietly, a gesture of neither agreement nor disagreement.
"I understand well enough that you did not come here with good intentions."
Alan nodded in return.
"So tell me. What must I grant you for you to return without harming this country?"
"I heard news regarding my daughter-in-law and the child who was helping with my work, and I doubted my own ears."
"Whatever you heard, I believe you must have heard incorrect news. They said they would return here today after interacting with the mages."
"If so, that is a relief," Alan replied briefly, raising a hand to massage his temples.
"Seeing how much concern you show…"
A headache was coming on.
Pausing for a moment, Alan looked at Devlan and smiled faintly, his sharp eyes curving into a soft line.
"Your Highness must surely know what kind of person I am."
Taking a deep breath, Alan lifted the hand that had been massaging his temples to cover his mouth. After coughing deeply a few times, he took another breath. Then, lowering his hand, he placed something on the table.
Thud.
Something resembling a round, dark ball of clay was placed on the table.
It was the poison that had been in the tea Alan had just drunk.
"To think you are planning to suppress your own son without even realizing you have people playing such malicious pranks right by your side… Whether it is Your Highness or the bastards who have sneaked into this country, it seems none of you are the type to mend your ways just because someone tells you to wake up. So what choice do I have?"
Letting out a short sigh as he spoke, Alan continued.
"I have no choice but to sweep every last one of you away. Keep that in mind."
Hearing those words, Devlan's brow furrowed slightly.