A Conversation Under the Moonlight (1)
He didn't say a word, but he must have been utterly exhausted.
I stared quietly down at Edwin's sleeping face. Has he finally matured? We had ridden without a single break the entire journey from the imperial palace to this encampment. It was a grueling forced march severe enough to wear down full-grown adults, yet Edwin had not uttered a solitary complaint.
“Mmh…”
Perhaps finding the unfamiliar field cot uncomfortable, Edwin tossed and turned fitfully in his sleep. In the process, the coarse blanket slipped, bunching down past his waist.
“Restless as ever,” I murmured.
Night in the forest brought a harsh plunge in temperature. It would be disastrous if he caught a cold at such a critical juncture. Without a word, I reached down and pulled the blanket back up to his chin.
“Hnng…”
Was a single blanket not enough? Edwin suddenly curled himself into a tight ball like a chilled shrimp.
“Can't be helped, then.”
I took the extra blanket issued for my own bed and draped it over Edwin as well. The combined weight of the two thick wool blankets was considerable; no matter how much he thrashed now, they wouldn't slide off so easily.
“Mmmph…”
Satisfied at last, Edwin smacked his lips softly before sinking so deep into slumber that an intruder could have carried him off without waking him.
I feel less like an attendant and more like a nanny who got dragged along on a subjugation expedition.
After thoroughly inspecting the tent and the area around Edwin's cot one last time, I slipped outside into the night.
The wind rustling through the undergrowth blew bleak and chilly. Drawing in the crisp night air, I tilted my head toward the sky. High above, the stars burned so brilliantly they cast a faint azure gleam across the canopy. From somewhere in the distance drifted the muted, casual chatter of a few knights standing night watch.
“Still awake, I see.”
Holy shit!
My heart nearly leapt into my throat, and I came dangerously close to swearing out loud. What kind of monster is this guy? Before departing on this subjugation expedition, I had rigorously trained my five senses until they were nearly as sharp as they had been during my days as an assassin. Yet against the man standing before me, none of that mattered in the slightest.
“…And what brings Your Majesty to our tent at such an ungodly hour?”
A spike of panic flared in my chest that someone might spot us. If word got out that the King of Adamant was secretly sneaking in and out of the imperial Third Prince's quarters, we would be the ones facing ruinous consequences.
“I was under the impression the Adamant contingent departs even earlier than ours tomorrow. Why are you not asleep?”
I subtly swept my gaze across our surroundings. To my astonishment, Kaiden truly appeared to have slipped in entirely alone. Not a single trace of another presence stirred nearby.
“Are you alone?”
“Well, I am still an eligible bachelor, if that is what you're asking.”
A thoroughly preposterous answer came back to my cautious question.
“Haha.” Catching sight of my dumbfounded expression, Kaiden chuckled softly. “So you are capable of making faces like that, too.”
“I was simply unaware Your Majesty possessed such a peculiar sense of humor.”
“It wasn't a joke.”
“…Nor was I inquiring about Your Majesty's marital status.”
I hadn't thought I said anything especially amusing, yet at my deadpan retort, Kaiden burst into laughter once more.
“Do you find my words that entertaining?”
“Weren't you trying to be funny?”
No, you green brat of a king.
Swallowing the venomous retort on the tip of my tongue, I shifted the subject. “So, what business brings you all the way here?”
“Surely you don't need to ask?” The amusement gradually receded from Kaiden's handsome face. “Why haven't you answered my calls?”
“Calls? What calls are you referring to?”
“I attempted to reach you through the crystal ball multiple times.”
“Ah, is that so? I had no idea.”
“You had no idea?”
“My apologies. I was occupied preparing for the subjugation expedition.”
Kaiden let out a soft, resigned sigh. “Looking at you now, I suppose that was indeed the case.” His brow furrowed, one sharp eyebrow arching high. “Why on earth did you follow him out here in the first place? If you couldn't find a proper attendant for the prince, you should have contacted me beforehand. If you had, I would have—”
“It is not that we failed to find someone. I volunteered myself.”
No matter how much I weighed the options, there was no one I could trust to protect Edwin. Vice Commander Philip had offered to recommend someone suitable, but the prospect had failed to sit right with me. Philip may be an honorable man, but whether a stranger he recommends can be trusted with Edwin's life is an entirely different matter.
Under the circumstances, I had no choice but to step forward myself. Fortunately, because I had never neglected my physical conditioning, I felt confident I could summon roughly eighty percent of the combat prowess I once wielded as an assassin.
The remaining twenty percent comes down to innate physical limitations, which simply cannot be helped.
Inhabiting the fragile shell of an ordinary woman frequently made me ache bitterly for my past physique as Kyla. Back then, I rarely suffered injuries or fell ill, and while lean, my broad, hardy frame granted me raw physical power rivaling any seasoned warrior's.
Not that I despise my present existence. Weaker though I might be, gaining this second chance at life had opened doors to countless possibilities. A chance to start anew, a chance to repay my benefactors… and the chance to exact vengeance upon the lover who had murdered me.
…Ian. What is that bastard doing right now?
My thoughts drifted unbidden toward the Second Prince's encampment, where Ian was stationed. Was he smiling so nonchalantly, just as he had when our paths crossed in the imperial palace?
After what you did to me.
Even now, closing my eyes conjured the desolate reed field. The scorn burning in his eyes, the boot shoving my head into the filthy mud, the cold hand driving a blade deep into my back, and the venomous lips that spat curses over my dying body—it was all as vivid as if it had happened only yesterday.
And yet… how could he?
How could he breathe, speak, and laugh as though none of it had ever occurred? A sudden, suffocating chill seized my chest, dragging my heart down into freezing depths.
“What could you possibly be brooding over so intensely?”
I snapped out of it. I must have lost my mind. To leave the sovereign ruler of an entire kingdom standing before me while losing myself in my own dark thoughts for so long.
“Ah, my apolo—”
I hastily raised my head to offer an excuse, only to freeze.
“I don't know what is haunting your thoughts, but…”
When had he closed the distance? Kaiden stood barely a handspan away from me. The familiar scent of jasmine still clung to him—that precise, clean fragrance unique to the handcrafted soap I had once used in my past life.
“When you are with me, I would prefer you focus solely on me.”
At that exact moment, the night clouds parted. A pale mantle of moonlight cascaded over his dark hair. It was not a glare that stung the eyes, but a gentle, commanding brilliance that captured one's gaze, casting a radiant halo that effortlessly pushed back the surrounding gloom.
“…My apologies,” I managed, meeting Kaiden's glowing golden eyes as I spoke slowly. “To show such disrespect before His Majesty the King…”
“I was under the impression your memory was better than that.”
“Pardon?”
“Not 'Your Majesty.' Kaiden.” His features settled into an unreadable mask. “I recall instructing you to call me Kaiden.”
“…Understood, Lord Kaiden.”
“Good.”
Only after hearing his name spoken aloud did the taut lines of Kaiden's face soften. “Now then. Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“What were you thinking about just now?”
Was he truly asking out of sheer curiosity? I held his gaze for a moment before looking away. “It is hardly a pleasant subject. It would only displease you to hear—”
“I will decide whether it displeases me after I hear it.”
He clearly had no intention of dropping the matter until I gave him an answer. Suppressing a quiet sigh, I gave voice to the truth.
“I was thinking of the bastard who murdered someone precious to me.”
“Ian Miller, you mean?”
Hearing that foul name drop so casually from another person's mouth stirred a strange, hollow sensation in my gut.
“I noticed he tagged along as the Second Prince's attendant.” A twisted smirk curved Kaiden's lips. “Still sporting that wretched, sickening face, I see.”
“Have you crossed paths with him before?”
“I have.” The young King of Adamant grinned, flashing stark white teeth. Beneath that bright, effortless smile seeped a bottomless, chilling bloodlust. “A very long time ago.”
I was already aware that Ian was a target of Kaiden's vengeance. Yet I hadn't known he had encountered Ian face-to-face in the past. If that's the case… then could he have crossed paths with me back then as well?
Then why on earth couldn't I recall him? Frowning slightly, I stole a glance at Kaiden's profile. A face like that isn't something anyone could easily forget. If he had encountered Ian so long ago, had he crossed paths with me around the same time? Even if he did, it couldn't have been more than a few years back.
No matter how distant the memory, some faint impression should have remained. Why was there not a single trace of his name or his face tucked away in my mind? Could it have been nothing more than a fleeting brush in passing?
No, that couldn't be it. The anguish that had twisted Kaiden's face when he visited the shallow grave where I had died made the answer unmistakably clear.
Just what is this man to me?
The founding monarch who carved out an empire in his youth, revered across the continent as the Hegemon of the West. The more I turned his extraordinary history over in my mind, the more bewildered I became, for not a shred of memory surfaced.
“You're wandering off into your own head again.”
“…I am not.”
“You're not?” Kaiden arched an eyebrow at my flat denial. “Were you thinking about me, then?”
I couldn't bring myself to say no, considering that was precisely what I had been doing. When heavy silence was all I offered in return, another low laugh slipped from his throat.
“Harboring thoughts you cannot voice in front of the man himself, hm?”
Unlike when he had spoken Ian's name, this laugh was delightfully playful and wicked.
“Our nan—no, our royal attendant seems to harbor quite the mischievous mind beneath that stoic facade.”
“It is nothing of the sort.”
“Nothing of the sort? It certainly looks like it to me.”
“I said it isn't.”
Does this bastard think the entire world is hopelessly infatuated with him?
Scowling, I turned my head away. “The hour grows late. You should return to your camp.”
“Is an attendant daring to chase away the sovereign king of an allied nation?”
“I am not chasing you away; I am merely suggesting that it would be wise for you to turn in early.”
“I appreciate the deep concern you harbor for my well-being.”
This wet-behind-the-ears brat keeps teasing his elder. My true age is eight whole years older than yours, you punk.
“Haha, very well. I'll stop. You must get some rest as well.” Seeing the murderous look in my eyes, Kaiden held up both hands in mock surrender. “Just one last question.”
Please, just make it quick. I waited in silence for whatever he was about to say.
“During this subjugation expedition…” The young king looked down at me, a razor-thin smile gracing his lips. “I'm considering disposing of Ian Miller for good. What do you think?”