At Montrose’s urgent cry, the imperial healers came running hastily from the back of the tent. On top of a brown mare limping along, Bluoa and Anya were barely sitting astride, practically being carried like baggage.
Those who had initially cheered at their silhouettes quietly let out rough sighs of lament as if exhaling all at once at the sight of the two approaching closer and closer.
“God, oh my!”
Someone could be heard shouting that. While everyone was shocked, only Emperor Luksus had a calmly sunken face. When everyone was hesitating to step forward.
“Hey, Bluoa!”
The first to rush out was Canon Montrose. He jumped down from the platform in one leap and supported Bluoa as he staggered down from the horse.
“I’m fine. More than me, His Highness…”
Bluoa’s words trailed off quietly as if choked up. Following his gaze upward, a boy could be seen collapsed on the saddle with his long brown hair hanging down limply.
Good God, the face briefly illuminated by the torches was so pale it looked like a corpse. Montrose immediately recognized the familiar appearance. It was Prince Anya. Montrose let out a small groan.
“What on earth! Where have you been! Speak quickly, what happened!”
Nothing good came from getting involved with princes. Especially Anya was a person who had become massively at odds with Royster due to the incident a few days ago. Moreover, his background of Tildyen was already closer to a minus than a plus.
He frowned as if unable to understand his close friend’s eccentric behavior, then stiffened at the lukewarm sensation as he lifted Anya from the saddle.
“…Bluoa. What is this right now…”
Anya’s dark blue cloak was completely blood-soaked. Montrose’s face gradually turned pale at the bright red blood smearing on his palm.
“You… you… what did you do?”
“Where’s the time to talk about that now! Get out of the way!”
Pushing aside the completely frozen Montrose, Bluoa limped and brought Anya down as if embracing him.
“I’m fine, so treat His Highness, His Highness first!”
At his urgent command, the imperial healers quickly began running with stretchers.
“Move aside!”
However, the ones who rushed forward ahead of the imperial healers were the knights and mages of Tildyen who had been behind the tent. They stiffened their expressions at the sight of Anya hanging limply in Bluoa’s arms in a complete mess. Ah, a pained groan leaked from Sisou’s half-open mouth.
“What is this now…”
Riario asked back like an idiot with a dazed expression as if all the alcohol he’d been drinking until just before had worn off. Bluoa bit his lips as if chewing them, then lowered his head.
“A demon… we encountered a demon.”
At those words, people screamed and commotion began to arise here and there. Royster and the prince’s associates burst into absurd laughter as if the current situation lacked any reality, and cries that they should leave this place immediately filled the air among the nobles.
As he said, blue demon blood was clearly stamped here and there on Bluoa’s scapula. Enough! The Emperor burst out with an aged voice, and silence briefly flowed among the people, but it was only for an instant.
“Commander…?”
In that chaos, no one heard Evernight approaching, but Evernight was already standing beside them without any presence.
“……”
He silently looked at his partner held in Bluoa’s arms. Riario had the illusion that his fingertips seemed to be trembling slightly for an instant.
‘You crazy bastard, there’s no way that could happen.’
He must have seen an illusion while drunk. Riario cursed at himself and shook his head finely. Wasn’t it the Commander himself who had said in the previous conversation that there was naturally a risk of injury at the hunting festival?
“Fuck off.”
A chillingly cold voice flowed from Evernight’s mouth. His blue eyes rippled with killing intent. The intense eyes he met for a moment reminded him of the demon’s eyes he’d seen at the Necromancer’s Tower. Bluoa unconsciously stopped breathing like someone who had forgotten to breathe.
“If you don’t remove those filthy hands right now… I’ll cut off your wrists.”
His throat gulped greatly like someone extremely suppressing something. It wasn’t just a simple warning. This man was sincerely declaring that right now.
‘…I’ll die.’
Even Bluoa, who wasn’t skilled in swordsmanship, felt the vivid killing intent with his whole body.
When Bluoa was overwhelmed by that atmosphere and couldn’t move, Evernight, whose patience had run out, grabbed Bluoa by the collar and pulled him out.
“Sir, what are you doing!”
Montrose shouted in shock.
“Take your brilliant friend and fuck off.”
Evernight threw Bluoa at Montrose as if discarding him. Then, before Anya’s head could hit the ground, he knelt on one knee and embraced him in his arms.
The black moleskin gloves quickly became soaked wet. The small face had both eyes closed with a peaceful expression as if sleeping, but the body held in his arms was too cold.
“Follow me.”
He gave orders to the restless imperial healers, then walked toward the tent holding Anya. People’s frightened gazes carefully followed him.
He saw Royster saying something to the Emperor, and saw Ramus, Hakseos, and Usolin exchanging whispers with serious faces with other high nobles, but Evernight walked forward as if he couldn’t hear anything and couldn’t see anything.
* * *
A pleasantly rustling spring breeze flowed past Anya’s body. When he opened his eyes with a flutter, Anya was lying on his side with his cheek against some woman’s lap.
It was a pleasant nap. Then suddenly, his hand placed on the green grass caught his eye.
‘Were my hands always this small…?’
When Anya tried to lift and examine his hand, swept up in a somehow strange feeling, a woman’s voice was heard from above.
‘My child. You’re sleeping right now. It’s a very pleasant dream.’
That voice was so kind and gentle that Anya became flustered, feeling like tears would leak out unconsciously.
The woman’s hand gently stroked down Anya’s head and began to sing. It was a lullaby that parents sing by the bedside when putting children to sleep.
It was that lullaby that Anya himself used to mutter while stroking his own head on the old bed in the dark, empty detached palace bedroom.
‘…Mother?’
Anya turned his body and looked up at the woman’s face. Behind the woman, a large old tree could be seen as if a giant was crouching. He felt a sense of déjà vu as if he’d seen it somewhere, but his doubt quickly disappeared because his heart to confirm her face was too desperate.
‘Mother, Mother, I missed you.’
Anya burrowed into her arms and unconsciously acted spoiled as if whining.
Intense sunlight came through between the old tree’s leaves, creating a large backlight on her face. Her face couldn’t be seen properly. Anya squinted his eyes trying to confirm her face, but somehow the more he tried, the more her face seemed to blur, making him scared in advance.
‘My child. It’s time to wake from the dream now.’
Anya buried his head in her stomach and shook his head. No, no. Anya desperately wished for this time to never be broken forever.
‘Mother, I don’t want to go. Please. Please stay by my side.’
Anya hugged and held onto her waist. Young Anya’s arms clung desperately as if she would leave.
‘My arms… are too short.’
Were all the things he had experienced until now just a dream? I’m originally this young… I must have dreamed an absurd tale of heroism.
‘I missed you, Mother. I had such a scary and long dream.’
The woman’s embrace was too warm. Anya clung to her, panting with how desperate he was. She didn’t push Anya away and quietly listened to that murmuring. Each time his hair was stroked by gentle hands, Anya repeatedly fell asleep and opened his eyes again.
‘People are waiting, Anya. You must return now.’
But the woman kept trying to send Anya away. So unbearably sad about that, Anya put more strength in his hands and grabbed the woman’s clothes.
‘Where to?’
‘To your home.’
‘My home is……’
Where was it? Suddenly he felt weight on his wrist. On the wrist wrapped in the woman’s skirt hem, a small thread bracelet hung.
‘…Tildyen.’
As he unconsciously muttered that, the background began to gradually blur. The woman’s gentle touch stopped and she bids Anya farewell.
Tears welled up. He cried out loud, but somehow his throat was blocked and nothing came out.
‘Can’t I not go, Mother? Don’t abandon me. Please. I’ll do well. I won’t cause trouble. I was wrong.’
Please… I can be quiet, I can stay still. Tears kept dripping down on his white young cheeks. The woman kissed him lightly over his sorrowful face.
‘You didn’t do anything wrong. Now go.’
Evernight swept back the hair that had fallen on the forehead of Anya lying on the bed.
“The healing magic isn’t taking, my lord.”
Two healers clung to both sides of Anya, pouring sweat while casting healing magic, but the torn and broken wounds didn’t heal easily.
“Continue.”
He commanded without taking his eyes off Anya. At that cold attitude, the healers kept pouring magic while frightened.
Anya was too pale. Like a limp doll whose strings had come loose, with all the blood drained from his body, unable to ever rise again.
“Uh… Lord Duke, this is presumptuous to say, but have you recently had sexual relations with my lady?”
One healer carefully asked while wiping the sweat beading on his forehead. Only then did Evernight’s gaze slowly turn.
“What?”
For such a thing, his voice was extremely sharp like a whip. The healer wavered and continued stammering.
“The reason the healing magic isn’t taking… I believe it’s pregnancy. If you engaged in intercourse within the last 1-2 months, perhaps…”
A curse reflexively burst from Evernight’s mouth. He easily recalled the memory of losing his reason in the cave beyond the wall and spilling his seed into Anya.
But he had definitely given him medicine to dry up the seed in his belly. There was no way he could be pregnant.
The healer lowered his head at the ominous energy.
“I apologize, my lord. I’ll look for other reasons.”
However… if by any chance he really was pregnant… Evernight’s complexion hardened coldly.
“No, check it.”
