Maneregia
“Well, this is…”
Mibar showed a troubled smile. Even to him, with his cruel disposition, the prince before his eyes was so steeped in hardship that it stirred sympathy.
‘But still… am I overthinking this?’
Mibar received a strange energy from the prince. A few years ago, Mibar had met Anya. It was Mibar who had discovered that he had a body capable of pregnancy. Back then, Anya was nothing more than a timid child close to being an idiot.
Several rings were fitted on his plump fingers, and among them, a few were special rings with magic circles engraved on the back. Mibar habitually clenched his fist and stroked the rings with his thumb.
‘Even the flutter of a trivial butterfly’s wings can turn heaven and earth upside down.’
Perhaps it was because he had lived as a shadow for so long. Mibar did not dismiss the sudden upheavals in worldly affairs as mere coincidence.
Something was coming.
‘But it wouldn’t be that young thing.’
Mibar soon dismissed that feeling as simply the growth of a child. Nothing was certain yet. That half-wit was still a Claist royal after all. Thoroughbred horses of good bloodline always eventually showed their brilliance, even if late, so that half-wit prince must have finally benefited from his bloodline. It must just be that his hereditary traits manifested belatedly.
“This is truly a regretful thing to say to Your Highness, but…”
Mibar approached Anya with a smile.
“If I may speak frankly, if we don’t depart today, we won’t arrive at Maneregia in time.”
His complexion had turned pale and he seemed to have suffered quite a bit, yet Anya had walked all the way here standing firmly on his own two feet.
‘Did he really encounter bandits and return having narrowly escaped death?’
Do not try to judge, only examine the phenomena visible to the eye themselves.
This was the principle Mibar had held as his creed throughout his life. What is seen and heard through others’ eyes and ears is prone to contamination. And trying to judge by speculating about the unseen, hidden side of things was conduct to be avoided as a shadow. Shadows merely permeate the world and gather physical evidence; understanding the hidden side was the emperor’s role.
‘Besides, sometimes observing the people around someone is more accurate than my own thoughts.’
He looked at Evernight. On the face of the young lord with deep-colored hair, there was absolutely no sign of relief or compassion. At a glance, the man was not worried about his partner.
Then… could he judge that Evernight had not played any tricks to buy time for his partner?
‘If so….’
This time, Mibar’s eyes, still wearing a smiling face but burning black inside, turned toward Anya. The young prince held Evernight in his gaze. Mibar could read intense emotion and joy in those utterly ordinary brown eyes.
‘Is that relief at having returned alive?’
Or… has he set his heart on Evernight?
Anya was not someone skilled enough to hide his expressions. Was it really just a simple incident after all? Mibar decided to stop here for now. Interesting things would happen plenty even after returning to Maneregia. If he dug any deeper, judgment would intervene and distort the truth.
“I, I’m fine.”
Anya answered toward Mibar.
“That’s fortunate. You have a long journey ahead, so it would be terrible if you collapsed.”
Mibar smiled kindly and, holding the attendant’s hand, waddled along.
“Since you say you’re fine, I’ll set aside my worries and board the carriage first.”
As soon as they confirmed he had boarded the golden carriage, Anya’s body swayed. Your Highness! Sisou quickly caught and supported Anya.
“I’m, I’m fine. It’s not that it hurts… suddenly the ten, tension just released….”
Move aside. Sabelli pushed Sisou away and cast healing magic on Anya. The upper knights of Tildyen surrounded Anya so tightly that from a distance, you couldn’t see exactly what they were doing. Raniel, sitting atop his horse, clicked his tongue and shouted.
“Lord of Tildyen! We’re late!”
Then Evernight lifted Anya up into his arms.
“…My lord!”
Anya’s face, which had been pale just moments ago, flushed with color as bewilderment settled over it.
“That’s more effective than healing magic.”
At Sabelli’s joke, Sisou laughed as if dumbfounded, and Riario glared at him.
“Are you joking right now? What were you doing to end up like this!”
Riario looked around and spoke in a much smaller voice between his teeth.
“How are you late? And what’s with that appearance? Even if it’s training…”
“You don’t need to know. And that medicine you gave the boy…”
Sabelli trailed off and stared directly at Riario. Then Riario cleared his throat unnecessarily in embarrassment.
“Sabelli, I gave the order. Anya, you didn’t forget and took it all, right?”
Evernight pulled up the corner of his mouth crookedly and looked down at his partner cradled in his arms. Anya, whether embarrassed or humiliated to be held in front of so many people, nodded pitifully with his eyes cast down.
“Yes… I, I didn’t forget a single one and took them all.”
“Good, well done.”
It was too dry to be called praise. Evernight walked past Sabelli toward Tildyen’s carriage. His blue eyes warned Sabelli that it would be best to shut up.
“Prepare to depart.”
At the lord’s command, the Black Crows moved in unison.
As soon as Mibar boarded the carriage, he looked through the curtain gap at the bustling Tildyen group. A pleasant laugh poured out from between his tiny lips. The attendant sitting across from Mibar kept his eyes down and didn’t move a muscle.
“Interesting. To think that half-wit prince would adapt this well. And magic, too… I’ll need to plant a shadow here as well. Contact the guild, boy.”
“Yes, Mibar-nim.”
Saying so, Mibar drew the curtain completely closed.
* * *
To think he’d be riding Tildyen’s carriage again. Anya sat pressed against the edge of the carriage with awkward movements. A few months ago, he had ridden this carriage through Maneregia’s main road to come here to the North. Back then, life here seemed only distant and frightening….
Anya breathed out on the window, “Hah.”
‘El.’
He drew the man’s name with his finger on the fogged glass.
“What are you doing?”
Just then, the carriage door opened. Anya was startled and hurriedly wiped the window. The carriage door was low and small compared to Evernight’s build, so he had to bend down considerably to enter the carriage.
Evernight sat across from Anya and said abruptly.
“Take it off.”
The cold air of Tildyen wafted from him.
“…Pardon?”
Anya, who had been sitting stiffly before Evernight like a knight receiving a stern lecture, was startled and quickly lifted his head. Because Anya had narrowly returned from the lake, he had to board the carriage without even having time to wash and tidy up.
“Take it off.”
Evernight said once more without inflection. He hadn’t misheard. Somehow it felt like déjà vu.
“Sabelli said if cuts aren’t treated, you’ll suffer from fever all night.”
Evernight said while lightly tossing the ointment container upward and catching it with his hand.
“The old man said the wound on your back is deep.”
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Anya’s head drooped deeply downward. Somehow, taking off his clothes in front of him felt extremely embarrassing. After several nights together, whenever Anya was alone with Evernight, he became conscious of the man’s every glance and gesture.
“I’m pretty sure I advised you that the habit of bowing your head and not telling anyone even when you’re in pain is a dog-like behavior.”
That wasn’t it. It absolutely wasn’t the same emotion as back then.
Feeling somewhat wronged, Anya quickly removed his upper garment. As the cold air rushed in and his body trembled finely, he immediately regretted it.
Evernight suddenly, without warning, sat down beside Anya. He reached out his hand toward Anya. A black shadow fell over Anya’s face. Anya unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut. From above came the sound of air escaping, “Pfft.” When he opened his eyes, Evernight was looking down at him while smoothly drawing the carriage curtain behind.
“Turn around.”
Anya felt embarrassed and awkwardly sat facing Evernight with his back turned. At the same time, the carriage started moving again with a clatter, clatter sound.
“……”
“……”
Between the two, the space was filled with such things as… the sound of Evernight’s shoulder blades moving slightly, the squelching sound his fingers made scooping out the ointment, the faint sound of hoofbeats heard from outside the carriage.
So Anya inadvertently let out a small moan at the touch suddenly felt on his back. It was surely also because his entire body had stiffened from being too tense. His hands were cool, so his body kept flinching and trembling.
“Bear it even if it hurts.”
It didn’t hurt. This level of wound now… was nothing to Anya. But Anya couldn’t say anything. Anya simply covered his mouth firmly with his hand and showed his back.
He lightly applied ointment to the wounds that still hadn’t completely lost their swelling. His hands were clearly ice-cold, yet somehow every place his fingers brushed past felt as if it were burning up.
“…Here.”
He smoothly lowered his hand and touched a place that had healed long ago but had settled as a white scar. Evernight’s fingers still retained the stickiness of the ointment.
“Who did this?”
It was the scar he had seen under the candlelight on the night they were forced to have relations.
