Chapter 50

"Master."

However, as Latil called for the royal physician, Karain opened his eyes and grabbed Latil.

"It's not possible."

"Not possible?!"

Latil shouted. His face was completely pale, yet Karain was telling him not to call the royal physician. He thought Karain must be crazy.

"Aren't you afraid of doctors, even though you're not a baby?"

Latil deliberately teased Karain and laid him back on the bed. Although he didn't love him, Karain was still a concubine. Seeing that there was no blood in his lips, Latil felt sorry for him.

"No injections."

'Probably.'

"Then, at least get a check-up. Your face is terrible. You have no vitality at all."

"..."

Latil gently stroked Karain's hair, and then a servant outside the door informed him that the royal physician had arrived.

"Let him in."

The royal physician came in with a large medical bag and bowed respectfully to Latil.

"Did you call for me, Your Majesty?"

"Karain suddenly collapsed. His face is pale. Check him out."

As Latil stepped aside, the royal physician bowed again and went to the head of the bed where Karain lay. Karain opened his eyes halfway but did not look at the physician.

'He should be fine.'

The royal physician took out a stethoscope from his medical bag and examined Karain while Latil watched worriedly.

"..."

After a long silence, the royal physician took off the stethoscope. However, his expression was so complicated and his face so dark that Latil became very anxious.

"Why? Is he very ill?"

When Latil asked urgently, the royal physician avoided his gaze and reported.

"His heart is beating slowly, and the strength of the beats is weak. He seems to be in poor health."

"What? In poor health? He's a mercenary king, isn't he?"

The shock was similar to when he saw the high priest snap an enemy's neck and slam him to the ground. Latil stared at Karain in disbelief. Although his complexion was pale, his body still looked strong...

"Perhaps his body has weakened due to the harsh work as a mercenary."

However, while the royal physician acknowledged that Karain was a mercenary king, he did not budge on his claim that Karain was in poor health. Latil glanced at Karain, who was tightly gripping the blanket with both hands and staring into space with a strange expression, and asked.

"Then, what about medicine, injections, or something like that?"

"I will prescribe medicine to help his heart."

"Okay."

"But since his body is weak, he must not overexert himself."

"Understood."

"..."

"Why? Is there more to say?"

"That is..."

"Speak. It's fine."

"Even in bed."

"!"

What does that mean? Do you think I overexert him normally? Latil glared at him, and the royal physician, startled, bowed deeply and hurriedly defended himself.

"I don't mean to touch him, but I hope you don't overexert him... Of course, as a concubine of Your Majesty, you can do as you please, but for his health, it would be better to be a little more restrained... for such... such reasons..."

'Does he think I'm a lecherous person who touches sick people?'

Latil was speechless, but the more Latil looked angry, the more the royal physician seemed to interpret it as the emperor being upset because he couldn't have his way with Karain. His face turned even paler.

"Leave."

Finally, Latil, unable to confirm or deny, ordered sternly. The royal physician bowed repeatedly and hurriedly fled. As the door closed and the footsteps quickly faded away, Karain, who had been making a strange expression, burst into laughter and teased Latil.

"Be sure to take care not to overexert him."

"Sure, I won't overexert him at all. Just rest in bed."

"A little overexertion is fine."

"No. If you collapse again, the royal physician will look at me as if I'm indecent."

Karain laughed again but did not tease Latil this time. Latil pulled the blanket up to Karain's chin and patted his chest.

"Rest. I'll tell your servant to give you medicine when you wake up."

"Are you leaving, Master?"

"I have to."

What else would I do here? As he was about to say, Karain pulled his hand out from under the blanket and firmly grabbed Latil's hand.

"I'm sick. Please stay with me."

Originally, Latil planned to go to Lananwen or Tashir to drink and listen to their inner thoughts since he couldn't drink with Karain anymore. But seeing Karain looking at him earnestly, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

"Alright."

Latil squeezed Karain's hand once and then took off his outer robe, hanging it on a chair. He lay down next to Karain.

"Let's sleep like this. Is that okay?"

As Latil patted Karain's stomach and chest, Karain turned to face him, nodded, and closed his eyes. * * *

How much time had passed? While patting Karain, Latil himself dozed off and then suddenly woke up, shaking his head.

'Ah, I fell asleep too.'

Latil took his hand off Karain's chest and rubbed his eyes. Karain was completely asleep.

'He looks sexy even with his eyes closed.'

Latil admired Karain's delicate and beautiful features and then turned to lie on his back.

'I shouldn't make him drink, right? His body isn't well.'

At that moment,

[Domin...]

Latil heard Karain's voice. He opened his eyes wide and turned his head sharply. However, Karain was still asleep.

'Was that just now Karain's inner thoughts? Did they become audible because his mental strength weakened in his sleep?'

If he could hear it again, it would be more certain. But there was no more sound. Frustrated, Latil gently pulled on Karain's hair. At that moment, a scene he had never seen before unfolded before him. * * *

At that time, Aini was lying in bed, repeatedly pulling and releasing the blanket. That afternoon, she had told her father that Haeum had come to see her, but her father did not believe her.

-You must have seen something in your distress.

Her father patted her shoulder to comfort her, looked at her with sad eyes for a moment, and then hugged her tightly, promising,

-You will make Hyacinth suffer as much as you have. If you endure this moment, you will have everything.

She explained that it wasn't a hallucination and that there were footprints on the grass, but her father only looked at her with sad eyes. When she told the same story to her closest friend and maid, Redler, the reaction was the same.

-But Your Majesty, I was always by your side. No one really came.

Aini felt suffocated, but people only looked at her strangely. Eventually, Aini was completely exhausted and lay down in bed at night.

-I will stay by your side until you fall asleep, Your Majesty.

Although Redler didn't believe the story about Haeum, she was worried about Aini and held her hand until she fell asleep. Thanks to this, Aini was able to forget about Haeum and fall asleep. But after some time, a familiar song woke her up. Redler had left the room after Aini fell asleep, so no one was in the room. Aini, unable to call for Redler, clutched the blanket and trembled.

'It's Haeum's voice.'

This song was the one Haeum used to sing to Aini. A song sung by a dead person. Fortunately, it wasn't coming from inside the room. She fidgeted with the blanket for a while. Finally, Aini cautiously got up and went out into the corridor. Two guards stood firmly at the door, and when Aini came out, they politely asked,

"Are you going for a walk, Your Majesty?"

"I will go with you."

Instead of answering, Aini looked in the direction of the sound and asked,

"Can you hear this?"

The guards, confused, repeated,

"Excuse me?"

"The song. The song coming from far away."

When Aini whispered in a small voice, the guards looked even more puzzled. Neither of them seemed to hear anything. In fact, when they saw Aini looking beyond the corridor with a fearful expression, they felt a chill and exchanged glances.

'It's only audible to me.'

Instead of telling them about the song, Aini instructed one guard to follow her for a walk. Even if they couldn't hear it, she could, so she wanted to go in the direction of the sound.

"I will follow you."

One of the guards stepped forward at Aini's request. However, after a few steps, the song abruptly stopped. She waited in place, but the song did not return.

"I want to walk alone."

Aini, just in case, sent the guard back and moved alone. The song resumed.

'It wants me to come alone.'

Aini felt more afraid but tried to calm herself.

'If this is Haeum's doing, he won't be a threat to me. He wouldn't do anything harmful to me.'

Thinking of the always gentle Haeum, Aini gathered her courage and walked in the direction of the sound. It led to an unused room, the door slightly ajar, as if inviting her inside. Aini took a deep breath and pushed the door open. * * *

The black sky was moving. The sound of flapping wings... the sound of the wind... The sky was continuously swirling in various directions.

'Crows.'

Latil realized the black sky was a flock of crows. The crows covered the entire sky, making everything look black.

'What is this...?'

The field, which should have been green with grass, was littered with bodies. But they were strange bodies, not like those that had just died. Hundreds of people in white uniforms surrounded them in layers.

'I've never seen this uniform before.'

Latil was wary of them, but they did not look at him. They acted as if he wasn't there.

'Is this an illusion? Or... Karain's dream?'

Since the last thing he heard was Karain's inner thoughts, it was possible. As he thought this, a pair of a man and a woman came into Latil's view.

'Karain!'

Latil was surprised to recognize the man's face. It was Karain, but with slightly longer hair.

'So this is recent?'

The woman hugging and crying over Karain was someone he had never seen before. She had red hair and green eyes, an incredibly beautiful woman. So beautiful that she didn't seem human. The two of them together looked like a painting.

"You must live."

But the situation didn't seem good. The woman, stroking Karain's face, said sadly, and Karain shook his head and hugged her back.

"You must take me with you. I will be with you even in death. Please take me."

'Karain can cry...?'

Seeing him cry so much, Latil felt a strange pain in his heart. He didn't know who the red-haired woman was, but he wished she would grant Karain's request. However, she shook her head.

"Live. Live and find me. I will wait for you 'next time'."

"But by then, you will have other knights by your side. You won't remember me."

"You are the only one for me."

As the woman kissed Karain, he cried and shook his head violently. But the woman's strength was immense, and despite Karain's fierce head-shaking, they did not separate. The kiss seemed to have a strange power, and as Karain struggled to hold onto her, his hands gradually lost strength. It looked like he was being forced to sleep. When Karain was completely asleep, the woman gently placed him down, kissed his forehead, and slowly stood up. Her expression, now standing, showed no sadness or despair. It seemed as if she had been waiting for her farewell to be over. One of the female knights, whose uniform pattern was slightly different, drew her sword from her waist. This was the signal, and hundreds of knights simultaneously drew their swords. The sound of metal was heard from all directions, sending shivers down Latil's spine. * * *

At that moment, what Latil saw was not the battle between the knights and the red-haired woman, but Karain's tears.

'So it was your dream after all.'

With Karain's strong mental strength, combined with his illness and the nightmare, Latil had briefly glimpsed his nightmare. Latil slowly reached out and wiped the tears from his eyes. He felt strangely choked up.

'Did you lose someone you loved? ...Since the person you loved is dead, did you enter the harem to escape the world?'