Chapter 15
There was a person laid neatly on the empty bed. Despite the blatant cold, he didn’t shiver with breath.
It was Blair Gladius, who had been the Grand General and Duke of this country—the one who had died a month ago after taking an arrow meant for the half-dead-looking man sitting there. Without holding a funeral, Kyle had placed Blair in a glass coffin and kept him preciously in a cold place, then moved his own quarters to the western palace to begin living in the same room with him.
“What an idiot, really…”
It wasn’t clear who this criticism was directed at. It could have been toward Blair lying there neatly, or toward Kyle sitting there with his soul drained. Even Aaron didn’t know to whom his own words were directed.
Aaron’s voice mixed with the sound of crying. At first glance, Aaron seemed hot-tempered and outspoken, but in reality, he had quite a cool-headed side. It wasn’t common for him to lose his composure. Who the word “idiot” referred to, no one in this place knew. Whether it was Kyle sitting there half-dead, or Blair already dead with not a hint of warmth remaining, or even himself. Even the one who uttered the word “idiot” couldn’t tell who it was meant for.
His face, drained of color, was pale. He looked as if he were sleeping peacefully. Though the light didn’t properly illuminate his face making it difficult to identify his features clearly, he appeared to have a peaceful expression. Very gracefully, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. It was impossible to disturb his sleep. The harsh cold that had enveloped the empire since Blair’s death had preserved his body intact.
He was still the same as that day. While time flowed equally for everyone, only Blair remained there on that day. He just lay there in the darkness, looking exactly the same as that day. The subtle smile he wore in his final moment was the last thing he left behind. Despite having held so much, his final journey was truly humble and modest.
Aaron sighed again. He wanted to say something to Blair, but his lips just wouldn’t move.
“Hoo.”
Aaron gently took Blair’s hand. The hand was ice-cold and stiff. He couldn’t even remember when this person had been full of life and moving around. Though it wasn’t that long ago that he had spoken with Blair while he was alive, thinking about it now made it feel like a distant past. Had he retired after the hunting competition as planned, it would have been natural not to see his face by now anyway. But there was a difference as vast as heaven and earth between leaving for Gladius territory and the current situation.
Aaron slowly put down the hand he had been holding and turned to reproach Kyle.
“How long are you going to keep him like this? What are you doing to him?”
“……”
No answer came. The person who was the emperor of a nation was now setting aside all affairs and just sitting in this room in the western palace. Naturally, all imperial business had come to a halt. Thanks to Aaron running around in Kyle’s place, rolling here and there, the final approval authority hadn’t been paralyzed, but this couldn’t continue indefinitely.
Kyle behaved like someone whose soul had left his body. He didn’t listen to anything Aaron said, and he didn’t react to anyone who came to see him. Aaron was the only person he would even allow this far. To be precise, he was blocking everyone from entering, but Aaron was the only one who could break through that defense.
“Let’s send him away, okay?”
Aaron pleaded, but again there was no answer. Aaron turned his head with a short sigh.
“Do you know how many days it’s been? More than a month, a whole month. Fine. I’ll concede that it’s winter now, so maybe it’s okay to leave him like this. But what about after? When spring comes and summer arrives, what will you do? Will you let him decompose?”
Aaron fired his words. It was like pouring words onto an inanimate object. Kyle showed no reaction.
“Fine. Let’s say you’re an idiot for abandoning state affairs due to shock, but why are you doing this to Blair? I’ve told you so many times that we need to hold a state funeral. We need to. Whether cremation or burial, whatever form the funeral takes, it needs to happen. Do you think he would want to be left like this? He was always talking about wanting to go to a warm place and live comfortably. Do you think Blair would like staying in this ice-cold place after death?”
Despite Aaron’s tirade, Kyle didn’t move at all. He just behaved like a statue. He didn’t blink his eyes, nor did he change his posture. Aaron stomped his feet in frustration, but neither Blair nor Kyle in this place gave any response.
“You really irritate me, you bastard. It would have been better if you had died instead.”
Aaron bit his lip as he spat out the words. His gnawed lips finally burst, bringing an iron taste into his mouth. Kyle flinched at those words.
“Right? You think so too, don’t you? It would have been much better if you had died instead of Blair dying for you? You don’t seem alive anyway, so it would have been better than both of you dying. Blair would have lived well on his own! Right? Do you think he died in your place so you could live like this pathetic fool? He took that arrow so you could live well!”
Aaron’s voice grew louder toward the end, almost turning into a shout. After finishing his words, Aaron grabbed Kyle’s collar and shook him. Kyle’s face showed absolutely no change as he was tossed around with no resistance, following Aaron’s lead. He really was like a statue. He also resembled a corpse already buried.
How many days had he spent here? Kyle’s body seemed even colder than Blair’s. Aaron suddenly had such a thought.
Was Kyle really alive?
It seemed like Kyle had also died that day, along with Blair. No, his earlier thought that time flowed well for people despite Blair’s death was wrong. He needed to correct himself. Not everyone’s time flowed normally. Blair’s time had stopped, and so had Kyle’s.
That day, Kyle’s time had also frozen solid.
The person sitting there was not Kyle Owentry Crassia. It was no different from taking a corpse, forcing its eyes open, and sitting it in a chair. He didn’t seem to be eating properly either. The glass of water was completely frozen, and the soup had solidified.
Was he sleeping properly? It seemed he would faint into sleep and then wake up, only to sit obediently in front of Blair’s corpse again. His once robust build had withered unappealingly, becoming just like a dried branch.
Time outside was flowing, but time inside this room was frozen solid, unable to move.
“Hey, I might be able to watch you living like an idiot a bit longer, but I can’t stand seeing Blair kept like this anymore. What kind of outrage is this against a Duke of the empire who should be sent off with the highest honors through a state funeral?”
“……”
“Do you know what people are saying? They say the emperor has gone mad. They say you’re crazy. Beyond that, they ask me if you hold some grudge against Blair. They say that’s why you’re not holding a funeral. That’s how other people are seeing it. The House of Monetery also visits every day, begging just to have his body returned. Get a grip, seriously.”
Aaron pointed his finger accusingly at Kyle. But Aaron’s words had no impact on Kyle.
“Are you going to keep hearing that His Imperial Majesty is so angry at the Grand General that he’s neglecting him even after death, not holding a funeral? Let’s send him off with honor. He was a brilliant person. He shone even when left alone. He was the most splendid person in this empire. I don’t want to leave his end so miserable like this.”
Aaron placed one knee on the floor and bent down to meet the eyes of Kyle, who was sitting with his head bowed. His eyes, drained of life, looked like those of a dead fish. Well, being in this ice-cold place, his situation did seem somewhat similar to that of a fish.
Still, Kyle showed no reaction. Only the white breath flowing from him showed that Kyle was still holding his lifeline to this world.
“Ah, let’s really stop talking. Seriously.”
Aaron roughly pushed his hair back. What was the point of trying to persuade him? Kyle wasn’t even pretending to listen. It seemed Aaron’s words truly weren’t reaching him.
“Sort out your feelings on your own. I’m going to send that boy off with proper honors through a state funeral when the weather improves. If you want to watch me bring the knights and forcibly take Blair away, I won’t stop you. There’s no point in talking to you sitting there like an idiot when you don’t seem to be listening. I’ll do as I please.”
“…N…No.”
“What?”
For the first time since Aaron had entered this place, Kyle’s mouth opened. Aaron whirled around. Kyle, who had been keeping his head deeply bowed, still with his elbows resting on his thighs, just raised his head to look at Aaron and stammered:
“No… Just leave him, leave him as he is.”
It was a voice near death. It was so faint that it could barely be heard even in this quiet place with intense concentration. His voice, widely praised as gentle and aristocratic, was now hoarse and raspy.
“Leave what? What did you hear from all I’ve been saying? Were you even listening?”
It seemed that only one thing from Aaron’s numerous words had reached Kyle’s ears—that Aaron would use force if necessary to move Blair’s body and hold a state funeral.
Aaron pounded his chest in frustration.
“We can’t leave him like that anymore! Right now, it’s midwinter with unusually cold weather, so of course he won’t decompose in this cold palace. But a little more time will pass, spring will come soon, and then we can’t leave him like this. Are you planning to keep a meritorious duke of the empire in an ice storage? Does that make sense? What more do you want to hear? You know well that this is no time for such foolishness.”
“……”
Kyle dropped his head again.
“Do you think you’re the only one who’s sad? Do you think you’re the only one who feels sorry? Only you!”
Aaron’s voice boomed loudly.
“Were you the only friend Blair had? I was his friend too. I knew him longer than you did! I was closer to him! Do you know how annoyed I am with you right now? Actually, I wished you had died! It would have been better if you had died instead, that’s how I felt too!”
“…Yes. As you said, it would have been much better if I had died instead of him.”
Kyle’s response added fuel to Aaron’s anger.
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
