Chapter 50
After Blair closed the guest room door and left, Kyle obediently adjusted his blanket and blinked in the darkness. Perhaps because he had been startled earlier, he couldn’t fall asleep. How long had he been lying there? His consciousness gradually blurred. Kyle drifted into a light sleep.
‘Blair?’
In the dream, Kyle called out to a man with black hair. The man’s hair was much longer than Blair’s current hair. The man was also much taller than the present Blair. But the dream-Kyle was certain this was Blair. Why? Though questions arose, his mind was too hazy to think properly. The man called Blair turned to look at Kyle.
Black hair and distinct purple eyes. It was exactly the same color as the young Blair that Kyle knew. But the man who turned to look at him appeared much older and more mature than his current self. The man looked at Kyle and smiled gently.
‘Congratulations on your victory, Your Majesty.’
Victory?
What victory? Kyle tilted his head again in confusion. Blair smiled calmly and nodded. The dream-Kyle smiled and nodded. Though it was clearly his own face, it wasn’t following his control. The dream was becoming increasingly vivid.
The scene suddenly shifted to another place. Kyle was in the Imperial Palace. He was surrounded by stacks of documents, signing and sealing them. The door flung open. It was Blair. Dream-Kyle looked up at Blair and smiled brightly. Dream-Kyle’s excitement was palpable.
‘Come in.’
‘Your Majesty, you’re working hard. Are you busy? Since this is from the Ministry of Military Affairs, please review it at your leisure.’
Kyle’s light sleep showed him many dream-like visions. After watching for a while, the scene would change in an instant.
Blair, Blair, Blair. Numerous versions of Blair appeared with different appearances and expressions, speaking to Kyle. He was a general, a duke, and also an official. The scene of Blair receiving a title at an investiture ceremony passed by, and he was also riding a horse, frequently coming and going from the palace with stacks of documents. He looked perfectly suited while holding a sword and training the knights.
He always looked at Kyle with a warm gaze. Warmth and affection gathered and rolled down from those eyes. Even though Kyle wasn’t the one receiving that gaze, he could feel it. The dream-Kyle who received that gaze seemed somewhat proud and also a bit happy. Though he seemed completely separated from his dream self, his feelings were vaguely perceptible to Kyle.
The dream continued relentlessly.
‘Be careful!’
‘Congratulations, Your Majesty.’
‘You’ve worked hard.’
‘Let’s have a drink with Aaron later when you have time.’
‘It’s been a while, Your Majesty, Lord Leonard.’
Whenever Blair smiled, Kyle felt joy in return. Dream-Kyle’s face was as gentle as the adult Blair who smiled warmly. Since it was his own face, he knew it better than anyone. That was definitely the face of someone looking at a person they held affection for.
The soft and warm scenes continued, then suddenly changed. A dark atmosphere permeated instantly.
‘I wish to retire now, so please grant me your permission, Your Majesty.’
The dream was strange. His own voice could not be heard. It seemed as if all sounds had been blocked, leaving only Blair’s voice. Even though the angry dream-Kyle was desperately shouting something, the dreaming Kyle couldn’t hear that voice.
Retire?
Blair’s face was too resolute. He didn’t seem like the Blair Kyle knew. Who are you? One thing was certain. Dream-Kyle felt betrayal and loss at the mention of retirement. His heart ached. Even though it was a dream, he felt sharp pain.
Tears welled up on the eyelids of Kyle, who was quietly lying in bed sleeping.
The heavy atmosphere didn’t last long before it quickly changed. A refreshing atmosphere spread. It seemed to be some forest. Horses and people were gathered. Ah, now he knew. It seemed to be the Imperial hunting grounds. Riding a splendid black horse, Blair approached dream-Kyle and opened his mouth with a smile. He really seemed to be announcing the end. He looked like someone who was finishing everything and leaving without regrets.
‘If we tan the tiger hide and hang it on the imperial throne, it will look quite stylish.’
The voice from the hunting grounds suddenly made Kyle anxious. Blair rode away on his horse. Kyle wanted to reach out and stop him from leaving. The dreaming Kyle tried to reach out, but he couldn’t control the body of his dream self. Somehow, it felt unfair. Even though he could fully feel the emotions and see what the other was experiencing, he couldn’t control that body.
While the previous dreams had scenes that changed instantly, the hunting ground dream was excessively long. Somehow, anxiety increasingly crept in. He wanted to turn his head and scan the surroundings, but dream-Kyle was still staring at the place where the adult Blair had left.
Not long after, Blair returned with a white tiger’s skin and spoke to him with a smile.
‘This is my sincerity, so rather than giving it to someone else, I’d like Your Majesty to keep it.’
The anxiety grew stronger. That’s when it happened.
‘Be careful!’
A sharp cry pierced through as if it would break. It was a cold and scathing warning. It was a sharp voice that didn’t suit him at all. From then on, even though it was a dream, he couldn’t see clearly. There was only one thing he could feel. It was as if someone had cut open his chest, taken out his heart, and squeezed it until it burst. He couldn’t breathe properly.
Tears that had gathered at Kyle’s eyes rolled down his face and soaked his pillowcase as he lay there.
In the dream, he was rampaging and breaking furniture. Crash! Dream-Kyle shattered a vase. The sharp noise that cut across his mind jolted him awake.
He abruptly sat up in bed from his light sleep. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His face was soaked—temples, cheeks, everything. His chest hurt. Kyle clutched his pajamas over his heart.
“Hah, hah.”
Kyle breathed heavily. His breath was mixed with sobbing. Placing his palm over his chest, he felt his heart beating wildly. Goosebumps covered his entire body. Kyle exhaled with a wheeze and frantically fumbled with the blanket.
Suddenly, a chill ran through his entire body. He couldn’t comprehend what kind of dream it was. But one thing was clear. Blair was going to die. The emotions of his dream self had transferred and remained. In an instant, Kyle was overwhelmed by unfathomable grief, loss, and bewilderment.
Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. Too profound an emotion had suddenly poured onto him. It was an emotion too intense for the still-young Kyle to handle.
“Huk, keuk, hueong.”
Sobs escaped from Kyle’s lips. It was the cry of a wounded animal. Kyle’s crying filled the dark room. After sobbing for a while, Kyle soon came to his senses. He needed to see Blair right away. He wanted to see him. He wanted to confirm that he was alive. Kyle was currently unable to properly distinguish between dream and reality.
Hurriedly adjusting his slippers, Kyle rushed out of the room and grabbed the doorknob of Blair’s room. Though he had boldly left his room, he hesitated when he was about to open Blair’s door.
After standing like that for a while, Kyle finally opened Blair’s door as quietly as possible. Blair’s silhouette was visible in the dark room. Kyle slowly approached the bed. Kyle stood by the bedside, looking down at Blair’s face. Though his cheeks were still round with baby fat, his straight nose and forehead stood out.
If Blair were to age, he would grow up like the man in the dream. After staring at Blair’s face for a long time, Kyle slowly raised his hand and gently touched Blair’s face. After doing this for a while, Kyle carefully curled up his body and sluggishly climbed onto Blair’s bed.
Blair was sleeping neatly, as if he had no sleeping habits. His breathing wasn’t rough, so it was very quiet.
Could it be?
Suddenly, Kyle felt afraid. He hurriedly brought his face close to check Blair’s face. Blair’s face was peaceful as he slept deeply. His chest, covered by the blanket, rose and fell slightly. It was a very long and comfortable breath. Relief settled on Kyle’s face as he confirmed that Blair was alive and breathing. The real-life Blair was alive.
The tension left Blair’s body, who had only thought of an intruder or assassin, never imagining it would be Kyle. Of course, his expression showed no change. To Kyle, it would just seem that Blair was sleeping tiredly. Kyle, lying on his side, moved even closer to Blair.
Kyle gazed at Blair’s apparently sleeping face. It was an intense gaze that would be burdensome even for Blair, who was quite accustomed to Kyle’s gaze. But if he opened his eyes and reacted now, it would obviously become more awkward for both of them. Blair decided to steadfastly pretend to be asleep and continued to feign slumber.
As he lay there quietly with his eyes closed, drowsiness overtook him even in this situation. Blair’s day had been quite demanding, so he couldn’t help but be tired. Regardless of Kyle staring at him from the side, Blair slowly drifted off to sleep. Blair’s breathing became progressively slower.
Kyle, who had been staring at Blair without blinking, gradually closed his eyes too. After having a dream with such deep and heavy emotions, it seemed like he needed to see Blair’s face to feel at ease. Sluggishly moving his hand under the blanket to hold Blair’s little finger, Kyle finally seemed reassured, curling his body and closing his eyes.
The one who woke up first in the morning was Kyle. After opening his eyes and realizing he had been sleeping with his head buried in Blair’s chest, Kyle sprang up. His eyes, swollen from crying the night before, were bloodshot. With his face as red as his eyes, Kyle hurriedly got off the bed and put on his slippers. He was so startled that he didn’t even think about leaving the room quietly. As Kyle was hastily about to exit Blair’s room:
“Mmm?”
Blair opened one eye narrowly, awakened by the noise. Startled, Kyle turned to look at Blair, frozen like a statue.
“Your Majesty?”
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
