As soon as he heard the word lover, Seiyad sprang to his feet. Driven by a desperate urgency that bordered on madness, he strode toward Lyley. As he bent down to meet the boy’s gaze, Lyley smiled gently.
“Can Ressas be brought back?”
“Yes. That boy becomes so reckless—borderline deranged—when it comes to anything involving you, so I figured something like this would happen. If you think about it, it’s my fault. I let him treat his life like it was nothing more than a tool.”
Seiyad’s gray eyes, locked onto Lyley, gleamed fiercely. But he didn’t blame the god—there was no time to waste on something so trivial.
“Then how exactly do you intend to save Ressas?”
“I will go to the place you people call the afterlife. The world where souls gather lies above. Gods and humans alike gather there to enjoy their desired peace before falling into eternal sleep. Those who have committed grave sins are simply extinguished, their souls erased. But the rest are granted another life suited to them. Your task is to sneak your lover’s soul out from there and bring it back.”
The Sun, speaking with all the gravity his childlike body could muster, burst into a giggle at the end. The explanation was vague, and the method unclear—Seiyad frowned. But first, he had to resolve what troubled him most.
“What if something happens to Ressas’s body while I’m gone?”
“A fragment of me dwells in that body, so he won’t die easily. Still, you can’t delay for long. A body without a soul can only last forty-nine days at most. You must return before then. Time in the afterlife moves slower than in this world, so let me see…”
The boy began counting on his tiny fern-like fingers, then clapped.
“Combining the time to go and return, you’ll have three days to steal his soul.”
“Understood. Then please tell me how I can accompany you.”
“If you head west, you’ll find a passage that leads to the sky. When a god who once protected the earth fulfills their destiny and ascends, they can take one soul with them. I’ll make you my soul.”
“And how do I return?”
“Once there, you’ll have to find the gate back to the living world, guarded by the afterlife’s gatekeeper. Just know this: a soul that enters the afterlife is never meant to return. The boundary is strict, and powerful beings stand guard.”
Seiyad furrowed his brow.
“You seriously think I can escape that place?”
“You have the right, so returning won’t be a problem.”
“Right?”
When he repeated the word, the Sun’s expression turned wistful. In the boy’s eyes—too deep and sorrowful for someone so small—Seiyad saw Ressas. The pain was so intense it felt like his heart would split. He clamped his mouth shut. After a long silence, the Sun smiled softly.
“I mean the right granted to you by my consort. The Moon guides souls from this world to the next. And uniquely, a soul blessed by the Moon can return from the afterlife. The Moon’s right, which comforts the dead walking alone through the dark, now belongs to you. That’s why you’ll be fine.”
Seiyad knew the Moon no longer existed in this world. He had caught a farewell whispered just as he pierced the Devil with his sword. No one understood how the Sun must feel better than Seiyad himself—so he offered only silence in comfort. The Sun’s gaze softened, as if he understood.
“So make sure to hide Ressas well inside your shadow. A Moon’s shadow is a sanctuary for souls—so even if they sense a presence inside, they won’t think much of it.”
Now that he had a plan, hesitation was pointless. Blood began flowing through Seiyad’s body again—the same body that just moments ago had felt like a walking corpse. He felt a fierce hunger and thirst. Though his appetite hadn’t truly returned, nor had his mood improved, he decided to replenish his strength for efficiency’s sake.
“I’ll eat something light, then leave at once. That body’s been starved too long—I’ll send for food.”
As Seiyad shot to his feet and took Lyley’s hand, the child suddenly spoke, as if he had just remembered something.
“Then I’d like to try that thing you call an apple. I’ve always been curious about it—Ressas collected candy every day because you liked it so much.”
Seiyad froze at the word collected candy. Lyley, watching him halt, gave a bittersweet smile.
“He believed you’d like apple-flavored candy, so he spent the whole spring gathering a jar of them just for you.”
Ah…
Aah…
His heart collapsed in on itself—torn to pieces. Spring. That was when he still couldn’t trust Ressas. When he remained wary. He had been blind to just how deeply Ressas had cared, all while he himself gave so little in return. If only he could see him now… he would let Ressas feed him candy all day long, just as he wanted.
Tears welled up by habit, the result of days spent crying after a lifetime of never shedding a tear. His eyes burned as if they’d burst, and a lump caught in his throat. But Seiyad clenched his teeth and held the tears back. He couldn’t waste any more strength like this. When he met Ressas again, he had to smile.
He felt frustrated—his foolish lover had no idea what Seiyad really wanted, and it hurt to think about. But he didn’t want to treat Ressas’s feelings carelessly. Even if he scolded him so he’d never do something so reckless again, Seiyad refused to let the sacrifices made in love go to waste. To do that, he had to smile when they met again. With his resolve hardened, Seiyad wiped his bloodshot eyes and took a deep breath. Lyley’s small hand gently patted the back of his hand, and he followed that warmth like a lighthouse.
The entire estate was thrown into chaos as the Grand Duke demanded food in the middle of the night. Though it was late, the corridors lit up in an instant, and the chefs scrambled, overjoyed that their lord had regained his strength. With Prince Lyley also awake, the mood in the mansion brightened. Cecilia, too, burst in halfway through the night, apparently having heard the news. He hadn’t meant to wake everyone, but Quilly just happened to be nearby—and thanks to him, the commotion spread like wildfire.
When Seiyad suddenly announced that he would head west, Cecilia looked genuinely worried. But when he revealed the true identity of the Sun dwelling within Lyley, she began to cry. Clutching his small body, she wept, begging him to please save Ressas. The Sun comforted her with a gentle bite of his apple.
At sunrise, Seiyad prepared to depart. Before leaving, he requested that Ressas be taken to the north, just as originally planned. If he remained in the capital, too many officials would constantly check on his condition, and with Seiyad gone, anything could happen. To prevent rumors and unnecessary complications once Ressas returned to life, he needed to be kept somewhere out of the public eye.
And more than that…
He wanted Ressas to wake up not in the cold, lifeless capital, but in his own castle. He wanted the boy—who had spent his whole life alone, even while surrounded by family—to open his eyes in the fortress that would one day become his home: Axid Castle.
Cecilia promised to take Ressas safely no matter what, and Seiyad included everyone in the household in the procession. Even so, he still didn’t feel at ease, and was considering hiring knights or mercenaries when, just as dawn broke, unexpected visitors arrived.
“Please, let us accompany His Grace to the north. We’ll give our lives to protect him.”
It was Vine—whom he hadn’t seen in a while—along with Rigda, Mona, Sir Anka, and the entire order of knights who had once served Ressas. They had finally come to their senses after suffering injuries during the chaos of the capital’s collapse and the partial destruction of the castle. Seeing Vine dressed in a formal manner, awkwardly wrapped in bandages, pleading so sincerely, Seiyad thought: I wish Ressas could see this.
‘There are so many people searching for you.’
That meant he had to hurry. He wanted to bring Ressas back as soon as possible and show him—clearly—that being loved required no permission or condition. Ressas, more than anyone, was deserving of that love. But beyond merit, there was no need for reasons when it came to human affection.
Even villains had people who loved them. How could someone like Ressas not be cherished? That truth—he had learned from Ressas himself. After all, Ressas had loved Seiyad without condition, without weighing worth.
Leaving the knights to handle the escort, Seiyad quietly slipped out of the mansion with Lyley. The prince’s whereabouts were now as sensitive a matter to the kingdom as Ressas’s, so they had to avoid being seen at all costs. Immediately, he summoned Tiaki. There wasn’t a single moment to waste, and he needed Lulu’s power to move swiftly.
“Wow, so you really are making me run all the way there, huh…”
Ignoring Tiaki’s grumbling as he brought Lulu, Seiyad took Lulu’s hand. He knew Tiaki had spent ten whole days hovering near him out of concern. He also knew that it was Tiaki who had passed the news on to Cecilia. Realizing how many people now worried about him—far more than in his past life—hit Seiyad all over again.
“Well, I’ve no idea how an underworld journey is supposed to work, but when His Grace starts wobbling around, someone’s gotta be there to guard him, right? My friends and I’ll handle that. Just come back in one piece.”
“Once I return, I’ll fulfill the promise immediately.”
“Tch. You make it sound like I’m only doing this for the deal. Even after you saw me go through hell for you.”
With Tiaki’s sarcastic farewell behind him, Seiyad headed west—toward the setting sun.
How beautifully touching