Chapter 5. Haetae (2)
“To speak of repentance now when I’ve long been abandoned, even I find it absurd…”
“No.”
At Eckart’s firm voice, Ronen closed his mouth and looked at him.
“…No. God is one who does not cast away His servants. He said He would be the first to bring His servants into His kingdom. So, if you are one with such strong faith, you will be given the opportunity to repent, and He will surely forgive you.”
Ronen, who had been looking at Eckart with wide eyes, soon let out a chuckle. His lightly curved eyes were so beautiful that Eckart couldn’t look away.
“No one has ever said such things to me. That’s why your words made me happy. It gives me hope that I too might be forgiven. If you pray for me… it feels like my sins might become a little lighter.”
Ronen was certainly smiling, but his eyes somehow looked sad. From the first time he saw him, Ronen’s light green eyes had seemed innocent yet somehow pained, and as that sadness became faintly apparent, Eckart’s brows furrowed.
After a while of silence between the two, Ronen’s voice settled.
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Let me wash.”
He said this while looking down at his own body.
“I can bear the stench coming from me… but it feels like this place is also being tainted with the odor.”
Come to think of it, there had been a severe smell from the place where he had faced Ronen. As if that wasn’t enough, he had even used rotting blankets to ward off the cold, so Ronen’s condition was terrible.
On the battlefield, washing was a luxury, and at best they could only wipe away blood, so such odors were familiar. Compared to the smell of corpses that would quickly rot under the hot sun, this was nothing, so he hadn’t thought that Ronen would be uncomfortable.
Eckart hurriedly left the room. When he returned a while later, his hands held a bucket full of water and simple dried foods to stave off hunger.
Eckart, who had placed the food on the table, walked up to the bed carrying the bucket. He dampened a cloth, wrung it out tightly, and handed it to Ronen.
“Please bear with this for today.”
Since the place had been empty for so long, there were hardly any useful items left. And he was afraid of prying eyes to guide him to the stream. No matter how secluded the village was, he couldn’t feel at ease. The only options were to wash while avoiding eyes at dawn or to bring water and pour it into a container large enough for a body to be submerged.
It seemed quite uncomfortable to wipe himself down with both hands bound, as Ronen could be seen rubbing the cloth with unnatural movements. Sitting on the bed and only bending his upper body to wipe his legs and feet, Eckart was momentarily mesmerized and couldn’t take his eyes off the pale flesh being revealed as the dark stains were wiped away.
Unlike the bumpy ones of knights with calluses and muscles, the legs formed with elegant curves were very slender and delicate. Even his toes looked white and soft.
The hands that had been wiping his toes, ankles, and calves moved toward his thighs. His gaze slowly followed and then stopped abruptly. Between his spread legs, intimate flesh could be glimpsed here and there.
Eckart hastily turned his head away.
“…I’ll leave so you can wash comfortably.”
Saying this, Eckart, who had been striding toward the door, suddenly turned around and approached Ronen again. He untied Ronen’s bound wrists. The hands untying the bonds were somewhat hasty and rough.
“I’ll be standing outside the door.”
Eckart, who had spoken low as if telling him not to think of escaping, finally left the room. Ronen, whose hands were now free, began to finish wiping his body with a much more comfortable expression.
He had no idea what expression Eckart was making or what he was thinking as he stood leaning against the wall beyond the closed door.
***
The surroundings were a complete mess. Everything that could be thrown had been thrown, everything that could be kicked had been kicked, leaving things broken, snapped, shattered, and miserably destroyed. A man sat on a bed that was also so ruined it was hard to recognize its original form, breathing roughly.
“How… how dare they…”
His snake-like sinister eyes glowed fiercely with murderous intent. Unpleasant sounds leaked through his clenched teeth. Unable to overcome his rage, his entire body trembled.
The Grand Duke’s gaze turned to the wine bottle that had been shattered long ago. Now that his mind was completely clear, the situation was even more outrageous.
The wine bottle he had drunk contained enough drugs to be considered a lethal dose. He didn’t know when or how it had been brought in, but he had been thoroughly deceived. He had ended up drinking whatever Ronen gave him.
The Grand Duke was able to regain consciousness even after consuming that amount, perhaps because he frequently encountered drugs depending on the situation, even if he didn’t enjoy them, but one of the gatekeepers who had no tolerance at all had died, and another had opened his eyes but remembered nothing.
When he belatedly began to assess the situation, the eyes that had been watching them had already been turned to a handful of ashes by the Grand Duke’s orders several days ago, and the only servant who knew the situation was in a similar state to the Grand Duke. There was no way to predict how Ronen had brought in the drugs.
The gatekeeper who was of no help died by the Grand Duke’s hand. The Grand Duke’s rage-filled eyes captured the corpse growing cold in the middle of the room. Blood that had pooled under the corpse that had been cruelly mutilated as if to vent anger was spreading here and there along the wooden floor.
“Clean it up immediately!”
At the Grand Duke’s command, the servants who had been so terrified they were even holding their breath hurriedly moved. If they fell out of favor, they would immediately meet the same fate, so they even killed the sound of their footsteps.
“These things dared to…”
Being thoroughly toyed with was unbearably infuriating. He was maddeningly annoyed at himself for having been relieved, even briefly.
The Grand Duke, who had been chewing until blood showed through his thumb, recalled the face of one man. He was a stupid painter who couldn’t speak or write. He had only gone out once with a servant, but something unpleasantly lingering kept bothering him.
The fact that his tail had been caught and officers had been brought then too… and that he had disappeared along with Ronen…
Of course, the attendant and the madam’s daughter had also disappeared, but it wouldn’t have been easy for them since they had always stayed holed up at home. The Grand Duke ordered his servants to find the art shop the painter had visited and bring everyone—whether the owner, clerk, or customers.
But the art shop owner had already fled long ago. Since that was the case, they had to drag away even customers who had no connection, and they happened to catch one man who had been loitering around the area and, for some reason, had started running away upon spotting them.
“Why, why are you doing this to me! I’ve done nothing wrong! Please spare me!”
His wailing was quite pitiful, but no one paid attention. Everyone already knew he had been unjustly dragged in for being nearby.
They could only offer silent condolences to him, who was about to become the Grand Duke’s stress-relief doll.
***
Ronen, whose body was roughly clean, had both wrists bound again. Eckart brought everything necessary within Ronen’s reach so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable in his daily life. Not only the table, food, and water, but he also didn’t forget to provide for his bodily needs.
Despite such consideration, unfortunately, Ronen refused to eat. He wouldn’t even drink water.
On the first day, he was so flustered that he didn’t think about providing meals and just let it pass, and from the second day onward, he offered simple dried fruits and meat, but was refused. The warming stew was also rejected.
Since he said he wouldn’t eat, there was no way to force him, so he had no choice but to clear it away. However, as his words grew fewer and his energy visibly diminished, Eckart couldn’t just stand by.
Wondering if perhaps he had no appetite, he tried changing the types of food, thinking it might be because the meals differed greatly from what the Grand Duke had provided, he brought expensive fruits and meat, and wondering if his watching was burdensome, he would set up meals and leave the room.
Eckart tried changing methods several times to persuade him, but Ronen stubbornly persisted. He turned his back completely and cast meaningless gazes only out the window. At his feet lay foods that had long grown cold, untouched.
As if he had made up his mind, Ronen was slowly starving to death.
Just as when he left the room at sunset, in the early dawn when day was breaking, Ronen was lying on the bed.
Sunlight faintly seeped through the old curtains. Ronen’s skin, which held the white light, had become even paler in the past few days and was visibly gaunt. Eckart clenched his teeth tightly at the sight of the already delicate body growing increasingly emaciated.
He must have heard him enter, but Ronen, who didn’t even stir, made him anxious. Eckart, who had approached with large strides, turned Ronen’s body with careful hands, unlike his somewhat hasty steps. Ronen, who had been facing away from him, followed limply. Seeing his thinly opened eyes and the small rise and fall of his chest brought relief. At the same time, he was unbearably angry.
The still vivid light green eyes captured Eckart with difficulty. Eckart’s lips moved as if trying to pull out words, then pressed tightly shut. It seemed like fierce, resentful words were about to burst out.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
