Chapter 5. Haetae (11)
But why? How could this be?
If it was about not wanting to disappoint His Holiness, there were plenty of other methods available. He could have thrown Ronen directly into prison, leaked information to the guards, or grabbed just anyone and ordered them to inform—there were several ways to avoid others’ suspicion.
The area around the courthouse was relatively quiet. There were still quite a few people coming and going to make reports, but not as many as before. In the current situation, cases of reporting others’ crimes would largely fall into two categories: those who firmly believed they were absolutely not criminals, and those who, while criminals themselves, were more faithful to money or personal feelings.
So even though someone among them would report Ronen’s location if just given money, Eckart couldn’t do anything.
Eckart had been standing there for a while when he was about to turn around. A familiar figure emerged from the courthouse. Even from quite a distance, the man with his extraordinary appearance and aura immediately caught the eye—it was Grand Duke Canis. He was about to climb straight into the carriage parked in front of the courthouse when he spotted Eckart and stopped.
The Grand Duke turned and walked toward where Eckart stood. As the Grand Duke’s figure gradually approached, Eckart clenched both fists as if to crush them. Unable to contain his strength, his body trembled slightly.
What kind of life had he made him live. What terrible things had he done while keeping a collar around Ronen’s neck that made him choose death. He couldn’t even imagine a life where death would be preferable.
If before he had merely considered him frivolous and impudent, now he was uncontrollably disgusted and contemptuous. He thought that if he hadn’t been a Grand Duke, they wouldn’t have faced such a tragic situation.
The Grand Duke, who had approached right in front of him, asked with a twisted expression:
“Have you perhaps heard anything about a man with platinum hair and green eyes?”
Suddenly, the stench of blood hit him. Eckart frowned and covered his nose with the back of his hand. It was a familiar smell. It reminded him of corpses rapidly rotting under the hot sun.
“…You smell like rotting corpses.”
The Grand Duke, who had been silent for a moment, looked at him with cold and arrogant eyes.
“That’s not what I asked about.”
Since Eckart was about half a span taller than the Grand Duke, he had no choice but to look up at him. Yet it was still a gaze that looked down on the other endlessly. His expression and tone seemed to regard the other as beneath his feet and worthless.
“I’ll ask you again personally. Do you remember the one who tried to lend you his mouth that day? Or the one you met in the garden…”
“…Ronen.”
Eckart quietly uttered Ronen’s name. The Grand Duke, who had been cut off mid-sentence and hesitated, slowly closed his previously open mouth. Though still maintaining an arrogant expressionless face, his eyes changed. The gaze that had been somewhat bored, revealing he was asking without much expectation, just in case, became sharply edged.
It was as if he were facing a man who had molested his woman. He was clearly showing his desire to tear apart and kill the man before him right then and there.
Twisting his lips into a crooked smile, he spoke as if chewing his words:
“How would you know that name? Come to think of it…”
The Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed. His already fierce expression became even more cruel.
“It seems you couldn’t take your eyes off him from the beginning.”
Eckart didn’t answer. He simply met that gaze straight on without avoiding the look that seemed to peer deep inside as if trying to read his thoughts.
The Grand Duke, who had been crossing his arms, raised one arm and struck Eckart’s cheek harshly. Eckart’s head turned slightly and their locked gazes became misaligned.
“…How dare you be so insolent. What’s important right now isn’t that, so I’ll let it slide this time. I was already well aware that you dogs of the Papal Court were sniffing around chasing Ronen’s scent. It wouldn’t be something already devoured, and I want to ask about the most recent scent you caught.”
Though it was a palm strike, his entire face stung. Eckart straightened his head and looked at the Grand Duke again. Blood had appeared between his clenched teeth, whether from being split by the blow or from biting down hard. The thought that such savage violence might have been directed at Ronen as well made him so angry his vision went white.
“There’s nothing like that.”
Eckart put a lie on his lips. The Grand Duke was visibly relieved by his answer. Looking at that face made all sorts of unpleasant things rise up inside him. Had he come to the courthouse to confirm whether Ronen was imprisoned? Or was it to find out if there were new reports?
Why would he look for Ronen. To push him back into a life more terrible than death? In that case, he hoped he would never find him. He hoped he would never see him again.
Having gotten what he wanted, the Grand Duke turned around. He was about to head toward the carriage, leaving Eckart alone to suppress his anger. A servant who had rushed over bowed deeply before the Grand Duke.
“W-we found him!”
At the servant’s words, Eckart’s heart sank with a thud. The aftershock made his loudly beating heart echo in his ears. Frozen in shock, he could only breathe somewhat rapidly.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Eckart followed the Grand Duke with confused eyes. His body flinched. He almost unknowingly blocked the Grand Duke’s path. The one the Grand Duke was looking for must surely be…
Cold sweat ran down his spine. It felt like his blood was growing cold. Anyway, if he returned to the Grand Duke’s embrace, he would be able to live. Even if it was a life more painful than death, since he couldn’t let him die, perhaps this way was better.
Hadn’t he been hesitating about what to do with Ronen anyway? He couldn’t just leave him alone, but he didn’t want to hand him over to the guards either, and just when he was at a loss, the method of returning to the Grand Duke had appeared, which was fortunate.
So it was certainly a good thing… Eckart habitually gripped his sword tightly. Before he knew it, his body was following behind the Grand Duke.
The carriage carrying the Grand Duke entered increasingly narrow and secluded places. The carriage, which had been urging the horses forward as if something was urgent even on the main roads, didn’t slow down even in the alleys. Still, it was manageable to follow, so Eckart stealthily pursued while hiding his body.
It was a different direction from where Ronen was, he thought, but it turned out to be a slum with old and shabby buildings where prostitutes who sold their bodies on the streets used to gather until recently. Though puzzled, Eckart followed to the end.
Where the carriage stopped was a particularly squalid house even within the slum. No signs of human presence could be felt from the surroundings. However, there was a nauseating smell that reached even Eckart, who was far away. It was the same smell he had detected from the Grand Duke—like rotting corpses.
While the Grand Duke went inside the building, the servants who had followed on horseback surveyed the surroundings. Soon a cart pulled by horses also arrived. The Grand Duke, who had covered his nose and mouth, appeared again and immediately climbed into the carriage. The carriage carrying him began to return the way it came.
Eckart could see someone who had entered the building with the Grand Duke giving orders to the waiting servants. Soon they all went into the building and came out carrying a corpse that was rotting blue-green. The thing they had “found” seemed to be that very corpse.
Those who followed carried various miscellaneous items in their arms. The cart was quickly loaded full.
The remaining people also began to leave the place, each mounting horses. It was a different direction from the Grand Duke. After quietly watching the situation for a moment, Eckart confirmed that no one was left and stealthily approached the building. The disgusting smell grew thicker.
Upon entering the building, it was filled with such a putrid smell that he couldn’t breathe without covering his nose and mouth. On the floor of a room barely wide enough for one person to lie down, there were sticky fluids and maggots swarming. Besides that, papers of various sizes were scattered about carelessly, and looking closely, he could see something was drawn on them.
Some with only lines, others with only colors, others with only parts drawn in detail—Eckart walked carefully to avoid stepping on the papers when he spotted a mirror hanging on the wall and stopped short. In the mirror that should have reflected Eckart’s image, a figure was carefully drawn instead.
As he approached closer, he could see that over his black hair, something like soft, platinum-colored cream was layered, and instead of blue eyes, vivid light green was applied. The man with a gentle smile was a face Eckart knew well.
When he looked around with wide, surprised eyes, he began to see murals he hadn’t noticed before. The walls and ceiling were densely filled with only one man’s face. Affectionate, or indifferent, or melancholy, or alluring faces of Ronen looked at Eckart.
Finally, he could understand what the drawings scattered on the floor depicted. Throughout the house, Ronen was living and breathing.
***
Bang. Grand Duke Canis struck the carriage wall with force. One of the servants standing and riding behind asked loudly what was wrong, only to have to endure a round of curses.
After striking the wall several more times, the Grand Duke’s fist trembled. His bulging eyes turned red. Blood vessels had burst from his inability to contain his anger.
“Taking his own life? How insolent…”
The painter they had finally found had been dead for a long time, and though the angry Grand Duke had stabbed at him with his sword, not a drop of blood flowed. He had ordered that the mangled corpse be thrown into the forest as food for beasts. He hoped there would be no peace even in death.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
