Side Story 2
The Hour of Awakening
Part 3
1
“……What?!”
The Chamberlain struggled to avoid the Crown Prince’s gaze.
“That’s……what he says, Your Highness.”
“…….”
The Crown Prince was silent, and the Chamberlain found the silence deeply uncomfortable. It felt like a needle pricking his fingertips.
“Why?”
“He didn’t tell me why, Your Majesty, he just said he couldn’t see you for a while.”
“…….”
Leshak’s expression clouded over.
A million different thoughts raced through his mind.
He didn’t want to have sex and he didn’t want to see him.
What the hell was going on?
“…….”
The Chamberlain swallowed hard as he saw three wrinkles form on the Crown Prince’s brow.
The Chamberlain swallowed hard and shifted his weight on the balls of his feet when he saw three wrinkles form on the Crown Prince’s brow.
As expected, Leshak summoned Radan at the first sign of a break in his schedule. Instead of bringing him in, the Chamberlain came with a message that he wouldn’t be able to see him for a while.
The Chamberlain was on Radan’s side.
He knew what it was like for him to live in the villa.
No matter how much the Crown Prince loved Radan, there were a lot of restrictions.
The Crown Prince of the Empire was no mere pawn in the board, and since there was no miracle of the infirmed Emperor rising to retake his throne, Crown Prince Leshak was the de facto Emperor.
With the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War still in progress, Prince Leshak could use another twelve clones for the foreseeable future.
And Radan was in a separate wing.
This was the fate of the Royals of defeated nations who had been captured as vassals, but Radan’s case was different.
in the case of Radan, it was Prince Leshak’s overprotection that was keeping him imprisoned.
Nobles who happened to have a romantic inclination toward him were rejected with ‘sword in hand’. The seasonal gifts sent from Amboia were discarded without a mouse or bird noticing, and Radan knew nothing of it.
There was no question that Prince Leshak loved Radan immensely.
However, the Chamberlain, who was a seasoned servant of the court, knew that was not all.
If the Crown Prince were to marry, Radan’s position would certainly change. He would no longer be able to stay in the villa and would probably have to move out of Crateas Palace and into the countryside. It was unlikely that the Crown Princess’s forces would leave him alone, or there would be an eventual shift in relations with Kemened, which would cause a breakdown in the friendship between the two countries.
Just in case, Radan needed to start laying the groundwork now. Connections with prominent nobles like the Duke of Elorde and others, as well as great powers like Amboia, would be a starting point.
But when the Crown Prince shuts them down so emphatically and secretly, one wonders if he really has his best interests at heart.
Please, God, forgive this old man.
The Chamberlain shrugged his increasingly slumped shoulders.
While his loyalty to the Crown Prince has never wavered, it is also true that he pitys His Highness Elkiana.
Gods, before you reprimand this man, ask yourself why you have given him such trials and tribulations.
Why did you create such a good, pure, loving, and pitiful being as His Highness Elkiana?
“For the time being.”
“It is a great heartache, a very large one. It seems to me that His Highness Elkiana has a wounded spirit. I do not know when it will heal, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I see.”
“Yes, I…….”
The Chamberlain’s eyes widened.
The quill in Leshak’s hand had been crushed.
“Tell him I understand, and he may proceed.”
The Chamberlain hesitantly retreated.
“Well, then…… Yes, Your Majesty, as you command.”
As he bowed, a drop of cold sweat dripped to the floor.
The Chamberlain hurried out of the Crown Prince’s chambers.
He rubbed his forehead and muttered softly to himself.
It’s better this way, he mused to himself, If His Majesty realized that a fox had nipped the back of His Highness’s hand.
The Chamberlain quickened his pace and headed for Radan’s Private Residence. He told Radan that the Crown Prince, though a little displeased, was graciously understanding.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than FoolishtranslationsS.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.
2
The night had descended.
“I will now extinguish all the lamp, sleep soundly, Your Highness.”
With the maid gone for the day, Radan was left alone in the bedroom with Hedel.
When he saw that the maid was out of earshot, he approached the door and opened it.
Meoow.-
Hedel sat in the doorway, tail wagging, looking up at Radan.
“No, Hedel. I can’t open the door for you today.”
Excuse me?!
“His Majesty might drop by unexpectedly.”
Oh, no.
Radan bent down and picked Hedel up. After a few moments of struggling, Hedel gave a little whine when Radan picked him up, and then continued to mew about his frustrations.
“Yeah, I know. I’m frustrated, just like you.”
Meoooow.
“But I’m glad His Majesty understands. Otherwise, I would have had to lie. As I reconsider it, Hedel. I would have had to make up some sort of excuse for not being able to see him, and it would have been found out in no time.”
Meoow.
“……Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t. Let’s get some sleep, Hedel.”
Radan picked Hedel up and pushed himself to his feet.
“At least I get to sleep with you alone, which is a good thing, right?”
Yes!
Radan trudged across the plush carpet to the bed.
He held him gently against him until he found a pillow and readjusted his position.
Radan planted a kiss on his little head.
“Good night, Hedel.”
Meooow…….
It was a quiet, uneventful, peaceful night.
Radan basked in Hedel’s warmth, trying to make sense of the emptiness he felt without Leshak.
But he didn’t realize that for someone else, the night was anything but peaceful.
“Good.”
Outside the closed door, Leshak clenched his fist.
He was glad Radan hadn’t found him.
The impact of his words was more than he realized.
So his words were the same as saying that this place was stifling and that he was glad to sleep alone with Hedel.
Even the dawn, which began to lift the cool darkness from the villa, didn’t take away the shock.
Leshak remained glued to the same spot until the break of dawn.
In front of the door that had been barred to deny him.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than FoolishtranslationsS.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.
3
Three days went by.
Three days without Leshak.
During those three days, Radan stayed in his private chambers.
During those three days, Radan realized a few things: that human skin takes longer to heal than one might think, that his ears could never follow the movements of Hedel and that when Leshak wasn’t around, he spent all his time thinking about him.
“Is it better?”
“Don’t be so impatient, Radan.”
Idar loosened the bandage.
“It’s been three days. Shouldn’t it be healed? It doesn’t even itch anymore.”
“It’s only been three days. Let’s get the bandage off first.”
Idar peeled off the bandage and wiped off the medicine on the back of his hand.
“How is it?”
Radan asked impatiently, and Idar glanced at him.
“I don’t think so, Mr. Radan. I can still see the mark.”
“Ah…….”
Radan’s shoulders sank.
Idar watched him with a look that was both pitying and immensely sympathetic.
It had been three days since the Duke of Elkiana had been avoiding the Crown Prince.
Unbeknownst to him, it had affected the servants. The Crown Prince was as hard as a statue, his mouth sealed, and none of them could breathe properly in his presence.
The private chambers, which had always been bright, warm, and full of life, were deserted as though shrouded in an intangible gloom.
Hedel slept through the night, not once pestering him to bring snacks or for attention.
Idar had been summoned by the servants, guards, and other Nobles with access to the Crown Prince’s palace, and endlessly questioned about what was going on in the villa.
Three days was a long time, not just for Radan and Leshak, but for everyone everywhere.
“Do you want me to put on a powder to hide it?”
“Huh?”
Idar asked, and Radan’s ears perked up like Hedel’s.
“Do you think you can do that?”
“I can try, I suppose. And isn’t it almost time for the sun to be down? If it’s dark, even His Majesty’s sharp eyes might not be able to see it.”
“Then please do it for me.”
“Sure, just wait a minute.”
Idar grabbed the bottom of her dress and ran out the door. She was stopped and scolded by the Head Mistress on the way, but she managed to retrieve her supplies, and with them, she dabbed the back of Radan’s hand for a long time to hide the wound.
“There, there, you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t look closely, Lord Radan.”
Radan scrambled to his feet, grabbed Idar by the shoulders, and kissed her forehead.
“Thank you, Idar.”
“Oh, dear.”
Idar stared at Radan in surprise.
For the first time in three days, his face looked as fresh and cheerful as a little boy’s.
“Oh, my.”
Idar laughed in response. No problem, she thought.
He’s in such a good mood.
Maybe they should stay together after all.
“You’re going to see the Crown Prince now, aren’t you? Come with me. I’ll show you the way.”
“Please do.”
Radan followed the sound of the tiny bell dangling from Idar’s ankle. Hedel sprawled asleep on Radan’s pillow and lifted his eyelids.
Ordinarily, he would have stirred and blocked Radan’s path, but instead, he just stared at Radan’s back.
It was as if to say, “‘Have a good time'”.
And so it was that Radan realized that three days had been much longer than he had thought.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than FoolishtranslationsS.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.
4
“Huff-…..Sigh-. Well, Your Highness, it looks like the sun will be setting soon……so shall we make camp for the night?”
Abadd squeezed out the words, feeling as though his lungs would burst out of his chest if he said another word.
It had been a week since the Duke of Elkiana had announced to his lover, the Crown Prince, that he would no longer share his bed.
Six days since the Duke of Elkiana had been scratched on the back of the hand by a silver fox.
And it was the fourth day since the Crown Prince had gone hunting, his eyes wild from lack of sleep.
Out of the blue Leskak announced “I’m going hunting. Get ready.” No one thought anything of it. Winter would soon be upon them, and he might as well get a bear hide to present to the Duke of Elkiana.
But then the Crown Prince announced that they were going north.
To the north lay the LeGaben Mountains, and in LeGaben there lived a fierce beast called the Giant Reshi.
The Giant Reshi had a peculiar habit of spending the entirety of a hot day in its burrow and sleeping, only to wake up in the winter and become active. Its hide was thick, its fur was coarse, and its temper was fierce. They were clever creatures who dug dens and preyed on the hibernating mountain animals, but when food became scarce, they would come down the mountain to attack homes.
It was the primary duty of the Northern Guard to hunt down Giant Reshi before it grew too frigid to go out and control their numbers. The beasts were notoriously ferocious and uncontrollable when hungry.
The Northern Guard was composed entirely of Northern natives. If you weren’t born and raised in the North, you couldn’t survive the bitter cold, let alone hunt.
Prince Leshak’s Guardian Knights were the finest knights on the continent, but in the North, it was a different story.
As soon as Abadd entered the LeGaben Mountains, he had to fight the urge to kick himself for not considering how cold it was.
On top of that, Prince Leshak hunted without even pausing for a breath, forcing Abadd and his men to work themselves into a deep sweat in these frigid conditions.
Thud!
Leshak, who had just plunged his spear into Giant Reshi’s neck, turned around.
“Ready?”
“What? N,No, what do you mean ready……huh-huh?”
Abadd sucked in a breath and clicked his tongue.
“We’re all exhausted, our clothes and shoes are wet, and we won’t be able to handle the temperature drop when the sun goes down, Your Majesty.”
“……Is that so?”
Tsk, tskk! (T/N: wet sloppy noises)
Leshak withdrew his spear.
Blood splashed everywhere. He quickly stepped back, but he couldn’t avoid getting blood on himself. Giant Reshi’s blood had a foul odor, even in the middle of winter.
“Ugh…….”
Abadd shook his head and made a noise.
No matter how he tried to adjust, he couldn’t seem to get used to the ferocity of the Giant Reshi.
Handing Abadd the spear, Leshak nodded.
“Do as you please. I will wash up.”
“What, then, then,….what? No, Your Majesty. You’re not going to wash up?”
“The creek hasn’t frozen over yet.”
Abadd made a sound like he was choking.
“No, no, what are you talking about, that is such a terrible idea, just wait a minute. I’ll fetch some water and warm you up, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“It’s not going to kill me. Take a break, everyone.”
Leshak took off his cloak and walked toward the stream.
The frozen leaves crunched under his leather boots.
“No, Your Majesty, don’t do something you’ll regret.”
Sidris stopped Abadd as he reached for Leshak.
“Pretend you haven’t noticed, he’ll only get a cough later.”
“Oh, really.”
Abadd stomped his foot.
“I know he feels like hell, but does he really have to abuse himself like this? It’s not like I’m any help to him when he’s acting like this, and I can’t help him even though I’m a Chief Knight…… damn it! I’d rather fight another war than stay here and hunt monsters. It’s time we started planning for the unification of the continent, especially when we have the most powerful army on the continent!”
Sidris crossed his arms as if to warn him off.
“When His Majesty has a lot on his mind, his body usually moves first.”
“I know that, but I can’t help him if he’s going to keep torturing himself like this again tomorrow, and as his Chief Knight, I have to say something.”
Sidris’s eyes sharpened.
“It’ll be fine.”
“What do you mean? The thing we agreed to keep quiet about. That thing is going to kill him.”
Karum, who had been spreading out the tent, stopped hammering in the stakes and came running.
“No, no.”
Karum grabbed Abadd by the shoulders and shook him violently.
“You must not say that. Don’t you feel sorry for His Majesty Elkiana?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t shake me. I’m freezing my bits off. I mean, I’m not saying I want to tell him the whole story, but maybe I can give him a little hint.”
“Hints? What hints?”
“Well, um…… that Highness Elkiana isn’t as angry with him as he thinks he is, and that he won’t be seeing him for a while because……..”
Sidris snorted.
“Do you really think that’s the case?”
“Hmm? What does that even mean?”
“I’m saying what’s the difference? Don’t you think His Highness Elkiana is right? If he knew that the fox cub had hurt His Highness, His Majesty would have cut its head off and buried it right away.”
“Uh, um…….”
Abadd trailed off, looking nervous.
Considering how the Crown Prince had treated the Duke of Elkiana up until this point, he wasn’t wrong.
Abadd tugged at his hair.
“Ugh, so you want me to stay out here in the cold? I can’t do it, damn it.”
Sidris cut off Abadd’s tirade with his usual dispassionate tone.
“Stopping whining. You are not a child. Finish setting up camp and get a fire going, because he’ll have lost a lot of body heat by the time he gets cleaned up.”
“Damn it!”
Abadd grumbled.
“Ah, those bastards back at the castle, how I envy them!”
Not all twelve Guardian Knights had joined the hunt. Incris and Veroz had stayed behind at Crateas Palace to guard the Capital.
“I’m going to tell the Crown Prince that sooner or later he needs to replace me as Chief Knight. After seven years on the battlefield, my body doesn’t feel like itself anymore.”
Even though he said that there was no way Abadd would give up his position as Head Knight.
As he sulked, Sidris spoke.
“Start a fire.”
“Okay. Got it.”
As Abadd rummaged through his pack for flint, he was oblivious to one thing.
That Incris and Veroz, who he’d assumed were safe and sound in Crateas Palace, were not.
They were now running down a narrow path on that very mountain in the cold moonlight.
If you’re reading this anywhere other than FoolishtranslationsS.wordpress.com, it was stolen from the translator’s website. Reading this anywhere other than the translator’s website ensures that the translator may never translate any other works. Thank you.