[I have saved countless people, but only... I can't save the people I want to save the most.]
There was a dead silence in the hall of the dead, and the light of the fire shook, reflecting on Garlan's face.
The lights in the hall were bright, illuminating the snow-white eyes, and the lights reflected the water light on his cheeks.
On the emerald green peacock sarcophagus, the goddess of the underworld looked down at the boy who was crying silently.
The white wings spread out behind her, surrounding it.
According to legend, the white lotus flower on her head was born from the tears of grief of those who lost their loved ones and fell into the underworld, symbolizing the purest yearning.
Heimos looked at Garlan, at the tears that fell from those golden pupils.
He didn't say anything, his hand tightly clenched the other's fingertips that still had blood stains.
He thought, the pain of gouging out his heart is nothing like this.
Standing up slightly, Heimos, who was still half-kneeling in front of Garlan, stretched out his hand.
Brown fingers swept across Garlan's tear-stained cheeks, over the tips of his ears, and into the depths of the cool blonde hair.
He leaned over and gently touched Garlan's forehead.
He closed his eyes slowly, and his dark eyelashes fell on the eyelashes that were wet with tears.
On the foreheads of the two of them, dark hair and blond hair were intertwined.
The cyan rune of the God of War and the crimson Shamash's rune were printed together, as if supporting each other.
I am here.
It was silent speech.
Heimos lightly pressed against Garlan's forehead, as if passing his power over, as if supporting the opponent.
The boy didn't move or speak, but the tears in his eyes fell even more fiercely.
His blushing eyes blinked, and another stream of tears fell.
The tears that fell from his eyes fell on Heimos's face, wet brown cheeks, and fell on the clasped hands of the two along Heimos' chin.
…
As the night passed, the sun rose over the horizon and the sky was bright.
The white hall reflected the light of the rising sun, and the snow-white stone ground spread out around the hall became a vast expanse of white.
Blindingly white.
Tapti stood quietly in front of the gate of the White Hall, looking up at the hall.
Long waterfalls of hair fell down her slender neck and fell from her shoulders.
She raised her head, the honey-colored neck showed a graceful arc, and the milky white moonstone neck ornament showed a blue halo in the rising sun.
Although her figure is slender, she is standing very firmly at this moment. She has stood here quietly for several hours, motionless, and will still stand here after that.
She was waiting quietly.
Someone walked quickly from outside, and the people who came were two men.
Tapti turned her head when she heard the movement behind her, and she saw the blond knight and the brown-haired priest walking towards her.
"Not out yet?"
Schimuel asked Tap, who looked up in the direction of the gate and frowned.
He got the news early in the morning and rushed here immediately. Originally, he planned to enter the White Hall to bring Prince Garlan out, but was stopped by the female officer who was guarding the door.
Tapti stubbornly refused to let him in, saying that he could only wait and let the prince come out by himself.
Xie Muer couldn't help it, and because there were too many things to do and lack of skills, no matter how worried he was, he couldn't stay here for a long time, so he could only let Tapti stay here and leave first.
After the morning's affairs barely came to an end, he immediately came here with Kaijos.
The female officer shook her head.
The priest's brows tightened a bit.
"I can't wait. The crown prince is still ill. It's too cold in the White Palace. Staying for a long time will make him sicker."
He said categorically that he was going to enter.
"We're going in now."
"Wait… "
Seeing that Xi Muer was about to go in, Tapti reached out to grab him and stop him from going in.
It's just that she just stretched out her hand and hadn't had time to touch Xie Mu'er. Xie Mu'er, who had just passed by her side, suddenly stopped and looked up at something.
Seeing the appearance of Xie Muer, Tapti also followed his gaze subconsciously.
The blond knight who had seen one step earlier had already taken a few steps forward, as if he wanted to walk up the steps in front of the hall, but he stopped again just after reaching the bottom of the steps.
He stood under the steps, raised his head, and stared straight ahead with only his blue eyes.
Under the gaze of everyone, a tall and tall figure slowly walked out from the gate of the stone pillar.
In a snow-white hue, the young man who came out of the hall wore a black suit that was incompatible with this place.
A breeze blew past, ripping up the dark hair on his cheeks.
Heimos didn't seem to see the three people standing under the steps, just looked down at the people in his arms, and slowly walked down the steps.
He walked slowly, seemingly unwilling to disturb the sleeping boy in his arms.
Garlan was hugged by Heimos's arms, and his thinly clad body was now wrapped in Heimos' dark cloak.
His head rested on the other's chest, and his long golden hair fell from the brown arm that held him.
The boy who seemed to pour out all the tears he had been holding back for several months fell into a deep sleep again, the corners of his eyes were extremely red, and tiredness appeared between his brows.
His eyelashes were still wet, and his pale face was streaked with tears.
A few strands of gold wetted with tears stuck to the corners of his slightly parted light-colored lips.
Heimos walked past Tapti with Garlan in his arms.
When she saw the tears on Garlan's face, the female officer who had been insisting on not letting Xie Mu'er break into the White Hall let out a sigh of relief.
She finally felt relieved.
That's it.
she thinks.
It's good to cry.
Grief and pain are not terrible.
The most terrifying thing is that the pain is so painful that the tears cannot flow out, and I can only endure it all my life, to the point of exhausting my hard work and exhaustion.
She has lost the most important friend she grew up with.
She could never imagine that the child she grew up guarding with her important friends also left her.
Good luck.
The child who was almost crushed by grief finally managed to survive, and under the protection of another person, he survived.
…
Heimos took Garlan back to the palace. He stayed by Garlan's side and never mentioned that he was leaving the palace to go to Menister City. The only insider, Xi Muer, also chose to do so. default.
For the whole day, Garlan was still in a drowsiness, but his low-grade fever gradually subsided, and his breathing was not as heavy as it started, and it seemed to be a little easier.
His face looked much calmer.
Heimos sat on the edge of the bed, his golden-red pupils reflecting Garlan's shadow.
The young man lay quietly on the bed, looking very well-behaved, even the shallow water marks at the corners of his eyes were extremely lovable.
The long blond hair was scattered on the snow-white bed, and the already slender body had lost weight again in these short months, which could be clearly seen with the naked eye, and the chin was a little more pointed.
It hurts to look at.
Heimos reached out, brushed his soft forehead hair, and wiped the sweat from Garlan's forehead.
I don't know what dream I'm dreaming, even if I'm asleep at the moment, the boy's eyelashes tremble slightly, and a little tear suddenly seeps out of the corner of his eye.
Looking at the tears oozing from the corner of Garlan's eyes again, he leaned down, put a hand on Garlan's forehead, and kissed the corner of Garlan's eyes lightly.
Tears from the corners of his eyes smeared on his lips, seeping into the crevices of his lips.
Unspeakable bitter taste...
Footsteps came from afar, and Heimos heard someone walking towards him.
He straightened up and turned to look.
The light-colored gauze curtain was lifted, and the female officer walked in. On the disc in her hand was a bowl of black potion, which had just been boiled and was steaming hot.
"His Royal Highness, your subordinate is here. I asked him to wait for you in the side room."
she says,
"I'll just give the prince medicine."
Heimos nodded, glanced at Garlan again, got up and left the bedroom, and came to the room on the side of the hall.
Suojia, who was wearing a blue priest's uniform, was waiting there, and when he saw Heimos coming in, he bowed and saluted.
Heimos kept walking, walked straight past his subordinates, walked to the bench on the side of the room, turned and sat down.
He sat there, looking at Soga with the sharp eyes from his eyes.
He said, "I didn't call you back to the royal city."
Closing the door, Suojia turned around and stood in front of his master.
"The Geshu have withdrawn from the north," he said.
Heimos kept him there at the beginning, so that he could make suggestions for the cavalry commander Heya and defend the northern fortress.
Now that the Geshu people have withdrawn, there is no need for him to stay in the north, and of course he has to return to the master he is loyal to.
Soga looked at his master.
"I've heard about the day before yesterday," he said.
His eyes stared straight at Heimos's face, not wanting to miss any change of expression on the other's face.
"Why did you do that? You should understand what that means."
That kneeling meant that Prince Heimos swore his allegiance to Prince Garland.
As a result, Heimos never got the throne.
Suojia hated himself for not being able to come to the royal city a few days earlier. If he was here, no matter what, His Highness Heimos would be prevented from making such a choice.
"I have made a decision."
Heimos saw Suojia's thoughts, and he said lightly, "Even if you are here, it is useless."
No one can shake his decision.
"Your Highness!"
Suojia took a step forward suddenly, staring at Heimos with a burning gaze, his eyes extremely sharp.
"Are you really going to give up like this?"
he asked in a low voice,
"When you came to the royal city from Menister City, didn't you already make up your mind to stand in that supreme position."
"For eight full years, you've been on the road to that position. You've always aimed at it, seen it as the future, and never wavered."
"And I've always believed that it's yours, and you're more qualified than anyone to be in that position."
Suojia's words were deeply saddened, and he looked at Heimos with unwillingness in his eyes.
"His Royal Highness, from now on, you are destined to be subservient only to others, you must kneel at the feet of that person, and you can only look up at him from now on."
"You gave up what should belong to you, and in the future, maybe you still won't be able to get that one—"
he asks,
"Are you really willing?"
Heimos and his subordinates looked at each other for a long time, and there seemed to be something surging in the depths of his pupils.
It was an unquenchable flame, with ambition, with desire, with a certain danger.
"… not reconciled."
Withdrawing his gaze, Heimos replied.
There was a bit of dryness in his eyes, which contained deep unwillingness, and even now there is still a trace of struggle.
He still wanted the throne after all.
After all... he was still not reconciled.
"Then, Your Highness—"
With a look of joy on Suojia's face, he stepped forward again, trying to convince his master thoroughly.
But the next second, Heimos's words completely broke his thoughts.
"Yes, I'm not reconciled..."
Heimos said,
"But my decision will not change."
Suojia's words were cut off in his throat, and he looked at Heimos in astonishment.
"… why?"
He asked, his eyes confused and his words full of puzzlement.
Heimos raised his eyes and looked at his subordinates.
He smiled.
All kinds of struggle, all kinds of unwilling.
All ambitions and desires were transformed into the tenderness that was almost melting of white clouds in the flame-colored pupils at this moment.
"I feel bad," he said.
All things in heaven and earth, the supreme throne.
He couldn't resist the tear that fell from the golden eyes of the young man who looked at him.
He was distressed.
…
The room was silent for a while.
Outside the room, Garlan, who was standing in front of the door, was about to open the door and stopped in mid-air.
He stood there.
The breeze swept past, and the blond hair lifted by the wind gently swept the corner of his eyes.