Chapter 26. What You Desire

Medea for eternity.

She was his own wife whom he hated and loved. Their marriage, which was completed by tying their hearts and souls, was shattered in an instant with Herace’s betrayal.

The price of betraying his trust will obviously be great. Neither the mercy of the great Lordiva’s great daughter nor the magical blood of the dragon to overcome death and gain immortality will be able to protect her.

He, who has his blood mixed with hers will make her forever be graced by his breath and rot from the inside. Just like she did when she turned her back.

***

Even from afar, anyone could guess that the woman walking along the long corridor was a great beauty. Black hair in contrast the white marble. Clear blue eyes that shined brightly…….

“Oh…”

As soon as she saw him, her fair face crumpled, as if she hated him so much and didn’t know what to do. Did she know? That he was purposely standing here across the garden after he heard she was coming here.

Ezekiel managed to hide his disappointment from showing on his face.

“Long time no see, Sir.”

Herace wanted to pretend they didn’t see each other and just bumped into each other. But when she greeted him first, the person standing opposite her opened his mouth. He, who had different thoughts, stiffened his face and coldly responded to Herace’s greeting.

“………You’ve been acting high and mighty these days and avoiding encounters. And now you don’t even call me by name.”

Ezekiel’s words baffled Herace. But she couldn’t help it either. She was careful in addressing him as friendly as before, as there were already rumours circulating around the palace about the two of them.

[The commoner knight and the Young Duke of Serpence’s fiancee are meeting secretly.]

[Herace Devone was seen talking with the knight face-to-face…….]

Lady Rania saw the two of them leave together at the last banquet. They moved secretively, but there were eyes everywhere…… there was no hiding it.

Ezekiel took a step forward when Herace pursed her lips because she didn’t know what to say. He looked down at her as if he were talking to an insignificant person.

“I…”

“……I apologize.”

She was trying to make an excuse, but after hearing his words, she swallowed the words with her saliva. Ezekiel apologized to her first, as it wasn’t him who was expressing his disappointment until just a moment ago. Herace looked up at him in wonder.

“You’re in a lot of trouble because of me…… I will search for the person who made the rumor.”

Ezekiel did not look directly at her. A pair of common brown eyes, that were turned from golden to brown by the help of magical pills, were looking at the edge of her hand. Herace, who was terribly sorry, hesitantly held her hands together. Come to think of it, it was natural for him to feel this way. He must have been disappointed because she suddenly changed the way she called him. Herace smiled softly at the thought.

“No, never mind. It’s just people who don’t know what’s going on. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have refrained from drinking at that time…….”

The color of the eyes that had been changed by the pill was due to Ezekiel’s situation. Originally, he would have had amber eyes just like the Duke of Serpence, but now, his eyes were a common, featureless brown.

Thanks to this, no one, except the people of northern Serpence knew the identity of Ezekiel, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Serpence. Of course, there were some high-ranking nobles who knew this, but the Emperor’s command of words was so great that no one opened their mouths carelessly.

“I’ll change the way I address you only for a while. As you know, you are a member of the Duke of Serpence.… Ugh!”

The man suddenly closed her mouth with his big hand and led her behind a pillar. When Herace, who was held in the man’s wide arms, opened her eyes wide and blinked, Ezekiel whispered in her ear in a low voice.

“……You should be careful. You don’t know who will hear you when.”

Beyond the corridor, several nobles were seen passing through the nearby garden. For a while, Ezekiel did not loosen his arm even after they disappeared. In the end, Herace patted his hand.

“I’m s-sorry. I’m just….”

Herace, who came out of his arms, stuttered. Ezekiel’s mouth went down a little as he looked at the red ears exposed through her hair. The regret that he couldn’t hide came out. He clenched and unclenched his right hand several times, which had covered Herace’s mouth.

“Didn’t the rumors offend Charles?”

“……he knows everything.”

“…….”

“Don’t dwell too much on the rumors. Charles thinks of Sir as his brother.”

The voice that said the name Charles was natural. Unlike when she called his name. Ezekiel slightly crumpled his forehead with an awkward nod.

Charles… his half-brother was a perfect match with the woman in front of him. The two had grown up together since childhood and have been engaged smoothly. Looking at the two people who fit well with not only appearance but also character, people called them ‘Lovers of the Century’.

What if Charles had been a bad person? In many ways, Ezekiel imagined his perfect younger brother treating his own fiancee coldly. If he(Charles) had another woman…… Would she have shown a little more interest in him? Would she have cast another glance at him if the world surrounding her wasn’t so perfect?

But his imagination was never going to come true. He knew it when he looked into Charles’ eyes. His half-brother was so hooked to the woman it was as if he was locked up and could not escape. To the point where he could dare not show ugly jealousy.

Ezekiel didn’t care about the rumors right now. No, in fact, he held back what he wanted the most. He wanted to shout and cheer for the rumor to spread more. No matter who looks at it, the foreign substance in this relationship was himself. So his feelings had to be hidden forever.

“The Duchess is being stubborn right now, but Charles and I would like for you to return to the castle later. It’ll be fun to get along like we did when we were young.”

“…….”

“It won’t be long now. Soon, I’ll be married to Charles…….”

Ezekiel’s heart sank a little, overshadowing his resolution. He already knew it, but hearing it directly from Herace, that she and Charles are soon to be married, felt like someone had grabbed his heart and was squeezing it hard. Ezekiel, who barely controlled his emotions, said, hiding his trembling.

“……I heard. What date do you expect to be married?”

“The exact date hasn’t come out yet. However, I expect it to be around next spring.”

Ezekiel looked at Herace’s face with eyes wide open, just to see what her expression was. A spring bride…. They were words that fitted her, who was like a flower.

The two, she and Charles, will swear their love under a round arch decorated with various flowers in a green grassy garden. They will exchange rings and kiss. And behind the veil, she would always be by Charles’ side….

“……Congratulations.”

He couldn’t bear to imagine more than that. Ezekiel expressed his congratulations, ignoring the dizzy view. While the world was spinning, Herace’s face was clear. Not being able to control the unbearable heartache, he turned around.

“Well… Sir!”

Herace’s voice called him from behind. He didn’t want to turn around……. But his body quickly reacted to Herace’s voice. He turned his back again and faced her with a calm smile.

“I’ll send you an invitation. I really want you to come. Of course, it may be uncomfortable, but Charles and I still want you to attend.”

Her soft voice was faster and sharper than a war arrow. Ezekiel clenched his hand at the throbbing pain.

“Why do you think I’d be uncomfortable?”

“What?”

The words did not go out nicely. With an embarrassed face, Herace looked at him and lowered her head. Why won’t you look at me? Ezekiel took half a step away from her. He felt like he was going to do something wrong to her if he stood close.

“Ah… b-because the Duchess is there.”

“…….”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to come. On second thought, I think I asked for too much. I mean….”

“……I will attend.”

She had something else to say, but Ezekiel said something he didn’t mean. As she heard him, her expression became more relaxed. She bowed slightly, her hands held over her chest.

“Th-Thank you, Sir. Then I’ll make sure to send you an invitation.”

“If you’re done talking, I’ll go first. Go home safely.”

“Ah…”

Greeting each other farewell, he hurried this time without any time for her to hold him. The eyes that followed from behind were happy, which felt painful. His strides became longer and faster. After barely turning the corner of the corridor, he eventually hid under a quiet maple tree.

Struggling to breathe, Ezekiel covered his eyes with his hands. Sliding down its thick barks, he sat under the tree. As he tried to control his breathing, he felt his heart beat fast and bit his lips tightly.

“……D*mn it.”

It felt as if the world had become dark, like the dark vision covered by the palm of his hand. He wasn’t like this even when he lost his mother. The soaring emotions contained many things. But the biggest thing was the loss.

Ezekiel closed his eyes. Then, at the same time, he felt something crouching and opened his eyes.

Gray threads began to creep out of the man’s left chest. It was like smoke or an organism, and as soon as it leaked out of the chest, it increased in size. The threads began to spread like spider webs and became as thick as wool. And then, it was divided into several branches, the branches intertwined with each other and shaped like a black cotton ball.

The pointed spines began to climb over the man’s body. After passing through the wide chest, it began climbing up the neck and reaching the ear. It split in half and showed sharp pointed teeth, the teeth bit Ezekiel’s ear as if swallowing it in one bite.

“Ugh!”

At the sudden pain, Ezekiel touched his ear with the hand covering his eyes. His ears were intact as if the pain had been a lie.

‘Now this…’

Ezekiel lowered his hand with a dejected smile. However, for a moment, the tinnitus rang long from the inside of his ear, and eventually, it brought about even greater anger.

“Ugh…!”

Beep. beep.

A strange tinnitus obscured all the sounds of the world. At the same time as he had a splitting headache, he felt his whole body was feverish as if the blood was boiling. Ezekiel bent down and hugged his head. The red-eyed eyes slowly changed and recovered the original golden color that had been covered by the magical pills.