He was disoriented, as if the world was under water. He heard no sound as if everything was moving slowly.
“……Brother. Pull yourself together, please. Until when…….”
Laslo slowly turned his head. The man with brown hair is appealing for something.
It took him a while to recognize who the man standing in front of him was.
‘Enrico.’
It was Enrico Dentarike, his cousin. He has no idea why he is here.
“Have you seen the arms of Zoltan? There is no time for the wound to heal. It is cut again before it has had a chance to heal.”
“…….”
“That’s enough. The living needs to live. Let the Duchess go now. Okay?”
The word Duchess elicited a response from Laslo. Enrico aggressively leaned forward after realizing it.
“Even the late Duchess would not want you to perceive yourself in this way. Therefore, do the burial correctly and recover quickly.”
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out.”
Laslo’s caustic tone remained steadfast.
“Brother. I just want to be of help to you.”
“Get out.”
For the third time, he said it. Whatever Enrico said after that was the same. Slowly, Laslo blinked. The whole world is gray.
He now has no one in front of him. Enrico appears to have left. Instead, a woman stood there with a tray.
“Have lunch.”
“…….”
“Do I have to feed you?”
You wouldn’t believe she was speaking to her Lord with such an arrogant tone. Laslo looked up. It is a familiar face that has always been attached to Agnes.
“It’s grilled trout that the princess liked. She ate it with lemon every time.”
“…….”
“Have some. It’s going to get cold.”
She seemed cool and collected, yet her anguish was still palpable. Ney set the tray down on the desk. Set the silverware in place, squeeze the lemon, and then sprinkle the fish with the zest.
Laslo didn’t move as he stared up into the sky. While scraping the trout’s bones herself, Ney spoke.
“The trout contains a lot of bone, so I always remove it before she eats it. She hates having the bones in her mouth.”
“…….”
“Okay, I’m done. Now eat.”
“……,”
“Why aren’t you eating? Why? Princess can’t eat even if she wants to while you can eat everything you desire.”
The tears Ney had been holding in finally broke. She laid the knife down and wiped her tear-stained eyes. Laslo took the fork while turning to face Ney. He pierced the trout and put it in his mouth. He can’t taste anything. It appeared as though he was chewing sand in his rough mouth.
He was able to finish about half the plate. However, he quickly started to feel ill. His stomach felt queasy.
What is the point of living?
He got up slowly from his chair. He subconsciously searched the area for a sword. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to see one, so he left the room.
He reached out and grabbed the sword of the first knight he saw. Then a number of other knights hurried to Laslo.
“No, no!”
“Oh, hold him off until Lord Zoltan arrives!”
I’m tired. I’m done with it.
Laslo mercilessly struck down the knights that clung to him. But they keep popping up, like a swarm of bees.
“I can’t stand this.”
Someone walked up to him and made a sarcastic remark. It was Agnes’ favorite wizard, with a strong pink head.
“Get out of my way.”
“Reika-nim! But…”
“If you don’t want to get out of the way, you can get beaten up together.”
Her voice was piercing and sharp. The knights turned back, hesitantly.
In a hushed voice, Reika chanted the magic spell. Around her, black smoke began to rise.
After forming a sizable sphere, the smoke shot forward like an arrow and struck Laslo.
Tak~
“Ack.”
Laslo stumbled after being struck in the stomach by a magic spell. Meanwhile, a knight dashed forward and snatched Laslo’s sword.
That wasn’t the end of it. Reika mumbled a series of magical spells. Soon after that, ominous clouds appeared over the empty castle’s roof, and Laslo was doused in rain. Little by little the focus returned to Laslo’s blank eyes.
“Do you feel any better right now? Your Excellency?”
“…….”
“I need to talk to you.”
Laslo stared at both his empty hands and at Reika, one after another. Without pause, he moved past her. Seeing his back, Reika spoke.
“I’ll break the spell I cast on the Duchess if you just go. It’s been a month since she passed away, so if I break the spell…….”
“Speak, Wizard.”
Laslo turned to look at Reika. Reika cocked her head with arrogance.
“Let’s have a conversation inside. It is inappropriate to discuss it here.”
She ignored Laslo’s response and went straight into his bedroom. Laslo silently followed her. Reika said as soon as the door shut.
“How long will you continue to live this way?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“I’ve run out of suitable words. So, how do you describe a man who swung a sword like a lunatic every night, stabbed his brother, and cast an embalming spell on the body of his deceased wife?”
With her arms crossed, Reika remarked angrily. Laslo tightened his grip.
“It’s so pathetic. Your wife died after saving your life. If I were you, I would work hard for her.”
“What do you know?”
Laslo’s fury was palpable in his voice.
“When I opened my eyes, someone who was more valuable than my life had passed away with her heart torn open. Because she saved me.”
“…….”
“Who am I, and why should she make a sacrifice for me? Ah, it hurts… it really hurts.”