Chapter 26

Remembering that this happened once, I stretched my hands out to Argen and pulled him into my arms.

I did that inadvertently before the emperor last time, but now it was obviously my own will.

It was possible because they decided that they wouldn’t kill us.

“Don’t touch… Don’t…….”

I said it while turning my back to the Second Prince when he tried to reach out with his hand.

I couldn’t help but tremble at the end of my words, but I felt a little better at the thought of properly expressing my opinion.

“Argen, Arien.”

Somehow, like the day we first met, he raised his hand and called our names, but I only put more strength into my arms.

Argen often came forward to be the older brother because he was born a few minutes earlier than me, but in this case, I thought that I should be a person who he can lean on.

‘Calm down.’

Unknown emotions stirred in Argen. I knew too well that parts of these feelings were also fragments of what I felt.

‘It’s just the Second Prince.’

‘…….’

‘The Second Prince, it’s just that. It’s nothing. He’s a person of no importance to us. There’s no need for you to be angry. Calm down, and look at me.’

I began to appease Argen.

It didn’t seem that the The Second Prince would attempt to interfere again.

Had it been that way, I would have been able to erase Argen’s tears, who had a little bit of vitality in his eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

Those words were enough to piss me off.

Argen’s tears and fluctuating emotions also cause me to move.

The tips of my lips quivered as I spoke.

“You weren’t interested in us.”

I didn’t look back at Argen, but I strengthened my arms.

“Don’t pretend to be nice to us now. You don’t have to take care of us.”

I tightened my clenched fist and pierced my skin with my fingernails.

“Just pretend you don’t know, just like before.”

“Arien, what are you-“

“…… If you hurt my family, I won’t stand it any longer.”

Besides, the Second Prince wouldn’t have asked us to go out to play for no reason.

On the other hand, through the gap in the door that just opened, I saw the emperor with a more mature and sunken expression than the prince….

Fortunately, I was able to hide Argen between my body. My mouth was wide open and my shoulders were shaking. Now that I said all that, I didn’t hold back on venting out some more.

“As if we didn’t exist…….”

“……..”

“……..”

“Can’t you just keep it that way.”

I meant it in my own way. I didn’t even think about keeping the etiquette I had learned.

“You’ve been doing that all this time.”

“You’re right now….”

When the Second Prince saw the emperor, he reached out to me, but I moved my body back and raised my voice.

“You didn’t care whether we were sick or not, whether we were beaten to death by Lulahel or not.”

“Stop–“

“Don’t come and do this now.”

With the two royal families in front of us, we trembled continuously as if we were shivering.  But in the end, there were no tears.

*******

While Argen’s was lost in thought, I held his hand and dragged him to the bedroom. We entered the emperor’s bedroom to escape the emperor.

I wondered what I could do. I pulled a pillow over, hoping that my throat wouldn’t be cut this evening.

Argen came to his senses a while after I left the two people in front of us.

“…… Do you feel better?”

“Well, what else can I do.”

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but the emperor didn’t come in until evening, just before we went to bed.

Argen and I didn’t have to say sorry to each other. There were times when my complacent actions and Argen’s mistakes put us in danger. However, we were able to understand each other very well.

I couldn’t relax my body, which had been tense all day, until the maids got up.

Argen and I were forced to lay on top of the bed with a slightly weak countenance.

Far from being relieved, I was worried about the consequences of the mistake I made today in front of the emperor and the second prince.

The two of us tossed and turned a bit with open eyes. I knew nothing would change even if I thought about it more.

******

Argen has been in bad shape these days.

But he’ll heal soon anyways, because of the blood flowing through our veins……It seemed that I was too complacent to think that.

On the veiled bed, there were only me and Argen. We both went to bed like we had collapsed because we had been psychologically exhausted for a long time.

However, Argen really did collapse. His face was pale and his body remained motionless. He was cold and stiff, and I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of my breath.

If it wasn’t for the very slight rising chest, I would have mistaken him for dead.

When I saw Argen’s unusual condition, I jumped up and tried to call people in a hurry. However, it was only an attempt.

Soon, my body also stiffened and I couldn’t act on my own.

When I turned my head to Argen, it looked like he was dead. I had a hard time seeing if he was alive.

I’ve never imagined it. It was so natural for Argen to be by my side that I never imagined that he would disappear. Even in that hellish place, I had never thought of it.

Even though I called Argen several times, there was no answer. Barely holding on to Argentina’s breathless body, my mouth began to quiver.

119? No, it doesn’t exist.

Then how…..?

“he fell down all of a sudden without saying a word…….”

Although My body didn’t move well, my mouth was fine.

My mind went numb.

“You know you’re the only one here who is there for me.”

I grabbed Argen by the shoulder and shook him gently. There were many maids and knights outside, but I didn’t remember them for an instant. It didn’t come to mind when I first tried to think of someone who would help us.

My voice was small and unsteady. The action was the exact opposite of reason.

I knew that I had to call the people outside the door, but my voice was so small and my fingertips were so stiff so I couldn’t move properly.

I barely held on to Argen and said as if begging him.

“Wake up.”

I paled and broke out in a cold sweat. My body was cold and my breath was light. My heart stopped. I’m supposed to call someone.….

The more I moved, the colder my body became. I turned my body toward Archen and turned my hand toward the door, but soon my body aslo bent over.

I wasn’t sick or anything, but I couldn’t move any more like I ran out of fuel. I couldn’t control my body at will.

“Argen….You really…….”

My mouth moved slightly. I wonder if you’re listening. If you ever hear, answer…….

“When you’re sick and fall down, you have to make someone else grieve instead of me.”

********

The origin of this world was clear since the structure of status was thorough.

Lineage meant power, position, and ability. Even though Argen and I could speak and understand much better than our peers, the biggest reason was because of the imperial blood.

The first prince spoke and walked two months after he was born. At the age of two, he already had the same intelligence and physique as a 10-year-old child.

The lineage of the imperial family was so strong.

He recovered quickly from wounds and rare diseases. When the average person caught 10 infectious diseases, the imperial family barely even had one.

He had an indispensable ability to master magic and swordsmanship, he had an excellent intelligence and was born with the talent of a powerful man who could have many people serve under him.

“……..”

It became increasingly difficult to breathe. Leaning down, I buried my face in the blanket and closed my eyes. It’s not painful, but it’s hard to move and breathe……… I just hated all the lame situations where I couldn’t control my body.

I clenched the blanket with my hands and bit the tender flesh of my mouth.

I lost consciousness.

*******

Shaking my eyelashes, I opened my red eyes.

In front of me was the emperor’s bedroom captured in sunlight.

In that moment, It felt like I could hold the sunlight pouring from beyond the window in my hands.

Instead of jumping up, my head began to spinned and I fell forward again dropping my face on the bed.

There was a nice scent all over the room.

My ears kept ringing. I tried to press my temple with my hands, but I turned to the groans behind me.

In fact, the first thing I saw after turning my head was beautiful blonde hair. Blond hair that shined brightly on its own as if it was under the sun.

“…… Eui?”

I made a stupid noise without realizing it.

My hair was long. My silky blonde hair that usually fluttered around my waist was overflowing down the bed.

The entire white bed was covered with hair.

“…… Rapunzel?”

I was muttering deeply in a subdued voice, but then I heard a groaning sound next to me, so I turned my head in surprise.

“Argen.”

I wasn’t the only one whose hair became so long that I couldn’t hold it all in my arms. Argen, who also had long hair like me, was breathing in a stable manner with a much better complexion.

“……..?”

Fortunately, all the pain seemed to be gone, but I wondered why my hair was long.

At the same time, I rubbed my eyes several times to see if the Argen in front of me was the actual Argen I knew.

“……Argen?”

I felt the sense of incompatibility. My soft, linen pajamas were tight.  When I reached out, I could still see a cute, short, plump hand, but it was different from usual.

“… Ugh…… Um….?”

There was no way I didn’t know my hand. It was much longer than my original hand. As soon as I rolled back my clothes in shock, I saw that the scars on my body were gone as if it was washed away. My skin was much clearer than before.

I moved my stiff neck and stretched my arms to pull the slightly open drapes. (e.g. drapes from canopy bed)

A full-length mirror blocked by the drapes was revealed and I saw my reflection in the mirror.