CH 103

Cylon began pounding on Karaf’s chest with his fists. Asha watched in a daze as the Cylon hit him so hard.

After a moment, Karaf began to cough up water from his mouth.

Cylon’s expression brightened at the sight, but as soon as Karaf opened his eyes, his face turned contemplative.

Karaf’s eyelids slowly opened to reveal deep red eyes, darker than blood, a trait possessed only by those of royal blood in the Etzheim Empire.

As soon as the blue and red eyes met, Karaf, who had been unconscious not long ago, quickly got up and brushed Cylon off of him. He immediately straddled him and put a dagger to his throat.

It all happened in an instant.

Cylon stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, unable to move.

A teenage Karaf spoke with a terrifying face resembling a grim reaper.

[Who sent you?]

[……]

[If you tell me which noble ordered my death, I will spare your life.]

Cylon was so flustered he couldn’t answer, and Asha’s heart sank at the realization of how many threats Karaf had faced since childhood.

Only then did Karaf come to his senses to look around, and he carefully examined where he was and the boy’s outfit in front of him. 

He was far from looking like a murderer, looking ragged and scruffy.

He didn’t even have a weapon attached to his body after removing his ridiculously thin clothes. It seemed he had jumped into the water to save him.

However, he had moved too fast and the pain came too late.

[Ugh…….]

Karaf frowned, bending over.

[Ooh, you shouldn’t move.]

[What…?]

[You’ve lost a lot of blood and your heart was not beating until now.]

Karaf’s eyes widened, and he set down the dagger he had held against Cylon’s neck.

Cylon rose to his feet, fiddling with his neck before prostrating himself before Karaf.

[I-I didn’t recognize Your Highness the Crown Prince… I dare to injure the Crown Prince’s body… I deserve to die…]

Karaf looked down at his chest as he heard those words.

Cylon hit his chest so hard to get his heart pumping that he had black bruises on his chest.

[… Did you do this?]

Karaf asked, and Cylon trembled, unable to get up. 

But soon, a chuckle could be heard from above him.

When Cylon looked up blankly, Karaf said with an arrogant smile.

[I’ll reward you for saving my life. What’s your name?]

Cylon replied with trembling eyes.

[My name is Cylon Sothis.…]

If he is a Sothis… then he is a Myosotis…

T/N: Myosotis is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as forget-me-nots.

With a surname that matched his appearance so well, Karaf chuckled and led Cylon back to the palace.

On the way, Cylon took care of Karaf’s wounds, helping him to heal a little.

When the news reached the former emperor that the Crown Prince had been ambushed by countless assassins while hunting in the forest, he was furious.

The father didn’t care much about what his son was doing or where he was going, but he didn’t know he was so angry that they insulted the Imperial Family by targeting the life of the only Crown Prince of the Empire.

Despite Cylon being from a minority group, Karaf listened to his story of hardship and allowed him to work as a servant at the Imperial Palace.

At first, Cylon was intimidated by Karaf’s lofty position, but as he learned more about his situation and the challenges he faced at the palace, Cylon felt deep sympathy for him.

One day, while cleaning the neglected rose garden under the orders of the chamberlain, Cylon accidentally stumbled upon Karaf hiding in the bushes.

Even though Karaf took possession of the rose garden and made it his domain by cutting down all the roses as soon as he ascended the throne, the rose garden was not considered a particularly valuable space in the palace before that time.

Rather, it was more like a neglected space in the palace.

Karaf turned in surprise, wondering who could have come here.

Cylon froze when he saw the tears in his eyes.

It was the first time Cylon had seen him shed tears, he had always seemed cold and indifferent. 

Karaf, too, had never had anyone discover him hiding in the rose bushes before.

That day, Karaf confided in Cylon for the first time and opened his heart to him. In return, Cylon offered him sincere words of comfort.

After that, the two became very close, training together in swordsmanship in the rose garden where no one ever came. They even sneaked into the library to steal books and read them together in the garden while engaging in rich conversations. 

Despite their vastly different social statuses, Karaf gradually began to treat Cylon like his only friend.

But soon after, tragedy struck….

When Cylon was granted a vacation after working for a long time, he excitedly returned to his minority village and told the village chief what had happened. 

However, the village chief’s expression hardened, and he gave Cylon a mission: to assassinate Karaf.

[You must kill the only Imperial Prince of the Empire to cut off the line of the Rose dynasty. That is the only way for minorities with noble lineages to revive. This is our last chance since the cursed black rose was born. The future of our people is in your hands.]

[Chief, what the hell do you mean by that? How can killing him be the way to revive minorities?]

[I cannot tell you the details.]

Cylon realized the meaning behind the chief’s words. He even had in mind the possibility of being tortured and confessing if he failed the assassination.

The chief spoke with a meaningful expression.

[As of now, what I can tell you is that our people were originally of a noble lineage equal to that of the Imperial Family. That’s why the Rose Imperial Family started to see us as their enemies. Because we are the true nobility. The five petals next to the Emperor? That really should have been us. That is why our people are made up of five ethnic groups.]

Cylon’s eyes widened.

[The Crown Prince is a black rose that will bring destruction to the empire. He is punished by the gods. No nobles supported him in becoming emperor anyway. The blood-stained rose, the history of the Imperial Family, must come to an end by our hands.]

[I, I can’t do that…I can’t kill him..… I don’t want to…!]

Cylon refused the mission, but the village chief imprisoned him.

For several days, he remained locked in a dark warehouse, lying on the floor and shedding tears miserably.

Moonlight seeped through the iron bars and shone on him, making it a quiet night.

With tears in his eyes, Cylon raised his dagger, intending to stab his own throat.

But at that moment, his tears and the tip of the sharp dagger glistened in the moonlight, and Nek turned to his human form and crashed into Cylon.

[What are you doing? Are you crazy, master?]

Cylon muttered faintly as he fell to the floor.

[Then you… Can you do it? Can you kill the flower spirit with your own hands…?]

Nek kept his mouth shut, knowing that it was a great sin for spirits to kill each other.

Nek only spoke a long time later

[…If you really don’t want to kill the spirit of the flower with your own hands… There is only one way left.]

Cylon raised his head in surprise.

The next morning, the village chief came to see him, and Cylon was kneeling reverently by the door as if he had been waiting for him.

The village chief asked while he looked at him.

[Have you made a decision?]

[…Yes, I’ll do it.]

The chief let him out with a satisfied smile.

Before returning to the Imperial Palace, Cylon visited the shrine of the Ayla clan.

As a clan that worshiped the moon, the shrine had an altar with a full moon directly in front of the entrance.

Cylon knelt down politely in front of it and took out the clan’s old treasure, ‘Moon Powder’, from under the altar.

Only the Ayla clan chief knew that such a treasure was hidden there.

However, as the heir who inherited the strongest bloodline, Cylon had come to the altar when he was very young and accidentally found the Moon Powder, angering his father.

After that, he had to swear never to enter the altar again.

Cylon took out moon powder from a full moon-shaped jewelry box, looked at it for a while, and then swallowed it in one bite.

The Moon Powder melted in his mouth, and he rolled over in front of the altar, clutching his chest in pain.

Nek murmured.

[Do you really have to go that far? The Moon Powder is something that humans cannot handle…]

Cylon laughed, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

[That’s right, there’s no other way… Since I’ve broken the rules of our clan and taken in the Moon Powder, I’m not going to live long anyway. But Karaf will survive, I’m sure of it…]

Instead of taking the souls of the humans who stole the powder at the beginning of time, the moon gave them powerful desires before they died.

Cylon returned to the Imperial Palace, and soon the day of the decisive battle approached.

「“Cylon…… please… It’s not too late… Come back to me now… Please don’t do this to me…」

Karaf looked at him with a look as if he was losing everything and begged him.

Cylon bit his lip until it bled and spat out harsh words on purpose.

And soon, he was hit by Karaf’s sword that rushed toward him.

Karaf’s chest was carved with a crescent-shaped curse, and Cylon murmured for the last time.

[Karaf… I hope someday… a miracle will happen to you too… and break this cycle of misfortune…]

Cylon slowly closed his eyes before he could finish his words.

However, just before his last breath, his innermost thoughts were transmitted thanks to Jackal’s telepathy ability.

[Karaf…… You were my sun. That’s why I decided to become the moon. I will watch over the day when you become a great emperor… from the darkest sky. Please unite all spirits…and the minorities…into one……]

When all the memories ended, the three of them returned to reality at the same time.

But no one opened their mouths.

Asha looked at Karaf, who was standing next to her, and her eyes widened slightly.

He was in tears. 

He realized that Cylon had not betrayed him, that he had suffered alone without being able to say anything, that he had not intended to kill him, and that he had wished for him to become a great emperor.

When he found out his true feelings, his heart ached as if it had been torn to pieces. 

Jackal remained silent as he watched Karaf clutch his chest with one hand as if he couldn’t breathe properly.

Then, Nek broke the silence and spoke first.

[…Oh yes, now I remember.]

Everyone looked at him.