Lee Hwan slowly opened his eyes. It felt strange waking up, not knowing when he fell asleep. The bed beneath him felt rigid, and an unfamiliar scent briefly grazed his nose. When he turned his head, the dimly accustomed eyes caught sight of unfamiliar furniture.
He groped for memories. He recalled sitting across from Absalom, sharing laughter. After that, nothing else came to mind. It seemed that not sipping alcohol for a while and then getting completely drunk with just a few beers had taken its toll.
So, this place could be a room on the second floor of the pub or perhaps a nearby inn. Lee Hwan felt grateful to Absalom for bringing him here, not abandoning the drunkard.
The night was still deep, and outside the window, a pleasant noise echoed faintly. Even the remnants of alcohol in his system teased sleep. Lee Hwan slowly closed his eyes.
Just as he drifted into slumber, the sound of a door opening reached his ears. The approaching footsteps felt familiar.
‘Is it Rom?’
It was a moment for Lee Hwan to continue sleeping, feeling relieved. Something soft, dry, and resembling fingers touched his corner of mouth. It felt warm, typical of Absalom’s high body temperature, as it gently caressed Lee Hwan’s lips and cheek.
At that moment, fully awake, Lee Hwan realized the bitter taste lingering in his mouth and his spine chilled. He seemed to understand why Absalom was caressing his face. He consciously chose to breathe calmly, suppressing the urge to pant.
Absalom remained in that position for a while. Perhaps Lee Hwan’s tension made it feel that way. Only when it accidentally brushed away, lightly touching Lee Hwan’s lips, did he withdraw.
It was the moment he let out a relieved sigh inwardly. The sound of water echoed in the quiet room—as if it was like a sound of a kiss. Absalom’s actions seemed unmistakably clear. Lee Hwan felt his cheek growing warm.
Footsteps resumed. It seemed that Absalom was about to leave. Lee Hwan sighed and soon, the door opened, casting a faint light into the room.
“Wait.”
Absalom left the room with those words and never came back. Lee Hwan, who had been waiting for him, returned home around dawn.
Even though it was midnight, the Star Palace was brightly lit. Sounds of people bustling around could be heard.
“Lord Alexander! Where have you been? Please come now!”
The servant who spotted Lee Hwan shouted. He was someone who had never raised his voice in front of him. Slightly surprised, Lee Hwan was rendered speechless. The servant continued, indifferent to whether Lee Hwan would respond or not.
“We’ve been looking for you since last night. Please come inside.”
It was an oddly authoritative attitude. Lee Hwan assumed the servant was irritated because of his sleepless night of searching. Thinking that even he would be angry in such a situation, Lee Hwan obediently followed as the servant led the way.
As he was about to climb the stairs to reach the bedroom on the second floor, he noticed a middle-aged man entering his view. Lee Hwan turned his head to confirm.
“Lord Weibang?”
Weibang, the knight dedicated to closely guarding Lucian, was present there. His presence indicated that Lucian had returned to the palace.
Despite making eye contact with Lee Hwan, Weibang didn’t acknowledge or greet him. Lee Hwan felt a strange uneasiness as Weibang distanced himself without a word.
No matter how close one is to a lover, visiting at such an early hour is considered impolite. Lee Hwan patiently waited until the day had brightened before going to find Lucian. This time, a different servant welcomed him.
“His Highness, the 5th Prince, is currently at the main palace for a meeting. He is not here.”
“When did he return?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Three days later, as Lee Hwan anticipated the meeting, knights abruptly appeared and threw him into prison. The charges were blasphemy against the divine and collusion with a foreign power.
The underground prison of the palace, reserved for high-profile criminals and traitors, was desolate. Lee Hwan found himself in the innermost cell, where several guards rushed in, securing him with iron chains and hanging him against the wall.
Lee Hwan pulled at his shackled wrists. The heavy chains, layered several times, rattled and shook with an ominous sound. Despite Lee Hwan’s possession of formidable powers, breaking free from such chains proved impossible. Despair clouded his eyes, and the guards mocked him.
“A supposed envoy from the divine, yet can’t even break a man-made chain?”
Lee Hwan remained unresponsive. His mind was already occupied with different thoughts, leaving no room for reactions to such remarks.
‘Lucian.’
Born of humble origins, the powerless 5th Prince. Until he became Lee Hwan’s lover, Lucian had not received even the land typically granted to a prince.
What could be happening to Lucian now? Lee Hwan couldn’t help but worry if his lover was facing hardships due to their relationship. Various negative thoughts overwhelmed Lee Hwan. He pondered if not meeting recently meant Lucian had been captured or harmed by someone.
Soon, even such thoughts became unbearable.
The guards brought various torture devices, poking Lee Hwan, citing unfamiliar evidence, and compelling confessions. Each piece of evidence was unknown to Lee Hwan. He denied everything, but soon the smell of burning flesh permeated the prison.
First, the mark of the criminal was stamped. Next were the fingernails.
After the fingernails, as all toenails disappeared, Lee Hwan was laid on a human-shaped frame. On this frame, numerous spikes protruded. Soon, the sharp smell of blood covered the frame.
The guards, witnessing Lee Hwan’s agony, tied his arms and legs tightly with ropes. Just after one of them disappeared somewhere…
Crack—
The rope pulled Lee Hwan’s leg, dislocating his joint, and he swallowed a scream.
Fingers continued to break, teeth shattered.
Yet, Lee Hwan couldn’t nod. There was one face overwhelming all the pain. If he became a criminal, Lucian could be implicated. That was something he had to avoid at all costs.
Enduring the torture, Lee Hwan faced the arrival of the princes this time. They were the ones who usually ignored Lucian. They stomped on Lee Hwan’s head and spoke.
“You must want to save Lucian, right?”
Eventually, Lee Hwan admitted to all the charges.
A public trial for Lee Hwan was held in the square. The crowd gathered to witness it fell silent when they saw Lee Hwan. It was far from the image they had in mind. However, soon they started hurling insults and throwing stones at Lee Hwan.
Memories of the recent rainfall of flowers in this place flashed through Lee Hwan’s mind. However, none of them believed Lee Hwan.
Having narrowly escaped death many times, Lee Hwan, suppressing the emerging fear, swung the sword. The result was this. Lee Hwan looked down at the crowd.
Finally, the trial began. People came forward one after another to accuse Lee Hwan. Among them was Ducre. The judge accepted the bundle of letters presented by Ducre.
[People call me the Savior’s Knight. They even say I’m the messenger of God sent by Yela. Every time they enter the empty space they call the Cathedral, which is nothing more than a hollow shell, I feel nauseous. I believe my god will look upon me with mercy in such moments.]
[Here, the commoners of the empire can be blinded like sheep. If I signal, they will charge forward with their eyes fixed ahead. Soon, even if I were to slay the emperor, they would shower me with flowers. When that time comes, I believe I’ll be able to spread the true teachings of the god in this country.]
[Yela! Every time I praise that false god, my tongue feels as if it’s burning. Oh, my god, please take care of me so that I can safely pass through this hell.]
Letters written in a language Lee Hwan couldn’t understand testified to his guilt.
By his side stood a cult group. They confessed that they, instructed by Lee Hwan, cursed the emperor with death. They were people Lee Hwan had never seen before.
However, he affirmed all charges and evidence. It was because he believed this was the only way to save Lucian. Lee Hwan stared with cloudy eyes as the judge trembled while pronouncing the sentence.
In that moment, Lee Hwan received a life sentence and had both arms severed before the gushing blood could even stop. The severed parts were immediately cauterized with a hot iron. The judge, as Lee Hwan groaned in pain, spoke to him, saying that he was showing mercy, considering the merits he had built up until now.
Mercy. Was this what mercy looked like? Each step returning to the underground prison was stained with blood.
In the underground cell, Lee Hwan groaned while thinking of Lucian. It would be enough if he survived. Even if Lucian rejected him and denied everything, he wished to live. Tears flowed incessantly, wiping away the blood on his cheeks.
A few nights later, a carriage secretly left the palace. Inside, Lee Hwan sat with his eyes covered. He spent a long time inside the carriage without taking a sip of water.
Eventually, the carriage stopped, and the blindfold was removed. Lee Hwan, squinting in the sudden light, could barely see his lover standing nearby.
“Lucian!”
Lee Hwan hurriedly approached Lucian. A soldier who had grabbed Lee Hwan fell to his knees after having his leg kicked, but Lee Hwan didn’t take his eyes off Lucian.
“Are you unharmed? Are you okay? Any injuries?”
A flood of questions poured out that had been held back. Lucian, who had been silent for a moment, smiled.
“I expected it to be like this, but it’s even more worse than I thought.”
With a gentle smile, Lucian, who used to display an elegant charm Lee Hwan admired, wielded the sword of words. The faint fragrance of the forgot-me-not-scented oil he favored subtly scattered.
“Naive. Do you believe I genuinely liked you?”
“…What?”
“It was all under Crown Prince Charles orders. He found your behavior suspicious, so he ordered me to calm you down and keep you in place. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice someone harboring ill intentions and rushing at me? Ignorant fool.”
They say it was horrifying, fearing a transformation into a beast-like aggressor, making it impossible to sleep. Lucian, who presented himself with refined words and a composed tone, spat on Lee Hwan’s face.
“Now that I don’t have to see you again, it feels refreshing inside.”
Then, with lifted red lips, he smirked mockingly.
“As a final mercy, let me tell you why you were brought here. This place is the trading ground designated by the Dragon. He requested you as part of the truce. Seems like he wants to tear you apart like a rag even in exchange for peace.”
Before he knew it, Lee Hwan was left alone. His legs were free, yet he couldn’t go anywhere. The lingering scent of forgot-me-not clung to him.
As time passed, and the day turned into night, someone suddenly appeared. Probably the Dragon.
Dying like this? Lee Hwan’s vacant eyes followed him. However, the silhouette became familiar. Surely, it couldn’t be. Lee Hwan hoped that Yela wouldn’t be so cruel.
Yet, the gods of this world trampled even his last wish.
“Lee Hwan.”
Before him stood the only person in this world who called him by his true name.
Silver hair, eyes of resentment shimmering in the reddish glow, and stern features.
“Rom.”
At that moment, Absalom told him to wait in that room, but he didn’t return that day. It seemed like he had been waiting for Lee Hwan here.
Lee Hwan gave strength to his limp legs.
“You were the Dragon?”
Silence was an affirmative answer. Lee Hwan, with his trembling legs, awkwardly stepped back. At the edge of his vision, he saw a cliff. Since the carriage had been rattling up for a while, this place must be elevated. The ominous energy emanating from below felt like that of a monster.
The Dragon opened his eyes wide and uttered something. His voice, filled with emotions, brushed past Lee Hwan’s ears.
Everything in this world deceived and betrayed Lee Hwan. What he thought he had grasped was never truly his.
If there was only one thing, the one thing that originally belonged to Lee Hwan—his life.
Lee Hwan threw himself off the cliff where monsters writhed below. Several monsters couldn’t withstand his weight and were crushed. Sharp claws tore through Lee Hwan’s body.
The howl that split the sunset was the last sensation he felt.
–
However, when he opened his eyes, he found himself inside Lucian’s carriage. Lee Hwan wiped his wet cheeks. He couldn’t comprehend how he ended up here, but he needed to assess the situation first.
As he lifted the curtain of the carriage to check the surroundings, familiar footsteps approached. Lee Hwan reacted instinctively, resembling a dog waiting for its owner.
Soon, the carriage door opened.
“Alexander, are you still asleep… Oh, you’re awake?”
The bright sunlight scattered dazzlingly over Lucian’s blonde hair. Lee Hwan’s former lover, who had turned away from him, was now smiling with a much younger face.
Forget-me-not, scientifically known as Myosotis, is a charming flowering plant with delicate blue blossoms symbolizing remembrance and enduring love. Though not known for a distinct fragrance, its simple elegance captivates admirers worldwide.
😭😭😭 our poor MC
So lucian is a green tea btch
Sorry i replied to your comment accidentally
What a terrible death, especially all the previous moments that lead to it…
Kill!! Kill all those motherf*ckers!! Wow he suffered so much!! It’s inhumane! Own my heart ༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽