“You were being impudent.”
Karel, who had just brought the tray, paused for a moment at the blunt words. Erhart glanced at it with an expressionless face. He lowered his gaze to the papers handed to him by his aide and spat out again.
“Without my permission.”
“Lord Canavan said he seemed to be a minstrel…”
After taking a few steps closer, Karel immediately raised his eyebrows and appealed. Instead of replying, Erhart handed over the documents he was checking to his aide and reprimanded him.
“If they’re going to submit something like this, tell them not to submit it at all.”
“Yes? …Yes.”
The aide looked nervously at Erhart, whose expression seemed to question if the documents were worth looking at. He barely managed to answer before the criticisms flew in, but he was bewildered.
Was there something that happened that put him in a good mood?
Even by his own standards, the papers were a mess. The Emperor was extremely obstinate when it came to getting things done. If he didn’t like it, he would not overlook it, even if it was Duke Winston, who was part of his mother’s family and a contributor to his rebellion. The aide took a deep breath to prepare himself for the vitriol he was about to spew, but it went over much more smoothly than he expected.
“Your Majesty.”
Karel Isaac called the Emperor. The Emperor didn’t even look in that direction, he just gestured in his direction as if telling him to leave. Was it a love fight? No, he seemed to be unilaterally ignoring him. Curiosity was aroused, but the aide ran away fearing that the offended Emperor would act on a whim and pour out the harsh words he had swallowed.
“I’m just worried about His Majesty’s sleeplessness.”
As soon as the aide left, Karel quickly started talking.
“I’ve posted a guard at the door, just in case for thorough vigilance, and… No, no. If my actions upset Your Majesty, I’ll send him away right now.”
“Why do you care so much about what I think? It was your will that he stays, so it should be your will that he goes, Karel.”
In truth, Erhart’s tone was not unkind. It was even softer than usual. But Karel was still restless.
“You should go out too. I need to rest.”
When told to step back, Karel hesitated and then withdrew himself. As soon as Karel left this room, he would probably kick the man who he had allowed to stay downstairs out of the castle.
Even knowing that, Erhart did not dare to stop him.
Click.
The door closed quietly. In the deserted room, Erhart stretched out on his chair. His gaze moved to the teacup Karel had been carrying a moment ago, but quickly diverged as if he had lost interest.
Erhart languidly blinked his eyes.
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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On the other hand, somewhere in his heart felt numb, so Erhart left the window on the balcony open and picked up the melodies that came up in the wind and swallowed them one by one. Then, at some point, he must have fallen asleep.
The slightest noise usually woke him, but he did not wake up until the sun appeared over the horizon and dispelled the darkness. It was fascinating.
“… A minstrel, huh.”
They say that listening to the minstrel’s song made one sleep better and calm their mind. Niels Canavan’s information, which was not typically very reliable, was unexpectedly correct.
“He must have made a fortune.”
In the drowsiness he still couldn’t shake off, Erhart muttered softly and then raised his eyes. There was a bit of an unsuitable expression in his blue eyes.
Erhart recalled Rayan’s demeanor. Was that the behavior of a person who earned a thousand gold? Not only the robe, but what was worn under it also looked cheap. The most valuable things were only the exceptionally beautiful face and voice.
He wondered if he’d been scammed or extorted. Judging from his somewhat immature attitude, it was quite possible. Karel wouldn’t send him away empty-handed, but what would he give… While deep in thought, Erhart suddenly realized that he was worried about him.
Why.
He was seeing things through him.
“…”
Anyway, sooner or later he would return to Djerba. The trip to Arhen was a rather impulsive decision, and since he had already visited Leah’s grave, he had already achieved his goal. Besides, he had been away for quite a few days, and looking at the messy documents coming up, he couldn’t stay even if he wanted to stay longer, and also, this place kept giving rise to strange thoughts. Erhart shook his head lightly as if to erase his thoughts and called for his attendant. The chamberlain outside responded immediately.
“Were you looking for it, Your Majesty.”
“I am returning to Djerba.”
“Yes?”
Due to words that came on a sudden whim, the chamberlain failed to manage his composure.
“Prepare to leave tomorrow, no, tonight.”
“I will follow your orders.”
The chamberlain, who was dazed for a moment, quickly strode out. His back walking away desperate. Erhart turned his gaze away and raised his teacup.
Before he knew it, the tea had cooled down. It was bitter.
* * *
Even though he had been asked to stay for a few days, Rayan suddenly was made to leave the castle as though he were being kicked out. In his hand, a bag full of gold coins dangled, and he held it weakly.
He thought he’d be in the same room with Erich for a few days.
Perhaps he had secretly hoped that Erich would regain his memories of him if he came and went.
‘His Majesty does not want you to stay.’
But what came back was a cold and resolute refusal. Rayan was downcast. He helplessly looked at the castle once, took a step forward, looked back at the castle once, then walked one step, and the cycle repeated. As a result, even after he came out of the castle a long time ago, he could not take more than ten steps.
The gatekeepers, who at first waved their hands as if urging him to go quickly, later gave up. He didn’t do any harm anyway, so they wouldn’t care anymore as long as he didn’t insist on letting himself into the castle no matter what.
Rayan lingered in front for a long time.
“… Erich.”
Even though he wouldn’t show up just because he called him, he still tried calling his name once. The gates that were firmly closed never opened again. Rayan, who hesitated to take a step closer, sighed and eventually turned around.
There was no point in lingering at a gate that would never open for him anyway. He had to come up with another plan — if there was such a thing — and he needed a little rest. After singing all night, his body complained of fatigue.
There were only a few days left, but he’s not leaving right away. If they were destined, if that’s the case, they would eventually meet despite Erich’s assertion that they would never meet again. Just as Erhart, who had no memory of him, came to Arhen and met him for the first time in a while.
Rayan would have to put his head together with the letan and think about it. Though it could not be guaranteed how ingenious ideas would come to mind when a little tropical fish that swims along the coast and a mermaid who was still ignorant of the ways of the world put their heads together.
Nevertheless, Rayan tried to think positively. On the one hand, wondering and worrying about whether Erich had spent the last night comfortably, whether he had a quiet night without the slightest disturbance.
Tap, tap. Weak steps slowly made their way across the sandy beach to the cave. Throughout the trip, the hungry stomach boasted a loud presence, but he still didn’t feel like eating anything.
Upon arriving at the cave, Rayan took off his robe and looked for the letan.
It usually listened to him and answered when its name was called and pokes its head out, but today, no matter how many times he calls, it was nowhere to be seen.
“Rayan.”
However, it was not the fish that caught Rayan’s gaze, but another being. Rayan looked troubled at the sudden appearance and called out his name.
“… Alle.”
Alle’s expression contorted. It looked painful. He looked pained. He couldn’t see himself, but his expression would be no different. Rayan stumbled backward.
“Don’t go.”
Alle, who read the signs of him about to run away, called out with a note of desperation in his voice. Rayan couldn’t bear to run away from his guardian. Eventually he caught his feet as he fell heavily.
“…”
“…”
Neither Rayan nor Alle said anything.
It wasn’t the first time Alle had visited Rayan. He first met Rayan long after he got out of the Black Sea and came to the surface. Alle said that as soon as he heard the news of Rayan, he went looking for him. He added, “What the hell is this all about?” with a stern look on his face.
They were reunited, but did not meet often. There was a limit to Alle’s ability to come up here to find him, and Rayan didn’t want to meet him. Unlike mermaids, sea creatures were not allowed to set foot on land, so if Rayan avoided him, Alle had no way to pursue him.
So they played hide and seek like that, and the last time they faced each other was already a year ago.
“… What’s wrong with your face again?”
It was Alle who spoke first as if he didn’t care about the awkwardness. Recognizing that Alle’s eyes were on his cheek, Rayan inadvertently brushed it. His unhealed cheek still tingled as he stroked it.
“I just got hurt a little, accidentally.”
He couldn’t say the exact reason, so Rayan was vague. A sigh was heard.
“Rayan.”
“…”
“Rayan. Come a little closer.”
“I think you’ll drag me away then.”
As soon as he got closer, it seemed that he would lead him to the sea and take him to Atisa.
“… That… I won’t.”
Alle made a promise only after a moment’s hesitation. Rayan let out a small laugh. Even if Alle were to take him to Atisa, he knew he wouldn’t be accepted there anyway.
“Your face is really…”
Alle put on a worried expression as Rayan approached.
“I said this was just an accidental injury.”
“No. Not that. Your expression looks so bad. What happened?”
“It’s just, it’s the same as always.”
What else. Meeting Erich, rather, barely meeting him, not being able to remember him was what happened, but he swallowed the words.
He could talk to the letan, but not to Alle. If he told him about meeting Erich, who didn’t remember him, he’d never hear the end of it.
»It was your will that he stay, so it should be your will that he go, Karel.« stays & goes (?)
»Alle’s eyes were on my cheek..« his cheek
»Hel could talk to the letan..« He
Karel, you could just let him leave, but you had to add that Erich doesn’t want to have him there Dx
Alle, long time no see~
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶