Chapter 64: A Mysterious Stranger on the Walking Trail

“Are you feeling any better?”

His voice cracked at the end of the concerned question.

His face was deathly pale, and his lips had lost all their color.

He looked as though he might collapse at any moment, and simply remaining on his feet seemed to take all his strength.

“Ida and Bill are away, aren’t they?”

“I’m sorry for entering your room when you weren’t here.”

Kebel sighed at Kapu’s awkward stammering.

Without saying anything more, he walked over and sat down beside him.

After hesitating for a moment, Kapu carefully handed Kebel something he had brought with him.

“I heard this is good for restoring your energy.”

He smiled brightly, as though trying to conceal his own poor condition.

Still, touched by the way Kapu was looking after him, Kebel pulled the item closer and opened its lid.

A powerful herbal scent immediately assailed his nose, making him furrow his brows.

‘What is this? It’s so concentrated that it might as well be pure herbal extract.’

The smell was so strong that Kebel hurriedly closed the lid.

Seeing his reaction, Kapu burst out laughing.

“It might smell like that, but the taste isn’t too bad. You should be able to drink it.”

“…Thank you.”

Although he wasn’t particularly eager to try it, Kebel offered him a small smile and set the bottle aside.

The awkward silence lingered between them for a while before Kapu finally spoke.

“You really do have a wonderful attendant.”

“Yes, he’s a good person.”

“This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I still don’t have anyone like that by my side.”

As though bitter about the fact, Kapu slowly ran his tongue over his dry lips.

His lips glistened with moisture as they parted slightly.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone soon. You’re a good person, Kapu.”

“…What?”

Kapu’s questioning response caught Kebel off guard instead.

Kebel mentally replayed what he had said, wondering whether he had somehow offended him.

But he couldn’t think of anything that might have upset Kapu.

Yet Kapu was staring at him with wide eyes, blinking in astonishment.

Then his face gradually flushed red, as though he were terribly embarrassed.

“K-Kapu?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve never heard anyone say that to me before, so I got a little embarrassed.”

For a moment, Kebel nearly let out an involuntary exclamation of surprise.

Kapu was sociable and always seemed to have a smile on his face, so Kebel had assumed he must hear such things often.

But this was the first time?

Unable to hide his bewilderment, Kebel parted his lips.

“What I mean is…”

“I’m actually quite shy around people. You’re the first person I’ve talked to for this long, Kebel. Usually, I don’t go out of my way to visit someone again the next day or anything like that.”

“…”

“Now that I put it that way, I sound like I’m trying to make a move on you, don’t I? But I’m not a bad person, so please don’t misunderstand!”

Kapu kept rubbing his ears as he spoke, making him seem almost like a little child.

Confused about which side of Kapu was his true self, Kebel finally asked the question he had wanted to bring up for some time.

“I heard you came to see me when I was sick.”

“That’s right.”

“My attendants told me that only you and His Highness Cinnamon came to visit.”

At Kebel’s words, Kapu nodded.

It seemed he had anticipated this question from the very beginning.

Without the slightest sign of surprise, Kapu leaned back against the chair and rested his hands on his knees.

He smiled faintly, as though willing to answer whatever Kebel wished to ask, and waited for him to continue.

Seeing Kapu’s reaction, Kebel cautiously opened his mouth.

“At dawn, I felt something that made my body feel better.”

“Did you?”

“Divine power flowed into my body.”

Despite Kebel’s vague explanation, Kapu remained perfectly composed.

If anything, he looked rather indifferent as he ran a hand over his dry chin and gave a faint, amused chuckle.

‘What’s so funny?’

Kebel stared at him, silently urging him to give an answer.

“That can’t be right. Perhaps you were mistaken, Kebel?”

‘Mistaken…?’

It had been unmistakably divine power.

The pure energy that had entered his body resembled the aura he had felt from priests.

Kebel frowned at Kapu’s denial, then relaxed his expression and nodded.

He hadn’t expected Kapu to confess so readily in the first place.

With a smile at the corners of his lips, Kebel nodded as though he had no intention of asking any further questions.

Oddly enough, that reaction seemed to change Kapu’s expression.

He stared at Kebel with a subtle, searching look.

“Why aren’t you asking me anything else?”

“Because I don’t see any reason why you would lie to me, Kapu.”

That, too, was a lie.

The moment Kapu had lied to him, he had already lost Kebel’s trust.

And Kebel’s suspicions had only grown stronger, edging closer to certainty.

“By the way, do you often get sick like this?”

“No. I think I overdid it a little on the day I went out.”

Kebel gave him an easygoing smile.

Kapu nodded, apparently deciding not to press the matter any further either.

An awkward atmosphere spread through the room.

Sensing the uncomfortable tension, Kebel tried to change the subject.

“I was thinking of using the wish I won in our bet…”

At the word wish, Kapu seemed to tense.

He straightened his previously relaxed posture and sat up rigidly.

Kebel hadn’t intended to make him this nervous.

Smiling faintly, he continued.

“I’d like to go for a walk.”

“…A walk?”

“Yes. This time, I’d like to go out without the royal knights accompanying us. I’ll just take my personal knights.”

“That won’t be possible.”

Kapu’s firm refusal made a crease appear between Kebel’s brows.

Despite Kebel’s obvious displeasure, Kapu showed no sign of backing down.

It was only a walk.

Kebel couldn’t understand why Kapu was being so stubborn about it.

“It’s my wish.”

“But you agreed to make a wish that I could actually grant.”

“Kapu, don’t you think something is strange about this situation? Anyone looking at us would say you’re being overprotective.”

“…”

At the word overprotective, Kapu pressed his lips together as though someone had stuffed his mouth with cotton.

He clearly had a great deal he wanted to say, but he couldn’t seem to get a single word out.

Before Kebel could even begin wondering why, Kapu nodded.

“All right. I’ll speak to Cinnamon about it.”

“Just so we’re clear, I expect you not to secretly assign more knights to follow me behind my back.”

Kebel gave him a pleasant smile, making his warning unmistakable.

At that, Kapu’s expression crumpled as though he were about to cry.

His already pale complexion turned even whiter as he rose from his seat.

Under normal circumstances, Kapu would have stayed for quite some time.

But this time, he announced that he would be leaving and hurried out of the room.

Only after Kapu had disappeared completely did Kebel fold his arms and lean back against the chair.

He closed his eyes and sank into deep thought.

It was the day Kebel was scheduled to go out, as promised.

Thinking of how hard Ida and Bill had been working to remain vigilant ever since they had arrived here, Kebel decided to take them to a nearby walking trail outside the castle.

He hoped they might find a little relief and relaxation there.

Seeing how much they enjoyed the idea, Kebel felt that he had made the right choice in using his wish this way.

A beautifully maintained path bordered by stone walls stretched out before them, so well kept that it had clearly been designated as a walking trail.

Lush greenery filled their field of vision, while the gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead.

Perhaps sensing what Kebel had been thinking, Ida approached him.

“Thank you, Young Master.”

“We’ll be returning to the Empire soon, so just hang in there a little longer.”

They had originally planned to stay for a month, and now less than a week remained before their departure.

Kebel could hardly believe that more than three weeks had already passed since they had arrived.

Time really did fly.

As they walked, Kebel continued to think.

If Kapu truly was the Child of Darkness, then Kebel wouldn’t be able to return to the Empire.

No, even if he hadn’t known that Kapu was Cinnamon’s fiancé, Kebel would still have had no choice but to remain close to him.

‘As soon as I return to the castle, I need to send a letter to Father.’

Perhaps it was approaching snack time, because Kebel was beginning to feel hungry.

Bill seemed to notice the same thing and approached him.

“Young Master Kapu packed some food for us. Shall we take a short break near that pavilion?”

“All right.”

The moment Kebel nodded, Bill hurried toward the tree.

He took a cloth out of the basket they had brought and spread it beneath the tree before arranging the food on top.

There were sandwiches that would be easy to eat, along with some delicious-looking cookies.

“You must have had a hard time carrying all of this.”

“It’s all right. It’s my job, after all.”

Embarrassed by Kebel’s praise, Bill rubbed the back of his head, the tips of his ears turning red.

As soon as Kebel sat down, Bill hurried to pour him a cup of tea and set it before him.

The delicate fragrance of jasmine drifted up to his nose.

The scent of jasmine reminded Kebel of the Crown Prince.

Annoyed that the last image he had of him had come to mind so suddenly, Kebel pushed the thought aside and wiped his hands once with a damp cloth.

“Both of you, sit down and eat with me.”

“No, we brought food for ourselves separately.”

“It’s an order. Come over here and sit down with me.”

By now, the word order came naturally to Kebel.

The two men had no choice but to give in, pretending to do so reluctantly as they took their seats.

Kebel had worried that they might feel uncomfortable eating with him, but their expressions were surprisingly relaxed.

Satisfied, he smiled and began eating as well.

The food disappeared in no time.

Once they had finished, Kebel stood up.

Perhaps because it had been so long since his last walk, his body felt a little stiff, so he stretched lightly.

Then he sensed someone’s presence.

Kebel stopped moving and turned around.

A man was approaching them with his hood pulled over his head, despite the hot weather.

Feeling something ominous, Kebel took a step backward.

Ida seemed to sense it too.

He drew his sword from its scabbard and stepped in front of Kebel, shielding him.

Gulp.

Kebel swallowed dryly, an inexplicable feeling stirring within him.

The man radiated a dangerous aura, yet, strangely enough, Kebel wasn’t afraid.

Somehow, he even had the feeling that the man wouldn’t hurt him.

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