Chapter 24: Promises Beneath Diverging Paths

A swelling yet heavy feeling filled his chest, and Kebel realized just how great the responsibility he now carried had become. He brushed a hand over the badge the Duke had pinned to him, then curved his lips slightly upward. Without lingering, he left and summoned Ida.

“It’s been a while since I’ve given an order.”

“I await your command.”

“You remember when you went to Kaso Village with Osh before, right?”

Kebel, his hand tucked into his pocket, perched on the edge of the desk. At the same time, his long legs stretched out diagonally with the elegance of a crane.

Anyone could see that although he was male, he had grown into a strikingly beautiful figure. Even in simple attire, his face shone brightly, refined and radiant.

Every movement he made seemed to captivate the eye, as if one couldn’t help but follow him. Ida, who had been quietly watching Kebel’s actions, slowly responded.

“…Yes.”

“And you remember the gray-haired fortune teller we met then?”

“…Ah. Yes, I remember.”

At Kebel’s question, Ida seemed to think for a moment before nodding as if he recalled it. Satisfied with the answer, a faint smile appeared on Kebel’s face.

“That boy’s name is Enok Shrimp. By now, he should be staying near the imperial palace, reading fortunes.”

Despite having gone through puberty, Kebel’s voice remained clear, flowing gently into Ida’s ears like the flutter of a butterfly.

“Find Enok and bring him here.”

“Yes, understood.”

As soon as the order was given, Ida hurried out of the room. Only after the door closed did Kebel let out a short sigh, pulling his hand from his pocket.

The lingering weight on his shoulders still hadn’t faded. The thought that death was truly approaching made his mouth feel dry. Feeling thirsty, he slowly licked his parched lips.

Still feeling suffocated, Kebel swept his hair back and straightened his posture.

“…Time really flies.”

With a faintly bitter expression, he opened the drawer beneath the table. Inside was a locked box. Taking it out, he inserted the key, and with a soft click, it opened.

“It’s been a while…”

His weak voice dispersed into the air. As if taking out an old memory, he carefully pulled out a notebook and sat down.

The small, densely written text was in the language from his previous life before he possessed this body. Perhaps it felt nostalgic, as a faint smile spread across his face.

“…Right, I used to write like this.”

As if recalling a distant past, Kebel’s eyes softened. They even seemed slightly moist.

He ran his fingers over the writing. The notes he had written about the original story, fearing he might forget, were filled here and there with his own complaints, so immersed in emotion back then.

It amused him, and soft chuckles escaped his lips. But as the content grew more serious, Kebel slowly read through the lines, recalling the emotions of that time.

“Ah…”

A short exclamation escaped him as his lips pressed together. He had found the phrase, “The night of adulthood at eighteen.” Unfortunately, there was nothing written beyond it.

Since that was where his role as an extra ended, he had deemed the rest unnecessary back then. Now, that thought frustrated him deeply. Picking up a quill, he dipped it in ink and wrote in the empty space.

“They lived happily ever after.”

After finishing, he dropped the pen. It fell to the floor with a dull sound. Staring at it for a long moment, Kebel tilted his head back, his neck stiff, and looked up at the ceiling.

“The night of eighteen…”

Closing his eyes, he recalled the original story once more.

On the night of his coming of age at eighteen, Enok, renowned as a fortune teller in the imperial capital, was invited to the Crown Prince’s celebration. It was their first meeting since Kaso Village.

The Crown Prince recognized Enok and observed him closely, but Enok did not remember him.

Throughout the audience, Enok kept his head lowered, staring only at the ground. In contrast, the Crown Prince, deeply impressed by their first meeting, brought him to a terrace overlooking the night view of the castle.

Osh Sulleban was watching them. He had been following them under the Count’s orders.

Like a common cliché, the Crown Prince was not someone who easily opened his heart. Yet seeing him smile at Enok, Osh deliberately approached Enok as if he had found prey, but failed.

There was only one reason: Osh had no emotions. Not even knowing how to interact with others, he was instead pitied by Enok, which stirred unfamiliar feelings within him.

Disappointed by the failure, the Count assigned Osh a new mission and began preparing a rebellion using the Duke. As conflict arose between the two families, the Count ordered Osh to kill both the Duke and Kebel.

Having already obtained the Duke’s secret documents from Osh, the Count fabricated charges against him.

But as with all villains, the end was destruction. The Count’s family was executed, and only Osh survived, thanks to Enok, before being sent to the battlefield. That was where the notes in Kebel’s journal ended.

“…Ha…”

Letting out a long sigh, Kebel pressed his temples tightly as if his head throbbed. A knock sounded at the door, and he straightened, speaking in a dry tone.

“Come in.”

“I’m here, Kebel.”

Osh stood there, smiling as always. Just as Kebel had grown, so had he. Taller by a head, his once-soft features had sharpened into something cold enough to feel like standing in frost when he wasn’t smiling.

It was like raising what you thought was a puppy, only to realize it had become a wolf. Osh was now fully a man.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

His eyes curved gently. Before Kebel realized it, Osh was right in front of him, blinking. He no longer hesitated or held back. Whatever had changed him, he now expressed himself freely.

At the sudden closeness, Kebel instinctively held his breath and leaned back slightly. Lately, there was something unsettling about Osh, like a man hiding something dark beneath the surface.

But someone so gentle couldn’t possibly harbor such thoughts… Kebel quickly dismissed the suspicion and spoke.

“…Just thinking about a lot of things.”

“Really? Then what’s this?”

“Ah…!”

Only then did Kebel snap back to himself. Hastily, he closed the box and shoved it into the drawer. Unaware that Osh was watching with a beast-like gaze, Kebel lifted his head.

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

Kebel rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. Osh’s gaze lingered on his pale nape, his lips parting slightly, a faint curve forming.

“Do I need a reason to come see you?”

“Not necessarily, but…”

“Your coming-of-age day is soon.”

Leaning against the edge of the table, facing Kebel, Osh gently tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. It was a trivial gesture, yet it felt strangely like a burn.

“That night… what are you going to do after it’s over?”

“Why?”

“If you don’t have plans… may I stay with you that night?”

“…”

It was probably said without much meaning, just wanting to keep him company so he wouldn’t be alone. But somehow, the words sounded different, almost suggestive, like something lovers would say. Kebel laughed it off like a joke and shook his head.

“No, it’s okay. I want to be alone that night.”

“…Why? It’s supposed to be a night spent with someone important.”

“Is it?”

“…Am I not someone important to you?”

For a moment, his voice seemed to growl low like a beast. Yet his gaze remained gentle. Perhaps he was just being overly sensitive these days. Nodding unconsciously, Kebel responded.

“Then I’ll take it that we’ll spend that night together.”

“Huh? That’s not what I-”

“I’m happy. That we’ll be together.”

A bright smile spread across his face, as if he had the whole world. Seeing that, Kebel couldn’t bring himself to refuse and simply nodded. He planned to execute his plan that day and return immediately anyway.

There was no need to correct it now, he could just slip away then. Surely Osh wouldn’t follow him to the very end… that thought felt more convincing.

Kebel smiled back, matching him.

They wore the same expressions, yet harbored entirely different intentions that day.