Chapter 62: A Birthday Wish and a Night of Agony

Bill, who had been standing silently, nodded.

Then, feeling the knights’ gazes on him, Kebel let out a sigh.

He wanted to enjoy his outing a little longer, especially since it had been so long since his last one, but it seemed he would have to return now.

Noticing how quickly Kebel’s expression had fallen, Bill quietly approached and spoke in a gentle voice.

“There will be other opportunities, so please don’t be too disappointed.”

“You’re right. Thank you, Bill. And here, take this. Ida, you should have one too.”

Kebel handed each of them a flower.

The unexpected gifts left Ida and Bill looking bewildered.

When Bill hesitated for a moment before his eyes began to redden, Kebel felt a little flustered.

Kebel had always made a point of looking after them in various ways.

Compared to everything else he had given them, these flowers were nothing more than small tokens of appreciation.

Yet seeing how happy they were over such simple gifts made his own chest tighten with emotion.

“Young Master…”

“Happiness is better when it’s shared, isn’t it?”

“Thank you…”

Who would have thought that such a small happiness could fill his heart so completely?

For the first time in a long while, Kebel felt as though the emptiness that had lingered in his chest was finally being filled.

The sky was so dark that it looked as though a torrential downpour might begin at any moment.

The moonlight that had been streaming into the room just moments ago had disappeared behind thick black clouds.

Kebel transferred a flame to the lamp beside him.

Only then did light begin to seep into the room.

In just a few minutes, it would be midnight.

Osh’s birthday.

‘He’s already having such a hard time fighting in the war. Would it kill the weather to be nice for once?’

Annoyed by the uncooperative weather, Kebel pushed out his lips in a pout before drawing them back in.

“There probably isn’t anyone there to celebrate with him…”

Muttering to himself, Kebel ran his finger down a droplet of water clinging to the vase.

He had never once failed to celebrate Osh’s birthday.

Perhaps that was why the emptiness he felt today seemed particularly overwhelming.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The rhythmic ticking of the clock filled his ears.

After a while, a powerful gust of wind rattled the window.

The howling wind whistling through the gaps sounded ominous, as though a tremendous storm was about to break.

It was so loud that anyone hearing it might have thought there was a harbor nearby.

Feeling an inexplicable chill, Kebel rubbed his arms and shivered.

“The atmosphere is getting awfully creepy…”

As he muttered those words, raindrops began striking the window.

One drop.

Then another.

The sound of the rain steadily grew louder until a torrential downpour began.

Watching the rain lash against the window with the ferocity of a storm heralding an approaching typhoon, Kebel frowned.

‘It’s his birthday, for goodness’ sake.’

Couldn’t the rain have been a little gentler?

Kebel grumbled inwardly before glancing at the clock.

There was about a minute left.

He picked up the candle he had prepared and held its wick against the lamp’s flame.

A tiny red spark caught the wick, creating a small flickering light.

Thirty seconds remained.

Counting down under his breath, Kebel placed the candle into the bread he had prepared beforehand.

Then, after counting the dwindling seconds, he whispered softly,

“Happy birthday, Osh…”

Since Osh wasn’t there to blow out the candle himself, Kebel blew it out in his place.

Hoping that his birthday wishes would somehow reach Osh, even from so far away, Kebel rose from his seat.

At that very moment, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the sky.

An ear-splitting crash followed, so powerful that it sounded as though the building might collapse.

Just as Kebel was thinking that the weather was unusually violent tonight, the window began shaking fiercely.

The wind and rain were so powerful that it seemed as though they might uproot the entire castle.

Kebel hurriedly picked up the lamp and moved away.

It wasn’t as though he had never experienced darkness before.

Yet for some reason, the darkness frightened him tonight.

Chills kept running down his spine, and goosebumps rose across his skin.

At this rate, he doubted he would get any sleep.

Deciding that he couldn’t remain like this, Kebel hurriedly rang the bell.

Despite the late hour, Ida entered the room almost immediately, as though he had been waiting nearby.

“What is it, Young Master?”

“Ah… it’s nothing serious. I was just hoping you and Bill could sleep here with me tonight.”

“How could we possibly…”

“I’d really like you to, just for tonight.”

Although Kebel hadn’t explicitly admitted that he was frightened, Ida seemed to understand after taking one look at him.

He asked no further questions.

Instead, he simply nodded and left the room to fetch Bill.

As soon as Ida was gone, Kebel made his way to the bed and lay down.

His body trembled uncontrollably, as though he had come down with a severe fever, and his skin throbbed painfully.

At the same time, his heart began beating erratically, leaving him increasingly short of breath.

‘Why is this happening?’

He had felt perfectly fine just moments ago.

But as his condition rapidly deteriorated, Kebel eventually pulled the blanket all the way up to his neck.

Even that wasn’t enough.

He curled into himself like a shrimp.

The ceaseless pattering of rain and the repeated crashes of thunder echoed in his ears like a persistent ringing.

‘Why is it so unbearable to listen to?’

Unable to endure it any longer, Kebel pulled the blanket over his head.

“Young Master…?”

“Are you feeling unwell? Shall I ask someone to summon a physician?”

At some point, Ida and Bill had returned and approached his bedside.

However, Kebel neither answered nor reacted.

He simply continued trembling beneath the covers.

Growing worried, Ida apologized softly before pulling back the blanket.

How long had Kebel been like this?

Seeing him drenched in cold sweat, Ida hurriedly took out a handkerchief.

As he gently wiped Kebel’s face, Bill went to fetch a basin of water.

“This won’t do. We really must summon a physician…”

“Don’t call one.”

“But… Yes, I understand.”

Ida’s eyes wavered at the firmness in Kebel’s gaze.

Eventually, seeming to give up, he dipped the handkerchief into the basin and placed it on Kebel’s forehead.

A lukewarm sensation spread across his brow.

It made his body feel slightly more relaxed, but the pain showed no sign of stopping.

As the pain grew increasingly intense, tightening around him like an invisible vise, Kebel couldn’t suppress a groan.

Bill, who had been standing nearby in helpless agitation, approached and began gently massaging Kebel’s legs.

“I really think we should call someone…”

“No, it’s all right, Bill. Just stay beside me until I fall asleep.”

An intermittent tremor lingered at the end of his words.

Still, simply knowing that someone was beside him seemed to give him strength.

The fever showed no signs of subsiding, and the heat made his eyes burn.

As his eyelids grew increasingly heavy, Kebel quietly reached out and grasped Ida’s wrist.

“Please don’t leave. Stay right beside me…”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Only after hearing the answer he wanted did Kebel slip his hand back beneath the blanket and close his eyes.

A moment later, however, his eyes flew open, and his entire body shuddered violently.

It had lasted only an instant, but Kebel had seen himself standing at the edge of a precipice.

The entire world had been plunged into absolute darkness.

And that darkness was trying to swallow him whole.

Overwhelming terror washed over him, as though he had looked directly into the eyes of the Grim Reaper.

But when he saw the worried expressions on the faces of the two men watching him, Kebel forced himself to smile before closing his eyes again.

Then Ida’s gentle voice reached his ears.

“We won’t leave your side for even a moment. So please, try to get some proper rest.”

Hearing those words, Kebel closed his eyes.

But the peace did not last long.

Pain struck him again like a sudden seizure, and Kebel clutched his chest as his body began twisting uncontrollably.

“Young Master!”

“…Haa, hnghh…”

It hurt as though his entire body were being consumed by flames.

The agony constricting his chest was beyond anything words could describe.

It was so unbearable that he almost wished he could simply die.

The pain was too much.

Far too much.

Kebel bit down hard on his lip and clawed at the bedsheets.

The fabric tore apart beneath his grip with a series of sharp ripping sounds.

Nothing seemed capable of calming him.

‘Someone, please save me… Someone, please get me out of this pain…’

But the words never made it past his lips.

Just as Kebel began to wonder whether he was truly going to die, he felt a pure energy flowing into his body.

It was cold, refreshing, and clear, like a cleansing stream extinguishing a raging fire.

The burning agony gradually began to subside as the energy soothed his pain.

But it wasn’t enough.

‘Just a little more…’

As he murmured those words, another wave of cool, refreshing energy flowed into his body.

Only then was Kebel finally able to surrender himself completely to sleep.

Kebel slowly lifted his heavy eyelids.

‘What on earth happened last night?’

His memories were fragmented.

He clearly remembered being in terrible pain, but now his body felt remarkably refreshed, as though he had enjoyed a long, restful night’s sleep.

As soon as he stirred, two voices called out, almost as though they had been waiting for him to wake.

Kebel turned toward the sound and saw Bill and Ida hurrying toward him.

“You’re awake?”

“Are you all right, Young Master?”

It was obvious from their appearances just how much they had worried throughout the night.

Both men looked utterly exhausted.

Seeing how haggard they had become in the span of a single night, Kebel could tell how tirelessly they must have cared for him.

He was so grateful that tears threatened to well up in his eyes.

Kebel nodded.

Only then did the two men release sighs of relief.

Bill’s eyes were already glistening with tears, a testament to how worried he had been.

Seeing him like that made Kebel feel as though he might start crying too.

“…Thank you, Bill. Thank you, Ida.”

His throat seemed to have gone dry, and a hoarse cough escaped his lips.

Once he started coughing, he couldn’t seem to stop.

Ida hurriedly helped him sit upright.

As though he had been waiting for precisely that moment, Bill immediately held out a glass of water.

Their movements were so perfectly coordinated now that they seemed to understand what the other needed without exchanging a single word.

The sight made Kebel smile before he even realized it.

He took a small sip of water to moisten his throat before stretching lightly.

“Are you really feeling better now?”

“Mm. Strangely enough, I feel completely refreshed.”

Kebel stretched again and climbed out of bed.

It felt as though he had been suffering for an eternity, but apparently not much time had passed.

A faint bluish light was filtering in through the window.

The torrential rain that had poured down throughout the night had stopped as though it had never happened, and everything outside was perfectly still.

“Lord Kapu and the Second Prince came by while you were asleep.”

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