Chapter 65
With careful movements, he broke the seal of the letter received from the Chamberlain and extracted its contents. Despite its ornate exterior, the message inside was surprisingly sparse. The Grand Duke’s gaze remained fixed on the paper, as if nailed there.
The Chamberlain, standing beside him, ventured cautiously.
“What shall we do, Your Grace? Since we’ve already postponed twice citing health reasons, we may need a different excuse this time…”
It was an audience request from Duke Dikhit.
The letter’s contents were brief enough to grasp in a single reading. It spoke of proceeding with and participating in the annual council meeting now that the snow had ceased.
As he lowered the paper, the meticulously written characters vanished as if they had never existed. Each sheet was magical paper, so expensive that a single page could rival a commoner’s weekly wages. There weren’t many in the entire continent who would send such extravagant items rather than dispatching a messenger.
“No, prepare everything as we did last year.”
Though Duke Dikhit had indicated his willingness to hold the council at the Grand Duke’s residence, the thought of gathering all the nobles and ministers here made him uneasy. Not after what happened last time.
Since realizing his mental condition, he had deliberately minimized direct contact with outsiders. This was, naturally, to prevent his defect from becoming known to others.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Leaving the bowing Chamberlain behind, the Grand Duke headed toward his intended destination – his chambers. It was also where Raijin had been staying for the past ten days.
Sometimes, he wondered.
He wondered if his pitiful, helpless, fragile younger brother knew about his defect. Surely, he wasn’t acting entirely the same as he had before the onset of his memory impairment.
He could tell from Raijin’s comfortable, docile demeanor and the way he sometimes unconsciously called him “brother.” When he had his memories intact, he must have been a kinder, more affectionate older brother than he was now. He must have shown warmth with the intention of stealing his heart. It wouldn’t have been difficult, after all.
Yet despite his sudden change in attitude, Raijin never questioned why or showed resentful glances. He simply tried to read the mood and avoid causing offense, brightening noticeably whenever shown even a hint of affection. It was heartbreaking to watch him still trying so desperately to earn his brother’s love during what little time he had left, even with his life hanging by a thread.
False kindness would only be deceiving someone like him.
Grand Duke Izatrix stood before his firmly closed chamber door for a long while. Eventually, he opened it quietly so as not to wake the patient inside.
However, the bed where the patient—who had been ill all week before his fever finally broke this morning—should have been lying was empty. Concerned that the frail boy might be lying there lifeless, he approached and carefully felt around, lifting the blankets.
He recalled that he hadn’t enforced strict door control to allow servants to tend to Raijin during his illness.
***
Beyond the splashing of water, there was a faint but distinct commotion.
Ja-hyun didn’t immediately register the strangeness, taking a moment to react. Still dripping wet, he turned off the water, wondering what was happening. At that exact moment, the bathroom door he had closed burst open violently.
“BANG!”
Startled by the sound and force, Ja-hyun spun around, steadying himself against the sink to avoid falling. His brother stood in the doorway.
“Br-Brother… my lord?”
He almost slipped and called him just ‘brother’ out of surprise, but barely managed to correct himself. In that brief moment, his brother strode over and sharply grabbed his wrist.
What’s going on?
His body swayed as he lost one point of support, then suddenly found himself lifted into the air. His brother grabbed him by the waist and swung him over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Though Ja-hyun had become terribly thin, he wasn’t any shorter, yet his brother handled him as easily as if he were a large teddy bear. The sudden change in position made his weak vestibular system revolt, causing his vision to spin.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped between his teeth. At this, his brother paused, adjusted his hold to carry him more securely, then continued walking. Through his dizziness, Ja-hyun found his position changed again as his back met with something soft.
Placed on the bed, Ja-hyun looked up at his brother in confusion. Water clung to his eyelashes, blurring his vision.
“……”
His brother’s expression was not pleased. It was the kind of face that made one immediately question if they’d done something wrong.
He instantly became small, watching his brother cautiously.
‘What is it? Did I do something wrong? I just went to wash my face? What did I… what did I do? Did I trigger some event without realizing it?’
Despite wracking his brains, he couldn’t think of anything. Or perhaps the prince had caused some trouble while he was lying down?
An elderly servant rushed through the open door, carefully speaking from behind the Grand Duke.
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