Chapter 38
The figure standing there was undoubtedly Leon, yet he looked utterly unfamiliar.
He was taller than Lucas remembered, his face had matured, his voice had deepened, and his sharp gaze bore down on him in a way Leon never had before.
Lucas couldn’t bring himself to welcome him. The unfamiliarity unsettled him.
“Lucas, can I sleep with you? Or at least lie beside you for a little while?”
At the end of Leon’s words, a strange scent filled the air—one Lucas had never encountered before.
What is this smell?
Instinctively, he covered his nose and replied.
“I already told you—we need to start sleeping separately.”
“Just for a moment. I’ll leave after lying beside you for a little while.”
Lucas shook his head and got out of bed.
There was something dark and oppressive about Leon’s presence.
It wasn’t Leon himself but rather a shadow of something else—something eerily similar to the specter that haunted Lucas’s nightmares, the monstrous figure of Viltor burning the castle and slaughtering people.
As that same dark energy began seeping through his clothes, Lucas found himself unable to move.
A suffocating fear gripped him, as if one misstep would send him plummeting into an abyss.
A pain pierced through his lungs—was this what others felt when they were overwhelmed by his curse?
It was difficult enough to endure Leon’s oppressive aura, but what truly unsettled Lucas was how familiar it felt—an echo of the curse that ran through his own veins.
The realization hit him like a blade.
With instinctive urgency, he stepped back and spoke firmly.
“No. Go back to your room.”
“Lucas, this is your fault. I became like this because of you…”
Leon’s voice rose in anger, only to drop to a whisper.
Lucas’s face twisted in shock.
“It’s all your fault. You have to take responsibility. I… I…”
Leon clutched his head and sank to the floor.
His body melted into a formless black mass, twisting into something nightmarish.
This isn’t real.
This is an illusion.
The voice I hear is nothing more than a hallucination.
But then, the black mass changed shape.
Leon’s form disappeared, replaced by a childhood memory—
A servant, writhing on the ground after brushing against Lucas’s hand, his body convulsing in pain.
Lucas’s breath turned ragged.
“No… no!”
Forcing himself to move, he staggered out of his room.
As he ran down the corridor, horrific visions flashed along the walls.
His parents, meeting gruesome deaths.
His sister, clutching a wounded leg, sobbing in despair.
Countless people slain in battle against monsters.
The agony etched into the faces of those who simply stood near him.
Lucas struggled to escape, but the darkness pulled him in deeper.
And then, when the shadows swallowed him completely, a voice—Leon’s voice—whispered through the abyss.
“A wretch who brings misfortune… dares to long for the sun?”
Lucas jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
The sky was still dark—dawn had yet to come.
He pressed a trembling hand to his forehead and slowly sat up.
“…Leon.”
His body ached as if he had physically endured the torment of his nightmare.
A terrible dream… yet one laced with undeniable truths.
The truth that he was a harbinger of misfortune.
That those around him inevitably suffered because of him.
And because of his selfishness, even a child had been dragged into his cursed fate.
Lucas had to put an end to it.
With newfound resolve, he bathed and changed into fresh clothes.
He had made his decision. Now, it was time to act.
Even during their days apart, he had never stopped keeping track of Leon.
Lately, he had been fascinated with training Rai, so the greenhouse was the most likely place to find him.
Lucas forced himself forward, his feet feeling unbearably heavy as he made his way to the greenhouse.
When he opened the greenhouse doors, Leon was riding Rai in circles.
The first time Lucas had seen him attempt this, he had merely clung to the creature’s back for dear life.
Now, his posture was straight, his movements steady.
“Oh? Lucas!”
Leon beamed and waved excitedly when he spotted him.
Suppressing the weight in his chest, Lucas forced a smile and approached.
“You’ve already tamed him so well—”
Leon quickly pressed a finger to his lips, cutting him off with a playful whisper.
“Don’t say that. Rai doesn’t like it.”
“Ah… I see.”
Clearing his throat, Lucas gazed down at Leon.
His bright, innocent eyes looked up at him—full of expectation, admiration, and unwavering trust.
Looking into those eyes, Lucas found that he couldn’t bring himself to say the cold words he had planned.
Fine.
Before I push him away, I should at least give him a happy memory.
I’ll tell him afterward.
His resolve wavered as he leaned closer to Leon.
“Leon, if you want to bond with Rai even more, why don’t we take a short trip? A place with lush fields and clear waters would be perfect.”
Leon immediately sprang off Rai’s back, blinking in disbelief.
“A trip? Are we really going?”
Lucas chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, we are.”
“You’re serious? We’re really going on a trip?”
Lucas nodded again in response.
There were words he needed to say, but instead of dropping them suddenly on the child, it would be better to ease both their hearts with this trip before they parted ways.
Swallowing a bitter smile, Lucas reached out and took Leon’s hand.
The next day, after finishing their preparations, Leon smoothly mounted Rai in a single motion.
Lucas, watching him with a sense of pride, led his own horse alongside him.
“The western forest isn’t too far, so it won’t take long to get there. Make sure to keep up.”
“Of course! I’m confident!”
With a firm flick of the reins, Lucas spurred his horse forward. The animal galloped off swiftly, kicking up dust.
Leon leaned toward Rai’s ear and whispered.
“Rai, are you really going to lose to a mere horse?”
<That’s absurd! Obviously, I’ll win!>
At those words, Rai surged forward, quickly closing the gap between them.
The northern weather was fickle.
One morning, the sun could shine brightly, only for a blizzard to roll in by the afternoon. And the next day, it would be as if the storm had never happened.
But today, as if celebrating their outing, the sky was brilliantly clear.
Leon inhaled deeply, savoring the crisp air laced with a faint vanilla scent.
At times, he turned his head to steal glances at Lucas when they rode closely together. Other times, he was too focused on cheering for Rai, who ran with all his might.
Before he knew it, the distant outline of the forest came into view.
Lush greenery was a rare sight in the North, except in the greenhouse. This dense forest, only visible for a brief period each year, had been chosen over the birch woods Leon originally wanted to visit.
But now, seeing it up close, he was glad they had come here instead.
“Wow! I didn’t know there was a place like this in the North!”
“It’s a rare sight, only appearing once a year. Just a little further ahead, there’s a cabin I visit to rest from time to time. Let’s head there.”
Following Lucas, Leon guided Rai into the forest.
He filled his lungs with the fresh scent of grass, delighting in the new experience.
As Lucas had said, a quaint cabin nestled beside a pond soon came into view.
It looked like something straight out of a fairytale.
Overcome with excitement, Leon jumped off Rai and sprinted toward it.
“Be careful, or you’ll trip.”
“Lucas, hurry, hurry!”
Stepping inside, Leon was greeted by a scene unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Unlike the grandeur of the palace or the fortress, the cabin was warm and modest.
The wooden interior, the view of the pond framed by the window, and the scent of timber that filled the air—it was all comforting.
Most of all, he was thrilled that he could spend time alone with Lucas in such a wonderful place.
Leon darted around the cabin, eagerly exploring every corner.
But amid his excitement, he noticed something unusual.
The faint vanilla scent he had always associated with Lucas was missing.
Where is he?
Turning his head, Leon’s gaze landed on the window.
Outside, Lucas stood by the pond, staring up at the sky.
The sunlight shimmered off the water’s surface, casting a breathtaking reflection.
And in front of it, Lucas stood, looking so striking that Leon wanted to see him up close.
Quietly stepping outside, he tiptoed toward him, planning to startle him as a prank.
But just as he was about to pounce, he stopped in his tracks.
Lucas’s face looked… unbearably sad.
He’s looking at such a beautiful sky… so why does he look like that?
Abandoning his playful intentions, Leon slowly reached out and took Lucas’s hand.
Lucas turned to him with a gentle smile, as if he had never worn such a sorrowful expression in the first place.
“Lucas…?”
Leon called his name softly.
With a calm expression, Lucas asked,
“Yes? Did you enjoy exploring the cabin?”
“I did, but… Lucas, is something wrong?”
“What could be wrong? The weather is beautiful today.”
He’s lying.
Something is definitely troubling him.
Could it be something about the state affairs?
