Chapter 41

[Dictionary: Aphasia is a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written. Aphasia typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury.]

Lize’s  condition was really not good.

Marie kept saying ‘But it’s  still not to the rate that it’s so serious yet.’ Still? You said ‘still’? Raytan laughed mockingly.He could feel that Lize who was laying down helplessly on the bed is like nearly dying. If she was asleep or fainted with no consciousness, he couldn’t be sure.

Raytan delicately brought Lize’s hand to the front of his nose and lips. He recalled Marie’s words that defined her condition as ‘still’ and relieved to see that she was still breathing peacefully. Raytan beat his lips.

“How much longer do you want to live like this?”

With this kind of way … How longer do you want to withstand it?

Raytan knew yet also didn’t at the same time. His mom was doing whatever it takes and endured, endured, and endured for all things. Lize just lives for her only one goal. She wouldn’t ever die until that goal is achieved. It’s not that Raytan could not understand what his mother’s feeling.

However, Raytan used to feel like everything just lasted sometimes. Sometimes, it was choking. The appearance of Lize, who struggled with his given name, and everything. He saw it all, but couldn’t do anything to save his mother

Raytan fixed his gaze to Lize again for a while and soon after that he stood up and left the room. Before he really left, he commanded Marie.

“If my mother finally wakes up, call me. Whenever it is.”

Raytan took his footstep inside the library. Afterwards, he picked up the book that Sezh has requested before, ‘The Wizards of Delhender’. He couldn’t get a picture why she out of the blue wanted to read this book. It’s because this book was really quaint enough for her.

Obviously, he also read this not because he found something in that book that weedhled up his interest. Additionally, he couldn’t get any information that he needed from it. However, he already finished reading that book, so it’s not a big problem to lend it to her.

When he came with light thoughts out of the palace and looked around for someone.

“Why should we die? We did nothing wrong!”

A cracking scream hit his eardrums. He now was accustomed to that voice. Raytan knew there was only one person who owned that voice in the Imperial Palace. Eventually, Raytan get a sight of Lillian who had fun crashing Sezh in front of him.

“This wrecked bitch!”

It seemed like Lillian wanted to prey over Sezh to death again today. The downpour of swears and insults, also a palm that always slapped cruelly, it was a very familiar scenery. Countless times that he witnessed Lillian was outraging her.

Lilian grabbed Setz’s hair as she walked, trailed away like a prisoner with her head bowed. Sezh kept calling the name ‘Luna’ and ‘braided whole-heartedly’ while trying to hold a shawl firmly.

Ah, there was once a time like this. Lilian pretended to be kind and wanted to play together with Sezh. After tricking Sezh, she locked her up in a warehouse where there were rumors that said a ghost appeared there. Sezh was confined in that room for an all day long.

‘Miss Luna, you also know about this. I’m talking about the aphasia that the Princess has suffered.’

If he wanted to talk about it more detailed, it was really no sounds that came out from her mouth that time. Children are usually crying and babbling loudly when they feel downhearted to something. But Sezh was always only letting her tears flowing down her cheeks without  even letting a single shriek come out. Because of that, Raytan just took it with a grain of salt.

Is that even my problem, he truly thought like that. Anyway they’re the same. Blonde. He felt nauseous just by seeing it. They are the things that he will get rid of someday. He was so fed up by them.

But now …

‘Brother Bern. Please stop!’

Suddenly Sezh’s petite figure who tried to block Bern from him at the dogfight incident a few days ago interrupted his mind.

‘Brother, your hand is bleeding. If we leave it, it probably will get worse.’

When she just rumplely wrapped the bandage around his hand comparable to a mummy. The troublesome first aid that took a long time to be undone.

‘And I will always like Brother!’

Also that embarrassing declaration …

“Anyway you and that Raytan will end up the same. When Brother finally becomes an emperor, he would definitely kill both of you first!

Lillian once again was vouching over Sezh and raised her voice more. In spite of that, it got overlapped by Sezh’s laugh.

‘Brother, are you worried about me?’

Worry? What did you say? Me to who? Anyway that stupid kid was not that different with other Imperial children who were rattling on him though …

“Annoying and dirty you said? You sister and Brother Bern are people that annoyed me the most!”

“What?!”

“Brother Raytan is way better than you! The only thing that you can win over him is just your blonde hair and blue eyes.”

Raytan was dumbfoundedly speechless.

He really couldn’t understand anything. Is that because Sezh said that having blonde and blue eyes are the only aspect that Lillian was better than him or-. No, even if in the meantime the reality changed and he had blonde hair and blue irises. Now, the thing is who is defending who while she’s already in that shape of her.  When she finally conscious that she made an error later, pleading for forgiveness won’t be enough. She must have known that uttering something daring like that in this situation is the same as a suicidal attempt.

In a wink, without himself knowing, Raytan started to run. He grabbed the collar of Lillian who was torturing Sezh.

“Kyaaa-!”

He briskly with no effort lifted Lillian from Sezh, the older princess screamed in shock. Raytan threw away the surprised Lillian to the ground then peering his gaze out at Sezh whose form was already indescribable.

“B-brother Raytan?”

Sezh couldn’t comprehend even a little bit what just happened before her eyes. It’s because Raytan suddenly appeared and helped her out of nowhere.

Raytan looked hesitant for a while. By and by, he stretched out his grandiose hand, holding that little hand of her. While keeping her stares at him, Sezh and Raytan’s fingers intertwined together helping her to stand up.

Moreover, that condition… How do you say it… the red face that was covered with a lot of dirt, people can’t even distinguish between straws and her hair, and the dress she wore had also already become a rag. But Sezh didn’t cry. Rather than crying, she was staring at Lilian with all her might, struggling with anger.

Her appearance was funny. But despite this serious situation …. She was a little cute. Raytan chuckled without him knowing.

“These, these vulgar things. You dare … “

Lilian was swaying and shaking. From her point of view, it was very natural for her to get enraged here. Sezh, who was always living like her toy and object, already disappointed her by rebelling twice. And now, there was another person having a finger in the pie of their matter. All of the people, it’s Raytan who was sticking up on Sezh’s side.

Now the situation has turned up from before. Realizing that her opponent changed to be Raytan, she couldn’t do a muscle battle like earlier. One extra fact that needed to be remembered is that Bern was also not there today.

“I will not let this out! You two think you can get out of this situation?!”

Lillian yelled with all of her might and main while glaring sinisterly at Sezh and Raytan.

“The Emperor, my mom, I will tell them! Brother too- I will tell everyone so your legs and hands would be cutted ap-!”

Lillian’s groans didn’t continue. It’s because Raytan suddenly gripped her face.

Lillian’s blue eyes shaken up under his bloody red iris. She flinched. It’s because no one could guess what was behind those shivery stares. At the moment Lillian saw Raytan’s face closer. She sensed that an overbearing aura was radiated strongly from him, the aura that made her feel so powerless.

“Shut your mouth.”

Raytan spoke with his cold baritone voice.

“If you don’t want your hands and legs cutted apart first.”

Lillian literally went rigid as quiet as a mouse.

On the other side, Sezh was gaping silently. What a jaw-dropping sight. That arrogant Lillian could drag down her own tail like that. And it’s just by one time Raytan spoke!

However, the next action that Raytan took was more way unexpected. He turned back his head and got a glimpse at Sezh. Thereupon, something that she could never ever think about happened.

“Let’s go, Sezh.”

Sezh.

It’s not Stupid Kid, Annoying Bitch, Hey, You, or anything else but Sezh. This is the first time he called her by her own name. When the speechless Sezh wanted to respond that looks-like-her-illusion name that Raytan just used for her. She noticed something …

In front of her. To be precise, at Lady Lize’s palace. There was someone ahead of the window that she accidentally stared at each other with.

Eton.

That uncle, what is he doing here? Feeling so unlucky, her blue marine irises shaken up hardly.

She assumed that Eton had already observed what was happening between the three of them that time. While looking at Lillian who was behind her, Eton nodded his head once and then mouthed.

That – bitch – is – quite – evil – am – I – right?

…. Then he laughed.

You laughed? Why? No. Don’t laugh. Really don’t do that. Please don’t do anything weird …

Sezh inside couldn’t predict what is something that he tended to do about. Eton made a suspicious smile while putting his finger in front of his mouth signaling ‘shoo’ and he also didn’t forget to wink.

At the same time, behind her back. Lillian screamed hazardously.

“KYAAAAAAAA”

Sezh who was shocked, chaotically turned back her head. In a flash, there was a scream again. Fire! It’s because the fire was on Lillian’s head. Her graceful and precious blonde hair is now being eaten by fire.

‘Tadak Tadak.’ It composed the same sound that you will hear when you see a dry firewood is being burned.

“This, this what happened-! Fire! There is a fire on top of my hair!”

Lillian shouted urgently. She looks like a moron causing a ruckus. Even if she looked miserable enough now, Raytan didn’t look bothered at all.

“Oh My God. What is happening here! Princess Lillian!”

The maid who heard her cries came and asked panicky. That day, a complete three-ring circus happened at the front of Lady Lize’s palace.

“That child! That child! To me! That cursed kid!”

Sezh who felt her body went stiff just staring dumbfoundedly at the unsettled Lillian. Then she changed her sight back to Eton.

Eton, the only one culprit that should be verdicted for causing all of this hullabaloo, just shrugged his shoulders calmly. He played it like it was just meant to be like that.

“Who’s there?”

Raytan pored over to the direction where Sezh was staring bewilderedly. She responded with a shake of her head.

“It’s nothing.”

Indeed. It seems like Raytan couldn’t see or detect any of Eton’s existence

Instantly after Raytan turned his head to the window where Eton was set upright. Eton’s face in no time went stiff. There were no wisecracking and fussy characters of him. So unfamiliar. Truly like a different person.

Why is he like that all of a sudden? He looked so surprised yet stupefied at the same time. Sezh, who inspected Raytan and Eton alternately since earlier, automatically held Raytan’s hand in a hurry.

“B-brother. Let’s just go off first.”

Raytan flinched a little but didn’t intend to remove her hands from his.

“If it’s what you want.” He answered with a small voice only.

“…”

After strided for some steps, Sezh swung her head to the back again. At the same time, Eton disappeared and left no trace behind like he didn’t even exist.