CPG | Chapter 17

“What a mess.”51e1cb1fe43ba84d

That was Ternnis’s impression as he walked into the dining room. The room, usually kept spotless, was now cluttered with broken dishes and scattered cutlery.6c452bf8e9b1c91e

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Ternnis knew Rayyan spent most f3f743ddec of his time by his 940755167f side, leaving little room for a01af15a9e other concerns. But seeing the 1c463a02d2 chaotic scene outside 3f7ae752b8 his room, Ternnis 8b860e3774 clicked his tongue 66f100baee with trembling lips.95cea5fc97079e0a

Blaming it all on the servant’s incompetence, Ternnis looked at the steaming soup and then at Rayyan, who lay collapsed on the floor.2f6350691ff6fc35

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It seemed Rayyan had f7f0765369 fainted while making the 67325b29ba meal. Ternnis crouched in front of 9d2e615a66 him. Even taking a 512bbf6257 single step was 10b07bc930 exhausting, so Ternnis dd2aa1c77f paused to catch 272a407252 his breath and 718e758536 observed Rayyan.624dd8b72113a40e

His skin was rough, lips cracked, and cheeks sunken, showing signs of not eating properly. The furrowed brow, marked by hardship, caught Ternnis’s attention, and he poked Rayyan’s forehead.a7d88fb8bb71d0ab

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“You’re just a kid.”7b5533ab36f18971

Aside from the roughness from a89899748a hardship, his face was that 2deb362560 of a boy only a 1bfdbfa3df few years older than Ternnis.6f677e8692144b04

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“What should I do with you, who doesn’t even make excuses?”03a61931e0281936

Even if Rayyan explained 40ba5979a3 his circumstances, Ternnis had 8813635ca9 no intention of forgiving 3f1a514860 him. But Rayyan took all 34edb06c75 the blame upon himself.1d36a40f7b96abb6

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“What should I do?”b3a96adfccc1d2b6

Just touching Rayyan’s forehead cooled Ternnis’s fingertips. His mind was conflicted. The resolve not to rely on anyone after being betrayed was wavering.f4a89498a577f30f

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Ternnis looked at his hand for a moment before forcing himself up. He picked up the now-cold soup and drank it straight from the bowl. Having eaten nothing, the soup was both welcome and overwhelming, making him nauseous, but he persisted. After drinking the water beside him, he poured some into Rayyan’s slightly open mouth.bba1dc32cf437625

Since Rayyan couldn’t eat, he needed to drink water. Ternnis, having poured water into Rayyan’s unconscious mouth, looked around.08c8d64f2615f43e

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To get what he needed… he remembered Rayyan’s room was nearby and headed there. The short distance was arduous, and he had to stop several times, taking quite a while.d32ad0de72af74bf

“This castle is unnecessarily big.”3da1ea3ed151ecab

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Muttering complaints, Ternnis opened 986df8cbbd the door and instinctively d0756b8a16 stopped.cda467f406611fb1

“What is this pigsty?”f14bed8a11ad2d2c

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It reminded him of his first impression of the castle. Despite diligently cleaning the castle, it seemed Rayyan hadn’t touched his own room.2520f22b0669f2be

Hesitant to enter, Ternnis looked 8c7a5249c1 back. Going to his room meant 7d3e8ffe6f climbing stairs, so he weighed 5f4fc7ad23 his options.93f40c26c2542e17

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“If I had any strength, I wouldn’t go in.”6f8dfdb1d4d1b7d3

Unable to face the stairs, Ternnis chose Rayyan’s room. Reluctantly, he entered and dragged out a blanket. Not caring if it got dirty, he returned to Rayyan and looked down at him.596ca6e511d8208b

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The sense of loss when Rayyan disappeared was a shock Ternnis couldn’t forget. It made him realize how much he had depended on Rayyan, despite pretending otherwise.b0ec5cdf3810aea0

“I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”6093082204b835bb

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Ternnis emphasized that he couldn’t forget Rayyan’s betrayal. Rayyan had given him hope only to take it away, making him the most resentful. He hated him and was ready to give up and die, but…4c8c07d64a066c24

“I’ll decide your fate after I sleep.”98f273a9eef7363c

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Feeling more at ease with a full stomach, Ternnis muttered with half-closed eyes. He lay on the floor, using Rayyan’s arm as a pillow. He lacked the strength to drag Rayyan to the bed. His limbs trembled just moving himself, so he simply lay down.14e75cb3074a8304

“It’s cold.”e0a9907c94a43532

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The chill from the 98381d0891 floor made Ternnis frown. Wondering if he 4d3f43b84f could sleep like 3552b15c9e this, he pulled b16d7dd6dd the blanket over b9b0cea9fa both himself and 5fd07934d3 Rayyan.09cc9bb550c386e5

Ternnis draped half his body over Rayyan and slipped his hand inside Rayyan’s clothes. He also pulled Rayyan’s limp hand over himself.c08222e07b88c6b8

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Feeling the pain f2f088bb0e in his body ef9aacb07c noticeably diminish, Ternnis 9d3a64707c closed his eyes.614979d850594afa

***6f0e85bea764aa88

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The rhythmic sound of rain tapping the wall woke Rayyan. Realizing it was raining, he opened his eyes to find a pot. The lingering scent reminded him he had fainted in the dining room. As he pondered when he had collapsed, Rayyan’s eyes widened in surprise.8588c16c26d82f28

He hadn’t given the soup to the prince. Unsure how long he’d been unconscious, he knew the prince’s condition wasn’t good.60b92cd870ec83d1

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“I need to go quickly…”a149d65d9d9259f7

As he tried to rise, Rayyan paused. The blanket that had been up to his chest slipped down, and he took stock of his situation. He couldn’t have fetched a blanket for himself.87efdb916fa02a9f

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And then…e56fc1899dfc48a0

The sight of golden hair under the fallen blanket caught Rayyan’s attention. It was surprising he hadn’t noticed the prince clinging to him. The prince lay almost on top of him, eyes closed.8a8dd3708d698c0c

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Rayyan carefully withdrew his hand from the prince’s clothes and placed it under his nose. The faint but steady breathing assured him it wasn’t the worst-case scenario. He wasn’t dead. Observing closely, the prince’s chest rose and fell as if he were merely asleep.4c76c69e052caab8

“How did this happen…”1ee5694ffe70268a

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Rayyan, unable to shake his bewilderment, looked around. The pot he had seen upon waking was still there. This was indeed the dining room, but he couldn’t understand why the prince was here.2093275292525376

“Mm.”814744070ff83a55

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As Rayyan half-sat up, the prince, seemingly uncomfortable, rubbed his face against Rayyan’s chest and clung closer.a28431e2b3271e31

Well, regardless of how it happened, moving the prince to the bed was more important than figuring out how they ended up like this. Rayyan was contemplating lifting the prince with the blanket when…c6a89ee05a1768f2

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“Let’s sleep a little longer.”f24eb7b3cb4cfc7d

The prince, whom 95e6185d3a Rayyan thought was d923ef75d6 still asleep, murmured 79c6b371ce in a sleepy a782180d36 voice. He snuggled closer to Rayyan. Rayyan, feeling a 8d1c09c546 tickling sensation rise 0b4069ae81 in his body, 450dbb066a spoke softly.ff04db72e51b3bf3

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“The floor is cold.”2646774c746310e5

“I know.”0eeb36f6219c2185

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The prince’s calm reply made Rayyan feel awkward. The blanket warming his legs must have been brought by the prince.aac40124d62ffd19

Rayyan debated whether to 021a218d06 persuade the prince to ee56dfb9eb get up or stay ec976dfbe4 as they were. It was too late to 33e44b1337 avoid touching the prince. Besides, he felt the bcad7fca31 prince would dislike it 4a0e5438ed if he got up, e0192193db so Rayyan lay back 7516ca6418 down. The floor, warmed by his c981905a71 body heat, had already cooled.b9aae78a85d1a32b

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But thanks to the prince’s warmth, he didn’t feel cold. At least until the prince decided to get up, it seemed fine to stay together.3f0fd36384655600

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Rayyan’s eyes wandered. Though he had fainted against his will, he felt light after a good rest. He was hungry, but for now, lying there felt nice.41d99df00139dd6d

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“Tell me.”382604c725919670

As Rayyan stared at the 43fe0006e0 ceiling, the prince spoke.9cd544e646de9581

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“Why did you do it?”ea0e9befee01b416

The prince’s question filled Rayyan’s eyes with complex emotions. He knew what the prince was asking without needing clarification. Why he had left the castle.5fa90480ace6c124

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“…It wasn’t because of you, Your Highness.”334c67161c6f7926

Should he say it? Rayyan wondered. He didn’t know if the prince cared about a mere servant’s circumstances, but leaving the castle was tied to Rayyan’s pride, which he hadn’t given up until the end. He wanted to believe the blood of his family still flowed in him, even if he had abandoned the castle.8abde9730abdb549

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Rayyan smiled faintly. With no pride or dignity 5970b2f417 left, there was nothing to e8af7a8b39 hide.1a1b8faf51b9545e

“I was waiting for the second examination. I believed I had the ability of a Guide.”5baba4c5703de0a7

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The prince said nothing, but 58f7b0dd52 Rayyan knew he was listening 48821f49ee from the slight movement of e5938dcd76 his fingers.e74110284ff748b3

“I believed my reason for existence was there. Not becoming a Guide made me think there was no reason to continue living.”5578f2986ced11bb

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“Pretending the results didn’t matter…”5d05dc01ce468862

“Yes. I pretended they didn’t matter and hid my disappointment.”194b9933dac1cdcb

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Rayyan awkwardly laughed, revealing b432507d65 his embarrassment. When the prince 371555cb86 told him to ff75641401 live content as f16deaf3c5 a servant, he 506698c62b was preoccupied with f903b97036 thoughts of his 1e50807a8d uncertain future.90316359604a7f78

“So, in shock, I wandered outside… and then I thought of you, Your Highness. I’m sorry.”34ba415ca560b47e

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“You know you did wrong.”7124d47f66c9e18f

The prince sat up beside Rayyan. Something in Rayyan’s words seemed to displease him, and his expression was deeply furrowed. Rayyan, wondering if the prince had asked for an explanation to forgive him, watched tensely.d2ec276c7bde9f66

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“If it weren’t for my ignorance of your situation…”40978e18c03478cd

Unable to place 490bd0a05a all the blame 7eb760a94b on Rayyan, the c16fb049c5 prince muttered in 5c6aa73824 dissatisfaction.47bff72180fbf528

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“Get up.”918dc3c08b3b4a00

The prince withdrew his hand from Rayyan’s clothes. The scratch of his nails made Rayyan tense, but he quickly stood.a478e4d70b11846c

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As Rayyan rose, 2652db951d the prince left 2265f441b0 the dining room 097e2a6872 without hesitation. He crossed the hall with 06637b85e1 determined steps. Rayyan, unable to ask 274cfcc231 where he was going, f75a7018eb followed quickly. The sound of their caf9835e79 footsteps echoed.5dd7459fdbe72e9c

The prince stopped at the castle’s main entrance. Staring at the door, he opened it himself. The rain, which had been a distant sound, roared in. As Rayyan stood there blankly, the prince turned from the door and commanded Rayyan.a31aac37bc31e47e

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“Get out.”5e2949d98e1b6a76