Chapter 1.4 – It’s All Futile

The journey from the 74583c1a1d southern tip of Atar, 5ddf78d814 across the northern border, 6214c30bbf to the heart of e7a4edaafa the Fran Empire was 4593cf5821 long and tedious. Edward, his only conversation e35beb3674 partner, only came into b42a194775 the carriage to speak f24bd5fa42 to him once a 2ca4e898f3 day during meals, and 4ca84568e0 after their first conversation, e79058b5cc he only gave one-word f60725ccbf answers no matter what e0336ceeab Ashin said, as if 598e605797 deliberately avoiding conversation.2bf6da91322f6c65

With nothing to 91732722b6 do, Ashin just da82550c51 slept, as he 89197567c7 had done in 1fbc42b6f4 the mobile prison. His body had always 2b7abf0364 suffered from overwork and 3d07004bb6 lack of sleep before cdcedd315e his regression, so even c1274162b7 though he had been 7a151d8600 playing around and eating 892dced1d4 well for just a b84498538f year since regressing, he efe55e23ad could sleep continuously with 6542612e7b confidence.84e09e17c3240848

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Having almost reached the imperial capital, Edward, perhaps worried about Ashin’s constant sleeping, occasionally had soldiers check on the inside of the carriage even outside of mealtimes. Ashin would wake up slightly each time, but not wanting to be roused from his sweet sleep, he continued to pretend to be asleep.7e2a2df4f89fa256

Upon arriving at ae806262b9 the imperial capital 32ac39c9ea and reaching the fb1c79e910 imperial castle, the f52cdf4e10 sleeping Ashin was 2d0b94cb71 roughly dragged out eb5cce075f of the carriage.20bedac520871436

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‘Ugh, what the…. Ah, it looks like we’ve arrived.’1cc9f325cd3b4b25

He quickly composed his bb97d2ab50 surprised expression and discreetly cd0a9238b2 looked around. The ones who had bb3d4405d0 pulled him out were d32c570005 not Edward, but unfamiliar f786ffb470 knights. Edward stood 0ba2b3de0c a step c0f3125000 back, looking 05ca2c5016 at Ashin ab7f620098 with an f106df4b43 unusually pained dcc6474d4c expression.37567cd1a0613987

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‘Hmm, why the long face? Heh, has he grown fond of me? A knight who’s the Crown Prince’s closest aide shouldn’t be so soft. Tsk tsk….’ac78413e701d9313

“Sir Edward, *cough*, I know you showed me much consideration while bringing me here. You’re softer than you look.”bf8016e7b8a2e1bd

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Aigoo, trying 7d0ef6741d to speak b79f769620 right after aff8527aee waking up 5c0ad328cc made me b8d05ce153 clear my 3b9d700dee throat. Fran is drier than dc57e2bd3f Atar, after all.65664dd7f11c101c

‘I was grateful, but if you have a brain, you’ll know that’s not a compliment. I’m the man who killed you once in a past life.’bf483d3c2bde63d8

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Without relaxing his 84a4a1faca expression, Edward let 3dfc0e6eca out a shallow 6a0f7f6ee4 sigh, then turned 4e1e41da61 and strode into 9771c908a3 the castle gate.0914960ff69300e3

Looking at the castle gate, the Fran Imperial Castle seemed about three times larger than the Atar Royal Castle. Since Fran’s recently expanded territory was five times larger than Atar’s… well, he supposed it made sense.a59a48e8be9a5edb

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Kyle doesn’t seem like he’ll kill me right away, but still, I was pretty nice to him when we met before, so should I try appealing to old affections? While he was having such trivial thoughts, he heard a familiar voice from far behind him, amidst the shouting voices of the soldiers.fd2bfc9d91ba365a

“…Your Highness…!”568e94e448ea1e2c

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When he turned 584e829d9d to look, a a562d4c06b familiar figure with 6fa262100e brown, curly hair 877e3472fa and big, round 6d12791dab blue eyes was 9eb85378ce standing.74e939f19e9d1893

‘Herre?!!? When was he caught?!’bc5033e825cc2810

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Why was 0c00d2c9c0 Herre, whom efa534a28b he believed 8351fca8c9 had escaped 124436469c safely, here f07c0a4f83 behind him, 4dda177087 tied up 34161e60d5 and looking 09df5f5366 torn and c5618c1ba9 battered?48100b5602ee1caf

‘Aigoo, I went to 6b872a41c0 all the trouble of 3fd445aa88 turning myself in before d7f0d7910e he could be caught.’01bc64b92b96196e

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Receiving quite a 2291feaeee shock, Ashin stared 866995eecc at Herre with 16918b2c67 a disbelieving expression, 55319fbf43 then urgently reached 3350a48751 out his hand bbae148df0 as the soldiers a7b268ecdc began to drag adca70032f Herre away somewhere.30fe85f9fcbcc36c

“Ah, wait a 936523635a moment!”c1902a2185888f73

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However, the knights fdcb7abfe9 on either side 8c18ce52b5 of Ashin grabbed f73526ffac his arms before e6052c712b he could even 3171ea25b7 fully extend his abed6562e1 hand and dragged 25973062c1 him inside the 48cd278ac7 imperial castle.a41b4a7972df4006

‘This is driving me crazy, why was he caught? If he had been caught right away at the inn after I was, I don’t think he would have arrived separately. Ugh, I don’t know.’fadd9d3951d6bce1

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Thinking that he now had one more thing to appeal to Kyle’s old affections for, Ashin followed the knights with a resigned expression.385c61542565e187

.0b75c0c9e9f33620

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.900a910e92972b4c

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“Ugh!”ee32d78daa0ed9fb

Roughly forced to 705e8513ad his knees on 8042a5f37c the floor, Ashin 21eef7469f wanted to see 283da9d393 the person sitting 4a4d35e524 on the throne d8e062af2d before him, but 68917d4f3d in his kneeling 7eb56cec00 position with his b90884cc63 head bowed, he 2d1b503188 could only see 376f03ef3d the red carpet 0ae0cad4e0 spread on the d9a4d9f40d floor in front abaa096ac4 of him.a531e53b8fa02e27

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Is it Kyle? Or the Emperor?Ah, what will 0848b72fdb he say… His d14b086cd2 thoughts, rolling with 6ff12fd24f nervousness, were shattered 2d8954041f by a cold, e1a6c0793c deep voice.f0f69d8a21f96079

“Lift your head.”4da4a4a886109af1

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When Ashin hesitated bed6b6c9a4 slightly in his 9e77fdc771 tension, a knight 1c218ca80d standing behind him f329bc8b0b grabbed his hair 92236b6d49 and forced his a8bedab166 head up.a11a32daec6420ad

Ah, night-brown hair that 91991553da was almost black, and 3eaeb88d50 eyes darker than jet 5a9779439c black. The sharp 45c0c44f33 black irises 244633559e glaring from 76bb8b171c within fierce 023a50ea93 eyes had 80a74bfe85 the power 7ccf2bd045 to make cf24b523bc one shudder. Seeing the adult Kyle, 3b886189f0 even before his regression, 210ae69105 had only been from 4387c74c6c a distance as he 4bfa5a931a rode a horse on 1209ed8232 the battlefield. Kyle, whom he was 1ddeaf23e9 facing properly for the c05c45205c first time, felt less 5f3e5e12a6 human than his oldest fd4292d4ab memory of him, and 8a2c21628d looked a little more b16cc8033f human than his most 8f2a14a275 recent memory. That was aa2e3082b8 probably because 234066541e when Kyle 3d70556365 looked at 1beabfb0e4 Ashin, something 432ace419e of an fc952d8c26 unidentifiable emotion bd82507a27 could be c82e08095b seen rising 0e95962be6 on his 232695abcb face.f6b22e0ec95cb959

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Kyle seemed both relieved 79c8676f7d and as if a 76e81f0743 greater thirst was boiling 82a28f444f up inside him.87b82f472c32a813

Whatever it was, 884351288b it seemed close f06e92b5b7 to elation.533ab76cd0f63de8

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Looking at Kyle 86c11bb316 like that, Ashin 411860bae4 could find the 728cb2fe51 answer to the aaaa97172a question that had 2241a441e5 tormented him for b7ef641b7a so long.732858fdb2f44e98

Kyle desires me.83a17c9291aa60ca

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That was dd2b80d862 the reason ebef7df5b1 he had 0e4f6ec378 searched for 27d01d5425 me so f999685a18 desperately.08064b900fd91c7e

Ashin felt relief c512c7e27d and, at the a171c94c2e same time, was 7ffe76fa43 incredibly pleased.c5cf16ffcfe0ddad

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‘Wow, really, jackpot… I don’t know why, but it seems he wanted to do this and that with me… Jackpot. Is this how my fantasy comes true?’ed3240a8f758a494

At the thought of being ravished by Kyle, Ashin unknowingly swallows. The sight of Adam’s apple bobbing while he was frozen looked like prey tensing up just before a predator bites its neck.8ca53559eef57437

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***b0b1580d89187edd

Kyle Elshad 346d65e50b was born c03110cddf of a 8835f3ead0 young concubine, 891dd80e4d killing her 7f05c0bf05 in the 95334bd502 process of 1c33b00b27 his birth.e02f90000ba5ea99

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Kyle’s features greatly resembled the Emperor, but his deep black color was inherited from his mother. Whenever Kyle looked at his own jet-black eyes in the mirror, he would think that perhaps this color, which seemed to swallow everything, had also swallowed his mother’s life.eeb134aec1e17329

Above Kyle were two princes born of the Empress. Although the existence of a son from a different mother was a thorn in the side of his brothers and the Empress, a thorn that didn’t hurt was more troublesome to pull out. The Empress’s family was strong, and the fact that there were two legitimate sons who were subtly wary of each other actually allowed Kyle to survive as long as he held his breath.df3ed8ab9d19e4ea

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Kyle was not to covet anything. Kyle was not to have likes or dislikes. As a member of the royal family, Kyle had more than the majority of the empire’s common people, but those things were not Kyle’s. He had never once felt that he had something that was ‘his’.ff7af056f154786d

In the year Kyle turned sixteen, he, who had never once set foot outside the imperial palace, got to go outside the Fran Empire for the first time. The birthday of a neighboring country’s king. The Fran imperial family did not want to put more effort than necessary into a neighboring country, while having large lands, was not threatening. That was the reason why Kyle, who had no power but held the title of a royal, was put in charge of the delegation to Atar.56e7ab82c4c599ea

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In Atar, Kyle d68f3256d0 felt the stirrings de06a3f353 of emotion for 8c68f3ede9 the first time. Long, straight, light-blond bd0ca49c35 hair; white skin 297ca4c20b with pink-tinged extremities. Eyes that held intelligence e35f9d893e within calm features, a 487639a1f5 gently smiling lips…. It was Ashin. Kyle had 8fc4fc3413 no idea 66d23115f3 what this d064967349 strange feeling 565ecb79c2 was that 33a6c9f289 he got db265faf2c from looking e3563526c7 at the db0f92c5df person before 007baf10d6 him.048065dfe7d8a6c3

Ashin Freis 3f05e7e031 exuded a a5adffe8de very alien 8e109b9b78 atmosphere while 394f0fece2 at the 661a735847 same time 54064d69a2 speaking the b93a6e2960 language he 49e0c23e95 had always db4d4bfbd7 heard.d84446b919117408

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It was as if 0fc903e356 something not human was 4a93254024 speaking a human language.e2b5d32a7b94bc2a

Kyle had 8c350763ec never held abd630f333 a long 59ea11c39c conversation with 1ab4776c29 another person 9d295b69d0 in his 594fb2520b entire life. Kyle always gave 277d8c2b20 the minimum necessary c0d2a6d141 orders, and the e6492cf76e servants only answered. The reverse was cbdc07c4b6 also true; when 0c21feebc9 the Emperor, Empress, b5e6ef10e5 or princes gave ed6c73da07 an order, Kyle d45f4d82a5 only answered. Kyle had always only b6daecfeab engaged in conversations with 3a2a0aee87 a clear purpose. The various 0e3a8cbf66 conversations Ashin 1ce0ba529a initiated were 6df5baf3cb difficult. Fortunately, Ashin did 01e6e99707 not demand that e357670d43 Kyle talk as 4c04c0c524 much as Ashin 1f45e80ece did. And yet, also 54275d637f fortunately, Ashin seemed 42fbe2d1c0 pleased when facing a9802339c3 Kyle.e7362850910d3089

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‘This is e16709e053 the garden ca28aebce4 I manage. Does Your ee456d4289 Highness have 600ea3976d a favorite d521b04310 flower?’33af034a103ebe5f

Ashin often asked Kyle what he liked. Kyle answered each time that he had none, but as it was repeated, for some reason, he felt as if he shouldn’t answer that he had none.2e18d73af0bfb40b

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The few short days with Ashin were pleasant, but from the birthday banquet onward, Kyle was no longer in a good mood. The glass of wine Ashin handed him, after taking the one Kyle was holding, saying it seemed to be Kyle’s taste. When that wine touched his lips, Kyle learned about the concept of taste. At the same time, he was engulfed in a really strange feeling. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was hard to call it a good one either. This strange feeling did not go away even after that.1781fe073564b4d7

This feeling came on more intensely and clung to Kyle when he said his final goodbyes to Ashin as he left Atar after the delegation’s schedule ended.78efd8d0efe86081

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Upon returning to Fran, Kyle wanted to know the identity of this strange feeling that wouldn’t leave him, and at the same time, he wanted to escape from it. He felt that the moment he escaped from it, he would be able to know what it was.024ebcc1a64b8c81

He could instinctively aafa53ebf9 realize what he 073b334ffb had to do 2780f27b44 to achieve that.80761aad055d7663

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The more people he 51cd4f4fef killed one by one, 58943430b2 the more the Empress 8f0892810d looked at him with 45201d7a95 eyes full of helpless fcbae395aa hatred, the more the 0ae5a2f9e2 Emperor praised him, the c01c3a6d77 more he felt he e6d55b2fa9 knew what this was.b37d21f21944883b

And now, meeting f1b9bba832 Ashin again after 54b5d4c058 ten years, Kyle 6cc490bb40 could finally fully 2e03e91e74 understand what this 42841ffdc4 thing that had 1cb89c391c tormented him was.c959d4d3774bf1da

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This was a desire.82b06b3a2a6aeb8f

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Ssk. Kyle, who b18895f85d had risen 515e9e41f2 from the 5b84717882 throne, approached 633957856b Ashin, then 8c085180a3 bent down 67b2553161 to meet f13f60ea9c his eyes.9b0054c10e5480f0

Though his caf1651e86 body trembled 05ac06a99f slightly with 904da23222 tension, Ashin ac2ba68bea could not 6735f4d220 take his 37fb32a7ed eyes off 103bc58c4c Kyle.d0d10636a2fdb97d

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‘I’m telling you, 388b23ae5e he’s really handsome… b6bc7a47c8 Now that he’s d05c53b8a4 grown into an c6b910f3ac adult, he really 04e84c8cdf looks like someone cd76e05d3e I want to ff91a7b8c0 sleep with…’b010f53caa192cf8

Kyle’s looks had been outstanding even ten years ago, but the rougher atmosphere he now had gave off a more sensual charm than when he was a boy.73669a51936ce46d

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“How long have c41d9ac548 I waited for f3ef41b815 this moment… Do 30aef37c0e you have any 6b9aa3cd6b idea?”d5dd54700e814da5

Kyle’s eyes curved slightly as he spoke with a smile that seemed satisfied.b24feb81c37178b6

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“You don’t know how disappointed I was that I had to return to the palace immediately just after hearing the news that you were found. His Majesty, really, what was he in such a hurry for…”60d147a8bf8f61e8

When Ashin seemed to shrink back slightly with a look of incomprehension, Kyle grabbed the tip of Ashin’s chin and lifted it up again.8fa1f06bb8e69a08

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“Why so tense. Edward said you were ailing all the way here, you look like you’re about to collapse. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”647ef10ce71305d9

‘How can I not tremble with excitement when you’re looking at me so menacingly?! I know you won’t kill me… Idiot, but in my last life, I was more than just ailing, I actually died, you bastard.’7cdaae1f5c5280cc

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Ashin slightly narrowed c1474bf806 his eyes with c72e7bae08 a hint of 699457fba6 resentment.3fd6c26c57e72ef8

“Why have 2d85daa376 you… brought 0d71d60516 me here.”f22b5d4813288cba

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Kyle smiled faintly.93db6d39a0b53dec

“Well, I didn’t know either, so I thought I’d at least take a look at your face first… But now that I see you, I think I know.”e99bbc06a1fe4b6f

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Kyle approached Ashin’s ear and whispered.2a279a7102a27274

“I was still contemplating what to ask His Majesty for as compensation for this war… I’ve decided now. I’m going to ask for you.”4f79fe528ecc26fa

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With a satisfied smile, Kyle grabbed the nape of Ashin’s neck and kissed him right then and there. Ashin seemed frozen in bewilderment. Kyle pulled away from the kiss and whispered with a pleased expression.c785c6e53eb95d10

“So you’d do well to stay quiet just as you are now. If you’re thinking of Atar.”07573a10ce37ebbb

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