TYWN Ch 1

Darkness settled thickly in the spacious room. An eight-year-old boy, his back to the enormous bed, stared intently out the window. His silhouette was starkly outlined against the glass.

“You should be asleep. What are you looking at?”

A woman, appearing as if from nowhere, embraced the boy from behind.

Held in her gentle embrace, the boy with jet-black hair continued gazing out the window. He stared with clear eyes at the dark, moonless night sky.

“Night,” he said.

“Night?”

“It looks like Mother.”

While most children would naturally fear the night, the boy showed no such sign. He fiddled with the woman’s long hair with his small hand. Looking up, he met her gaze.

With her long hair cascading down, the woman’s smiling face was incredibly beautiful. Kind and gentle, she was his most beloved mother. And just like her, the darkness felt comforting and safe.

I wish the night would never end.

He thought as much.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

His first awareness was a faint, pungent smell tickling his nose. The subtle music that had been playing in his ears faded into the recesses of his consciousness. He opened his heavy eyelids, dispelling the darkness. As the surroundings gradually quieted, his blurry vision sharpened with a few blinks.

He saw a pure white ceiling.

Bolting upright, a sharp, needle-like headache pierced his skull. Yuris let out a low groan, roughly clutching his jet-black hair. Ruby-red eyes scanned his surroundings.

He furrowed his brow. He had suspected it even before opening his eyes, but this was a hospital. A man who would summon his personal physician rather than visit a hospital, he couldn’t understand his current situation.

He saw several beds with privacy curtains, indicating it was likely a shared ward, but thankfully, he was alone.

Glancing out the window, he saw a grey sky, low brick buildings, and leaves clinging precariously to branches.

Had he been fidgeting in his sleep? His normally immaculate suit was wrinkled from the back to his legs. His black frock coat hung on a chair beside the bed.

He quickly checked the coat pockets, but there was nothing to identify him—no wallet, no documents.

Where am I? Does this hospital have a telephone? Or a telegraph office nearby?

“Sir, are you awake?”

A nurse entered through the open door and approached the bed. Dressed in a pristine white uniform and cap, she looked more like a divine messenger than someone battling illness.

Yuris quietly questioned the nurse as she examined him.

“Why am I here?”

The man was startled by his own raspy voice, as though his throat had been constricted. He felt as if he’d been asleep for a very long time.

As he slowly searched his memory, details about himself began to surface.

“Your name is…?”

“Yuris den Astrian.”

The man recited his name, including his aristocratic family name, with elegant pronunciation. He was a handsome man with strikingly pale skin, contrasted by jet-black hair and subtly sharp eyes. With his hair down, he appeared much younger than his actual age.

According to the nurse, the hospital was located in the capital, quite a distance from his residence. He would have to contact someone, if only to settle the hospital bill.

“You were found collapsed in the street, sir. Fortunately, there were no apparent external injuries. Is there someone we can contact?”

“…Does the hospital have a telephone? Or is there a post office nearby?”

“Yes, we have a telephone.”

“Then I’ll…”

He tried to get out of bed, relieved, but realized he was weak and gently shifted his position instead. The movement was so natural that it betrayed no other intention.

The nurse handed him a pen and paper. Yuris scribbled down a number and returned it.

“Could you please call this number?”

“Certainly, sir.”

“And, what day is it? The exact date, please.”

“September 13th.”

After confirming the year, he realized that according to the date, he was thirty years old. This also aligned with his fragmented memories.

When the door closed, leaving him alone again, he slowly clenched and unclenched his hands. A strange fatigue, like the accumulated weariness of a long journey, washed over him. He finally allowed his rigidly held posture to relax, unwilling to appear weak in front of others.

Since he couldn’t inform his father about his hospitalization, he had written down the number of his cousin, Claude. Claude was perceptive; he would handle things discreetly.

Time passed tediously.

He heard the distinct sound of approaching footsteps. As he waited patiently, the door burst open.

“Yuris!”

An unfamiliar voice called his name. He turned toward the open door. Beside Claude, a familiar blond-haired man, stood a woman in a suit.

She had chin-length, jet-black hair and dark eyes. Even in broad daylight, her hair seemed as dark as midnight.

With those exotic features, she must be of Hiank descent.

While the Flete Kingdom was a melting pot of various ethnicities, people from Hiank were uncommon. His mother, from whom he inherited his hair color, was also from that country.

…I don’t like her.

“What in the world happened? Do you know how worried I was when the hospital called?”

“Who is this woman?”

He deliberately spoke curtly, causing Claude’s jaw to drop. Judging by his wide eyes, he was quite shocked. Claude’s expression hardened into a line of disbelief.

“Yuris, what kind of joke is this?”

“A joke? I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

Yuris frowned, directing a cold gaze at the woman. She flinched but met his eyes unflinchingly. Her dark pupils were as deep as an abyss.

Like the night I saw as a child.

A suppressed memory surfaced, disrupting his already confused mind. He couldn’t understand Claude’s reaction, the woman’s presence, or even how he ended up here.

Claude spoke, incredulous.

“Don’t tell me you have amnesia? You don’t even remember me?”

“Claude den Citran. My cousin and friend since I was six. Currently making waves in the corporate world.”

As Yuris recited Claude’s details, his cousin let out a cold laugh.

“You remember all that, but not Radia? What nonsense is this?”

Anger colored Claude’s usually amiable face. Yuris was utterly baffled by his friend’s reaction.

Who is this woman, anyway?

“Excuse me.”

A melodious voice cut between them.

“Isn’t it rude to discuss someone while they’re standing right here?”

The woman possessed a strange aura. Just meeting her gaze felt suffocating.

He felt foolish for even momentarily thinking she resembled the night. It couldn’t be.

A faint smile touched the woman’s lips. Yet, strangely, it didn’t feel genuine. A vague sense of unease settled over him, but he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

“I am Radia Jin,” she replied, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

“Your one and only lover.”