CPG | Chapter 17

“What a mess.”6f931fa6bab66c0f

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.32d2f8a19c44058f

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Ternnis knew Rayyan spent 00e8bef91f most of his time a26caf888f by his side, leaving 10be3e77f8 little room for other fa67c903cb concerns. But seeing the chaotic scene c7686ba8a6 outside his room, Ternnis clicked c3f2956024 his tongue with trembling lips.df55162d40d94723

Blaming it all on the servant’s incompetence, Ternnis looked at the steaming soup and then at Rayyan, who lay collapsed on the floor.7593dea803042c8e

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It seemed Rayyan had fainted e9d63b984c while making the meal. Ternnis crouched in c1eba54b74 front of him. Even taking a single step f529684821 was exhausting, so Ternnis paused 19aaf5ce25 to catch his breath and 6503f6ec68 observed Rayyan.bbb9fdac874749cc

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.df4c18bb78d8250f

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“You’re just a kid.”af7d3d1889b0cea1

Aside from the 10e53463e1 roughness from hardship, e57b947059 his face was 15e37993b6 that of a 4940f7876e boy only a a2c8838d98 few years older 3c89166933 than Ternnis.901b1cb7dbe616e9

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“What should I do with you, who doesn’t even make excuses?”e74b0af7c06e2d91

Even if Rayyan explained 0d0f0578ff his circumstances, Ternnis had 9c86a5dd97 no intention of forgiving ff199be5b6 him. But Rayyan took all 0a816e71f5 the blame upon himself.a92a4c3033b7db7d

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“What should I do?”3a10d8ffc09c6fa9

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.26d4e8b26c98beee

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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.c83a4d88d143f294

Since Rayyan couldn’t eat, he needed to drink water. Ternnis, having poured water into Rayyan’s unconscious mouth, looked around.08cf3105bdfa2e76

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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.bc7cf669986a954c

“This castle is unnecessarily big.”3bcabe89bec2985d

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Muttering complaints, Ternnis e3fcca67d1 opened the door 46472ba13a and instinctively stopped.5a3c272c7d6ef585

“What is this pigsty?”23d66c0db404e417

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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.b1e2a280a3b83d33

Hesitant to enter, Ternnis a6a1220e86 looked back. Going to his room 6cd4fa5a49 meant climbing stairs, so 70fde20d94 he weighed his options.39593abf3df00380

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“If I had any strength, I wouldn’t go in.”41037cc8cdeeb9a1

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.bbc77835018a527b

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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.c495440d3a8c96f6

“I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”a124fd015ba0d504

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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…fef9b302da94d6a1

“I’ll decide your fate after I sleep.”d96bc80b5785688e

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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.13f783f241c92606

“It’s cold.”b758244a9debb2ac

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The chill from the floor ec6e306e31 made Ternnis frown. Wondering if he could f3606cd109 sleep like this, he e2fa6b2c80 pulled the blanket over 6686fba41f both himself and Rayyan.c2bb973ed4caab5f

Ternnis draped half his body over Rayyan and slipped his hand inside Rayyan’s clothes. He also pulled Rayyan’s limp hand over himself.21e629cb8ee78af5

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Feeling the pain f3beb585ed in his body f07fb990b0 noticeably diminish, Ternnis 81aa747472 closed his eyes.a9796f8f5e952fe5

***fc29222331e8b55b

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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.a0a13d96fc39e9e4

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.ebd7dcb4a26e6ce8

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“I need to go quickly…”f5ec08974114870d

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.a094855c539d003e

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And then…177b790adb088576

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.fc5960c76c76bd5b

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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.e323e6717ebbbe98

“How did this happen…”6a42f23576b41ad2

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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.786622b2f4b54fd4

“Mm.”5043db8ce358caa6

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As Rayyan half-sat up, the prince, seemingly uncomfortable, rubbed his face against Rayyan’s chest and clung closer.54714b8ff951cd53

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…51e646c8cfdb7d9c

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“Let’s sleep a little longer.”f386160ec88f7ee2

The prince, whom Rayyan thought 80e0ed2eb2 was still asleep, murmured in a93ed73a01 a sleepy voice. He snuggled closer to Rayyan. Rayyan, feeling a tickling b3d03ca6cd sensation rise in his 88030cf057 body, spoke softly.8bec2011c9faa5d3

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“The floor is cold.”b1c40704fca68ec1

“I know.”89d4695f814dc4bb

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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.48ebea99b5eea4ef

Rayyan debated whether to persuade 5cd8be982d the prince to get up d2f02d663e or stay as they were. It was too b012e0cd9b late to avoid 73c7521d3a touching the prince. Besides, he felt the 2fb0060a9f prince would dislike it 2aba694c62 if he got up, 5c17ed5244 so Rayyan lay back 80e680179b down. The floor, warmed ce5a0f8318 by his body 652372bcb6 heat, had already b86afa87e9 cooled.da9eb0287e46e58f

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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.67ee83e3b7d5f21f

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.68e23c343becf2e2

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“Tell me.”4187946bc7f82758

As Rayyan stared c8e59538e7 at the ceiling, 530258a4e6 the prince spoke.032295dbb209d685

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“Why did you do it?”739ca1266467f088

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.7ecfe2e995e75422

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“…It wasn’t because of you, Your Highness.”812fb6735e7d6765

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.4ef8a3087392d691

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Rayyan smiled faintly. With no pride or dignity a7ff82a6ef left, there was nothing to a600719464 hide.b3dfe900732d8b04

“I was waiting for the second examination. I believed I had the ability of a Guide.”573587a4095d53f0

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The prince said 5e33132794 nothing, but Rayyan 4b6a38f874 knew he was 4b914c99e5 listening from the 902236a130 slight movement of addea9fd49 his fingers.c316c165e0b0ad5a

“I believed my reason for existence was there. Not becoming a Guide made me think there was no reason to continue living.”67e306955fa28bb6

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“Pretending the results didn’t matter…”ce76f9061ff8d6ed

“Yes. I pretended they didn’t matter and hid my disappointment.”3a187fcf2eb1b39b

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Rayyan awkwardly laughed, 54603c0647 revealing his embarrassment. When the prince told 0a1644e628 him to live content 81c15747ee as a servant, he a53cf9a1ab was preoccupied with thoughts 4eef5f6e21 of his uncertain future.74effd0f73545359

“So, in shock, I wandered outside… and then I thought of you, Your Highness. I’m sorry.”30f7e762e47f09b2

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“You know you did wrong.”0224fcbe3b454f75

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.335dd06a72a8903c

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“If it weren’t for my ignorance of your situation…”5976b91af7d8215e

Unable to place all the d69493a00b blame on Rayyan, the prince 426fac1229 muttered in dissatisfaction.7135852f1f65b35d

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“Get up.”5818664bd4189ea3

The prince withdrew his hand from Rayyan’s clothes. The scratch of his nails made Rayyan tense, but he quickly stood.f87e128b9351236f

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As Rayyan rose, 13459f7e36 the prince left 7bf0b754ba the dining room 021632582f without hesitation. He crossed the hall fea53d2385 with determined steps. Rayyan, unable to ask 1d076b8564 where he was going, d8154ee8bb followed quickly. The sound of their e49c8d3677 footsteps echoed.c993958160c49906

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.06fd155c1142e898

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“Get out.”4280f3bea2eca7bf