CPG | Chapter 7

“Have you cleaned the entire castle?”

Rayyan paused while attending to Ternnis and answered politely.

“Not yet.”

“The study?”

“…”

Rayyan froze, holding a piece of cut meat on the prince’s plate. Study? He’d explored the castle but hadn’t found a room used as a study.

Ternnis, having received his answer from Rayyan’s silence, savored the meat before speaking.

“It’s in the basement. After the meal, we’ll go down together.”

“Understood.”

Rayyan brought another dish to him. Serving him for some time, he noticed the prince’s appetite had increased. Since transitioning from soup to regular meals, even the portions had grown, indicating his health was improving.

And his questions had increased…

“Did you say a basket of ingredients is left every morning?”

“Yes.”

“How much is there?”

“Enough for an adult male’s daily meals.”

Every morning, the basket contained a balanced amount of ingredients. Considering the prince’s age, it might seem like a lot, but Rayyan tried to make the most of it. Initially, he blended everything into soup, but now he divided it into three meals.

“What about you?”

“…Pardon?”

This time, Rayyan couldn’t answer calmly. He didn’t immediately understand the prince’s question.

“What do you eat?”

Ternnis asked again, looking at Rayyan’s wrist. If he didn’t understand again, he would pull him closer and ask.

Understanding the question, Rayyan hesitated. He knew the prince’s irritation grew with his delay, but he couldn’t help it. He had no satisfying answer.

Sensing Rayyan’s hesitation, Ternnis rephrased his question.

“Do you eat what I left?”

“Yes.”

Rayyan didn’t prepare anything separately for himself. He had no time, and the ingredients weren’t abundant.

Feeling burdened by the prince’s continued questions, Rayyan continued to cut and serve the food. But then the prince’s hand reached for him, grabbing his wrist. Unlike touching an ordinary person, the contact made Rayyan stiffen.

“Sit.”

Ternnis not only commanded but also pulled his wrist. Unable to resist, Rayyan sat in the empty chair.

Ternnis looked over Rayyan’s frail body, older than him but weak-looking. Lately, he’d often felt hungry, and each time, Rayyan came to mind. But seeing his thin frame dampened his appetite.

“Eat.”

“I’ll eat separately.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

Rayyan sighed inwardly at the prince’s stubbornness. It was strange. Strange questions, suddenly fixating on his eating habits.

As Rayyan hesitated, Ternnis propped his chin on his hand. He’d forgotten dining etiquette, lounging comfortably.

Feeling good, Ternnis explained why he wanted Rayyan to eat.

“If you die, another servant will come. I like you now.”

Rayyan’s pupils trembled. The prince’s words were hard to accept. He liked him…

“Is what I said strange?”

“I’m sorry.”

Rayyan bowed his head. He should have brushed it off, but he was ashamed of his reaction and embarrassed it was noticed. But the prince’s voice was indifferent to Rayyan’s feelings.

“You live like a shadow, never speaking unnecessarily. Being with you feels like being alone.”

Rayyan’s eyes dimmed. The reason the prince liked him was because he lived like a shadow.

Ternnis, finding Rayyan’s reaction amusing, toyed with his wrist, mumbling.

“Plus, you don’t do anything while waiting for me to die. You don’t poison me or neglect your duties because I’m dying. I like that.”

Rayyan stiffened at the prince’s sharp words. He knew he was expected to die here and that he was a sort of observer.

As Rayyan wavered, a sly smile spread across Ternnis’s lips. Holding his wrist, the pain that usually climbed his hand was easing, making him feel good and allowing him to read the servant’s reactions.

“So, you can’t die until I do.”

Ternnis gestured for him to eat, implying he couldn’t leave otherwise.

Under the prince’s gaze, Rayyan cautiously picked up the utensils. He reached for the safest option, the soup. Was it really okay to eat? Was the prince waiting for him to eat just to play a trick? His mind was filled with doubts, making his movements sluggish.

Frustrated, Ternnis took the utensils from Rayyan’s hand. He tossed them aside and grabbed some bread, dipping it in the soup. Half the bread soaked in the soup, becoming soggy.

Ternnis brought it to Rayyan’s mouth.

“If you don’t want it on your lips, open your mouth.”

A gentle threat, in case he kept his mouth shut. As Rayyan hesitated to refuse, Ternnis’s hand moved faster. The bread seemed too big for Rayyan’s small mouth, but it quickly crumbled thanks to the soup.

While Rayyan chewed, Ternnis turned his attention to another dish. What to feed him next? Unlike Rayyan, who elegantly used utensils, Ternnis intended to use his hands.

The sensation of Rayyan’s lips on his hand was surprisingly pleasant. If he could touch them, using utensils felt wasteful. Ternnis eyed a fist-sized piece of meat, too large to eat in one bite, with interest.

***

Rayyan followed Ternnis, discreetly rubbing his full stomach. It was the first time he’d overeaten since coming to the castle. No, even before the castle. After being abandoned by his father, he’d lived a life without enough food.

Having only enough to stave off hunger, feeling full was unfamiliar and now burdensome.

“You always think too much. And when you do, your steps slow.”

At Ternnis’s remark, Rayyan quickly caught up. Holding a torch, the light flickered across Ternnis’s face.

“Don’t lose track, follow closely.”

Ternnis warned Rayyan and continued down the stairs. Rayyan watched carefully, ensuring he didn’t fall, while observing their surroundings. It was Rayyan’s first time in the castle’s basement. The entrance itself was in an unexpected place. He hadn’t known the plain wall in the prince’s room would open.

The spiral staircase indicated the castle was deeper than expected.

“Do you know how this castle was built?”

Ternnis’s voice echoed off the walls.

“The first emperor loved only one person his whole life. Until his death, he never looked at anyone else and only wanted the empress.”

Despite Ternnis’s cynical tone, the story was sweet. Nobles, especially royalty, didn’t have just one spouse. Rayyan had seen many of his father’s wives, and the prince was the emperor’s thirteenth child.

“How beautiful to love only one person. But the empress found the emperor’s affection burdensome. She didn’t dislike him, but the problem was her husband was the emperor. She was busy stabilizing the unstable empire, and now she was expected to bear heirs?”

Rayyan showed a hint of surprise, quickly suppressing it. He hadn’t expected a love story to be interpreted this way.

“Her health deteriorated. Exhausted by frequent childbirth and daily duties, she became frail. When she was near death, she asked the emperor for one thing: to build her a castle to stay in until she died.”

Rayyan became engrossed in the prince’s story.

“Briefly saddened by her request, he built this castle. Deep within the palace, it symbolized she couldn’t leave him, yet he filled it with many things for her. He made a cage where the bird could die happily. Since then, this castle has been used as a tomb for royals expected to die.”

The word “tomb” darkened Rayyan’s expression. He’d heard the rumors. Royals expected to die were sent here.

The seemingly endless stairs finally ended. Ternnis looked at the door, slowly reaching for the handle.

“This study is one of those things. The emperor moved all the world’s treasures for her. It’s one of the wills continued after the first emperor’s death. Any book entering the emperor’s study must also be placed here.”

Rayyan followed Ternnis into the study, stopping in awe. Standing at the entrance, he realized why the study was so deep. The shelves rose as high as the depth they’d descended.

The study was like another world hidden within the castle. As Rayyan took in the sight, Ternnis’s meaningful voice reached him.

“But you know.”

Rayyan turned his gaze from the study to the prince. Ternnis, who had been looking at the study, was now watching Rayyan.

“The empress, expected to die soon, lived quite a while here. A few royals also entered and left alive. Few know this. It was deliberately hidden.”

Rayyan, hearing this for the first time, couldn’t react.

“So, a few people call this castle something else. They say it gives life to the dying, calling it the Castle of Resurrection.”