“Black Joker. One card.”
“H, huh? Did you have an attack card?”
Suddenly, Luce brought a total of 10 cards, including Spade A and a black joker, with a bewildered face.
Rev, who lightly stroked Luce’s cheek, flipped the last card.
“The game is over.”
It was the Color Joker.
It was surprising that he was saving his attack cards until the end, but what surprised Luce was his way of playing.
Rev is amazingly transparent every time he plays one card,
“Can you give me a heart card?”
“Eung. I will.”
“Don’t you have any attack cards?”
“… I think you should be mentally prepared to take 3, Luce.”
Luce, who had always won an easier win than stealing sweets from a child’s hand when he answered all of her questions, was bewildered.
“D, do it one more time.”
The games that followed went the same way.
Unlike the first turn, in which he saved attack cards and played bombs at the end, in the second turn, he released all the attack cards in the first turn, watching Luce embrace the cards, and in the third turn, he even attacked. He even did bluff as if he had no cards.
It was the time when Luce, who had fallen for his bluffing, was about to ask for the fourth turn with great enthusiasm.
“Shall we stop now?”
Rev put down the card and asked with a smile.
“…Did you feel this way every time I saw you as a weakling?”
“I always enjoy it.”
“When did you learn this? No, more than that. You know how to play games like this, don’t you?”
“Who did I learn it from?”
The wine bottle he drank while looking at Luce, who was speechless and opened her mouth, was empty.
Luce sat next to Rev, who didn’t show a sign of being drunk even after drinking the entire bottle.
“Is it okay for you to drink like this? It’s your first time drinking it.”
Rev’s complexion was calm as he tasted the last drop of wine, even though it was quite strong wine.
“Eung. It’s fine.”
“Don’t you have to take medicine?”
“I’ll eat a little later.”
“Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been taking medicine as often as before… Is your body okay?”
“Eung. It’s not bad. I guess it’s because I’ve been in Xenon for a long time.”
When she thinks about him, who was sick because he didn’t take his medicine on time, he certainly looks good these days.
‘It’s a relief if he’s okay, but.’
It was a situation where she didn’t know about the ingredients and the formulation.
If he gets better by living in a village with clean air and water and always taking medicine, then he can go back to his previous condition at any time if the environment changes or if the supply and demand of drugs become unstable.
She couldn’t be happy to hear it, so she hardened her expression, and Rev smiled as if he understood.
“Are you worried?”
“A little.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? It’s your body, fool.”
“Because I have you. You’ll be a competent pharmacist, so I don’t worry at all if I think you’ll someday develop a medicine for me.”
Rev looked into Luce’s eyes, who was blushing, and said.
“I guess this is the joy of faith you speak of, Luce.”
“….”
“Happy birthday to you.”
“…You too. Congratulations on coming of age.”
Luce was used to hugging Rev, but she thought his body was hot today.
Today, his hands patted and stroked Luce stayed for a long time.
As if it were the last.
****
“Good night.”
“Yes, good night to you, too.”
How many hours had passed since Luce entered the room after saying goodbye?
She heard footsteps from the second floor.
“All your luggage has been moved. Are you ready?”
It was Radanum’s voice.
Rev answered while keeping his eyes on the magic tool communicator that could hear the quiet breathing.
“Did you say the public meeting will be held tomorrow?”
“Yes, the Western nobility, including Duke Ximel and Count Menelik, called an emergency meeting.”
“How is His Majesty’s situation?”
“As you know. His Majesty the Emperor must attend the council no matter what. But even if you don’t attend, the intended purpose is accomplished. There will be someone there who will make public opinion, wondering how bad the condition is that he can’t even come to the public meeting.”
‘Duke Ximel.’
He couldn’t figure out her motives right now. But the direction is the same.
The other nobles would change their minds if they saw her turn away as the Emperor’s ally.
However, that alone is not enough justification to bring down the Emperor. Shouldn’t there be someone to fill that position?
“Yeah. After the announcement that His Majesty’s health is worsening, those with bad feelings for him will move. Her Highness Diana and Prince Delmar will not be able to handle the situation.”
Delmar is a prince loved by everyone, but he is still young. The Empress Consort will temporarily act for him, but she lacks the foundation to support anything suitable enthusiastically.
Then there is only one thing left.
“After defeating the nobles who rebelled at that time, the Imperial Palace will have no choice but to acknowledge Your Highness. It could be described as a very fancy and theatrical debutante ball.”
Rev didn’t pay attention to Radanum, who looked very happy.
“Your Highness is leaving. What will the villagers’ memories of Your Highness do?”
“Leave it alone.”
“Ah, because manipulating memories several times causes serious adverse effects on their mental health?”
“No. They were the ones who would never come face to face with members of the imperial family in their entire lives. Don’t waste your mana while wearing the restraint orb.”
“Aha… Are you worried about me?”
“I mean, don’t waste it in advance because there will be many uses of magic in the process of subjugating aristocrats.”
Radanum seemed quite pleased with the answer.
Unable to contain his laughter, he took a step closer to Rev.
“I won’t touch other people’s memories. But what about that Lady?”
“…”
“She was the person who was closest to Your Highness the Prince. You even lived in the same house for the last few months. It’s not that I don’t believe in Your Highness the Prince. It’s more like trusting that Lady’s intuition. What if she knew even a little bit about the connection between Rev of Xenon and Prince Aurelio of the Imperial Palace? What if she knew about Your Highness the Prince and talked to someone? How will you handle the work after that?”
“….”
“Wouldn’t it better to harm her memory than her body?”
It was a very rational, terrifying, and sweet statement.
However, Rev immediately refused.
“Go back. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Yes, well. If you say so.”
He heard footsteps going up.
It was only after Radanum disappeared that Rev lifted his gaze.
He saw the room where Luce was sleeping.
Opening the door, he looked at the sleeping Luce.
The disheveled beige hair covered her face.
Rev, who carefully rolled up the hair, put Luce’s face in his eyes as if he were engraving it.
He murmured lowly.
“I said goodbye to my youth, Luce.”
“I want you to think of it as a farewell gift from your childhood.”
The childhood he lived as Prince Aurelio was miserable.
However, his childhood as a Rev was calm and warm.
Rev noticed his hand shaking as he got closer to the red lips of hope he saw at the end of his misery.
“My childhood is you.”
He couldn’t figure out why he was shaking.
Is it excitement, regret, or sadness?
“So this is not goodbye. As you said.”
“Yes, because memories are glorified. Even if you’ve always fought and argued, you’ll only have good memories if you look back in the distant future. It was so nice then, but where did he go? He’s the only one who can share memories of that time… How affectionate and miss it will be if you think about it.”
“Then disappearing and reappearing would be the most special way for you.”
“Hmm, is that so? Maybe, I don’t know either.”
“This is all just a process to become special to you.”
May you have only good memories.
I hope you miss where I left.
Dreaming of seeing me again, recalling the memories that only the two of us share.
“It won’t be long. Because I can’t stand it if it takes a long time.”
“….”
“So, for a very short time.”
“Still, I think it would be better to be left behind. Even if it becomes less special, I can be by your side.”
Rev slowly lowered his body while helping himself to his past self, who had said something nonsense.
The thick lips were close. After kissing her, Rev thought that this was the second kiss.
Her first kiss, which had given his medicine, was bitter.
If there is such a thing as a second kiss, wouldn’t it be sweet and warm—he thought, and he knew he was wrong.
It was damp and salty.
He stepped back and touched his face.
“…Why.”
There was water on the tip of his chin.
He couldn’t understand
Don’t you shed tears only when you’re sad? Just like Luce, who was suffering from the thought of losing Chelsea.
But why
‘I’m crying.’
Even though he carelessly brushed the tip of his chin, his vision was blurry, and his wet cheeks were hot.
Is this also a kind of emotion that he doesn’t know about?
He couldn’t understand. It was just annoying that he couldn’t fully look at Luce’s face with his watery eyesight.
Even after wiping away the tears several times, Rev decided to remember Luce’s appearance as he had just opened the door.
Rev, who went up to the second floor, had a small box in his hand.
He moved almost all of the luggage, but he better make sure. He decided to check one more time.
Rev opened the box and ran his hand through the items inside.
Snowball, scarf, earplugs, first aid kit, wine, and a rose.
‘I didn’t think I’d be able to leave here with something.’
It’s a day with a lot of unexpected things.
Rev, who wiped his face, noticed his skin was already dry.
He closed his eyes and stood on top of the magic circle.
He had a slight dizziness. He would be in a new place when he opened his eyes, but he wasn’t looking forward to it.
There won’t be Luce there.
Rev quietly disappeared from his childhood.
It was a night when no one knew he had left.
“Black Joker. One card.”
“H, huh? Did you have an attack card?”
Suddenly, Luce brought a total of 10 cards, including Spade A and a black joker, with a bewildered face.
Rev, who lightly stroked Luce’s cheek, flipped the last card.
“The game is over.”
It was the Color Joker.
It was surprising that he was saving his attack cards until the end, but what surprised Luce was his way of playing.
Rev is amazingly transparent every time he plays one card,
“Can you give me a heart card?”
“Eung. I will.”
“Don’t you have any attack cards?”
“… I think you should be mentally prepared to take 3, Luce.”
Luce, who had always won an easier win than stealing sweets from a child’s hand when he answered all of her questions, was bewildered.
“D, do it one more time.”
The games that followed went the same way.
Unlike the first turn, in which he saved attack cards and played bombs at the end, in the second turn, he released all the attack cards in the first turn, watching Luce embrace the cards, and in the third turn, he even attacked. He even did bluff as if he had no cards.
It was the time when Luce, who had fallen for his bluffing, was about to ask for the fourth turn with great enthusiasm.
“Shall we stop now?”
Rev put down the card and asked with a smile.
“…Did you feel this way every time I saw you as a weakling?”
“I always enjoy it.”
“When did you learn this? No, more than that. You know how to play games like this, don’t you?”
“Who did I learn it from?”
The wine bottle he drank while looking at Luce, who was speechless and opened her mouth, was empty.
Luce sat next to Rev, who didn’t show a sign of being drunk even after drinking the entire bottle.
“Is it okay for you to drink like this? It’s your first time drinking it.”
Rev’s complexion was calm as he tasted the last drop of wine, even though it was quite strong wine.
“Eung. It’s fine.”
“Don’t you have to take medicine?”
“I’ll eat a little later.”
“Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been taking medicine as often as before… Is your body okay?”
“Eung. It’s not bad. I guess it’s because I’ve been in Xenon for a long time.”
When she thinks about him, who was sick because he didn’t take his medicine on time, he certainly looks good these days.
‘It’s a relief if he’s okay, but.’
It was a situation where she didn’t know about the ingredients and the formulation.
If he gets better by living in a village with clean air and water and always taking medicine, then he can go back to his previous condition at any time if the environment changes or if the supply and demand of drugs become unstable.
She couldn’t be happy to hear it, so she hardened her expression, and Rev smiled as if he understood.
“Are you worried?”
“A little.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? It’s your body, fool.”
“Because I have you. You’ll be a competent pharmacist, so I don’t worry at all if I think you’ll someday develop a medicine for me.”
Rev looked into Luce’s eyes, who was blushing, and said.
“I guess this is the joy of faith you speak of, Luce.”
“….”
“Happy birthday to you.”
“…You too. Congratulations on coming of age.”
Luce was used to hugging Rev, but she thought his body was hot today.
Today, his hands patted and stroked Luce stayed for a long time.
As if it were the last.
****
“Good night.”
“Yes, good night to you, too.”
How many hours had passed since Luce entered the room after saying goodbye?
She heard footsteps from the second floor.
“All your luggage has been moved. Are you ready?”
It was Radanum’s voice.
Rev answered while keeping his eyes on the magic tool communicator that could hear the quiet breathing.
“Did you say the public meeting will be held tomorrow?”
“Yes, the Western nobility, including Duke Ximel and Count Menelik, called an emergency meeting.”
“How is His Majesty’s situation?”
“As you know. His Majesty the Emperor must attend the council no matter what. But even if you don’t attend, the intended purpose is accomplished. There will be someone there who will make public opinion, wondering how bad the condition is that he can’t even come to the public meeting.”
‘Duke Ximel.’
He couldn’t figure out her motives right now. But the direction is the same.
The other nobles would change their minds if they saw her turn away as the Emperor’s ally.
However, that alone is not enough justification to bring down the Emperor. Shouldn’t there be someone to fill that position?
“Yeah. After the announcement that His Majesty’s health is worsening, those with bad feelings for him will move. Her Highness Diana and Prince Delmar will not be able to handle the situation.”
Delmar is a prince loved by everyone, but he is still young. The Empress Consort will temporarily act for him, but she lacks the foundation to support anything suitable enthusiastically.
Then there is only one thing left.
“After defeating the nobles who rebelled at that time, the Imperial Palace will have no choice but to acknowledge Your Highness. It could be described as a very fancy and theatrical debutante ball.”
Rev didn’t pay attention to Radanum, who looked very happy.
“Your Highness is leaving. What will the villagers’ memories of Your Highness do?”
“Leave it alone.”
“Ah, because manipulating memories several times causes serious adverse effects on their mental health?”
“No. They were the ones who would never come face to face with members of the imperial family in their entire lives. Don’t waste your mana while wearing the restraint orb.”
“Aha… Are you worried about me?”
“I mean, don’t waste it in advance because there will be many uses of magic in the process of subjugating aristocrats.”
Radanum seemed quite pleased with the answer.
Unable to contain his laughter, he took a step closer to Rev.
“I won’t touch other people’s memories. But what about that Lady?”
“…”
“She was the person who was closest to Your Highness the Prince. You even lived in the same house for the last few months. It’s not that I don’t believe in Your Highness the Prince. It’s more like trusting that Lady’s intuition. What if she knew even a little bit about the connection between Rev of Xenon and Prince Aurelio of the Imperial Palace? What if she knew about Your Highness the Prince and talked to someone? How will you handle the work after that?”
“….”
“Wouldn’t it better to harm her memory than her body?”
It was a very rational, terrifying, and sweet statement.
However, Rev immediately refused.
“Go back. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Yes, well. If you say so.”
He heard footsteps going up.
It was only after Radanum disappeared that Rev lifted his gaze.
He saw the room where Luce was sleeping.
Opening the door, he looked at the sleeping Luce.
The disheveled beige hair covered her face.
Rev, who carefully rolled up the hair, put Luce’s face in his eyes as if he were engraving it.
He murmured lowly.
“I said goodbye to my youth, Luce.”
“I want you to think of it as a farewell gift from your childhood.”
The childhood he lived as Prince Aurelio was miserable.
However, his childhood as a Rev was calm and warm.
Rev noticed his hand shaking as he got closer to the red lips of hope he saw at the end of his misery.
“My childhood is you.”
He couldn’t figure out why he was shaking.
Is it excitement, regret, or sadness?
“So this is not goodbye. As you said.”
“Yes, because memories are glorified. Even if you’ve always fought and argued, you’ll only have good memories if you look back in the distant future. It was so nice then, but where did he go? He’s the only one who can share memories of that time… How affectionate and miss it will be if you think about it.”
“Then disappearing and reappearing would be the most special way for you.”
“Hmm, is that so? Maybe, I don’t know either.”
“This is all just a process to become special to you.”
May you have only good memories.
I hope you miss where I left.
Dreaming of seeing me again, recalling the memories that only the two of us share.
“It won’t be long. Because I can’t stand it if it takes a long time.”
“….”
“So, for a very short time.”
“Still, I think it would be better to be left behind. Even if it becomes less special, I can be by your side.”
Rev slowly lowered his body while helping himself to his past self, who had said something nonsense.
The thick lips were close. After kissing her, Rev thought that this was the second kiss.
Her first kiss, which had given his medicine, was bitter.
If there is such a thing as a second kiss, wouldn’t it be sweet and warm—he thought, and he knew he was wrong.
It was damp and salty.
He stepped back and touched his face.
“…Why.”
There was water on the tip of his chin.
He couldn’t understand
Don’t you shed tears only when you’re sad? Just like Luce, who was suffering from the thought of losing Chelsea.
But why
‘I’m crying.’
Even though he carelessly brushed the tip of his chin, his vision was blurry, and his wet cheeks were hot.
Is this also a kind of emotion that he doesn’t know about?
He couldn’t understand. It was just annoying that he couldn’t fully look at Luce’s face with his watery eyesight.
Even after wiping away the tears several times, Rev decided to remember Luce’s appearance as he had just opened the door.
Rev, who went up to the second floor, had a small box in his hand.
He moved almost all of the luggage, but he better make sure. He decided to check one more time.
Rev opened the box and ran his hand through the items inside.
Snowball, scarf, earplugs, first aid kit, wine, and a rose.
‘I didn’t think I’d be able to leave here with something.’
It’s a day with a lot of unexpected things.
Rev, who wiped his face, noticed his skin was already dry.
He closed his eyes and stood on top of the magic circle.
He had a slight dizziness. He would be in a new place when he opened his eyes, but he wasn’t looking forward to it.
There won’t be Luce there.
Rev quietly disappeared from his childhood.
It was a night when no one knew he had left.
