MBOMEN 33

Chapter 33. Secret Game (2)

Eustar gazed at Laila with a gentle expression, saying nothing. Because of that gaze, Laila once again felt a strange sense of guilt. Of course, Eustar couldn’t possibly know what she was feeling.

He spoke.
“I came because we need to talk.”
“Talk?”

Laila asked back, her expression puzzled, furrowing her brows slightly.
“With me?”
Eustar nodded.

“I’m just asking in case… Laila, do you want a wedding?”

A deeper crease formed between Laila’s brows. She tilted her head slightly, as if she’d just heard a foreign language she couldn’t understand, then hunched her shoulders and stared at him.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“What I mean is… hmm, this is just my opinion, but hear me out. I don’t think we need to have a big, flashy wedding in front of everyone. Because…”

Eustar took a breath, then continued in a calmer voice.
“Laila, even now you seem burdened by everything that’s happening. And on top of that… I don’t want to force you into something unnecessary. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Laila stared at him silently for a moment, just as he had done earlier.
“Is that truly what you think, Eustar? Or did His Majesty order it?”

Eustar softened his brows and let out a short laugh.
“Do you think my brother would just skip my wedding like that?”

Of course he would, Laila thought. But she didn’t say it out loud.

Eustar gave her a meaningful look, as if trying to read the thoughts she was hiding.
“If you want it, Laila, we can hold a wedding. A grand one, even.”

“I don’t want that.”

Her answer was immediate. It felt like her mouth spoke before her brain even processed the question.
A wedding? She couldn’t imagine it, nor did she want to.

Even if she wore a veil as white as snow, would it really hide her hair? And if she raised her head to make a vow before the priest, what kind of expression would the priest make upon seeing her eyes?

Eustar asked,
“I thought so. But Laila, then what do you want?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because I want to know what would make you happy.”

It was an overwhelming statement. Laila was left speechless, staring at him. A lock of Eustar’s long hair had fallen over his shoulder, shifting slightly — a small movement that told her he had bowed his head.

You shouldn’t make that face, Laila thought.
Eustar’s expression… it was hard to describe, but it looked sorrowful.

But why would he feel sad? There was no reason for Eustar to be saddened simply because he didn’t know how to make her happy. It wasn’t a kind of sorrow she could even understand.

“Eustar, it’s okay if I’m not happy. But that doesn’t mean I want to be miserable, either. I just…”

Her voice trailed off faintly.
“You want to live peacefully, with nothing happening?”

At his question, Laila’s face subtly hardened.
“Maybe.”

When she cautiously replied, Eustar said,
“That time has already passed, Laila. As you’ve seen with your own eyes.”

This time, Laila looked up at him in disbelief. She wanted to argue that it wasn’t true — that maybe things could still be reversed. But the words wouldn’t come easily.

He’s right, a voice whispered in her mind. He’s right… You don’t have anywhere to return to anymore. The days of hiding away in a little den, brewing herbal soup, will never come again.

The world seemed to tremble before her eyes, as if struck by an earthquake. Laila turned her head to hide her tears, but it was no use.

Eustar quietly took her arm.
“I’m sorry to say it like this, Laila. But I don’t want to see you suffering meaninglessly anymore. I told you, even if we marry, if that’s what you want, it can remain a formal relationship. Nothing has to change. I didn’t bring you here to use you like this. I wanted to ask for your help.”

His voice gradually faded away. Laila, having wiped her eyes, looked at him with even redder eyes.

“I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.”

Laila blinked slowly.
“Did you really not know, Eustar?”

Silence fell. Laila wished she could understand his heart just by looking at him. Like seeing the essence of a ghost — if only she could peer into some part of him…

“Can you truly say you had no idea?”

But she couldn’t. So all she could do was ask. Whether he lied or told the truth, it wouldn’t change what had already happened to her. Even so, she wanted to know. She wanted to hear it from him.

“I really didn’t know.”

Laila slumped slightly, like a person who had lost all strength, then let out a sigh.
“Will the Marquess of Himierd be okay?”

When she asked, Eustar smiled as if amused.
“Are you worried about her?”

Laila furrowed her brows as if the answer were obvious.
“Well, it happened because of me.”

Eustar nodded, but it seemed more to comfort her than out of agreement.
“She’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

His words gave her some comfort, though not full reassurance. But if she couldn’t believe his words, then she had truly nothing — nothing at all — to hold onto.

When Laila finally nodded, Eustar gave her a soft smile and lightly kissed the back of her hand in a gesture of affection.
“Let’s have dinner together tonight. Alright?”
“I will.”

* * *

It had been a long time since sunlight had streamed into King Odd’s bedchamber in the middle of the day.

When his condition was poor, he couldn’t even bear the faintest bit of light. So the handful of officials and attendants permitted to enter the room often gauged his condition based on whether the curtains were open or closed.

Odd Hyaenmorik stared blankly toward the window, as if seeing sunlight for the first time in his life.

He was still in his nightclothes, but he was sitting up in bed and not gasping for breath. Considering he had recently been barely able to move, this was a remarkable improvement.

“Baso.”

At the king’s call, the chief attendant bowed slightly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What month is it?”
“It’s October, Your Majesty.”
“October…”

His voice was lonely. He wasn’t even forty yet, and yet he felt like a weary, regretful old man. He couldn’t stop those thoughts, those feelings. Living day by day with a sick body felt like a constant struggle.

Knowing one’s fate in advance is cruel. At least, for Odd it was. It was no blessing — not at all.

He often felt anger and sorrow at the helplessness of walking step by step toward an unchangeable end. Yet after every outburst and every cry, he had no choice but to keep walking forward again.

Because he had made a promise.

At the end of a long sigh, a shallow cough escaped him. The chief attendant waited quietly, expecting him to ask for water, but when no order came, he lowered his gaze.

“Your Majesty, may I ask a question?”

Odd’s sunken eyes, hollow as if only bones remained, turned to Baso.
“Go ahead.”

Baso hesitated for a moment, then straightened his posture and looked the king in the eye.
“Do you truly intend to make that witch the crown prince’s bride?”

At that, a mocking smile flickered across Odd’s dry, withered lips — like the husk of a dead snake. It was as if he had been expecting the question.
“Yes. Why? Do you wish to object as well?”

Baso shook his head.
“Of course not, Your Majesty. Whatever you decide, I am prepared to follow. However… I must ask — why have you made such a decision?”

Odd turned back to the window and looked at the autumn sunlight. The trees visible from his chamber were dyed in vibrant colors. Some quivered at the tips of their branches before letting their dried leaves fall.

Watching this, Odd’s expression softened briefly — unbelievably so — but the emotion soon disappeared, sinking like a stone into a swamp.

“Eustar is of age now. I simply found him a partner. I may be unfit to take a queen due to my condition, but Eustar is different. He’s healthy and has no issues. It’s only natural for him to take a consort.”

“You are absolutely right. But if I may, Your Majesty — you will recover. You will regain your former strength and stand firm as the rock and pillar of Shearow. Only then will your people finally feel at ease.”

Odd scoffed. This time, it wasn’t just in his expression.
Baso didn’t flinch — he simply gazed at the king. Unlike Odd, who had withered, Baso’s aging eyes still held warmth and concern.

“The people’s peace of mind? I disagree, Baso. As long as I sit on this throne, no one will ever be at ease.”

A faint shadow passed over Baso’s face. Odd looked down at his own hand resting on the sheets. He opened and closed it —
as if to make sure his fingers were still there,
as if to confirm his hand still moved according to his will.

It looked desperate.

Odd spoke.
“Yes, no one will rest easy… not while I sit on this throne.”

Beneath his dark, deadened eyes, something twitched. It was as if something was crawling beneath his dried, wrinkled skin, like that of a man a hundred years old.

Just then, there was a knock at the large door leading to the reception room. A young attendant stood upright and announced,

“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience.”