Later, Enoch learned that the palace had been in an uproar that day.
The prince had disappeared in the rain and didn’t return, and the emperor of all times had called for his son then.
Enoch heard after he had been sick that the entire palace was turned upside down because of him.
Even with his head still feverish, he took pleasure in the fact that things hadn’t gone as his father had planned. He had always despised his father.
“I told you to stay with the attendants,” was all Letina said when she came to visit her sickly son.
In the past, those words would have hurt him deeply, but strangely, he felt nothing. Maybe it was because his mind was elsewhere.
Since his illness, his thoughts had been consumed by the girl he had seen in his dream.
Not even if she were made of gold or carved from pearls or ivory could she have been more dazzling.
He had never seen such brilliance in his life. Enoch longed to see her again.
However, the dream was fickle; if he deliberately tried to fall asleep, it would elude him, leaving him in a dark, dreamless night. Sometimes, though, she would appear briefly during a quick nap.
To increase his chances of seeing her, Enoch knew he had to sleep as often as possible. So he closed his eyes whenever he could, no matter where he was. Whether it was under a tree, in his bedroom, or at his desk in the study, as long as he could sleep, he did.
Naturally, the more time he spent asleep, the more detached he became from reality. Enoch realized that he was growing increasingly dull and lethargic.
But it didn’t matter.
Whenever he saw the girl in the dream and basked in the golden light that surrounded her, he became numb to many things. His cold-hearted mother, his annoying half brother, even the absence of his only friend—all of it temporarily faded away.
Any minor side effects didn’t seem like a big deal in comparison.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Around that time, the emperor’s birthday was approaching.
The palace was buzzing with activity. Enoch had little interest in the emperor’s birthday, but he was keenly aware that Iliad would be arriving in the capital for the occasion.
When Iliad arrived, Bertina, who had gone with her, was supposed to return as well.
Enoch planned to tell her what the gift she left behind had shown him. He wanted to explain how much more content his life had been lately, all thanks to her.
He had to make sure to thank her. Although the fever that followed was unpleasant, the liquor she left behind had given him his first dream. That alone helped him forget about the difficult two days of illness.
So, Enoch eagerly awaited Bertina’s return. In the meantime, the Emperor continued to summon him and his mother to inflict humiliation, but it was more bearable than before. This was because Enoch knew what he would be able to see when night came.
However, Bertina did not return with Iliad.
A week before the emperor’s birthday celebration, Iliad arrived at the palace, but his friend was not among her entourage.
She used the excuse of being unable to return due to an illness, but it was clearly a lie. Everyone in the royal family knew that she simply didn’t want to leave Heseta’s estate.
At first, Enoch felt a little disappointed, but he quickly accepted it. If he had been in Bertina’s place and had the chance to stay outside the palace, he would have done so gladly. He had become strangely positive.
While others busied themselves preparing for the emperor’s favor, Enoch was occupied with finding ways to sleep longer. He got medicine from the royal physician to help him sleep and even tried folk remedies that claimed to induce specific dreams.
Perhaps he had overdone it, or maybe his aversion to seeing the emperor had reached the heavens.
In the end, Enoch fell ill again, coincidentally on the day of the emperor’s birthday celebration.
Though he had always been healthy, ever since the day he drank the liquor and got soaked in the rain, something had gone wrong. This time, it was another fever.
But unlike before, there was a new symptom: pain in his chest.
It was a strange kind of pain. People said lung disease typically came with a tearing sensation, but this felt different.
Enoch thought that his chest wasn’t being torn apart but rather hardening. The pain was intense, but more than that, the feeling of pressure was worse.
However, the royal physician dismissed his symptoms as mere exaggeration. It was only natural, as human organs couldn’t actually harden.
But I truly feel like this. Enoch thought as he lay in bed, consumed by fever and pain. The physician gave him painkillers and fever reducers, but they didn’t do much.
While he remained bedridden, the palace was alive with activity. The celebration was set to last three days, and nobles from all over the kingdom had gathered in the capital. Naturally, the noise was overwhelming.
If it were any other time, he might have just let it go. But because he was sick, everything annoyed him, and Enoch wished people would either be quiet or that time would pass quickly.
If Bertina had been there, she would have come to see him, but since she wasn’t, Enoch was left to suffer alone for three days.
Or at least he would have, if it weren’t for Letina.
On the last night of the banquet, late into the evening, Letina came to see him. Having spent three days bedridden and exhausted, Enoch couldn’t muster the energy to greet his mother warmly.
Dressed in a robe made of blue velvet and adorned with large jewels, Letina, as always, carried with her a sweet fragrance. Yet, Enoch thought she looked different somehow.
Her blue eyes were fixed entirely on him, and her face, adorned with sparkling makeup, appeared pale.
Noticing something odd, Enoch narrowed his eyes.
“…Mother?”
But Letina didn’t respond. She blinked as if she hadn’t heard him, even though, despite his hoarse voice from the fever, in a room with only the two of them, she should have heard him clearly.
Something’s wrong. Enoch furrowed his brow. Although she was looking at him, it seemed like her mind was elsewhere.
He called her again.
“Mother.”
“Ah, yes.”
Only then did focus return to her blue eyes. Enoch noticed the strange smudges under her eyes.
Has she been crying?
There was no other reason for her makeup to be smudged like that. Realizing this, Enoch’s already low spirits sank even further.
He asked Letina, who was behaving out of character.
“Why did you come?”
“Hm? What do you mean, ‘why’? You’re sick, aren’t you?”
He wondered if she realized how unnatural her words sounded.
Just a few weeks ago, Letina didn’t come to visit him even when he was sick.
Even putting aside any feelings of resentment, her actions now didn’t make sense.
She’s definitely hiding something. Trusting his instinct, Enoch asked her directly.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“Huh, wh-what?”
I, well, child, I. Letina kept stuttering, like someone who was flustered.
This was truly unlike her. Enoch bit the inside of his lip.
What on earth is she trying to say?
Whatever it was, it seemed like it would be difficult to hear. The thought caused resentment to rise within him, almost instinctively.
Did it really have to be today? Couldn’t she have waited until I felt a bit better before coming to me?
But his condition had never been important to Letina, not even once.
Since it was something he’d have to face anyway, it was better to get it over with quickly. Enoch urged his unusually hesitant mother.
“It’s alright, you can tell me.”
But what she responded with was a question that completely ignored the context.
After trembling for a moment while looking at the floor, Letina suddenly asked,
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
“What?”
“Your chest, does it hurt a lot?”
Enoch froze at her words. How could Letina possibly know about that?
Of course, he had told the doctor about his chest pain, but Letina’s question sounded like she knew something more.
As he remained frozen in shock, Letina continued her explanation, stammering as she spoke.
“I mean, doesn’t it feel like something’s hardening inside? Like it’s pressing down, making it hard to breathe, suffocating?”
Like, as if a stone were growing inside your chest.
After saying this, she fell silent and looked at him quietly. It was as if she was waiting for his reaction, something that seemed out of character for her.
With trembling eyes, Enoch stared back at the woman who, for some reason, looked pitiful to him.
“…Mother, how do you know about that?”
