“Your Highness Third Prince. Please stay with me. You must not close your eyes now. Your Highness!”
Diana urgently knelt beside him, examining his condition with a face as pale as Kayden’s. Even when she had seen him near death in the prison, he hadn’t looked this bad. Seeing him breathe so raggedly as if he might stop any moment, made her heart sink uncontrollably. She reached out to touch Kayden’s face with trembling hands.
It was then.
“Voice… keugh.”
Kayden, with a face drained of color and struggling for breath, suddenly spoke.
“Lower, your voice… damn it. If, someone… hears…”
Kayden strained to keep his eyes open and spoke haltingly, forcing the words out. But Diana, distracted by the magic she felt around him, didn’t heed his words.
What…?
Could a human body really withstand such vast mana?
It’s impossible.
The mana surging around Kayden seemed enraged, as if furious that even its master couldn’t contain it. Every time the mana surged violently, Kayden bit his lip in pain to stifle a groan.
It wasn’t like this before.
‘Mana’ was a force present everywhere in this world. Every human was born with a certain amount of mana within their body. Those with keen senses could use magic for various tasks, and the used mana would replenish over time like water. However, there was a natural limit to the amount of mana each person could hold.
The more mana one could contain, the greater the possibility of forming a contract with a high-level spirit. Kayden was a high-level light elementalist who had appeared after hundreds of years. If he hadn’t died at Rebecca’s hands before the regression, he had enough magic potential to even attempt a contract with the spirit king someday. But even Kayden, at the time of his death, hadn’t contained such a vast amount of mana.
The oppressive feeling was comparable to confronting a majestic and grand nature. Even Diana, who possessed a considerable amount of mana herself, felt her fingers tremble under the pressure.
“How, did you, find me…”
Diana, finally regaining her senses, stood up quickly as she heard Kayden’s mixed, gasping voice.
“The servants are looking for you. We need to call the imperial doctor right a—”
“No.”
As she tried to rise, Kayden’s hand shot out and grabbed her sleeve like lightning.
“Don’t bring anyone… keugh.”
The grip on her sleeve was terrifyingly strong for someone in pain. Without even thinking, Diana understood why he said that and sighed silently.
Ah.
So this is how he survived.
So pathetically.
So… desperately.
“Huh…”
Occasionally letting out a groan he couldn’t swallow, Kayden suffered in pain. Even in his half-conscious state, he didn’t let go of her sleeve. Seeing him like that made her want to cry for some reason.
“…Alright.” Despite feeling like her heart was being crushed, Diana recalled the strange sensation she felt when she met him in the back alley last time and spoke softly. She looked down at Kayden’s hand lying on the grass and took a deep breath.
Will it be the same this time?
Even with his mana raging now, she didn’t know if she would feel the same as then. But it was better than doing nothing.
“I won’t call anyone. I won’t tell anyone else.”
Hearing her words, Kayden opened his eyes slightly and looked up at her through sweat-soaked hair with a very confused expression. Diana lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze and spoke softly.
“Instead, at least to me.”
The one who drove you to death, just to me.
“Please don’t push me away.”
As she whispered this, holding his hand, the same warm sensation she felt last time spread from her fingertips.
* * *
“…Please don’t push me away.”
As the whispered words reached his ears amidst his blurry vision, the tearing pain in his chest subsided slightly. Kayden instinctively opened his eyes wide. His vision, blurred by pain, cleared a little.
What…
It was faint, like a mirage, but it was definitely different. He couldn’t ignore the fact that the pain, which had been worsening since the first seizure, had lessened even by a fraction.
“What is the cause! How can the imperial doctor not be able to identify the disease!”
“I-I can only diagnose that His Highness has such a natural aptitude…”
“How dare you call that an explanation!”
Whenever a seizure struck, he would always hear the cries of the deceased third concubine in his ears.
The third concubine repeatedly reprimanded the imperial doctor, who couldn’t identify the illness and could only say that Kayden’s natural ability was too extraordinary. But Kayden knew the doctor was telling the truth.
The third concubine, unable to handle magic, didn’t understand. Kayden’s inherent abilities were too much for a mere human body to bear. Unfortunately or fortunately, the imperial doctor had felt sorry for the frail third concubine, seeing her as his long-lost daughter. With eyes full of pity, he had sworn to keep Kayden’s periodic seizures a secret for life.
“This matter must not reach the ears of the first concubine.”
Knowing the inner workings of the imperial palace, he knew that if the first concubine learned of this, she would seize the opportunity to target Kayden, who was celebrated for his strong light magic.
After that plea, the imperial doctor cut ties with the third prince’s residence to prevent the first concubine from noticing Kayden and his mother. Since then, whenever a seizure struck, Kayden was always alone. Even when his bed sheets were soaked with sweat, and he bit the sheets in unbearable pain. No one was there for him. His mother, the third concubine, had passed away shortly after, leaving him alone.
“I won’t call anyone. I won’t tell anyone else.”
“Instead, at least to me.”
“Please don’t push me away.”
Through the blurred vision like a misty void, Kayden couldn’t understand why the woman beyond his sight sounded so desperate.
“Rest now.”
But his thoughts were interrupted by the warm hand covering his eyelids again.
“I’ll stay by your side.”
Who is she? What is this strange feeling, as if returning to a place you belong for the first time?
I felt like I’d seen you somewhere…
With this odd sense of familiarity as his last thought, Kayden slipped into unconscious sleep.
* * *
Kayden came to his senses a few hours later. He opened his eyes abruptly as if struck by lightning and sat up. The bushes rustled with the movement.
Where is that woman…?
Kayden hurriedly stood up and looked around. But the surroundings were quiet.
What did she look like?
Furrowing his brow, he tried to recall. But all he could remember was a familiar feeling, and due to the pain-clouded vision, he couldn’t recall her exact appearance.
“Damn it.”
He swore under his breath and started walking briskly. The fact that he suffered from periodic seizures was known only to his late mother, the third concubine, and the imperial doctor who treated him like a grandson.
I need to find her.
He didn’t know who she was, but if news of his seizures reached the first concubine, it would be dangerous. He was barely surviving the constant assassination attempts.
“Instead, at least to me.”
“Please don’t push me away.”
The woman’s tearful voice suddenly came to mind. Pausing momentarily, Kayden shook his head to clear it and hurried towards the palace.
“Gasp, Your Highness! Where have you been?!” Patrasche, still searching the third prince’s palace, spotted Kayden and ran towards him in a panic, spilling his words in a rush. “Do you know how long you’ve been missing? What if Lady Sudsfield had left? We are on the brink of financial ruin!”
“I’m going now. Meanwhile, compile a list of noble ladies who entered the imperial palace today. The deadline is until I return.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Go.”
Kayden tapped Patrasche on the shoulder and quickly headed to the central garden. Looking up, he saw the sun setting. She must have left by now. It seemed Patrasche, busy searching for him, hadn’t noticed the woman’s departure.
Kayden entered the central garden almost at a run. He said she’d wait in the garden.
He looked around, trying to catch his breath, and spotted a familiar color in one corner. A woman with light pink hair was sitting on the grass, looking up at the sky. Her long, curly hair fluttered in the breeze.
She turned her head towards Kayden as if sensing his presence. Her mysterious blue-violet eyes widened in surprise and then curved in delight. Kayden, for some reason, felt entranced as their eyes met.
That person is….
Then the woman smiled and opened her mouth to speak.
