To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 22

It took Zellos about 30 minutes to arrive at Ardenver. In the meantime, Dandeleon wiped away the blood and got dressed, but he said nothing to Kellewen. Not about his illness, nor about himself or his attendant.

In the silence, Kellewen was burning with anxiety. The scene of Dandeleon coughing up blood in front of him kept flashing through his mind. He wanted to take him to a doctor right away, but Dandeleon’s firm refusal only tormented him.

This torment stemmed from his worry for Dandeleon, but it was also partly due to the disappointment he felt toward him.

Over the past few days, Kellewen had thought he had grown very close to Dandeleon. To him, Dandeleon was a colossal event that had shaken his values.

He knew he wasn’t quite that significant to Dandeleon, but he still thought that Dandeleon held some affection for him. After all, the bold sexual advances Dandeleon kept attempting must be his own way of expressing his favor.

But now, Dandeleon’s lips were sealed shut, and he wasn’t saying a word.

This was the first time Kellewen had learned that he had a chronic illness. Naturally, he wanted to know more about it, but Dandeleon refused even to explain.

Kellewen felt that Dandeleon was pushing him away. Since Dandeleon had always been the one to approach him first, this attitude came as an even greater shock.

Kellewen’s sense of alienation reached its peak the moment Zellos arrived at Ardenver.

“Mr. Leon!”

“What took you so long?”

Instead of offering a kind word to the flustered Zellos who had rushed over, Dandeleon rebuked him in a blunt tone. Zellos, too, began to nag, saying he knew this would happen when he saw him carrying all those bottles of alcohol.

And yet, Zellos lifted Dandeleon onto his back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Dandeleon, too, let himself be carried on his back very naturally. After lifting Dandeleon, Zellos gave one last glance around the living room where the drinking party had taken place. Then, he bowed his head slightly to Kellewen.

In that moment, Kellewen clearly witnessed Zellos’s eyes flash with hostility.

“My apologies for the late-night intrusion, Mr. High Elf.”

“Not at all. More importantly, the prince coughed up blood, so he needs to see a doctor…”

“There is medicine in his room.”

Zellos cut Kellewen off. It was an exceedingly disrespectful attitude. As if realizing this himself, Zellos gave an awkward smile and added his thanks for the concern, but his gaze toward Kellewen remained just as sharp.

“We will take our leave now.”

Until the very moment he left, Dandeleon said nothing. His attitude, not even offering a farewell, wounded Kellewen’s heart. Just a moment ago, they had shared a more intimate contact than anyone else, but now it felt as if they were worse than strangers.

Ardenver, now empty of Dandeleon, was as quiet as a ruin.

Left alone, Kellewen was at a loss, unable to control the emotions spreading within him. At first, Kellewen thought he was worried about Dandeleon’s illness. But when he came to his senses, he realized what he was truly concerned about was the Lycan attendant who had disappeared with Dandeleon on his back.

The intimate air flowing between the two of them was uncomfortable. From what Dandeleon had said, the attendant had served him for a long time, so it was only natural that he would be closer to him than Kellewen, who had met him only recently, yet Kellewen found it hard to accept that fact.

Perhaps it was because of the undisguised hostility he had shown. Despite having rarely experienced such a situation, Kellewen knew instinctively.

Zellos had threatened him. Like a beast baring its fangs, he had warned him not to cross the line. As if Dandeleon were already his.

A fierce impulse shook Kellewen. An unfamiliar emotion, one he was encountering for the first time in his life, came crashing down like a great mountain collapsing. Kellewen was helplessly swept away by the current. The emotion consumed him.

The next day, Dandeleon slept until nearly noon before barely managing to open his eyes.

“Ugh, I’m so stiff…”

As soon as he woke up, he stretched out his arms, and his body screamed. His body was always creaky, but it seemed particularly bad today. Come to think of it, he had coughed up blood yesterday. Dandeleon grimaced.

That was a side of himself he had wanted to hide from Kellewen, of all people. Even when he had lamented his circumstances to him, he had only spoken of being ignored, never mentioning his illness. If possible, he had intended to keep it hidden until Kellewen left Benoit.

“How annoying.”

Dandeleon lay back down and burrowed into the blankets. He had woken up but felt no sense of refreshment at all. His body was tired, and his mind was even more so.

He decided not to take a single step out of his room today. Usually around this time, he would go to Ardenver to have a meal with Kellewen, but today he was not in the mood for it at all.

‘Should I stop doing that now…’

Dandeleon stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

He had caused quite a stir these past few days, claiming he would awaken the high elf’s desire, but what was the result? Kellewen remained nobly uncovetous of anything, and only Dandeleon’s infamy had grown.

Rumors about Dandeleon had always been rampant, but the situation was a bit different this time. For one, the universally beloved high elf was involved, and besides—strictly speaking—it wasn’t exactly untrue.

Until now, the king had let Dandeleon do as he pleased, but would he continue to do so when a high elf was involved?

‘…Then would it be better not to see him from now on?’

The moment he thought that, he felt bad again. He couldn’t explain exactly why he felt bad, but it was unpleasant nonetheless.

Perhaps because his heart was uneasy, his lying position was not comfortable in the slightest. Dandeleon tossed and turned on the bed, his thoughts continuing.

‘How will His Majesty react after Kellewen leaves?’

It would be nice if he were sent to a remote country villa to reflect on his actions. As far as Dandeleon knew, the queen had always wanted that. Dandeleon had barely five years left to live, let alone ten, so if he left the royal palace, there was a high probability he would never return.

That was what Dandeleon wanted most. He had no particular place in mind to spend the last moments of his life, but anywhere would be fine as long as it wasn’t the Benoit royal palace.

Considering that, the spread of the rumors could actually be a blessing in disguise. The scandal with Kellewen would serve as a good excuse to leave the royal palace. If so, wouldn’t it be better to keep meeting with Kellewen and make the rumors an established fact?

Having thought that far, Dandeleon threw off the covers and sat up.

“Am I too late?”

Just then, the bell signaling noon was ringing. It was a little late, but if he hurried, he could still argue that it was lunchtime. Dandeleon washed up hastily, threw on whatever clothes came to hand, and flung the door open.

“……!”

“Huh?”

And he found Kellewen.

For a moment, Dandeleon thought he was still dreaming. Otherwise, there was no way Kellewen would be in front of his room.

“Good morning, Dandeleon.”

But standing before him was not a dream or an illusion, but the real Kellewen. The gentle smile that replaced his surprised expression and the beautiful voice that seemed to melt his ears were unmistakably real.

“I was just about to head over, why are you here…”

Dandeleon stammered.

“There is something I wish to ask of you, but since you did not make your way to Ardenver, I came to find you myself.”

“A request?”

“I would like you to go to Roalante with me.”

Dandeleon’s eyes widened.

“To the sea of Xellokal?”

Roalante was a coastal region in southern Benoit. It was also one of the few areas on the continent where one could safely view the sea.

The seas surrounding the continent had long been consumed by demonic energy, but the waters of Roalante alone maintained their blue-emerald hue instead of a violet one. The reason for this was the high elf, Xellokal.

Xellokal was a high elf born about five hundred years ago. He was one of the most distinguished mages in the Elven Forest and a genius of his time, and it was said that his magical talent was comparable to that of Yggdrasil. However, as geniuses often are, he had an eccentric disposition and left the Elven Forest before even coming of age. He wandered here and there before settling in the small southern region of Benoit, Roalante.

Afterward, until he offered his magical power to Yggdrasil, Xellokal lived alone in Roalante and devoted himself to magical research. Xellokal’s Lighthouse was the essence of that research.

Originally, the Elven Forest had a great interest in the lighthouse and periodically dispatched mages to Benoit to study it. Kellewen probably wanted to go to Roalante out of magical curiosity. Although he knew this well, Dandeleon couldn’t help but ask.

“This is a bit sudden. Was this originally planned?”

To get to Roalante from the capital took a full day by carriage. Considering the time spent there, it would be a journey of at least three days, requiring proper preparation, but Kellewen’s suggestion was as casual as proposing a trip to the nearby square.

“It was not, but it is true that I am in a hurry for a reason.”

“His Majesty knows, right? We can’t just go without a word when we’ll be away from the palace for a long time.”

“I understand your concern, but we can be back in a few hours, so it will be fine.”

Dandeleon was truly bewildered by this statement.

“Do you even know where Roalante is?”

“Of course.”

Kellewen smiled brightly. Dandeleon felt that this smile was slightly different from the ones he usually saw. It was hard to put a finger on it, but Kellewen seemed strangely excited today.

“It is difficult to explain in detail here. Can you just trust me and follow me, Leon?”

Only then did Dandeleon realize that Kellewen was no longer calling him ‘Your Highness.’

At the same time, he remembered what had happened last night. They hadn’t had intercourse, but yesterday’s contact was practically the same. Come to think of it, he also recalled allowing him to use a pet name.

Dandeleon’s face turned a little red. He had forgotten because of the whole coughing-up-blood incident, but what had happened between them yesterday was quite a big step forward. Unlike last time, Kellewen hadn’t run away and had stayed until the end this time…

“Leon?”

“Ah.”

Kellewen’s voice broke Dandeleon’s reverie. Dandeleon fumbled for a moment, trying to recall the question he had just asked.

“You asked… you asked me to follow you, right? Well, I don’t really have anything else to do, so I’m fine with it.”

“Thank you. Then, right away…”

Kellewen smiled happily and extended his hand to Dandeleon. But before Dandeleon could take it, Kellewen shook his head with a troubled expression.

“No, it seems it will be difficult to leave right away. It would be best for you to dress a little more warmly.”

“More than this?”

Dandeleon asked in a puzzled tone, looking down at his clothes. He was sensitive to the cold, so he usually dressed a bit more warmly than the weather called for. This year, it had gotten warmer earlier than usual, to the point where it was already hot in the middle of the day, but Dandeleon was wearing a jacket over a long-sleeved shirt.

“It would be best to wear a winter coat. A scarf and gloves would be even better.”

“Are we going to the Millennial Pearl Mountains, not Roalante?”

When Dandeleon mentioned the name of the mountain in the northwestern part of the continent, which was covered in white snow all year round, Kellewen smiled and shook his head.

“You will soon understand why.”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Not even 30 minutes after Kellewen said that, Dandeleon was able to understand the reason with his entire body.

“What if I fall?!”

“I am holding you tight.”

“But, argh! The wind… the wind!”

A gust of wind whipped around and struck Dandeleon’s face. The massive current of air snatched the voice from him. It was hard to even breathe properly, let alone speak. Dandeleon closed his eyes and curled his body into a ball. He was so cold and exhausted.