To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 3

He could occasionally see a fragment of the future.

Sometimes it was an important event, and sometimes it was a very trivial one. Sometimes it was something that would happen just a few minutes later, and sometimes it was something that would happen months later.

But the important thing was the fact that, whatever it was, it would eventually happen.

“It doesn’t always happen exactly the same way…”

If that were the case, Zellos would not be in this world right now.

But because Dandeleon saw the future and intervened, the two of them did not go to the jewelry store, and as a result, Zellos is alive and well to this day, without a single scratch on his fingertips.

“Here you go, Your Highness!”

Zellos, who had brought a new glass of champagne at some point, handed him the glass.

“But you must not drink more than this. You skipped dinner. If you want to drink more, you must eat something first!”

The usual, stale, and long nagging was a bonus.

But instead of protesting, Dandeleon accepted the glass with a gentle smile.

He was a person who had thrown his life away for him, even if it had become something that did not happen. No matter how annoying he was, his heart was undeniably sincere.

Since his twelfth birthday, Dandeleon had come to trust Zellos more than anyone else.

‘…I can just drink more in my room anyway.’

That did not mean, however, that he was a good boy who listened well to Zellos.

“It’s fine, I’ll just drink this and go back.”

The reason he had stayed longer in the banquet hall instead of leaving was because he wanted to observe the High Elf. He did not get close, but watching Kellewen from a distance was enough to understand what kind of person he was.

Kellewen showed words and actions that were truly befitting of the word “savior.” Among the people who praised him, he acted beautifully yet gracefully, and the words that came from his mouth were soft and gentle.

One would think he would become arrogant in such a position, but Kellewen instead humbled himself before the people. That appearance made him seem even more sacred and noble.

That was why Dandeleon’s stomach twisted.

‘Hypocrite.’

Dandeleon had seen various futures until now. Most of them were things that would happen in the very near future. At most, it was a matter of a few months, and it had never been more than a year.

In other words, the event he had seen earlier would also happen within a few months at the longest.

As for how a situation where he gets raped by an elf could possibly happen, well, let’s just say it could happen. Life is truly unpredictable.

But if that happens in just a few months…

In the end, it means that Kellewen is hiding such thoughts within him.

It’s not like there will be some soap opera-like development where Kellewen has a hidden twin brother, or someone feeds him an aphrodisiac that makes him lose his reason. In the first place, they say poison does not work on a High Elf’s body.

Kellewen would rape Dandeleon of his own free will.

On the outside, he pretends to be a saint, putting on all sorts of affectations, while in the back, he overpowers and takes the king’s illegitimate son who has no one to protect him.

Where could there be a more terrible hypocrite than this?

If only he could, he would like to tell all those people who praise the High Elf. That the High Elf you love so dearly is, in the end…

“A slave to desire, hiding a filthy heart.”

A faint smile hung on Dandeleon’s lips as he muttered so. It was a smile mixed with a bit of ridicule and a very slight bit of satisfaction, but he himself was not even aware that he was smiling.

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Zellos, who was approaching with a new glass of champagne, asked. A Lycan’s hearing is several times better than a human’s. It was impressive that he could pick out Dandeleon’s voice even in the noisy banquet hall, but at the same time, it felt troublesome.

“It was nothing.”

Dandeleon answered so and then emptied the champagne glass Zellos handed him in one gulp. Then, he threw the empty glass into the garden.

“Ugh!”

“What, what was that? A glass…?!”

“Leon!”

The couple who had been sharing a passionate love in the dark garden screamed. Zellos, who grasped the situation a beat late, widened his eyes and chided Dandeleon, but it was already too late.

Dandeleon put a finger to his lips and then grinned.

“Now, let’s go back.”

“The moment I take my eyes off you, you cause trouble…”

Dandeleon pretended not to hear Zellos’s grumbling and came out from the balcony. Then, he started walking, sticking as close to the wall as possible to avoid being noticed. Since everyone was focused on the High Elf, no one gave him a glance or spoke to him.

As he quietly slipped out of the banquet hall, Dandeleon was engrossed in one thought.

The future can be changed. At least, he could do that.

He could surely avoid the terrible future he saw today.

To do that, it would be best to avoid encountering the High Elf altogether. Anyway, the royal family did not call Dandeleon to official events unless it was something truly unavoidable.

Still, just in case, I should spread a rumor starting tomorrow that I am sick, and then stay cooped up in my room until the High Elf leaves the kingdom. Yes, that should work. Surely Kellewen isn’t such a piece of trash that he would rape a sick person…?

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Just before leaving the banquet hall, completely absorbed in his unanswerable worries, Dandeleon encountered an unexpected obstacle.

‘…Damn it, if you were going to show me things anyway, you should have shown me this too.’

Dandeleon complained inwardly and raised his head. A man about a head taller than Dandeleon was blocking his way.

“I am returning to the palace, hyung.”

A vein popped on the man’s temple.

The one blocking Dandeleon was none other than his older brother, Pierre Benoit.

He was often said to have the appearance most similar to the king in his youth, but with two older brothers above him, he was not in a position to become king. So, he would often vent his anxiety about the future and his inferiority complex towards his brothers on his weakest sibling.

Of course, the weakest sibling referred to Dandeleon.

“Who is your hyung?”

Pierre approached Dandeleon and then lifted his foot to press down firmly on his shoe. At the same time, he brought his face very close, a posture that, to an onlooker, might have looked like he was about to give a kiss on the cheek.

However, Pierre’s face stopped just short of Dandeleon’s. As he whispered, hot, moist air coiled around Dandeleon’s ear.

“Did your mother teach you that? That a child born of a beggar who roamed the streets is also a prince if he has the king’s seed?”

A sharp voice, thickly coated with malice.

It is not simply pouring out hatred. While his mouth spews emotional words, his eyes are persistently scanning Dandeleon’s features. It is an act to confirm with his own eyes how much he has been hurt.

It is more terrible than ordinary bullying… but he has already experienced this for over 10 years.

When Dandeleon was still young, he had often cried, hurt by Pierre. But now that he was twenty, it was so cliché that it was boring.

In fact, the things Pierre said were always the same without anything new, and Dandeleon secretly suspected that his vocabulary was lacking because he did not read books.

“Don’t make me laugh, you lowly thing. You are neither my brother nor a prince.”

The word “lowly” naturally had to be said, and it would be disappointing if the words “not a prince” were left out. At this point, the next word that would be appropriate would be something like trash or parasite…

“You are just a bug that parasites off the royal palace.”

…To think he would put it that way.

“There you are.”

At that moment, an unexpected voice cut in between the two of them. Not only Pierre, but Dandeleon as well, flinched and looked in the direction the voice came from.

“This is the fourth, Pierre.”

King Charles was approaching with Kellewen. To think that the number one and number two people he wanted to meet least at this moment were approaching together. Dandeleon thought he would be fine with giving away all the liquor in his room if only he could run away from here.

‘…No, is Dalento 13 a bit much? That one is really expensive and I’ve only had three glasses so far…’

“And that child with the purple eyes…”

It was a voice so sickeningly soft that it brought his mind, which was escaping reality, back.

“…is the youngest, Dandeleon.”

Charles said so and looked at Dandeleon with a fond gaze.

It was a gaze as if looking at a loved one. And yet, a face that would inevitably cloud over after a few seconds. A consciousness that caresses the trace of his lover with his eyes, only to eventually return to the lover in his memory. The behavior of his ‘father’ that he had seen dozens, hundreds of times.

It was the moment Dandeleon hated the most.

“It is an infinite honor to meet the great High Elf…!”

The spineless Pierre, regardless of that, was busy flattering the High Elf. The same tongue that had just whispered to him that he was a bug parasitizing the palace suddenly produced only beautiful words, as if it had been gilded with gold.

“Great is too much of a compliment. I am but a being who serves the Guardian Tree.”

For that hypocrite who acts as if even that is no big deal.

“…What a grand farce.”

Everything is ridiculous. It is so ridiculous he cannot stand it. It was the worst performance, one he did not want to watch any longer but also could not leave at will.

“Leon, you must greet him quickly…”

As Dandeleon just stood there, Charles said in a flustered tone. Pierre looked at him with a triumphant expression, and Kellewen waited for his greeting with a face that seemed as if it would forgive any rudeness.

After checking the expressions of the three people in turn, Dandeleon forced his lips into a smile.

Yes, it can’t be helped.

If it is a stage I cannot leave anyway, I might as well perform the most magnificent dance to feel refreshed.

Dandeleon silently raised his hand. And with his palm facing himself, he lightly touched his forehead. Next, he turns his palm towards the other person, and touches his mouth with the back of his hand. Then, he places his hand on the opposite shoulder and gives a light nod.

“What kind of foolish act is that?”

Pierre, who saw Dandeleon’s action, made a sound of open ridicule. But those words were drowned out by Kellewen’s voice, which came out at almost the same time.

“How surprising…!”

Kellewen’s pale cheeks turned pinkish, and his eyes widened slightly. He had such a purely delighted face, like a child’s, that it was Dandeleon who was flustered.

“To think there is someone in a human kingdom who knows the elven way of greeting. It feels as if I have come home.”

Unlike Dandeleon’s mixed and subtle feelings, the king’s face was clearly relieved. He smiled and said to Kellewen.

“Dandeleon is weak in body, but he is intelligent from reading many books. Of course, compared to an elf who lives for a thousand years, it is but the knowledge of a mere human…”

“Not at all. It is rare to find someone with such a deep understanding of other cultures. I am deeply moved.”

…He did not know he would score so many points with just one greeting. He had just wanted to seem a little more polite than Pierre, but to become an intelligent and considerate prince with a deep understanding of other cultures.

A sense of failure followed his bewilderment.

No, what am I doing right now? Just a moment ago, I resolved to avoid getting involved with the High Elf as much as possible…

“That’s right! Leon.”

Suddenly, Charles approached Leon and familiarly grabbed his arm. Dandeleon was so surprised that he almost swatted the king’s hand away. He could not even remember the last time Charles had touched his body.

This action alone was surprising enough, but the next words he said drove Dandeleon into even greater shock.

“Since you are so knowledgeable about elven culture, how about you attend to the High Elf during his stay in the kingdom?”