To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 4

Attend to?

Me, this High Elf?

The vision he had seen earlier replayed in Dandeleon’s mind. The image of the elf, roughly pressing him down, was still vivid before his eyes.

Was this the cause of that situation? Because His Majesty handed me over to the High Elf just like that…!

“The Benoit royal palace has complicated paths, so a guide will be needed.”

Dandeleon’s thoughts, which were heading to an extreme, came to a halt.

“Besides, Leon knows the palace grounds well, and the areas outside the palace too. If you wish, it would be good to go out for once.”

Charles said so and laughed out loud. He seemed somewhat excited. He appeared proud and happy that his son, and his most cherished son at that, had caught the High Elf’s interest. There was no sign of any sinister ulterior motives on his smiling face.

Slowly, very slowly, Dandeleon’s reason returned.

Come to think of it, it was an absurd fantasy. If that had been the meaning, he wouldn’t have said it so openly in a place with so many people. Did he just mean to guide him around the palace? No, but why use a strange word like ‘attend to’ for such a simple role and fluster someone?

“Is that so. If it is alright with the Prince, it would be an infinite honor for me.”

“So it is settled. Leon, I will count on you starting tomorrow.”

“…Pardon?”

It took too long to regain his senses.

By the time he came to, the king and the High Elf had already finished their conversation. Kellewen’s green eyes looked at Dandeleon with anticipation.

Dandeleon felt like a frog before a snake. He turned towards the king with a stiff motion and confirmed that his expression was slightly different from usual. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes and forehead were slightly tensed, which made him look rather scary.

To put that expression into words, well. “You wouldn’t refuse, would you?” would be about right.

“Please, please…”

Dandeleon, who habitually missed official events and was engrossed only in pleasure, and had thus even earned the nickname “the unforgivable prodigal son,” had no choice but to answer like this at that moment.

“Leave it to me…”

Because he had a premonition that if he refused this proposal, he would by no means be safe.

*

That night, Dandeleon had a dream.

In his dream, he was entwined with Kellewen.

It was similar to, yet different from, the scene he had briefly seen in the vision. Kellewen grabs Dandeleon’s shoulders and demands an answer.

Say you won’t leave, Leon.

A rough and violent attitude. A threatening voice. A frightening force pressing down on his shoulders.

And eyes red-rimmed, like someone who has cried for a long time.

Dandeleon, please…

The Kellewen in the dream looks desperate and tormented for some reason. Dandeleon, watching him, is also in pain.

What should I do?

Dandeleon opened his mouth, but no voice came out.

He wants to answer, he wants to reassure him that he will not leave, but his voice does not come out.

Dandeleon begins to melt from his fingertips. He dissipates into white foam in Kellewen’s hands.

Kellewen puts down roots in the spot where Dandeleon vanished. Black hair blooms into green leaves, and both arms and legs twist and split, eventually hardening.

What remains in the place where both Dandeleon and Kellewen have disappeared is a single, giant tree.

The Guardian Tree that purifies the continent, Yggdrasil.

*

“What kind of messed-up dream was that.”

It was the worst morning.

Dandeleon, who had made that unwanted promise last night, returned to his room as if fleeing. And he began to worry about the vision he had seen and the future. But no means of dealing with the vague future came to mind, and Dandeleon ended up exploding with stress.

He opened his liquor cabinet and poured the Dalento 13 he cherished so much down his throat. Not even in a cup, but straight from the bottle.

Then he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep, only to wake up after having such a dream. There was no way he could be in a good mood.

“Are you awake?”

Hearing Dandeleon’s muttering, Zellos trotted into the bedroom. He handed him a glass of warm water and asked.

“How is your stomach? You drank quite a lot yesterday.”

A slight tone of criticism was mixed in his words. Dandeleon snorted.

“I feel perfectly fine.”

“Don’t act tough.”

“When was I ever sick from it?”

In fact, Dandeleon had a very high tolerance for alcohol. Not in the sense that he did not get drunk, but in that he had no hangovers. No matter how much he drank the day before, he had never once had a sore stomach or a headache the next day.

“Don’t be complacent when you’re not in good health! One day you’ll really be in big trouble.”

Zellos, while grumbling, faithfully took the empty glass from Dandeleon. Then, a short while later, he returned with warm water for washing. While he was washing, Zellos prepared fruit and tea on the table for Dandeleon, who did not eat breakfast.

Dandeleon picked at the fruit but did not eat it. Instead, he poured tea into a teacup and sat blankly, only smelling the fragrance. In the meantime, Zellos moved about busily, tidying the bed and opening the windows to air out the room.

Zellos was Dandeleon’s only servant and attendant. Other royals lived a life of abundance, attended by many people, but Zellos was the only one who worked for Dandeleon.

Zellos not only attended to Dandeleon by himself, but he also took care of all the chores, such as preparing meals and cleaning the room. This was because no one else had offered to serve him.

He had heard that Zellos was a child Dandeleon’s mother, Apsara, had picked up. She had brought him, an orphan abandoned on the streets, and raised him like a son, and after Dandeleon was born, the three of them became a complete family. Now that his mother was gone, Zellos was Dandeleon’s only family and friend.

Sometimes, Dandeleon thinks. The grace his mother bestowed upon Zellos is great, but isn’t what Zellos has done for Dandeleon even greater?

Zellos must have experienced the humiliations Dandeleon faced in the royal palace, where he had no allies, several times over. Counting those years alone, he has more than repaid his debt of gratitude to his mother.

So, isn’t it time for him to leave and find his own life now?

While thinking so, Dandeleon could not bring himself to voice those thoughts.

What if he said such a thing, and Zellos really…

“Oh, Kellewen sent a message this morning!”

Zellos’s sudden words broke Dandeleon’s reverie.

“He would like a tour of the palace, and he said any time is fine with him, so he’ll accommodate Your Highness’s convenient time!”

Dandeleon’s mood instantly soured. Even more so than when he had woken up and was reflecting on his dream.

“When will you go? You’ll take me with you, right?”

However, Zellos seemed completely unaware of his mood. He just trotted over and looked at Dandeleon with pleading eyes.

Looking at that sight, the complex feelings he had for Zellos vanished like smoke. At the same time, the worries he had been putting off came to mind, making his head throb.

“Huh? Your Highness, you will go with me, right?”

“…No. Absolutely not.”

Dandeleon deliberately refused coldly. He was annoyed with Zellos for pestering him without knowing how he felt. Zellos looked shocked and let his ears droop. Seeing that face, instead of feeling triumphant, he felt even worse.

“What do you like so much about that elf?”

Dandeleon asked in a sharp tone. Zellos looked slightly flustered.

“Pardon? No, well. It’s not that I like a particular thing about him…”

“Then why do you want to go with him so much?”

Zellos shrugged.

“Kellewen is a High Elf. Everyone wants to see him. Isn’t that right?”

“Is that so?”

“It is! I never thought I’d see him in person either, but he is as beautiful as the rumors say, and his character is so good… He is such an amazing person, so of course people would want to see even his shadow.”

Zellos’s words seemed plausible at a glance, but the more he thought about it, there was something strange. Dandeleon frowned.

“So, you want to see him because he is famous and amazing? Like an elephant in a circus?”

“How can you say such a thing!”

Zellos jumped in surprise.

“I didn’t mean it with such an irreverent heart…!”

“Stop with the useless talk and just deliver the message to Kellewen.”

He did not feel like talking about this topic any longer. Dandeleon stood up from his seat and said to Zellos.

“Tell him I’ll be ready right away, so let’s meet at the Nymph’s Fountain in an hour. If he doesn’t know the location, show him where it is.”

Zellos’s ears perked up like a dog that had heard good news.

“Me?”

“Then shall I go?”

“No! I’ll go! I’ll be right back!”

Zellos went out in a hurry with a much brighter face. He was probably thinking he might be able to see Kellewen. Dandeleon did not know if Zellos would be able to speak directly with the High Elf, but he had a more important issue.

Left alone, Dandeleon stood in front of the mirror, lost in thought.

What on earth should he wear to remain outside of Kellewen’s interest? That was the worry that had captured Dandeleon.

And the more he looked in the mirror, the more he had to admit that it was quite difficult. No matter how objectively he looked, he could not deny that he was born with a beautiful appearance.

A slender face with neatly placed features, eyelashes long enough for snowflakes to land on, and soft, shiny blond hair. His face was like a doll perfectly crafted by an artisan.

Moreover, Dandeleon had the purple eyes he inherited from his mother, Apsara. When he lived with his mother outside the palace, he thought half the continent’s people had purple eyes, but after entering the palace, he found it was an extremely rare case, not only within the Benoit Kingdom but also in other regions.

Considering that there are records of children with purple eyes occasionally being born in the elven forest, his mother might have actually been a half-elf.

Anyway, to draw an extremely objective conclusion…

Dandeleon Benoit was a high-quality product, beautiful and rare enough, that a pederast hiding sinister intentions would want to embrace at least once.

He felt no sense of self-admiration whatsoever. Thinking about what could happen because of his appearance only gave him a headache.

Dandeleon, who was examining himself in the mirror, then approached the wardrobe.

After rummaging through the wardrobe and pondering for a long time, he took out a long ivory coat, a black shirt with abundant frills that came up to his neck, and a pair of shiny green pants made of cheap material. It was the worst combination in terms of both color combination and atmosphere.

But Dandeleon was filled with the purpose of giving Kellewen a bad impression, and when he tried it on, the result was as incomprehensible as he had intended. He also liked the fact that it did not reveal any skin.

Finally, Dandeleon took out his cosmetics and patted them on his eyes and cheeks. After applying a lot, he completed the look of a corpse that had just risen from the grave a few minutes ago, with all color drained from his face.

…What if the High Elf is actually a pervert who likes corpses?