To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 9

“Actually, there are two chapels in the Benoit royal palace. The one you will see now is the older one, built about three hundred years ago. The king at the time, Henri II, had a dream about Lewa in his later years and decided to build a chapel within the royal palace. Unfortunately, Henri II passed away before the construction was completed….”

It was a completely different attitude from yesterday, when he had consistently maintained a certain distance while moving.

The extended explanation was like that too. Yesterday, he had repeatedly said only what was necessary and then quickly moved on to the next place, but today’s Dandeleon was chattering like a bird, stuck right next to Kellewen.

They were so close that Kellewen kept bumping into Dandeleon’s body while walking.

Each time that happened, Dandeleon would look up at Kellewen, who was more than a head taller than him, and smile sweetly, his eyes crinkling. With his white nape and chest exposed under the sunlight.

It was difficult to look at that sight, so Kellewen’s gaze kept turning forward. But just because it was out of sight did not mean his mind was at ease. Even while looking at the statues in the garden, Kellewen’s consciousness was constantly drawn to Dandeleon, who was just outside his field of vision.

The prince of Benoit, Dandeleon Benoit, was a person who gave off a strange feeling in many ways.

Kellewen had thought so from the first time they met. There was something about him that he could not take his eyes off of. Although he had a doll-like beautiful appearance and the unique feature of violet eyes, that was not the fundamental reason.

Dandeleon somehow had an aura of not belonging to this world.

Perhaps it was because he was not entirely favorable towards him. Kellewen admitted that fact with a bitter smile.

Most of the living beings he had met during his pilgrimage across the continent loved him. In a way, that was a matter of course.

Kellewen was the hope of the continent and the living proof that they could live longer. Therefore, it was inevitable that all living things on the continent would love him.

However, Dandeleon Benoit was different.

At their first meeting, he had worn an uncomfortable expression, like someone who had come to the wrong place.

It was rare to see someone who did not show any sign of delight or joy upon seeing Kellewen, so he stood out even more. And yet, when greeting Kellewen, he perfectly observed elven etiquette. Even though, unlike the central part of the continent, it was rare to meet an elf in a region adjacent to the sea like Benoit.

The very next day, yesterday, after spending about half a day with him, Kellewen understood him a little better.

Inside the palace, Dandeleon did not greet anyone. The paths Dandeleon chose were mostly deserted, and whenever he heard people’s voices, he would reflexively frown.

Even when Kellewen approached him to check the magical power imbued in his earring, Dandeleon was wary and showed signs of wanting to move away from him.

Putting all these facts together, the conclusion was simple.

Dandeleon did not particularly dislike Kellewen. He was extremely averse to all other people. That was probably his innate personality.

According to the king of Benoit, he was physically weak but had read many books and was highly learned. Kellewen, too, had personally experienced through the half-day tour that Dandeleon had a deep knowledge in various fields such as history, architecture, literature, and art.

It is common for people to become more sensitive as they accumulate knowledge. Numerous geniuses recorded in history proved this.

Most of them have fastidious personalities, and many have difficulty in their relationships with others. Had not Zellocal, the unparalleled genius born of the elven forest, lived alone on a beach for nearly fifty years, saying he disliked any being with thoughts in its head?

Therefore, Dandeleon’s personality could also be understood. Kellewen thought so. The detached atmosphere, as if he were separate from the world, and his dislike for others could be explained if one considered them to be traits peculiar to an intellectual.

Moreover, because he was such a transcendent person, he seemed to treat him as another individual rather than a High Elf, and that was quite a refreshing experience for Kellewen.

So Kellewen decided to respect Dandeleon to the best of his ability.

The method was simple. Since he disliked others, being indifferent to him would be the polite thing to do.

Having decided on that course of action, Kellewen treated Dandeleon with a certain degree of distance after the conversation about the earring. As time went on, he saw his wariness subsiding and even thought that his policy was correct.

But then, just before the tour was about to end, that incident happened.

An unexpected accident, and because of it, he had seen his….

Kellewen’s face grew hot again. It was not the first time he had seen someone’s naked body, yet it was strange that he was so agitated. During his pilgrimage, countless people had tried to strike up a conversation with Kellewen, and not a few of them had chosen their own bodies as the means to do so.

But Dandeleon’s action was not a seduction. No one seduces another person with that kind of expression.

Kellewen once again recalled him from yesterday. Dandeleon glaring at him with blazing eyes, and the body shining white beneath that face. His naked body looked as white and ephemeral as if it were made of snow.

He felt anxious that it might melt away under the midday sun, and he felt as if he would go blind if he kept looking.

Thinking about it made him feel strange again, so Kellewen shook his head from side to side.

But when he opened his eyes, there he was right next to him, clad in only a single thin layer of cloth. And with a completely different feeling from yesterday, stuck right next to Kellewen.

“Do you have any inconveniences living in the royal palace?”

“I do… not. Everyone is treating me very kindly.”

“I see. Come to think of it, do you not have a personal attendant, High Elf? I am curious if you have always walked the pilgrimage route alone.”

“Originally, there were people who traveled with me. They were more like my bodyguards than attendants, but they returned to the elven forest for the time being when we arrived at the Benoit royal palace.”

“Why is that?”

“That is the tradition of the pilgrimage. At the final destination….”

Thud.

Just then, the sound of something bumping was heard at Dandeleon’s feet. At the same time, his body staggered greatly.

“Ah…!”

The moment he saw that, Kellewen hastily reached out his arm. His hand caught Dandeleon by the waist. Kellewen was taken aback by the weight he felt in his arm. Dandeleon, held directly, was smaller and excessively lighter than he had thought.

To the point of feeling somewhat unreal.

“Thank you.”

Dandeleon steadied himself, staggering. Kellewen was startled when he gripped his hand that was wrapped around his waist. He must be trying to right his posture. He thought so, but Dandeleon’s next action was even more of a spectacle.

“I feel a little dizzy….”

Dandeleon’s body turned half a circle and then came to rest against Kellewen’s chest with a plop. For someone who was weak, it was quite a flashy move, but Kellewen did not have the leisure to realize that fact. He just stood there, completely stiff, looking down at the closed-eyed Dandeleon.

“…Your highness?”

Kellewen called out to Dandeleon cautiously. He was worried that he might have fainted, as he had his eyes closed without a word.

“Your highness, are you alright? Your highness?”

“I cannot feel any strength in my body….”

Dandeleon’s lips moved while his eyes were still closed. Kellewen found himself staring at those lips before hastily turning his head away.

“Sh-sh-should I call someone?”

“It is alright, I think it is because the sun is so hot. I have always been physically weak….”

Dandeleon said so and tried to stand up by putting strength into his body. However, he staggered unsteadily and ended up almost falling again, and Kellewen caught his body once more.

“I think you need to lie down for a moment.”

Kellewen looked around, surveying the area. But the chapel, their destination, was still far away, and there was no one else passing by.

“Um, this is a truly rude thing to say, but….”

Just then, Dandeleon spoke in a voice as thin as a thread. Kellewen unconsciously bent his head down to hear him better, bringing his ear close to his mouth.

“Yes?”

“High Elf.”

A shiver ran down Kellewen’s entire body.

It seemed he had brought his ear too close. The voice that should have been faint as if it would die out was heard all too clearly. Not only the voice, but he could also feel the breath he exhaled and even its temperature. It was an irrational impulse, but Kellewen felt like he wanted to just throw Dandeleon down and run away.

“Can you hold me?”

Dandeleon whispered.

Kellewen’s mind went blank. The saliva in his mouth dried up, and his fingertips grew cold. He tried to understand the words he had heard.

The word ‘hold’ has many meanings. From its direct meaning to its metaphorical meanings. This kind of language use is common between elven and human languages, and the reason for that is because the roots of the elven and human languages are the same….

“There is a small fountain just a little further that way.”

Kellewen’s thoughts, which had been stretching out without restraint, came to a screeching halt. Dandeleon spoke, his brow furrowed as if in pain.

“There is a bench there and I can get out of the sun… but I do not think I can walk that far.”

Kellewen’s face turned red. It was because of a terrible sense of shame. Dandeleon was asking for help because he was in pain, and he was just embarrassed about what kind of fantasies he had been having all by himself.

“Of course. Do not worry.”

Because of shame and remorse, Kellewen’s movements became swift. He lifted Dandeleon up in his arms with a sweep. Only then did Dandeleon seem to relax, letting the strength drain from his body and leaning his face against Kellewen’s chest.

“Thank you.”

As he walked in the direction Dandeleon had indicated, Kellewen reproached himself dozens of times. He was also worried about him, who was limp as if he were dead.

Dandeleon’s body temperature, felt through his clothes, was cool, which felt strange. It did not feel like he was holding a living person.

His steps quickened as his mind grew anxious. Before long, Kellewen found the place Dandeleon had mentioned. Next to a small fountain, there was an old pergola entwined with climbing roses. The roses were barely budding, but the leaves were abundant enough to provide some shade from the sun.

Kellewen laid Dandeleon down on the bench under the pergola and then quickly turned around.

“Please stay here for a moment. I will go get someone.”

It was just as Kellewen said so and was about to leave.

“Do not go.”