* * *
Callis spoke with a forced smile.
“I’ve talked too much, haven’t I? I’ve just never been able to suppress my curiosity. Your treatment is finished, so please get some rest.”
“…”
At his words, Anakin turned his head, looking back and forth between the clock on the wall and the window.
It was already getting dark. If they were to return to Pasadian, they needed to leave now.
Seeing this, Callis spoke as if to reassure him.
“Anakin, if you need to go back, you can take your time. Master’s innate abilities include teleportation. You’ve walked that pitch-black path before, haven’t you?”
Anakin’s eyes widened in surprise as he nodded.
“That’s right. Is that the Elder’s power?”
“Yes. Once a swordsman or a mage reaches a certain level, they awaken a unique ability. As you’ve experienced, Master can bring opponents into that black space or cast teleportation from within it. He can even cross dimensions, though he avoids doing so because it’s dangerous.”
Callis explained kindly with a bright smile. He then shifted his gaze toward Hilde.
“Anakin. That person over there has fast recovery, so he’ll be fine, but…”
He looked back at Anakin with a warning tone.
“You must rest. You can use the bed, so take a nap.”
“…I understand.”
Anakin nodded, seemingly resigned to being treated like a patient.
“I’ll ask Master to take you back myself. Though I suspect he’d do it anyway without me asking.”
Anakin thanked him.
A moment later, Callis left the room, mentioning he had errands to attend to.
Hilde, who had been sitting by the window, approached Anakin.
“I’m going to step out for a moment too.”
“…To see the Elder?”
“Yes. You lie down here in the bed.”
Anakin stared at Hilde without a word.
Hilde looked down at him, puzzled.
“What is it?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“…Anakin.”
Hilde’s expression hardened.
Seeing his reaction, Anakin’s head dropped.
Not long after, he covered his face with both hands, letting out a pained groan.
It was Hilde’s turn to be flustered by this unprecedented display of emotion.
“Anakin?”
“I’m sick of it. The waiting.”
“…”
This was a different side of Anakin—the person who usually remained playful and composed. Hilde stood still, watching him.
“Being sick is annoying. I don’t want to hide under the covers anymore. Every time I’m in pain, I…”
“…”
“I feel like the most useless being in the world.”
Hilde found himself unable to say anything to that.
It wasn’t Anakin’s fault his body was like this.
His breathtaking beauty had simply returned to haunt him as a curse.
That was all.
“I want to be a normal person.”
Anakin, who always tried to seem strong, looked utterly broken.
“Please, just take me with you.”
Anakin looked up, grabbing the hem of Hilde’s clothes.
His eyes were distorted with agony, and his red lips were slightly parted, trembling.
Hilde could not deny the intense emotion he felt while looking at the clinging Anakin.
“Anakin.”
Looking down at the pitiful beauty, Hilde stroked Anakin’s face.
He then gently took Anakin’s thin wrist and pulled his light body into an embrace.
Anakin’s soft, long hair brushed against Hilde’s cheek.
Before Anakin could process being pulled into Hilde’s broad chest, he heard a voice by his ear.
“I’ll stay with you.”
“…”
“I’ll wait here, and we can go together later.”
Surprised, Anakin leaned against him and blinked.
Was this Hilde’s way of offering comfort?
His warm embrace wasn’t bad at all.
Being held by Hilde even made him think of Roman for a moment.
“Thank you, Hilde…”
Anakin closed his eyes quietly in the embrace.
Since Hilde was an Alpha, there was no sense of rejection; it was simply peaceful.
As a tear rolled down Anakin’s cheek, he felt a gentle pat on his back.
“It was the Crown Prince, wasn’t it?”
“…”
When Anakin didn’t answer, Hilde didn’t push further.
He had suspected it, but to think…
Though Hilde belonged to the Pro-Crown Prince faction, he felt the Prince had crossed a line.
It was common to have a fiancée and a concubine separately, but if the target was Anakin, the situation changed.
Anakin’s will hadn’t been considered at all.
He couldn’t understand such tyranny.
“I don’t really know. I’m not certain, but it seems that way.”
“If you meet him, what will you do?”
Anakin fell silent again. Hilde asked once more.
“Do you love the Crown Prince?”
“…Not particularly.”
Hilde also thought that Anakin, who was free-spirited and full of curiosity, was not the type to be tied down to the Imperial Palace.
Anakin might have some feelings, but Hilde didn’t think he would spend his entire life by the Prince’s side.
“That’s a relief.”
Hilde felt pity for Anakin, who seemed to be the object of the Prince’s obsession.
Furthermore, weren’t the Third Prince and other men lusting after him as well?
There wasn’t a man alive who wouldn’t look twice at Anakin’s face.
When eyes met, time seemed to stop, and when he smiled, hearts dropped—Hilde knew he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
He believed that no matter how beautiful others were, only Anakin was capable of such a thing.
“Lie down and sleep.”
“…”
“I’ll be right here, so don’t worry.”
Hilde couldn’t help but notice that Anakin had reached his limit.
Anakin’s pheromones were unstable, so he needed rest immediately.
Callis hadn’t been blunt for no reason.
Hilde tucked Anakin into the bed. Anakin looked up and asked:
“Are you not going to sleep, Hilde?”
“I don’t sleep much.”
“…”
Anakin pulled the covers up, leaving only his eyes peeking out as he observed Hilde.
“So that’s why you always have dark circles.”
“…Just go to sleep.”
At Hilde’s words, Anakin closed his eyes.
The moment his head hit the pillow, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him.
It hadn’t been this bad even when he was back with his family; he realized just how dangerous this situation had truly been.
Once Anakin fell asleep, Hilde stared at him for a long time.
Then, he turned his gaze out the window.
The day was darkening, and the well-tended, sprawling backyard began to emit an ethereal light.
Watching this, Hilde murmured quietly.
“It’s been a chaotic day…”
Anakin woke up, rubbing his eyes.
It didn’t feel like he had slept long, but it was already dark outside.
‘I need to get to Elder Oswald quickly.’
As he tried to take a step to find Hilde, the man suddenly appeared and supported him.
“Are you awake?”
“Mmm… did I sleep long?”
“Not really. I was just about to wake you.”
Hilde shrugged.
Grateful to Hilde for waiting so long, Anakin gave a small smile.
Hilde let out a sigh and spoke.
“Let’s go. The Elder is waiting for us downstairs.”
“Okay.”
As they left the room and headed down the stairs, a thought occurred to Anakin.
“What about Sir Gilbert?”
“Fortunately, he regained consciousness. He was waiting for you.”
“That’s a relief.”
He was truly glad Gilbert had woken up safely.
They walked out into the open air.
It was a vast, elegant garden.
White tables were arranged formally, like an outdoor party venue.
Lilacs were in full bloom nearby, creating a luxurious atmosphere that felt like being in a greenhouse.
There, Oswald and Gilbert were in the middle of a conversation.
“Oh, you’ve arrived just in time.”
Seeing Gilbert greeting them with a laugh as if he hadn’t just nearly died, the two couldn’t help but chuckle.
They knew he was sociable, but his positivity in this situation was amazing.
The last time they saw him, they weren’t sure he’d survive, but he looked quite energetic now.
Moreover, the way he spoke so familiarly with an Elder like Oswald was a feat few could manage.
“Welcome. We were just talking.”
“Sit here.”
Hilde and Anakin sat down before them, looking slightly bewildered.
Oswald was a middle-aged man with sharp, deep eyes.
The silver strands among his brown hair were clear marks of the passage of time.
His powerful aura and stature symbolized a refined dignity.
Anakin wondered if the Elders of Pasadian felt like this.
He was certain that Oswald’s upright, steady atmosphere was something no one could imitate.
“I’m sure you have many questions. You may ask them one by one.”
* * *
