Esa Promesa

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

“What exactly did you take—no, retrieve—from Remable?”

I was fully aware that my role was merely to protect and advise Diver. I wasn’t supposed to meddle, no matter what secret schemes he had going on behind the scenes. But the thorn came to me. Because of that, I got involved despite my wishes, and now I needed to know.

I noticed Diver’s hands freeze for a moment as he untied the knot on his sleeve. Though he resumed right away, I was close enough to catch that brief hesitation.

“What would I have stolen?”

“The thorn demanded I return what Your Majesty supposedly took back to its original place. He threatened that if I refused, he’d send assassins by any means necessary. Doesn’t that imply you’ve taken something akin to a royal treasure?”

“I didn’t steal anything. I merely picked up an ownerless item. As you once taught me, Teian.”

His firm tone left me momentarily speechless.

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

“…I did say it’s okay to pick up unowned items. But I meant within reason. What exactly did you pick up in another country? What could it possibly be for the thorn to flip his eyes and come to me? It’s not some artifact from the magical kingdom, is it?”

Please, just say it is. My gaze silently pleaded with him to say so. Remable—a nation obsessed with magic—would go to war to gather every relic or remnant from the long-vanished magical kingdom.

Suddenly, Diver smiled faintly. It wasn’t the kind of smile that promised an answer. No, it was the kind that hinted, “Some things are better left unknown.”

“Your Majesty.”

“I can’t tell you any more than this.”

Ah, so it’s the latter. I understood and decided to think positively. Surely, it wasn’t something related to the magical kingdom. It had to be a minor issue—I’d just trust in that.

“No matter how you look at me, I won’t say anything more.”

I wasn’t sure what expression I was making, but when I saw Diver’s face flush, I felt a strange mix of emotions.

“I don’t plan to press further. However…”

“However?”

Diver tilted his head, clearly puzzled by my hesitation after all the blunt things I’d already said. Since it wasn’t anything rude, I decided there was no harm in saying it.

“Your Majesty, you’ve truly grown up well.”

In so many ways.

“Because of you.”

Diver smiled, a genuine smile. Not one of his usual forced or calculated smiles, but one that radiated pure joy and affection. His gray eyes gazed at me with undisguised warmth, making it difficult to breathe.

“If you feel even a little gratitude toward me, I’d appreciate it if you could process my resignation. Yes, I apologize. Please stop glaring.”

The moment I brought up my resignation, his expression instantly hardened. Seeing the same look in his eyes as when he used to trail after me like a lost puppy, I quickly apologized.

“Don’t run away.”

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I won’t leave until Your Majesty permits it.”

“You did.”

The distrust in his eyes was unmistakable. Despite knowing full well that I couldn’t escape with Laspheme around, Diver seemed inexplicably anxious.

For someone brazen enough to tell me to die by his side if I must, he completely lost his composure the moment I showed even the slightest hint of running away. That weighed on me, making it hard to be cold toward him.

I stepped back after helping him remove the third layer of clothing.

“Now that we’re done, I’ll call the maid to assist you.”

While I’d managed the outer layers, the inner garments were made of delicate fabrics that were better handled by an experienced maid.

“We’re not done yet.”

Diver pulled me into an embrace. As I opened my mouth to tell him to let go, his head rested on my shoulder.

I tried to push him away, but as soon as my hands touched his shoulders, I found myself unable to summon any strength. In the end, I stayed still, quietly leaning into his arms. A faint sigh reached my ear. I patted his back briefly before attempting to gently push him away. He didn’t budge.

“Please let go now.”

“No.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Even as I asked, I wondered why Diver was showing such vulnerability. Could it be regret over the sentence he had handed down to Count Delan? If he was lamenting not imposing an even harsher punishment, I could always offer advice.

“It’s not ‘all of a sudden.'”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve always wanted to do this. If I had my way, I’d do even more.”

“Just try it.”

“I won’t. If I acted on all my desires, you’d probably take the sword I gave you and cut my throat.”

“Cut your throat? I’m Your Majesty’s servant. How could I ever harm you?”

“Then what would you do?”

“I’d suppress my sorrow and knock some sense into Your Majesty by striking your head with the hilt of my sword.”

“…I see. At least I wouldn’t lose my life right away.”

Being so close to Diver, I could feel the resonance of his voice every time he spoke. What could I call this sensation? Tingly? Embarrassing? My breath quivered, unsettled by the unfamiliar feeling.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed him slightly, but he clung on tighter, as persistent as a leech evolved from a goldfish’s tail. He even strengthened his grip on my arms, pulling me closer. I frowned at his behavior.

“I’m going to be extremely busy starting today.”

“Of course.”

“I probably won’t be able to visit the bedchamber often until it’s time to depart.”

This was his way of asking me not to push him away. A laugh escaped me.

“You’re the one who decided to move all the remaining events this year to Sol Avla. You’ve brought this on yourself.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll help you.”

At my words, Diver lifted his head and glared at me.

“You’re a patient. You need absolute rest.”

“The wounds from the thorn have healed.”

Even though he knew the guardian dragon of this country had used healing magic on me, Diver still shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re forbidden from working. That’s an order. Just rest.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Rest.” 

One of the things people desire most but often have no idea how to achieve is rest. Especially for those worn down by work, resting feels like an unsolvable puzzle. That was precisely the case for me. Even during the one day I was confined to Diver’s bedchamber, I felt like I would die of boredom. The command to ‘rest’ only deepened my gloom.

“Resting is the only thing I will allow.”

His expression was regal and authoritative, but the order itself was absurd.

Still, I knew that Diver was genuinely concerned about me, and there was no point in arguing further. So, I decided to let it go.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I understand.”

When I responded obediently, Diver’s face lit up with relief.

Seeing him like that, I found him unexpectedly endearing. It made me want to smile too, but I held it back.

*

As expected, Diver became incredibly busy. He was so swamped with work that he had to snatch brief moments of rest on the bed in his office instead of his bedroom. This was all because he had rearranged the schedule to move every event planned for the capital to Sol Avla.

It was his own doing, so instead of feeling sorry for him, I just found it ridiculous and couldn’t help but laugh.

At the very least, if he had kept the celebration of his birthday in the capital, he could have slept in his own bed. But he didn’t. And it was all because of me. Diver, knowing my time was limited, had hastily shifted everything to Sol Avla to provide an environment where I could live as comfortably—and perhaps as long—as possible.

“Sigh…”

It was all my fault.

“Sir Teian.”

A voice broke through my thoughts, snapping me out of my reverie. I had sought out Asyan, but instead of speaking, I had drifted off into my own mind. I tore my gaze away from the dark, almost venomous-looking medicinal tea in front of me and looked at Asyan’s expression. Thankfully, he didn’t seem particularly annoyed.

“Have you been taking the medicine?”

“Medicine?”

Asyan hadn’t given me any medicine. Oh, could he mean the one Diver had handed me? I recalled the bottle Diver had almost forced upon me, which I had tucked away in the drawer of his room, thinking it wouldn’t do much good anyway.

“Are you talking about the medicine His Majesty gave me in the bottle?”

“Yes, that one.”

“…”

“You haven’t been taking it, have you?”

His tone suggested he’d expected this. While Asyan was generally lenient about personal matters, I knew how firm he could be when it came to his patients. His reaction was surprising, leaving me with mixed feelings.

“Start taking it now.”

“You of all people know there’s no point in taking medicine in my condition.”

“What did His Majesty say about the medicine?”

“He just told me to take it.”

At my response, Asyan’s expression shifted to something unreadable.

“He didn’t tell you what it was?”

“No, he didn’t say anything specific.”

What kind of medicine could it be for Asyan to react like this? I had assumed it was just a painkiller, but his reaction suggested otherwise.

“What is it?”

“…It’s a nutritional supplement with pain-relief properties. His Majesty personally bestowed it upon you, so please make sure to take it from now on.”

I looked at Asyan skeptically. Was he really calling the medicine Diver gave me a ‘bestowal’? It seemed an overly grand term for something as ordinary as this.