SWY 140

Sharhan and Lestel looked at each other. Kuph’s theory sounded too plausible to ignore.

“It does make sense. But… do you think he had time to pass on the location of the secret passage to his descendants before he was executed?”

Rael posed the question, and Kuph stroked the end of his mustache, a habit of his when deep in thought.

“At the time, Mernang was already drunk and slurring his words, so I’m not entirely sure… but I think he did mention a family secret passed down through generations. I laughed it off back then, but now that I think about it, that secret might have been the location of the passage.”

“When will Adam be back?”

Kuph glanced toward the window. The sun had completely set during their conversation, and it was now dark outside.

“The sun’s down. He’ll either return soon or not at all tonight. It’s dangerous to move around in the dark.”

“He went to look for food, right?”

“Yes. We’ve run out, and we’ve been starving since yesterday. I’m sorry we don’t have anything to serve you.”

When Kuph opened the door earlier, he had noticed Rael’s hands were empty. That was why he didn’t bother asking if he’d found any food.

Sharhan and Lestel brought out the food left in their bag. It wasn’t much, just a few potatoes and a bit of flour. They decided to save the flour and split the potatoes. Still, there were enough for each person to have two.

“Th-thank you.”

“Much appreciated.”

Kuph and Rael received the potatoes with sincere gratitude. Two were saved for Adam.

The potatoes had been boiled a few days ago and were now dry and hard from the cold, but with some water, they managed to fill their stomachs. Just then, someone knocked at the door.

“That must be Adam.”

Kuph quickly got up and opened the door. A man with thick sideburns and a scruffy beard rushed inside. He had clearly run the whole way, and even after stepping indoors, he was too winded to speak.

“Why are you so late?”

“I was scouring the area for anything useful and lost track of time. On my way back, I ran into a few corpses and had to deal with them. That slowed me down.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No. But I came back empty-handed again… Huh? We have guests–L-Lord Lestel?!”

Once he caught his breath, Adam finally noticed Sharhan and Lestel. His eyes went wide. Despite it being more than ten years since they last met, he recognized Lestel at once.

Lestel examined Adam carefully as the man hurried over and bowed. And then, a memory surfaced, of a boy standing politely behind Mernang, the gardener who had tended his mother’s rose garden.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes. You’ve grown up well. I heard you suddenly left the family a few years ago without a word. I was worried.”

“Even after your parents died because of the Marquis, you worried about me?”

“Their deaths were the fault of the Marquis and the current Marchioness, not you. My father always said we must never forget the late Lady’s kindness. When I was five and gravely ill, she spent a fortune to bring a physician and saved me. He said the only way to repay her was to take care of you. That’s what she told him to do.”

A deep longing flickered in Lestel’s eyes. His mother had been gentle and kind, respected by all who served her. She was always graceful, warm, and affectionate.

Kuph sniffled, and tears welled up in Adam’s eyes. Seeing Lestel’s expression, Sharhan quickly reached over and gave his hand a squeeze before letting go. Lestel curled his fingers around the lingering warmth, then smiled at him.

“Do you know anything about a secret passage in the castle?”

Lestel’s question made Adam tilt his head.

“A secret passage?”

“Did Mernang ever mention anything to you? About a hidden chamber or passage?”

Adam blinked, thinking for a while before murmuring, “Maybe,” and lifting his head.

“I don’t know if it’s a passage or not, but my father told me never to sell our house.”

“Your house?”

“Yes. Even just before he died, he warned me never to sell or demolish it, that I absolutely had to protect it. After he passed, my mother and I were so sick of Serman that we abandoned the house and fled in the night. But a few years ago, his strange words came back to me. I also got tired of living as a runaway with no identification documents, so I returned to Serman.”

“How was the house?”

“It was practically a ruin from being abandoned, but it hadn’t collapsed. I fixed it up a bit and moved in.”

It was indeed an odd dying wish. Not to sell or tear down the house? That almost made it sound like something valuable was hidden there.

“That’s all? He didn’t say anything else?”

“When my mother asked why the house was so important, he said it held the only path for the Ailun bloodline to survive if anything terrible happened to Serman. That made her furious. Right after the funeral, she took my hand and fled. Even on her deathbed, she resented him, said he was a fool who stayed loyal to the Ailun family until the end. Even after being beaten to death because of the Marchioness.”

Adam’s voice was layered with conflicting emotions. His sympathies clearly leaned toward his mother. The debt of gratitude for his life had already been repaid through Lestel and the late Lady. As for the current Marquis and Marchioness, they were his enemies.

He had only returned to the domain ruled by his enemies because his father’s dying words continued to weigh on him.

But he didn’t completely fail to understand his father either. Having lived his whole life under the Ailun family, believing that his duty was to serve with loyalty and even his life, he probably didn’t know how to do anything else. The man Adam remembered was almost foolishly loyal.

“Could there be a secret passage in that house?”

Sharhan looked at Lestel, who had gone quiet with thought.

“Maybe… but if Mernang said all that, it’s worth checking out. Adam, is your house far from here?”

“Not really. It’s about an hour’s walk.”

“Can you guide us there tomorrow at first light?”

“Of course.”

Just then, Adam’s stomach let out a loud rumble. Pressing his belly with both hands, he flushed with embarrassment.

“I don’t know why it always has to be so loud.”

Kuph chuckled awkwardly and handed him a potato.

“Here. It’s from the young lord.”

“Thank you.”

Adam immediately devoured the potato. When given water, he gulped it down with relief, but his expression afterward showed no signs of being full.

A world where eating until full was no longer possible. If they could eat even once every two days, that was enough.

“You two should take the room over there. We’ll sleep out here.”

Kuph gestured toward the house’s only room. Normally, Kuph, Rael, and Adam slept there, but there was no way they could let Lestel sleep on the cold floor. Neither Rael nor Adam objected.

“We don’t min–”

“Please, go inside. I’m only worried it might be too cold for you to sleep comfortably.”

Kuph didn’t give them a chance to refuse and practically pushed Sharhan and Lestel into the room. Inside, there was only one bed. It wasn’t big, but it looked just enough for two people to sleep close together.

Sharhan and Lestel lay side by side on the bed. After nights spent curled on cold ground to conserve the heat stone, even this simple bed felt like a luxury.

Watching Sharhan’s contented face, Lestel smiled and stretched out his arm, patting his shoulder, inviting him to come closer. Sharhan gave him a look, half amused, half exasperated, before rolling over and wrapping himself in Lestel’s arms.

“You’re warm.”

Though the cold air made his nose sting, Sharhan didn’t argue. He knew that in just a little while, once their bodies pressed close together, they’d be much warmer.

Besides, they hadn’t held each other properly in days, just laying side by side as punishment. He missed Lestel’s arms, his warmth, his scent.

“Yeah. You’re warm too.”

Pressed chest to chest, Sharhan and Lestel stayed like that for a while, just feeling each other. Their noses nuzzled, and they shared soft kisses.

There was a bit of rustling outside as the others settled down for the night, then everything went quiet.

The two closed their eyes. But neither of them fell asleep right away. Listening to the soft rhythm of Lestel’s heartbeat through his chest, Sharhan asked,

“Where do you think Parel is now?”