27
Upon arriving at the Yandalunia Mansion, the gatekeeper who confirmed the Hero Guinn’s name went to call for Sajis’s personal servant in a fluster. The similarly flustered servant and butler guided him courteously towards the mansion.
As expected of the Dukal House that has been given an honorary title. The splendid mansion has beautiful and glittering furniture and interior decoration that must be said to be a masterpiece, and the beautiful and excellent-looking servants bow to Guinn.
Guinn also responded with courtesy, but actually, anger is seething deep inside him.
The butler reported to Sajis about Guinn’s visit while he was doing paperwork. Sajis gently puts the documents on the table and narrows his eyes, saying, “He came as I expected.”
There’s no way that a man who loves Yaquel so much won’t find it suspicious that he wasn’t able to see Yaquel for a week. Sooner or later, he would have heard the situation from Retana and come to Sajis for confirmation.
However, the information that Sajis can provide to Guinn is currently limited. He went to the palace daily to check Yaquel’s situation since then but he’s currently in the middle of a mission so meeting face-to-face wasn’t allowed and he could only leave without seeing his face. Imagining him being held by Hylm would make him furiously angry but it is also a fact that Sajis, who is neither his lover nor anything at all, has no right to interfere with his decisions. Moreover, Yaquel is following Alton’s orders due to his sense of duty towards Sajis and Guinn. It’s impossible not to get touched by such innocence.
He’d love to somehow get Yaquel back, but unfortunately, he was suddenly asked to inspect a distant territory and he only returned this morning. Of course, he had his servant check on his(Y) well-being every day in his place. Yaquel was said to be carrying out his mission in good spirits, so he trusted Alton and watched the situation. And according to yesterday’s report, Yaquel has already returned to Hana-Hana so he was about to go there to meet Yaquel this evening.
Hm? That’s weird. That’s right, Yaquel is supposed to be back. Yet Guinn came here meaning that he hasn’t met Yaquel? Or did he come to reprimand Sajis who could only shut up and suck on his thumb even though he was being embraced by His Highness Hylm?
But Guinn has no reason to fight with him. He knows the most about how disappointing himself is. But the opponent is a royalty. He believes that Guinn is well aware of the circumstances around that.
“Let him in.”
Sajis replied to the butler, and he invited Guinn inside the room. Sajis also made the servant and butler withdraw as a precaution, and talked face-to-face with Guinn alone.
“Long time no see, Guinn-dono. I feel honored by your visit today.”
“Forget about the formalities.”
Sajis raised an eyebrow at Guinn’s intimidating attitude.
“What is the meaning of this? What on earth is going on?”
“’What’s going on’… what are you talking about?”
Has he heard about Yaquel? However, Yaquel should have returned to Hana-Hana already. It should be pointless to cross-examine Sajis.
“Yaquel died.”
“Hah?”
Sajis let out a foolish sound after hearing an unexpected news from Guinn’s mouth.
“What does that…”
A paper bag was thrown towards Sajis, who was about to finish his question with ‘mean?’. Sajis suspiciously checked its content after receiving it.
This is…
“Are you sure that this is the clothes that you gave to Yaquel?”
As Gain said, what was inside was the tailcoat jacket that Sajis gave to Yaquel. It was tattered and it was easy to misidentify at first glance, but the shiny and smooth fabric that could be seen as gray or black depending on the lighting was a rare special fabric recommended by the tailor with confidence. Thus, this shabby and altered jacket is indeed that tailcoat.
“Yeah, it’s unmistakably something that I gave to him. But why is it in this state!”
He no longer has the composure to use honorifics with Guinn. He pressed Guinn for an answer.
“Yaquel is dead.”
“Don’t lie! That’s impossible! Yaquel should have returned to Hana-Hana already. That’s a bad joke! Do you want to have Yaquel to yourself so bad that you’d go so far as to come up with such a lie, you bast*rd!”
“He was attacked by a robber on his way to Hana-Hana and fell off a cliff.”
Guinn’s heavy tone told him that it’s true.
There’s no way that the man who loves Yaquel so much could say such a thing even as a lie.
“No…way…”
Sajis grabbed Guinn’s arms. He doesn’t care if it’s a prank. He wanted him to say that he was lying. But Guinn shakes his hands off.
“Why didn’t you check the situation thoroughly! And why didn’t you go to pick him up!”
“………”
“I’ll concede to the fact that you had no choice but to listen to His Majesty’s orders. I probably wouldn’t have a choice if I were in your shoes. However, the indiscretion of taking Yaquel to the palace without telling me is outrageous. If you had told me, I would have been able to check his well-being even if you couldn’t. I should have gone to pick him up even if you didn’t! Things shouldn’t have turned out this way!!”
It was as Guinn said. The reason why Sajis arbitrarily brought Yaquel to the palace was because he was happy that Yaquel is depending on him, and he thought that he could relish in the situation when he can monopolize Yaquel and outwit Guinn.
For things to become like this as a result……
Sajis crumbled on his knees and, “Yaquel…… Yaquel…” could only call out his name repeatedly.
It was Guinn’s first time seeing Sajis like this. This self-confident and arrogant man, who probably won’t escape at the first sight of shortcoming, is grieving regardless of being watched. Understanding that he’s seriously thinking about Yaquel, he remembered that Yaquel told him, “Although Sajis-sama looks like that, I’m sure that he’s a good man.”
I guess it’s about time I tell him why I came here….
The reason why Guinn, who thought that Yaquel isn’t dead in the first place, talked to Sajis about it menacingly was because he wanted to punish him. Right now, it is only a possibility that it’s a lie, but there is also a chance that it’s actually true. Yaquel is so kind-hearted and lovable. There is always a possibility that he gets kidnapped by someone.
It’s just that Yaquel has a body that’s actually better than an average man and his looks can’t really be called flattering, but it’s scary how their love can be so blind since he looks like a frail angel from Guinn and Sajis’s perspective.
Guinn grabbed Sajis’s arm and pulled him up.
“Yaquel is dead…… The ones who said that were only His Highness Hylm and the man who is believed to be his subordinate.”
Guinn’s tone that was strongly condemning completely changes and turns into a calm tone.
“…What?”
-“In reality, Yaquel’s corpse hasn’t been found yet. The only proof of Yaquel’s death is just that tailcoat. And there were no reports to the Krantz Knights nor the Vigilante Corps about the area where Yaquel was apparently attacked.”
“That’s…”
“Indeed. There’s a chance that His Highness falsified this information.”
“His Highness did?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…Tell more about that in detail.”
At Guinn’s words that Yaquel is possibly alive, Sajis regained his composure and gestured at Guinn to sit on the sofa.
And finally, the two were able to face each other calmly.
TN: I honestly hope that the prince will get punished for what he did despite his status.