Chapter 2
Cold.
It’s cold. So dark, so damp, so cold, so miserable.
Sensations I had scarcely felt since becoming king now overwhelmed my hazy consciousness.
Suddenly, the fireball burning in my chest was gone.
I could breathe easily again. My lips, eyelids, fingers, and toes all moved properly. The pain in my chest and the tingling in my limbs had vanished.
Was I… not dead?
I struggled to sit up and looked around.
To my surprise, I wasn’t in bed. This wasn’t my bedroom, nor the grand audience chamber. In fact, it wasn’t even indoors.
I was in the middle of a dark, unfamiliar forest.
Where am I?
I stood up slowly, confused.
Something pricked the soles of my feet. Fallen leaves and stones jabbed sharply into my skin, and that’s when I realized—I wasn’t wearing my indoor slippers.
But it wasn’t just the slippers that had disappeared. My robe embroidered with gold thread, my goat leather gloves, the silk pajamas I always wore to sleep—all gone. The only thing covering me now was a single, white sack-like garment.
Had I lost consciousness and been abandoned in the mountains? Or was this all just a dream before death?
It didn’t matter. I had to get out of this forest, no matter what. I had to return to the palace and face those who betrayed me.
I marched forward, one step at a time.
A wet, squelching sound came from beneath my feet. The dense trees creaked and swayed their thin, black branches. Occasionally, the wind howled eerily through them.
After walking for a while, something suddenly brushed against my leg.
Startled, I turned around.
At my feet was a creature I had never seen before, writhing like a snake. It was long, with dozens of legs, and it clicked its sharp teeth while flicking a forked tongue at me.
“Agh!”
I screamed and stumbled backward.
Hearing my cry, the creature raised its antennaed head. In the next instant, black shapes gathered all around me.
Some had multiple heads, others had horns. Some looked human, while others resembled sticky blobs of tar. Horrifying monsters I had never seen before came crawling and slithering toward me.
Frozen, I stared at the monsters just inches away. I was so terrified I couldn’t even scream.
「It’s a human.」
「A human? A real soul?」
「A female.」
「Whoever devours her first wins.」
The creatures finished their short exchange and began to inch closer. Some slithered, others crouched like predators about to pounce.
I turned and ran for my life.
I didn’t know where I was going or where I should go. But I didn’t need to look back to know they were chasing me.
Laughter, growling, and fierce howls followed me like a curse.
Then, in the distance, I saw a faint light.
Desperate, I ran toward it as if clinging to a straw. I soon reached the front gate of a large mansion.
Without hesitation, I pounded on the doors.
“Help me! Please open the door!”
No answer.
I banged harder, screaming frantically.
“Let me in! Please, I’m being chased! I’m begging you!”
Still no response.
Panting, I turned to look behind me. The monsters had surrounded me. At some point, they had closed in and formed a circle around me.
There was nowhere left to run. Sobbing, I slammed my entire body against the gate.
Please help. Please let me in. Save me. I don’t want to be eaten. Please…
No one came. The gate remained heavy and firmly shut.
Ah. Now I understood.
This was hell. I had died and fallen into hell.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. In this cold world, the only warmth came from the tears soaking my cheeks and knees.
I slumped to the ground and leaned against the immovable gate. The face of my last friend—Auguste de Lamian—flashed through my mind.
I had spent my whole life trying to be a good king, and now all that effort felt so hollow and full of regret.
Truthfully, I never wanted to be king. I didn’t want to end up abandoned like this.
What I really wanted was…
Just as that thought surfaced, my body suddenly collapsed forward.
I fell flat onto the damp ground. At some point, the great door—once so tightly sealed—had opened wide.
Bewildered, I slowly pushed myself up.
Behind me stood the gate, now firmly closed once more. As if light had passed through glass, I had slipped through it and entered the grounds.
What was going on?
Dazed, I looked around. The monsters that had threatened me were completely gone.
In front of me was a clean, well-paved path—smooth enough to walk on barefoot. At the end of it stood a massive mansion.
I trudged toward it.
Everything inside the mansion’s walls felt utterly different from the outside.
The sky beyond the fence was crimson and roiling, but within the walls, stars glittered in a calm night sky. The glowing heavens stood in stark contrast to the blood-red skies beyond—like day and night separated by a sunset.
As I approached the mansion’s entrance, the doors suddenly burst open as if expecting me.
I stood frozen, when suddenly, a strange voice greeted me.
— Welcome, guest. We’ve been expecting you.
Startled, I shuddered. The voice, sensing my fear, asked gently,
— Oh dear, did I frighten you?
The voice wasn’t cold or serpentine. It didn’t send chills down my spine. So I took a deep breath and managed to ask:
“Who are you?”
The voice didn’t answer. Instead, with a smile in its tone, it asked another question:
— Would you prefer to stay there, or come inside to a warm room?
Honestly, I wanted to go anywhere but here. Still, afraid of being rejected, I hesitated and asked politely,
“Can I come in?”
— Of course. Please follow my lead.
Taking another breath, I stepped inside the mansion.
No one appeared, but I turned my head, following the direction the voice seemed to be coming from.
— To your right. No, from there it’s your left. Yes, just like that. Now head up the stairs.
As I walked in the direction the voice guided, warmth began to envelop me. Though there were few candles, the mansion was mysteriously bright inside.
It was enormous and majestic. The walls were adorned with smooth wood and lined with curious paintings. Some seemed like they were from a hundred years ago, while others were extremely abstract.
— When you reach the hallway around the corner, you can pick any room you like. I’ve lit the fireplaces—they should be warm.
Just as described, a long corridor opened up as I turned the corner. Dozens of doors stood ajar, as if welcoming me.
No one else was there. It wasn’t cold. It wasn’t dark.
Inside this mansion… I was safe.
“Thank you.”
— Think nothing of it. Rest well.
I stepped into the room closest to the stairs.
It was a cozy and warm bedroom. A fire danced gently in the hearth.
Like I was bewitched, I ran toward the bed and collapsed onto it. Then, the voice—silent until now—spoke two final words of comfort.
— You’ve been through so much.
The moment I heard that, tears burst from my eyes.
The bed was soft. Just like the moment I was betrayed—soft and warm. Everything had felt warm… until the betrayal.
The pain in my heart, which had been silent for a while, returned.
It hurt so much. But I didn’t know what exactly was causing it.
Was it sorrow from being abandoned? Pain from betrayal? Fear of nearly being devoured? Or perhaps the agony of losing an entire life?
I sobbed and sobbed for a long time.
