Coming out from a bath, Ian looks around the dark bedroom for Kyrie. They should be in the wee hours of the night, but in the Fae Kingdom, the sun is just setting on the horizon. Ian is sure that the kingdom is located somewhere far from the White Forest since there is a difference in time, but the entrance is oddly located specifically in that forest for a reason.
He dries his hair with a towel as he walks out in a robe. Although he has lived outside for innumerable years during his travels with Imogen, Ian feels particularly tired today.
However, he forgets it soon after noticing that he cannot find Kyrie in the room. He walks closer to the bed to sense a gentle breeze from an open window. He stumbles across a pair of slippers next to the open window and leans out of the window, looking upwards. Kyrie is sitting on the rooftop, deep in thoughts while looking at the setting sun.
Sensing someone's eyes on him, Kyrie looks down to see Ian leaning on the window frame. He smiles and carefully walks back down from the rooftop. He summons wind underneath his feet and lowers himself down next to the window.
"Hello, my dear Juliet. Were you looking for me?" Kyrie cheekily says while opening his arms so that Ian can carry him in.
"Who is Juliet?" Ian asks while catching Kyrie and carrying him to the bed. Kyrie chuckles as he smells the sour jealousy from Ian.
[Maybe I should start selling vinegar and gain some profit from this jealous being.]
Ian dips a towel into a basin of water and squeezes the water out. Then, he wipes Kyrie's feet while kneeling on one of his knees. Kyrie's heartbeat elevates as he feels Ian's careful touch. His heart always seems to melt for this man.
He responds to Ian while touching his hair, "She is a woman from a play written by William Shakespeare. It comes from my world and is supposed to be romantic."
"So Juliet always looks for her partner? Is that why you say that?"
"Hmm… No, it is more a story of two opposing families and the love between the son and daughter of those families. The most famous scene is when Juliet cries out for Romeo from her room. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. And I'll no longer be a Capulet. She was in pain that Romeo is from the opposing family. "
"Did they end up together?" Ian asks as he switches to clean the other foot.
"Hmm… No, they didn't. They both died at the end because of miscommunication. I don't really think it is a romance, but a tragedy."
Ian frowns at the spoiler and stands back up after finishing cleaning Kyrie's feet. He hangs the towel on the basin.
"That is a sad ending for that couple. I don't like it, so don't call me Juliet," Ian says as he slides his leg between Kyrie's.
Kyrie scooches back as he lets Ian crawl into the bed.
"I don't like it either," Kyrie says while looking into Ian's eyes, "I want you to live to the fullest even if one of us doesn't make it."
Ian's pupils tremble. He puts his head on Kyrie's shoulder, and they both fall to the bed. Ian slides his arms under Kyrie to hug him tightly.
"Yeah," Ian whispers with a quivering voice, "I want to say the same to you. If I don't make it, I want you to live to your fullest. Never take your life for granted. Kyrie, live for yourself."
Kyrie watches the bed canopy while his heart shivers from a sudden chill. He doesn't know if he can fully promise that. He knows that before anything happens to Ian, it would be over his dead body. However, he wants to make sure that Ian does not do anything foolish.
"Yeah," Kyrie finally says after a long pause.
---
Kyrie opens his eyes and turns to look at the morning rays entering the room. Even though he has his eyes closed the entire night, he feels like he didn't sleep. He sits up on the bed and looks at Ian.
[Ian must be really tired that he is not aware of my movements.]
Kyrie smiles at Ian and whispers, "Sorry, I will have to leave you again in your sleep."
He dresses up and walks out of the room. At the end of the corridor, the fairy queen stands still, waiting for Kyrie to catch up to her. Then, they enter a greenhouse that is not far from their guest rooms.
"I apologize that I am calling you so early in the morning."
"It's alright, your majesty. This is a good time to talk privately."
The queen smiles and invites him to sit on the picnic table in the middle of the greenhouse filled with flowers. A tea set and small appetizers are already prepared in advance.
During his sleep, he has felt the energy inside him resonate. At first, he is confused until he concentrates and figures out that his essence is echoing. It is as if something else is also calling for him, and the only one that gives off this type of essence is no other than the fairy queen.
Kyrie looks at the queen elegantly pouring tea for him. The desert shaman has told him that the queen is blind and desperate for the midnight queen.
[Did I go through all that for nothing?]
Noticing Kyrie's examining gaze, the queen asks, "Is there something on my face, child?"
Kyrie quickly retracts his impolite stare.
"I apologize that I am staring so much. I came here thinking that I could exchange information, but it seems that my own intel is wrong about the queen."
"Oh? What did you bring?" The queen asks while stirring a sugar cube into the tea.
[She didn't ask what is the information I received…]
"The midnight queen," Kyrie said.
"In truth, I did need the midnight queen, but it is not that I needed it because I was blind. I confess that I manipulated that shaman a little."
[Manipulated?? How? So… all this time…]
The queen chuckles when looking at his unease and says, "Okay… I won't toy with my friend's successor that much. I will give you the information and answer any questions you have regarding the flower because it wasn't vain to take it away from the supreme witch. It turned out for the better, even though it was not completely planned. Geez, child, don't look so stiff. Are you always like that?"
Kyrie lowers his eyes, trying to remember what he truly is like.
"I am not sure anymore. It seems that I am, but at the same time, I am not."
[So… She had other uses for the flower, and at the same time, she prevented Saskia from getting the flower and prolonging her life. I always thought it was weird that the fairies are not able to cultivate their own midnight queens. It seems like I might be underestimating the queen.]
The queen pauses while looking at Kyrie, daydreaming. Rainbow auras appear in her pupils as an indication that she is enchanting. Then, she blinks her eyes, and they are normal again.
"Hmm… I will return the favor of helping me purify my body. That mud-like substance was unbearable, and thanks to you, I was able to get rid of it temporarily."
"I didn't do anything, really. My essence reacted when I came in contact with you. I think Phanes should take the credit since the essence is from her."
The queen smiles at the answer and calmly sips on the tea. Her pupils dilate while she seems to remember something pleasant. Kyrie can sense her longing.
"I have the ability to detect other creatures' emotions and state of mind, and I see that you are holding in a great deal of fear. It is crippling you."
Kyrie jolts and stiffens, making the queen chuckle. He blushes in embarrassment.
"There is nothing to be ashamed about, child. These emotions are normal, but you seem to be storing too much fear inside of your heart. It is dangerous, especially when the outcome of your situation changes tremendously from a single decision. Fear can blind you at the moment of decision, and instead of choosing the correct answer, you might choose the easy way out."
The queen gripes tighter on the teacup.
"It is the root of wrong decisions, and I hope you don't commit the same mistakes as I do… I was too late to recognize that, and because of my decisions, I lost the love of my life and my best friend. If it weren't for Phanes, I would have lost my kingdom as well."
The queen has a smile on, but her eyes show a deep sorrow.
"Child… No, Kyrie… You came to know about Phanes, right? I will tell you how I met her and what happened to her."
Kyrie's palms start to sweat as he senses that the truth is close. Just when the queen is about to talk, she frowns and looks away.
"I don't think it is polite to eavesdrop, your holiness."
Imogen walks out of her hiding place and joins their table.
"I would also like to listen to the story regarding Phanes," says Imogen, "I don't think it is completely unrelated to me."
The queen turns silent for a couple of seconds while looking at Imogen, and the atmosphere thickens to the point that Kyrie cannot breathe.