IFAHWIPUTML Chapter 39

"Uncle, where are we going?"

Raphel, nestled in Chayston's arms, asked with a sunny smile. His feet dangled in the air, swinging back and forth with excitement.

Raphel was particularly fond of Chayston.

He was more awkward and brusque than Tia, who was always kind to him, but every so often he'd give Raphel a warm smile.

Besides, he often showed him the stars he loved, and aside from Verasielle, Chayston was his only family.

"There's a star I want to show you."

"Stars! I love stars!"

Raphel was happy about going to see stars, but he was even happier that his uncle Chayston had come to play with him.

"Yes. You do love stars."

Watching Raphel giggle, Chayston smiled faintly without realizing it.

Children were truly mysterious creatures. Or perhaps this child was special.

Until now, he'd always thought of children as fragile, bothersome things.

Even looking around him, that had been the case. Friends or servants who had children seemed to have many restrictions on their behavior.

Moreover, having spent an unfortunate childhood himself, he'd only wanted to become an adult quickly.

Children are weak.

They have no ability to decide anything for themselves, no power to protect those precious to them. Fragile beings who must be constantly watched over.

Perhaps that was why. Even when his older brother Ion had said that having a child would help him gain and realize more than he would lose, he hadn't understood those words.

And even now as an adult, children remained uncomfortable beings to him.

He didn't know how to handle such fragile, helpless creatures that would shatter like glass marbles at the slightest shock. Nor did he want to know.

But Raphel was different.

The child always tried to act proactively, and when Verasielle had fallen ill, he'd clenched his small fist, declaring he would protect her.

Perhaps it was because his childhood was so different from Chayston's own—isolated, always avoiding everything.

Or perhaps it was because of the familiar hair and eye color.

Chayston found himself increasingly interested in this child. His gaze kept sticking to those red eyes matching his own.

When Raphel smiled, he found himself smiling along without realizing it. When he held that small hand, his chest would somehow tighten.

Chayston thought he might finally understand a little of what Ion had meant.

"Hmm~"

Raphel hummed a tune and rubbed his face against Chayston's shoulder.

Unlike Verasielle's subtle, warm scent, Chayston carried a heavy, rich fragrance. Somehow familiar.

"...Pa?"

In that moment, a scent hidden in the depths of Raphel's memory suddenly surfaced.

The kind smile that had gazed at him while looking at stars beneath the night sky, the warm, large hand that had held his, the broad embrace always offered to him.

Some shape kept rising in his mind, and soon his head began to ache as if it would split.

"It hurts..."

Raphel clutched his head with both hands, suffering.

"Raphel. Are you all right? Where does it hurt, how does it hurt?"

Startled, Chayston stopped walking and checked Raphel's condition.

"My, my head... hurts."

Raphel's face contorted as he gasped for breath.

It felt like a very thick, heavy mass of iron was pressing down on his head, throbbing painfully.

It felt like several sharp glass shards were moving inside his head, scraping and cutting.

"A physician! Call a physician!"

Chayston shouted to those nearby.

At his voice, Rohan burst through a door.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"Raphel is sick. Quickly, call a physician!"

Rohan rushed off to fetch the physician. Chayston entered the room he'd prepared in advance for Raphaleon.

"Sob, it hurts... hurts."

He laid Raphel, whose face had gone deathly pale, on the bed.

Tears had already welled up in the child's eyes. Chayston wiped them away and patted Raphel's chest gently.

"It's all right. Shh. It's all right. You'll be better soon."

Raphel curled up on his side, moaning in pain.

"Nngh... It hurts, Uncle."

Small hands clutched at Chayston's sleeve. The hand gripping so tightly that the blood drained from it was pitiful enough to sting his heart.

"Is it much longer! The physician!"

Chayston bit his lips hard. He was nearly frantic with worry for Raphel, who was breaking out in cold sweat as if about to lose consciousness.

"Your Grace!"

The physician rushed in with Rohan, panting.

"Examine him quickly. Quickly!"

At the angry urging, the physician rapidly examined Raphel's condition.

"Nnngh..."

Raphel was in too much pain to do anything but cry silently.

Now he was so hazy with the crushing pain that he couldn't even speak.

The physician examined Raphel's condition meticulously.

He checked the movement of the pupils, looked at the corneal reflex, and checked breathing and pulse with a stethoscope, but felt nothing particularly wrong.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong."

"What? Then why is he in such pain?"

Chayston's eyes flashed as if they might catch fire at any moment.

"Th-that's difficult to say..."

The physician flinched and shrank back at the terrifying gaze.

"Are you playing games right now...!"

"Head hurts. Nnngh..."

About to raise his voice, Chayston swallowed his words, worried Raphel's headache might worsen.

Raphel was still clutching his head, whimpering and crying silently.

"Could his memories be trying to return?"

Rohan, who'd been watching with a serious expression, offered a comment.

"What?"

"Did he lose his memory?"

The physician was surprised, not having known this fact.

"Yes. He can't remember what happened before."

"Ah, then it could be pain from returning memories. If he suddenly complained of a headache after being fine, it's worth suspecting."

"Then what should we do? I can't just stand by and watch."

Chayston grimaced, watching Raphel, who was in too much pain to even cry out properly.

Watching that small body writhe in agony was too torturous.

"First, I'll prescribe headache medicine. Give him the medicine and observe him for a bit."

The physician took out powder and syrup from his bag. He immediately mixed the powder into the syrup.

Rohan brought over a cup of water that had been sitting on the table.

"Raphel, you need to take medicine."

Chayston sat up with the lying Raphel and held him.

"Sob... Veras, Veras..."

Even while crying in pain, Raphel called for Verasielle. He missed her so much. He felt like even this pain would fade if he could be in her warm embrace.

"Quickly, call for the young lady."

Chayston urgently ordered someone to fetch Verasielle. Then he scooped up some medicine on a spoon and brought it to Raphel's mouth.

"Sniff..."

Raphel swallowed his tears and shook his head. He didn't want to eat something that smelled so terrible, so he kept his lips pressed tight.

"Raphel. You need to eat this to get better quickly."

Chayston grew anxious because of Raphel stubbornly refusing the medicine.

He wanted to free him from the pain as quickly as possible, but the child wouldn't cooperate as he wished.

"If you take the medicine and get all better, we'll go see the stars. Promise."

At those words, Raphel lifted his pinky finger toward Chayston.

"Sniff, promise... promise."

"Yes. I promise."

He hooked his pinky with Raphel's and made the promise.

Only then did Raphel open his mouth slightly.

The waiting white, thin syrup medicine immediately entered Raphel's mouth.

As expected, it tasted terribly bitter like the smell, and Raphel coughed, but forced himself to swallow it all down.

Because he wanted to go see the stars. With Chayston and Verasielle together.

"Swallow slowly."

Chayston gave Raphel the water Rohan handed him and laid him back on the bed.

"You can sleep if you're sleepy. When you wake up, it won't hurt anymore."

Then he pulled the thick blanket up to Raphel's neck.

Raphel lifted his tear-stained face and reached his hand toward Chayston.

Understanding what this meant, Chayston took the small, thin hand.

He held it very gently, afraid of causing pain, not gripping tightly.

"Don't go anywhere..."

"All right."

Chayston nodded at the tear-filled voice.

He gazed quietly at Raphel while stroking the soft, tear-dampened cheek.

The child's expression looked much better than before—perhaps he was feeling better.

"Master. It was water with the antidote."

Rohan spoke carefully to Chayston.

The water he'd just given Raphel to drink after the medicine had contained the antidote.

"..."

Raphel's image reflected in Chayston's eyes.

The unchanged black hair, the red eyes visible between slowly closing eyelids. A face that was the spitting image of his brother in childhood.

"...Raphaleon Halos."

A very low voice echoed through the room.

It was the first time he'd spoken the full name in front of Raphel.

This child truly was his brother's child and his nephew, Raphaleon Halos.