Flower Prince - Corpsekkuno

- Chapter 26-

 Cadáver was awake.

He was awake early in the morning, cuddled up beside Thomas. Only now was the sun peeking through the windows, shining upon the both of them. Cadáver daydreamed of waking up to this every single day. A time where he could stay with Thomas without any further consequences.

Usually, Cadáver finds himself in a predicament where he sees no benefit in love. It was something made up to him. It was a feeling some would claim to have for another before leaving them to rot. So whenever someone asked Cadáver when he would ever find a woman to love, he always responded with "When I'm ready." But he is ready now, not to love a woman, but a sweet boy instead.

Cadáver slowly removes himself from Thomas's grasp, being careful not to let the other stir. He slides on his shoes, walking silently to the door. However, before leaving, Cadáver returns to the sleeping herbalist to place a kiss against his forehead, then his nose and finally moving to his cheek.

He flushes and leaves the bedroom embarrassed.

◈◈◈

Sykkuno finally awakes from his slumber. He was disappointed to see that Corpse had left his spot beside him.

With a groan, he stands up, stretching his arms. He goes to where his uniform is placed and picks it up. From now on, this is the proper attire.

Sykkuno closes the curtains and struggles to wear the outfit. He's only ever worn tattered shirts and pants along with his cloak. It's refreshing to dress with something more pleasing.

He felt his stomach rumble, indicating his hunger. However, the castle being as wealthy as it is has a small built-in kitchen. Sykkuno shuffles through the shelves, pulling out a box filled with pickled vegetables.

After pulling out a pan from the cabinets, he places onions, peppers, beans and garlic onto it. Sykkuno begins to fry them using the stove, although it wasn't in peak condition. There were a few cracks along the bottom side of the cooker.

He tosses and turns the veggies, listening to the olive oil sizzle. Once he finished, he slid them all into a jar. Sykkuno pulls out a jar of his own filled with thyme, a common spice. He crushed the dried leaves between his fingers and let the remains fall upon the vegetables.

As he was provided with more food to eat, Sykkuno had been experimenting with creating different foods.

Sykkuno left his room and walked to the commons. He saw Bimbus eating his food out of his bowl rather aggressively. "He must be hungry." Sykkuno thought. "Bimbus! Let's go!" he called out. Bimbus turned around and trotted to stand beside the herbalist. "Good boy."

He retreated from the commons and walked down the hallway towards the medical wing. It was strangely quiet today, as no one seemed to chat to one another. Instead, there were only quick whispers of conversation.

"What could they be gossiping about?"

Sykkuno felt a weight placed upon his shoulder and looked around to see The Chief. She was holding a face of worry and concern. But just what could have happened?

"Could I please speak to you, Thomas?" she asks. "Oh, sure!" Sykkuno responds. The Chief leads him into a private office and hoists herself up to sit on the desk.

"Well, I sent Nox to deliver documents to Woodwell, but I just received a letter that he was, how do I put this- fatally injured." She explains.

"What?! What happened?"

"The letter said that Nox was mugged and got beat up basically, and some former bystanders transported him to the doctor's office. It'll be a while before he can heal."