The Villain's Last Requiem

2) Frustration

Faint voices whispered, though he dismissed it as his imagination. It became silent for several minutes, then the door suddenly burst open.

Alarmed, Ashic dropped a book he had in hand and turned around as the door opened. In doing so, he knocked over a messy stack of books on the writing desk. A few that fell hit him on the foot, he clenched his teeth in pain.

"Your Majesty, he's yet to gain consciousness..."

"We'll notif- Young Master!?" A voice shouted.

Ashic froze in place. It was barely the crack of dawn, no one was supposed to be up yet. He looked at the other person. A good-looking man with black hair and onyx eyes stared at him, eyebrows raised. A cute little boy clung onto his side.

Behind this man was another that shouted. This time, it was a tall man in his forties dressed as a butler. His face is fairly aged, but one could tell he used to be handsome. An elegant maid joined them with a panicked expression until she saw Ashic. The servants rushed to his side in tears of joy.

What the hell's going on? Ashic's confusion was visible. No other memories came back. To him, they were all complete strangers. Also, he couldn't believe what he heard. What's a king doing here at this hour!?

"Varina, wake the rest and prepare a meal!" The butler ordered.

"Yes!" Varina took a quick bow and hurried out the room.

"Young Master, you must rest your body!" The butler carried Ashic to the bed.

"Eh, but I'm-"

"No excuses!" He cut Ashic off.

Right now, Ashic felt fine. Sure he's still in pain, but it wasn't as bad as it started off. After moving around earlier, the pain numbed.

"Ah, forgive us Your Majesty. Perhaps we can speak another time?" The butler nervously turned to the king.

"It's been a month since then, so stop by later. We'll be able to extend this talk, and our healers can examine him in the meantime. Well, Fendark?"

Fendark paused. "...Of course. Then we'll be seeing you soon, Your Majesty."

"Good, be careful on the way." The king smiled at Ashic.

Ashic turned his head away to avoid the king's gaze. He knew he wouldn't get along with him. He didn't hate the king or anything, it's just a feeling he received. On top of that, Ashic's fight or flight instincts triggered the moment he saw the king. He's dangerous.

The little boy tugged the king's sleeve and pointed at Ashic. He tilted his head as he looked up at the king. The king patted the son's head and chuckled.

"You can play later. Come Amia, we're leaving now." The king turned, then waved before leaving.

As soon as the father-son pair left, activity stirred in the manor. Footsteps everywhere, people shouting, doors opening and closing. Fendark began putting away the books, and Varina returned.

"Please wait a bit, Young Master." She looked at him apologetic and left again.

Ashic shifted his eyes to Fendark. The butler had cleaned his mess at a fast pace. The boy crinkled the blanket in his fists, maintaining a blank face. Rage arose inside him. He looked down and forcefully closed his eyes. Anger, he was angry at himself. In a foreign world alone, surrounded by strangers, no memories of the past.

Fendark looked back at the boy and called out. "Young Master?"

The frustration Ashic didn't want to acknowledge pushed him to the edge. He had a goal, he had to learn to survive but that was nothing more than an excuse. All he wanted was a distraction.

"Does it hurt anywhere, Young Master?" Fendark began to worry.

At the butler's voice, the boy's heart tightened. Each breath he drew felt like he was strangled.

"I'm...sorry...." Tears streamed down his face.

"...Young Master?" Fendark's voice dropped to a whisper.

Ashic could tell, this butler really cared about him. He wasn't the original, he didn't know what happened. Of course, there was always the chance that this world being a novel is simply a delusion of a madman. Whichever it is, it's undeniable he took someone's place.

"Sorry, I don't..." He curled into a ball, apologizing over and over.

Fendark hugged the boy and rubbed his back. "I promise, it will be fine."

The way he said it, Ashic wanted to believe in it. He did, but he knew better than to lean on a promise to a child.