246: 6.6 Going Crazy

6.6 Going Crazy

Jillian's eyes snapped open with an audible gasp. He bolted upright and subconsciously reached for his sword only to realize that… he was no longer in the snowy forest. Huh…? What—What was happening? The midnight blue wallpaper, dark wooden floor tiles, antique chandelier above his head and the feeling of soft mattress under his palm… Jillian pinched his arm as hard as he could and sucked in a breath of pain.  1

He wasn't dreaming. This was his room in the manor. How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was… The memories slowly caught up to him and his breath stuttered as he recalled a pair of piercing silver eyes, a face so stunning that it put the most beautiful woman to shame and… the translucent body clad only in white robe…

Jillian pulled on the bell harder than necessary because his hands were practically shaking. After less than a minute which seemed like eternity, the door swung open and entered the head servant of Lacrose Manor, Bassil, that had served the family ever since his grandfather's generation. 

"Young Master!" Bassil cried out as soon as he caught sight of Jillian, moving so agile and nimble for someone who almost lived for a century. "Are you okay? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when you returned with blood all over your body?!"

Right… blood. Jillian patted himself all over and flung the blanket away to examine his leg where a deep gash was supposed to be, courtesy to the wolf who chomped off a chunk of flesh from his thigh. But now… Jillian disregarded all decorum to tug his trousers down, ignoring Bassil's surprised cry, eyes fixated on his unblemished skin. No wound. Not even any scar or faint lines. Had he dreamed of everything that had happened? No— the violent blizzard, the wolves, the pain and the mysterious man who saved him… everything felt so real, how could he have dreamed it up?

"How…" Jillian finally found his voice after much difficulty. He cleared his throat. "How did I get here?"

"Oh you!" Bassil poured him a glass of water which he chugged down eagerly. "You were so stubborn, ignoring our concern and going to investigate by yourself. If not for the two kind-hearted travelers who brought you back, who knows what kind of fate will you end up with?"

Jillian didn't mind Bassil's nagging. Afterall, in the whole world, it was only Bassil whom he allowed to fuss over him. Jillian knew that he had crossed the line this time. "I apologize, Bassil. I admit it is my mistake this time." He pinched his brows and let out a heavy sigh. "But… what did you just say? Two travelers brought me back? Hurry!" Jillian urged. "Invite them to the drawing room. I have to meet them now!"

Jillian tumbled off the bed in his haste and scrambled to tie a robe around his waist, only appropriate enough to not be indecent. He ignored the throbbing ache on the base of his skull and the lightheadedness due to excessive blood loss, relying solely on adrenaline and excitement to finally meet… meet…

"Who… are you two?" Like a bucket of icy water poured over his head, Jillian's excitement was instantly doused when he found two complete strangers in his manor. He examined their faces closely but no, they weren't the man he was seeking for.

"Duke Lacrosa," They stood up and performed a greeting. The slight accent of their tongue was unfamiliar and Jillian struggled to barely understand what they were saying. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." The shorter and more friendly one said. "My name is Cyrus and this is my companion, Luan." The taller and fierce one merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Cyrus and Luan? As in the sun and moon? Something was gnawing on the back of his mind, telling him that he had overlooked something important but at that time, Jillian was too consumed by his disappointment that he didn't access his emotions more closely. "Sir Cyrus and Sir Luan, I am eternally grateful to you two for saving my life." He gestured toward Bassil who was standing in the corner of the room, his expression almost in disinterest. "Please, if you need anything, don't hesitate to bring it up to my head servant."

After saying that, Jillian turned his heels, intending to go back to his room to brood when he was suddenly reminded of something. "Perhaps… have you seen another person beside me in the forest?"

Cyrus slowly blinked. "May you elaborate further, Sir?"

"He's…" Jillian opened his mouth only to close it again before shaking his head. How could he say that he was looking for someone inhuman, someone who had a translucent body, someone who was the most gorgeous spirit — ghost? Fairy? — he had ever seen? Jillian pressed his lips tight. Surely, these two wouldn't be able to give him the answer he wanted. In the end, what came out of his mouth was only, "No, don't mind me. Please enjoy your time here, Sirs. I apologize that I am unable to entertain you further."

Without waiting for a response, Jillian stalked out of the room with a scowl.

He took two days to nurse his health back before reporting to the King about the wolves and then three more days passed without him realizing as he busied himself with work that had piled up. Alas, he still couldn't let the image of those silver eyes out of his mind. He would blank out in the middle of the meeting with the cabinet of ministers, then zoned out again when he was eating or soaking in the bathtub, making Bassil so worried that his beard almost fell off.

The mysterious man even got to his dream in the end. Amidst the hazy and mysterious atmosphere, Jillian was laying on the bed with the white robed man sitting on his bedside, stroking his head with such gentleness that reminded him of his late mother. Jillian would wake up with an aching hollowness in his chest and of course, the man was nowhere to be seen. 

Despite being unable to see him, Jillian couldn't help but feel like the man was always around him. The curtain fluttering when the night was bereft of even the softest breeze, the door slowly swinging open when he was sure he had locked it before, his things that were missing the previous day only to be found atop of his desk the next morning…

Crazy. Jillian was going crazy, wasn't he? Sooner or later, he would lose his mind because he was too obsessed with this.

Jillian couldn't endure it any longer so the next day when he could finally pull himself off work, he put on a disguise, made sure that Bassil had no idea where he was going and then rented a carriage to bring him to the seer furthest from the heart of the country. It took hours for Jillian to arrive and when he did, the sun had almost set into the horizon. He descended the carriage and tugged the hood lower, hiding his face from plain sight. Turning into a cramped alley, Jillian was too engrossed in watching over his surroundings that he didn't realize the presence of another person coming out of a decrepit building.

It was too late by the time Jillian bumped against them. "I apologize." He murmured in a falsetto voice and intended to continue on his way when a familiar voice called out. 

"General…?"

Jillian cursed under his breath. 

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A/N: This mini mass release is dedicated to ThisPrince <3 thank you for your supergift! 

This poor author will receive bribes for extra chapters so please shower me with your love orz

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