An hour passed quickly; thus, Argus was still anxious. To think he is fearless, noble of the kind, and a model of all. But for the once shed many tears, to whom he swore his loyalty. Argus was always and has always been a loyal confidant of Cain. Seeing his master be on the bed, sick and battered, he could swear to curse their lives and hang their bodies on the city gates.
The two men waited for an hour. The old Butler noticed that the Duke was overly agitated. "Your Grace... It has been an hour. Should we knock?" the Butler frowned slightly as he offered. Alas, the Duke sighed, feeling too hesitant about the advice. "His Highness told us he needed to be alone... But I can't help but be afraid of what we will face," he fiddled as he paced back and forth.
The heavy door creaked slowly. Argus and the Butler were in complete shock as the door was opened. The Emperor was paler than them, his eyes lifeless and lacking vigor! His lips were the same color as his skin, and his eyes were droopy from weariness. The Emperor leaned to the door's frame and tried to support his body. "Your Highness, Don't stay out too long," the Butler cried out as he hurried out beside him for support. "I am d-deeply…sorry for the trouble," Cain coughed bitterly, thinking of the pain that seemed to feel up slowly by slowly. He tried to squeeze his chest tightly. That stupid 'Cain' was indeed lucky. The Emperor is punished by the people called 'Gods.' However, it just so happens that he was to bear the consequences the Emperor's put himself through.
'Talk about this bad luck, tch tch. God has no remorse for the innocents.'
Argus was struck by Cain's attitude towards them. A person born as Emperor, with worth more than Diamonds itself, and grew as a prideful one even–––a sorry was not a word for a prideful man that could ever pass on his mouth so lightly.
If he could remember: The Emperor would never apologize even if he was threatened with death and if his eyes were bawled out. Though If he was to pardon someone. The hypocrisy on both his face and tone was evident and apparent enough. There was indeed a time when the Duke could still remember the Emperor's insincere apology from a noble king of a Kingdom. It took only a beautiful woman's words to convince him to apologize. The result, although, could have been a better one. It led to a year of the war but ended in the other kingdom's loss. Thus the Emperor of Emrys---Cain claimed the territory as part of his. If historians and future generations commented, they would think it might be foolish.
Cain's gaze wandered over Argus, filled with curiosity. A tall man that looks frail yet weird. "Duke…" Cain called him, though he sounded so unsure." Y-yes...Your Highness..!" Argus snapped himself from reality.
He nodded in Argus' presence. "Where is that woman that served me tea?" Cain asked. He looked around to find that girl, but there was no one but a corridor with different craftsmanship furniture made of Gold. It was his first time seeing the outside of his room. Cain noted to spend a week admiring and mesmerizing these things sooner. But for now, he needed to heal these damned wounds and get a few answers.
Argus fixed his tilted monocle despite his shaky hands. "I ordered her to go back–" he stuttered. "Well, then... that is good." Cain nodded in agreement then he winced another painful groan from his ribs. "Your highness, the broken limbs will worsen," the Butler squirmed. Cain shakingly nods in agreement. As he was about to return to his room, he halted, remembering the purpose.
"Wait." He said. Cain also remembered the mess he made in the room, and if the Butler discovered out… He does not want another nag or cry out of that old man's mouth. "Argus?" he called out to him. Duke Argus' eyes lit up into glimmers.
"I needed to say something to you in private. "he said.
Hearing this from the Emperor, the Butler was debating if he was to remain or not. But in the end, he chose the latter. "Then I shall leave you both. I'll prepare medicines from the Imperial Doctor," he said, but he was also conflicted if he were to leave the Emperor just like that with a broken rib. "Go. No need to worry. I'll be fine," Cain shooed him. In the end, the Butler heeded his orders and hurriedly went away.
Argus accompanied the Emperor inside. His smile was brighter, as if he was happy to finally talk to him. "Your highness, what do you want to—-" although the smile faded. "Say to me…" his jaw dropped from horror.
He stood frozen in the messy room before him. Corridors flung open with scattered clothes on the floor---few were hung on the chairs. It was as if some unruly people made this kind of mess alone. Cain awkwardly brushes it with a smile. "I was. About to say about this too, hehe," he whistled away. He was at fault and guilty.
An hour ago, the Duke could remember the room was magnificently clean, but today it was more torture to look at. His face pale again.
"Y-your Highness! What happened here?! Did some Deity of Winds come here to bully you again?!?!" he said. Hearing the Duke emphasize the word 'bully,' Cain was confused. A God would go on their way here to bully? Are they even God or first graders? But after all, the person who gave him a second chance was also magical and a jerk. Either way, he only remembers that this room is turned upside down now, which was his own doing.
"Why is your room a WHOLE mess? Who did this?!" he added more. But before Cain could say anything. Argus didn't take a breather when he quickly picked up the clothes and returned them to where they used to be. Like lightning racing through the speed of light──Unbelievably fast!
"Phew," he wiped off the sweat on his forehead, although his face was still scrunched in bother. No scattered clothes and everything arranged by its places. Cain stood there in stupefaction.
'W-what... Was.. that… This is my first time seeing a freakish cleaner...' Cain shivered, clenching his thin cloth so hardly. But seriously, his eye might be broken, but was it not too fast for a room cleaning? Maybe that weird dude should be the new fast cleaner on the Guinness world record books!
Different from him, he was accustomed to living on a trash site and never grew up so clean. "W-whoa..."
"I finished cleaning the room." Argus turned around at Cain. "Your Highness, who made this mess?!" he looked at the poor man with a smile, but it was evident the smile was full of fury. Cain does not understand if this sinister smile was meant for him or the preparator: However, thinking about it, He was the one who caused this. Cain heard fingers cracking loudly as he waited for them to reveal blood and bruises.
Dear God. He took a deep gulp. Our heavenly father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace.
He prayed, despite not quite a religious man.
'Cain... I am sorry. I failed you. I could not take it anymore.' he consciously took a tiny step back. 'N-no, I-I can't give up... I don't wanna die just after I get myself a new life.' He pushed himself but
'GOD HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME. I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO CRY ON HIS SHOWY AND SHARP TEETH ALONE.' Cain shivered violently; it was colder than any winter he could ever experience. 'Literally, why does he even have those sharp teeth?' he consciously panicked. 'He is a demon! A demon, I swear!' he mentally screamed.
Before the terrifying Duke could take a single step, the Emperor quickly diverted the situation. "Argus! Wait, Listen to me fi---aghhh!" alas, before he could even explain, a mouthful of blood violently came out on his lips. Fuck. Truly fuck. And another pang that mentally hit his head until he ended up on the floor with a lot of blood staining his shirt.
Argus dropped and kowtowed himself till his forehead almost bled. "Y-your Highness, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I have caused you more anxiety; this servant deserved punishment." He cried out and pleaded guilty. Now his forehead was bruised, and it finally bled out. A small drop trickled down his skin, but he pained no mind and continued from his antics.
"I-I don't… think you need it.. any of that anymore…." Cain muttered as he wiped off the blood on his mouth by his shirt. Argus was such a weird individual, indeed. And he is deeply concerned about this said individual.
'You just punished yourself,' he thought so. But talking to him would concern more of his eccentrical personality. Cain could only sigh while Argus was still contemplating on the ground. The Emperor cleared his throat. "I...F-Forget about it..." he grumbled. "It w-was... me who made this mess," Cain explained. Argus looked up at him, whose wordless by the confession. It was that same hours ago when those two gentlemen hushed away from the room. Before, Gaius was still unaware of his appearance.
Cain « Gaius -
To live as someone and be as someone was much more complicated than anyone could ask. Gaius had already awakened from such a world and suffered the worst pains. The migraine keeps bursting out like an erupting volcano. And in rhythm with his conflicted thoughts with Cain's memories and pent-up anger, it disrupted the tranquil waters into a big tide.
If it was those fictional books and movies, a character would be overjoyed to experience such things. He looked back at the mirror again to quickly see the new body. "To think that God was not bluffing," he whispered.
Another slight of dark memories surged again. But it was only a fleeting one till he realized he can longer remember what it was. Few memories disappeared in thin air; Cain did not know if he was to be relieved or shocked. "T-this can't be happening right now..." Gaius hissed in disappointment.
He crawled and opened the heavy drawer, full of unexpected things he could not even name. He started to scatter every one of them and call their significance. Asking was easy for him to sort out this mess, but he could not trust another human again. He and the Emperor have already reaped what they saw and suffered in their aftermath: Making the same mistake would ask for another death.
This was a battle of survival, and It was no fantasy. He neither does not want to continue to live in denial or fear. He used to be a rat living in the trash, begging for an ounce of food, but now this rat has to experience luxuries and fine wines.
There was a wooden comb for women, and it looked like too many roses carved on the wooden piece and a poorly glued fake ruby embedded in it. It has not worth money, but it may be worth precious memory. "Why would an emperor keep this potential junk piece?" he asked. "Unless it was... important to him," he wondered to himself and kept the comb somewhere safe.
Digging into the closet's pit until no other piece can be found on every keep. Gaius was far more focused on his work until the clock from his bedside was knocked down from his clumsiness----he just realized what he did.
— Cain » Gaius -
Cain sat on the bed, his bloodstained shirt discarded with a new, ruffled one. The unpretentious Duke kneels at Cain's side as Argus' forehead is cleanly bandaged by himself. "Your highness, how did you get that mess when you were wounded?" Argus woe while he applied ointments all over the Emperor's bruised part. The mint scent ointment cooly inhaled on Cain's nostrils and soothed his mind and soul. It was relaxing, really, He had never smelt ointment for many years, and it gave him such nostalgia.
"Your highness, do you ever want to talk about what happened to you?" the Duke spoke, gently asking the Emperor. " You were assassinated by a bunch of rodents."
Cain glanced and seemed to be displeased. "Assassination? To hell with that; they should all deserved to cut all their body in pieces," He was furious, but alas, he could not even anger himself more. 'Although those assassins have a reasonable justification though, fuck it, I'm on this vermin's body,' devastated and tired, the sick man lay down after Argus applied for the medicines over his body.
Argus sighed and took a chair to sit beside the bed. "We did not see it coming; we were sure all our soldiers were trusted. To be betrayed… Your Highness, they were so vicious."
Indeed they were; Cain thought so. Great resentment was harbored in their souls, and they resorted to brutality. But too bad for them, 'he' is still alive and well.
"We were poisoned twice! And both of us almost got surrounded. Before I could save you, they hit Your Highness many times and got ditched on the lake... I was so incompetent; you suffered more than me..." He sobbed, regretting every single bit of it. Despite his eccentrical personality, he was a caring and loyal person. The Emperor remained quiet, knowing that the former 'Cain' seemed to fully trust the Duke more than anyone.
'Aint he such a crybaby for a person like him; he keeps crying at me. Those tears look too fake too. ' Cain judged as he watched Argus' monocles get foggy.
" Enough crying. As you can see, I am alive now; crying does not look good on you." Cain chided and turned his back on the Duke. " Yes! Your Highness..." the man wiped off his tears and stood up, likely to be hesitant to do so. He thinks the Emperor might be too upset from the assassination for him to be tricked and defeated like that. It must have damaged his ego. And so he quietly left Cain from the room.
Cain was quiet the whole time; silent tears were on his face. And by the reason was——He didn't carefully switch sides in the bed, now his right arm dislocated.