Two days later, Yosan was still unconscious. Even so, his condition was slowly improving thanks to the undivided attention of the people who took turns guarding him and the palace physicians who worked tirelessly to give him their best care.
That night, the palace was quiet. The light of the bed lamp in Reina's room flickered softly, accompanying Lia who sat by her father's bedside. The little girl stared at Yosan's sleeping face, hoping he would open his eyes and greet her as usual. Occasionally, she gently shook her father's hand, trying to engage him in conversation.
"Dad, wake up... Lia wants us to play together again," he whispered softly, but there was no reply.
Usually, Yosan would go on a long rant, either nagging or telling strange stories that annoyed Lia but made her smile at the same time. Now, without that voice, the room was painfully quiet. Lia let out a long breath, then grasped Yosan's hand tighter.
"Father, Lia promises not to be naughty again," she said in a trembling voice. Tears began to run down her cheeks. "I won't make you angry. Lia will also study hard, so... so, daddy wake up, okay?"
She sobbed, her tears falling on her father's hand. Deep down, Lia knew how much she loved Yosan, more than she had ever admitted. The man's chatty nature, his little tantrums, even his reprimands, they were all forms of affection that she now longed for. Lia just wanted her father to return to the way he used to be.
Yosan, however, remained silent. Occasionally, he would mutter cryptic words that Lia did not understand. Even so, the mumbling implied a pain that made everyone who heard it could only be silent and hold back tears while guarding or being close to Yosan.
"Lia ...." Reina called out to her daughter in a soft voice, her hands clenched tightly. She had been watching her daughter for a long time who was lying between her and Yosan. The little girl still wanted to sleep together until her father woke up.
Reina's heart broke even more seeing Lia who was crying at the moment, while being filled with resentment and hatred towards Elexon who was the cause of Yosan lying helpless like this. "Prove" and "approve", the words that Elexon had said during his conversation with Yosan still haunted Reina. What was the real meaning of it all? Why did Yosan have to go to this extent just for the sake of training?
Lia's cries grew louder, making Reina unable to take it anymore. She held her daughter tightly. "Mommy... when will father wake up?" Lia hugged her mother tremblingly.
Reina tried to calm her daughter, even though she herself was fragile. "Honey, your father will wake up. He just needs time to rest. We have to keep praying for him, okay?" her voice was soft but full of hurt. She wiped away Lia's tears with her fingers, while her gaze returned to Yosan's pale face. In her heart, Reina vowed to demand an explanation from Elexon and never let this happen again.
Lia finally fell asleep silently in her mother's arms, her tired little body finally falling asleep after crying so much. Reina carefully repositioned her daughter, laying Lia down beside Yosan with great affection. After making sure her daughter was comfortable, Reina slowly got up from the bed and returned to the bedside table, where many royal tasks were waiting to be completed.
However, it was not until she returned to her work that Reina heard a faint sound. She paused, focusing her hearing. Suddenly, Yosan's voice murmured, and Reina quickly approached.
The mumbling became clearer and clearer. Yosan was delirious, his head moving slowly to the right and left, his lips tightly clenched but still able to let out words full of regret. "Sorry... forgive me... I was incompetent... I failed... Whipper People... I... I'm a useless king...."
His voice sounded even heavier and full of emotion. "I should have been more useful. I should have been able to do more...." Yosan muttered again, his voice broken by regret. "Father... sorry... I couldn't keep my promise. I failed to be a good king... I failed to protect our family.... mother... I'm an unfilial son.... I'm sorry..."
Reina was stunned, her body frozen for a moment. The mumbling grew heavier as Yosan began to say something that made her heart feel like it was being squeezed. "Arthur... stop... please... I've given up... no more... no more ...." His voice sounded so desperate, reflecting a deep pain.
Seeing Yosan like this left Reina speechless. The man she had known as a cheerful and loving figure was still trapped in the shadows of his dark past. Reina slowly sat on the edge of the bed, her hand gently touching Yosan's sweat-soaked face. She whispered his name lovingly, hoping to wake him up from the nightmare.
"Yosan," Reina whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "You're safe now... I'm here... Lia's here... We're all here with you. No more Arthur, no more of that pain."
Yosan did not respond immediately, but his mumbling slowly subsided. Reina continued to gently stroke his hair and cheeks, trying to calm his agitation. Her heart ached, seeing the man she loved still haunted by the scars of his past. She could not imagine how heavy a burden Yosan had been carrying, keeping all the guilt and trauma alone without ever really sharing it with her.
Tears began to well up in the corners of Reina's eyes, but she held them back. She knew this was not the time to drown in her own emotions. In a firmer yet still gentle voice, she said, "You are a good father, Yosan. You are part of this family. You are not alone anymore. You are safe, and you are precious to us."
Yosan's breathing was labored, his body seemed to tremble subtly with beads of sweat soaking his forehead and temples. Occasionally, her face contorted as if she was enduring intense pain. The murmur that escaped his lips was soft, but clear enough to make Reina's heart ache.
"You two... stop!" muttered Yosan in a desperate tone, as if speaking to someone in his nightmare.
Reina, who was sitting next to Yosan, was stunned. She looked at Yosan anxiously, her hand that was previously gently rubbing the man's forehead now stopped in mid-air. Who was Yosan referring to? What memories were haunting him so much that he was delirious like this?
Yosan muttered again, his voice full of emotion. "Stop... I beg you... don't... don't fight anymore...." His head moved slowly to the right and left, and his face increasingly showed deep pain. "I... I can't... I tried... I'm sorry...."
Reina felt a great shock in her heart. She knew that Yosan often harbored many things, especially regarding his past at the Whipper, but hearing this made her realize how much pain the man carried. She could no longer bear to see Yosan tormented like this.
"Yosan..." whispered Reina, her hand returning to the man's face. She tried to soothe him with a gentle caress, even though she knew Yosan could not hear her in this state. "That's in the past. You don't have to face everything alone anymore."
Reina tried to hold back her emotions, but seeing Yosan who was still trapped in a nightmare made her heart seem torn apart. That agonizing mutter, his trembling body, and the sweat that kept pouring out seemed to remind Reina of how deep the man's wounds were.
"Yosan, wake up... please," she whispered, her voice beginning to tremble. She grasped Yosan's hand tightly, as if hoping her touch could pull the man back to reality. "You don't have to fight alone anymore... You're already with me, with Lia. Please, wake up."
However, Yosan remained lost in his nightmare, his lips still mumbling incoherent things. "You... you two stop... please... I can't...." His mumbling was getting quieter, but his expression was still full of agony.
The tears Reina had been holding back finally fell. She could not bear to see the man she loved continue to be tormented like this. With trembling hands, she shook Yosan's body gently, her voice turning into a small sob. "Yosan! Please, wake up... Don't let the guilt consume you... You've suffered enough... You're not alone anymore."
She shook her body a little more vigorously this time, her tears falling onto Yosan's cheeks. "You're a good man... You're a wonderful father to Lia... and... and I love you. Please, wake up!"