A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

"Calm down?"

Heimos handed over a glass of sweet juice, and the blond child sitting on the bed reached out to take it, holding the white jade cup in his two small hands, and looked up at him.

The golden forehead hair was messy and scattered in the corners of the child's eyes. The eyes looked red, just like a little rabbit with red eyes. He looked pitiful and cute at the same time.

Seeing Garlan purse his lips and drink the juice, with his red little nose twitching from time to time while drinking, Heimos wanted to laugh a little.

He stood there, looking at Garlan, holding the glass of juice and drinking it in small sips.

"The doctor checked it and said it's nothing serious."

Heimos said after taking the empty white jade cup and placing it on the table next to him.

"The sun was a little brighter today, and you exhausted your strength, so you fainted. Just take a good rest."

"Seeing that you were fine and they had something to do, they left first."

he said, an understatement.

As for King Kamos and Chemuel, they had urgent government affairs to deal with and had to leave, while Kehos left with the doctor to make arrangements for making medicine. These details were downplayed by Heimos intentionally or unintentionally. .

After hearing what he said, Garlan didn't ask any further questions and just tilted his head to look at him. The light of the setting sun shines in through the window and shines on the child's face, making that half of his cheeks turn red.

Heimos stepped forward, leaned over the bed, stretched out his hand and rubbed the furry little head.

He said softly: "Next time you feel uncomfortable, just say it earlier and don't hold on."

In his opinion, Gallan must have been too tired from Shermuel's training, but he was stubborn and refused to say anything, and then he passed out from heat and exhaustion.

His head was caressed and comforted by Heimos. Garlan lowered his eyes, and his long eyelashes covered the look in his eyes.

Heimos stood nearby. From his perspective, looking from top to bottom, he could see a little tear stain remaining in the corner of the child's eye, like a light mole dotting the red corner of the eye, inexplicably as if it had penetrated. human heart.

It's like a gentle feather touches the softest place in my heart.

He heard the child speak quietly.

"Shemuer...how is he?"

Garlan asked him.

"That's when you stabbed him."

Heimos hummed.

"During sparring, his arrow wound split open, and I didn't have time to stop." He said, "The doctor also checked him just now. It's just a skin injury. It will heal in a few days."

After he finished speaking, he saw Garlan exhale softly as if he was relieved.

"That's it..."

"Are you worried about him?" Heimos said with a smile, "Because he always scolds you, so I thought you didn't like him very much."

Garlan lowered his eyes and said nothing, pursed his lips as if thinking about something.

After a while, he suddenly lifted the thin blanket and raised his feet to get out of bed.

"I want to go for a walk," he said.

Heimos didn't stop him, let him get out of bed, put on his shoes, and then accompanied him out of the door and walked into the courtyard outside.

The place where Garlan lived was a side palace close to the palace of King Camos. It was very spacious and had a large courtyard with beautiful scenery outside. It was sunset at this moment, and the red light of the setting sun shone on the lush trees and sparkling lotus pond in the courtyard, covering them all with a light red gauze.

The tall stone statue stands above the fountain pool, and the falling water drops shine like a rainbow in the light.

Garlan didn't walk long before he reached the fountain. The cold water drops falling on his face made him raise his head.

On the fountain pool, the standing star goddess Isdar held the stars in her hands, lowered her head slightly, and looked down at the earth with loving and compassionate eyes.

...That extremely familiar look...

Garlan's heart beat suddenly.

Yes.

right here.

In that life, he also lived in this side palace, and fell under the stone statue of the goddess Isdar in this courtyard.

He still remembered that at the moment of his death, what he saw was that the stone statue of the goddess seemed to be looking down at him with compassionate eyes...

Garlan stood there, looking up at this familiar place, motionless.

Whenever he remembered that scene, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

His mind was so confused that he couldn't think at all.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out from the side, reached into his armpits on both sides, and lifted him up.

The messy memory was suddenly interrupted. Garlan turned his head in surprise and saw the young man who had lifted himself up smiling at him.

Heimos lifted him and placed him on the edge of the fountain.

He smiled at him and said, "You want to sit on it, don't you?"

Before Garlan could react, Heimos lifted him up and sat on the edge of the fountain.

The edge of the basin-shaped fountain pool that spreads out from the bottom is made of stone. It is a bit high, more than one meter, almost as tall as Garlan, who was still a child.

Heimos saw Gallan standing on the edge of the fountain pool with his head raised and staring at the edge in a daze. He thought he wanted to climb up, so he lifted him up.

After placing Garlan down, he turned around, pressed his hand hard on the edge of the fountain pool, and his body rose into the air. As soon as he turned around, he sat down next to Garlan.

The boy who jumped up and sat down bent one leg, put his foot on the stone edge, put one hand on his bent knee, and looked sideways at the child here.

The setting sun reflected on the young man's face, making his handsome face look like the morning glow, which was indescribably beautiful.

At this moment, Heimos still has the clarity and handsomeness of a young man, like the rising sun in the morning, full of vitality, exuding the bright breath of life of a young man.

No one would believe that this young man, as handsome as the morning glow, with bright and clear eyes, would turn into such a terrifying and cold appearance in the future.

...Is it like that because of your obsession with the throne?

Garlan sat on the edge of the high fountain pool, his calves hanging in the air, dangling gently in the air.

He tilted his head and looked at Heimos, and suddenly said: "Heimos, have you never thought that the sword I stabbed you just now actually meant to kill you?"

Heimos was startled for a moment, then laughed.

"kill me?"

He obviously took Gallan's words as a joke and followed the joke.

"Do you want to kill me?"

He asked, then he held up his hands, jumped down, turned around, and faced Garlan who was still sitting on top.

Then, Heimos reached out and pulled out the dagger from his waist, and handed it to Garlan.

"for you."

The young man said with a smile, a hint of indulgence in his tone.

"Why, do you still want to kill me now?"

Garlan did not take the dagger, but just looked down at Heymos.

Heimos, who was still just a teenager at this moment, stood in front of him, looking up at him, holding a dagger in one hand and handing it to him, and placing one hand on the stone railing of the fountain pool beside him, like a half circle. He is average.

Those golden-red eyes looked at him, slightly bent, with a hint of smile in them.

Heimos probably likes him very much now.

Garlan thought.

Perhaps it was because of the shadows left by him in the past few times that led to his resistance to this person. Since his rebirth in this life, he has never seriously looked at this person.

Now, for the first time, he took a serious look at the person in front of him, this young Heimos.

He looked directly into Heimos's eyes for the first time, and he finally saw clearly the way the young man in front of him looked at him.

A person's eyes cannot deceive others. He could clearly see the young man's eyes full of trust and intimacy towards him from these golden-red eyes.

Garlan was a little confused.

…

Is it because of that time?

That night, when Heimos fell down with a fever, he ran over and ran into him by accident and helped him.

Because of that time, why is Heimos so close to him now?

It was like a young wolf that had just grown its fangs and claws, and accidentally fell into a trap. After being rescued, it got close to the person who saved him.

Garlan stared at the young man in front of him.

Flashing through his mind was the time when he was also under this fountain. Those golden-red eyes looked at him with a cold look that seemed to have been quenched by poison.

For some reason, he reached out and touched Heimos' face, touching the slightly raised corners of his eyes.

Gallan's sudden movement made Heimos startled. The child's fingers had just been dipped into the water of the fountain. The fingertips were cool, but the coolness made Heimos' chest jump slightly.

This is the first time that this child takes the initiative to get close to him.

He was in a good mood.

He took the initiative to move forward, put his face into the palm of that small hand, and raised his hand to cover Garlan's hand.

The young man covered his hand, tilted his head slightly, squinted his eyes, and gently rubbed his cheek into the palm of that little hand.

The contented look with narrowed eyes is like a young wolf caressing the hand of a close person and acting coquettishly.

...This future evil wolf is still very young, very close to him, and likes him...

...but the young wolf will eventually grow into a vicious wolf...

Garlan thought.

Suddenly, a terrible thought emerged in his heart uncontrollably.

If you could coax and lie to this evil wolf when he was still a young wolf, and let him regard you as your best friend, your closest friend.

Then, use emotions as shackles to trap him, and then seize the opportunity in the future to severely cut off the claws of this evil wolf and pull out his teeth——

Only by getting rid of this evil wolf can he survive.

"What kind of nightmare did you just have?"

The voice ringing in his ears suddenly woke Gallan up.

He hesitated and replied: "I dreamed of Shermour, and he was killed."

Garlan said this, but Heimos reflexively thought that Garlan was talking about the refugee incident.

In the dream, Shermer was killed by the refugees.

"...I'm dead too."

Garlan said softly.

With his eyes lowered, the fine eyelashes cast a shallow shadow on the snow-white skin. The child's voice was soft and filled with indescribable sadness, which made people feel a little distressed.

No wonder.

Heimos thought.

Not only did he dream that his guardian was killed, but he himself was also killed.

Having dreamed about such a terrible thing, no wonder I was so scared that I cried at that time.

"Garlan."

Heimos said, he stood in front of Garlan, looking up at that childish face.

He reached out and took hold of the child's wrist, holding Garlan's hands in his.

He raised his head, and occasionally a few drops of water dropped from the hands of the standing stone statue of the goddess Isdar fell on the tips of his dark hair.

"Don't be afraid."

His voice coaxing the child in front of him was the softest in his life.

Heimos thought that he was Garlan's royal brother, and this was the bond between him and Garlan that would never be broken.

As long as this bond remains, then protecting Garlan is his responsibility and his right.

"As long as I am here from now on, I am very strong and will become stronger in the future, stronger than anyone else."

"So I won't die or get hurt. I will protect you from now on."

As Heimos said this, the setting sun was about to sink into the horizon, and there was only the last red light left on the ground, which fell on his golden-red eyes, seeming to ignite a glimmer of light in his eyes.

The glimmer in his eyes reflected Garlan's figure, and perhaps even he didn't notice it.

At this moment, what he said and promised was equivalent to a lifelong vow.

"Garlan, I will stay with you and protect you in this life, and I will not let anyone hurt you."

…………

[Use emotions as shackles to wrap around the neck of this young wolf, and then seize the opportunity to cut off his claws and pull out his teeth——]

...can't do it.

He couldn't get close to this person.

What's more, using feelings as a bargaining chip to deceive is so despicable.

So, he can't do it.

………………

Looking away from Heimos's face, Garlan raised his head and saw the stone statue of the goddess Isdar above his head.

Those eyes carved from stone looked down at him with deep compassion.

Just like that day, the last scene he saw before his death.

Taking a deep breath, Garlan lowered his head again and looked back at Heimos.

"……unnecessary."

He said,

"I don't need you to protect me, I don't need you to stay with me."

"I do not need you."

Suddenly, Heimos' breathing paused slightly.

He stood there, looking at Garlan blankly, as if he didn't quite understand what Garlan said.

Garlan sat there, looking down at him, with fine fountains of water falling from behind him.

"Heimos, no matter who falls there that night, I will help him. Even if that person is someone I hate, I will help him."

…………

Heymos, you and I will one day be enemies.

For the sake of the throne, we are destined to be mortal enemies.

I won't forgive you.

You won't let me go either.

Therefore, throughout our lives, we cannot become close friends.

…………

"You once asked me why I never called you Brother Wang... I thought you understood, but you still don't understand."

"I've been avoiding you, why can't you tell?"

"...Now, I'm fed up, so I'll tell you directly."

The blond child looked at him, his bright eyes reflected his shadow, his tender lips, and his soft voice spoke hurtful words.

The child's words were always straightforward and straightforward, but this kind of straightforwardness made him even more cruel.

"Heimos, I have hated you very much since the first time we met."

Garlan raised his hand and easily took it out of the opponent's hand.

He jumped down from the fountain, didn't even look at Heimos, and left without looking back.

The young man who was left on the spot turned his head and glanced at Garlan's leaving back.

His expression was calm and there was no emotion visible. But at this moment, the setting sun completely fell to the ground, so the glimmer of light that was reflected in the young man's eyes a second ago also disappeared.

It seemed that at this moment, the starlight in those eyes suddenly disappeared without a trace, and fell into darkness.

[Heimos, I don’t need you. 】

【I do not want you. 】

The author has something to say: First time.

Well, three more times.