The Gamer's POV

Chapter 350: Moving Past My Grieve and Healing Together [1]

Days later...

——

The door to Cedric’s room creaked open, and Arthur, his butler, walked in carrying a tray with two bottles of alcohol and a glass.

The moment the man stepped into the room, the sharp tang of alcohol stung his nose, though he didn’t pay it any mind.

It was currently daytime, but since the curtains were drawn tightly shut and no candles were lit, the room was swallowed by gloom. However, that didn’t stop Arthur from seeing the numerous empty bottles scattered across the floor.

Of course, Arthur could tell on his own that Cedric did not want anyone disturbing him, so he had instructed the maid in charge of cleaning to stay away from the young lord’s bedchamber.

Ignoring the mess, he walked to the center of the room. Lying there on the ground, with his arms splayed wide and his glassy eyes staring at nothing in particular, was Cedric.

During the past few days, Cedric had barely spoken to anyone. So, upon getting to him, Arthur quietly dropped the new bottles by his side, then bowed deeply before turning away and walking back toward the exit. Seconds later, he shut the door, leaving the lord of the house in silence.

A minute later, Cedric let out a loud exhale. He winced and groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the floor, grabbed a bottle and a glass, and stumbled over to lean against the bed.

Slumping against the mattress, he filled the glass, dropped the bottle on the ground, and drained the liquid in one long swallow.

The next few minutes drifted by with him alternating between filling his glass and drowning his thoughts. As he sat there in silence, he kept staring at the gold and black pendant resting heavily in his hand.

He had really tried to suppress his grief and move on. After coming back to life recently, he thought that if he were to just focus on other things, the pain would fade. Sadly, it seemed that as the days went by, the ache inside him only grew more unbearable.

After another minute, he picked up the second bottle beside him to refill his glass. That was when he realized that it was empty. He had ended up drinking both bottles...

Cedric sighed.

At that moment, Aika, who had been smoking her pipe in the corner, stood up and walked over to him. She put the pipe away and sat down beside him, hugging her legs.

After resting her head against her knees and staring at him with quiet concern, she finally spoke in a gentle voice.

"It’s been days since you last ate anything. You should really go get something to eat."

It was quiet between them for a while.

Eventually, Cedric exhaled and, without looking at her, mumbled, "I’m not hungry."

Aika didn’t reply immediately, and her gaze lingered on his hollow expression. After a moment, she frowned and sighed.

"Are you really planning on just spending your days drinking and rotting in this dark room?"

A few seconds passed, and then, Cedric stood up.

"Leave me be, Aika," he groaned as he stumbled back to the center of the room, dropping onto his back and sprawling his arms out to stare at nothing in particular.

As he settled onto the cold floor, he muttered, "Go to the club or sanctuary or something. Just leave me be for now. I’m fine, I promise."

Aika’s frown deepened.

After a moment, she stood up, but rather than leave as he requested, she walked over to his side and dropped onto the floor beside him. At first, she rested a hand on his chest. When she saw that he did not chase her away, she gently rested her head against his chest.

She remained there with her eyes open as the hours quietly went by. Even as the faint daytime light behind the curtains faded into a purple dusk, she didn’t shift or pull away.

...She was not going to leave him.

***

The following day.

5:00 A.M.

——

Aika stood in front of the bathroom mirror, watching her reflection as she tied her hair back and slid a hairpin into place. As she lowered her hands, a thin stream of crimson leaked from her nose.

Her already grim expression darkened even further.

Reaching down, she picked up a towel and wiped the blood away, pressing the cloth against her nose for a quiet moment to ensure it had stopped. When she finished, she gripped the edges of the marble basin with both hands, bracing herself as she let out a long sigh.

"I’ve been having a lot of nosebleeds ever since I got that memory," she murmured to her reflection.

Her gaze slowly traveled down to the bloodied towel.

Unsure of what exactly was happening to her, she eventually exhaled wearily and turned away. She walked out of the bathroom into the large, dark bedroom, then crossed over to the open balcony.

There, she could see Cedric sitting on the ground. He was holding a bottle of alcohol, and his head was slightly tilted up with his gaze fixed on the dark sky.

After observing him for a moment, she walked over and sat down beside him on the ground.

"Hey," she said softly as she hugged her knees and rested her head against them.

Slowly, Cedric turned to look at her. His lips then tugged into a small smile. After a second, he looked away and replied, "Hey."

Aika looked away as well.

"Do you know what the most common lie is?" she asked.

"What?"

"It’s, ’I’m fine,’" she answered.

Cedric remained silent.

Aika raised her gaze to the sky too, then continued after a moment. "Someone said to me recently that words are overrated. Well, I agree for the most part. But when it comes to the people who care about you, saying that words are overrated is bullshit."

She paused and slowly looked down. Then she sighed, and her voice softened further. "I’ve come to realize that most of what I know about you comes from your memories. Of course, I’ve seen your life. But that’s it. I don’t think I really know you the way I think I do. So let’s talk. It’s been too long since we had a real conversation."