The Sword Dance of Red and Blue Part 9

"Lyn, are you going to see your parents after the war?"

"Yes."

She has missed her mother but even more than that the subconscious longing she has had for a father, that she only recalled as being her 'uncle' remained in her heart. She wants to meet him properly.

"Can I, come with you?"

Lyn blinked hearing Rhys hesitating tone and her gaze softened. "Of course you have to come with me. I want to introduce you to them properly again."

Her beloved, her soulmate. The person she chose to stand by her side for the rest of their lives. Before Rhys could reply to her, there is a frantic knocking on the door.

Lyn frowns hearing the familiar voice of the servant she assigned to take care of Kazuya.

"Queen Lyn! Queen Lyn!" The maids voice was frantic.

She immediately stood up and Rhys followed her. When they opened the door, they saw traces of blood on the maids clothing.

"The King suddenly started to cough out blood."

"Suddenly? He wouldn't suddenly cough out blood for no reason." Rhys said angrily.

The maid flinched and they heard another voice. It belonged to master, judging from the traces of blood on his clothing. It seems he had been nearby and gone to check on Kazuya.

"Just follow me, you two." Ralph instructed.

He seemed tired, and Lyn shot an angry look at the maid. How long has Kazuya been like this? He seemed just fine when they checked on him an hour and a half ago.

The minute they stepped inside the room, the smell of blood filled the entire room. She looked towards the bed, Kazuya wasn't just coughing out blood. With the amount of blood that was leaving his body and so quickly, he looked like a corpse.

Raven was there giving Ark instructions, as Kazuya is surrounded in a pool of magic. But, even with their desperate attempts, Kazuya's condition wasn't getting any better.

Lyn immediately rushed over and hugged Kazuya tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left your side even for a moment."

She didn't even have to look around to understand the situation. Somebody must have poisoned Kazuya's meal, only poison could trigger his already weak body. If she had stayed by his side today like she promised, this wouldn't have happened.

"L-Lyn." Kazuya said weakly. "T-the one who poisoned me, the sn-snow Kingdom's-"

Before Kazuya could finish his sentence, he suddenly coughed out an even larger amount of blood than before. This time leading to him passing out. Lyn froze when she felt his weakened pulse.

Kazuya?

"Master, help me out a bit." Rhys suddenly shouted and he turned to Ralph and Ark. "You two, keep that up for just five more minutes."

Lyn turns her attention to Rhys and he sees him pulling out some large scrolls, and a brush as he starts to write on them. The familiar scripture of the eastern language. Ever since they met again, Rhys has been using regular magic, so this is the first time she is seeing this in a long time.

She could only watch the procedure and not help due to the shock of feeling Kazuya's pulse weaken, and his heart beat fade.

The seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned to an hour and several. The entire time all she could do was hold onto Kazuya. Even though his pulse was returning, Lyn was still terrified that if she let him go, he would disappear.

How can he leave when there is still something important that she never told him?

'You only realize what is precious to you after you lose it.'

Lyn didn't want that to happen. But, how could she possibly put her gratitude into words? She has so much to thank him for. The memories of when they first met, and when he first appeared before her in the Mist Kingdom flashes through her mind. This person has always smiled and pulled her along, he has always given her the confidence she needed to stand up against those who are against her.

It's because of Kazuya that she resolved herself to become the Queen. She owes this person too much.

'It's not possible for me to give you my heart anymore.' No matter how thankful she is, and frightened that she would lose him. Lyn understood her feelings very well. The person she love is Rhys, and the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with is Rhys.

But even if that's the case, she doesn't want this person to die. Please, don't go. Don't leave.

….

It was early morning, shortly before sunrise when Rhys 'healing' procedure finally ended. Everybody was exhausted, but somehow dragged themselves out of the room to give them privacy. Perhaps it was due to staying up all night, but she felt very tired.

Master had taken the maid away for further questioning, but Lyn already knew the answer when she saw her terrified face. She had been threatened. What could she have done?

Lyn's gaze fell on Kazuya fast asleep in her arms. She caressed his cheek and a relieved sigh escaped her lips. His complexion looks much better than before. Rhys spell also erased the blood and the traces of it, so the room was clean.

Last night was the first time she truly understood the magnitude of Kazuya's condition. There were several other occasions where Kazuya looked like he was on the verge of death. But last night was too close for her liking.

If something truly happened to Kazuya, she would never forgive herself.