".....master."
I heard a voice. It appeared to be distant and kind of echo-y.
I finally got to rest, please leave me alone.
"...Young master."
The voice sounds nostalgic. Just like Sebastian's voice back when I was younger.
"Young master!"
"Gasp!"
With great difficulty, Mikhail cracked opened his eyes to see a teary eyed Sebastian by his bed. He instinctively wanted to wipe his tears but his arms felt too heavy for him to pick up.
It felt like he was drowning in lava. Even taking a breath was laborious. He could only scrunch his eyebrows and frown in discomfort while looking at him, unconsciously streaming tears down his cheeks.
Although even he wasn't aware of whether they were from the pain of his current predicament or because of seeing the face of a deceased loved one.
"It's alright Young master. The duke has agreed to call the High priest of Sephtis to heal you. You'll be fine in no time. Please hold on. It will all be over soon."
As if sensing his distress, Sebastian gripped his hand even more tightly and poured out his heart to try and distract him from the pain. Even though he knew it was useless, he still did it hoping it would give his young master some strength.
'Didn't this happen when I had a fever which lasted more than a week and almost killed me?'
He barely formed a clear thought by closing his eyes to focus. The high temperature seemed to be messing with his brain.
He knew that he wasn't a saint before his death.
.....At least not metaphorically and had considered the possibility that he might end up in hell. Considering the burning sensation on his body was he going through a punishment in hell?
But this feeling was familiar, too familiar exactly as the fever which nearly claimed his life. Even Sebastian's words were the same as back then.
Mikhail opened his eyes once again to take a look at the crying Sebastian by his bed.
"....."
If he was here then this couldn't be hell, Sebastian would never end up there.
Just then the door slammed open as a man in a pristine priest attire rushed to the side of Mikhail's bed and immediately knelt with his hands suspended towards Mikhail and started a silent chanting. Behind him a group of 5-6 people also followed in.
His hands suddenly shone a dark bluish light which absorbed into Mikhail's body slowly.
Mikhail squinted his eyes open a bit to see the same scene of High Priest Erix using his healing powers on him.
Everything was the same as back then, the time before he made the worst mistake of his life, when he was still the innocent rebellious youth full of dreams & aspirations.
The pain from his burning body started to ease as the priest continued to use his healing power making his temperature fluctuate. It felt like being drenched in lava in one second and drowning in an icy lake the next.
It felt even worse than before because earlier even though his body temperature was high, it was stable but the constant ups and downs were acting like a different kind of agonizing torture.
Albeit if this was the past then he knew the fact that this torment will continue for a few long hours.
Knowing this, Mikhail tried to relax his body as much as possible to try and fall asleep which worked as he fell unconscious.
This wasn't Davian's first time meeting Mikhail. As the High Priest's assistant, he had followed the high priest to many royal balls.
He had seen him at the royal ball many times yet he was still blown away by his beauty which couldn't be hidden even from such a deathly illness.
The Mikhail he had seen in the royal ball was confident, so confident in fact that he seemed arrogant.
Well, he had every right to be arrogant, not only was he one of the most influential people in the empire, he was also the most beautiful person in the empire becoming the standard for judging the beauty of a person.
Platinum blonde hair that looked silky soft to the touch lying messily on his pillow, a fair complexion devoid of any blemishes comparable to the first snow of winter which was currently flushed due to his fever making him look even more tempting.
Bright light blue eyes which were slightly narrow at the end giving them a seductive look with thick eyelashes, because of the fever there was slight redness at the corner of his eyes and a few tears were stuck on his eyelashes making him look pitiful, softly angled eyebrows which were currently frowning, a small nose with a sharp nose bridge, a pair of beautiful red lips which were chapped due to the fever. A chiseled jaw line which was even more prominent because of the excessive weight loss.
His body was as perfect as his face. Although it was currently hidden under the thin blanket, he had seen him before, he was approximate 180 cm tall with long straight legs and a good posture evidencing his noble lineage. He had a lean figure which neither too dainty nor too muscular with a narrow waist.