Arthur finally regained consciousness in the night. He had remained asleep for most of the day. Even within his dreams he saw the same moment unfold before him again and again.
On one side stood the messenger coldly reading out the message. On the other side Arthur could see, atop a tall mountain, his parents' carriage slipping from the cliff and crashing deep into the forest below.
And amidst that chaos, somehow his father's knife, which he always carried on him, was accidentally grabbed by his mother. While the carriage fell, the blade remained angled downward and upon impact it lodged itself into her abdomen, killing her instantly.
Even within his dreams Arthur was conveniently pushing away the truth. Even now he was not ready to accept the inevitable.
Finally he found himself standing at the bottom of the mountain. The details of the corpses were unclear. Even his own mind could not fill the gaps. What he saw were merely fragments described within the letter itself.
Then the scene repeated again.
This time a rock fell and pushed the carriage off the mountain.
Then another version appeared.
A landslide.
Assassins.
Monsters.
Demons.
And once, a goddamned tsunami.
The conclusions became more and more absurd each time.
Until finally, during the last dream, Arthur found himself standing directly before the incoming carriage. His parents saw him and desperately tried to stop the horses. But one of the horses slipped. First the horse fell, then the entire carriage followed behind it.
His parents screamed in terror as they faced their own deaths.
Both of them reached out toward Arthur, begging him for help.
And that was what finally caused him to awaken once again into the grasp of darkness.
The Head Butler remained beside his master while the Head Maid had gone to prepare food for Arthur. Just simple porridge and lightly salted soup were on the menu.
The Head Butler calmly watched Arthur awaken. Arthur looked around the room in confusion until his eyes finally met the butler's.
"Oh... it was just a bad dream. I might have overworked myself too much. There's no way something could happen to them."
Arthur looked outside and realized it was night, not day. The room was illuminated by stellarium lamps and candles.
The butler remained silent for a while.
Finally the Head Butler reminded Arthur of reality.
"My Lord, please forgive me for being the bearer of such truth. But you collapsed after the messenger revealed the deaths of my former masters."
Arthur was struck by reality once again.
He wanted to deny it. To tell the butler that everything was alright. That nothing was wrong.
But when he tried to speak, tears instead flowed from his eyes. His mouth would not even open.
The tears fell onto the bedsheets, slightly wetting them.
Even Arthur noticed it. He quietly stared at the growing stain as the cloth absorbed more and more tears.
"My liege, I have already sent the messenger back. According to them, my former masters will arrive at dawn. Duke Daramten himself will accompany and escort them."
"Please regain control of yourself. As King, you cannot allow the world to see you like this."
"Please wipe your tears."
What Arthur needed right now was warmth. Sympathy. Comfort.
Instead he was only being reminded of his position within the world.
Arthur's thoughts had completely scattered. Either no coherent thought would come to his mind at all, or he would once again see the carriage and his parents before him.
Every time he blinked he either saw the carriage falling or their lifeless corpses.
Whenever his eyes met the light, not even a single voluntary thought or bodily action would occur.
Except breathing.
Sometimes heavy.
Sometimes light.
And sometimes he forgot to breathe entirely, only to suddenly gasp for air with uneven breaths.
The Head Maid finally returned carrying the porridge and soup.
"Milord, I have prepared your dinner. Please eat."
Arthur looked down at the plain white porridge. He took the plate without a word.
He lifted the spoon and filled it with food. But just as he was about to take the first bite, his hand suddenly stopped.
Seeing this behavior, the Head Maid spoke.
"Milord, is something wrong with the food?"
Arthur did not answer.
He merely stared at the meal as if something inside him refused to let him eat it.
Slowly he placed the spoon down and instead reached for the relatively clear soup.
He took a sip.
It was lightly spiced.
This time he managed to consume it without reacting negatively. Even though it tasted more like warm water than soup, it still felt comforting.
After the short meal the Head Maid took away the untouched porridge.
Arthur's mind had somewhat cleared. He could finally think again.
He stood up and tidied himself before asking the Head Butler about the Daramtens.
"When did they say the Head of Daramten would arrive?"
The Head Butler respectfully answered.
"I believe they have already departed for the royal palace. They should arrive by dawn. But since they are traveling through the Croant Mountains, it may take longer."
Arthur immediately thought that if the Duke himself was coming, then Roselina would likely accompany him as well.
And he was not yet prepared for such a reunion after everything that had happened.
"Prepare for their arrival. They are important guests. Also call the Head Priest to conduct the final rites for my mother and father. And send a message to my mother's side of the family informing them that their presence is requested."
The Head Butler felt relieved seeing Arthur become somewhat stable again.
"Your Highness, please get more rest. I shall make every preparation possible. Our guests will not be dishonored."
After saying that, he quietly left the room.
Arthur could finally think clearly again.
"Mother... Father... please give me the strength to survive within this world."
Arthur folded his hands together and closed his eyes in a small prayer to his parents.
"Father, I do not know whether you were truly responsible or not. But I can confirm that you kept your word. So why... why did you leave me so soon?"
Arthur tried to continue praying so that he could properly send them off.
But his emotions kept interrupting him.
Once again Arthur tried to pray, this time for his mother.
"Mother, I know you loved me deeply. I wish I could have spent more time with you and Father. Since I was a child I always saw you sitting beside Father upon the throne, holding your ground within the imperial court so firmly that none could ignore your words."
"But why, Mother? Why did you have to become like this? Even if Father told me the truth, and even if I saw it with my own eyes, I still cannot truly believe or accept that you would do something like this."
"I want to resent you. But somehow that hatred simply won't develop."
It was useless.
He could not even give proper parting words to his own parents.
Arthur still desperately wanted to believe that everything was a lie.
Arthur tried to motivate himself.
"Arthur, be strong. You have not lost everything. You still have something to protect."
He pounded his chest twice so hard that he could feel his own ribcage shake. A sudden shortness of breath followed along with a violent cough.
And after coughing, a few more tears escaped his eyes.
Yet somehow he felt slightly better.
His eyes slowly wandered around the room.
And seeing that he was completely alone, Arthur finally realized something.
Now he truly was alone.
There was no one left to comfort him.
No one left to encourage him.
No one left to share his burdens with.
For the very first time in his life, Arthur truly felt alone.