Chapter 8
The silence lingered after the exchange of information.
Neither team spoke for several moments.
Finally, Kyrth folded the map of the capital and looked toward the palace rising above the rooftops.
“We’ve gathered enough rumors.”
“What we need now is proof.”
One member of the other team nodded.
“If the Second Prince truly had a wife, there must be a royal tomb.”
“Or at least a place where members of the royal family are laid to rest.”
Saeroyx quietly added,
“And if there isn’t…”
“…that absence is proof in itself.”
The group exchanged glances before reaching the same conclusion.
The royal tomb would become their next destination.
The search consumed the rest of the afternoon.
They questioned elderly shopkeepers who had lived in the capital for decades.
A retired palace mason.
Temple priests.
Even former royal guards.
Every answer deepened the mystery.
“There is no royal graveyard.”
“There used to be one.”
“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it.”
“The royal family cremates their dead.”
“No… they bury them beneath the palace.”
Each answer contradicted the last.
It was as though no two people remembered the same history.
Kyrth’s expression gradually darkened.
“Someone has erased the truth.”
“No,” Saeroyx replied softly.
“They’ve buried it.”
As dusk settled over the capital, an old groundskeeper finally hesitated before speaking.
“There is…”
He glanced around to ensure no one was listening.
“…an abandoned mausoleum beyond the western forest.”
“They sealed it many years ago.”
“No one goes there anymore.”
“Why?” Kyrth asked.
The old man lowered his head.
“They say…”
“…the doors refuse to open.”
The air fell silent.
Saeroyx’s golden-orange eyes lifted toward the distant tree line.
For reasons he couldn’t explain…
His heartbeat quickened.
Not from fear.
From familiarity.
As though something beyond the forest had been waiting for him long before he had arrived in this kingdom.
Kyrth noticed the subtle change.
“You know something?”
Saeroyx slowly shook his head.
“No.”
After a brief pause, he added in an unusually quiet voice,
“I just have the feeling…”
“…that the door won’t stay closed.”
Neither of them realized that, miles away beyond the western forest, the weathered stone gates of the forgotten royal mausoleum trembled ever so slightly.
A thin layer of dust drifted from the ancient seal.
The locks, untouched for years…
Clicked.
Once.
As though they had heard someone call.
The old groundskeeper remained silent for a long moment before speaking again.
His weathered hands tightened around his walking staff.
“It lies beyond the Western Forest.”
Kyrth immediately asked, “Can you show us the way?”
The old man slowly shook his head.
“Even if I could…”
“…you would never reach it.”
The group exchanged puzzled glances.
“What do you mean?” one of the team asked.
The old man looked toward the western horizon, where a dark line of towering trees stood beneath the fading sky.
“The Western Forest is unlike any other forest.”
“It has no paths.”
“No maps.”
“No landmarks.”
“The trees grow so densely that sunlight barely touches the ground.”
“Compasses spin without reason.”
“Even experienced hunters lose their sense of direction.”
He paused before continuing.
“Many have entered.”
“Very few have returned.”
“And those who did…”
“…could never explain how they escaped.”
A chill settled over the group.
“Is it inhabited?” Kyrth asked.
“No one knows.”
“Some claim they hear footsteps following them.”
“Others speak of voices calling them by name.”
“Some insist the forest changes every time they look away.”
The old man sighed heavily.
“Whether those stories are true or not…”
“…the result is always the same.”
“No one reaches the royal mausoleum.”
One of the other investigators frowned.
“Surely the royal family must have used the road.”
“There was once an ancient stone road,” the old man replied.
“But it disappeared long ago.”
“Now the forest has swallowed everything.”
Silence fell once more.
Kyrth studied the map of the kingdom.
There was no forest marked in the western region.
Not even a symbol.
It was as though the place had been intentionally omitted.
He folded the map shut.
“Interesting.”
Saeroyx had not spoken a single word.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant wall of trees.
For reasons he could not explain…
He felt no fear.
Only the strange certainty that the forest was not trying to keep people out.
It was waiting for someone.
Someone it would finally allow to pass.
The sky had already begun to darken by the time the two groups returned to the palace.
Neither spoke much during the journey back.
The old groundskeeper’s words lingered in everyone’s mind.
A forest with no paths.
A forgotten royal mausoleum.
A place no one had reached in decades.
If even half of it was true, the mystery surrounding the Second Prince’s wife had just become far more complicated.
That evening, after the banquet had concluded, representatives from all thirty-two teams gathered in one of the palace’s conference halls.
The atmosphere was far more serious than during their previous meetings.
Kyrth stepped forward and spread a map of the kingdom across the long table.
“We’ve uncovered a lead.”
The room immediately fell silent.
He explained everything-the contradictory stories about the former princess, the missing royal graveyard, the abandoned mausoleum, and the Western Forest that stood between them.
When he finished, murmurs spread throughout the hall.
“A forest where no one returns?”
“Sounds like nothing more than a legend.”
“Even if the mausoleum exists, what if it’s unrelated?”
“We were invited here to investigate the princes, not chase ghost stories.”
Several teams immediately dismissed the idea.
One leader folded his arms.
“We won’t risk our lives based on an old man’s tale.”
Another nodded.
“Our investigation will remain inside the palace.”
One by one, more teams declined.
Some believed the forest was merely a distraction.
Others thought the truth would be found through politics rather than ancient ruins.
In the end, the room grew quiet once more.
Kyrth counted those still standing beside the map.
Including their own…
Only twelve pairs remained.
Twenty-four participants.
The others had chosen different paths.
Saeroyx finally spoke, his calm voice carrying through the chamber.
“The more dangerous the place…”
“…the less likely it has already been searched.”
No one argued.
The twelve pairs exchanged determined glances.
They had all reached the same conclusion.
At first light…
They would leave the palace together.
Their destination-
The Western Forest.
And somewhere beyond its endless trees…
The forgotten royal mausoleum.
The palace had finally grown quiet.
Beyond the tall windows, the celebration still lingered in the capital below. Lanterns illuminated the streets like scattered stars, and the distant sound of music drifted faintly through the night air. Yet inside their chamber, only the crackling fireplace disturbed the silence.
Kyrth sat at the writing desk with a fresh map spread before him.
One by one, he marked the routes each team intended to investigate over the coming days.
The palace.
The noble estates.
The temples.
The archives.
The western outskirts.
Only twelve pairs had chosen the final destination.
The Western Forest.
He rested the quill against the table and quietly counted once more.
“Twelve…”
“It could have been worse.”
From behind him came Saeroyx’s relaxed voice.
The young man was lying across the long sofa beside the window, one arm behind his head while the other lazily flipped through a book he clearly wasn’t reading.
“Twenty teams staying behind means fewer people to compete with.”
Kyrth smiled faintly.
“I expected more of them to be curious.”
“Curiosity gets people killed.”
“So does ignorance.”
Saeroyx chuckled.
“I’ll let you decide which category we belong to.”
Kyrth ignored the remark.
Instead, he began writing the names of the teams that had volunteered.
“Arven and Lys.”
A neat line.
“Caelan and Mire.”
Another.
“Seris and Rowan.”
He paused.
“The two investigators we met today were surprisingly capable.”
“Hm?”
“The pair from Team Fourteen.”
“They noticed the abandoned studio before anyone else.”
Silence.
Kyrth continued writing.
“I wasn’t expecting them to search outside the palace.”
No reply.
He glanced toward the sofa.
Saeroyx was looking at him strangely.
“…What?”
“You’ve gone quiet.”
Saeroyx hesitated.
“…Who are you talking about?”
Kyrth blinked.
“The pair from Team Fourteen.”
“I don’t know them.”
Kyrth laughed under his breath.
“You’ve forgotten their names already?”
“I never knew them.”
“You spent nearly the entire afternoon with them.”
Saeroyx slowly sat upright.
His brows knitted together as though he were genuinely trying to remember.
“I did?”
Kyrth finally turned around.
The smile on his face faded.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“You spoke to them.”
“I don’t remember.”
“They showed us the abandoned residence.”
Saeroyx frowned.
“What abandoned residence?”
“The one with the paintings.”
“…Paintings?”
Kyrth stared.
He walked across the room until he stood directly in front of Saeroyx.
“The room filled with portraits.”
“The woman.”
“The bruises.”
“The unfinished painting.”
“None of that sounds familiar.”
For several long seconds, neither spoke.
Kyrth searched Saeroyx’s face for any hint of mischief.
Nothing.
No smile.
No attempt to hide laughter.
Only confusion.
Real confusion.
Kyrth’s voice became quieter.
“Do you remember the old servant grieving at the shrine?”
Saeroyx slowly shook his head.
“The groundskeeper?”
Another shake.
“The conversation about the royal mausoleum?”
“I remember the mausoleum.”
Relief briefly crossed Kyrth’s face.
“But…”
Saeroyx pressed two fingers against his temple.
“I don’t remember who told us.”
His expression slowly tightened.
“It’s like…”
He searched for the words.
“I know the conclusion.”
“But the path leading to it…”
“…is missing.”
Kyrth’s heartbeat slowed.
That wasn’t ordinary forgetfulness.
People forgot names.
Faces.
Dates.
They did not forget entire afternoons while remembering the result.
“When did this start?” Kyrth asked.
Saeroyx looked at him blankly.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve never seen a physician?”
“I might have.”
“Might have?”
“I honestly can’t remember.”
Kyrth folded his arms.
“So you’re telling me you’ve been forgetting people, conversations, and places…”
“…and you’ve never wondered why?”
Saeroyx looked genuinely surprised.
“I assumed everyone forgets things.”
“Not like this.”
“…Really?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Saeroyx looked away.
For the first time since Kyrth had met him…
Saeroyx seemed unusually quiet.
“…Does it happen often?” Kyrth asked more gently.
A long silence followed.
“I couldn’t tell you.”
“Because you forgot?”
Saeroyx gave a helpless little smile.
“Exactly.”
The simplicity of the answer made Kyrth’s chest tighten.
How many conversations had disappeared?
How many people had Saeroyx met…
…only to lose them forever a day later?
How much of his own life no longer existed in his memory?
Without thinking, Kyrth asked,
“What’s the earliest thing you remember?”
Saeroyx didn’t answer.
He simply stared out the window at the moon.
Seconds passed.
Then another.
Finally, almost too quietly to hear, he spoke.
“I don’t know.”
Kyrth frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…”
Saeroyx’s eyes never left the night sky.
“I don’t know.”
“My childhood is… blurry.”
“I know it happened.”
“I know I grew up.”
“I know there were people around me.”
“But if you asked me to describe any of it…”
He smiled faintly.
“I couldn’t.”
Kyrth felt a chill run down his spine.
That wasn’t a poor memory.
That was missing history.
An entire life reduced to fragments.
The silence became heavy.
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, Saeroyx stood.
He stretched lazily, walked over to Kyrth, and leaned against the edge of the desk.
“So…”
Kyrth looked up.
“You’re worrying again.”
“I’m thinking.”
“Same thing.”
“It isn’t.”
Saeroyx smiled.
“I’ll prove it.”
He leaned a little closer.
“If I really have such a terrible memory…”
“…then tell me.”
“Who are you?”
Kyrth stared at him.
“What?”
“I’ve apparently forgotten half the people I met today.”
“So introduce yourself.”
Kyrth rolled his eyes.
“I’m not playing this game.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Saeroyx sighed dramatically.
“What a shame.”
“I was hoping the handsome man in front of me would tell me his name.”
“You know my name.”
“I do.”
“Don’t you?”
Their eyes met.
For a fleeting moment…
Saeroyx’s smile softened.
“So long as I remember yours…”
“…I think I’ll be alright.”
He said it lightly.
Almost teasingly.
Yet something in his voice carried a quiet sincerity that lingered in the room long after the words had been spoken.
Kyrth couldn’t explain why.
But for the first time…
He wondered if Saeroyx was smiling because he truly wasn’t afraid of forgetting-
Or because forgetting had become the only way he knew how to survive.
Saeroyx held Kyrth’s gaze for another moment before the solemnity on his face gradually gave way to a familiar, mischievous smile.
“So…”
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
“If my memory is really that unreliable…”
Kyrth immediately recognized that expression.
“You’ve thought of something ridiculous.”
“I have.”
“I knew it.”
Saeroyx nodded as though he had reached a perfectly reasonable conclusion.
“Then you should stay with me.”
Kyrth blinked.
“…What?”
“If you’re always beside me,” Saeroyx continued with complete seriousness, “then every time I forget something, you can remind me.”
Kyrth sighed.
“I’m not your personal notebook.”
“No.”
“My memory.”
“…That’s worse.”
Saeroyx ignored the complaint.
“What if one day I wake up and forget I even have a partner?”
Kyrth’s ears warmed ever so slightly.
“We’re partners on this mission.”
“Exactly.”
“So don’t let me forget.”
He tapped a finger lightly against Kyrth’s forehead.
“If I start walking off with another team tomorrow…”
“…drag me back.”
“If I introduce myself to you like we’re strangers…”
“…tell me how embarrassing I’m being.”
“And if I break one of the Seven Rules because I forgot it…”
He let out a dramatic sigh.
“That might actually get us both killed.”
Kyrth crossed his arms.
“So your solution is for me to babysit you?”
“My solution,” Saeroyx corrected with a grin, “is for you to keep reminding me.”
“Constantly.”
“Every hour.”
“Every day.”
Kyrth looked at him in disbelief.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told that before.”
“Many times, apparently.”
Saeroyx laughed at his own joke.
The laughter was light, but it couldn’t quite erase what Kyrth had learned only moments ago.
Saeroyx made jokes about forgetting because he no longer seemed frightened of it.
As though forgetting had become such an ordinary part of his life that he had simply learned to smile through it.
Kyrth looked away.
“…I’ll remind you.”
Saeroyx tilted his head.
“Hm?”
“If you forget something important…”
“I’ll remind you.”
For a brief second, Saeroyx’s smile faltered.
It was only for an instant.
Then it returned, warmer than before.
“I knew you would.”
The room grew quiet again.
Saeroyx stretched lazily before wandering toward the enormous king-sized bed.
Without a hint of hesitation, he pulled back the blanket and dropped onto the mattress with theatrical exhaustion.
“What are you doing?” Kyrth asked.
“Preparing for tomorrow.”
“By sleeping?”
“Exactly.”
He patted the empty side of the bed.
“Come on.”
“I’m still working.”
“You’ve been working for the last hour.”
“And?”
“And your map isn’t going to run away.”
Kyrth didn’t even look up.
“You can sleep first.”
Saeroyx rested his chin on one hand and watched him for a moment.
“You really are stubborn.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“By me.”
“Repeatedly.”
“Probably because you forget I’ve already said it.”
Kyrth couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh.
Saeroyx smiled triumphantly.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“You laughed.”
“I exhaled.”
“You laughed.”
“I didn’t.”
“You definitely did.”
Kyrth shook his head.
“I regret saying I’d remind you of things.”
“You’ll have plenty of opportunities.”
Saeroyx yawned before closing his eyes.
“But just in case…”
One eye opened again, looking directly at Kyrth.
“If I forget tomorrow…”
“…don’t get tired of introducing yourself to me.”
The words were spoken playfully.
Almost carelessly.
Yet long after Saeroyx closed his eyes, Kyrth remained seated at the desk, unable to return to his work.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, that simple request echoed through his mind.
Don’t get tired of introducing yourself to me.
He quietly folded the map.
For the first time since entering the palace, the mystery that troubled him most was no longer the forgotten princess…
It was the man sleeping only a few steps away.
