Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A café operated by the Heir to the Dark Guild.
Chapter 56
I startled and approached Cayden at once. His eyes were rimmed red as he gazed up at me slowly.
“Welcome back?”
“Yeah. But… why do you look like that? You’ve lost weight.”
It bothered me that his voice held no strength, but his gaunt face worried me far more.
“Without you here, I had no appetite. I barely ate anything.”
Cayden’s chapped lips parted slowly. Above his head, darkened by shadow, clouds seemed to gather.
“Come on, step outside. Your face is in terrible shape.”
“I couldn’t sleep well either.”
I grabbed Cayden’s arm and pulled him up.
He was so weak that he came along like paper, dragged entirely by my force.
Here was someone who’d stood steadily by my side on nights when I suffered nightmares—yet now he looked fragile enough to shatter at any moment.
Unable to ignore the moisture glistening in his eyes, I sat down beside him.
“What happened?”
“Everything was the same. Except you weren’t here.”
“But why are you so listless? Want some dessert? I brought a lot because I meant for us to eat it together.”
“You… thought of me while you were there?”
Cayden reacted at an unexpected moment, his eyes widening.
“…Yeah, I suppose you could say that.”
Only then did his mood seem to lift, and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Feeling the tiresome sensation of soothing a sulky child, I patted Cayden’s back.
“Should we eat now?”
“Tomorrow. I want to sleep today. I haven’t slept in so long.”
Surely he hadn’t been unable to sleep this whole time since I left?
Shaking off the ominous premonition, I draped a blanket over Cayden.
“Then get some rest quickly. I’m exhausted too—I need to sleep.”
“Okay.”
I left Cayden, who agreed so readily, in the living room and went to wash up.
Before stepping into my room, I glimpsed back to find Cayden already closing his eyes.
Assuming he was asleep, I quieted my footsteps and slipped silently into the room.
As I reached to close the door, a cat slipped through the gap and stared at me.
“Meow.”
“Shh.”
I pressed a finger to my lips and shut the door. Then I collapsed straight onto the bed.
The rustle of the blankets and the warmth the home offered made my heart melt entirely.
“My home really is the best.”
During my time in the guild, I’d deliberately avoided making a home. Having a place to return to would weaken my heart.
I’d thought of the guild, where I spent most of my time, as merely a temporary shelter.
But having a space that was unmistakably “mine” like this—nothing could be more comfortable.
“I hate being weak.”
Yet if this contentment was the price, being weak didn’t seem so terrible. I closed my eyes gently.
Knock knock.
Just then, Cayden—who I thought had fallen asleep—suddenly knocked on the door.
Since this was the first time, I lifted myself slightly and looked toward the door.
“Rosia. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Yeah.”
The door opened, and Cayden entered, his face and body swaddled in a blanket.
He plopped down beside the bed, leaning against the frame, and gazed at me intently.
“While you were gone, I realized something.”
“What is it?”
“Can I sleep here tonight? If you let me, I’ll tell you.”
“Are you insane?”
“On the floor, not the bed. I’ll just hold your hand while I sleep.”
So Cayden had finally developed some tact—his eyes gleamed as he gauged my reaction.
Normally I would have turned him away coldly, but today something seemed off about his state.
Besides, I already knew that Cayden sleeping in the same room wouldn’t lead to anything, so I hesitated.
“Fine. Just tonight.”
The moment I consented, Cayden’s face brightened visibly.
He promptly fetched a pillow and settled himself on the floor.
“Now tell me. What did you realize?”
I rolled onto my side and stretched one arm out over the edge of the bed.
But my fingertips brushed against Cayden’s hair.
I flinched and tried to pull back, but Cayden shook his head. His hair caught between my fingers.
In that position, he glanced at me sideways and spoke in a hushed voice.
“After you left, I couldn’t sleep. So I kept waiting—when would you come back, tomorrow, the next day—waiting for you like that.”
His voice came soft and measured, demanding focus.
“Waiting for someone was new. It was hard. Time wouldn’t pass.”
Cayden pulled his head back. The hair that had filled my palm slipped away in an instant, leaving me briefly hollow.
“Who might you be seeing. Would you think of me. Would you be laughing. What if something happened. I worried. I was jealous too.”
Cayden placed his hand over mine, which was now empty.
Startled, I tried to pull away, but he interlaced our fingers and held my hand fast.
I was about to demand what he was doing when Cayden’s serious expression drew close to mine.
“It became harder and harder. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, suffering miserably—and I loved it.”
“Loved it?”
How could suffering feel good?
Unable to make sense of his words, I tried to pull my hand away but stopped, turning his question back on him.
“Yes. Having someone to wait for felt good. Because Rosia would definitely come back.”
That word—definitely—weighed heavy. I unlaced our fingers, withdrew my hand, and replied coldly.
“You didn’t come back because of me. You came back because this is my home. Everyday moments like this can end suddenly at any time. So don’t wait.”
The way it had been with Mother and Father.
Happiness that seemed eternal never truly was.
Disregarding my words, Cayden laughed softly.
“I like you, Rosia. That’s what I realized.”
The words, whispered like a confession, crashed over me like thunder.
Whatever meaning lay behind that admission, being told he cared for me was enough to catch me off guard.
Just then, something soft and moist touched my hand. Startled, I looked down—the cat was licking me.
Cayden glared at the cat with displeasure and stroked its fur.
“Rosia, shouldn’t we kick this one out?”
“When did you want to keep it?”
“I figured out while feeding him that he’s male.”
Cayden and the cat stared each other down, their eyes flashing with rivalry.
Watching the two of them stand off like dogs and cats, I clicked my tongue in exasperation.
“Enough. Let’s sleep. You too, cat.”
“Good night, Rosia.”
Fortunately, the cat broke the tension. Cayden, too, seemed to have no more to say on the matter.
And so he fell asleep beneath my bed. Given how long he hadn’t slept, quiet snores came almost immediately.
I, in turn, used those gentle breaths as a lullaby and lay quietly thinking with my eyes closed.
This ordinary life will surely end one day, but I hoped it would last at least a little longer.
‘We’ll eat the dessert tomorrow.’
And my heart suddenly raced at the thought of dessert that had popped into my mind.
Struck by how little it takes to make you anticipate tomorrow, I smiled softly and surrendered to sleep.
***
The state council convened weekly at the Imperial Palace.
Though called a conference, the gathered nobility all squabbled over their own interests, and it invariably descended into chaos.
Emperor Philas remained in the empty conference chamber after the lengthy session ended and all the others filed out, releasing a heavy sigh.
“Nothing ever goes as I wish. Why must everyone be so selfish?”
“Because people always place themselves first.”
Clione, who had been sitting behind the curtains throughout the meeting, stepped forward and worked at the knots in Philas’s shoulders.
“Your Majesty, there’s good news besides all that.”
“What might it be?”
“The Princess Melissa of the Roa Kingdom—do you remember her? She attended Arthur’s birthday party every year.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I recall.”
“She’s come of age, it seems. Word has reached us that she wishes to establish a deeper bond between our empire and her kingdom through marriage.”
At the sudden mention of a marriage proposal, Emperor Philas’s expression clouded with unease, his brow tightening.
Clione raised a hand.
A servant, recognizing the signal, brought the juice that had been prepared beforehand.
“You must be exhausted. Have some.”
Immediately after the Emperor drank, his expression softened. His attitude toward the marriage proposal also grew more generous.
“The Roa Kingdom is famed for its mineral wealth. It’s not an unpleasant proposal, but…”
“It’s far more than just unpleasant. I’ve even heard rumors of a new mine discovered recently.”
“That may be true, but I must consider who to match with her. The children’s wishes matter too, after all.”
“Arthur must eventually inherit your throne, and Leonard is far too young. Bidler’s age suits Melissa perfectly—wouldn’t that be ideal?”
Clione’s subtle tone revealed her true intentions.
The moment she spoke Bidler’s name directly, the Emperor’s face darkened.
Securing a strong partnership with the Roa Kingdom would certainly be beneficial.
Yet the empire was not so weak that it needed to force marriages against its own wishes.
“I think it best we deliberate more carefully on the matter.”
When Philas took an ambiguous stance, Clione’s eyes turned cold.
She set down her cup with an audible clink against the table and tilted her head pointedly.
“Father said he hoped you would think the same. It’s a sound proposal, isn’t it?”
Clione pressured the Emperor by invoking her family name, making her intentions obvious.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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