Memories: My Kingdom

Chapter 56: Relationship

As Gie lies down on his bed and stares at his ceiling, he feels that everything is surreal. He turned his head to look at the figure outside in the terrace whom he left. Rui… Leui… he thought as he called the name of his friend in his mind. The friend who is the reason he came to this world.

It is not that he is in love with his friend. It is just that there was a reason for him to also come to this world, which he didn’t expect in the beginning, since he didn’t know that this world exists, and that this is where his friend had gone to, and actually has been going to, after he chased him. He chased him not to confess that he is in love with him, but to confess to him that he had misdiagnosed him.

Yes. Leui has an illness. Which Leui doesn’t know, and Gie initially doesn’t know, and only knew after he habitually checked the data in the test machine.

He heaved a sigh. “What am I going to do with you…?” he helplessly muttered as he closed his eyes, before his memories drifted to the day he first met Leui.

He didn’t lie to Leui. They were really friends. But, he just didn’t tell him that they became friends when they were in the other world – the world that they came from. If he told him, Leui would definitely doubt him and, worse, would even think that he had gone crazy because of his work.

Gie came from a medical family while Leui… he was adopted by a wealthy family. And his identity as an adopted child isn’t good for him. He was picked up by the previous family head and was raised before he was entrusted to his brother, who is Leui’s adoptive uncle.

Leui has a happy childhood because the previous family head, who can’t have a child, loved him as his own son. The previous family head’s impotence is the result of being poisoned. After he died, Leui can be described as miserable.

Leui’s adoptive uncle was the one who poisoned his adoptive father and had already calculated the day of his death. So, he was already prepared to seize everything that he coveted from his elder brother. But, what he didn’t expect was Leui. His elder brother picked him up and adopted him. He thought that his elder brother would leave everything to Leui so he was very hostile towards him. But, after his elder brother’s will came, he was surprised that everything was left to him, and left Leui only a small fortune, enough for the child to support himself and his studies.

But, Leui’s adoptive cousin has long been envious of Leui and so he bullied Leui in Leui’s school, even if they have different schools. Spreading rumors, shaming him, hiring thugs to beat him up… Gie only learned this later. Gie’s impression of Leui is that he is a gloomy young man. Leui doesn’t like to talk about his family, so Gie didn’t ask him and thus he learned of everything that Leui has experienced only later.

Gie and Leui shared a dorm room. But, they didn’t immediately become friends, as Gie doesn’t like gloomy people. He thought that Leui was still in his rebellious period. What started their friendship is when Gie was surrounded by some thugs and Leui saved him. He can clearly remember Leui’s words after he asked him why he knew how to fight.

“I was being beaten up every day. How can I not learn from this and study how to protect myself?” Leui said.

Gie suddenly felt that Leui isn’t a gloomy person anymore. Instead, he felt he was mysterious. It isn’t a filter. It is just that he was prejudiced of him before, and his prejudices blinded him. Right there and then, he saw him in a new light. Leui is like a different person to him. Only his gloomy personality remained, which made Gie still feel a sense of familiarity towards Leui.

Days passed by and Gie thought that the two of them would work together when they graduated and built a pharmacy. But, Gie never expected for Leui to suddenly change. Yes – that is where he felt that everything had started.

Leui began to tell him that he found a kingdom. At first Gie thought that he was playing a prank. Gie playfully went with the flow and told Leui to take him there. But, Leui said that he can’t seem to bring any person with him there, which is a pity as he would love to introduce Gie to a knight that he had met.

Gie knows that Leui is lying and felt that he was cute for acting like everything he was telling him is real. So, Gie didn’t expose Leui’s lie. He also saw how Leui became cheerful because of this kingdom. So, Gie let him continue his lie, and Leui tells him every day of his encounter with this knight.

Leui said that this kingdom is in a war of the other races. So, Gie told him to be careful and not get caught in the skirmish. Leui said that he met a beautiful elf and Gie told him that he is happy for Leui to find his partner. Gie thought that they would continue like this, until Leui’s adoptive cousin came and accused Leui of being a mental case.

Gie laughed on the spot and retorted. Then, he asked Leui to disprove his cousin’s claims. But, what Gie didn’t expect is for Leui to confirm his adoptive cousin’s claims. Gie suddenly felt like his world turned upside down because of shock. He didn’t expect for Leui to be caught in his fantasies. Leui became insane.

Leui’s adoptive cousin said that he will bring Leui to a mental hospital tomorrow. Gie immediately recovered from his shock. He both felt sad and guilty. He, as a future doctor, didn’t notice his friend’s abnormalities. Instead, he even indulged him in his fantasies. Out of guilt, and for their friendship, he covered Leui’s escape. That day, he thought that was their last meeting. Gie played dumb in front of Leui’s adoptive cousin and even acted that he was disgusted of Leui. He never thought that years later, Leui would confront him of this act of his.

That day that Leui appeared on his doorstep, he almost didn’t recognize him because he has a long hair, but didn’t make him look androgynous. Instead, it added to his manly charm. He was very happy that Leui came back, and seemed to have returned to his senses. But, what he thought would be a happy reunion became a sad and painful parting because of Leui’s bone-chilling words that he spoke after they were reunited.

“Aren’t you disgusted with me? Can I ask you, for the sake of our previous ‘friendship’, to give me a fake diagnosis?” Leui asked and smiled, which has not a bit of warmth. Even his eyes looked cold.

“Why?” Gie, out of shock, subconsciously asked. He forgot to deny Leui’s words.

“I want my adoptive family to know that I am dead.” Leui spoke. “Don’t worry. I won’t trouble you again, since this will be the last time we’ll see each other.” He told him. “Can I also ask you to send it to them?” he asked.

Gie can’t remember much of what happened that day. He only remembered that he insisted to Leui to do some tests, which Leui mocked him for being a hypocrite. Fortunately, Leui left after that because he finally had a breakdown. He wrote the wrong diagnosis with trembling hands and faxed it to Leui’s adoptive family. Then, out of habit, he looked at the test machine absent-mindedly, only to feel shocked.

He immediately printed the data and chased after Leui with his mind in disarray. He shouldn’t have, or he could’ve lived longer. But, he just can’t let go of his friend. He realized that Leui is very important to him. And because of this, he didn’t see the rushing car and was hit. His body flew mid-air, along with that piece of paper that caused him to lose his friend, and his life after. The next time he woke up, which he didn’t expect, was in this world.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to sleep when he heard Leui’s footsteps. Suddenly, he remembered the knights. Fedrey is suspecting Leui, and Fedrich and Melton would also suspect Leui. It is just a matter of time. Leui’s words earlier made him enlightened.

The knights suspecting him? He thought and sneered. Then, a grin formed on his lips. Let them suspect me all they want. They will definitely not find anything about him, and even Leui.

…

Indeed, Fedrey really didn’t find anything about Gie, or even Leui. Neither Fedrich nor Melton also have found anything. It’s because there really were residences beyond the mountain that Gie once told those villagers he treated. And there were even signs of people living there. It’s just that all of them are now gone.