How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again

“Huu.”

Khalid sat on the bed to relieve his tension, immersed in his thoughts as he looked down at Renato who was breathing evenly. There were too many things weighing on his mind to dismiss it as an eerie nightmare.

‘Kha, lid…… Please, please help me.’

‘I, I waited a long time, but you didn’t come, so I thought you had already forgotten, but I kept waiting…… Hic.’

‘I’m scared, it hurts, hic, you promised, Khalid……’

‘I didn’t know, that Maximo did that, so, huff, just like an idiot…… I’m sorry, for resenting you, I’m sorry……’

Khalid recalled each of Renato’s appearances during hypnosis treatment. And the words he told him while trapped in the boundary between reality and memory.

In the dream, Renato said he would wait for Khalid and asked him to pick him up. And as he faced the cause of his post-traumatic stress disorder during Souad’s hypnosis, Renato resented Khalid for not coming even though he was waiting, but then apologized again.

Khalid easily noticed that the dream he had and Renato’s secret were related. He couldn’t help but know. Since when he connected the dream scenes and Renato’s story as one, they fit perfectly like pieces of a puzzle.

Perhaps he had this dream because he had been with Renato’s hypnosis treatment over the past few months. Dreams are usually said to be the manifestation of the unconscious.

As he stayed by Renato’s side throughout the treatments and peeked into his memories, the story might have remained in his head, naturally appearing as a dream.

The problem was that neither the dream scenes nor the memories that Renato uttered sorrowfully had yet to occur. Khalid’s promise to reunite with Renato and their break up had never happened.

There were also many strange things other than that. It was hard to say that most stories that Renato brought up in his hypnotized state had happened in the past. There were several things inconsistent with reality, such as Louis being killed by Maximo.

Because of that, Souad suspected Renato was suffering from delusional disorder. But Khalid didn’t think so. He speculated that Renato had the power to see the future.

‘I hope to know how precious Their Majesties are to you.’

‘Do you want the two of them to be happy? Would you be sad if misfortune happened to them?’

‘The outcome will change depending on what I do. But I don’t know which is the right direction and which is good for us.’

Laila’s matter convinced Khalid of his thoughts. At the time of that conversation, he didn’t know why Renato was asking so. He only thought Renato was contemplating what kind of political relationship they should have with Maryam in the future.

However, after some time, when Laila suffered from difficult childbirth and was on the verge of death, Khalid realized Renato was worried about her life. He dithered over whether to save Laila or not. And it was for Khalid.

Perhaps in the future Renato knew, Laila would have lost her life. For had Laila been alive, he wouldn’t have had to worry about whether to save her in the first place.

Maybe he parted with Renato in his dream because of Laila’s death. Maryam who lost Laila must have collapsed mentally, affecting him as well.

Assuming that his speculation was correct, it was understandable that Renato made a decision only at the end. He said he would think about which would be better for both of them, and after much consideration, he chose to save Laila.

As a result, saving Laila benefited both Renato and Khalid. Neither Maryam nor Renato revealed anything, but Khalid guessed that some kind of deal was going on between the two. Otherwise, Maryam’s attitude could not have changed overnight.

With that, Khalid became aware that Renato knew something about the future. Thinking so, the secret that Renato kept and the meaningful trust and actions he sometimes showed could all be explained.

Souad now agreed with Khalid’s thoughts and decided that Renato didn’t have delusional disorder but an ability to see the future. It was possible as there were records of people with mysterious powers among the Fleurette imperial family in the past.

“Just what are you hiding?”

Feeling suffocated, Khalid asked in a low voice. Renato naturally didn’t answer. He didn’t ask that question in the hope of an answer in the first place.

Looking at Renato who had fallen into a deep sleep, Khalid carefully reached out and tidied up his disheveled hair. His heart trembled as he felt the silver hair strands gleaming delicately as if soaked in starlight run through his fingers.

He didn’t know how Renato knew the future, but at least the pain and torment he felt, whether delusional or supernatural, was real. Moreover, if everything Renato said while under hypnosis treatment was true, the future he saw was the worst.

That’s probably why Renato sometimes seems too desperate.

His red eyes deeply sank. It didn’t matter to him if Renato really knew the future or not. He didn’t intend to rebuke or interrogate him for that. It would be a lie if Khalid said he wasn’t upset that Renato didn’t tell him the truth, but he could understand why Renato didn’t.

Secrets are kept as few people know about them.

Just as the saying goes ‘if there are too many sailors, a boat will come up to the mountain’, variables will likely occur when there are a lot of people knowing about something.

As the Commander of the royal family’s Special Knights Order, when conducting top secret operations, Khalid also often moved alone without explaining the situation to even his closest aides, Nasir and Amavand. He kept silent as it would benefit everyone, as the chance of success would be higher.

Therefore, Renato’s judgment could be considered wise. What if Marquis Medus or the Empress knew Renato’s ability? Just the thought of it was appalling. There was no harm in being careful, as they never knew when or where words might leak out.

Khalid suddenly felt fortunate that Renato had chosen him as his partner to overcome the future with. He hadn’t known when he was proposed, but now he realized that Renato’s offer through a contractual marriage was to change the worst future. Thinking so, his shoulders felt heavier.

Khalid gently gripped the silver hair scattered among his fingers. It was his job to do his best to help Renato and take action so that the future he knew would not come.

“Umm……”

Lost in thought, Khalid released his grip on Renato’s hair when he made a sound. Perhaps he had inadvertently clutched too strongly, Khalid could see Renato slightly frown. But his breathing soon became even again.

Normally, he would have woken up with this, but Renato now didn’t even have the energy to turn around, let alone open his eyes. Maybe because he was tired.

‘Ugh, s, stop now, no more……’

‘Just a bit more, hmm?’

‘B, but, how many times already…… Aah, ah!’

Yesterday evening, Renato reached his climax several times in Khalid’s hand. At first, he still tried to accept everything that Khalid gave, but as the unendurable heat continued endlessly, he whimpered that he was tired and begged Khalid to stop. It was too stimulating and physically exhausting for a person just getting to know pleasure.

Due to that, dinner was completely late. Utterly exhausted, Renato constantly spaced out while eating. Later on, he almost moved his fork with his eyes half closed. Khalid couldn’t bear to see that, ended the meal and advised Renato to go to bed early.

‘My legs don’t listen to me……’

Renato’s legs were completely weakened, making him unable to even walk properly. Eventually, he was carried to the bedroom in Khalid’s embrace. Normally, he would have stubbornly insisted on walking by himself or not knowing what to do out of embarrassment, but he docilely leaned on Khalid yesterday.

Naturally, Renato had no energy to bathe, so he simply brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas. Feeling apologetic, Khalid obliquely offered to help him wash up, but Renato shook his head and refused.

‘If you’re with me…… it might happen again, your highness.’

Khalid quietly shut his mouth at Renato’s concern. It was certainly his fault to push Renato until he ran out of energy despite knowing he had to restrain himself. And he couldn’t even assure Renato not to worry and promise it would not happen. As he recalled, he was a bit strange yesterday even to himself.

Just like a child who tasted sweet candies for the first time in his life and became obsessed with them, Khalid was anxious to touch Renato over and over again.

So Khalid obediently withdrew like Renato wanted. Instead, he helped him lie comfortably in bed. Perhaps extremely tired, Renato fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed. Seeing so pricked Khalid’s conscience.

Recalling what happened last night, Khalid let out a chuckle. His gaze turned back to Renato.

How long can I really endure?

Khalid swept up the silver hair running down Renato’s forehead, looking at him with complicated eyes. The more they were together, the more greedy he became.

For that reason, although he promised Renato he wouldn’t ask anything and that he would wait until Renato told him his secret, he didn’t know how long he could endure. It was because he had a lot more to ask Renato.

If Renato really knew what was going to happen, and if he had chosen Khalid to change it…… What Renato said to him under hypnosis would eventually happen in the future.

In other words, at least in the future that Renato saw, they inevitably parted ways and never saw each other again.

“……Did you wait for a long time?”

Were you upset because of me? Were you sad that I couldn’t keep my promise and didn’t come to pick you up? Enough for you to cry so sorrowfully? Khalid struggled to hold back the questions that choked up to his throat. When he thought of how Renato sobbed, saying he was waiting for him, the pit of his stomach instantly tensed up so much that it was hard to breathe.