"I can't see... I can't see anything... It hurts! It hurts...!"
At the sound of the hoarse, spasmodic groans, Kang lifted his head, which he had buried in his hands. His face was gaunt after a night spent at King Gyeonghye's bedside. His sleep-deprived eyes snapped open at the incessant sobs echoing around him.
"Just kill me! Ah, ah...! Kill me! What use is living if I can't see?"
King Gyeonghye's agonized screams plunged anyone who heard them into despair. It was a deep abyss. Kang plugged his ears with his hands, still stained brown with dried blood. His efforts to escape his brother's cries were futile. The desperate pleas, the sobs, and the pitiful wish for death clawed at Kang's mind.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts...
Throughout the transition from night to the pale dawn, King Gyeonghye kept shouting that it hurt. He was alive, but his left eye was blinded, and his left arm was gone. He still seemed to think his arm was there. Kang watched his brother's right eye, which darted aimlessly, unable to focus, and backed away. King Gyeonghye's once-beautiful face was now grotesque. Kang felt ashamed for thinking his brother looked like a monster. He covered his face with his hands, realizing too late that plugging his ears was useless. The stench of blood filled his nostrils.
"I will kill Abamama! I won't let him be!"
King Gyeonghye's enraged shout pierced Kang's ears. He was startled by the mention of "Abamama" and quickly got to his feet. If King Gyeonghye's screams reached others, he would truly be doomed. Who would spare a prince who threatened the Emperor's life? Despite the servants' attempts to stop him, Kang walked into the bedchamber where King Gyeonghye lay. This room had originally been Kang's, the safest place in the Yeonghyeon Palace. Kang couldn't leave his brother unattended, so he had moved him to his own bedchamber and ordered his care.
Kang pushed aside the beaded curtains and drapes as he entered. The stench of blood here was far stronger than what clung to his palms. He paused at the sight of King Gyeonghye thrashing his remaining arm in pain.
He wanted to run away. He didn't want to see his brother's monstrous form. It was agony just to look at him.
The Emperor was right. He was too weak even to fight in a war. And now, he was pained and distressed by something like this. Slowly, Kang recalled the Emperor's brainwashing words and took slow steps forward. He couldn't be on the frontlines of battle. So he wanted to at least stay by his brother's side, the one who had struggled and returned from war. He felt pity for him. He returned from the battlefield only to become a one-armed, blind man.
"Hyung..."
Kang, fighting back tears, approached King Gyeonghye. Beneath the thick curtains, King Gyeonghye lay drenched in blood, his eyes darting wildly. He looked insane. His bloodshot eyes, wide open and red with burst blood vessels, were terrifying. Despite this, Kang mustered the courage to lower his head.
"Ugh!"
King Gyeonghye did not miss the prey that had come close. He grabbed Kang by the collar with his right hand and pulled him down. The strength of the one-armed king was fearsome, almost demonic. His grip, filled with the resolve never to let go, tightened around Kang's neck. Kang twisted his shoulders in pain. Blood vessels stood out on Kang's pale neck, leaving marks where King Gyeonghye's nails scraped, but neither noticed.
"It's Abamama. Abamama did this to me. I'm his son too! I was his son just like you!"
"Hyung! You must not insult Abamama any further. Your life is at risk. Besides, there is no solid proof that Abamama did this. It is all your misconception and arrogance!"
"Do you really think so?"
King Gyeonghye laughed bitterly, eyes wide. Blood tears streamed from his left eye. Blood-mixed tears also flowed from his right eye. Realizing the severity of his brother's condition, Kang used all his strength to push him away. Panting, Kang stumbled backward, falling on his rear. King Gyeonghye, too weak from pain to rise, lay on the bed sobbing and mumbling.
"Abamama only loves you... You don't know... You don't see how he looks at us...! Of course, you wouldn't care how we live... You're happy sitting at Abamama's feet!"
King Gyeonghye ranted deliriously from the bed. Kang pressed his bleeding neck with his hand, grimacing. It seemed they would have to administer the medicine the royal physician recommended. It would be best if he lost consciousness for a while.
"It's all because of you..."
King Gyeonghye's deranged laughter mingled with his sobs.
"It's all because of you! Yeon Kang! If only you weren't here...!"
"I'll call the physician. Please take your medicine and rest, brother."
But it seemed King Gyeonghye could not hear Kang's words. He lay there, bleeding and weeping, spewing curses. His every word, glance, and gesture was filled with malice.
"I'll kill you too! I'll kill you and Abamama!"
"Please rest, hyung. You're hurting yourself."
Kang pitied him deeply. He wanted to embrace him, comfort him. He wished he could restore his lost arm and eye. He missed the brother who once rode proudly, even though he had harbored resentment. He had not wanted this wretched weeping. He reached out, but stopped. Raised in Abamama's love, Kang realized his compassion might come off as arrogance and cruelty to King Gyeonghye, who still craved that love. Kang lowered his bloodstained hand. Hugging and consoling him would only cause more pain. Unable to bear his brother's agony, Kang fled the bedchamber.