“How long have I been sleeping?”
“You slept a little over half a day.”
Marmel sighed and touched his throbbing forehead. His hoarse voice still carried traces of drowsiness.
Even though he would repeatedly doze off, he couldn’t fall into a deep slumber, so his body constantly craved rest. He was exhausted. Perhaps it was because of the terrible dream he had.
He briefly covered his eyes with the palm of his hand, recalling a dream he could not remember.
‘At this point, it’s safe to say that having a normal daily life is impossible.’
His hair, as transparent as snow, gently trickled down and covered his face as he lowered his head.
“Is it nighttime now?”
“ … It’s dawn, Your Highness.”
In the world of black and white, the twilight of dawn resembled the night. Marmel slowly lifted his head and sluggishly responded, ‘Is that so?’
Outside the window, there was a swirling milky mist. That’s why it was so dark, he pondered to himself.
When he lost the ability to see colors, distinguishing the simple things like day and night became difficult. There were only two colors that projected into his field of vision now.
Light and darkness.
Even with just the fog, his world was now engulfed in darkness.
Marmel found that fact utterly absurd and chuckled to himself in a self-deprecating manner.
The doctor hesitated, his lips twitching several times before speaking.
“Your Highness, you should get a proper examination done.”
“Don’t you know it’s useless?”
“How can you be so sure, Your Highness! Besides, if it’s no use, then we have to do everything we can to find a way! Even if it means scouring through the entire empire and turning it upside down…!”
“Shh.”
Marmel interrupted the doctor who had been shouting. He placed his pale index finger over his red lips that drew into an arc.
Lazily blinking his eyes, he slowly opened his mouth.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
Through his long, transparent eyelashes, his rose-like eyes gradually revealed themselves, only to hide again.
Behind the angelic and benevolent smile, there laid an overwhelming sense of life that seemed like it could easily suffocate someone of their breath at any moment.
“I know my illness well.”
And his illness was one that no one could treat, a condition that he could not speak of to anyone.
“This is just insomnia, understand?”
Marmel said with a faint smile. As he did, the overwhelming sense of life that had engulfed his entire being disappeared in an instant.
The doctor let out the breath he had been holding and glanced at the crown prince who was smiling innocently. He dared not disturb his state of mind any further and just stared hard at him.
Now, it was difficult to attribute the crown prince’s symptoms to mere insomnia. No, upon further thinking, he wasn’t sure that it was insomnia to begin with. Just what was it? What exactly had enveloped him?
Marmel, who had been unable to fall asleep and relied on sleeping pills ever since the incident 5 years ago, could not get up once he fell asleep now.
His sleep time only increased as time went on. It didn’t seem like insomnia in the first place, but perhaps it was more accurate to call it narcolepsy.
That was what the doctor feared. He worried that someday Marmel would fall asleep and never wake up again.
“Things are fine the way they are.”
Marmel murmured. After that day 5 years ago, he continued to think about it as he watched his body slowly crumble. He must’ve been preparing himself for a slow death.
To go mad or to die.
He chose the latter from those two options. He would rather fall asleep and die before completely losing his sanity.
To him, death was more of a blessing. It was the only way he could remain a human forever.
The doctor remained silent for a moment before reluctantly speaking up.
“Perhaps getting some sunlight would help. It could regulate your sleep schedule.”
“It’s dark because of the mist.”
“The morning mist will be gone once the sun rises.”
“Is that so?”
Marmel looked out the window with an indifferent gaze. He could vaguely guess that it was, by the sound of chirping birds signaling the dawn, but he was still unable to discern with his eyes that saw only achromatic colors.
Was this a setting twilight or the dawn of a new day? Was the sun rising or setting?
However, it didn’t take long for his eyes to be filled with surprise.
The doctor’s words were true. Without fail, the sun had risen again today. The brilliant sunlight that cleared the fog pierced through the window.
Marmel furrowed his brow ever so slightly. The light was so intensely bright, almost blindingly white. The radiant beams of light, overwhelming in their intensity, pushed out the darkness and magnificently illuminated his world.
It was shining.
Marmel slowly rose from his seat. Standing in front of the window, he placed his hands on the cool glass. As he did so, the darkness withdrew, leaving only the gentle warmth to envelop his entire body.
A light that dispels the darkness.
“It’s like magic.”
Marmel murmured in a whisper.
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