As The Sun Sets (LCF Fanfic)

Protecting the Last Flicker

It was somewhere near the end of summer in the Rowoon Empire when it happened.

The sky was as clear as it could be, and the sun blessed the face of the earth with its light, though not so much with its warmth. The fall season was approaching, and yet Alver was certain the world would be ablaze within minutes or so. His stress level was at its peak, a notable statement considering it had been years since his inauguration and even longer since the war ended.

The empire had entered a peaceful era, yet as the nation's leader, he seemed to always be on the run. There was barely any break time for him, talking about a "break" at vacation levels, not "tea parties" or lunches with nobles.

Even at night, his mind would keep running for miles, and he was starting to hallucinate due to a lack of proper rest recently.

Which is why he didn't panic when he opened his eyes and realized his surroundings were no longer the luxurious interior design of his imperial bedroom, but instead, a minimalistic bedroom with its minimalistic furniture.

"How pretty," he accepted the sight as his brain's way to survive the mounting stress, not questioning the soft sound of waves outside the window.

'I hope this doesn't last too long... I still need to finish up some papers before today's meeting.'

The thought of today's schedule upset him a bit, but there was no one out there who could replace his important work. So, knowing he could only suck it up, he did light stretches before getting out of bed.

"Hm?" Alver blinked once, twice, even shaking his head, yet nothing happened.

"That's odd," he thought. Usually by now, he'd be more awake, enough that his hallucinations faded out a bit, dragging him back to reality.

Instead, he was startled by other noises coming from the door.

"What is it?" That familiar voice asked first before a chorus of children's chirping followed.

"He's awake!!!"

"Good morning, Your Majesty!"

"Did you rest well?"

Alver found himself blinking rapidly for a moment before awkwardly raising his hand to acknowledge their rapid-fire greetings.

"Hi."

The redhead, Cale Henituse, couldn't help but snort. "It seems like Tasha-nim was right after all."

"Aunty?"

Cale chuckled softly at the rare sight of the usually sharp and calculating royal being dumbfounded. "Yeah, and I quote: 'He seems to have fried his brain so hard I can smell the leftover ashes.' Honestly, I don't know whether to pity you or laugh at you when she said that."

The 'retired' hero expected his sworn brother to at least get upset or offer a comeback. However, when he saw the royal's eyes staring back at him with plain confusion, he finally realized that The Viscountess was not exaggerating whatsoever. Therefore, he sighed.

"Well, whatever. Are you hungry?"

Alver nodded numbly, followed by the soft rumbling of his stomach, as if it were voicing its own reply.

"Well, what do you want to eat, cookie-prince? Special dishes? Extra meat? We have everything ready! You can ask for anything~!" Raon's eyes flickered with excitement and a hint of smugness, well-prepared for any possible request from their old friend. He didn't even bother to call the emperor with the right title right now.

Raon was too excited to care about the minor details.

After all, while he had learned about dragon's grace from his mother and Eruhaben, it had been a long while since they all met up with Alver. During their separation, Raon had learned a lot of cooking skills from Vicross along with his siblings, earning praise from their human caretaker. It was an achievement he couldn't wait to brag about once they could satisfy the exhausted emperor's taste.

"Um, anything is fine. But can I please have some caffeine first, Raon-nim? Black tea?"

'Wow.' Unlike the children, who seemed to ignore the obvious, Cale couldn't stop himself from commenting.

"Hyung-nim."

"Hmm?"

"You're a wreck."

"..."

Once again, to his dismay, no witty comeback flew his way. Instead, Alver just nodded in acceptance, which sent shudders down Cale's spine. It was unnerving.

"Hyung-nim, after breakfast, you should stay—"

"Can't," Alver cut off Cale's sentence before he could finish, "unless you want me to drag your ass back to the palace to answer the others' questions about why I don't attend the annual meeting with the other royalties. I can't stay other than for breakfast."

His response was almost automatic, devoid of any soul, only reflecting his burnout. Yet, it meant that his hyung-nim was still somewhat salvageable.

Cale was always one step ahead when planning schemes, and today was no exception. He placed a hand on Alver's slumped shoulder. "Won't you trust me?"

Their eyes met, and Alver let out a resigned sigh. 

The redhead's eyes are clear, and not just that—they're firm. It implies that even if he were to say 'no', Cale would find a way to continue on. Hence, he doesn't bother to fight it and gives in.

"Just... don't destroy a George or something equivalent. I also won't tolerate the disappearance of any race, even if it might be justified."

Cale's brows twitched. "You think so highly of me, Your Majesty."

Alver grinned brightly in response. "Only to my one and only dongsaeng would I ever say something so crazy."

Rolling his eyes, Cale put his hands down. "I see that you have your remarks back, hyung-nim. Congratulations."

The royalty chuckled. "Thanks, thanks. Now, breakfast?"

The ex-commander hummed before the two of them went to where the children had plated their gourmet meal with the help of magic.

At the end of his one-week vacation, Cale revealed that he had been making all the important decisions via Eruhaben, who expertly disguised himself during meetings, while Tasha handled the urgent paperwork.

"You know what? Now I understand why you were so desperate to have this slacker life. It's quite addictive," Alver joked as he swirled his wine.

"Well," Cale replied, face flushed but still sober despite this being their second bottle by now, "don't get too addicted. Though, I guess... I'll share it with you once in a while. We can't have the Rowoon Empire go into ruin, now can we?"

The comment earned hearty laughter from the quarter-dark elf. He clinked his glass with the younger man's, grinning cheekily. "Well, if you can kidnap me again like this once in a while, then I'll promote your slacker status to a rich-slacker one. How does that sound?"

"That sounds like a plan," Cale swiftly accepted the opportunity, knowing it was easy money for him anyway. "I'll schedule some more heists like this, no take backs."

"No take backs~"

And with that, they finished their weekend with a final shot of wine.