CHAPTER 154
CHAPTER 154
Xerxes sits behind his desk, his fingers lightly tapping on a document. His face is pale, a bit serious, and yet, absent-minded.
His office is quiet, with only the sound of the ticking clock on the wall. A few minutes later, a knock comes on the door before it opens, and Sebastian enters with a thick envelope in his hand.
“They’re ready,” Sebastian announces, making his presence known, standing at the front of Xerxes’ desk.
Xerxes looks up. “The travel papers?”
Sebastian nods, placing the envelope on the desk. “Ciel and Lucas can leave tomorrow morning. Everything’s in place. Private jet, passports, cover identities. No one will trace them out of the country.”
Xerxes let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Good.” Slowly, he leans back in his chair, staring at the ceiling for a second before speaking again. “It’s for the best,” he says quietly. “Especially for Ciel. He’s not safe here. He never was, not around me at least. He can go somewhere far… peaceful. Maybe start a new life. A normal one.”
Sebastian stays quiet for a moment. “If he had his memories, I don’t think he would want to leave you.”
Xerxes twitches into a smile. He knows what he’s doing now is the last thing Ciel will want, but it’s for the best. “He doesn’t have that much of a choice,” Xerxes replies, his voice flat. “At least, he doesn’t remember enough to ask why and protest. Less work for me. Besides, it's only a matter of time before I drop dead anyway, let’s save him the tears and stress.”
Sebastian looks down, then adds in a low voice, “Leon is dead.”
“He gave up faster than I expected,” Xerxes snorts.
Xerxes has lived with his poison for more than a decade while Leon could survive a few weeks. How pathetic.
“He died 30 minutes ago. Confirmed at the hospital. I just got the call.”
Xerxes rises to his feet, his face unreadable. “Get the car ready, Sebastian. We should say our last goodbyes, after all, he was once a friend before he became a foe.”
~
They arrive at the hospital a few minutes later, the room is cold, too cold, and Leon’s body lies icy on the bed, covered with a white sheet that Xerxes rolls down to show his face, pale and lifeless nothing like the old friend he used to know; full of life and schemes yet he never knew he’s only playing right into Xerxes games. He was once a friend but he was just another pawn his father used.
Xerxes stands by the side of the bed. His jaw clenches, his hands in fists.
“You always said I’d be the first to die. That my sins would catch up to me before yours ever did, and yet, here we are.” Xerxes tsks and shakes his head. “Shame, you didn’t get the revenge you wanted so badly, fought hard for so many years but you should have known that I won’t let you win so easily. It doesn’t matter who was wrong or who was right, it was a battle that in the end that we both lost.”
He stares at Leon’s face, almost expecting the man to open his eyes and maybe, throw a curse at Xerxes but that’s ridiculous.
Slowly, he leans in and then he whispers in the quietest tone. “I’ll join you soon, friend. Just a little longer,”
He lets out a dark laugh and then he leans back. Without another word or a glance back, he turns and he walks out.
~
Ciel stays curled up on the couch, flipping through a book, when Xerxes walks in. He immediately sits up straight, instantly, noticing how even worse Xerxes looks now.
“Are you okay?” Ciel asks right away, his eyes narrowing with concern.
“I’m fine,” Xerxes says quickly, waving it off, then he walks past Ciel but as if remembering something, he turns to face him again.
“You should pack your things, you and Lucas are leaving the country first thing in the morning. Pack enough bags, you won’t be returning in a long time,”
Ciel blinks. “What? Why? Is this because of what happened? Why do I have to leave because of that? Are you coming with me?”
“It’s not safe here. You almost died again. I can’t let that happen. You’ll be safer away from all this. So until everything is settled, you are not coming back here.”
“Why does it feel like you are trying to chase me away from something else? Do you think I will want this if I have my memories? I don’t even want it without my memories. I don’t want to go,” Ciel crosses his arms over his chest, his lips forming a pout.
“You have to,” Xerxes retorts.
Ciel rises to his feet. “And you?“You look sick. You look like you are going to drop dead anytime soon, and I don’t think I want to live with the guilt when I finally get my memories, knowing I left my fiancé here to die! If I’m leaving, you are coming with me.”
Xerxes lips twitch into a smile. “You sound a lot like your older self and you don’t even have your memories yet but you don’t have to worry about living with guilt, I'm not going to drop dead, I have things to handle here. And it would put me more at ease knowing you are somewhere safe.”
Ciel stares at him blankly.
Xerxes chuckles dryly. “Just go pack your bags, no argument, now be an obedient kitten for daddy.”
Instantly, Ciel’s face flushes hard and fast, he immediately looks away while Xerxes gives another chuckle and walks away.
~
Xerxes shut the door of his bedroom. He leans heavily against it as pain floods his chest, he clenches a hand over his chest and lets out a grunt of pain and violently, he lets out a cough and blood spatters on the floor.
Instantly, he pushes himself off the door and scrambles to his drawer, yanking it open but the moment he holds the bottle of pills in his hand is when his knees give out and he collapses, breathing heavily and eyes half-open before he's out cold.