All Scars and Starlight

あらすじ

Yuel was born to be the king of Indra.

Ascending to the throne at a mere eighteen years of age following his father's death, Yuel is tasked with running the whole country without being amply prepared for such a massive undertaking. A series of poor decisions damages Yuel's popularity with his people and his own advisors, until Yuel's own cousin, Tavi, leads a rebellion to depose him.

Tavi's rebellion is a success, and little over a year into his contentious reign, Yuel is toppled from his position of power and influence. Brought down in the world, Indra's former king is imprisoned in the palace's prison and left to rot.

Convinced that his life is over, Yuel insists that his older cousin should hurry up and execute him. Indra does not need two power-hungry men vying to be the country's king, and leaving Yuel alive would only divide the country further. Why can Tavi not finish what he started?

Tavi finds himself paralysed, however, with indecision. Incapable of killing his own family member, Tavi chooses to keep Yuel hidden away inside the palace, after convincing all of his advisors that he has put him to death. Tavi wants to treat his younger cousin with a degree of kindness, but Yuel is unimpressed. How dare Tavi try to extend the olive branch after effectively ruining his life: stripping him of his dignity in the process?

Is it possible for the two estranged cousins to ever see eye to eye - and why, despite everything, has Tavi come to care for his younger cousin so intensely?