RHH | Chapter 6.3

When Charles glanced back one last time, Iella was looking up at the marble. Feeling a strange sense of regret from that sight, Charles quickly averted his gaze.

This was the being who had once killed dozens of people in an instant for daring to question its nature. There was no way Iella could feel something like regret.

Charles quickened his pace. He needed to inform others that Iella had taken over Lucien’s body.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Leehwan’s eyes snapped open as the drowsiness that had dominated him faded. The first thing he saw was the dim surroundings.

The next thing he realized was his own helplessness. He was tied to a chair, his arms bound behind his back, and his legs tied to the chair legs.

His vision was still clouded by darkness. Leehwan used all his remaining senses to assess the situation.

It was a damp place. A few lamps illuminated the windowless room. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Leehwan saw numerous lines radiating from where he sat.

The flickering lamps made it hard to see clearly, but the lines were intricately intertwined, forming a pattern. Suddenly, Leehwan felt the pattern was familiar.

‘No way.’

He quickly shifted his gaze and saw an object at the end of the lines. It was the relic he had brought from Weissvalt, made of transparent flower buds and branches. Not just that, but other relics were also placed at a certain distance from him.

The pattern drawn beneath Leehwan’s feet was the means of return he had once desperately sought. With the necessary relics in place, whoever had brought him here could send him back to Earth at any moment.

A cold fear made his vision swim. Leehwan twisted his body. The silence was broken by the noise he made, but the ropes binding him didn’t budge.

He didn’t want to go back. It was only in this moment that he realized it. Leehwan bit his lip until it bled.

He had no idea how much time had passed since Iella had put him to sleep. But the fact that he was still in this state meant Absalom hadn’t arrived yet. If something had happened to Absalom… Leehwan gritted his teeth and kept struggling.

The rough ropes scraped his skin, and a warm liquid trickled down his wrists. His efforts paid off slightly as the ropes loosened a bit. Leehwan twisted his wrists even faster.

Thud.

It was a very small sound. But to Leehwan, who was on high alert, it was as loud as thunder. The footsteps continued. In just three steps, the figure emerged into the dim light.

“Lucien.”

Leehwan growled. The red lips curled into a smile. The lowered eyelashes slowly rose, revealing the unique eyes. Instead of the familiar colors, Leehwan was met with an unfamiliar yet striking gaze.

Eyes that shifted colors, one of a kind in the world. They were the same eyes Leehwan had seen before falling asleep—Iella’s eyes.

The figure stopped just short of Leehwan. The lifeless gaze was also something he remembered. Leehwan glared and spoke.

“What did you do to Absalom?”

“Oh? Aren’t you worried about the child who was once your lover?”

Iella bent down, coming close to Leehwan. His delicate fingers traced the body that now belonged to him. But Leehwan only stared straight into Iella’s eyes. Iella straightened up, muttering that the fun was over.

“I gave the young dragon two days. I don’t know if he’ll come, but I’ve placed a curse on him that will take at least three days to break. Until then, even using magic will be painful.”

Iella tilted his red lips and turned away. He walked out of the pattern and sank into the sofa. The sofa, which Leehwan had been sitting on just moments ago, now felt cold and distant.

Leehwan kept his eyes on Iella, half-hidden in the shadows. It wasn’t hard to understand what his words meant.

Once again, Leehwan was nothing but a burden to Absalom. He wished Absalom wouldn’t come. Yet, deep down, he was certain Absalom would.

“What do you plan to do with me?”

“How presumptuous. Don’t you know I could end your life right now if I wanted to? Is it bravery or stupidity…?”

“You want to kill me? But if you want to use me for hope or pressure against Absalom, I need to stay alive, don’t I? Am I wrong?”

Instead of answering, Iella let out a faint smile. Though it was still Lucien’s body, the voice, once clear like a boy’s, now sounded sinister.

“Since we have some time to kill, let me tell you a few things. Do you know what that is you’re standing on?”

“……I wonder.”

Leehwan’s cold reply was tinged with doubt. The one who had brought him here was none other than Iella. As a god, why would he go through such trouble?

“It’s a ritual to send you back to your homeland. Aren’t you happy?”

Despite Iella’s words, Leehwan didn’t flinch. But seeing something in Leehwan’s expression, Iella continued with a hint of pity.

“You don’t seem to like that face anymore. Have you changed your mind? Do you not want to go back? Tell me, my servant. Considering your efforts, I might grant your wish.”

The voice, pretending to be kind and gentle, was terrifying. Leehwan glared at Iella and spat through clenched teeth.

“You’ll do as you please anyway, so stop with the nonsense and shut up.”

Iella was silent for a while, as if he had expected an immediate retort. When he finally spoke again, Leehwan tensed inwardly.

“You sound just like the young dragon.”

Absalom. Leehwan instinctively perked up his ears, hoping to glean even a little information. But what reached his ears was a voice sharper than before.

“‘Everything has gone as I wished.’ That’s what the young dragon said. Do you think the same, my servant?”

Leehwan thought Absalom was right. He had been brought here, given blessings he never asked for, and then used as he pleased. The goal was singular—to kill Absalom.

Suddenly, Leehwan felt a sense of dissonance. The power he had received from Iella was limited to physical abilities. With just that, could he really have killed Absalom, who could even turn back time?

“What I wanted from you was never the death of the young dragon, my foolish servant.”

Before he knew it, Iella had drawn closer and whispered. Leehwan read hatred, anger, and pain in his eyes.

“Didn’t you ever find it strange? No matter how similar his form may be, he’s a dragon, not a human. Just as you can’t love a monkey, he can’t love you.”

Unless it was me. Iella added softly. Leehwan’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s quite simple. I brought a being from another world, someone with no ties here, and severed all the bonds he originally had. Then, I attached them to my creation. At the same time, I transferred all the bonds the young dragon was destined to form in his lifetime. Yes, to you.”

Iella laughed lightly. But his eyes remained fixed on Leehwan’s bowed head.

“At first, it might have been a small curiosity. But at some point, his feelings must have grown beyond his control. The first person he ever desired, someone he could never have. Can’t you see how that arrogant being would end up?”

Iella sharpened his senses. An unfamiliar presence was approaching from not too far away. There was still plenty of time left before the two days he had given were up. He wondered what state the young dragon was in now. Filled with anticipation, Iella continued.

“Aren’t you curious what the young dragon did after you jumped off the cliff? He went mad, forgetting even his own duty, and turned the continent into a sea of fire. Hundreds of millions of humans died by his hand. And then, in his regret….”

Footsteps sounded nearby. Leehwan’s shoulders twitched. As silver hair came into view, Iella spoke.

“He tore out half of his heart and used it as a sacrifice for regression.”

Absalom stopped in his tracks. His pale face was a sight to behold. Iella stepped away from Leehwan and moved outside the ritual circle. But neither Leehwan nor Absalom paid him any attention.

Leehwan and Absalom stared at each other. Leehwan’s eyes scanned the wounds on Absalom’s face, his bloodied lips, and his bloodstained clothes. Absalom, in turn, took in Leehwan’s pale complexion and bloodied ankles.

It was Absalom who broke the silence first.

“You’re hurt.”

“So are you.”

His voice sounded so detached it was almost cold. A flicker of fear passed through Absalom’s deep blue eyes. He didn’t want to ask. But he couldn’t do anything without confirming.

“How much… did you hear?”

“Hmm. The things you didn’t tell me? Like the part about your heart that you just heard.”

There were things Absalom had hidden, afraid Leehwan would misunderstand. Even if his entire existence was denied, he didn’t want his feelings for Leehwan to be doubted.

But if it was going to end up like this, he should have just told him everything back then. Absalom waited for Leehwan’s words with a despairing heart, like a man awaiting his final sentence.

Leehwan’s pale lips moved slowly.

“You said we would’ve been together no matter what?”

“……What?”

It was a response he hadn’t expected in this situation. Absalom blinked. Seeing his expression, Leehwan felt a pang of guilt.

He could guess what Absalom had been thinking. Leehwan felt responsible for that despair. If he had given Absalom more trust, at least he wouldn’t have made that face in this situation.

No matter the cause of their feelings, their current relationship was something Leehwan and Absalom had built together. He was shocked to hear about the half of Absalom’s heart being torn out, but that was only because he was worried about Absalom.

Leehwan looked at Absalom. His face was as if he had seen a phantom. Leehwan wanted to run over and hug him immediately, but he wasn’t in a position to do so. Instead, he forced a teasing smile.

“A dragon with the heart of a bird. Stop standing there and untie me already.”

“……Yes! Just a moment.”