IIAD | Chapter 2.7

He averted his gaze and bit his lip. He must have sounded like a sulking child. Maybe this was the moment Baran would grow tired of him. Who in their right mind would tolerate the childish whining of a grown man?

Baran’s eyes widened slightly. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something unpleasant, his fingers twitched, his eyelids fluttering.

And finally—he sighed. A deep, weary sigh. The kind of sigh Nika did not want to hear. His eyelids trembled at the sound.

“…I’m sorry. I should have told you first.”

Baran shattered all of Nika’s hopes and justifications with a single word: sorry.

“I have somewhere I need to go. It’s quite far from here. I kept putting it off because I didn’t want to leave you alone, but if I don’t leave by tonight, I won’t make it in time.”

“……”

“As you said, after tonight, I won’t be able to stay by your side. But I’ll be back in fifteen days.”

“Fifteen days.”

“I promise.”

Nika’s lips pressed together tightly.

He was too consumed by an overwhelming sense of unease and disappointment to consider Baran’s feelings right now.

The hints he had overheard last night—Baran’s intention to leave—had been true after all.

He had tamed Nika with his constant whispers of love, made him soft, made him believe, only to now ride off to some unknown destination.

‘Then, those words…’

The ones Raymond had said. About ending this little game of love.

‘Were they all true, too?’

A dizzying nausea surged up from his gut. It hurt more than being slapped or kicked.

Something hot churned inside his chest, an unbearable pressure swelling within.

The idea that Baran had been whispering lies to him this whole time with those clear, innocent eyes—telling him he was loved, that he was special—sent shivers crawling up his spine.

Disgust twisted through him.

Nika stared down at Baran blankly, as if seeing him for the first time.

“If you’re not here, then for those fifteen days… my world will be nothing but night.”

“Nika—”

“It’ll be so dark that I won’t even be able to lift my head or call out. Like always, I’ll just hold my breath and bury my face in my knees. Just like before. You control me, Baran. I acted like I didn’t, but I do.”

So… ‘Don’t go.’ His voice cracked, trembling as he finished.

Then, he looked at Baran expectantly, as if waiting for him to take it back. Of course, words like these—steeped in unshakable emotion—were more than enough to make Baran’s face flush red.But while he alternated between looking flustered and utterly smitten, he never once said that he would stay.

He must have thought he was doing Nika a favor—choosing not to make a promise he couldn’t keep. But to Nika, it only confirmed what he already knew.

‘Of course. It was always going to end like this.’

A hollow laugh escaped him.

“You’ve made me a foolish wolf.”

“What do you mean?”

“This was inevitable.”

Before Baran could grab his shoulders and demand answers, Nika clamped his mouth shut and shut his ears, refusing to hear another word.

The cold light in his eyes looked eerily like the way Lord Nika used to glare at Baran with hatred.

Baran reached out, wanting to say something—anything. But in the end, he could only stand there, frozen, as Nika turned and walked away, the flicker of wounded betrayal in his eyes lingering like a ghost.

Has his memory come back?

No… If it had, he wouldn’t just be disappointed. He would have tried to kill me.

Even in this moment, the first thought to creep into Baran’s mind was fear—that Nika might have remembered. And that realization made him sick.

Baran adjusted the straps on his saddle, then glanced up at the western tower where Nika’s room was. He was probably holed up inside.

Curled up, hiding.

The thought made Baran hesitate. His horse pawed at the ground restlessly, its hooves clattering against the stone.

Can Nika hear it? Did he already realize that Baran was leaving without even getting the chance to soothe him?

Baran clenched his fists.

“…Raymond, maybe I should go to him for a moment—”

“If you see him now, whatever you say will only make the wound deeper.”

Raymond’s voice was sharp.

“Besides, the moment you look into his face, you might just throw away all your preparations and stay behind.”

“…Ugh.”

Baran groaned. Because that was entirely possible. He had no rebuttal. Nika had begged him not to go. That wasn’t like him.

Nika, the eighteen-year-old boy who had spent his entire life suppressing his own wants and hiding in the shadows, had never acted this way before.

And now…

He had pleaded. And Baran was leaving anyway.

A long sigh slipped from his lips.

Baran wanted nothing more than to shut the castle gates, forget about the archduke’s banquet, and spend his days cozily with just the two of them. What could possibly bring him greater happiness than that? But in order to keep these secretive days intact, he had to avoid arousing the archduke’s suspicion about his recent seclusion, which meant he had no choice but to endure this visit.

I can’t afford to draw the archduke’s attention. Baran steeled himself. Nika can comfort me when I return.

‘I should bring back plenty of gifts he’d like on my way back. That should ease his mood a little.’

“If you’re going to keep agonizing over it, wouldn’t it be better to just leave now and get back as soon as possible?”

“…You’re right. I should.”

With a wry smile, Baran skillfully mounted his horse and reached out a hand toward the sky.

“The air is damp. Looks like rain is coming.”

“It’s been unusually hot for autumn lately—maybe that was the prelude to rain clouds gathering.”

“The weather swings between drought and storms like it’s out to make our lives miserable.”

Baran clicked his tongue.

“Maybe the heavens are furious because the country is in shambles.”

Saying it out loud made it feel even more real. He wondered when this bloodshed would finally end, and, even after everything settled, whether there would still be a place for him to return to.

“…Take care of Nika for me.”

Instead of entrusting him to a servant, Baran turned to Raymond, an old acquaintance, to look after his lover. Raymond made a face like he had no choice. He looked utterly fed up but resigned—since it was the marquis’s request, he’d have to do it whether he liked it or not.

“But where’s the other horse? Still not here?”

Growing impatient, Baran glanced at the sun’s position and asked Raymond. He was planning to ride at full speed, so he couldn’t take just one horse. He was stuck waiting because the other one hadn’t arrived yet.

“Vince is bringing it. He’s taking longer than expected.”

“Vince? That Vince?”

“The stable hand’s son.”

“How old is he now? He’s already handling horses?”

Baran sounded skeptical, and Raymond let out a sigh.

“He turned fifteen recently. I suppose you only remember him as the snot-nosed kid running around back in the day? People don’t stay frozen in time, Marquis. Everyone grows up faster than you think.”

Baran let out a dry laugh. He could easily tell who Raymond’s snide remark was actually aimed at. He probably wanted to add, ‘Everyone except you, Marquis.’ but held back.

Feeling a little awkward, Baran ruffled his hair, then dropped his hand as he spotted a boy sprinting toward them in the distance.

“Marquis! Marquis!”

There weren’t many kids that young inside the castle. The hay stuck to his clothes and the lingering smell of horse dung suggested this boy was Vince.

“The horse was stolen! Someone took it!”

“…What?”

Raymond stepped forward, his expression darkening. His temper flared so visibly that his voice alone carried a dangerous edge.

“Explain. Now.”

Worried that Raymond’s sharp gaze might frighten the boy, Baran intervened. He signaled Raymond with his eyes, and although he reluctantly stepped back, he leaned close to Baran’s ear and whispered bitterly, reminding him just how much they had spent on that prized bloodline horse. He was clearly frustrated that he couldn’t throw a full-blown fit in front of the servants.

“When I got to the stables, the doors were wide open. I rushed inside, and—just like that—it was gone! The expensive bloodline horse that the steward brought in! The reins had been cut clean through with something sharp… My father had already saddled it up and prepared everything, so whoever took it must have just ridden off with it!”

There’s no way an intruder could’ve snuck in without detection… Baran rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

Just then, a maid hurried over and whispered something into Raymond’s ear. From the way both their faces darkened, it was clearly bad news. Baran, gripping the reins tightly, watched them exchange a tense look, feeling uneasy.

After hesitating for a moment, Raymond bit his lip and finally spoke.

“Marquis… Lord Nika—”

── .✦

Baran pulled on the reins, his sharp gaze meticulously scanning the scenery as it blurred past him, retreating into the distance. The horse neighed loudly, rearing up on its hind legs before finally coming to a shaky halt. Its breath came out in heavy, excited snorts.

Baran, on the other hand, felt like collapsing right then and there. A crushing sense of self-loathing pressed down on him. It was as if his heart had been shattered into countless pieces, crumbling apart in real time.

“Lord Nika has disappeared. And for a horse to be stolen at the same time… it’s too much of a coincidence.”

This was his fault. He had gotten complacent just because Nika had finally shown his emotions. He had treated him like some precious treasure that would always be there, safely tucked away in the castle. He had been so intoxicated with playing lovers that he had actually started to believe it.

“He can’t have gone far. I ordered the gates closed, and Nika is only eighteen—he shouldn’t be able to handle a horse properly. If we search the area—no. He’s skilled with a sword. His body might remember how to ride as well.”

Baran stood near the castle gates, his face pale, unable to hide his distress.

‘If I find him, then what? Am I going to beg him to come back? Or force him? With what right?’

The villagers, who lived in clusters throughout the marquisate, initially panicked at the sight of the Vile Marquis passing through. They rushed indoors, only to peek out moments later, puzzled. Why was their infamous lord riding alone, standing there in a daze?

Even the knights guarding the western gate of Taltamio recognized their master, who rarely left the castle, and hurried forward to bow before him, asking if they should open the gates.