RGS Volume 4 Part 12

“I knew you would come back. Haha, of course, Your Highness Karas is not that kind of person! I believed in you!”

The words that came out of the mouth of the person who said he had been clearly abandoned just a moment ago were shamelessly audacious. On the other hand, Karas showed no reaction even as Abel happily shook his hand. He merely stared blankly at Abel with a somewhat dazed expression. And only then did Abel snap out of it, realizing Karas’ state.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

Abel himself was the problem, but unaware, he looked around with a sense of duty to solve the prince’s issues.

“Are those who have chased us appeared again? If so, Your Highness Karas, please hide behind me quickly!”

When Abel pulled his hand with force, Karas finally opened his mouth.

“…Doesn’t it hurt?”

Perhaps it was because of the dull question that came from his expressionless face, Abel casually accepted the question without thinking much about it.

“Of course not. Hehe, usually after I pass out and sleep for a while, I’m full of energy once I wake up.”

“….”

“See, I’m perfectly fine.”

Abel swung his arm and showed that he was fine, then suddenly stopped talking when he looked into Karas’ eyes. The sunken gray eyes strangely caught his heart. And only then did Abel ask, wondering if he had worried him.

“Were you worried because of me?”

“Yes.”

Abel was half surprised and half moved, partly because he hadn’t expected him to say yes, with tears welling up in his eyes.

As expected, the kind prince hadn’t changed!

To think he was worried about him, who was just a mere companion. Abel turned his head to hide the excitement of returning to being a parent. Just as he was barely holding back his tears, he heard Karas’ question.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t! Hahaha—I’m not hurt at all! I feel like I could climb a cliff with my bare hands right now.”

After laughing exaggeratedly, he added with a gentle smile as if to reassure him.

“I often faint. There’s no need to worry.”

“You stopped breathing.”

“Yes, I stopped breathing, and, what?!”

Abel’s eyes widened in shock, and Karas nodded slowly with a blank expression.

“You stopped breathing. So, I…”

Karas raised his hand and cupped Abel’s face. The warmth of his large hand touching his skin seemed to flow into his heart. Thus, he couldn’t pay attention to the words Karas muttered from his mouth. Even if it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything with the face that was coming closer to him.

“I did this.”

The last word disappeared on Abel’s lips. Karas pressed his lips to Abel’s, showing him what he did when Abel’s breath stopped. It was just a light touch. Soon, their lips separated, and Karas, tilting his head, looked at Abel’s wide, green eyes.

Looking at the shock clearly spreading in those eyes, Karas pressed their lips together again. His eyes, in contrast to the green ones, relaxed with relief. A hot feeling quickly took over inside Karas. He applied more strength in his hands, prying Abel’s lips apart. This time, unlike before, his soft tongue invaded Abel’s mouth.

The heat seemed to stand still for a moment. However, the tongue continued to slowly explore Abel’s mouth and then withdrew. Although their lips didn’t part, they changed positions and pressed against each other’s flesh again. It seemed like he could hear their breaths. But mixed with the heat entering his mouth, Abel couldn’t distinguish between the two.

His frozen rationality couldn’t think of anything. He could only recognize one thing. Although he was breathless, it was surprisingly not unpleasant. In fact, as time went on, a strange drowsiness spread throughout his body.

If the other person had not supported his body by holding his waist, his legs would have trembled, and he might have fallen to the ground. No, he only realized that he was in this state when his lips were finally free. As their lips parted, it made a “chuup” sound.

Finally, a shallow breath came out between his partially open lips. However, he still couldn’t relax and breathe freely. The other person’s lips were still close to him, and his eyes were staring at him. Abel lifted his eyelids, not realizing they had been closed, meeting those intensely piercing gaze.

He came face to face with gray eyes so transparent they were almost blue. A frighteningly still, cold color. It was hard to believe those eyes were the same as the yellow ones that had revealed everything about him when he was young. The light that once shone with emotion and bashfulness in the yellow eyes of the boy who had opened his heart to him now seemed impossible to find in these gray ones, as if a shield had been deliberately placed over them.

“Do you understand?”

After the sudden question, Abel, who was only staring at the gray eyes after the kiss, regained his senses.

“Huh? What?”

Wait, what? What do I need to understand?

Abel couldn’t comprehend Karas’ words, his mind still blank from the kiss. Instead, a belated embarrassment rose up in his head. Now that he thought about it, didn’t their lips touch, and not to mention, wasn’t Karas’ tongue moving inside his mouth?

Yes, his tongue…

Abel gasped in shock and took a deep breath, his eyes widening. At the same time, his heart sank with a thud. Instinctively, a chill ran down his spine in response to the pounding of his heart. With his weak heart, he might not be able to withstand this.

Huh? But it was strange. His heart was fine. Abel, still flustered, was doubly shocked to find his heart only pounding without any pain. Karas was asking him again with an observing gaze, however, his mind was swirling, and he couldn’t understand his words this time either.

“How was it?”

How was what? Abel barely managed to ask back with his mouth agape like a fool.

“What, what do you mean?”

His gray eyes lowered their gaze in response to the hesitant question. He looked lazily down at Abel’s lips and touched them with his hand instead of answering.

Flinch. When the finger pressed against his plump lips, a tingling sensation spread inside Abel.

“This.”

Following a low voice, seemingly indifferent, he looked back into Abel’s eyes.

“How was it?”

His fingers brushed lightly inside Abel’s slightly parted lips. Even if it wasn’t for his hand, Abel couldn’t answer because something began to spread inside him, causing his breath to halt. It wasn’t because his heart was in pain. Rather it felt like a lump of heat was forming deep inside his chest and then bursting into a ticklish sensation.

It was a strange feeling he had never felt before. But he could tell it was because of the other person’s actions, gaze, and low voice. If he exhaled like this, it felt like he would make a gasping sound that was embarrassing. So, while forcibly holding his breath, he tried to calm down, but the other person kept demanding an answer.

“I told you. How was it?”

Told him? At those words, Abel vaguely remembered why this whole thing started.

Right, I passed out. And since I wasn’t breathing, he tried to revive me by mouth-to-mouth.

But it was strange. Even though he now understood the main reason behind why their lips touched, he couldn’t stop the heat from spreading across his face.

His finger, which hadn’t yet left his lips, reminded him of the previous act. Now, this act also felt like an extension of when their lips touched. Even for an understandable reason, it somehow felt more embarrassing.

Like a kiss.

A kiss? Ah!

Abel’s eyes widened again.

A, a, a kiss!

No way. Me, kissing the prince?!

Abel pushed the other person’s shoulder with all his might and quickly stepped back.

“I-I-I’m perfectly fine!”

Despite shouting as if asserting himself, his face had already turned red as if it was about to burst. Moreover, as soon as he realized what he had done with the prince, his heart started to beat uncontrollably. His body, accustomed to his weak heart, sent a warning to his head.

It’s dangerous. If you get excited here, you’ll faint again.

No, surely his heart will stop.

Nothing happened. This time, his heart was fine as well. Abel raised his hand over his pounding chest and unexpectedly, in surprise, he paused for a moment to check his healthy body with a puzzled expression. He thought it was strange, so he looked up and was shocked again when he saw the gray eyes staring at him.

How dare I kiss the prince!

Abel took a step back and stretched his hand forward in front of him, shouting.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Though he wasn’t the one who initiated the kiss, Abel felt it was all his fault.

Why did I faint and cause the pure prince to kiss me?

Moreover, the prince, as pure as snow, seemed completely unaffected, while he, who is so impure, was the only one blushing and having a pounding heart!

However, at this moment, the prince was the most impure person in the world. However, Abel, unaware, was too busy blaming himself to think straight. He also had to worry about his brain’s warning which was keeping an eye on his weak body.

Be careful! If you get excited, you’ll faint!

He was perfectly healthy. There wasn’t the slightest sign of illness or fatigue. Strange, he thought, but every time he looked at Karas, waves of guilt and shock washed over him.

I kissed the prince! Oh, I need to be careful with my heart! … Huh? I’m fine again… Ah! I kissed him! No, if I get excited… Huh? I’m fine…

Surprise, calmness, and confusion repeated endlessly. A crazy person like no other was born. In this state, even someone with a healthy heart would pass out meanwhile, Karas began to show his displeasure.

“Did you hate it?”

“What? N-No?! No, I don’t hate it! On the contrary, it’s dangerous because I don’t hate it!”

Karas was about to get angry but then looked confused. He couldn’t understand what Abel meant by it being dangerous because he didn’t hate it. He looked at him quietly and asked again.

“Dangerous for whom?”

“For you, Your Highness Karas.”

“…”

“Now, get away from me!”

Abel insisted, shaking his hand and forcing him to move away from him. Then, with his other hand, he pressed his chest to calm his heart, which might become dangerous if he got excited. Karas, who had been watching, approached one step closer. He tilted his head as if he didn’t understand, like a child, and asked again.

“If you don’t hate it, is it dangerous?”

“Of course!”

“Why?”

Karas’ voice held a hint of irritation as he still couldn’t understand. But Abel, who still thought of Karas as an eight-year-old prince, heard his question as pure innocence. He doesn’t know why it’s dangerous.

Indeed, he is still a clear and transparent soul who doesn’t understand the adult world.

Even though he was protecting him, he was the one who ended up blushing. Abel felt a sense of guilt but was moved by the sight of the prince growing up properly, he turned his head again to hide his tears. Although he was cruel, it was due to the influence of the power of the dragon, so strictly speaking, it was not his fault.

It was nothing short of a miracle that someone with such a background could grow up so pure. Abel’s lack of awareness was truly a miracle. However, Abel, who was caught up in the prince’s fantasy, only felt a twinge in his nose. Suddenly, a bitter emotion rushed over him.

Even someone like me should protect the prince’s innocence. So, I shouldn’t be honest.

Abel, barely holding back his tears, clenched his fists as if determined before turning around. There, he met Karas’ gaze, and as his irritation dissipated, his gray eyes also turned serious.

Karas began to genuinely worry about Abel.

Was it because he had fed him the wrong herb?

Should he search the mountains now and catch that strange guy who talked too much?

Was it a mistake to trust him, feeling that he was somehow similar to Abel?

While he was agonizing over this, Abel suddenly smiled and spoke.

“Your Highness Karas, it’s dangerous because my heart was pounding. However, it’s very bad, and it could easily infect Your Highness Karas. So, you must never kiss or, ahem, touch me.”

“Your heart was pounding so you felt bad?”

“No. It didn’t make me feel bad.”

“You felt good?”

“Yes, I felt, um, good, ahem, that, but that’s not the point!”

Abel raised his clenched fist and emphasized.

“The important thing is that your heart is fine, Your Highness Karas! And it should stay that way in the future!”

“……”

Karas silently turned his head and looked back without saying a word.

It was indeed the herbs’ fault. I had to catch that guy.

Although his inner murderous intent rose, Abel, who felt that the urgent problem was finally resolved, looked around again. The dense fog, which felt like a prison, was now gradually dissipating.