RHH | Chapter 2.2

Looking back, he couldn’t believe he had the nerve to decide to jump off a cliff. He was lucky; otherwise, he could have been shattered to pieces.

But at the time, he hadn’t even considered that possibility. He was solely focused on leaving Lucien and the Imperial Palace. He thought he had made a calculated decision, but in reality, he was half out of his mind. Sighing softly, Leehwan thought about the future.

To return to Earth, he needed to open a dimensional rift, which required divine power. The method he knew from before his regression used five holy relics to substitute for divine power.

Currently, he knew the locations of six relics. He narrowed it down to the ones he could obtain most easily.

‘First, I need to recover…’

While deep in thought, his throat itched. A cough threatened to escape. Pretending to be asleep, Leehwan coughed softly and rubbed his chest.

The doctor who had examined him before his regression said he could have been cured if he had rested early on. From Leehwan’s memory, his symptoms had noticeably improved during periods when monsters were less rampant. If he took it easy now, he might fully recover before collecting all the relics.

Hide his identity, avoid overexertion, collect the relics, and return. None of it was easy.

Just then, Absalom’s hand touched his back. Leehwan stiffened momentarily but relaxed as Absalom simply stroked him. The touch was gentle and soothing.

He wanted to think of Absalom as someone to be used for comfort. But being with someone who had ulterior motives was more nerve-wracking than he imagined. He wanted to get rid of Absalom as soon as possible.

To do that, he needed to recover first. Leehwan tried to force himself to sleep. But his instincts, honed over years, reacted quickly to even the slightest stimulus.

Leehwan, who had briefly fallen asleep, woke up with a start. He had already repeated this several times. By now, it was starting to annoy him. Just as he thought about getting up…

The hand stroking his back moved to his head. Fingers brushed through his hair, almost touching but not quite, lulling him to sleep. Leehwan blinked slowly, feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

The blanket, pulled up to his head, gradually slid down. As his breathing eased, a satisfied smile crept onto his lips. In response, a low laugh echoed.

‘Sleep well.’

With that voice, sweeter than sugar candy, Leehwan finally fell into a deep sleep.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

After a short nap, Leehwan felt his body lighten. As he tried to get up, he noticed the blanket at the edge of the bed felt heavy. Turning his head, he saw strands of silver hair. It was obvious whose it was.

Leehwan lay still for a moment, then quietly moved. Sitting up, he could see Absalom clearly.

The silver hair was scattered over the yellowed blanket. Even in Leehwan’s eyes, which held resentment toward Absalom, it was beautiful. For some reason, Absalom’s complexion looked pale, but it only added to his beauty.

The packaging was impeccable, but Leehwan couldn’t believe this was his true form. Every monster he had seen so far was grotesque. Of course, there were some that could transform into human-like appearances. Monsters that lured humans for their own gain were like that.

‘Luring, huh?’

Leehwan’s gaze turned cold. He didn’t need to look far. Right here was a fool who had been deceived by Absalom’s sparkling, pure appearance, thinking he was kind and good.

How to shake him off? Leehwan recalled the thoughts he had before falling asleep. Since Absalom had declared he would follow him around as he pleased, Leehwan needed to make him give up on his own. Suddenly, he remembered what Absalom had said when he allowed him to accompany him.

‘I can serve you, Leehwan…’

‘Feel free to use me as you wish.’

Having spent nearly a decade close to the imperial family, Leehwan knew they detested troublesome tasks and anything that tarnished their dignity. The king of monsters wouldn’t be much different.

‘I’ll use you to my heart’s content.’

Leehwan looked down at Absalom coldly. As if sensing the chill, Absalom slowly opened his eyes. The color of the sky between sunset and night—a bluish hue—reflected Leehwan’s figure.

“Leehwan?”

Absalom, who had been blinking slowly, suddenly sat up. His deep blue eyes scanned Leehwan carefully. Leehwan brushed his tousled hair with his fingers and awkwardly averted his gaze.

“You seem better. That’s a relief.”

His voice was filled with genuine relief, enough to make one mistake it for sincerity. Leehwan, who didn’t want to hear it, got out of bed.

Looking out the window, the sun was high in the sky. It was the clear light of mid-morning. Leehwan muttered softly, as if talking to himself.

“I think we can leave now. Wash up, and ask them to pack some lunch for the road… Oh, there’s no water for washing.”

“I’ll get it. You stay here, Leehwan.”

Absalom left the room like a gust of wind. Leehwan watched his back and twisted his lips into a smirk.

They packed an early lunch and left the inn with a hearty meal prepared. Leehwan noticed the innkeeper’s gaze lingering on Absalom. Even if someone asked the innkeeper about Leehwan’s appearance, he doubted the man could give a proper answer.

Once they left the village, a bumpy dirt road stretched ahead. Though the remote path was empty, Leehwan didn’t lower his hood.

“The weather’s nice.”

Absalom looked up at the sky and spoke cheerfully. Leehwan, without even glancing at the sky, asked,

“What’s got you so happy?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Leehwan nodded. Absalom smiled shyly. It might have been a trick of the light, but a faint blush seemed to rise on his cheeks.

“I guess I’m a bit excited. I’ve traveled a lot, but this is the first time I’ve had a companion. And that companion is you, Leehwan…”

Absalom seemed to radiate the aura of someone deeply in love. Leehwan chuckled inwardly and quickened his pace. Absalom caught up and asked,

“What’s the plan from here?”

“First, we’ll go to the market and buy horses.”

Leehwan deliberately answered as if he didn’t understand the deeper meaning of the question. “I see,” Absalom murmured in response.

They once again chose a path that allowed them to move quickly without drawing attention. This inevitably meant taking rough trails.

Entering the mountains, they ended up spending the night there. They found a small lake and set up camp.

After securing plenty of drinking water, Leehwan immediately threw off his clothes. Absalom, who was unpacking the lunch, let out a near-scream.

“L-Leehwan!”

Splash!

Without hesitation, Leehwan jumped into the lake. It was bone-chillingly cold, but the discomfort of being dirty outweighed the cold.

After washing his hair, he lifted his head. At that moment, Leehwan was startled. Absalom was staring at him.

Absalom’s clothes were wet, likely from the splash. It must have been quite cold, especially in the mountains at night. But Absalom didn’t move a muscle. Leehwan, annoyed by the persistent gaze on his bare body, spoke up.

“Hey, Absalom.”

At the call, Absalom, who had been frozen, flinched. Leehwan watched his gaping mouth and thought he looked like a fish.

Absalom quickly closed his mouth and turned away. Then, in a strained voice, he exclaimed,

“You could’ve warned me…!”

“Why? Are we supposed to have some kind of privacy between men?”

“That’s…!”

Absalom reacted even to Leehwan’s casual remark. Leehwan couldn’t understand it at all. Then his gaze fell on Absalom’s hand. He was trembling, his fist clenched tightly. It felt like he was holding back, and Leehwan wondered what he was holding back.

Holding back? From what?

After a moment of thought, Leehwan frowned.

Since Lucien had been terrified of anything beyond a kiss, Leehwan hadn’t even considered that direction. So, he hadn’t immediately realized it, but he was still a man. He quickly understood what such a reaction from a man meant.

‘What a detailed setting.’ Leehwan smirked and climbed out of the water. After drying off, he put on the clothes Absalom had bought for him in the village. The slightly rough texture of cotton felt more comfortable than silk.

“I’m dressed.”

Leehwan said as he rubbed his still-wet hair with a towel. Absalom, who had been standing with his back turned, finally turned around. His reddish eyes held a hint of resentment.

“Hey, Leehwan.”

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“…Okay.”

Leehwan quickly chewed and swallowed the slightly soggy sandwich. As he reached for the second one, Absalom, who had been fidgeting, finally spoke up.

“Leehwan, listen to me. Even though we’re close, there are still certain manners we should maintain…”

“Saying that makes it sound like we’re strangers. If we’re close, shouldn’t we bathe together and stuff?”

“That’s…”

“I guess my body’s not much to look at, huh? Lots of scars.”

It was meant to shut him up, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. Scratched, cut, bitten—his time in this world had left its mark on his pale skin. What would his family on Earth say if they saw him? Leehwan thought bitterly.

“No.”

Absalom said firmly. His voice carried a strange heat.

“It’s not unsightly at all. In fact…”

Leehwan looked up. Absalom was staring at him. Leehwan saw something lurking in those deep blue eyes. Something that burned fiercely, threatening to consume not only Absalom but also whoever was in its path—

It must be a misunderstanding. Leehwan instinctively turned away from it.

“So, you’ve seen enough to judge whether it’s unsightly or not?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

“Leehwan!”

Leehwan watched Absalom fluster and narrowed his eyes. But the brown eyes beneath his thick lashes remained cold.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Shortly after Leehwan’s disappearance, the Imperial Palace organized a search party. If it had been an ordinary knight, they might have included locals, but since the target was Leehwan, they couldn’t risk it. There was no telling where or how the information might leak.

The search hit a snag. The weather played a part too. A sudden downpour immobilized the search party. Despite extending the search beyond the usual three days to six, they still couldn’t find Leehwan.

Lucien looked down at the items laid out before him. A cloak reeking of seawater, crumpled armor, and a familiar crescent sword.

Just as he reached for the sword he had seen countless times—

“Don’t touch it.”

Crown Prince Charles spoke in a cold voice. Lucien helplessly dropped his arm.

He retreated from Charles’ presence without even realizing how he got there. Walking in a daze, he came to his senses on the path leading to Leehwan’s villa. Lucien stopped.

‘Why was I heading there?’

It’s empty anyway. More importantly, he had rarely walked there himself. Just as he was about to turn around—

“Oh, isn’t this Lucien?”

A familiar, detestable face approached from the opposite direction. It was the Fourth Prince, Bernard. The smirk on his face made it clear what kind of conversation was coming.

“I heard the news. Our poor brother, what a pity. The only one he could rely on was that hunting dog, and now even that’s gone.”

The Hunting Dog of Iella. That’s what the imperial family and nobility called Leehwan. Lucien had used the term himself many times. But now, it only felt repulsive.

“Hmm? Why that expression? You should be smiling, brother. That pretty face of yours is only good for that.”