RHH | Chapter 3.7

The Absalom left alone at the inn was more on his mind than the Lucien trembling before him. Worried that his new love might be hurt, he couldn’t even tolerate the remnants of his past love. Leehwan inwardly smiled bitterly.

He kicked Lucien’s feet out from under him, making him fall to the floor. Placing his foot on Lucien’s chest, he saw shame flash across the face previously stained with fear. Leehwan raised his sword and pointed it at Lucien.

The blood that had gathered on the blade quickly rolled down to the tip and dripped onto Lucien’s face. He trembled at the lukewarm sensation. Leehwan smirked.

“If you couldn’t even handle this, you should have listened to me earlier. Then at least those guys wouldn’t have died like dogs.”

“A-Alexander…….”

As the tip of the sword drew closer, Lucien called out to Leehwan. When Leehwan didn’t even pretend to listen, he shouted.

“A-Alexander! L-listen to me…… listen to me!”

Leehwan stopped the sword just before Lucien’s nose. Lucien, trembling, cautiously raised his gaze after looking at the blade. Brown eyes met green in the air.

The closer you get, the clearer some things become. Things like love, fear, or hatred. But the brown eyes were just clear. Had he really erased all feelings for him? In this moment, that was what Lucien found most despairing.

In the silence, Leehwan sighed.

“I don’t have time, so if you have something to say, say it quickly.”

Lucien’s gaze landed on Leehwan’s lips. They were unusually swollen and red, with a small scab forming. Someone flashed through Lucien’s mind.

“Is it that man this time?”

Even Lucien, who had grown up in the imperial palace, had never seen such beauty before. A twisted question suddenly arose in his mind.

“Do you even love him? But isn’t it strange? Someone with that level of beauty has never been the subject of any rumors until now. How can you believe he approached you without any ulterior motives?”

Leehwan’s expression hardened. Lucien felt a strange sense of satisfaction. However, his small victory didn’t last long.

“People see what they want to see. Are you thinking he’s like that because that’s how you approached me?”

Lucien inhaled sharply. He had heard a similar tone earlier but had dismissed it as referring to his relationship with the imperial family. But now, the words couldn’t be ignored.

“W-what are you talking about? Why would I… What kind of misunderstanding…”

Lucien forced a trembling smile. Leehwan looked at him coldly.

“Talking more will only make things messier. Let’s end this here.”

“No. No, Sir Alexander! I truly…!”

Lucien reached out toward Leehwan. Leehwan smacked his hand away with the flat of his blade.

“Don’t call me that. My name isn’t Alexander.”

Leehwan removed his foot from Lucien’s chest. Then, he kicked Wibaeng, who was lying unconscious, to wake him up.

“I’d like to kill all of you to eliminate any future trouble, but I’ll let it go this time. So, go back and deliver the message properly. Sir Alexander is dead.”

Leehwan turned and left the room. He flipped his cloak over to hide the bloodstains on his body.

After leaving the inn, Leehwan headed in the opposite direction from where he had come. His destination was the river he had visited earlier with Absalom. It was late at night, and the riverbank was empty.

Leehwan stripped off his clothes and waded into the river. The water was bone-chillingly cold. He resisted the urge to jump out immediately and washed himself clean.

After thoroughly cleaning himself, including his hair, he washed the bloodstained clothes. He knew the stains wouldn’t come out easily, but he at least wanted to get rid of the smell.

Suddenly, Lucien came to mind. The first time he had killed someone, he had felt saved by Lucien’s hand. That was also the first time he thought he loved Lucien. And yet, today, he had threatened to kill that same Lucien. Leehwan smiled bitterly.

By the time the blood had mostly washed out, Leehwan stepped out of the river. He wrung out his wet clothes and put them back on. His body temperature, which had risen slightly after leaving the water, dropped again, but he endured it.

He picked up the cloak he had set aside earlier. It still had bloodstains transferred from his body. He planned to discard it along the way.

“Let’s go back now.”

To Absalom. The thought alone revitalized his exhausted body.

Until he entered the inn’s hallway, Leehwan had been wondering which room to go to. It was an unnecessary worry. He quietly slipped into his room as if melting into the shadows.

As Leehwan had said, Absalom was waiting for him here. Leehwan looked down at Absalom, who had his eyes tightly shut. Seeing his peaceful face, Leehwan felt it was the right decision to go alone.

Absalom’s silver hair and pale face stood out beautifully in the darkness. Suddenly, Leehwan thought he understood why their whereabouts had been discovered. With a face like this by his side, he was practically a walking advertisement.

After changing into dry clothes, Leehwan slipped into bed beside Absalom. Thanks to Absalom, the blanket was warm. Leehwan waited for his body to warm up, thinking that clinging to Absalom right away might make him cold. But Absalom, as if unable to wait even a moment, immediately moved closer.

“You weren’t sleeping, were you?”

The warm arm reaching out was the answer. Absalom wrapped his arms around Leehwan’s waist and buried his face in his chest. Leehwan gently patted his shoulder. Absalom, who had been nuzzling into his chest, muttered.

“Your body is cold.”

“It’s winter now.”

“You smell like water.”

“We went to the river earlier.”

Absalom didn’t say anything more. Leehwan found the silence more unsettling. But explaining everything in detail felt too burdensome.

He didn’t want to show Absalom the side of himself that killed people. If it were Absalom, he would likely dig into the reasons behind it in an instant. That was something Leehwan didn’t want.

“Did you wait long?”

He kissed Absalom’s forehead as if to soothe him. I’m sorry. The apology quietly dissipated. After a moment of silence, Absalom let out a shallow sigh.

“You’re a coward.”

“I know.”

“Next time, I won’t be this obedient.”

“That’s scary…!”

Absalom grabbed Leehwan’s shoulder and pulled him down. Leehwan’s lips were sealed, and a hot tongue pushed into his mouth. Absalom’s tongue swirled wildly, and Leehwan let himself be swept along before seizing an opportunity to take control.

He sucked and released Absalom’s tongue, teasing the tip sweetly before plunging deeper. Absalom, who had been dominating the kiss, let out a low moan as he lost control. The sound soon turned into a soft whimper.

When his head began to feel fuzzy, Leehwan pulled away. Their hot breaths warmed their damp lips. Absalom, equally breathless, furrowed his brows.

“Why are you so good at this?”

His reddened eyes were seductive. Leehwan couldn’t look away as he muttered.

“So, did you hate it?”

Absalom pursed his lips in frustration. The answer came only after their breathing had calmed.

“…No.”

Leehwan blinked and let his lips curve into a smile. Absalom glared at him. His pupils, now round again, were visible.

“Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing, I’m not.”

But even his breathing carried a clear hint of laughter. Eventually, Leehwan lay back down, and Absalom snapped at him.

“Someday, I’ll make you melt because of me. Just wait and see.”

“Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”

Leehwan, who had finally stopped laughing, turned back toward Absalom. Absalom, still pouting, wriggled closer. Leehwan grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into his embrace, kissing his head.

“Goodnight, Absalom.”

“…Goodnight, Leehwan.”

A kiss landed on Leehwan’s chin. He closed his eyes. The guilt of murder that had been weighing on his chest quietly lightened.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

The murder at the inn was quietly dealt with. For the empire, it was not beneficial for it to be known that Leehwan had betrayed the empire and was on the run. For the city’s mayor, the fact that a foreign prince’s escort knights had been killed within the city was a significant problem.

Wibaeng moved Lucien to a nearby castle. Lucien had been holed up in his room for three days now. Wibaeng sighed in front of the firmly closed door and knocked lightly.

“It’s me, Prince Lucien. I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for a response, he opened the door. However, the room, which he had expected to be dark as usual, was surprisingly bright.

“Sir Wibaeng.”

Lucien, sitting on the bed, called out to him. Wibaeng hurried over.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine.”

While it hadn’t been his body that was unwell but his mind, neither of them mentioned it.

“When will the reinforcements arrive?”

Lucien asked while eating the food Wibaeng had brought. The knights didn’t treat Lucien as their master, but neither did he.

After confirming traces of someone who might be Leehwan at the cathedral in Sancoña, Lucien had secretly discussed with Wibaeng and requested additional reinforcements from the imperial capital. He also asked for information on the locations of the relics in various countries.

“Request more reinforcements. Now that it’s confirmed Sir Alexander is alive, my brother will surely grant more substantial support.”

While confined to his room, Lucien had countless dreams. They always ended with Leehwan’s death. The dreams became clearer with each repetition. That’s how he knew.

The strange, alien eyes of the deep blue dragon, filled with hatred and resentment. There couldn’t be two such beings.

“How dare a non-human shamelessly cling to Sir Alexander.”

A dragon that could control fire and water, even summon meteor showers from the sky, couldn’t possibly fail to manipulate a single human’s mind. Lucien concluded this.

“Sir Alexander’s strange behavior is entirely that creature’s fault. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have treated me like this.”

Three days ago, the first thing Lucien felt after Leehwan disappeared was a sense of loss. Only then did he realize the true nature of the emotions he had been ignoring.

If only he had properly examined the intense regret he felt in his dreams, he wouldn’t have realized it so late.

“If I meet him again, I won’t let him go a second time.”

Only after being certain of his loss did he truly understand. These were the lingering feelings of someone who had lost something once. The awakened desire for possession stirred the inherent cruelty of royalty, something Lucien hadn’t even realized he possessed.

If Leehwan were to be dragged to the imperial palace in his current state. Having spent his entire life in the imperial family, Lucien could predict what would happen to Leehwan.

The imperial family would taxidermy a hunting dog that had forgotten its duty and display it to utilize its last remaining usefulness. And when even that usefulness faded, that would be the day Lucien would completely possess Leehwan.

The Lucien in his dreams had been foolish. Even if tortured and crippled, even if his arms were severed, Leehwan would still be Leehwan. How could he have thought of handing him over to someone else?

‘But who was it that asked for Sir Alexander?’

The incomplete dreams, with their gaps, left questions like this. Lucien, who had been fawning over a few nobles coveting Leehwan’s distinctive appearance, suddenly thought of one being.

“Could it be…?”

No, it couldn’t be. If the dragon in his dreams had taken Leehwan, it wouldn’t have resented or hated Lucien. Lucien shook his head.

“Prince Lucien?”

“It’s nothing. Ah, I want more of that venison.”

Wibaeng, who had been worried about Lucien’s picky eating habits, brightened up. In truth, it was Lucien’s unavoidable choice.

Originally, Leehwan’s romantic interests were limited to women. Charles had been wary of this. If Leehwan were to marry a woman with influential backing or have an heir, it could complicate the political landscape.

For this reason, Charles had assigned Lucien, with his feminine appearance, to Leehwan. Thus, Lucien had worked hard to maintain his girlish face and slender frame even now, at twenty years old.

But now, even that seemed meaningless. Lucien recalled the dragon who had embraced Leehwan. His tall stature, broad shoulders, and large hands. He possessed everything Lucien had given up and had even reached out to Leehwan.

Lucien’s green eyes glinted coldly as he stabbed the meat with his fork.