RHH | Chapter 5.5

He didn’t want to go back. But he had no choice. The funds he had received from Charles were almost depleted. It was a situation where he couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Select the less injured ones and have half continue pursuing Sir Alexander. The other half will return with me.”

Wibaeng bowed silently and left the room to relay the orders. Lucien crumpled the letter.

He needed power. Even if it meant coughing up blood every time he used it. Greed and jealousy burned like wildfire within him.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Tap. Tap-tap.

Absalom woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window. His body, closely connected to the world, whispered to him that morning had broken.

‘I need to make sure Leehwan eats breakfast.’

If it were just Absalom, eating or not eating wouldn’t matter. But for Leehwan, it was different. He needed meals. However, the warmth radiating through his entire body was clouding Absalom’s rationality.

Absalom opened his eyes, which he had kept closed until now. The room was dim due to the shutters, but his eyes were unaffected by such darkness.

His vision was filled with milky white. Here and there, marks he had left remained. Satisfied, Absalom gazed at them before lifting his head. Leehwan was still deep in sleep. Absalom stared blankly at his lover.

Despite his knightly, sturdy build, Leehwan’s features were as refined and delicate as a young master from a distant land. Dressed in noble attire, he might even pass for a scholar.

No, perhaps not. Absalom negated his earlier thought upon noticing the scars scattered across Leehwan’s face. Most were small, but one, running from above his left eyebrow to his temple, was quite large.

The scars weren’t just on his face. They were on his arms, legs, chest, back, sides—everywhere. It was harder to find a spot without scars. Each one was a remnant of the pain Leehwan had endured.

Absalom lowered his head. Leehwan’s chest touched his cheek. The steady heartbeat gave him a sense of calm. It was the sweetest sound in the world.

‘I won’t lose you again.’

Absalom kissed Leehwan’s chest and then sat up. The cold air must have seeped into the bed, as Leehwan frowned in his sleep. The expression made him look oddly young, and Absalom couldn’t help but smile.

“Leehwan, time to wake up.”

Absalom gently combed Leehwan’s hair with his fingers as he spoke. His sweet voice was almost embarrassingly tender even to his own ears.

Leehwan slowly opened his eyes and looked at Absalom. His thin eyelids softened as they blurred. Seeing his defenseless smile, Absalom unconsciously held his breath.

While Absalom was frozen, Leehwan stirred. Before he knew it, Leehwan was lying with his head on Absalom’s lap, yawning softly. Finally regaining his senses, Absalom shook Leehwan’s shoulder.

“After all the trouble of waking you up, are you going back to sleep? Get up.”

The drowsy brown eyes looked pitiful, but Absalom steeled his resolve. After persistent prodding, Leehwan finally got up.

“Let’s wash up and go eat.”

Absalom got out of bed first. Leehwan, still half-asleep, stretched languidly. At that moment, Leehwan felt a strange sensation.

There was something he had forgotten amidst the chaos. When he had brought Absalom to this inn, Leehwan had been severely injured. Yet, even when he heard the truth from Absalom, and even during their intimacy, he hadn’t felt any pain.

“Rlom. Who told you to heal me without asking?”

A low voice filled the room. Absalom, who had been opening the shutters, turned to look at Leehwan. His silver hair fluttered in the winter wind, framing his pale face like a halo. Just his existence alone felt like a seduction. Leehwan gritted his teeth.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“Huh?”

Absalom stood with his back to the window. The slanting sunlight bathed his cheeks in a pure glow.

“It’s true I healed you, but it was for my own sake. I didn’t want to see you writhing in pain.”

“And yet you used magic again, even after coughing up blood?”

A troubled look flashed across Absalom’s face. In truth, the reason he had coughed up blood was because he had used a fairly powerful spell earlier.

When Leehwan emerged from Weissvalt, he was completely soaked in Iella’s energy. If left alone, Leehwan might have gone mad. So, as soon as they arrived at the cave, Absalom expelled that energy.

That part was fine. The problem came next. The energy that had left Leehwan’s body attacked Absalom. It was a twisted, corrupted energy, far from what one would expect from a god. As a result, Absalom had expended a significant portion of his strength.

But if he told the truth, Leehwan would undoubtedly blame himself. In the end, all Absalom could do was keep his mouth shut.

“It’s not just you who doesn’t want to see me writhing in pain. I feel the same way.”

“That’s… I’m sorry.”

Absalom hadn’t expected Leehwan to worry about him. It was the toll of his long unrequited love. His shoulders slumped slightly.

With Absalom’s words, the room fell into silence. Leehwan groaned and headed to the washbasin. The sound of splashing water followed. After quickly washing his face, Leehwan dried himself and spoke.

“Are you sulking?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie. You’re clearly sulking.”

“I’m not…”

Just as Absalom was about to retort, feeling a bit choked up, Leehwan lightly kissed his lips. He pulled away and whispered.

“Thanks for healing me.”

The warm breath tickled Absalom’s lips, reminding him of the moments they had shared their warmth. Absalom tilted his head, seeking a deeper kiss.

“Let’s go eat.”

Leehwan spoke in a casual tone and walked away. The sound of him changing clothes followed. Absalom, who had been standing still, pressed his hand to his forehead. Even though it was clearly a retaliation, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry.

“You’re really unfair.”

A long sigh escaped his red lips.

Leehwan and Absalom went down to the inn’s dining hall on the first floor. The hall was quite noisy with people having breakfast. But by the time they sat down, all the noise had disappeared.

Leehwan glanced at Absalom across the table. In the dimly lit dining hall, he stood out radiantly. His complexion seemed softer than before.

“What is it, Leehwan? Do you have something to say?”

Absalom smiled, his eyes curving as he asked. His face was genuinely happy.

“You look happy.”

Absalom’s cheeks turned red. That alone made Leehwan feel as if he had already received an answer. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat.

“Let’s order. What do you want to eat?”

After ordering a modest meal, they enjoyed a leisurely silence. The knees and shoe tips touching under the small table made them feel inexplicably happy. But Leehwan knew this pleasant atmosphere wouldn’t last long.

The food arrived quickly. Having gone hungry for a while, Leehwan quickly emptied his plate. Absalom also focused on his meal in silence.

At some point, Absalom looked up. His expression, as he kept glancing around, seemed unusually serious. Leehwan asked.

“Is something wrong?”

“…It’s nothing. I just feel like we’re being watched.”

“If it bothers you that much, we can have our meals brought to the room from now on.”

“No, it’s not that bad.”

Absalom shook his head and resumed eating.

After breakfast, Leehwan returned to the room and said to Absalom.

“I have something to discuss.”

He first sat Absalom on the bed and then checked the holy relics they had collected so far. A golden chalice, a branch, a bronze key, and a crystal flower. Just one more, and they could return.

Absalom had never expressed a desire for Leehwan not to leave. The more Leehwan thought about it, the angrier he became. Not at Absalom for not speaking up, but at himself for making it impossible for him to do so.

At the same time, a cold realization washed over Leehwan. He still hadn’t made a final decision.

Even if he had forgotten the faces of his family, he couldn’t help but want to see them. To Leehwan, family symbolized a peaceful, everyday life. Moreover, he still disliked this world.

But Absalom was here.

Leehwan climbed onto the bed and sat facing Absalom.

“I’m planning to go find the next relic.”

“The Empire has noticed your movements. It’s possible they’ve already secured the remaining relics.”

“Of course, I’ve considered that.”

Absalom’s expression was as calm as ever. But Leehwan could see the darkness in his blue-green eyes.

Leehwan took Absalom’s hand. That alone was enough to break the composure Absalom had been struggling to maintain. His silver eyelashes slowly dampened.

“Listen. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll go back or not.”

Absalom looked at Leehwan in surprise. Leehwan continued, gazing into his eyes.

“I’ll make the decision after securing the fifth relic.”

At that moment, when all the conditions for returning were met, Leehwan would choose. Excluding any external influences or circumstances, solely for himself.

“Is it because of me?”

Absalom’s voice was faint, as if it might disappear at any moment. Leehwan spoke coldly.

“It’s for me. And I still don’t know which way I’ll decide.”

But even that seemed sweet to Absalom. The tears that had been welling up finally overflowed.

“I’m still happy. Until now, I thought even the possibility was out of the question.”

Absalom smiled, his cheeks wet with tears. Unlike the forced smiles from before, this one was as bright as a child’s.

Leehwan crawled closer to Absalom. He cupped Absalom’s face and lifted it. The tears that wouldn’t stop flowing wet Leehwan’s fingers as well.

Leehwan slowly lowered his head, casting a shadow over Absalom’s face. The wet eyes looked unbearably sorrowful. Leehwan kissed those eyes and moved downward.

Their lips met briefly, then parted, only to meet again at a different angle. Leehwan gently pushed his tongue between Absalom’s parted lips.

It was a salty and sweet kiss. As the kiss deepened, Absalom clung to Leehwan’s shoulders. Leehwan ran his fingers through Absalom’s scalp, savoring the way his body twitched in response.

“Ah, Rlom.”

Leehwan called out between heavy breaths. Absalom opened his eyes. His deep blue eyes were filled with heat. Leehwan imagined his own eyes were the same.

“Shouldn’t we go to the market?”

“Mm… Yes. We need to buy… Ah…”

Absalom’s answer was swallowed by Leehwan’s lips, which kept interrupting him. The sound of their tongues and lips sliding against each other echoed for a moment.

Finally releasing Absalom, Leehwan spoke.

“Let’s go to the market in the afternoon.”

Absalom, smiling brightly, pulled Leehwan into an embrace, and they tumbled onto the bed.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Leehwan and Absalom’s destination, Elburz Island, was located in the eastern sea of the continent. One afternoon, with the island still quite a distance away, they found themselves in front of a castle.

“Shall we stay there today?”

Absalom pointed at the castle and spoke. Leehwan, who had been glancing at Absalom, leaned in closer.

“Leehwan? Why…!”

Leehwan opened his mouth and lightly bit Absalom’s nose. A warm breath brushed the tip of his nose before retreating.

“It turned red.”

After a brief comment, Leehwan turned forward again as if nothing had happened. Absalom covered his flushed face. His fingers brushed against his cold, stiff nose.

“Let’s hurry.”