RHH | Chapter 6.5

The first strand of light wrapped around Iella’s leg. Only then did he seem to realize something was wrong and raised his head. At the same time, countless strands of light engulfed him.

“What……!”

Iella shouted something, but everything after the first syllable was cut off. The light had tightly wrapped around his head. Soon, the light covered his entire body.

Leehwan recalled what had happened just before Absalom was pushed out of the ritual circle.

Dragons cannot leave this world. But the same must be true for Iella. Realizing this, another thought crossed Leehwan’s mind.

‘If we can’t banish him, what about the opposite?’

The ritual was centered around the relics, with a specific pattern repeating. Leehwan thought this was the rule governing the ritual. If they could reverse the nature of this rule, they could use the ritual’s intent to banish Leehwan from this world to instead seal Iella away.

The result of this impulsive idea was right before their eyes.

Iella struggled against the light, reaching out an arm. The light covering his face was torn away. The green eyes revealed through the light were fixed directly on Leehwan. At that moment, Leehwan’s body was pulled toward Iella. Leehwan desperately clung to Absalom.

“Rlom!”

“It’s his last struggle. Hold on tight.”

Absalom, holding Leehwan tightly, gritted his teeth. A faint groan escaped him, and the smell of blood filled the air.

Leehwan, who had been watching Iella, noticed that the pure white light was now mixed with other colors. He instinctively checked on Absalom. Droplets of blood were falling from his delicate jaw.

“I’m fine.”

Absalom smiled. Leehwan reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Absalom took Leehwan’s hand and wiped it on his own clothes, then continued.

“The power of the relics is also Iella’s, so resisting was easier until now. But it’ll be different from here on. Magic is something Iella doesn’t possess.”

As if to prove his words, the light engulfed Iella. A few strands touched him and vanished, but several times more wrapped around him almost simultaneously.

At some point, the ground beneath Iella’s feet turned into a swamp. His light-covered body sank into the swamp with a dull ripple. Iella’s muffled groan echoed through the underground. It was clearly a desperate sound. Leehwan felt a quiet satisfaction.

The ripples affected the entire underground. The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. Leehwan and Absalom, barely keeping their balance, moved to escape.

Leehwan, weakened and injured, and Absalom, who had used magic despite the curse. Their steps were inevitably slower than usual. The continuous rumbling behind them made them anxious.

But when they reached the stairs leading from the underground to the surface, Leehwan was speechless. The once-solid stairs were shaking precariously.

Behind them, the floor was collapsing; ahead, the stairs were crumbling. Leehwan turned to look for another exit. Just then, Absalom grabbed his hand.

“There’s no other way out except through here.”

Leehwan looked at Absalom’s bloodied face, clothes, and pale complexion. He also recalled the expression of pain that had marred his face just moments ago. But in the end, he had no choice but to take Absalom’s hand.

The magic Absalom summoned enveloped them. Their figures vanished in the blink of an eye. Just after, the debris from the collapsed stairs buried the spot where they had been.

Crash!

The two tumbled onto the cold floor, tangled together. Leehwan got up and checked on Absalom first. Lying in the dust-covered ground, Absalom was as pale as a corpse. Terrified, Leehwan shook him lightly.

“Rlom! Wake up. Get up!”

Fortunately, Absalom soon responded. Leehwan sighed in relief as he saw the trembling eyelids and the deep blue eyes that eventually opened.

Only then did Leehwan look around. Aside from the thick layer of dust, the familiar place was none other than the villa where Leehwan had been staying.

“This is the only quiet place within the range I can move us to with my current strength.”

Leehwan checked their surroundings. But with his weakened senses, he couldn’t detect any presence in the villa.

“Are we alone here?”

“Yes. So you don’t have to worry.”

Judging by the dust, it seemed no one had been here for a while. Leehwan helped Absalom to the bedroom. A cold air greeted them.

Leehwan pulled back the bedsheet, dusted it off, and laid Absalom down. Naturally, the bed was cold. Leehwan took off his outer clothes and snuggled up next to Absalom. Absalom smiled. Even if he had the whole world in his hands, he couldn’t have smiled more contentedly.

“What’s so funny?”

Leehwan asked gruffly. Thinking back on Absalom’s actions, he felt a surge of frustration.

“If you’re cursed, you should focus on breaking it, not use more magic to get us here. And what’s this about half your heart? And your face—what’s with these scratches?”

Perhaps because they were out of danger, Leehwan found himself nagging. But Absalom, undeterred, kept smiling. Leehwan, feeling deflated, finally fell silent. Absalom hugged Leehwan’s waist and spoke.

“These are from when Iella lashed out in anger. Do they look bad?”

“Well, on your face, they look more like makeup than scars.”

Feeling guilty for nagging someone who was hurt, Leehwan muttered with a cough. Absalom buried his face in Leehwan’s chest.

“Should I explain the rest too?”

“Forget it. Let’s just sleep.”

Everything Absalom had done was for Leehwan. Leehwan stroked Absalom’s head. Then he remembered the curse again. Iella had said Absalom could break the curse on his own.

“Don’t we need to deal with the curse first?”

“That would require magic, and it’s a bit difficult right now. After resting for a few days……”

As if truly exhausted, Absalom fell asleep mid-sentence. Leehwan stared at him. His pale complexion, the blood on his haggard face, the unevenly cut hair—all of it was the result of his efforts to keep Leehwan by his side. Along with guilt, Leehwan felt a strange sense of relief.

This choice was definitely not wrong. Kissing Absalom’s forehead, Leehwan thought so.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

It seemed Absalom intended to spend the few days of rest he mentioned entirely asleep. Leehwan watched over him. If his complexion hadn’t been improving, Leehwan would have shaken him awake.

On the first day, Leehwan stayed by Absalom’s side the entire time. By the next day, he had no choice but to leave briefly. Hunger was the reason.

After finding canned food and other preserved items in the storage, Leehwan returned to the bedroom and treated his ankle. It stung quite a bit, and he let out a few involuntary groans. But Absalom, who would have jumped up at the slightest sound, didn’t wake.

Fortunately, no one barged in, so they could rest undisturbed. While waiting, various thoughts crossed Leehwan’s mind. Most were about the future.

Leehwan’s body was in a state not much different from being on the brink of death. Just this morning, he had coughed up blood. It was impossible to know how long he could live like this.

Absalom had once mentioned that dragons lived for about 5,000 years. Though it was unclear how much the loss of half his heart would affect his lifespan, Leehwan thought Absalom would still outlive him, a mere human.

The one who would have to endure this difference was undoubtedly Absalom, not Leehwan. Thinking this, Leehwan felt an unbearable sadness and gently stroked Absalom’s cheek, muttering the story he had heard from Iella.

Iella had compared Leehwan to Pandora. Adorned with all things good, she was actually a bride arranged by the gods to bring calamity upon humanity. The wise brother was wary, but the foolish brother, blinded by her beauty, welcomed her with joy.

“It’s not like I’m particularly beautiful or anything……”

Feeling inexplicably embarrassed, Leehwan found himself making excuses. A gentle hand caressed his. Leehwan quickly turned his head and met Absalom’s drowsy, half-asleep eyes.

“You’re awake?”

Instead of answering, Absalom nodded and smiled. Leehwan smiled back instinctively but froze the next moment.

“Leehwan is beautiful enough.”

Warm fingers traced Leehwan’s cheek. When they reached his lips, Leehwan snapped out of it.

“No, that’s not……”

After listening to Leehwan’s desperate explanation, Absalom fell into thought. As he listened, his eyes cleared, fully awake now.

“I don’t think so.”

Absalom gently touched Leehwan’s ankle. The wound from choosing Absalom still remained.

“To call love ‘foolish’—the people of that world must be quite cruel.”

“I guess.”

Leehwan laughed weakly. Despite nothing being resolved, he felt strangely clear-headed.

A few days later, after Absalom had fully recovered from the curse, they left the villa. Looking around, Leehwan realized the main palace, visible from anywhere in the imperial grounds, was gone. It must have collapsed the day Iella was sealed. Everyone was too preoccupied with the fallen palace to notice Leehwan and Absalom leaving the villa.

“So, where do we go now?”

As long as they could be together, anywhere was fine. Leehwan asked this while thinking that. Absalom seemed to feel the same, as he looked unsure. After pondering for a while, Absalom spoke with a slightly shy expression.

“If Leehwan is okay with it, there’s a place we can go. If you like it, we can stay there……”

“Where?”

“The house where I used to live. It’s a bit far from here, so it’ll take about a month by horse, but we can take it slow so it doesn’t strain your body.”

Leehwan had already heard from Absalom that his body would eventually recover. He nodded without hesitation.

“Let’s get out of the palace first. Using a bit of magic should be fine, right?”

Absalom hesitantly reached out his hand and asked. Leehwan stared at the hand with a disapproving look. But with his current condition, sneaking out of the imperial palace was impossible, so there was no other way.

Leehwan took Absalom’s hand. Joy radiated from their clasped hands.

The moment Absalom’s magic activated, Leehwan looked back. The imposing imperial palace stood there. It was a sight he would never see again.

Leehwan looked at Absalom. He was smiling brightly at Leehwan. This was the face he would see for the rest of his life. Leehwan couldn’t help but smile.

Soon, only the cold winter wind swirled where the two had stood.