RHH | Chapter 6.1

The Man Who Was Once a Hound Dreams of Happiness

Leehwan woke up with a sense of nausea. As he spat out what had risen to his throat, a clump of blood gushed out. Judging by the fact that even pieces of his internal organs were mixed in, it seemed his insides were severely damaged.

He reached for the water bottle placed on the bedside table. After rinsing his bloody mouth, he finally felt a bit more awake.

The last memory lingering in his mind was of Lucien. Just as Leehwan tried to move his legs to get out of bed—

Clang.

A cold metallic sound echoed. Leehwan pushed the blanket aside and looked toward his feet. A heavy shackle was wrapped around his ankle. He yanked his leg with all his might, but it only made a loud noise without budging an inch.

“It’s useless for you in your current state.”

Lucien’s clear voice came from behind him. Leehwan clenched his lips tightly. He hadn’t heard anyone come in, which meant Lucien had been here the whole time. The fact that he hadn’t noticed was a clear sign of how poor his physical condition was.

Leehwan turned his body. Lucien was standing by the window. Leehwan let his gaze drift outside. Beyond the glass window, the deep blue sky of dawn stretched out, filled with the fresh morning air. Below it was the familiar garden of the Imperial Palace.

Had he been unconscious for that long? Leehwan moved his limbs under the blanket. It felt as if all his strength had drained away, and he couldn’t muster any energy. He looked at Lucien again and spoke.

“So. What are you planning to do with me?”

Lucien, bathed in the blue dawn light, seemed oddly restless. Leehwan continued in a calm voice.

“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve drained all my strength, so I won’t be able to fight back even if you want me to. Or are you planning to put me on trial as a traitor?”

Currently, Leehwan was only wearing a shirt and pants. All his holy relics had been kept in the pockets of his outer clothes, so it was safe to assume they had been taken. Strangely, though, he wasn’t too worried. It was certain that Absalom would come to retrieve him.

Suddenly, Leehwan let out a bitter smile. Waiting for someone to come and save him—such a thing would have been unthinkable in the past. He had struggled so hard not to rely on anyone, but in the end, it seemed all his efforts had been meaningless.

But this waiting was filled with a sense of expectation and trust that he had once thought had disappeared from within him forever. Leehwan found that comforting.

Then, a sharp voice cut through the silence.

“Are you thinking about that dragon?”

Lucien approached Leehwan. Only then could Leehwan see him properly.

Perhaps it was just his mood, but Lucien seemed to have grown a little. His hands, once soft and delicate from being nurtured with goat’s milk and honey, had become rough. His attire was also different from the luxurious clothes he used to wear. Most of all, the look in his eyes had changed drastically.

His green eyes were filled with a bubbling restlessness and a strange confidence. The former was gradually being consumed by the latter. Soon, his eyes, now brimming with self-assurance, locked directly onto Leehwan.

“I have no intention of doing anything to you.”

Leehwan deliberately moved his ankle. The shackle clanked heavily.

“You think I’ll believe that after you’ve shackled me like this?”

Lucien stopped in front of the bed and stared at Leehwan’s feet. His gaze slowly crawled up from the tips of Leehwan’s toes, past the instep, and reached the ankle. The sticky look in his eyes was unsettling, but Leehwan showed no reaction.

“You’re misunderstanding.”

Lucien smiled as if in a dream. His flushed cheeks even looked happy.

“Right now, you’re under the dragon’s spell and thinking wrong thoughts, but in the end, your place is by my side. Until you realize that properly, I have no choice. So just bear with it a little longer, okay?”

The words were absurd. Leehwan couldn’t help but let out a scoff.

There had been a time when he thought his place was by Lucien’s side. It had all been nothing but delusional arrogance.

Lucien’s pale fingers reached for Leehwan’s cheek. Leehwan coldly slapped them away.

“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting, but I decide where my place is. And it’s not by your side.”

Lucien quietly clenched the hand that had been pushed away. His lips were still smiling, but the color of that smile had changed.

“Is that what the dragon told you?”

His red lips twisted into a sneer. Lucien reached out again, this time grabbing Leehwan’s shoulder. Unable to resist Lucien’s strength, Leehwan fell backward.

Thud.

Leehwan lay flat on the bed, looking up at Lucien. The room was already dim, and with the shadows cast over Lucien’s face, his expression was unreadable.

“Do you think the dragon will come to save you?”

The voice, once high and clear like a boy’s, now growled lowly. Leehwan could sense an unbelievable emotion in that voice.

“It’s been a day and a half since you returned. Yet the dragon hasn’t come. Will you still wait for him?”

“What?”

The distance from Irmen, where Leehwan had been, to the Imperial Palace was considerable. A day and a half wouldn’t be nearly enough time to cover that distance.

Suddenly, the memory of the orb filled with the aura of monsters that had appeared out of nowhere came to mind. According to Absalom, magic was the power of Mazir, so humans, as creations of Iella, couldn’t use it. If that was the case, what kind of power had been at work in that orb?

Suppressing a foreboding feeling, Leehwan asked.

“Who’s your ally?”

Lucien’s confident attitude and definitive words might all be because of that ally. If that person had harmed Absalom… Just as Leehwan gritted his teeth, a shadow fell over him.

Shimmering golden hair teased his vision. Leehwan thought of a venomous snake in the fleeting glimpse of green. Then, a smooth tongue licked his lips. Leehwan twitched, but his firmly held wrists and pinned body didn’t budge.

“This is fascinating. You’re completely at my mercy, unable to move.”

Lucien murmured as he pressed his lips against Leehwan’s. His hot breath and the squirming sensation were nothing but unpleasant to Leehwan.

“I never thought I’d do something like this…”

The words trailed off, tinged with cruel delight. Lucien, who had let out a laugh, lunged at Leehwan. Leehwan glared at Lucien, who was eagerly licking and sucking his lips, then opened his mouth.

Crunch.

“Ugh!”

Lucien, who had bitten his lip hard, jerked his head back. Leehwan took the opportunity to free his wrist. He grabbed Lucien by the collar and flipped him over. His rough hand gripped Lucien’s slender neck. Even without much strength, the weight of his grip was enough to threaten the other’s life.

Lucien struggled. But no matter how he scratched or hit, Leehwan, though staggering, didn’t let go.

Lucien, foaming at the mouth and gagging, finally dropped his head. Leehwan carefully checked Lucien’s breathing, and only after confirming that he had lost consciousness did he finally let go.

He believed Absalom would come. But he had no intention of sitting idly by, relying on him. As Leehwan searched Lucien’s body for the key to the shackles—

“You seem busy, my servant.”

A voice that was hard to distinguish by gender echoed in the room. At that moment, an invisible force bound Leehwan. His frozen body lost control and tilted.

Thud.

Leehwan fell on top of Lucien. He barely managed to roll his eyes. The first thing he saw was long golden hair and a slender body. Raising his gaze slightly, he saw a pale face. The ever-changing colors of the eyes were eerie.

It was a face he had never seen before. Yet, Leehwan felt a sense of familiarity. The merciless gaze that demanded submission, the overwhelming arrogance, and above all, the words “my servant.”

The delicate lips curled up softly.

“Such insolent eyes. No wonder you turned your back on me and ran to that young dragon.”

Leehwan glared at Iella. The mastermind behind everything was right before his eyes. If it weren’t for Iella, Leehwan would never have come to this world, and Absalom wouldn’t have suffered, coughing up blood.

Absalom.

Fear gripped his heart. No matter how much Absalom was a being meant to stop Iella, he was currently weakened due to the regression. If Iella had harmed Absalom—Leehwan’s vision darkened.

Then, as if reading Leehwan’s mind, Iella spoke.

“Your young dragon is still safe.”

Leehwan looked at Iella with renewed hope. Iella approached and sat on the edge of the bed. With a pale, delicate hand, Iella stroked Leehwan’s head and continued.

“I gave him two days. If he had any intention of coming, he would have arrived by now. My poor servant, has he abandoned you?”

The tone was affectionate, but clearly theatrical. The hand stroking Leehwan’s head seemed tender, but there was no warmth in it.

“Actually, after bringing you here, I became quite interested in your world. There are so many stories about gods. Especially Pandora, was it?”

Iella’s voice was tinged with interest. Leehwan couldn’t help but tense up.

“A being sent to bring calamity to the world and to the man who fell in love with her… The ending, where all that remained after all the calamities was hope, was quite amusing. In terms of cruelty, there’s no one who can match it. What do you think, my servant? Instead of simply submitting or despairing, you resist, driven by hope.”

Iella stopped his fingers. A chilling sense of foreboding washed over Leehwan.

“So this time, I plan to follow the example of the gods from your world.”

Iella carelessly tossed Leehwan’s head aside and stood up. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around.

“How long are you going to stay like that?”