Chapter Text
The elegant horse-drawn carriage moved slowly and steadily through the dense forest, its wheels crunching over fallen leaves and twigs. The clip-clop of the hooves hitting the dirt creating a rhythmic chugging noise, echoed through the trees as it journeyed along the trail.
At first glance, no one knew that the person sitting in that carriage was Heinley, the emperor of the Western Empire. He was now leaning against the window frame, watching the scene pass by pensively.
“I wonder if he has realized it yet? That his scent changed was just a lie.”He thought to himself while lightly tapping his finger on the window frame.
“I didn't expect a person like you to reveal a flaw so easily, Ergi." His purple eyes drooped, looking into the distance as he remembered something from the past. "Up until now, just when that man was mentioned, your gaze was completely different."
He had always known that the destination between him and his friend had not been the same from the beginning and they both agreed to that deal,but…
“We're just a little bit away from arriving, Sir.“ the coachman called back.
Hearing that, the train of thought in Heinley's head was also immediately interrupted. He was unconsciously startled and reached forward, exclaiming.
"Wait!"
The coachmanimmediatelyreined in the horses and turned his head, When he saw Heinley's serious expression, he became even more tense.
“Is something wrong, Sir?”
Realizing what he had just done, Heinley was also surprised, but after a pause, he shook his head and motioned for the coachman to move on. “...No. It’s nothing, keep going.”
As the carriage continued on its way, he closed his eyes, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that had been weighing on him and allow himself to relax.
Outside the carriage door frame, verdant branches of trees were swaying gently in the breeze. The birds chirped and hovered in the vast blue sky, the fresh scent of wildflowers and grass filled the air. It was a peaceful setting, in stark contrast to the chaos of his thoughts.
“Well… Maybe I should see how the situation unfoldsfor a while longer.”Heinley leaned back in his chair and let out a breath, the discomfort slowly dissipating somewhat.
“Ergi, sooner or later you will realize what you have really done…” He murmured.”I wonder where all this is going.”
“Ah…um… There seems to be some misunderstanding between us.” Sovieshu panicked for a moment but then quickly turned around to try to separate from him. His hand had barely smacked the man's shoulder when he immediately let out a cry and had to pull his hand back because it was so painful. When he looked down, he saw red marks on his whole body, even some bruises and bites.
“My voice…” Sovieshu touched his own neck, feeling his throat burn and his voice strangely hoarse. In his mind, he immediately imagined what had happened.
The dark blond man chuckled softly, his grip tightening around Sovieshu's waist. "Oh, don't be like that," he purred, his voice dripping with honeyed amusem*nt. "Don't sound so cold, honey. Have you forgotten what happened last night?"
Hearing that, Sovieshu felt goosebumps in his whole body, his eyes widened in horror. "W-what did you just call me?"
"Hm?" Ergitaunted, his lips brushing against Sovieshu's ear. "It seems like I did a little bit intensely last night...."
Sovieshu's mind was spinning, trying to piece together the events that had happened, but all that was on his mind right now was a black void.
How had he ended up in this situation, naked and in such an intimate position with a stranger man?
He closed his eyes, trying to twist his brain to think but couldn't think anything more anyway, only panic welling up in his veins.
"If you haven't remembered yet, I think I can help you." Seeing Sovieshu's pale face, the man also gradually relaxed, his hand lightly touching his shoulder.
"Don’t touch me!" Sovieshu brushed his hand away from him and scolded. "I don't even know who you are."
However, the man just quietly smiled and shrugged at him. "Well... This’s quite unexpected."
While the man was pondering something, Sovieshu also gradually calmed down and an anxious thought crossed his mind suddenly. "No. I can't keep wasting my time here."
“I don't understand what you're talking about. I need to go now.”
“Hm? Where are you going?” The man tilted his head slightly, crossing his arms.
“Anywhere without you.” Sovieshu turned his back to the man, trying to prop up his numb body to get up.
As soon as that man heard his words, the man couldn't help but burst out laughing. His laughter echoed through the room, chilling Sovieshu to the bone.
“How adorable. You think I'll let you go so easily?” He grabbed Sovieshu's hand and jerked it back so hard that he didn't have time to react and fell into the tub.
“What are you-” When Sovieshu’s vision returned, he found his body sitting on that man’s lap again, the distance between their bodies was more glued together than before. “...doing?”
“Stay put, if you don't want to get hurt.”
As that man spoke, he locked Sovieshu's neck with his arm and began to use his fingers to enter Sovieshu’s entrance, causing his whole body to tremble.
Sovieshu was stunned and paralyzed, not daring to believe what was happening in front of his eyes. At this point, the pain was the only thing pulling him back to reality.
"Get off me! How dare you touch me!" He gasped, his voice trembling with rage and disbelief as he struggled to push him away, but the man's grip only tightened further.
“Isn't it strange that I touch my omega? I think you've done it countless times, you're alpha anyway, rather it used to be.”
“Don't equate me with someone like you, I'm not that kind of- Ah!”
“Although I have already applied herbs to you, it seems that this place is still a little swollen. But don't worry, I'll take good care of you.”
The man's lips curved up, his lower fingers constantly moving in a circle, trying to widen it. Sovieshu was so frightened that he couldn't move, his limbs softened and he felt that the temperature inside his body seemed to be rising rapidly.
“Stop! I’m not an omega.”
“Oh, did you really forget? As for me, I vividly remember…” The man leaned down to rest his head on Sovieshu's shoulder and whispered sweetly, but deep inside there was a hint of mischief.“… how tightly this warm place of yours squeezed me that night.”
“Y- you…-” Sovieshu cringed, blushed furiously. “Take your fingers off!”
His mind seemed to become dreamy at the pleasure of the man's fingers. When he moved, he inadvertently caused the duke's fingers to penetrate even deeper, straight to the prostate.
“Ah… ooh…” A cry of pain escaped Sovieshu’s tight lips. He gasped at the sudden intrusion, his eyes trembled as a new wave of pain washed over him.
“Look what you did. I'm going to help you gently… “ Sovieshu’s rapid breathing and soft moans seemed to increase the man's desire. He poked his fingers in and out Sovieshu, making him unconsciously move and arch towards his touch. “…but you don't seem to want to?”
“… I’m… a dominant alpha. There's no way I'm going to enjoy this.” Sovieshu snarled, his face contorted from the pain he was suffering.
"It looks like your body doesn't." His emerald green eyes curved up as he glanced over Sovieshu's erect lower body. “This wasn't my intention, but it seemed that your body had become more sensitive.”
Noticing that Sovieshu’s face was turning pale, that man gave him a slight kiss on his cheek and gradually released his neck. As Sovieshu coughed and lowered his face to look at where the man's other hand was stroking, he suddenly noticed a strange glowing detail mark on his stomach.
“Isn't this an omega marking? Why do I have it?”
To Sovieshu’s amazement, that person chuckled, continuing to press hard on his stomach even though Sovieshu was trying to push his hand away.
“Don’t… touch…” Sovieshu's heart raced with confusion and fear. Every time the man touched that heart-shaped mark, there was a feeling of heat inside his body. The wet sound of sexual movements didn't stop but kept echoing in his ears, not only that, but it became more and more intense.
After experiencing the sensation of the sensitive spot being constantly aroused, Sovieshu couldn't take it anymore. He tilted his chin back and cum, blue veins rising running along his neck. The sem*n he had ejacul*ted was not thick but liquid like water. His body lost all strength, trembling in the man's arms.
“I was going to leave it in there,but it seems like you'll get annoyed if it keeps leaking from time to time.” The man was still chattering without knowing that Sovieshu was slowly clenching his fists.“Ah, I took it out while you were sleeping earlier, but there still seem to be a few left.”
The man slowly pulled out his fingers from Sovieshu's hot, moist hole and brought it up, his fingertips covered in a thick milky liquid." See?"
With just one word, Sovieshu immediately froze, feeling something crack in his heart. He dropped his fist and raised his face to look at the strange man, whose mouth was still curving up.
“So, will you hear me now?”
Sovieshu sullenly placed his hands on his head as he remembered what had just happened in the bathroom.
"But before that, let me help you shower again."
"That's no need. I can-"
Hearing his answer, the dark blond man didn't say anything, just hugged him tightly and smiled affectionately. When Sovieshu saw his expression, he suddenly had a strange feeling of insecurity. So, he just sighed and reluctantly nodded.
“Does it feel good?” The man carefully washed Sovieshu’s jet-black hair as he said, his voice gentle and soothing.
Sovieshu closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as a response. He wasn't used to being taken care of in this way, but at the same time, he couldn't deny that it felt nice. It was weird but somehow his body didn't hate the fact that this man touched him. The warm water felt soothing against his sore muscles and swollen spots. The scent of herbs soaked in the bathtub also gave him quite a good feeling.
The man chuckled softly, continuing to massage Sovieshu's shoulders and neck.
After bathing him, the man held out his hand, offering to help him up.
“Thank you, but I can walk on my own." Sovieshu rejected, his voice still cold.
"Oh God, you can't even stand up.” The man's lips quirked up into a small smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Let me help you, okay?"
“That smile again…” It was clear that just now, he had forced him so brutally and now he was behaving gently, he wondered if this was the same person.
“Sorry for what happened just now. But would you allow me if you knew what I was going to do?”
Noticing that the man seemed to be able to see through his thoughts, Sovieshu pursed his lips and looked up at the opposite person’s face closely, but he still didn't feel malice or anything from him.
"Fine, you win."
He held his hand, allowed that person to assist him out of the bath and wrapped a soft towel around him, patting him dry with gentle care.
“Let me help you get dressed.”
“Let me comb your hair.”
“Let me…”
The man's laughter in Sovieshu’s head made him want to go crazy. Back at the palace, he was frequently served by servants, but of course, it was not this intimate. Not to mention, this man's eyes, voice, and gestures weren't normal at all. He wasn't the type of person who liked to be treated like that in this situation, it made him feel himself worthless.
But he had to admit, that man was really good at taking care of others, from massaging his shoulders to the way he carried a grown man like him with great ease.
“I didn't expect that one day I would be carried and bathed by another man… I wasn't even interested in men. “
While Sovieshu was struggling with his inner thoughts, he suddenly smelled butter wafting through the air.
“This scent…”
He followed the scent and turned his face to the kitchen, where the dark blond man was standing. That person hummed while flipping eggs and bacon in a frying pan as if he were having fun. In Sovieshu’s heart, he suddenly felt that this feeling was both strangely warm and familiar.
When the man noticed that he was being watched, he nodded and smiled at him, but Sovieshu immediately turned his face in the other direction.
“You thought I didn't know how to cook, didn't you?” The man said to him as he laid out the food on the table.
“Perhaps…” Sovieshu said as he looked down at the food on the table. It seemed that this person's cooking skills were not as bad as he thought. “Does my face make that clear?”
“No, I'm just guessing.”
This time, Sovieshu looked up at his face again. In contrast to Sovieshu's somewhat calm and melancholy appearance like the winter, this man was like an autumn ray, warm but not harsh. His skin was porcelain white but not at all pale and lifeless. Beneath the long barley-colored eyelashes are green eyes as mysterious as leaves in the deep forest.
From his appearance, Sovieshu draws the conclusion that this guy looks a lot like a playboy on the outside, or at least he must be popular with women.
“Anyway, with that face, this is quite surprising.…”
“Why are you staring at me with eyes like that?” The man grinned and leaned in closer, reaching out to brush a stray strand of black hair away from Sovieshu's face.
With just one glance in his eyes, Sovieshu's gaze lingered on the man's captivating eyes and his body immediately reacted as if controlled by someone. Those deep green eyes pinned on his body like some kind of magical power.
“I…”
At that moment, Sovieshu's belly suddenly rumbled, its sound echoed in the room. For a moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.
“Oh sorry.” The man scratched his head, laughing in confusion as he sat down.“Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
As for Sovieshu, he just wished the floor to open up and swallow him immediately.
“Why is my heart beating fast? Damn it!”
During the beginning of the meal, Sovieshu only bowed his head and superficially cut the steak on his plate in silence. Sometimes, he just poured some wine into his glass and drank it down, feeling the burn of wine as it slid down his throat. What had just happened made him feel so embarrassed that he didn’t want to say anything.
But when Sovieshu put the beef piece in his mouth, his eyes gradually widened.
"This…” As he looked up, he caught the man’s eye. “Did you teach yourself to cook?"
“Yes, but my workmanship is still poor.” The man replied, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “It's just that there's one person I've always wanted to cook for. That's a pity...”
"Oh sorry, I shouldn't.-" When the man looked up, he saw Sovieshu raising his wine glass towards him.
“I guess you love and care about that person a lot. They're really lucky."
The man blushed slightly and clinked his own glass with Sovieshu’s, a bright smile slowly crossed his face. "Thank you.”
Sovieshu smiled faintly and looked down at the image of his own face reflected in the wine glass. He found the words he had just uttered strange. To be fair, he was quite jealous that this man had someone to care for and worry about.
He took another sip of his wine, trying to push away the conflicting emotions swirling inside him.
When Sovieshu had eaten most of his portion, the blond man passed him another large bowl of soup and nodded.
“You should eat more, wasting food is not good.”
“...”
Sovieshu stared down at the huge bowl of soup on the table and then looked up at the man again, cursing him inwardly.
After finishing his meal, Sovieshu wiped his mouth with a napkin and collapsed on the table. He felt like he might be about to roll to the floor because he was too full. “It's been a long time since I've had to eat that much. It's all because of this bastard.…”
At the same time, he also felt a little dizzy because he probably drank a little too much alcohol, or something else.
Sovieshu blinked slightly, pushed himself up and tried to regain his sanity. However, his limbs had now gradually lost sensation and were so weak that it only took a slight push to fall. "No… This was a trap..."
His vision suddenly blurred and darkened before he fell into the man's arms.
The man slowly opened the door to the room, then he put Sovieshu on the bed and laid out pillows for him.
"Now, I have something to ask you… Do you remember what your name was?"
Sovieshu's consciousness still fluctuated between being semi-conscious, his head pounding and his thoughts foggy. While he was in that situation, he accidentally let his guard down.
"My… name…” Sovieshu's voice trailed off as he tried to remember. He shook his head weakly, trying to gather his thoughts. The man's question sparked something in his memory, a faint glimmer of recognition.
“Yes, what’s your name?” The man slowly sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down.
Sovieshu closed his eyes, his breath filled with the smell of alcohol.
“… Leedly. Someone... once called me that."
The image of an unknown blonde girl flashed into his mind. She grabbed his hand and dragged him away in the middle of the flower field. Both of them frolicking together and smiling widely.
"Leedly... That’s a cute name.” The man looked down at him thoughtfully and stroked Sovieshu's flushed cheeks. “You can call me Claude."
"Claude…” Sovieshu mumbled, barely audible. “Last night… What happened..."
The man's emerald eyes flicked over Sovieshu's thin white shirt, his neck and then his lips. Their faces were so close that they were about to touch.
"Looks like you're drunk, we'll talk about it later." With a soft sigh, he pushed Sovieshu’s shoulder lightly onto the bed and covered him with the blanket. “Now you need to rest well."
Just as he was about to turn away, Sovieshu suddenly grabbed the tail of his shirt.
“Do you know… the Empress of the Western Empire?”
Although Sovieshu's eyelids were still half-closed, he could see for a moment, the man's smile faltered slightly and something changed in his emerald eyes.
"... I do know."
“How is… she?”
The man's expression turned serious as he thought for a moment before answering.
“She's fine, as far as I know.”
Hearing that, Sovieshu suddenly chuckled like a child, his grip on Claude's shirt loosening.
“I’m her old friend… Can you help me send her a letter?” Sovieshu said between hiccups. "Only this time, I wanted to inform her that I was fine… Just write the sender's name is me, she definitely will—"
“No.” Claude interrupted before Sovieshu could finish his sentence with a firm voice. “I'm sorry, but outside contact is not allowed. And you seem to have overestimated my authority.”
Because he looked away, so Sovieshu couldn't see the expression on his face right now.
"Alright…" Sovieshu said quietly, watching as Claude nodded and left the room. After the man closed the door, he immediately tossed the blanket aside and sat up.
“Just as I thought…”
He glanced around the room, his face devoid of emotion.
“... Obviously this is another room.“
The structure and layout, although not different from before, are still high ceilings and tiny window frames that cannot be reached. But something very special has changed, and that is that the iron door has been replaced with a wooden door.
Sovieshu didn't understand if this man was merely letting his guard down or if he meant something else. He couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was more to Claude than met the eye.
Apparently, the last time he woke up, he still hadn't had an ankle injury. That is, it just happened last night. In addition, there was also a wound on this man's arm.
“Everything was too coincidental. But if that man was the one who did it, why would he bandage my wounds? “
Sovieshu tried to remember the people he has met but is not impressed that he has ever met Claude, even though his face is very prominent.Although he struggled to piece together what had happened, it felt like his memories were slipping through his fingers like sand.
“Damn… My head…” He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. The fact that he was drunk was not fake, he only gradually came to his senses when the man who called himself "Claude" changed his attitude.
“Looks like it's just a fake name…”
After thinking for a moment but having no clue, Sovieshu dropped onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't understand why he was so calm himself. Maybe forgetting everything that happened made him feel nothing, or maybe his heart was too tired. He would find a way to escape, but for now, he had to wait for the perfect opportunity.
“What does he really want from me?”
“That bastard!"
Sovieshu was now sitting on the bed, angrily throwing the pillow to the floor. The more he thought, the more angry and helpless he felt. He had already been locked up here, and now he couldn't even walk properly but could only lie down or sit in bed. For the first time after waking up, he could only lie paralyzed in bed. If he wanted to get up, he had to follow the wall or crawl away, and of course, it wasn't pleasant. But what annoyed him the most was the fact that he had lost the status of a dominant alpha, which was not to be inferior to anyone.
“Damn it!”
It is not unheard of for nobles to be omegas, but these are rare occurrences and they are often looked down upon compared to other nobles. The majority of omegas were usually slaves or the lower classes of society and their fate was grim, if not want to say cruel.
“This reminds me of her…”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Its sound wasn't loud, but it was enough to startle Sovieshu. Just then, a voice suddenly sounded, causing him to pause for a moment.
“...Are you still awake?”
Sovieshu’s silver eyes trembled and his chest throbbed, he knew very well who the owner of this voice was.
"... Are you sober, Sovieshu?"
The man squeezed his cheek with his hand and lifted his face up. His thumbtips gently rubbed and caressed Sovieshu's half-closed lips.
"I bring you water, you should drink it before we continue."
"Mnh..." Sovieshu groaned in his throat, his silver eyes opening slightly and then closing again from fatigue. His throat hurts and his voice becomes hoarse. “No..."
Although Sovieshu couldn't see anything in front of him, he could feel the man's face pressing closer and closer. Their lips touched and then gradually that person’s tongue slipped deep into his oral cavity.
Sovieshu unconsciously opened his mouth and swallowed down every sip of water that the duke directly gave him without protest. Cool drops of water dripped from his mouth down his chin, down his neck and his nipples flushed from his excessive sucking by the other.
The man slowly set aside the glass of water and supported him to lie down, then whispered in his ear.
"Continue, shall we?"
Until Sovieshu realized it, his wrists had been held tightly and his legs were once again on that man's shoulders.
The events of his nightmare replayed in his mind, he shuddered and felt nauseous at these memories. Everything had felt so real and so vivid, that although he hoped it was actually just a dream, it couldn't.
Without a response, the voice rang out again, but this time it sounded deeper.
“I know you're awake. Can I come in?”
Sovieshu's breathing gradually became heavy, his body did not listen to him and did not stop trembling. He wasn't afraid of the duke, but the memories from that night kept haunting him, making it impossible for him not to forget it every night.
As soon as Sovieshu heard the creaking sound, he immediately composed himself and threw the pillow at the open door with impossibly strong force. If it hadn't been a door made of hardwood, it would probably have cracked or ramshackled to the side by now.
When he saw that the door was slowly opening immediately closed,he gritted his teeth and huffed.
"Good timing, you sick bastard."
At this moment, the door slowly opened, revealing a tall figure standing in the dim candlelight of the hallway.
“Is this how you repay your benefactor, Sovieshu?” The owner of that voice sighed. “Did you just cry? It's been a week.”
“Ha, of course for you it's just been a very normal week…” He threw another pillow at him, deliberately aimed directly at his face. “Just f*ck off and leave me alone! I don’t want to see your face, Ergi.”
Unfortunately, it was deflected. The duke easily blocked it without losing too much effort due to the light force. Meanwhile, Sovieshu grimaced and exclaimed, his hand dislocated from his vigorous movement.
“Why?” Ergi threw the pillow lightly on the bed, tilting his head with an innocent expression.
“I should have realized it was an aphrodisiac earlier.” Sovieshu grumbled. “In the first place, there was no such thing as an "alpha to omega conversion drug" here. You're Enigma, aren't you?”
After closing the door, the duke slowly turned to face him and placed his topcoat on the coach.
“That’s right.”
“Haha... Don't you even bother to lie or hide it?”
“Why should I do it if it's not necessary? I guess if it's you, you'll realize it sooner or later.” The dukereplied calmly, his tone almost mocking. “The number of people who know about us is not much, they usually just see it as an oral legend.”
“... Stupid. If I tell people that, they'll immediately put you on the pyre.”
"It doesn't sound bad." Ergi shrugged, unfazed by the threat. “But I wonder if you have that chance?”
“This f*cking bastard…” Sovieshu raised an eyebrow, curious about what the duke had in mind. “That stupid co*cky face of his really makes me want to punch him.”
“ I've answered your question, now it's my turn.” The duke's gaze was piercing, his expression unreadable. “Have you recovered your memories? Hmm come to think of it, this question seems a bit redundant.”
“...”
“There's no use hiding it. You know that, right?”
“Hah... So you've met that fool?”
“...Honestly, I was suspicious when I heard what my servants said. But it was only face to face that I fully believed it.”
“You found out from scratch, didn't you?”
The duke lowered his face slightly and gave a small smile at his question.
“... I know more about you than you think.”
Sovieshu didn't say anything more, just frowned and looked him in the eyes. He tried to appear calm and thought to himself that this must be just Ergi's other psychological trick.
“Where's my painting? You promised to give it back to me.” Sovieshu's jaw clenched in frustration, his patience wearing thin.
“My my, is that the first thing that worries you? But it looks like you misunderstood something.”
“What?”
“You missed the first opportunity, Sovieshu.” The duke shook his head, his smirk only served to further infuriate Sovieshu. “Not to mention, you don't even comply with what I say.”
“How dare you! I let you do what you wanted!” Sovieshu was so angry that he trembled, his face turning red with fury.
“Did you?”
The expression on Sovieshu's face darkened when he saw Ergi giggling.
“Calm down, I'm just keeping it in a safe place and will return it if you accept the offer I'm about to talk about. I think I have a better offer that you'll probably like. ” When the man snapped his fingers, Sovieshu's body immediately tensed. His body didn't obey him and he felt like he was being tied up by something, his will slowly slipping away.
“… So this is the power of an Enigma.”
Even if Sovieshu was a dominant alpha, just being marked by an Enigma would still have to obey that person unconditionally. In addition, Enigma was not affected by anyone's pheromones even though he could smell their pheromones. This is also the reason that Sovieshu, as well as everyone mistook him for a beta.
A superior species endowed by the Creator, but at the same time an underground scourge.
“I am not some toy for you to play with.You think I'll believe you again?”
“Oh, like I said before, you don't have a choice anyway. Wouldn't it be better if you did them voluntarily?” Ergi sighed. “Stay here with me for a year, and then I'll let you go. Well, provided that that you don't harm me and yourself, no matter what.”
“Ha… Is it that ridiculously easy?” Sovieshu crossed his arms and smirked. “Are you done marking me and then you like to dump me?”
“So you want to live with me forever? I don't mind either.”
“That's not what I meant!”
“I know what you're worried about, of course, I will be the one to break the bond.” Ergi continued. “If one of us violates the conditions of the covenant ahead of time, the other will have full discretion to deal with the person who violated it.”
“From the beginning, whether I accept it or not makes no difference. As long as that bond remains, there's nothing I can do about him.”
Sovieshu pictured his entire body from his legs, and arms to his neck bound by invisible chains. And on the other end of those chains, Ergi was the one holding it.
The room became stuffy as the conversation slowly came to a halt. The sound of their breathing was the only noise in the room as silence enveloped them. After a while, Ergi walked slowly to the side of the bed and leaned down to look Sovieshu in the eye.
“So, what's your decision?”
Sovieshu frowned, grabbed the duke's collar and pulled him closer. Their foreheads bumped slightly against each other to the duke's surprise.
“I agree, but just this once. There won't be a next time, you scum.”
As soon as Sovieshu finished his sentence, the weight that was weighing on his body instantly disappeared as if dissolving into the air.
“I hope so. So from now on, the deal will go into effect.” Ergi's expression softened, he stretched out his hand for him to shake but Sovieshu rejected. He roughly pushed Ergi's shoulders away and looked at him with disdain.
“Now get out of my sight.”
As soon as Sovieshu finished speaking and didn't have time to react, Ergi leaned in and hugged him tightly, causing them both to fall onto the bed. The duke’s head was buried in Sovieshu’s chest, so close that he could hear his heartbeat. He rubbed his nose against Sovieshu's collar, exhaling evenly, making him feel a little ticklish.
“Get rid of me. What are you doing?"
Sovieshu grabbed him by the shoulder of his shirt, trying to pull him away but his hug was too tight for him to pull away anyway. Gradually, this made him impatient in curbing the urge to grab Ergi’s hair and hit him in the face.
“I don’t know. That’s weird…”
“What did you just say?”
Sovieshu shook him a few times but didn't hear a response, only now did he realize that the duke had fallen asleep, his warm and steady breath was against his shirt. The force of his grip on him had greatly diminished but still made Sovieshu struggle for a moment to let go of his hand.
"Why is this bastard so strong? Or is it because I've weakened?” Sovieshu gasped as he sat on the bed. “I haven't practiced swords in a long time... Speaking of which, how many days have passed?"
Sovieshu's cold gaze shifted to the dark blond man lying next to him, a thought crossing his mind.
“… He was behaving strangely. Did something happen?” Sovieshu narrowed his eyes. "I thought he had a close relationship with Rashta, but in the end, he turned out to betray her… I really don't know what he was thinking.”
All those thoughts crept into his brain like ocean ripples and gradually, it got bigger, stronger like a tsunami.
“What if he was going to do it again?”
Sovieshu gulped slightly, just thinking about what had happened that night sent chills down his spine. His whole body immediately trembled, the feeling of pain from the past suddenly rushing back into his mind. The marks left on his body from that night have never faded, even now he still finds it difficult to move properly.
“Should I kill him now? With my own hands?” Sovieshu looked at his trembling hands, cold sweat drenching his forehead dripping down his pale cheekbones. “My current strength is not enough to kill him. In a worse case… things will happen again just like that night. There was a possibility that there were still guards outside, and it was already late at night. Besides, my health has not fully recovered, so it is impossible to escape...”
As Sovieshu was lost in thought, the duke's arm suddenly wrapped around him. It was probably just his unconscious actions while dreaming, but it quickly made Sovieshu's concerns gradually dissipate.
"This scent..." Sovieshu noticed the scent of herbs wafting on Ergi's arm, it was exactly the same smell as the smell on his bandaged wound. "Was he the one who bandaged it?"
While Sovieshu was still wondering, a cold wind suddenly blew over him, causing him to shiver. The damp cold at night made his body immediately tempted by the warmth of the blanket and the softness of the mattress, maybe a nap to rest isn't necessarily bad either.
“Tch, maybe another time.” Sovieshu clicked his tongue, reluctantly pulling up the blanket. Then he tried to push Ergi to lie in the right half of the bed while he was on the left half.
From childhood to adulthood and even after marriage, he always slept alone in his chamber. So, the feeling of having one more person in the bed made him feel unfamiliar and could hardly sleep.
Sovieshu tried to relax, regulate his breathing or even count sheep, but none of that worked. While he was busy squirming, he accidentally turned to face Ergi and noticed that the distance between them seemed to be shortening.
"This man..."
He could see Ergi sleeping with his head twisted to the side and his blanket falling onto the floor.
“It's none of my business. It's none of my business. It's none of my business." Sovieshu thought to himself. He pretended not to notice and turned away from Ergi, but a moment later, the duke lay on top of his blanket. Reluctantly, he struggled to suppress his anger and share his blanket with him.
And everything didn't stop there.
After a while, when Sovieshu was about to fall asleep, there was something touched his back. This time, he was sure that what had happened wasn't accidental.
"... Can you just take your hand off my waist?"
