MTM 105

“Ares!”

Zed stopped at the end of the hallway while carrying the sleeping Harto toward the annex. He turned to see Isadora running toward him, gasping for breath.

“Isadora….”

Zed muttered. He was surprised by how much more mature she looked compared to three years ago, but a natural smile appeared on his face from the joy of seeing her.

“Oh my…. Is that Harto in your arms? He is sleeping soundly.”

Isadora reached Zed in an instant. She wanted to hug him, but stopped herself when she saw Harto asleep in his arms.

“Forgive me for the late hour. My work ran long, but I also did not want to interrupt the banquet with your companions.”

She spoke in a small voice to avoid waking Harto.

“I just wanted to see your face for a moment. I wondered if you were the Ares I once knew.”

Isadora looked at Zed’s face with a bright expression. Except for his hair turning black, he looked no different from three years ago. She sighed in relief at the sight of her unchanging old friend.

“You haven’t changed either. Including that strange way of speaking.”

Zed countered playfully. Isadora suppressed a laugh and tapped him on the shoulder.

“I heard there is an issue with your holy power. Come to my study after breakfast tomorrow. I believe there is a solution.”

“I understand.”

“Hmm…. I have many other things I am curious about… but I shall leave them for tomorrow.”

“Is it alright if Harto comes along?”

Isadora looked at the sleeping Harto for a moment, then nodded and quietly withdrew.

“Isadora.”

Zed called out to her as she moved away. When she looked back, she saw Zed standing under the moonlight. Perhaps because of the light, his face looked peaceful, unlike the image of Ares Carseon, the Prince of Regnovar.

“Thank you.”

Zed spoke briefly to her and then made his way to the annex.

“…He certainly has changed.”

Isadora watched his retreating figure and whispered softly to herself.

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“Zed….”

After entering the room in the annex, Zed laid Harto on the bed and took a short breath. He turned his head when he heard his name.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes….”

Harto rubbed his eyes and sat up. Thinking he might be thirsty, Zed handed him a glass of water from the nightstand.

“Does your head hurt? How is your stomach? Are you dizzy?”

Zed asked repeatedly while helping Harto drink. Harto liked being cared for and answered gently with a nod.

“No, it doesn’t hurt. My stomach is fine. Just a little… dizzy.”

Perhaps because he wasn’t fully sober, he felt good, as if he were floating on water.

“Harto, you can be at ease when you are with me.”

“Huh?”

Zed meant it was alright even if he turned back into a monster.

Jingle.

“Zed, look at this!”

Harto shouted brightly while shaking the bracelet on his wrist. It was the spirit stone bracelet Reina had made for him. Perhaps it was the power of the mysterious stone, but staying in human form all day no longer felt like a burden. Even after nursing the unconscious Zed, he was able to hold out solely because of the power of this small stone.

“I told you yesterday, right? I feel strength surging through me whenever I wear this!”

“…I am glad.”

Zed murmured while staring at Harto as he showed off the bracelet. The spirit stone set in the thin, pale wrist suited Harto.

‘…It is an eyesore.’

Zed knew well in his mind that it was a precious gift Harto had received. Yet, he felt the impulse to immediately tear the bracelet off.

“Zed, Zed.”

“Yes? What is it, Harto?”

Zed shook off his thoughts and turned with a forced smile at Harto’s call. Their eyes met, and Harto smiled.

“Hehe, I am so happy….”

Harto wished this moment would last forever. He wanted to stay with Zed just like this, as if they had never been apart.

As Harto beamed with happiness, Zed carved that harmless image into his eyes.

Just looking at Harto made his chest feel ticklish. It felt that way even though no cat fur was present. It was a natural symptom. Zed now knew the identity of this strange sensation all too well.

The fact that Harto was a monster was no longer even a hurdle. During those hellish days when he had lost Harto, he had reflected on himself countless times.

Was this a terrible obsession, or perhaps an excessive possessiveness?

At first, he thought it was simply affection one might give a pet, directed at a small and cute being that followed him everywhere. However, just imagining Harto leaving his side to spend time and build memories with someone else caused jealousy to consume him, making his blood feel as if it were flowing backward. He had delayed his certainty while experiencing those destructive emotions, perhaps because he was afraid.

But the moment he faced Harto again under the redwood tree, those trivial agonies vanished like bubbles.

Only one thing mattered. Harto had accepted him instead of pushing him away. The fact that Harto’s heart was entirely with him was enough for his world to regain perfect stability. Because of that, his heart was already….

“…I like you too.”

Along with that short confession, he kissed Harto’s lips. There was no rejection. His hot tongue slid between the defenselessly parted lips. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but the sensation against the tip of his tongue was bitter yet sweet.

“Hng… Yes, ah…! Wait, ju-just a moment…. Suddenly… ngh, he said… I shouldn’t do this….”

“……!”

Zed’s heart dropped. He grabbed Harto’s shoulders and questioned him.

“What do you mean you shouldn’t? Who said that? Ser? Did that bastard tell you that?”

“Mm? Zed… how do you know that…?”

Harto blinked his large eyes. He seemed to be getting drunk again, hanging limply in Zed’s grasp. It was not like Zed to pressure someone who was intoxicated, but he could not let this pass. It was likely because of the conversation he had with Ser before coming here.

‘Sexual education.’

‘If you are going to talk nonsense… I will stop listening.’

Zed had tried to cut him off to avoid getting caught in Ser’s obvious tricks. But Ser had been serious.

‘Harto asked me for a consultation last night.’

‘A consultation…?’

‘Right, he seemed to have something on his mind. But after listening to him… ahem, I cannot say more than that. Harto appeared to be sexually ignorant, so I gave him an improvised lesson.’

‘Huh? By what right did you….’

‘By what right? Ah, then what right does the Prince have to suddenly kiss an innocent person without warning?’

‘……!’

‘Oh. Do not misunderstand. I am not doubting your sincerity. I saw with my own eyes today how much you treasure Harto.’

Zed’s mind became troubled as he recalled Ser’s words. He was certain that he and Harto shared the same feelings. He believed without a doubt that his feelings had been conveyed even without spoken words.

However, Ser was mocking Zed’s arrogance.

Did Harto accept his touch only because he could not refuse, without even knowing the meaning of a kiss? Harto was a monster, not a human. He might not even know about the emotion called ‘love’ that humans share. Did he then consider the kiss they shared as an expression of affection between companions?

Zed tried to believe that was not the case, but confusion took hold of him once more because Harto was a monster. He wanted to confirm the truth, but at the same time, he wished to avoid it. As he began to interpret every single one of Harto’s reactions differently, his confidence turned into uncontrollable anxiety.

“Zed? Did you happen to talk to Ser…?”

Harto blinked and asked the silent Zed. The latter forced a calm smile onto his face.

“Not in detail, just a little…. But what did Ser teach you?”

“Oh…. Just this and that….”

“This and that?”

Zed felt a surge of impatience as Harto blushed and avoided his gaze. But he decided to wait patiently. After hesitating for a moment, Harto looked back at him.

“Are you curious too, Zed…?”

“Yes, I am curious.”

Harto’s face turned as red as a peach when Zed answered with a serious face. He stole a glance at Zed’s lips and then rolled his eyes around.

“He said… there is something people do after a kiss. But when I kiss you, Zed, I keep imagining that…. Ah! But I wasn’t curious about that from the start, it just… happened while we were talking… ahem.”

Harto stopped his rambling and cleared his throat.

Only then did Zed relax. He guessed that Harto had consulted Ser about the kiss they shared, and the conversation naturally transitioned into a lesson about sexual matters.

“Zed… do you… know what… that is?”

Harto lifted his head slightly to ask, and Zed quietly nodded. Harto seemed to accept this, thinking, ‘I suppose he learned it at the academy,’ but to be precise, it was the Imperial Palace, not the academy. Princes receive sexual education at a much earlier age than most. Ser had demanded to know why Zed simply kissed Harto without explanation. His pride was wounded, but he had nothing to say if his actions failed to give Harto certainty.

“Then… Harto, do you… dislike… what comes after a kiss?”

Zed cautiously asked. He felt nervous about what the answer might be. On the other hand, he wondered if it was right to ask such a sensitive question to someone who was drunk.

“No.”

Harto denied it. Zed felt relieved by those words, but Harto’s gloomy expression did not seem to match his answer.

“Then… is something else bothering you?”

Zed asked again in a gentle tone, trying his best not to seem rushed.

“But… I am a monster….”

Harto mumbled in a dejected voice. His long, lowered eyelashes looked pitiful yet lovely. Only then did Zed feel a relieved that Harto was not rejecting him.

In the end, the reason Harto hesitated was simply because of his own identity. The important fact was that he was not pushing Zed away. Once that was confirmed, the rest was a minor issue. From then on, Zed only needed to show him the truth.

Zed decided to teach him step by step so that the innocent Harto would not be frightened, and so that his presence would be engraved with a meaning deeper than a mere imprint.

“Harto, come here.”

“Yes….”

Zed released his shoulders and called him. Harto immediately snuggled into Zed’s arms and inhaled his scent as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Just smelling that scent made him feel good, as if he would fall into a sound sleep at any moment.

“Harto.”

“Yes….”

Just before he fell asleep again, he heard Zed’s low voice. Harto opened his eyes and looked up to see those golden eyes filled only with his reflection.

“I do not care about such things. To me, Harto is just Harto. It doesn’t matter if you are a human or a monster.”

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Harto smiled brightly as he looked at Zed’s face, which held a world of tenderness. Then, he remembered something, grabbed Zed’s collar and let his lips flutter.

“Me too…. Even if Zed is… Ares… I do not care….”

“I see. That makes me happy.”

Harto felt as if he might cry when he saw Zed’s gentle smile. Thump, thump. His heart beat rapidly. He felt that Zed’s heart was doing the same. He thought there was no other reason for his heart to race just from looking at him.

Zed kissed Harto’s forehead and then asked in a suggestive voice.

“Is that all? Did Ser teach you anything else?”

“Huh? That was everything…?”

“I see. Then is it alright if I teach you the things Ser did not?”

“Like what…?”

Harto asked with an innocent face. Zed seemed to contemplate for a moment before speaking.

“Do you remember what you said before?”

“……?”

“You said you wanted to see mine.”