REFDL 70

Kaelus fell into the void and was imprisoned twice.

Once in the void.

And once within his own flesh.

He had lost control of his body to an unknown will.

……This is the memory of that time.

More precisely, it was the very essence of a memory that will had deliberately hidden away.

And its content was…….

<Huh. Kael, Kaelus…!>

<Ah, ahh! Ahh, ah. Ahh!>

<My hole, ugh. My hole hurts… Just a little gentler. Ugh. Slowly, slowly. Aah! Ugh!>

<Stop fussing… Haah. My nipples. Bite my nipples. Mmmph!>

‘…….’

A body as white as snow and as beautiful as pearls twisted and turned before his eyes.

His toes pushed against the snow-white sheets.

The red-gold hair wrapped around his naked form made his pale skin appear even whiter and more delicate.

Every time a sweet sound escaped his lips, he hastily covered them with his own. He sucked in and swallowed the sweet saliva and moans.

It was ecstatic.

He could live like this forever.

Kaelus felt a satisfaction and fullness he had never experienced before.

Even in his dazed state, memories surfaced steadily.

Before he knew it, the sticky night had passed.

Yuram, who had been moaning while drooling, now pulled him by the arm with a perfectly calm face.

<Oh. Looks like a clothing store. So many interesting clothes. This one’s nice. Want to try it on?>

<Hahahaha! You put it on backwards! But it suits you. It looks like it was meant to be worn backwards. Wow, you can actually pull off wearing it like this…>

<Should we try pulling out that small tree inside the ant nest? It looks like the same kind as the one in the plaza, but no matter how I think about it, that tree seems suspicious.>

<This is delicious! It seems made from fruit. How is it made? Ah, don’t lick your fingers!>

<…….>

Kaelus looked back and forth with trembling eyes between his captured wrist and Yuram’s beaming smile.

The will not his own was weak against Yuram.

It did everything Yuram wanted, anxious even at brief separations.

It desperate desire to stay close was palpable.

Because they shared a body, the will’s thoughts and desires were transmitted to Kaelus as well.

……If it were possible, that thing wanted to remain forever like that, coiled around Yuram’s body like a vine.

Buried within his body. It wished only to do that forever.

‘……Fuck.’

The curse word surged to the tip of his tongue.

He couldn’t bear it. ……Because he wanted to do the same!

Empathizing with that unidentified will, Kaelus realized the identity of the intruder.

This was originally himself.

Something that had once been whole and then split off.

What had existed but had vanished.

What was waiting.

……What was still waiting even now.

“……!”

A corner of his mind felt like it was collapsing.

He jolted awake.

For a long moment, Kaelus just gasped for breath. His entire body was drenched in sweat.

He placed his hand on his chest and clenched it tightly. The crumpled uniform was pulled into his palm.

“……”

The agitation subsided.

But he couldn’t completely shake off the confusion.

It took a long time to calm down.

His eyes, which had been unfocused as they scanned the office wall, sharpened. The sun, barely hanging on at the horizon, sank rapidly.

Kaelus took another deep breath. He remembered.

Everything he had done to Yuram up until now.

“……”

In the red glow of the setting sun and the shadows sliding over his body.

Kaelus stared at his own ruined love.

* * *

That day, there were many suspiciously odd signs. Servants who usually stood far away came uncharacteristically close, or he felt eyes on him and heard whispers.

……Or a strange, subtle bitterness in the evening meal.

‘It’s not poison…… maybe a sleeping potion?’

Yuram was currently in the annex of the duke’s residence.

And the master, Kaelus, obsessively kept his surroundings immaculately tidy.

He purged his servants with such regularity that even seasoned spies would shake their heads in disbelief.

Therefore, the current scheme was highly likely to be the employer’s doing. Judging by how the servant holding the silver tray trembled, it was almost certain. Well, lacing food with drugs probably wasn’t something the servants were used to doing.

Yuram considered teasing them a bit, but the real target of his annoyance was Kaelus, nowhere to be seen, not this innocent servant.

Hmm. One shouldn’t torment the blameless.

…Even as he thought this, he teased them by hesitating to eat the perfectly cooked steak, poking it with his fork. Only when the servant was about to pass out did he finally clear his plate.

The effect was immediate. Yuram’s head grew hazy and yawns came the moment he ate. Staggering to his feet, Yuram was supported by the stiff servant and laid down on the bed.

‘Even an old tree trunk would be less stiff than that…’

The uniformed back leaving the room was damp with cold sweat.

Yuram closed his eyes, overcome by drowsiness. But he resisted sleep. It was slightly perplexing, yet somehow bearable.

He focused his nerves on his ears.

It was midday now. The time when servants should be rustling about, each doing their tasks, yet outside was silent.

Footsteps, almost soundless, stepped into that silence and came into the room.

The well-oiled hinges made no sound as they opened.

A ghostly presence glided silently to the bedside.

“……”

Rustle.

The ghost’s warm fingers brushed through Yuram’s hair several times.

It seemed to marvel at the softness, and Yuram, feeling embarrassed, felt his face flush. Unlike the rough skin at the fingertips, the movements were infinitely gentle.

A flutter like a swarm of butterflies settling inside his ribs, an itch that threatened a sneeze, made Yuram bite his tongue.

He realized then for the first time.

That breathing out naturally was harder than simply stopping.

His tense body threatened to stiffen, and he had to focus on preventing even that.

He let his limbs go limp and consciously relaxed his brow.

“You were awake.”

It was all meaningless, though.

“…What brings you here?”

Yuram opened his eyes, feigning calm, and sat up. His whole body felt hot. He could only hope the shade of the canopy would hide his flushed cheeks.

Kaelus didn’t answer.

He just stared at Yuram, who felt awkward under his expression, impossible to read.

Yuram was the first to lose patience.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen his face. Left alone, Yuram had thought about many things.

About their experiences in the cavern.

About Kaelus.

So many things he wanted to say. The first thing he felt was resentment.

“You kept me locked away in the annex all this time. What sudden change of heart have you had now?”

Even when he sneered, Kaelus remained silent. He couldn’t even meet Yuram’s eyes properly.

His wandering gaze slipped downward.

His seemingly remorseful attitude only fueled Yuram’s anger.

“Are you kidding me? What are you playing at?”

“……”

Despite the accusation, Kaelus remained silent. Then, uncharacteristically hesitating, he asked.

“Is your human form… comfortable?”

He meant it literally.

He’d chosen the wrong topic in his nervousness.

But Yuram (whom Kaelus was triumphantly ignoring) had no way of knowing this. His words made the back of his neck throb.

‘…Is he challenging me to a fight?’

The heat surging to his crown felt like it would burst right out.

He lived as a human for one reason only. To make Kaelus, who cared about rumors, come find him.

That is.

‘I did it because I thought even that might get your attention and make you come find me!’

But telling the truth hurt his pride.

As Yuram just snorted angrily, Kaelus realized he’d made a verbal slip. He looked down gloomily.

He was hopeless.

He’d thought about it all the way here. Could he undo his past misdeeds? Wasn’t there some way, anything, to fix it?

……No. There wasn’t.

Only after reaching that conclusion did Kaelus regain his composure.

At this moment, in this place, there was only one thing he needed to say.

“I’m sorry.”

“…….”

Yuram’s mouth fell open.