Another person had joined the group returning to the North. After guiding all of his knights to stand by Stella’s side, Ressas left none for himself. Even when Seiyad suggested he bring at least one with him, Ressas declined, saying there was no need since they would be together.
It sounded rather sweet—and it was true that Seiyad himself would be protecting Ressas—but even so, a subtle sense of discomfort began to stir in Seiyad. Things he’d previously overlooked, preoccupied with what Ressas might know, now weighed on his mind.
“…Did Your Highness leave behind the knights you always kept at your side because of the Curse of Night?”
As soon as they dismounted, having chosen a place to rest, Seiyad abruptly asked the question. They had ridden for half a day since dawn and now stood near the northern border, seeking shelter in a nearby forest. Ressas stopped, reaching out to take his hand, and looked up at him. Long lashes fluttered gently.
“Yes, that’s right. Unless someone carries the blood of a Tither or a Guide, there’s no way to resist such indoctrination. Of course, those who carry deep sorrow or rage in their hearts are easy vessels for Devils…”
His voice trailed off, and Ressas smiled as if to reassure him.
“But they’re both safe. They’ll stay in the capital and do what they need to while they wait, so don’t worry. They’ll be just fine—unharmed.”
Yes, that attitude.
In the past, Seiyad had simply thought Ressas was too kind for his own good. But now, it seemed like Ressas was more concerned about his worrying than his own wellbeing. Naturally, someone as innately gentle as Ressas would care for others—but remembering a conversation they had in the southern lands left Seiyad feeling uneasy. It was back when they had just repelled the flood of Nir’a and were heading to the Shildras estate.
“Aren’t Your Highness’s knights waiting? They all care for you deeply.”
“They’re kind people, yes… but those knights weren’t gathered for me. Originally…”
He’d thought the words were odd at the time but hadn’t pressed. Yet now, the fact that Ressas worried more about his knight than about his own rekindled that same doubt.
“They’re not my knights, so I was only concerned about Your Highness’s heart. You care deeply for those who are close to you, don’t you?”
At those words, Ressas let out a quiet ah—as if something had just dawned on him. After a brief silence, he smiled radiantly.
“Were you… worried about me?”
He’d only stated the obvious, but a flush bloomed across Ressas’s face. His expression lit with joy, as if he didn’t know what to do with himself, and he clutched Seiyad’s hand.
“I’m so… happy. I still can’t believe there’s a place for me in your heart.”
Even after everything they said yesterday about becoming lovers, Ressas still seemed unable to believe his feelings were being returned. Seiyad, thinking he had much to do, held his hand and dismounted. Luna shook her mane and trotted off toward the other horses.
“As Your Highness’s lover, that’s only natural.”
At the word lover, Ressas’s neck flushed a deep red. He had been reacting like this since yesterday whenever the word came up, and Seiyad found it so adorable he couldn’t help but lift one corner of his mouth into a quiet smile. Catching sight of that smile, Ressas froze, then stared up at him, captivated. He slowly reached out, his pale and tidy fingers lingering near Seiyad’s cheek. Seeing how badly he wanted to touch him, Seiyad pulled the hand toward him. He couldn’t understand what was making him hesitate so much.
“I am Your Highness’s lover. You may touch me as much as you like.”
“……Ah.”
Ressas flinched as if he’d just heard something indecent. Eyes wide, he bit his lower lip and then—brows softening—gently stroked Seiyad’s cheek. A warm tenderness spread slowly across Seiyad’s lips.
“…Am I really… good enough to make Eid smile like that?”
‘What kind of foolish question is that?’
Seiyad started wondering how exactly he was supposed to go about this relationship with Ressas. He hadn’t properly interacted with people for a long time himself, and this was the first time he’d ever harbored romantic feelings for someone—so it wasn’t like he had much confidence.
“Yes. That’s what I meant when I said I liked you.”
Seiyad answered plainly, after a moment’s thought. Overwhelmed by those words, Ressas embraced him. He wrapped his arms around Seiyad’s waist and buried his face in the crook of his neck. Stroking the other’s back, Seiyad realized that simply defining their relationship wasn’t going to make everything magically better.
“Don’t you feel the same way when you look at me, Your Highness?”
“Yes, I do. I love you so, so much. Just seeing you makes me feel like the happiest person in the world.”
The words rang with sincerity. But hearing them brought with it a strange pang of sadness. It was laughable how it had taken him this long to realize that Ressas’s whole life seemed to revolve around him. Watching the way he moved and spoke, it genuinely felt like Ressas was living for Seiyad.
A plan was definitely in order. Seiyad himself was still searching for the meaning of life, but at least he had likes and dislikes. He didn’t go around proclaiming them, but he still enjoyed sweet things like apples, liked animals, found wielding a sword fun—faded preferences, yes, but they were still there.
Just as he was about to ask Ressas something, the sky, which had been gray since morning, finally broke open and rain began to fall. Tap, drip… the patter of droplets hitting the leaves spread around them until, suddenly, a downpour.
Torrential rain soaked through their clothes in seconds, washing across their faces.
“We should get under the trees.”
“Just a moment, Eid.”
Ressas hurriedly unclasped the cloak he had been wearing. The same thin cloak he’d wrapped around himself since they’d reunited in the East—he now pulled it over Seiyad’s head, shielding him from the rain, even as he himself was getting soaked. It all happened so quickly that there wasn’t even time to stop him.
“You might catch a cold. Try not to get wet if you can help it. It looks like a passing shower, so it should stop soon.”
Saying that, Ressas stepped carefully away from Seiyad, as if worried about his already-soaked clothes brushing against him.
“You’re doing what I should be doing, Your Highness. I don’t mind getting wet. I’m not especially sensitive to cold, so it’s you who should be more careful.”
As Seiyad moved to pull him into a hug, Ressas quickly interjected.
“I’m already soaked, so don’t come any closer.”
“Ressas.”
Seiyad’s expression darkened. His brows drew together, and his gray eyes took on a stern glint. Ressas blinked quietly under the weight of his gaze.
“Just as Your Highness worries for me, I want to take care of you as well. Staying close will keep us both warmer, so that’s what I’ll do.”
Without leaving room for refusal, Seiyad stepped right beside him. Their arms pressed close. Through their wet, clinging shirts, a glimpse of pale skin showed faintly—more provocative than expected. Seiyad’s eyes were briefly caught by the sight before he forced himself to look away. Silence fell for a moment. Feeling Ressas’s tension, a mischievous thought flickered through Seiyad’s mind and vanished.
After all, Ressas was always so self-conscious about kissing—or more—outdoors.
Suppressing the urge to undo the other’s damp clothes and touch that soft skin, Seiyad dragged back the thoughts and forced himself to recall what he meant to say. It was only natural for lovers to desire one another, but the situation wasn’t right, and Ressas still seemed uncertain even of his own heart. Rushing into anything physical might only unsettle him more.
“What do you like, Your Highness?”
“I like Eid.”
The answer came reflexively, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world—and it hit him like a weight in the chest. Seiyad took a slow breath and refined his question.
The silence between them was quiet, filled only with the warmth of Ressas’s presence, his small breaths, and the clean scent that spread on the damp air. It ached, how deeply this person beside him loved him.
“Aside from that—what else do you like? We haven’t had a proper talk like this in years, and I’m sure your tastes have changed now that you’re grown. I want to know all of it.”
Ressas hesitated. Seiyad turned his head slightly to catch his answer, only to find him staring blankly—as though nothing came to mind. Seeing that expression pained him.
“Is there a particular food you enjoy?”
“…Apples.”
“Isn’t that just because I like them?”
“…Yes.”
“Surely you have some flavor you prefer?”
“Um…”
Ressas thought for quite a while before finally giving a devastating answer.
“Anything’s fine as long as it doesn’t taste bad. As long as it’s not spoiled, too hard to chew, smells sour, or has mold on it…”
It sounded like he was speaking from experience. Seiyad’s face hardened. He knew Ressas had grown up in the palace without even basic care, but by all accounts, he hadn’t been starved. That such words came from royalty was nearly impossible to believe—Seiyad’s brows twisted.
“Did Queen Leana truly abuse you to that extent?”
Last winter, Ressas had told him that his mother meant nothing to him. Now it was clear he hadn’t been exaggerating. Seiyad’s anger swelled—not at Ressas, but at himself for refusing to believe it before. His body reacted with a surge of power.
Seeing Seiyad visibly shaken, Ressas quickly shook his head.
“No, no. Mother didn’t go that far. I just… have memories of eating something bad as a child, that’s all. So please, don’t worry, Eid.”
He rushed to calm him, smiling brightly.
“I still think apples are my favorite. Of all the foods I’ve tried, they were the sweetest and most lovable. So it seems we share a favorite fruit.”
That genuine joy on his face made it hard to stay angry. Any further outrage now would serve only to vent his emotions, not bring Ressas any happiness. That anger should be saved for Queen Leana alone. For now, Seiyad swallowed his frustration, clenched his fist, then loosened it—and made a firm vow.
“Once everything’s over, I’ll keep you close and figure out exactly what you like. I’ll feed you myself, show you directly. Only then will you really come to understand.”
“…I hope that day comes. A day when Eid lives happily… and I’m beside him.”
Ressas’s violet eyes shimmered with sadness. Whether it was the rain or something deeper that soaked through his heart, his expression looked too sorrowful in that moment—and it hurt. Seiyad felt an aching desire to find the root of that hidden sorrow and rip it out. The ache was so intense, it almost felt like pain.
As the silence stretched on, the sky quickly darkened. The rain had lasted longer than expected, and several knights approached from their direction to begin setting up a canopy.
“My Lord, it looks like we’ll have to take shelter here for a while.”
Just as Seiyad turned to reply to the knights walking toward them beneath the dusky sky, he quickly pulled Ressas behind him.
“Your Highness, come to think of it, the time—”
He had forgotten. When they were with the Marquess yesterday, Ressas had acted normally, and he’d let his guard down—but the Curse was still lingering near him. Before he could even finish the sentence, Kirill and his knights stopped in their tracks as soon as they laid eyes on Ressas. Their pupils darkened just like before, and the moment Seiyad saw it, he drew his sword.
Kirill was an exceptionally skilled knight. Subduing him would require a drawn-out fight.
“It’s all right, Eid.”
But unlike last time, Ressas spoke calmly, pressing his palm gently against the back of Seiyad’s hand to soothe him. Before Seiyad could ask what exactly was all right, the air around them began to shift. The same immense, suffocating energy they had once felt in the mist began to rise from Ressas again—so powerful it was breathtaking. Like the burst of a typhoon, invisible force rippled outward.
In that instant, the sheer pressure choked the air. Something absolute brushed against them, sending a tremor through their very souls—and the eyes of the knights, which had been overtaken, returned to normal.
“If we have your permission, we’ll go ahead and set up camp.”
Kirill spoke to Seiyad in the same manner he had approached—with composure. He bowed respectfully, awaiting a reply.
Seiyad stared at him, stunned, then quickly turned to Ressas. A strange feeling stirred within, and when he met his eyes, the very thing he feared had come to pass.
Ressas’s irises glowed with golden light.
Not the violet that Seiyad loved, but the raging sunlight of something that did not belong to this world.
Yes. Help each other discover the joys of living.
Ya amk he so sweet, when he see his golden eyes he got upset ya kıyamam 😭😭😭