“Does that mean he can eat meat now?”
Mihail asked while watching Chaika diligently chew his soup, omul-omul, with great effort. The physician standing by stepped forward and nodded.
“Yes, Your Grace. We began with extremely thin soup and adjusted the consistency little by little each day so his stomach could adapt. The ingredients in the soup he’s eating now have all been carefully selected to be gentle on the stomach while still being rich in nutrients. As long as he takes his time and chews thoroughly, there should be no problem.”
After saying that much, instead of retreating back to his spot, the physician cautiously glanced at Chaika and Nile. Nile was seated far away, and Chaika was completely absorbed in carefully chewing the mouthful of soup he’d just taken. The physician flicked a look at Mihail, then spoke again in a lowered tone.
“Ah—. And… since the meal is heavier than yesterday’s, it would be best to do some light exercise afterward to aid digestion. For example… a walk, or light horseback riding would be excellent.”
Chaika turned his head to look at the physician. When their eyes met, the muscles in the physician’s face twitched slightly. His acting was so poor that Mihail felt an urge to kick him. If Chaika hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kick him straight into the dining hall wall.
“A walk? Horseback riding?”
Mihail asked briefly, deliberately drawing Chaika’s attention back to himself. Chaika pulled his gaze away from the physician and hesitated as he looked at Mihail. If anyone else had delayed their answer like that, Mihail would’ve kicked them or thrown them out on the spot—but Chaika’s hesitation was simply cute.
“I….”
Trailing off, Chaika cast a glance toward Nile, who sat alone in the distance.
“Let’s go with a walk.”
Mihail decided on his own before Nile could react.
“Ah….”
Chaika looked back and forth between Mihail and Nile, his expression troubled.
“We’ll just take a walk and I’ll bring you back, so don’t worry.”
Mihail said it politely, but with the finality of a notice. Nile hesitated for a moment, then closed his mouth. A silent acceptance.
From Mihail’s perspective, the amount of soup was laughably small, but because Chaika chewed every single bite dozens of times before swallowing, the meal dragged on for a very long time. After kindly sending Nile back to his quarters once he’d finished eating long ago, Mihail leaned back against his chair, propped his elbow on the armrest, rested his chin on his hand, and simply watched Chaika eat.
Even though it was nothing more than the repeated act of scooping soup, putting it in his mouth, and chewing it endlessly before swallowing, Mihail couldn’t tear his eyes away. He wanted to lick Chaika’s glossy lips where the soup clung. No—he wanted to suck on them. Throughout the long meal, Mihail licked, sucked, and fucked Chaika dozens of times over in his mind.
Clink.
At last, under Mihail’s blatantly hungry gaze, Chaika set his spoon down. The physician immediately placed a bowl of medicine on the table. Chaika’s face crumpled into near tears. After staring at the bowl for a moment with drooping eyes, he finally lifted it with both hands and forced himself to drink. Gulp. Gulp. Each swallow made his white throat move rhythmically. Mihail imagined licking and biting that exposed throat.
Thud.
When Chaika set the bowl down, his face had gone pale. His panting breaths sounded so vivid they seemed almost tangible. Mihail gestured behind him, summoning a waiting servant. The servant stepped forward with a tray. Mihail picked up the smallest item on it and brought it to Chaika’s lips.
“Ah.”
At Mihail’s prompt, Chaika obediently opened his mouth without even knowing what it was. The way he then lowered his eyes to peek at what was being placed before his lips was so cute Mihail felt like devouring him on the spot. As he placed it into Chaika’s mouth, Mihail deliberately brushed his lower lip once with his thumb. Hik. Chaika made an ungraceful sound and flinched.
“…Mm?”
It seemed he’d instinctively bitten down on whatever had been put in his mouth. Chaika’s eyes widened at once. He nibbled off the end, chewing omul-omul, then blinked as he looked at Mihail.
“It—it’s sweet!”
An exclamation burst from Chaika’s mouth, rare for someone who almost never raised his voice.
“It’s a date soaked in honey. I’ll give you one every time after you take your medicine.”
At Mihail’s words, joy visibly filled Chaika’s eyes and face. Seeing him that happy over a single piece of fruit made anger flare up at the life he must’ve lived without even something like this—then that anger melted into a smile at Chaika’s expression.
“It’s delicious.”
Chaika nibbled at the honeyed date as if savoring it carefully, murmuring how good it was again and again. Watching him, Mihail imagined nibbling on Chaika instead of the date. The date was being eaten silently, but Chaika wouldn’t be like that. It hurts. I don’t like it. I’m embarrassed. Your Grace. Lord Mihail. Please. He’d probably say things like that nonstop. Mihail watched him with half-lidded eyes, imagining devouring him whole.
After finishing the single date, Chaika cast a longing glance at the servant standing behind Mihail. The expectation that maybe he’d be given another was obvious. But Mihail had no intention of giving him more. If you want to lure something in, you never feed it until it’s full. When using food as bait, you give it one bite at a time—just enough to taste, just enough to leave it wanting more.
Once someone has tasted it, it becomes hard to resist temptation. Let him taste that sweetness once every time he meets Mihail, and gradually his body will start reacting on its own. Before his mind does, his body will learn that meeting Mihail is something pleasant, sweet, and happy. Training animals and training people aren’t all that different.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
“Yes.”
Chaika stood up, trying hard to hide his disappointment. Judging by how his usual “Yes” had stretched into a faint “Yees—,” his disappointment seemed considerable. Mihail turned away to hide the grin that kept creeping onto his face.
Mihail walked ahead, and Chaika followed on his own. The small-framed creature had small feet as well. It seemed hard for him to keep up with Mihail’s stride, so he’d toddle along, then when the distance grew too wide, he’d scamper a few quick steps to catch up. Mihail knew perfectly well what he was doing, but pretended not to notice as he strode across the wide garden ahead. After letting Chaika repeat that tap-tap dash to close the distance five or six times, Mihail suddenly stopped short just as Chaika began to run again.
Thump—.
“Ugh!”
Chaika, who’d been running to close the gap, slammed straight into Mihail’s back. It must’ve felt like a strong collision to his small, delicate body, but to Mihail it was no more than a light tap. While Mihail didn’t budge an inch, Chaika rebounded backward from the impact. Mihail immediately swept him up into his arms.
“…Ah.”
After running into a solid, massive body, bouncing backward, then suddenly being lifted into the air and caught, Chaika seemed momentarily dazed. Only after a few seconds did he finally let out a delayed little ah of surprise.
“Hopeless.”
Mihail clicked his tongue on purpose as he scolded him. Chaika’s eyes drooped pitifully for a moment, then shot up as he puffed out his lips in protest. That expression was so cute and so utterly trivial that Mihail let out a scoff.
“You can’t even walk properly on your own. What am I supposed to do with something like you?”
When Mihail teased him with a grin, Chaika clenched his fist and lightly punched Mihail’s shoulder. It was his version of a protest. That small, pitiful act of defiance pleased Mihail. It meant Chaika trusted him—trusted that even if he did something like that, Mihail wouldn’t punish or scold him.
“P-please put me down.”
Chaika bounced his small feet uselessly.
“For someone who can’t even walk straight.”
Snorting, Mihail resumed the walk with Chaika dangling in his arms. The garden, meticulously maintained by generations of gardeners, was beautiful—perfect for strolling while holding a small creature. Normally, Mihail would never waste time on something like a pointless walk, but with Chaika, everything was different.
“The physician said I need to exercise, though.”
When kicking his feet didn’t work, Chaika panted softly as he thought, then finally said that.
“And?”
Mihail asked back with a face that clearly said he didn’t understand at all. Chaika hesitated, chewing on his lip, then spoke again.
“Wouldn’t it count as exercise only if I walk myself?”
“Hm. That’s true.”
Mihail said, as if he’d only just realized it, and stopped. Then he lowered his head to meet Chaika’s eyes. Chaika looked… half relieved, half uncertain. Mihail grinned, baring one side of his teeth—and then released both arms supporting Chaika.
“…!!!”
As his support vanished, Chaika dropped straight down. His hands, which had been neatly folded in front of his chest so they wouldn’t touch Mihail’s body, shot out instinctively in search of something to cling to. Thump. When Mihail caught him again a split second later, Chaika was clutching Mihail’s neck with both hands like it was his lifeline.
Clinging desperately, Chaika buried his face against Mihail’s neck, his warm breath brushing against Mihail’s skin. He’d only been released for an instant, yet the way his small heart was pounding wildly was unmistakable. The frantic thump-thump-thump sounded like a rabbit’s heart after meeting a fox. Mihail finally let out a soft laugh.
“…You—.”
When Mihail started laughing quietly, Chaika finally made a small frustrated sound and punched Mihail’s shoulder again—this time with a bit more force.
“You’re m-mean. You’re really mean. Seriously. Do you know how scared I was? You’re laughing, but I was really scared.”
Chaika muttered in a voice full of indignation. Whether it was from being teased or genuinely startled, the corners of his eyes were flushed red. Mihail stopped laughing and quietly looked at those reddened eyes.
“…You’re mean.”
Chaika mumbled under Mihail’s gaze. Mihail bent down and stole his lips. When he took that soft, warm, little mouth, Chaika lightly thumped his shoulder again—but that was all. Soon, his golden eyelashes fluttered and slowly lowered, and his small, closed lips parted on their own.
Mihail gladly slid inside, exploring, licking, and sucking at the soft interior. The kiss, so gentle it felt like melting, tasted of bitter medicinal herbs and sweet honeyed dates.
When their lips parted, Chaika ducked his head shyly. All that showed were his reddened ears. Mihail began walking again, and Chaika never loosened the arms wrapped around his neck. He didn’t ask to be put down. He simply clung there quietly, breathing in soft, colored pants.
The walk was quite long. Even though he was carrying a person, Chaika was so light it felt no different than holding a rabbit. Mihail wandered every corner of the garden under the pretense of a walk, carrying him around, until a butler finally announced that it was lunchtime, prompting Mihail to turn back.
Only then did Chaika realize that they’d gone straight from breakfast and a walk into lunch together. He glanced up at Mihail slyly, eyes clearly saying, You did that on purpose, didn’t you?
Mihail answered with nothing more than a snort.
