“Stop staring and go tell your master instead?”
A sigh escaped from between Cayden’s lips.
“I don’t know how much they’re paying you, but I’ll offer three times more.”
No, I could even give four times more. The mocking voice was tinged with amusement.
“Why keep a fake omega who took drugs, a cheap one who sold their body after changing their traits? You must know they’re an idiot who can’t even control their pheromones. And that’s not the only problem. They’re a half-wit without a single decent part from head to toe.”
Alex clicked his tongue as he glanced briefly at Cayden. But he quickly turned his eyes back to the man behind him.
“Tell your master to get something proper, not this defective goods. Don’t try to steal what belongs to others.”
Cayden stared blankly at the man standing at the entrance of the alley, at Assad with his cold face. Every word Alex uttered pierced his ears.
Why couldn’t he lift his head? Why, by not raising his head, did he not realize that Assad had been watching him?
Assad had heard everything. He couldn’t pretend that it was fine because Assad wasn’t proficient in the Kingdom language, that he wouldn’t have properly understood what was being said.
Unlike himself, who still didn’t understand many Imperial words, Assad was different.
Assad used the Kingdom language like the Imperial language. Throughout their time since arriving in the north, hadn’t he seen Assad using the Kingdom language so fluently? The fact that Assad could use the Kingdom language like his native tongue was something only he, who had earned Assad’s dislike, didn’t know.
Between the self-loathing and humiliation beginning to gnaw at his body, Cayden smiled.
Cayden hated Alex, that man. He wanted to strangle the man who wouldn’t let him live like a person. He wanted to cover the mouth that so easily blurted out the facts he had kept hidden.
But what he hated most… was himself. Cayden wanted to run away from himself. He wanted to disappear right now.
“Cayden. Can you see his expression?”
“…”
“It seems you’re going to be thrown out.”
Alex whispered to Cayden in an affectionate voice.
“…Even if I’m thrown out.”
“…”
“Even if I have to sleep on the streets, I’ll never go back under Young Master’s command.”
Cayden muttered in a monotonous voice. He smiled, meeting Alex’s eyes.
Alex raised his hand. The sound of a palm striking a face soon echoed through the alley.
Cayden experienced a familiar pain. His ears felt stuffed as if submerged in water. His cheek burned as if touched by fire. Whether his eyes were open or closed, everything before him was blurry. It seemed he had been hit hard.
“Your thoughts mean nothing. I told you. If we meet again, I’ll cut off your legs to keep you in front of me. You stupid…”
The heat he felt in front of him, the stinging pheromones that had been pricking his skin like thorns suddenly subsided.
Abruptly cut-off profanity, a dull sound like something breaking, the vibration created by something heavy falling to the ground, something like the rustle of cloth mixed in with the ringing in his ears.
Cayden opened his eyes. He blinked several times until his blurry vision became clear again. The colors of the lumps that had been difficult to identify properly became gradually more vivid.
Assad was straddling the fallen Alex.
After planting his fist once more into the face of the fallen man, Assad withdrew and rolled up his sleeve. The cravat around his neck was grabbed by blood-stained hands and pulled down. The ribbon-shaped knot fell apart.
Assad shoved the cravat cloth he held in his hand into the mouth of the groaning man. Then he raised his fist and struck Alex’s face. An incredibly clear sound of rupture echoed through the alley once again.
Cayden quietly watched Alex, who was writhing without being able to counter-attack even once. It felt like wandering through a dream. There was no sense of reality at all. Even the stinging pain spreading from his reddened cheek and split lip was forgotten completely.
“…”
Cayden, his face pale white, forced strength into his trembling body. He walked toward the two men. Beyond the alley, people were gathering near the carriage storage area that had been empty just moments ago. This commotion would soon catch their eyes too.
“Amun.”
Cayden called out to Assad. He uttered the name of another that Assad had borrowed.
“Amun!”
Cayden hastily grabbed Assad, who had stopped at his call. He pulled him up to his feet. It would have been impossible if Assad hadn’t willingly followed Cayden.
Alex, with his own blood covering his face, showed no signs of consciousness. It was impossible to tell whether he had fainted or was still conscious.
With trembling hands, Cayden quickly untied his own cravat. He wiped the blood from Assad’s face with the tightly gripped white cloth. He also quickly wiped the blood on Assad’s hands. It didn’t clean well, which worried him.
‘No harm must come to His Highness. No harm must come to Assad…’
Cayden tried to pull himself together, repeatedly mulling over what Amun had told him.
“Hello there, is something wrong?”
Someone directed a question toward the noisy alley. They tried to make out the people hidden in the darkness of the narrow passage that even the fading red sun couldn’t fully illuminate.
Cayden, who had stuffed the blood-stained cravat into his coat pocket, grabbed Assad’s hand without hesitation. Then he plunged into deeper darkness.
It was an alley he had never set foot in before. Hoping that no one would follow him and Assad, Cayden navigated through unfamiliar narrow paths. He chose the path to take following only the light that had flowed into the dark alleys.
The alley spat out a new exit after about 5 more minutes had passed.
Facing an unfamiliar landscape, Cayden stopped running. Only then could he let go of Assad’s hand.
Cayden covered his mouth with the hand that had been holding Assad. He exhaled a rough breath. Breathing that resembled pain poured out all at once. It felt as if someone was squeezing his lungs.
The tension that had gripped his entire body to an unbearable degree was somewhat released. With his strength drained, Cayden had no choice but to lean his back against the wall.
Are you alright? Cayden wanted to ask Assad. He wanted to check his face, his two eyes, who had willingly followed him. But unable to do so, he just remained silent.
Cayden lowered his head. He silently watched the shadows of people passing in front of the alley appearing and disappearing.
The world, greeting early evening, began to bustle. Noisy voices passed by with shadows of varying heights.
Only the narrow, unfamiliar alleyway where Cayden and Assad stood was immersed in silence.
“…”
Assad’s fingertips touched Cayden’s cheek, which was silent. The fingertips wandering slowly over the reddened, swollen skin left a tingling pain.
Surprised, Cayden barely swallowed a moan. But when Assad’s hand touched the wound on his split lip, he couldn’t hide it and let out a groan. It couldn’t be helped.
“Does it hurt?”
Assad asked Cayden. It was difficult to discern his mood just from his voice. It was strangely affectionate.
“No. I’m fine.”
Cayden cautiously glanced at Assad. Not having the confidence to face Assad directly, he only stole a glance at his mouth and then turned his gaze back to the empty space.
An indescribable displeasure was felt from Assad’s closed lips. It was a look Cayden had never encountered before.
Even when he had held a wedding ceremony with a man of unbelievably low caliber as his partner, Assad had not made such a face. The same was true after the wedding ceremony. Even when Assad had been consistently curt with him, he had not displayed such displeasure.
Cayden wanted to run away.
Still, Assad’s fingertips were touching Cayden’s face. The hand that had been brushing over his cheek without wounds, his eyes, soon pushed back his fallen hair. It was a gentle touch, as gentle as his voice. So gentle it didn’t feel like someone who was angry.
Cayden felt confused between the gentleness and anger Assad was displaying. But there was nothing he could do, no words he could utter. Like a criminal awaiting execution, he stood still, waiting only for Assad to open his mouth.
Perhaps… today might be the last day he would see Assad. Cayden came to think that.
Assad had helped him. He had saved him. What should have resulted in a beating that wouldn’t have been enough even if it lasted a long time ended with just a slap on the cheek. He should thank him for his help.
But would Assad want to hear my words? Cayden laughed emptily inside.
“You think too much.”
A low voice reached Cayden’s ear. Assad spoke to Cayden in the Kingdom language, not Imperial.
“I can see you thinking meaningless thoughts over and over… why is it so difficult to see inside them?”
Cayden’s eyes reflexively followed Assad’s hand as it pulled away. Until that hand stopped near Assad’s face.
“It seemed like you wanted to handle it yourself. So I tried not to step in.”
Assad said, meeting Cayden’s eyes that were looking at him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
