The traces of the boy he had thought completely disappeared resurfaced, leaving Seiyad momentarily disoriented. He hadn’t realized it while being effortlessly teased by the now fully grown man, but Ressas was only twenty-one. If Seiyad added the years that had passed, his original age would have been thirty—he had acted far too sincerely toward someone nine years younger.
Setting aside Zion Shildras and Queen Leana for now, Seiyad decided to clean up his own mess. Mentioning another guide while speaking with his current one was tantamount to questioning Tither’s capabilities. Each guide had their own role and power.
“…It’s not that I didn’t like it.”
He had grown used to ignoring others’ dislike and dismissing himself altogether, so it had been ages since he’d said something meant to comfort someone else. Still, it was necessary. Seiyad suppressed the shame rising with his head and continued.
“I acted out because I’ve never openly talked about the purification process. You can ignore what I said earlier.”
Though his eyes remained sorrowfully dejected, Ressas didn’t avert his gaze. His pale complexion regained a touch of color. Still, he looked somewhat hurt. Seiyad waited in silence as Ressas took his time. He couldn’t just walk away like this.
“As I’m sure Your Grace knows… I, too, am a man.”
Then, Ressas whispered.
“It’s hard to endure hearing another man’s name from your lips.”
He grabbed the hand that had pushed him away and pulled Seiyad toward him. Perhaps it was the added height, or maybe he had grown stronger—caught off guard, Seiyad was yanked toward him with surprising force. As he staggered, Ressas wrapped an arm around his waist. The sudden closeness made his heart jolt. Seiyad grabbed his shoulder to push him back, but Ressas spoke again.
“I won’t deny that I lack experience compared to you, hyungnim. But it was you who came to me, asking for purification. Don’t hurt me with words sharper than you intend. Teach me instead.”
Ressas’s fingers intertwined with his, firmly lacing between them. Holding on tightly, he murmured.
“Let me be completely colored by you—shaped in your image. So I can satisfy you in the way you like.”
The way he blinked his long lashes as he said it had an oddly reverent air. Seiyad couldn’t understand why he was so intent on aligning with his desires rather than asserting his own. Ressas Raman Solias had become someone with nothing left to envy—yet he still looked at Seiyad like the boy who once had nothing. A few minutes ago, he had seemed like a complete stranger. But now, Ressas felt just like the boy he used to be.
“There’s no other way. You came back to me yourself, so you won’t be able to leave me again. So tame me—in your way.”
There was no room to refuse. From the hand that gripped his came an inexplicable tranquility that made rejection feel almost sacrilegious. Ressas, who had absorbed the turbulence that had been clamoring inside Seiyad, gently pressed his energy into him and unraveled his twisted waves. A cooling sensation spread through his body, dissolving the pain.
His entire body, which had been on edge, finally relaxed. The nerves he’d kept taut like drawn wires found relief and softened with a quiet sigh of release. The side effects he had been forcibly suppressing must have been worse than expected, because his body slightly gave way under the overwhelming force of Ressas’s energy.
In that moment, the desire to lean on someone—even if only for a while—surfaced faintly. And as if he sensed it, Ressas’s arm tightened around Seiyad’s waist. Contrary to appearances, Seiyad’s body, lean but lithe, fit comfortably into the now-grown Ressas’s embrace. He could feel the faint trembling and twitching of the arm supporting him.
Seiyad stared intently at Ressas. After saying such bold words so smoothly, the way he trembled wherever their bodies touched left Seiyad feeling conflicted.
But Ressas never once looked away. They held each other’s gaze in silence as Seiyad mulled over his words. Though the topic was purification, to an outsider it might’ve sounded like a confession.
It wasn’t difficult to understand. He’d grown up constantly compared to Aster, even slighted by Aster himself… Of course, that would stir all sorts of feelings. Wanting to prove he could do better than the one who had Tither—Seiyad—was a natural desire. A bit of competitive spirit like that was better to have than not.
“Even so…”
Seiyad had no intention of taming him as requested.
“I have no interest in molding what belongs to someone else. Your way is ultimately Shildras’ way.”
He would maintain contact with Ressas as needed for purification, but just as he said, he had no desire to tamper with something—or someone—already spoken for. Ressas had likely underwent countless purifications with Zion Shildras throughout the winter, and with the two expected to become lovers soon, Seiyad had no wish to disrupt that path.
Regardless of how he felt about Zion Shildras, he understood—thanks to his mother—just how painful it was for someone in a committed relationship to receive purification from another. Even if Seiyad was born with a penchant for hurting others, this was not a direction he found any pleasure in.
“You don’t need to worry about Zion.”
But Ressas responded calmly, showing no signs of distress.
“I wasn’t worried.”
“I know from our last conversation how much you dislike seeing him. If it’s similar to how I feel about my own mother, then I don’t want to bring Zion before you either. I don’t want to do anything you don’t wish for.”
This made no sense. Ressas was already officially established as Shildras’ guide. Judging by their conduct over the winter, the announcement at tonight’s banquet would be obvious.
“Your Highness, Shildras needs a guide. I’ve never once asked you to become mine. What we have now is already enough.”
Ressas had said countless times over the winter that he couldn’t be Seiyad’s guide. There was no way he hadn’t understood—so why was he acting like this?
“I dislike him.”
“Isn’t Shildras your longtime friend?”
“I only owe Zion a debt.”
A debt?
Seiyad narrowed his eyes, trying to imagine what kind of deal could’ve possibly taken place between them. Then, Ressas spoke firmly.
“As you said—so long as the forest exists, I must fulfill my duties as a guide and serve others.”
The precarious distance between their faces began to close. As Seiyad tried to lean back slightly, Ressas pulled him in and lowered his head.
“You’re someone bound tighter than anyone else by duty. So I’ve decided to eliminate the reason I can’t stay by your side.”
Their noses barely brushed. The bridge of Ressas’s nose was unexpectedly soft and warm. His lips, now so close, whispered before his eyes.
“I’m going to erase the forest.”
It was a declaration made without even a trace of hesitation. Though it aligned with the king’s desire, it carried a completely different intent. In the blink of an eye, startled by the unexpected words—
His lips brushed Seiyad’s, feather-light, and then pulled away.
“I’ll see you at the banquet, Duke Seiyad.”
Perhaps he expected to be scolded, but the arms that had been holding him all this time released him without resistance. As if their earlier proximity had never happened, Ressas stepped away noiselessly, just as he had appeared. Seiyad resisted the urge to chase after him and demand what the hell he was doing, instead rubbing the spot on his lips with the back of his hand. Like the tickle of a leaf brushing past, the touch lingered, leaving an irritating itch.
And no matter how much he tried to wipe it away, that touch clung to his lips like an afterimage, bothering him the entire time he prepared for the banquet.
***
The Gratitude Festival begins at noon, when the sun stands at its peak. A straight path cuts through the dense forest surrounding the royal palace walls, leading to the festival square. There, the king and queen announce its commencement from the towering sundial.
Decorating the area with fresh flowers and ornate displays—organizing the entire festival—is traditionally the queen’s responsibility. The square, located near the palace, opens only on special occasions, and the queen often holds rehearsals there with the knights.
It was also the place where Seiyad’s mother had once gone into what was called a Rampage.
Seiyad did not attend the daytime portion of the festival. More accurately, he couldn’t. The queen, claiming she still hadn’t recovered from the trauma of that event years ago, had sent him a letter “requesting understanding” while restricting his movements. It wasn’t something he’d ever wanted anyway, so Seiyad spent the day in the palace archives.
The royal archives, in truth, were strictly off-limits to anyone not of royal blood. Tithers were technically granted the authority to request access, but without a compelling reason, they were rarely permitted entry. Understandable, considering the archives held records concerning the royal family’s history and powers.
But for Seiyad, such restrictions were meaningless. He slipped into the archives through the shadows. Though he couldn’t settle in to conduct research due to the librarians roaming inside, he scanned hundreds of books with his eyes and discreetly slipped out a few titles that caught his attention.
Without anyone noticing, he returned to his assigned chambers in the north wing. He still had to attend the evening banquet, so he had to at least pretend to prepare. As he stepped into the darkened room, silent as always, he found a guest waiting for him. A faint presence—one most people wouldn’t even notice—was tucked into the corner by the window.
“Did you find the witness, Tiaki?”
At his words, the shadow at the window slowly revealed itself. A man with closely cropped hair and sharp eyes glanced around the room, then raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Your abilities still send a shiver down my spine. It’s like talking to a ghost—could you please stop doing that and just come out normally for once?”
