Chapter 8
“…Your Grace.”
Thinking about it, Luke didn’t like noise. Because of this, he preferred to spend time alone rather than socializing with others. That’s why Asher thought he had dampened Luke’s mood by taking away his alone time.
“You must be tired after just returning from the hunt. I’m sorry… I’ll come back another time.”
Even as he said this, Asher scanned him with his eyes to see if he was injured anywhere. Fortunately, Luke didn’t appear to be hurt. Asher breathed an inward sigh of relief and turned to leave. But at the sound of Luke’s soft voice, Asher’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
“Were you with His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Pardon?”
“I clearly told you that I would guide you to your seat.”
“Ah, I was going to, but I felt stuffy, so…”
Luke’s expression turned cold at Asher’s words. Not knowing why Luke was making such an expression, Asher could only blink his eyes.
“So what did you talk about with him? I’m curious what conversation would leave such a thick pheromone on you.”
Feeling hurt by Luke’s stiff words, Asher felt a wave of disappointment.
“Why are you speaking to me like that… Couldn’t you ask more gently?”
“…”
“I just went out for some fresh air. And then His Highness followed me…”
For some reason, words didn’t come easily when standing before him. As Asher bit his lip, unable to continue speaking, Luke rose from his seat and approached him.
“You told me, didn’t you? That you would have preferred meeting His Highness the Crown Prince instead of me.”
“…I, I did?”
What on earth had the pre-possessed Asher intended when saying such a thing? It seemed that the pre-possessed Asher must have been deeply hurt in his pride knowing that Luke didn’t like him. But Asher couldn’t even make excuses now that it wasn’t what he had said, so he clenched his empty fist with a look of indignation.
“I truly don’t understand. Can a person change this much just from losing their memory?”
“…”
“Or are you playing with me?”
Luke looked at Asher with contemplative eyes. As Asher lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact out of guilt, he noticed the handkerchief tied to Luke’s sword handle.
“…Oh? That’s the handkerchief I gave you?”
“…”
“I thought you’d dislike it because it’s so crude…”
“…”
“I’m happy. Very much so…”
Just the fact that Luke had worn the handkerchief brought a small flush of delight to Asher’s face. At Asher’s bright smile, as if he had never been depressed, Luke’s eyes shook roughly.
“Your Grace. I couldn’t tell you earlier, but… could you forget what I said before I lost my memory? Of course, once words are spoken, they don’t disappear even if taken back, but I don’t have feelings for His Highness the Crown Prince. That won’t change in the future.”
“…”
“So…”
“Come here for a moment.”
“Pardon?”
Luke grabbed Asher’s wrist as he was about to speak and pulled him close. With the unexpected contact, the emotions that flowed in were confusion along with irritation. Feeling disappointed, Asher bit his lip once and gently pushed away the hand that held him.
“Why are you pushing me away?”
Reading someone’s emotions didn’t feel particularly pleasant to Asher. Especially when he read emotions unwillingly, like now.
“Just… I’m not used to physical contact with others.”
“You don’t seem to be good at lying. I can see all your emotions on your face.”
Just the fact that his uncontrolled emotions were visible on his face made Asher feel embarrassed. Hurriedly raising his hands to his cheeks, he heard Luke chuckle and say:
“I don’t like it when someone who’s mine carries the scent of another.”
“…Your Grace.”
“If you’re going to be with me from now on, it would be good to keep that in mind. For an alpha, another’s pheromones are like that.”
It sounded to Asher as if Luke was saying he didn’t want to smell any pheromones other than his own.
I shouldn’t misunderstand like this on my own. Asher felt his heart racing. Then, sensing a cool, pleasant scent, Asher raised his head and stared at Luke.
“There are many eyes watching outside. I can’t let you go around with that scent on you.”
“…”
“So I’ve just lightly covered it. Please understand, even if you find it unpleasant.”
Asher had thought that pheromones were something that made others uncomfortable. After all, the first pheromones he had encountered were the threatening ones emitted by the Crown Prince. But Luke’s pheromones were different. They gave a feeling of making one comfortable while also filling a corner of the heart with warmth.
“It’s a mint scent…”
“…”
“I was curious what Your Grace’s scent was… It’s really nice.”
Your Grace’s pheromones…
As soon as Asher’s words fell, Luke contained his pheromones. With a feeling of regret, Asher softened his gaze and put strength into his toes.
*
Around the time when spring was ending, a light drizzle fell from the sky. On such a day when plants were happily playing in the water, Shaki visited Asher’s room carrying something in his arms.
With curiosity, Asher tilted his head as Shaki transferred the animal from his arms into Asher’s.
“…A rabbit?”
“It was collapsed in front of the house. It looked like it was dying, and I thought about throwing it away, but I thought of you, so I brought it.”
At Shaki’s words, Asher looked down at the rabbit in his arms. Whether it had fought with someone, the rabbit’s body was covered in wounds, and it made wheezing sounds as if it had a fever. In what was clearly an urgent situation, Asher hurriedly tried to call for a servant.
“Jan!”
“There’s no need. I’ve already given it medicine for the fever.”
“…But it’s so hot! If we leave it like this, it could be really dangerous!”
Asher quickly instructed Jan to bring a wet towel and warm water. Then he folded the blanket on the bed and placed the rabbit on it.
“How… At this rate, it’s going to be dangerous.”
Seeing the rabbit trembling as if the fever was getting worse, Asher felt a surge of emotion. He quickly covered it with the blanket and wiped the rabbit with the towel Jan had brought.
But the rabbit’s wounds seemed much deeper than expected. The water in the basin gradually turned a light red. How had it come to this state? While wiping the rabbit’s face, Asher discovered a mark engraved next to its ear.
‘…An X?’
With a suspicion in mind, Asher checked again. But even on second look, the pattern was indeed marked as an X.
Why is this rabbit…?
Asher traced his memories with doubt.
In fact, this rabbit was one of the few beast-people left in the empire. They were so rare that they were often taken as slaves or sold at auctions, and many bit their tongues and committed suicide in the process, making them now a rare existence.
But why was the rabbit collapsed in front of the house at this timing? According to the original story, the rabbit should have appeared after Braden had set foot in this house. And Braden should have discovered it himself, healed it with his ability, and cared for it attentively.
Thanks to this, the rabbit was supposed to follow Braden and later become a being called a “sub-duke” who opposed Luke. His name was none other than Caleb. With a name meaning “one who worships God,” he was someone with divine power. Conversely, he also harbored darkness due to his hatred toward humans.
In a sense, he was the only one who had a meaning of light and darkness, just like the name of the empire, Blade. Because of this, he possessed a dual nature within his body, which meant that good and evil would be determined by how he was imprinted at the age of twenty-five.
But Asher wondered.
Why did Caleb appear at this point, unlike in the original work? Seeing Caleb cradled in Shaki’s arms, Asher had many thoughts.
“What are you thinking about so deeply? It’s just a rabbit.”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. I brought it because I thought you might be bored. I didn’t expect you to care for it so devotedly.”
“…”
“So I think you’ve grown up. You used to be busy tormenting them, remember?”
What kind of life would one have to live to torment such a small, young animal? It was the first moment Asher regretted being possessed in this body.
“No matter what I did in the past… I won’t do that anymore. So, hyung, please forget it too.”
Perhaps the things he had not done would follow him like a tag for the rest of his life. But that didn’t mean he wanted to live with that image constantly. Even if the real Asher would return and he would be driven out, he wanted to leave good memories during his time here. For the sake of his own future as well…
Asher looked down at the rabbit, whose breathing was gradually slowing.
“That’s a relief. It looks like the medicine is starting to work.”
“Yeah. It seems your devotion has reached the rabbit too.”
Shaki stroked Asher’s head as he exhaled a sigh of relief. He gave a proud smile, as if approving of Asher’s actions.
“I felt the same way when you were sick. So don’t get sick again. Don’t get hurt either.”
Asher nodded at Shaki’s concerned words.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
