“Hyung! Are you going to kill your only brother over a mere omega?”
“I told you not to touch Rosenthal.”
“Rosenthal this, Rosenthal that. When you can’t even call his name to his face… Urk!”
Hereis’s magic poured down, and Frision’s limbs began to twist.
“S-sorry! I was wrong! I won’t do it again! Hyung! Hyung!”
In the terror of even his throat being twisted, Frision desperately screamed. When he begged for forgiveness with choking, gasping sounds, Hereis released Frision’s throat as if throwing it away.
Frision convulsed from the aftermath of the magic and coughed violently. However, Hereis didn’t even glance at the suffering Frision and went back to the bed to check on Rosenthal’s condition.
“Hyung, are you in your right mind! Did the chains make you lose it? How rotten must your mental state be to be swayed by something like that!”
“It’s not because of the chains.”
Hereis answered firmly while stroking Rosenthal’s hair.
Seeing Hereis being so careful as if Rosenthal would break if he applied even a little force, Frision’s face hardened stiffly.
No way…
“Hyung, do you really love that bastard?”
“……”
“Really, you really love him?”
Hereis paused briefly. He silently arranged Rosenthal’s disheveled hair. Then he slowly withdrew his hand and answered slowly.
“…Yes.”
“Lies! That can’t be! It’s because of those damn chains, right? You’re just caring for him because he’s an omega like that human father, right? You’re lying because you think I’ll really kill him?”
“No. I’m serious.”
Hereis’s confused heart after the marriage ceremony had been organized into one thing.
At first, he thought it was because of the chains. Next, he thought it was because of his father’s matter. But while coming here to save Rosenthal, trembling in fear that he might truly lose Rosenthal forever, he realized.
“I love Rosenthal Chendewden.”
I love Rosenthal. There was no need to waver and search again and again for the cause of his confused heart by retracing restrictions or the past. The answer was simple.
A person who seemed indifferent but was delicate, who smiled brightly but was precarious, who put themselves last while considering others’ positions, who smiled radiantly yet somehow lonely—I love this beautiful person. I came to love him. It was no longer meaningless to scrutinize and dig into when I fell in love or what made my heart waver.
Hereis carefully held Rosenthal’s hand. Affection overflowed even from his gaze and small gestures.
Frision stared blankly at that sight. It was the first time seeing Hereis like this. To think my brother could have such foolish eyes! Frision grimaced and straightened his twisted legs back to normal. If he’d been a little later, his limbs would have been completely ruined. If he hadn’t apologized, Hereis would have really tried to kill him. Over a mere omega.
Frision exploded in anger and shouted roughly.
“Hyung, are you crazy? How, how could you with such a vulgar bastard!”
Hereis’s face, which had been gazing at Rosenthal while organizing his emotions, was momentarily stained with absurdity.
“What did you just say?”
“You could fall for such a lewd guy!”
“…Are you one to talk?”
Even among incubi, Frision was the subject of gossip due to his colorful marriage history. It was suspicious whether that guy was trying to be funny even in this serious situation, but Frision stubbornly grumbled.
“Is that bastard the same as me? He’s human! A human, yet more lewd than me! Do you think the antidote is omnipotent? What were you thinking taking on that vulgar bastard’s poison in his place! Are you really going to die in that bastard’s stead? Hyung, we need to kill him even now!”
A sharp bloodline was drawn across the cheek of Frision, who had fixed all his legs and was walking over.
“If you touch even a hair on this person, I’ll kill you.”
“Hyung!”
“Leave.”
Hereis looked up at Frision and spoke coldly.
“Leave what! Before I get rid of that bastard…!”
“Frision!”
“Fine! I won’t kill him! I won’t! But at least you should persuade him! Tell him not to mess around with other bastards anymore! The antidote isn’t omnipotent, and in the end, that bastard needs to restrain himself…!”
“Leave now.”
Frision let out a deep sigh of frustration.
“I won’t kill him, so take him away from here! If you really like him, you can just lock him up in a tower or prison!”
Hereis resembled their mother’s magic, and Frision resembled their mother’s personality. Hereis looked at his brother, who had the same way of thinking as their mother, with sunken eyes.
“Leave now.”
“I won’t go! I’m taking that bastard out!”
“I told Lefu your true name.”
“…What?”
Frision, who had been shouting while venting his frustration, stopped abruptly.
“You’re lying, right?”
“No. I told him.”
“Don’t tell me you told Lefu my true name to come here? You sold me out to save that bastard?!”
Sold out—it was something that would make anyone who knew the relationship between Frision and Lefu unable to even laugh in disbelief.
“You’d better leave now. You won’t be able to kill that guy as easily as your previous partners.”
Frision ground his teeth with a crunching sound. He really had told him his true name.
“Coward!”
“The one who got their weakness caught is at fault.”
Frision clenched his fists with all his might and trembled.
“Take all the antidotes in my room! Don’t skip any and take them properly! Even with them it’s dangerous, so if you don’t want to die miserably after being betrayed, kill him yourself!”
He spat out irritably and disappeared in an instant. Despite everything, he was the one who worried about him the most in this world. Even trying to kill Rosenthal stemmed from worry.
But Hereis couldn’t say thank you. He didn’t even think to. Whatever Frision’s intentions were, if even the slightest problem occurred with Rosenthal, he would absolutely never forgive him.
Hereis carefully brought his lips close. He wanted to share even a little vital energy. In truth, he wanted to convey warmth. He had never hated his cool body temperature so much. As he overlapped their lips and passed his breath, Rosenthal’s body trembled faintly. Hereis quickly pulled away.
His long eyelashes, as if drawn in a picture, trembled faintly, then his eyelids slowly lifted.
“Harry…?”
“Are you all right?”
“It is Harry, right?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
The corners of Rosenthal’s eyes curved gently, and he reached out with a powerless hand to grasp Hereis’s hand.
“Why are you so late? Is your body okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Earlier I saw someone who looked like Harry. You weren’t possessed or under a spell or anything like that, right?”
Rosenthal didn’t even take care of his own body and poured out worries about Hereis as soon as he woke up. It would have been better if he weren’t such a kind person. Hereis pushed aside the thought that popped out unbidden to a corner of his heart and withdrew his hand.
“He’s my younger brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Yes. My twin brother.”
“I see. You really look alike with your brother.”
“His personality is so unpredictable… He seems to have gotten angry after hearing about my marriage. There won’t be such incidents from now on. I apologize.”
Rosenthal blinked his large eyes. Then, as if recalling what had happened earlier, he quietly rolled his large pupils and smiled slightly.
“I thought I was going to die. I’m quite cowardly, you see.”
“You’re not cowardly. If I’d been a little later, it would have been irreversible.”
“Ah… Was it really that dangerous?”
Hereis nodded.
“Yes. I apologize.”
Rosenthal thought he might have overreacted. But seeing Hereis’s serious expression, it seemed he really had almost died. Rosenthal traced back his memories, which were blurred like fog. His vital energy had been drained away and his body had burned hot.
This damn death flag is laid out everywhere. I thought I just needed to avoid Eldon and the imperial palace events, but even a character I’d never seen in the novel appeared and tried to kill me. The author must really hate Rosenthal.
As he shook his head, Hereis, who was bowing his head like a great criminal, came into view. Rosenthal smiled brightly and held Hereis’s hand.
“It’s okay. It’s not like Harry did it.”
“No. I should have stopped him.”
“No. Rather, I’m grateful. If it weren’t for Harry, I would have died helplessly. I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
“Are you really all right? If you feel even slightly unwell anywhere, please tell me.”
“I’m really perfectly fine.”
When he first regained consciousness, it was difficult even to open his eyes, but now he really was okay. Rather, he was becoming alert faster than when forcibly waking up after a deep sleep.
Rosenthal smiled brightly while swinging his arms widely as if doing exercises.
“See. I’m perfectly fine.”
“If you feel even slightly unwell anywhere, you must tell me immediately.”
“Yes. I will.”
“And I have something else to apologize for.”
“Apologize?”
“Before you woke up, I kissed you. To give you vital energy.”
Hereis’s face reddened. Even though it wasn’t a lie, he felt embarrassed as if making a shabby excuse. Rosenthal was slightly surprised and touched his own lips. But he quickly lowered his hand and smiled gently.
“It’s okay. That’s like artificial respiration. You helped me, so I should be grateful instead. But what will we do since you gave me vital energy when you’ve been starving for days? Let’s hurry back to the Crown Prince’s palace. I’ll give you vital energy.”
Hereis’s body flinched. Even though it must clearly be about having a dream, he found himself looking for other intentions in those clear eyes. Even though Rosenthal couldn’t possibly remember the lucid dream.
There was something in Frision’s words that he agreed with.
Hereis didn’t want to go to the Crown Prince’s palace. He didn’t want to be at the detached palace either. He wanted to take Rosenthal and leave this place. He didn’t want to keep him by the Crown Prince’s side.
I wish Rosenthal would look only at me.
