‘Just asking to exchange letters—that’s a huge loss on their part.’
There were definitely more than enough things to be suspicious about. But the offer to provide information was too tempting.
If they accepted this proposal, it would be too obvious that they were desperate for information about the Mirror, but from the moment Angel brought the prince to the imperial palace, that had already been revealed anyway.
He didn’t think all the information the prince had said, and would say in the future, would be entirely true, but the more information they had, the better.
‘I can’t believe everything we heard today either. But it wasn’t completely far-fetched either.’
The prince’s words that the hand had been trying to take Seoho away, and the story that strangers returned to their original world after having those dreams came to mind one after another.
‘…I think there’s no problem as long as he has divine power.’
Rosetta had already recognized from before that as long as Seoho had divine power, there was no need to worry too much about those dreams.
Since he thought the only thing to worry about was Seoho’s feelings, after sending Angel away, he had worked to become closer to him.
And in fact, the two had grown closer than they were then. Seoho naturally accepted being by his side, and the two had many conversations.
‘I thought things were going well….’
But among those conversations, there hadn’t been a single mention of the dreams.
‘Even though it seemed like he had a rough idea of what the dreams meant.’
Why had Seoho never once brought up the topic of dreams?
‘…Because he wants to go back?’
No, no. Seoho had definitely said he would stay with him. So that wasn’t it.
‘There’s no way Seoho would leave me behind.’
Rosetta tried to consciously erase that thought, but doubts filled in faster than he could push them away.
They still weren’t anything to each other yet, and at best they could be called friends who shared the same room.
It was strange to change worlds for the sake of just a friend. But he didn’t have the confidence to ask yet, nor the confidence to hear the answer.
‘Not now….’
Rosetta hurriedly pushed the doubts deep into the back of his mind and hastily concluded his thoughts. In any case, there were many reasons to accept the prince’s proposal.
They needed to obtain information about the Mirror from the prince, and since Seoho seemed concerned about the concubine who was supposedly dying soon, the prince needed to stay here for a while. The suspicious parts could be investigated separately.
‘Still, a year is too long. I’ll have to push him out with an appropriate excuse.’
Since the prince had used filial piety as a weapon to settle in here, they just needed to use that filial piety as well.
‘I just need to soothe Seoho’s longing appropriately.’
Seoho had never once said he wanted to return to his original world, but you never knew.
‘He might be pretending to be fine on purpose out of consideration for me.’
So he would let him stay just long enough that Seoho wouldn’t want to go back. Moreover, since that concubine had homesickness, there was no benefit to maintaining a long connection.
Having organized his thoughts, Rosetta looked at Seoho, who was chattering about how amazing it was that they were from the same country.
Today he had seen a side of Seoho he never expected. To calmly smile and demand evidence in place of him when he was wavering.
But fundamentally, Seoho was a kind and good person. So he wouldn’t be able to turn away someone from his homeland who seemed about to die.
“I wonder how old she is? Since the prince is the same age as Rosetta.”
Seoho, who had been calculating ages, clapped his hands.
“She must be around my mother’s age.”
Rosetta nodded to Seoho, who looked back at him as if seeking agreement.
“That’s right.”
“Ah, I should have asked how to address her.”
Watching Seoho, who said they’d need to decide on a title if they were going to write letters, Rosetta asked casually.
“Are you glad to meet someone from the same world?”
“I suppose so. I knew there were various worlds from what I heard from Angel, but out of all those many countries, to be from exactly the same world.”
His heart stung. He was worried that words he didn’t want to hear might come out. But in order to determine his course of action going forward, even if not perfectly, he needed to know at least a little of what Seoho was thinking.
So Rosetta opened his mouth, even though he had no intention of letting him go even if Seoho gave a positive answer.
“If you want to meet that person…”
Even so, his mouth wouldn’t open easily, and he let the rest trail off vaguely. Rosetta was about to open his mouth again to finish the question properly when Seoho waved his hands.
“I don’t particularly want to meet her in person.”
“Hm?”
“I said I don’t really want to meet her.”
If the answer came back that he wanted to meet her, he had planned to persuade him. He was going to explain how dangerous this world was and planned to frighten him.
But then if he scared him too much, he might become afraid of this world and want to return to his original world, so his mind was spinning rapidly to find a way to keep him here without earning his hatred.
‘And I would have forced you.’
Even though you didn’t tell me, you were longing for your original world after all. So I would have tried somehow to progress our relationship even faster.
If the relationship didn’t form as planned, an impatient version of himself would have taken Seoho by force.
But Seoho, as if reading this impatience, as if reading the worst ending Rosetta had unconsciously imagined, gave him the answer he wanted.
“She’s not even a similar age—she’s my mother’s age. And no matter if she’s from the same place, why would I follow the prince somewhere I can’t trust?”
From the moment doubt sprouted, Rosetta had been swept up in fierce impulses.
“Well…. Since I grabbed your hand even knowing I’d go to a different world the moment I first saw Rosetta, it’s a bit funny for me to say this, but I’m not really the type to easily open my heart to people.”
But the voice of the beast that had been shouting to devour the pure person right before his eyes, to make him his own before someone else took him, before he ran away, rapidly subsided.
“Rosetta’s case is special.”
Saying that, Seoho reached out to Rosetta. The naturally extended hand gently brushed under Rosetta’s eyes.
He wanted to close his eyes at that affectionate touch, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to miss Seoho’s gentle face, his face full of affection toward him.
“You were crying, and you were so happy to see me. I was also amazed that someone could be so happy to see me like this….”
While slowly caressing Rosetta’s face, Seoho added playfully.
“When such a beautiful person asks me to come with them, how could I not take their hand?”
Really, was it possible to like someone this much?
He liked everything—the words he said, his actions, his laughter, his kindness and consideration down to every detail.
He wanted to express the feelings swelling up inside him right now. Not with light words, but to convey all the emotions toward him that were deep in his heart, and continue praising him all day long.
But he couldn’t do that now. Rosetta took a deep breath as if sighing and covered Seoho’s hand with his large hand before it could fall away.
‘Right, I can endure it.’
Because you called me special. I had to endure until you opened your heart to me even more than now.
Swept up in thoughts that you might leave me, swept away by the desire to touch you, he couldn’t lose this affectionate touch and smiling face.
Rosetta closed his eyes and rubbed his face against Seoho’s hand.
“Rosetta?”
Even as he smiled faintly at him asking if he was tired, Rosetta didn’t open his eyes. If he opened his eyes now, he would surely kiss those lips that spoke such pretty words.
But not yet…, it was impossible for someone who had been so embarrassed they didn’t know what to do just from a kiss near the eyes.
Slowly, very slowly, he would seep into you. Those plump cheeks, those small and soft ears, that white and straight neck, those delicate lips slightly curled up, those full lips. One by one, naturally, so that even you wouldn’t notice.
Rosetta swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and stubbornly kept his eyes closed.
***
Angel looked back at the prince who was following her inside.
“So the means to protect yourself was magic?”
“That’s right.”
Even though he departed later than her, he had arrived at the imperial palace first and waited for her, which must also be thanks to magic.
A mage, how unexpected. Given her position, she saw mages quite often since they were said to be rare, but she had never heard that the second prince of Iakos was a mage.
‘Is it because it’s an island? There’s too little information.’
And what shook Angel even more than that was the fact that Concubine Grace and Seoho were from the same place.
“Is there a reason you didn’t tell me that they could be from the same place?”
The prince answered indifferently.
“I wasn’t certain, and there was no need to inform you.”
The latter reason was probably bigger. Angel held back the urge to sneer.
“…I see. Then you have no intention of revealing your other purpose besides the letters either.”
At Angel’s words thrown out sarcastically, the prince tilted his head to the side.
“Who knows. Maybe I really did come looking for him for the sake of letters with my mother.”
“Ha.”
This time she couldn’t hold back her scornful laugh. Angel looked at the prince accusingly.
“No one will believe that excuse.”
Then the prince raised the corners of his mouth.
“But the stranger seems to believe it.”
