Chapter 78
At the same time.
“Ugh…!”
Joo Yi-Gyeol's brow furrowed deeply before he suddenly rushed toward the bathroom attached to the bedroom. White Butterfly immediately followed behind him.
“Ugh, cough! Cough!”
He spat out the contents of his mouth into the round, palm-sized hole in the bathroom floor. After coughing a few more times and spitting everything out, Joo Yi-Gyeol squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to catch his breath.
—This is bad. At this rate, you’re going to collapse.
“…I know.”
Joo Yi-Gyeol forced a weak smile at White Butterfly’s worried words. He scooped up some water from the wooden basin in the bathroom, swished it around in his mouth, and spit it out, making sure to rinse thoroughly before pouring some water near the hole.
—Should I ask them to change your food?
“I don’t think I can eat anything yet. I just can’t swallow anything.”
White Butterfly, seeing the disheartened look on Joo Yi-Gyeol’s face, fluttered around him in an attempt to console him.
—Hmm, just in case, I’ll ask them to bring some soup instead.
“…Okay.”
White Butterfly left to inform the guards outside, while Joo Yi-Gyeol, who was just stepping out of the bathroom, kept his shoulders slumped until the butterfly completely disappeared from the room.
Left alone in the bedroom, Yi-Gyeol turned his icy gaze toward the luxurious dishes laid out on the table. They were as extravagant as the ones he had in Seth’s chambers, tempting him with their warmth and richness. But he had no intention of eating them.
‘I don’t know what might be in them.’
If it came from Zair, he wouldn't touch it. No matter how lavish or inviting the food appeared, it could be laced with poison or drugs. He wasn’t an esteemed royal like Seth, but there was no harm in being cautious. Especially after witnessing what Zair had done in his room—there was no telling what else he might try.
Joo Yi-Gyeol sat on the bed, staring at the slowly cooling food.
His hunger had turned into a dull ache in his stomach. Instinctively, his gaze drifted toward the food, but he simply lay down on the bed and turned away. Curling up beneath the blanket, he closed his eyes.
'My condition has been strange today.'
It wasn’t just the lack of physical nourishment—his body felt weak, sluggish, and unsteady, most likely due to the absence of vital energy.
‘Vital energy…’
Curling into himself, he reached up and touched his lips. They felt cooler and softer than usual. It had only been two days since he last received a supply of vital energy through a kiss, yet his body already felt heavy and foreign to him.
'Is Seth okay?'
The Sethian he had finally found had seemed better than expected—still dignified and not the least bit cowed. He had tried to look clearly at him, enough to want a kiss even from him in his mere spirit state.
'I miss him…'
If only this were the same bed where he had fallen asleep with Sethian. If only the fragrant food had been prepared by him. If only this bedroom belonged to Sethian.
That would have been so much better.
The more he thought about it, the more Sethian’s face lingered in his mind.
"Don’t worry. I’ll come get you soon."
Those warm words, spoken just before Seth left to deliver a message, echoed in his head.
His heart pounded pleasantly at the memory. Before he knew it, he had forgotten his hunger, all his attention fixed on the rapid beating in his chest.
'Seth said he would come to get me.'
Sethian would set everything right, drive Zair away, and confidently reclaim him. Then, he would be able to return to Sethian’s space once more.
Joo Yi-Gyeol curled into himself even tighter. In this cold bed, the only warmth he could feel was his own body, and if he curled up like this, it felt as if Sethian were holding him, which soothed him.
'Maybe I should try to see Seth… Now that I know where he is, if I can just avoid Zair’s eyes—'
''Click—''
The sound of the door opening made Joo Yi-Gyeol jolt awake.
Only one person could enter a prince’s chambers without knocking.
"Are you still struggling to eat?"
So White Butterfly must have reported to Zair instead of just the guards. He had probably already received news that Yi-Gyeol hadn’t eaten yesterday either, yet he had been too busy to visit until now. And now, for some reason, he had decided to come in person.
The sudden appearance of Zair threw the Sethian-filled thoughts in Joo Yi-Gyeol’s head into disarray. He didn’t like it, but he was still in Zair’s grasp, so he needed to act.
Uncurling himself, he sat up weakly and forced a smile. As Zair entered the room, his gaze briefly flicked to the untouched food before approaching Joo Yi-Gyeol.
"You must be starving. You should try to eat something, even if it’s difficult."
“…I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to swallow anything…"
He cast his gaze downward, feigning an apologetic and tearful expression. Zair’s eyes softened in an imitation of concern.
"This is serious. You’re already lacking vital energy, and now you’re not eating? You’ll collapse soon at this rate."
Zair reached out and stroked Joo Yi-Gyeol’s cheek. His touch was as cold as the bed beneath him. Joo Yi-Gyeol flinched, especially when Zair’s fingers trailed down to his neck, making him tense up instinctively. Not only that, just having his hand touch the area around his neck that Sethian had been obsessed with made a maddening revulsion surge up.
"Relax. I’m not going to do anything."
Zair’s fingers continued their slow, searching path along Joo Yi-Gyeol’s neck before flicking open a button on his shirt.
Joo Yi-Gyeol immediately grabbed his wrist.
"Zair… Your Highness?"
"Stay still."
He wanted to push him away, but he couldn’t. Clenching his teeth, Joo Yi-Gyeol reluctantly released his grip and let his hand fall.
At least he had hidden the sleeping drug under his pillow. He had considered keeping it around his neck, but fearing Zair might notice, he had stowed it away in advance.
Pop. Pop.
The sound of buttons being undone echoed in the quiet room, making his skin crawl. Soon, Zair had unfastened them all, pulling his shirt open.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, unable to endure Zair’s eyes openly raking over his body, turned his head away and shut his eyes. This had never happened before, but just the fact that Zair was running his gaze over his body made a kind of disgust surge up that he had never felt before. It felt nothing like when Sethian looked at him.
"It’s gone."
Joo Yi-Gyeol’s eyes snapped open at Zair’s sudden remark.
'What?'
'What’s gone?'
Zair’s fingers trailed slowly down from his neck, further down. When Seth touched him, it had been warm and ticklish. Now, it felt like insects crawling over his skin—repulsive and sickening.
"I thought it would fade soon, and now, it’s completely gone."
Zair spoke loud enough for him to hear. Joo Yi-Gyeol’s pupils trembled violently.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze to his own body.
Smooth, pale skin. Not a single trace left.
"Ah…"
The marks Sethian had left behind had completely disappeared. Every single one.
He had known they would fade eventually. That was why he had hoped Sethian would leave behind something more before they disappeared, but they had been separated unexpectedly. In the two days they could not meet, not even a single trace had endured.
The moment he recognized it, a chilling terror crashed over him. It felt as though something were not only pressing down on his entire body, but crushing it. Even after Zair removed his hand and straightened up from where he had leaned over the bed, it did not stop. If anything, it only grew worse.
"It looks like your master changing will happen faster than expected. If that happens, then I too, if only for the same excuse as Sethian, on your body……."
Zair was saying something at length, but the sound gradually grew fainter until Joo Yi-Gyeol could no longer hear it. Sitting on the bed in a daze without even closing the front of his shirt, his face gradually went corpse-pale.
The breath slipping out between his trembling lips seemed to grow rougher, only to stop short instead.
The fact that Sethian’s traces had disappeared.
A fact small enough to be called ‘mere’ was eating away at Joo Yi-Gyeol’s mind and making his body go rigid. His vision dimmed until it became so black that he could not see anything at all.
“So no more…….”
Turning his head as he continued speaking, Zair looked at Joo Yi-Gyeol, then suddenly stopped and quickly approached him. It was strange to see him sitting there with his head bowed, motionless like a doll with a broken spring, so Zair grabbed his face and lifted it.
"Joo Yi—!"
He flinched.
The emptiness in Joo Yi-Gyeol’s eyes made Zair’s expression twist in shock.
"Snap out of it! Breathe!"
Joo Yi-Gyeol had stopped, unable to take even a single breath, as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Ugh…!”
Joo Yi-Gyeol's brow furrowed deeply before he suddenly rushed toward the bathroom attached to the bedroom. White Butterfly immediately followed behind him.
“Ugh, cough! Cough!”
He spat out the contents of his mouth into the round, palm-sized hole in the bathroom floor. After coughing a few more times and spitting everything out, Joo Yi-Gyeol squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to catch his breath.
—This is bad. At this rate, you’re going to collapse.
“…I know.”
Joo Yi-Gyeol forced a weak smile at White Butterfly’s worried words. He scooped up some water from the wooden basin in the bathroom, swished it around in his mouth, and spit it out, making sure to rinse thoroughly before pouring some water near the hole.
—Should I ask them to change your food?
“I don’t think I can eat anything yet. I just can’t swallow anything.”
White Butterfly, seeing the disheartened look on Joo Yi-Gyeol’s face, fluttered around him in an attempt to console him.
—Hmm, just in case, I’ll ask them to bring some soup instead.
“…Okay.”
White Butterfly left to inform the guards outside, while Joo Yi-Gyeol, who was just stepping out of the bathroom, kept his shoulders slumped until the butterfly completely disappeared from the room.
Left alone in the bedroom, Yi-Gyeol turned his icy gaze toward the luxurious dishes laid out on the table. They were as extravagant as the ones he had in Seth’s chambers, tempting him with their warmth and richness. But he had no intention of eating them.
‘I don’t know what might be in them.’
If it came from Zair, he wouldn't touch it. No matter how lavish or inviting the food appeared, it could be laced with poison or drugs. He wasn’t an esteemed royal like Seth, but there was no harm in being cautious. Especially after witnessing what Zair had done in his room—there was no telling what else he might try.
Joo Yi-Gyeol sat on the bed, staring at the slowly cooling food.
His hunger had turned into a dull ache in his stomach. Instinctively, his gaze drifted toward the food, but he simply lay down on the bed and turned away. Curling up beneath the blanket, he closed his eyes.
'My condition has been strange today.'
It wasn’t just the lack of physical nourishment—his body felt weak, sluggish, and unsteady, most likely due to the absence of vital energy.
‘Vital energy…’
Curling into himself, he reached up and touched his lips. They felt cooler and softer than usual. It had only been two days since he last received a supply of vital energy through a kiss, yet his body already felt heavy and foreign to him.
'Is Seth okay?'
The Sethian he had finally found had seemed better than expected—still dignified and not the least bit cowed. He had tried to look clearly at him, enough to want a kiss even from him in his mere spirit state.
'I miss him…'
If only this were the same bed where he had fallen asleep with Sethian. If only the fragrant food had been prepared by him. If only this bedroom belonged to Sethian.
That would have been so much better.
The more he thought about it, the more Sethian’s face lingered in his mind.
"Don’t worry. I’ll come get you soon."
Those warm words, spoken just before Seth left to deliver a message, echoed in his head.
His heart pounded pleasantly at the memory. Before he knew it, he had forgotten his hunger, all his attention fixed on the rapid beating in his chest.
'Seth said he would come to get me.'
Sethian would set everything right, drive Zair away, and confidently reclaim him. Then, he would be able to return to Sethian’s space once more.
Joo Yi-Gyeol curled into himself even tighter. In this cold bed, the only warmth he could feel was his own body, and if he curled up like this, it felt as if Sethian were holding him, which soothed him.
'Maybe I should try to see Seth… Now that I know where he is, if I can just avoid Zair’s eyes—'
''Click—''
The sound of the door opening made Joo Yi-Gyeol jolt awake.
Only one person could enter a prince’s chambers without knocking.
"Are you still struggling to eat?"
So White Butterfly must have reported to Zair instead of just the guards. He had probably already received news that Yi-Gyeol hadn’t eaten yesterday either, yet he had been too busy to visit until now. And now, for some reason, he had decided to come in person.
The sudden appearance of Zair threw the Sethian-filled thoughts in Joo Yi-Gyeol’s head into disarray. He didn’t like it, but he was still in Zair’s grasp, so he needed to act.
Uncurling himself, he sat up weakly and forced a smile. As Zair entered the room, his gaze briefly flicked to the untouched food before approaching Joo Yi-Gyeol.
"You must be starving. You should try to eat something, even if it’s difficult."
“…I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to swallow anything…"
He cast his gaze downward, feigning an apologetic and tearful expression. Zair’s eyes softened in an imitation of concern.
"This is serious. You’re already lacking vital energy, and now you’re not eating? You’ll collapse soon at this rate."
Zair reached out and stroked Joo Yi-Gyeol’s cheek. His touch was as cold as the bed beneath him. Joo Yi-Gyeol flinched, especially when Zair’s fingers trailed down to his neck, making him tense up instinctively. Not only that, just having his hand touch the area around his neck that Sethian had been obsessed with made a maddening revulsion surge up.
"Relax. I’m not going to do anything."
Zair’s fingers continued their slow, searching path along Joo Yi-Gyeol’s neck before flicking open a button on his shirt.
Joo Yi-Gyeol immediately grabbed his wrist.
"Zair… Your Highness?"
"Stay still."
He wanted to push him away, but he couldn’t. Clenching his teeth, Joo Yi-Gyeol reluctantly released his grip and let his hand fall.
At least he had hidden the sleeping drug under his pillow. He had considered keeping it around his neck, but fearing Zair might notice, he had stowed it away in advance.
Pop. Pop.
The sound of buttons being undone echoed in the quiet room, making his skin crawl. Soon, Zair had unfastened them all, pulling his shirt open.
Joo Yi-Gyeol, unable to endure Zair’s eyes openly raking over his body, turned his head away and shut his eyes. This had never happened before, but just the fact that Zair was running his gaze over his body made a kind of disgust surge up that he had never felt before. It felt nothing like when Sethian looked at him.
"It’s gone."
Joo Yi-Gyeol’s eyes snapped open at Zair’s sudden remark.
'What?'
'What’s gone?'
Zair’s fingers trailed slowly down from his neck, further down. When Seth touched him, it had been warm and ticklish. Now, it felt like insects crawling over his skin—repulsive and sickening.
"I thought it would fade soon, and now, it’s completely gone."
Zair spoke loud enough for him to hear. Joo Yi-Gyeol’s pupils trembled violently.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze to his own body.
Smooth, pale skin. Not a single trace left.
"Ah…"
The marks Sethian had left behind had completely disappeared. Every single one.
He had known they would fade eventually. That was why he had hoped Sethian would leave behind something more before they disappeared, but they had been separated unexpectedly. In the two days they could not meet, not even a single trace had endured.
The moment he recognized it, a chilling terror crashed over him. It felt as though something were not only pressing down on his entire body, but crushing it. Even after Zair removed his hand and straightened up from where he had leaned over the bed, it did not stop. If anything, it only grew worse.
"It looks like your master changing will happen faster than expected. If that happens, then I too, if only for the same excuse as Sethian, on your body……."
Zair was saying something at length, but the sound gradually grew fainter until Joo Yi-Gyeol could no longer hear it. Sitting on the bed in a daze without even closing the front of his shirt, his face gradually went corpse-pale.
The breath slipping out between his trembling lips seemed to grow rougher, only to stop short instead.
The fact that Sethian’s traces had disappeared.
A fact small enough to be called ‘mere’ was eating away at Joo Yi-Gyeol’s mind and making his body go rigid. His vision dimmed until it became so black that he could not see anything at all.
“So no more…….”
Turning his head as he continued speaking, Zair looked at Joo Yi-Gyeol, then suddenly stopped and quickly approached him. It was strange to see him sitting there with his head bowed, motionless like a doll with a broken spring, so Zair grabbed his face and lifted it.
"Joo Yi—!"
He flinched.
The emptiness in Joo Yi-Gyeol’s eyes made Zair’s expression twist in shock.
"Snap out of it! Breathe!"
Joo Yi-Gyeol had stopped, unable to take even a single breath, as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
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