* * *
Ashton, smirking to himself, reached out and wiped it away with his finger.
Then, locking eyes with Remy, he slowly licked the cream off his fingertip.
“By the way.”
“…?”
“You said you wanted to go back to your original world.”
Remy, mid-swallow, froze.
His wide eyes snapped up to Ashton.
“That thing about getting shot by an alpha at the ball—is that really how you get back?”
Ashton said it so casually, lifting another forkful of cake and pushing it toward Remy’s lips.
Without a word, Remy accepted it, chewing in silence.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well, I am your ally, aren’t I? It’s only natural I’d be curious.”
“…….”
“I mean, if we’re being honest, does that even guarantee you’ll get back? That’s what I’m wondering.”
Ashton spoke lightly, but inside, his emotions were anything but calm.
Would Remy really return to his old world?
And more importantly—he desperately hoped that wouldn’t happen.
That was why he needed to know everything about Remy’s plan.
If Remy was working to return, then Ashton would just have to do everything in his power to stop him.
“Are you seriously not going to tell me?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then?”
“I just find it suspicious that you’re so curious.”
“You’re too paranoid. What difference does it make if I know?”
“…….”
“Besides, the alpha you’re looking for—it’s not me. I don’t give a damn about Allen, and I have no intention of shooting you.”
“Hah.”
“So don’t worry about it. I’m just asking out of curiosity.”
As he did, Ashton once again wiped the white cream from Remy’s lips.
Watching him effortlessly lick the cream off his own lips with his unnecessarily dazzling looks, Remy found himself thinking that perhaps Ashton was right.
Now that everything had been exposed, it seemed unlikely that Ashton would pull a gun on him.
Besides, he had already said it himself—he had no intention of shooting.
“For now, that’s the case.”
As Remy finally spoke, Ashton focused all his attention on him.
“Typically, when a possessor reaches the ending of the original story, they’re able to escape. It’s a universal rule.”
“A universal rule?”
“Well, usually. And in the original story, I was the character who got shot and died. So for me, dying is the ending.”
“Oh… The ending. Then is there no chance for things to change?”
“There are cases where you regress for the first time. But that depends on the situation.”
“You mean… you can go back to the beginning?”
“I can return to the moment I first possessed this body.”
“…That’s the worst possible outcome.”
“Exactly.”
“Even knowing that, you still have to choose the path of death?”
“I don’t have a choice. There’s no other way.”
Ashton thought seriously about it. It seemed like an utterly reckless decision.
Choosing death without even knowing whether he could return to his original world—Ashton couldn’t accept that.
“Remy.”
“Hm?”
“Instead of going back to reality… Have you ever considered staying here and living in this world?”
Ashton spoke as carefully as possible.
He couldn’t afford to let his true feelings slip out, so he had no choice but to be cautious.
“Living here…?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Remy’s expression turned grim.
His face hardened as he spoke with an almost hostile tone.
“I don’t want to live as an Omega. Getting pregnant with an Alpha’s child, giving birth… I have absolutely no desire for any of that.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“…What?”
“What’s so terrible about it that you hate it this much? Marriage and having children are normal parts of life. What’s so bad about having a child? Are you afraid of childbirth?”
“No, that’s obviously—!”
Remy trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
‘Now that I think about it… why? Why did I want so badly to leave this world? It’s natural for an Omega to bear children. So why can’t I accept that? Why, for what reason?’
A wave of confusion crashed over Remy.
His head started pounding, thoughts racing uncontrollably.
When he first realized he had possessed this body, all he wanted was to return to his original world.
That desire only intensified when he remembered how much he missed his mother.
At the same time, he didn’t want to live a life where he had to share love with another man in a male body.
For all those reasons, he had desperately wanted to return…
But now, he couldn’t even remember his mother’s face.
No—he couldn’t even remember his own name.
And yet, he had adapted seamlessly to this Omega’s body.
He had even gone as far as sharing intimacy with Ashton, a fellow man, and worse, he had enjoyed it.
He couldn’t even recall why the idea of a man bearing children had once seemed absurd.
That was why he couldn’t understand his own confusion.
He failed to realize just how much he had already become “Remy.”
Instead, he found his past self to be incomprehensible—the version of himself that had rejected the body of an Omega.
‘I don’t remember. I don’t remember why I wanted to return to reality… Why I wanted to die so desperately… Nothing comes to mind.’
Remy’s expression twisted into despair.
This was bad—extremely bad.
If he could no longer remember why he had been so desperate to return, it meant he had lost something critical.
“Remy?”
Seeing Remy’s pale face, as if he were about to collapse, Ashton immediately rose from his seat.
He quickly moved beside him, pulling him into his arms.
Remy, on the verge of fainting, buried his face in Ashton’s shoulder.
His pallid face disappeared against Ashton’s broad chest, and soon, his shoulders trembled as if he were about to cry.
Ashton silently stroked Remy’s hair.
He looked so fragile, like a wounded little bird—it pained Ashton deeply.
“Remy.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”
“I understand, Remy.”
“Why can’t I remember anything? Why… why…?”
As Remy sobbed, Ashton continued to hold him in silence.
The situation was cruel—unforgivably so.
If only he could take the pain in Remy’s place.
Watching him suffer like this was unbearable.
And yet, even knowing he couldn’t let him go, he still had no choice but to hold on.
“…Ashton.”
Remy, who had been crying into Ashton’s chest, slowly lifted his face.
Ashton gently held his chin, tilting his head down.
Remy didn’t resist as Ashton’s lips met his, filling the air with the faint scent of flowers.
His lips trembled as Ashton’s tongue slid into his mouth, as if grasping onto the last thread of his sanity. He clung to it, drawing him in deeper.
As if soothing Remy’s broken heart, Ashton’s tongue lingered, gently caressing him from within.
This was the only comfort he could offer—to release pheromones that would calm the Omega, to touch him and make him forget the pain, even for a moment.
“Remy…”
After the long kiss, Ashton wiped the moisture from Remy’s lips.
He kissed them again—once, twice—before slowly trailing down to the nape of his neck.
Remy’s body naturally sank back onto the sofa.
Hot breaths spilled against his skin as he tangled his fingers in Ashton’s hair.
Their bodies intertwined atop the long couch, pale skin exposed as discarded clothing fell to the floor.
Remy’s slender arms hung limply, his fingertips brushing against a crumpled shirt lying on the red carpet.
“Ah…!”
His waist arched as Ashton’s body pressed against him in waves, slow and unhurried, as if easing his wounded heart.
Every deep movement buried the pain beneath waves of pleasure.
He was grateful. Grateful for Ashton’s presence.
Clutching onto Ashton’s shoulders, he pressed his tear-streaked cheek against the crook of his neck.
With every slow, searing thrust, he let out soft, sorrowful cries.
* * *
