In the end, Chester moved his hand downward.
Soon after, his thick member throbbed upward. Chester let out a ragged breath and gripped the shaft.
“……Haaa.”
His other hand was still clutching Ruite’s clothing.
Chester buried his face in Ruite’s garment, slowly moving his hand.
Before long, his penis was slick and wet.
Perhaps because it was Ruite’s dressing room, his scent lingered faintly in the air.
“Ruite, ugh……”
His movements grew bolder.
Chester closed his eyes, focusing entirely on the scent of Ruite that surrounded him, his hand sliding up and down in a rapid rhythm.
He lamented the fact that Ruite’s clothes were the only things he could touch, yet the more he thought of Ruite, the more shallow his breathing became.
“Haa, ugh……!”
Before long, Chester’s body stiffened violently.
The semen coating his hand splattered slightly onto Ruite’s clothes.
Despite the release, he didn’t feel refreshed at all.
On the contrary, it felt as though his thirst had only intensified.
Chester remained in Ruite’s dressing room for a long time after that.
It was the first time in his life he had ever felt such a crushing sense of loneliness.
“Achoo!”
Ruite sniffled.
“You’re not catching a cold, are you?”
Colin, startled, handed him a dry cloth.
“No, my nose just suddenly got itchy. Someone must be talking about me.”
“Still, be careful. The temperature in the North is lower than in the capital. Make sure to drink a cup of warm tea before you go to bed.”
Ruite was currently on his dispatch mission at the Northern Branch.
Having arrived late last night, he had officially begun assisting the northern research department today.
Since several research members were injured, there was a mountain of work to do, and he had been cooped up in the lab all day.
He had only managed to escape once evening fell.
“Anyway, I heard you were talented at headquarters, but you’re truly amazing. I was impressed seeing you work in the lab earlier.”
“Look who’s talking. Didn’t you just get promoted to Knight Commander recently, Colin?”
The two, sitting across from each other in the lounge, exchanged glances and burst into cheerful laughter at the same time.
“When I see us like this, it feels surreal.”
“What does?”
“Thinking about how our Academy days of studying and practicing feel like just yesterday, yet you, me, and even Chester are steadily growing as knights.”
Normally, Ruite would have teased him for being sentimental, but Colin’s words made him reflect on his Academy life as well.
Things had certainly changed since the days when he was a clueless Magic Department student.
His magical repertoire had expanded, his techniques had improved, and his knowledge was incomparable to back then.
“You’re right.”
Ruite smiled softly. In the past, he thought ‘growth’ was a word that had nothing to do with him.
He hadn’t wanted to do anything grand; he just wanted to break off his engagement with Chester smoothly, twist the ending, and live a peaceful, leisurely life.
But now, it was different.
He wanted to move further forward and grow. He wanted to learn and master many things to become someone useful.
And above all, as the husband of the promising Knight Commander Chester, he wanted to be someone who truly suited him.
“Oh, Ruite is thinking about Chester right now.”
“Wh-how did you know? Are you using mind-reading magic like Chester or something?”
Colin let out a small laugh.
“Where would such a convenient spell exist? I can just tell by looking at your face.”
Ruite instinctively touched his face.
He tried to remember what his expression looked like, but he couldn’t quite tell.
Seeing his confused friend, Colin’s expression softened into a warm smile.
“I’m glad you and Chester seem to be doing well.”
“Yeah, we’re doing great.”
In fact, Chester had held onto him so tightly when he left for the North yesterday that he almost missed his departure time.
His daily life involved waking up with Chester every morning, working in the same place, and returning to the same mansion to spend the nights together.
Once, a colleague from the research department asked if he didn’t get tired of being stuck to his partner 24 hours a day, but Ruite couldn’t relate to that at all.
Being with Chester was always fun and happy.
“Oh, Ruite, if you’re not too tired, do you want to have a cup of tea with me here before you go?”
Colin pointed to the tea leaves and cups prepared in a corner of the lounge.
Since it was a region with low temperatures, it seemed warm tea was provided everywhere to help people thaw out.
Ruite enjoyed talking with Colin.
After all, they were friends who had shared joys and sorrows during their four years at the Academy.
However, Ruite had made a promise to Chester before leaving the capital.
“Um, sorry.”
Ruite scratched his cheek.
He didn’t know why, but Chester was still wary of Colin and had told him more than five times not to spend private time with him.
While he was worrying about how to decline, Colin nodded nonchalantly.
“Yeah, I understand.”
“Huh?”
“I think I know what Chester must have said. You’ll be at the branch for a few days anyway, and there’s plenty of time to see each other. Shall we head in for today?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Even without an explanation, it seemed Colin had understood the gist of it.
Ruite left the main building with Colin and headed toward the dormitory.
Only after parting with Colin and entering his room could he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After washing up, he brewed some tea as Colin had suggested.
It certainly warmed his body quickly.
Since work would start early tomorrow, he lay down in bed without delay.
He closed his eyes to sleep and turned off the light.
He made sure to pull the blanket up to his neck to avoid catching a cold.
“……”
However, the sense of emptiness did not disappear.
No matter how much he warmed his body with tea or covered himself with a plush blanket, a hollow feeling wrapped around him.
Finally, Ruite opened his eyes and stared up at the empty, white ceiling.
Using the ceiling as a canvas, he conjured Chester’s face in his mind.
“……I wonder if he’s sleeping.”
Chester was probably resting at the mansion by now.
Ruite knew exactly why he was feeling this emptiness: it was because there was no one nearby to share warmth with.
Normally, he wouldn’t be lying alone in a single bed like this.
He would have fallen asleep while chatting with Chester in their bedroom.
Chester always held Ruite tightly whenever they slept.
Whether Ruite turned to his side or lay flat, no matter his posture, Chester always held him dearly in his arms.
But now, Chester wasn’t there.
Eventually, Ruite slowly got out of bed and looked for his luggage.
He rummaged through the bag he had packed with Vilter’s help before coming to the North.
After finding what he was looking for, he pulled it out with a look of grim determination.
Up until the very moment he left, he had debated dozens of times whether to bring it: Chester’s clothes.
Since he’d decided to bring them, he figured he might as well bring two or three pieces instead of just one.
Ruite took Chester’s clothes and went back to bed.
Honestly, he wondered if he really needed to go this far, but it turned out to be an excellent choice.
As he buried his face in Chester’s clothes, the familiar scent of wood spread through his body.
The emptiness he had felt earlier vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by a sense of peace.
While it was still a poor substitute for the real Chester, it was far better than nothing.
Ruite hugged the thick pile of clothes tightly, much like a child who couldn’t sleep hugging a doll their parents had bought them.
“I miss you.”
His small voice scattered into the air.
Smelling Chester’s scent seemed to make the face he longed for even more vivid in his mind.
When he told Chester he had to go on dispatch, he thought Chester was overreacting, but it turned out he was no different.
He was already resorting to using Chester’s clothes on the very first night.
Ruite spent the late night wondering what Chester might be doing at that moment.
He couldn’t stop yawning, no matter how hard he tried.
Even while heading down to the dormitory cafeteria, his eyes wouldn’t stay open, and he almost tripped several times.
Thinking about Chester late into the night had taken quite a toll.
As he walked toward the cafeteria in a daze, he suddenly felt a presence beside him.
“Actually, I still can’t believe it.”
“Morning, Magnus. That’s quite a unique morning greeting.”
“How on earth did you and Chester end up getting married?”
Magnus stared at Ruite with a look of pure shock.
The wedding had taken place six months ago, and Magnus must have heard the news through Colin back then, yet it seemed he still couldn’t believe it.
“Why? It’s possible.”
“No! You guys weren’t even that close at the Academy. But according to Colin, you guys are living a life dripping with sweetness!”
“Magnus, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Is that really the only thing you have to talk about?”
“Did you really get married?”
Instead of answering, Ruite showed him his left ring finger.
The ring he shared with Chester was shining in its proper place.
“Wow, they really say you never know how things will turn out in the world, and they’re right.”
With that, Magnus began to ramble incessantly about how he felt when he first heard the news from Colin.
Remembering the past when he shared a room with Magnus at the Academy and his ears almost bled from the talking, Ruite felt strangely relieved that his old friend hadn’t changed a bit.
Ruite started his day feeling even more tired due to Magnus’s non-stop talking, and he devoted himself to his research work again today.
It was only after busily assisting the northern research members that he could finally take a breather.
He went outside to get some fresh air and was stretching when someone approached him from behind.
“Ruite! It’s you, right?”
