* * *
“This…”
Henry tried to turn his head to escape, but the effort only made their lips press more deeply together.
“Back…”
Even trying to tell Edwin to back off was difficult because Edwin’s lips pressed harder.
It was impossible to close his mouth.
He even tried to bite Edwin to push him away, but that, too, was hard to accomplish.
It felt as though Edwin’s pheromones were flooding into his mouth, almost like swallowing a thick, shapeless fog.
Henry’s throat bobbed repeatedly as if trying to swallow down the coolness of Edwin’s tongue, which seemed to quench his heat.
The kiss, which only deepened, eventually made Henry shut his eyes tightly and shake his head in frustration.
But no matter how much he struggled to break free from the grip on the back of his head, he couldn’t escape—the kiss only became more intense.
‘Why is he doing this to me…’
No matter how hard he tried, Henry couldn’t break free from Edwin, and tears began to well up in his tightly shut eyes.
Just moments ago, he felt like he was going mad from the fever, but now, in a different sense, his mind was in turmoil, and he was overwhelmed with frustration.
The kiss he couldn’t avoid and had to endure lasted for a long time.
When Henry finally seemed to give up and let his strength drain away, Edwin’s forceful grip also lessened.
A slight gap appeared between their once painfully pressed lips, but instead of pulling away completely, Edwin continued with a softer kiss.
After what felt like countless shared breaths, Henry’s hand fell limply to the floor.
It was only when Edwin’s lips lightly brushed against his like a feather that Henry realized the kiss had ended.
“Why did you…”
As Henry’s weak voice trailed off, Edwin leaned closer to hear him better. That was when Henry’s loosely hanging hand clenched into a fist, and he swung it at Edwin’s face.
Henry’s punch landed squarely on Edwin’s cheek, causing his face to turn. When Henry glared up at him, Edwin’s cheek was already turning red.
“What the hell are you doing to me?”
Henry furiously rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, glaring at Edwin.
Even though he had just punched him, it didn’t feel like enough.
He wanted to hit him more, but as he clenched his fist, Edwin’s head slowly turned back.
He looked at Henry with an unbothered gaze, devoid of any guilt for forcing a kiss on him.
“I was calming your heat.”
“A heat? I wasn’t—”
“Your body was overheating.”
“You…”
Henry couldn’t continue as he saw Edwin’s expression. He should have been angry about the kiss, but Edwin’s words struck him like a thorn.
“I just prevented you from scratching your neck raw and twisting your feverish body around.”
“What are you talking about? Explain it slowly.”
Henry cut Edwin off, feeling like he was about to explain something that eerily matched his earlier state.
Despite the confusion, Henry could clearly feel that the fire raging inside him had indeed subsided.
“Every night, your body heats up like an inferno, and you start having heats, desperately searching for water. But even when you drank water, it didn’t help.”
“…So?”
“I kissed you to calm you down.”
“Who? You kissed me?”
“Have you already forgotten what just happened?”
Henry forced his sluggish mind to work. If he pieced together what Edwin was saying, it meant that he had been having fits every night.
Probably like the one earlier when his body heated up. And Edwin had been calming him down…
Until tonight, he hadn’t realized because he had never been awake this late.
If his sleep schedule hadn’t shifted tonight, he might not have known about his condition.
“Since when?”
“I didn’t notice while we were at the Duke’s estate.”
That meant it had been happening since they started traveling.
“So, every time I suffered, you were the one who calmed me down?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone else, like Sir Teher, notice my condition?”
Now that things had reached this point, Henry decided to pry out everything Edwin knew.
If this had been happening every night, surely someone else must have noticed.
But Edwin shook his head at Henry’s question.
“No one else knows.”
“So only you… only you knew?”
“Yes.”
Even while answering Henry’s questions, Edwin kept observing his condition. The tormented look on Henry’s face from earlier was now gone.
As Henry sat there in thought, Edwin slipped his hand under Henry’s arm and helped him stand.
Though Henry had been sitting on the floor until then, he moved on his own after Edwin lifted him. He slumped into a chair and clutched his head.
‘It must be because of the incomplete imprint.’
It was clear that the incomplete connection between him and Edwin was causing problems.
And being constantly exposed to Edwin’s pheromones only made it worse.
There was no other explanation for why the kiss had so effectively quelled the fire within him.
“Do you have any idea why this is happening?”
Feeling Edwin’s gaze sweep over his face, Henry lowered his eyes and shook his head.
He had a guess, but he couldn’t say it out loud.
‘I shouldn’t have come on this trip with him from the start.’
Henry now understood the consequences of his careless decision. And if what Edwin said was true, it meant that they had been kissing every night until now, which only added to his frustration.
As he brooded, Edwin’s shadow loomed over him.
“If you want to avoid a repeat of what just happened, find another solution.”
Edwin checked Henry’s forehead to make sure the fever had subsided, then turned away without hesitation.
He left the room just as he had entered—completely on his own terms. Henry stared after him, stunned, and muttered to himself with a bewildered expression.
“Did he really just calm my fit and leave?”
No wonder he had been so confident when he entered the room.
“You don’t look well-rested at all.”
Henry came down with hollow eyes after a sleepless night. William, who had been watching from the head of the table, noticed Henry’s exhausted state and looked at him with concern.
But Henry couldn’t explain the situation to him.
How could he possibly explain that he’d been having fits and that Edwin had been calming him down?
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Henry responded lightly and took a seat.
“Weren’t you going to rest?”
“Well… I slept during the day, so I couldn’t sleep at night.”
“Hmm, your day and night are switched.”
William clicked his tongue, looking at Henry as if he was a child who couldn’t take care of himself.
Despite William’s reaction, Henry didn’t care and drank some cold water.
The coolness seemed to clear his foggy mind a little. He wondered why he hadn’t done this last night when he was thirsty.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t just last night.
Even during the day, while waiting for Violet, he had felt dizzy and thirsty.
‘It was when I was with Edwin.’
He had naturally sensed Edwin’s pheromones.
The fact that he had even opened a window for ventilation was proof that Edwin’s pheromones were bothering him.
Henry was about to take a bite of stew but suddenly looked up.
The table felt vast and empty with only William and himself seated.
“If you’re looking for Edwin, he left early.”
“Is that so.”
Henry responded indifferently and ate a spoonful of stew. If the cold water had quenched his thirst, the warm stew was loosening up his stiff body.
The soft texture of the stew brought a smile to his face. Apart from not getting enough sleep, he wasn’t feeling too bad.
“Are you planning to stay in today as well?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
William observed Henry’s face closely.
“I’m curious if you’re avoiding that place because you know there are many people gathered there, or if you have other thoughts.”
“Of course, there will be many people. There are probably even groups forming there.”
“You know that without even seeing it?”
“You don’t always need to see something to know it.”
Intrigued, William leaned in closer, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at Henry. He had always thought Henry only cared about his elegant life and Edwin.
Henry might know about the latest trends in the capital’s designs, but he was clueless about the commoners’ market prices.
He knew where Edwin frequented, but had little interest in the geography of the empire.
Seeing this side of Henry sometimes made William feel a bit frustrated. After all, Henry was someone who was supposed to help him lead the future.
Naturally, he worried about him. Yet, because of his affection for Henry, William had always let it slide. However, lately, Henry had been surprising him more and more.
Henry had effortlessly included a man named Hook in their group and had seen through the identity of a disguised merchant group.
Moreover, even without visiting the place where a treasure was supposedly hidden, he had already deduced certain things.
This was not the Henry William used to know.
“What is it?”
Henry finally asked, unable to bear William’s lingering gaze any longer.
“What?”
“You’ve been looking at me strangely.”
“How have I been looking at you?”
William asked with amusement, curious to see if Henry could read his thoughts this time too.
“With a mischievous look.”
All William had done was compare Henry’s past self with his current self.
But being called mischievous felt a bit unjust, didn’t it?
“You didn’t take me for a fool, did you? It’s only natural for people to gather where there’s treasure, and some of them are bound to team up.”
“Ah, right.”
Henry’s prediction was something anyone could easily make.
Even William had said before the trip that he would take care of the chaos there.
However, when it came to Henry, this wasn’t so obvious. He had never considered anything outside of his aristocratic life.
But this time, William admitted that he had been wrong.
“That’s right, it’s something everyone knows. I misjudged you.”
“You didn’t misjudge me. I still have much to learn.”
Even though William apologized, Henry countered by admitting he still didn’t know much.
Perhaps it was to keep up the pretense in case there were things he was truly unaware of.
Though William might not take this seriously.
“So, you’re not going to check it out?”
“…I’ll think about it while I eat.”
As Henry resumed eating his stew, William didn’t press him further. Sensing the changes in Henry, William found himself liking this version of him more.
Though he seemed moodier and more sarcastic, there was something more engaging about their conversations now.
As the peaceful meal continued, the dining room fell into a comfortable silence.
Henry was busy sorting out his thoughts, while William was pondering if there might be any other amusements around.
Then, just as William was about to lift his glass, a button popped off his shirt.
It was a small sound, but enough for Henry to notice as the button rolled across the table.
“Strange things happen.”
“Indeed.”
There was no way the prince’s clothes had been poorly made.
Was it the lack of maintenance during the trip?
Henry chewed on a madeleine as he watched the button roll.
The red button reminded him of a red-haired man he knew.
“This trip is really interesting. So many interesting things keep happening.”
Despite his puzzled expression, William’s eyes, as he looked at his clothes, were unreadable.
Watching William, Henry turned away from him.
For some reason, it felt like this man would keep seeking amusement even in his age.
* * *
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luv this chapter AAAAHHHH
He didn’t question him about his heat like symptoms.
I need morrrrreeee 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Ahhh ❤❤
So, Edwin just kissed him while he slept without consent?
I wanna know what’s running in Edwin’s mind
Thanks for the chapter
this is SO interesting!!
🗿🗿🗿
Just like that, really Edwin???
I sense a prince x hook potential 😜
Right!I’m already shipping for them