* * *
“I’m sure I warned you. Handle him with care.”
“And I told you. He’s not my type.”
Helid had only struck first to stop Ashard from moving — not because he had any intention of taking the hit obediently.
He shoved off Carlyle’s hand gripping his collar.
“Looks like you came here for the same reason that bastard Ashard did. Get a grip.”
“How dare you, you lowlife…!”
“Don’t be stupid. Open your eyes.”
Brushing the dust off himself, Helid shrugged.
The room was in chaos, his lips split open — clear evidence of a recent fight.
Carlyle, who had been blinded by rage because of Eren, finally took a proper look at Helid.
“You’re late. Ashard already came and went before you.”
“……”
Carlyle’s face twisted, as if something inside him had shattered.
‘Late? Me?’
That was something that had never once happened in his life.
He had always been ahead — never left behind.
But now… what?
“And by the way, it looks like Eren’s already given his heart to Ashard Fridit.”
“……”
‘Eren gave his heart to someone?’
The corners of his lips twitched as if they couldn’t hold still.
It was an emotion he had never experienced before — a bitter, unjust sense of loss, like something that was his had been taken away.
The sting of defeat.
“Ha, what’s with that face? Don’t tell me… you actually had feelings for Eren?”
Seeing Carlyle like this for the first time, Helid laughed mockingly.
‘Carlyle Firentium’, of all people, had feelings for Eren.
It was ridiculous.
“That’s too bad. You should’ve just liked Eren’s body like I did.”
“Shut your damn mouth.”
“Quit acting like a fool and get it together.”
Helid, having laid out the situation between Ashard and Eren, laughed as he warned him.
His warning was laced with mockery — as if to say you don’t stand a chance no matter what you do.
“And just so you know, I’m not the one who broke our agreement. That bastard Julius did.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know what exactly he did, but he definitely did something to Eren’s body.”
Carlyle bit down on his lip hard.
He couldn’t trust any of them — not Helid, not Ashard, not Julius.
He had to keep Eren close.
That thought had taken root in his mind and wouldn’t let go.
Whatever was going on between Eren and Ashard didn’t matter.
Even if Eren had feelings for Ashard, it didn’t matter.
Eren was only safe if he was by his side.
The emotions Carlyle had shown vanished completely.
Greed began to glimmer in his eyes.
The intense gaze beside him left Eren at a loss for words.
Ashard had been watching him for five hours now, not budging an inch, like he was afraid Eren might get up and leave the bed.
He had no appetite, and the sherbet the head chef had made barely registered in his mouth.
Right about then, Ashard gently took the spoon from Eren’s hand.
“How are you going to take medicine if you eat like this?”
“Well… it’s because you keep looking at me like that, Lord Ashard…”
“And what am I supposed to do when all I want is to devour those lips you keep nibbling like that? I’ll just have to hold myself back until you finish.”
“L-Lord Ashard!”
Panicked by his suggestive words, Eren quickly clamped a hand over Ashard’s mouth and glanced around.
Only after confirming they were alone did he let go.
Ashard caught his retreating wrist and placed a soft kiss on his palm.
“Huh?! W-What are you doing…!”
“You’re too pretty, everywhere I look. It’s driving me crazy. What am I supposed to do?”
His flirtatious tone was no different than usual, but beneath that playful smile lurked a shadow.
Noticing it quickly, Eren looked away and ducked his head.
Smack—
Their lips touched softly and parted.
Ashard’s eyes widened at the unexpected sensation.
“I really am okay, Lord Ashard.”
Eren couldn’t possibly not notice those glances Ashard kept casting at his ankle.
He was the one who got hurt — yet Ashard was the one suffering.
There was no way he’d buy that weak lie about tripping.
He already knew Helid had something to do with it.
Even though Helid looked like the one who got wrecked, judging by how Eren returned unharmed, it was Ashard who had the darkest expression.
And Eren could clearly see that he was the cause.
“So you really don’t need to worry.”
He wasn’t just saying it — he meant it.
Thanks to Prince Elyrion showing up at just the right time, nothing serious had happened.
Well… aside from his ankle being a wreck.
The smile Eren had worked so hard to wear crumbled at Ashard’s reaction.
His long lashes trembled.
Maybe it was because he’d been holding back so much, but the smile usually playing on Ashard’s face faded frighteningly fast.
“Weren’t you scared?”
“Not as much as I thought I’d be.”
“…”
Even though he said it with a smile, Ashard’s expression darkened further.
Eren hesitated.
It hit him — “not as much as I thought” meant he had expected something bad to happen.
Smack—
A kiss to cover up his slip of the tongue.
Like a kitten trying to act cute after knocking something over, Eren leaned in.
Ashard’s lips curled up without him realizing it as he glanced at Eren peeking up at him.
“That’s not gonna cut it, you know?”
“…”
When Ashard closed his eyes, inviting more, Eren hesitantly leaned in.
Ashard had always taken the lead.
It was the first time Eren tried to kiss him, and everything about it — his lips, his arms wrapping awkwardly around Ashard’s neck — was clumsy.
He had kissed Ashard first, but now he froze up — it was unclear if it was a kiss or just a bump of lips.
Amused, Ashard gently bit his lip.
Then, as if encouraging him to copy, he swept his tongue across his lips — but Eren, brain blank with nerves, didn’t know what to do.
“You took the lead. Now you’ve gotta see it through.”
“…Lord Ashard.”
Still touching his lips, Eren shook his head as if to say ‘I can’t’.
Then he puckered up and looked up with dazed eyes, clearly asking Ashard to take over.
No man could resist that.
Ashard, giving in to the temptation, cradled the back of Eren’s neck.
Eren’s soft, warm tongue was incredibly sweet.
The noise in Ashard’s head began to fade.
Eren didn’t resist — in fact, he seemed to beg for more, completely vulnerable.
Ashard didn’t miss the opportunity and explored every corner of his mouth.
Thanks to the sherbet earlier, a peachy sweetness lingered in Eren’s breath.
As if savoring the sherbet itself, Ashard tasted every part of Eren’s plump, tender tongue.
Their sweet, gentle kiss gradually grew intense.
Eren’s glazed, blue eyes — dazed in bliss — were more than enough to stir up Ashard’s desire.
“Damn it…”
* * *
