For a long while, the two of them locked eyes, their faces flushed with the exact same shade of crimson from the alcohol.
Just as Chester opened his mouth to speak, Ruite suddenly delivered a headbutt straight to his forehead.
A sharp cry of pain escaped Chester’s lips.
“I’m leaving,” Ruite declared.
Ruite’s own forehead was burning red, but in his drunken state, the pain was dulled and didn’t feel particularly sharp.
“Wait. Let’s talk.”
“You can barely enunciate; what kind of talking are you going to do?”
“You’re exactly the same!”
“Let go. I’m going to my room.”
They had been fighting over alcohol moments ago, but now they had transitioned into a new squabble—one person trying to leave and the other trying to make him stay.
However, with their physical strength depleted by the booze, the struggle didn’t last long.
Ruite gave up on leaving and sat slumped against the wall.
Chester, having run out of energy to restrain him, let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“Ruite, what is wrong with you lately? Are you mad at me for something?”
“What makes you think that?”
“You told me not to eat dinner with you or visit anymore. Do you think I don’t notice you ignoring me even when we run into each other?”
Since everything Chester said was true, Ruite simply turned his head away.
Seeing that silent confirmation, Chester’s face contorted with frustration.
“Tell me why.”
“There is no reason.”
“Didn’t I tell you before that you’re a terrible liar?”
Tsk.
Ruite clicked his tongue.
Though the room was dark because Varen hadn’t turned on the lights, the moonlight filtering through the window clearly illuminated Ruite’s incredibly grumpy expression.
At the sight of that cute face, Chester’s scowl instantly vanished.
Chester had learned one thing about Ruite’s drinking habits today: when he was drunk, his emotions became transparent on his face.
“I’m not telling you. Do I have to tell you? Is there a law?”
Ruite’s tone was just as blunt as his expression. Chester’s eyebrows twitched again.
“I need to at least know what you’re thinking.”
“Then why do you want to know so badly? You do everything your way anyway.”
“I hate that you keep ignoring me. I need to know the reason so I can fix whatever it is. I mean, haven’t I been pretty good to you lately?”
“Do you really have to say that yourself? Besides, ‘good’? You come to the Research office and bother me every time I’m working, and you interfere with my life, telling me not to be friendly with anyone I talk to.”
Chester cleared his throat, looking guilty.
He was at least aware that he had been obsessively annoying lately.
He had visited the Research Department every chance he got just to see Ruite.
Not only that, but if Ruite showed even a hint of becoming friendly with someone, Chester would sense it like a ghost and try to find out exactly how close they were and what they talked about.
His parting words were always, ‘Don’t get too close.’
He knew well, as Varen had said, that no one likes a possessive person.
But knowing it in his head didn’t always translate to his actions.
Objectively, Ruite was flawless.
First, there was his appearance.
Chester had never seen a face in his life that was simultaneously cute, handsome, and even pretty—except for Ruite’s.
Then there was his family.
Even if the Everhart Earldom didn’t hold its former glory and had lost its power, it was still a noble house with history.
And what about his personality?
He usually carried himself with a detached, indifferent attitude, yet he possessed a heart that sincerely cared for and considered others.
Watching Ruite comfort Dane earlier made Chester realize all over again that he wasn’t the only one who recognized Ruite’s good qualities.
The fear that Ruite might one day fly away and leave him behind had likely taken root then.
After all, the current Ruite wouldn’t strictly need to marry him.
“I did it because I hated the idea of you getting close to other people.”
“So what, I’m supposed to live like an outcast in here?”
“If that’s why you’re mad, I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore, so…”
“Do you know what’s really annoying?”
Chester’s shoulders slumped dejectedly.
It seemed he really had bothered Ruite too much.
He hadn’t realized Ruite was upset enough to cut him off mid-sentence.
“You tell me not to be friendly with others, but then you smile and act all sweet toward someone else.”
“…Huh?”
Chester slowly lifted his head.
Words he never expected were spilling from Ruite’s mouth.
“When did I do that? I’m not ‘sweet’ to anyone. Except you…”
“Then what about Captain Ciel? I saw everything! You were smiling at him and standing so close while talking… and you just stayed still when he touched your hair.”
Ruite was out of his mind with intoxication.
Words he would never have uttered so bluntly while sober were tumbling out of his mouth without passing through a single filter.
“But what? Tell me not to get close to people easily? I’m so baffled… ah, my head is throbbing.”
Ruite grimaced and clutched his forehead.
Chester sat there, jaw dropped, staring blankly.
He chewed over Ruite’s words in his mind before biting his lip hard.
“Ruite.”
Chester crawled closer to where Ruite was leaning against the wall.
“Don’t come over here.”
“You… did you hate me talking to Senior Ciel that much?”
Chester closed the distance until they were face-to-face.
“I’m not petty like some people, so I don’t get upset just because of a conversation. I told you, you laughed! Like this!”
Ruite reached out toward the approaching Chester.
He grabbed both corners of Chester’s mouth and forced them upward, scolding him about how he had smiled.
“You’re usually so rude to people. You act like a jerk. So why were you smiling in front of the Captain?”
“Because Senior Ciel was talking about you.”
Ruite’s hands, which had been pinching Chester’s cheeks as a form of “revenge,” froze.
“What?”
The unexpected answer made his intoxication feel like it was evaporating.
Ruite blinked slowly, looking dazed.
“I remember exactly when you’re talking about. I laughed then because the Senior brought you up.”
Ciel had said that since the new recruit Ruite was a quick learner and efficient, he enjoyed working together lately.
He also mentioned how shocked he was by the amount of food Ruite ate when they had lunch together once.
Hearing that, Chester had naturally pictured Ruite eating heartily like a squirrel, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“He… he even stroked your hair.”
Ruite’s pronunciation was slowly returning to normal.
“Even if we have the same rank, he’s still my senior. In an organization with a hierarchy, I can’t just brush off a senior’s gesture simply because I don’t want it.”
“…”
Come to think of it, that made perfect sense.
It was a thought he could have easily reached with a little effort.
But Ruite hadn’t been able to do that.
His vision had been narrowed by his uncomfortable emotions, and he couldn’t think of anything beyond his own irritation.
“Ruite.”
“What.”
“Were you… jealous?”
What was it that had narrowed his vision and made him think so childishly?
‘That’s obviously jealousy, isn’t it?’
‘He hates seeing you with other people.’
The voices of the people gossiping in the lounge came back to him clearly.
Hearing that, he had thought Chester was jealous of him being with other knights, but it wasn’t just Chester.
Ruite had been jealous, too. Of the relationship between Ciel and Chester.
It was a truly foreign emotion.
Now that he understood the reason why he had been in such a bad mood, he felt a mix of shock and a heart-pounding sensation.
“Ruite, did you really get jealous?”
“Fine, I did! Is there a law saying I can’t be jealous? You were too.”
Chester paused. Ruite’s face turned a deep shade of crimson as he gave his honest answer.
It wasn’t just the alcohol anymore.
In that moment, a faint scent of soap tickled Chester’s nose, spreading through the air.
“Ah, this is annoying. I feel like I’m going to die of embarrassment.”
“You…”
As he admitted his jealousy, Ruite was naturally letting out his pheromones.
Chester grit his teeth and buried his face in Ruite’s shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.
“Hey, hey, why are you suddenly hugging me?”
“Why are you so cute?”
“What are you talking about? Are you drunk? Oh, wait, you are drunk.”
Ruite was now rambling, not even knowing what he was saying.
Chester breathed in the thick pheromones emanating from Ruite’s neck and slowly lifted his head.
Their gazes locked.
The noisy bickering from before was cut off instantly.
For a long while, Ruite and Chester only looked at each other.
Both of their throats bobbed as they swallowed.
“Ruite.”
Ruite flinched.
His heart began to tremble uncontrollably at the sound of his name.
“I don’t think you’ll understand unless I say it clearly, so I’ll say it now. This isn’t the alcohol talking; it’s the truth.”
“…”
“I like you. I’ve liked you ever since before we graduated.”
Ruite bit his lip hard.
He felt like if he opened his mouth, his heart would leap out.
After a moment of hesitation, Ruite nodded and grabbed the hem of Chester’s shirt.
Chester moved first, slowly. He reached out and gently caressed Ruite’s cheek.
The hand stroking his skin eventually moved to the back of his neck.
With a light pull, Ruite was drawn toward him helplessly.
Ruite squeezed his eyes shut. Chester tilted his head and tightened his grip around Ruite’s waist.
As their breaths mingled, their lips slowly met.
