* * *

Handing over the items to the attendant, Remy walked away.

But not before carefully observing where the ginger syrup was being placed—he needed to know where it would go.

‘So they leave it on the table and brew the tea right there. Good to know. Now, let’s freshen up and get ready. The hunting officially starts today, so I’d better prepare quickly.’

Returning to his tent, Remy began his morning routine.

Since the communal bathroom tent was only available at night, he made do with washing up in his quarters.

Just as he was finishing up, there was a knock on the tent flap.

“Yes, come in.”

It was Ashton, who poked his head in just enough to reveal his face.

The sight of him peeking in was almost… cute.

‘Wow. He’s even cute now. Handsome face, sexy body, kind personality, and occasionally adorable. Just… do it all, why don’t you.’

Feeling thoroughly annoyed, Remy’s expression turned sour.

“What do you want?”

Ashton stepped fully into the tent, carrying a large tray.

“What’s this? And why are you carrying a tray?”

“This? Chicken soup. I brought it for our little young lord, thinking you might be hungry.”

“What? I could’ve just eaten outside. Why’d you bring it here?”

“You drank too much yesterday. I was worried you might collapse again with your delicate constitution.”

“I’m fine! I feel perfectly healthy today!”

“No, you’re not. You passed out yesterday after drinking. I can’t just ignore that. You need something to soothe your stomach.”

“I said, I’m fine!”

Ignoring Remy’s protests, Ashton walked over and placed the tray on the cot.

“Come on, young lord. Have some soup.”

“No. I’m not eating. I’ll have breakfast outside.”

“I ordered this just for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“You should appreciate the effort I went to.”

“Ugh… fine! Ashton!”

Taking advantage of Remy’s moment of hesitation, Ashton closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Remy’s waist in a gentle hug from behind.

Startled, Remy struggled in his grasp.

“Let go! Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing this early in the morning?”

“Let’s eat some chicken soup. I’m asking nicely.”

“And why are you hugging me? Have you lost your mind?”

“To carry you to the bed, obviously. Otherwise, you’d never move.”

“W-What?!”

As Remy turned around, utterly flustered, Ashton moved the hand that had been holding his waist downward to his thigh.

In an instant, Ashton secured his back and thighs and lifted Remy into his arms.

Caught off guard, Remy found himself squirming helplessly in Ashton’s grasp.

“Y-You crazy jerk!”

No matter how much Remy protested, Ashton ignored him, walking steadily toward the bed.

By the time Ashton sat down on the bed with Remy still in his arms, Remy had no choice but to surrender entirely.

He couldn’t help but think this was way over the top, but Ashton’s tight embrace left him no room to escape.

The warmth of Ashton’s solid chest against his back made him feel inexplicably heated.

‘Ha… I’m really losing it here…’

---

Completely indifferent to his turmoil, Ashton hummed a carefree tune while stirring the chicken soup in front of him.

Watching this, Remy let out a deep sigh.

To make matters worse, the positioning of their bodies was distracting, with something pressing uncomfortably against his lower back.

‘Seriously? No matter how much I resist, do I really have to eat in this ridiculous position? And this… thing touching me… What am I supposed to do about it?’

“Here, say ‘ahh.’”

While Remy was racking his brain for a way out of the situation, Ashton said something that Remy thought—no, hoped—he had misheard.

Remy’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said, open your mouth. Say ‘ahh.’”

“…???”

“Hurry up. Ahh.”

Ashton’s unexpected demand left Remy utterly confused.

When realization struck, his face flushed bright red, and he practically yelled.

“W-Wait! You can’t possibly mean you’re going to feed me, right?!”

They say, “The unthinkable often becomes reality,” and Remy desperately wished this wasn’t one of those times.

But Ashton, with a wicked grin, nodded firmly.

“You—you came here this morning just to torture me, didn’t you?! Admit it!”

“Torture you? What are you talking about?”

“Then why on earth are you saying you’re going to feed me?! What’s the big idea?!”

“Why not? I’ve fed you plenty of times when you were sick. Remember? I’d make soup like this, sit you on my lap, and feed you all the time. Don’t you recall?”

“Ah…”

At this, Remy started to doubt his own memory.

‘Wait… Could it be? Is this guy taking advantage of the fact that I don’t remember? Using the excuse of “it was like this when we were kids” just to do whatever he wants? This feels suspicious…’

Remy glared at Ashton with narrowed eyes, full of suspicion.

“What’s with that look?”

“Are you lying? Using my memory loss to mess with me?”

“Wow. Why would I do something like that? What could I possibly gain from feeding you soup?”

“Well, I mean, that’s true, but still…”

Ashton’s face took on a wounded, pitiful expression.

“Remy.”

“Y-Yeah?”

“That’s not okay, you know.”

What’s not okay? What’s he even talking about now?

“What do you mean, not okay?”

“No matter how evil you think I am, do you really believe I’d lie to you about something like this?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“I made this chicken soup and brought it here because I was worried about you passing out drunk last night, and this is what I get?”

“Wait, I—”

“Forget it. Don’t eat it if you don’t want to. I’m not going to force you.”

“…???”

With that, Ashton placed the bowl of soup on the bed and set the spoon beside it. His voice was cold, his tone unmistakably sulky.

“Move. I’m leaving.”

Watching Ashton sulk like this, Remy’s thoughts ran wild.

‘Oh, so this is your game, huh? Acting all pouty so I’ll say, “Oh no, don’t be upset, Your Grace! I’ll eat the soup, happy now?” Is that it?’

“Move, I said.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that, Your Grace. Feed me the soup, okay? Please?”

Sometimes, life leads to moments when words and actions are completely out of sync.

This was one of those times.

“Are you serious?”

“Totally serious.”

“Fine. I’ll let it slide this once. But don’t do this again, okay? Accusing me like that isn’t cool. You know it’s a bad habit, right?”

“Yes, yes, I know.”

Though Remy felt uneasy about the whole situation, he went along with it to placate Ashton.

“Alright, say ‘ahh.’”

“Ahh…”

With a playful flourish, Ashton scooped up a spoonful of chicken soup and brought it to Remy’s lips.

Like a baby bird, Remy obediently opened his mouth and watched the soup approach.

It looked a bit like watery dumpling soup, but instead of dough, thinly sliced pasta filled the broth.

Bits of potato, carrot, onion, and peas floated alongside it.

Quite a medley of ingredients.

“What are you waiting for, Remy? Eat it.”

At Ashton’s urging, Remy took the soup into his mouth and chewed.

The taste wasn’t bad, he had to admit.

If anything, it Remynded him of chicken stew—comforting and familiar, making it surprisingly easy to swallow.

“How is it? Not bad?”

“Well… It’s alright, I guess.”

“Great. Let’s finish the whole bowl, okay?”

“Do as you please.”

Ashton scooped another spoonful, and Remy, once again, accepted it without hesitation.

‘Huh… This is better than I thought. It’s going down so easily.’

At first, Remy had been reluctant, but the chicken soup grew on him.

The warm broth soothed his stomach, and the soft, tender vegetables were easy to chew.

For someone recovering from last night’s indulgences, it was perfect.

“Look at you, eating so well. So cute.”

Ashton’s lips brushed briefly against the back of Remy’s head.

Though it seemed accidental, it sent a jolt through Remy, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

‘If this keeps up, I’m going to lose it…’

* * *