Sethian took off his cloak and wrapped it around Yi-Gyeolâs shoulder, then stood with his back as if he was covering him with his own body. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, he glared coldly at Roa. Noticing that his hand was on the handle of the sword at his waist, Roa urgently explained the situation.
âI, I just checked if there are any issues with the flow of mana.â
Sethian still didnât erase his frosty glare and looked back at Yi-Gyeol over his shoulder. Seeing the innocent, puzzled eyes and the naked body roughly covered by the cloak, the surrounding air immediately froze. The hand holding the handle of the sword tightened. Still, he couldnât shed blood in front of Yi-Gyeol, so he didnât draw his sword.
âThatâll be brutal.â
Roa swallowed his dry saliva and smiled awkwardly. Even so, Yi-Gyeol, who was obscured by Sethian, became even more interesting in his eyes.
This was clearly Sethianâs misunderstanding, but in fact, usually whatever it was, if he didnât like anything due to his character, Sethian would have ruthlessly unsheathed his sword by now. Unlike in the Magic Tower, he could not use magic in the Imperial Castle, so he would not be able to defend properly and would have been cut somewhere or gotten seriously injured, but Sethian did not pull his sword contrary to his momentum. Thatâs because of the innocent man behind him.
âI thought it was strange that he exhorted the Crown Prince position, which he didnât even have in mind, just to create a body, but nowâŠ.â
He thought deeply and quickly erased some of his thoughts. Even if no one else knows, it is a hypothesis that cannot be established with Crown Prince âCold-as-Iceâ Sethian. Maybe itâs simply because heâs someone who can satisfy his momentary interest. He also clearly stated that the reason he used the golden magic was because of his âinterest in the soulâ.
Roa, who had been thinking all kinds of things by himself in the ice-like thin air, heard a rustling sound that seemed to break the silence. Sethian also heard the sound and tried to turn around, but was abruptly grasped by something.
âStay still. Iâll just wear some clothes.â
Before they knew it, Yi-Gyeol, who was only wearing his underwear, had already put the cloak that Sethian wrapped on him on the table and was now clasping his back. As Yi-Gyeol slightly lowered his eyes and chewed his lips in embarrassment, Sethian could no longer move and could only stand still.
It was not only after getting shielded by Sethian and putting on clothes one by one that Yi-Gyeol, who now has a more at ease expression on his face, sticks his head out of Sethianâs body. And just in time, his eyes met with Roa who was confronting Sethian in nervousness.
âThanks for taking a look at me.â
He said politely and bowed his head and Roa also quickly bowed.
âItâs nothing. As I said before, there is no need to worry too much about the numbness in your body as you can just take enough vitality.â
At the kind words, Yi-Gyeol asked cautiously.
âBy any chance⊠Is it okay to go for a light walk?â
He hadnât been stuck in the room for as long as he used to in the past, but looking outside on a fine sunny day, he thought he wanted to go out even for a while. Although he had to have a cane, he couldnât help but feel greedy because he was now able to walk on his own two feet. Seeing himself that way, his heart was pounding and he wanted to go out quickly, which made him feel even more impatient.
Roa looked at Sethianâs expression and smiled softly.
âIf you can walk without a cane, a little bit will be fine. However, you must not overdo it, so you should never go alone.â
âThank you.â
Yi-Gyeol smiled brightly and was delighted. Seeing this, Roaâs face automatically put on a warm smile. Sethian, who was so dissatisfied with something, once again covered Yi-Gyeolâs face with his body and sharply opened his eyes.
âAre you sure thereâs nothing wrong with him?â
âYes. Iâll come back to check again in a week, but heâs in good shape for now.â
Upon hearing Roaâs confirmation, Sethian gestured to the door with his chin as if he already had done his job and should be gone. After receiving the silent order, Roa politely bowed with an awkward smile and headed toward the door.
âPlease get back safely.â
Yi-Gyeol stuck his head out of Sethianâs body again and greeted him in a friendly manner. Roa, who had put his hand on the doorknob, couldnât just leave and turned around and smiled pleasantly at him once more. Then, thinking that he was a very cute young man, he walked out the door regretfully.
When the door opened and closed, and only the two of them remained, Sethian finally faced Yi-Gyeol. With Yi-Gyeol looking at him with a smile as if he was excited, the displeasure that had been filling Sethian up until just now seemed to have been completely washed away.
âWhen will I be able to walk without a cane?â
His voice was a little giddy, and he was a tone higher than usual. Every time he catches each small change in Yi-Gyeol, he feels better for some reason.
Sethian grabbed Yi-Gyeolâs hand, who was about to hang his cloak back on his shoulder, took it, and put it on the back of the empty chair.
âAs soon as you have enough vitality and can eat more than you do now.â
âUmmâŠ, But Iâm already eating a lotâŠ.â
It was far from enough compared to the amount Sethian eats, but Yi-Gyeol always said he was full without even eating much. However, he canât make him thoughtlessly overeat, so he made him eat five meals a day instead. Thanks to that, he seems to have gained a little weight recently, but he still looks thin to Sethian.
âLetâs increase the amount of food a little bit more.â
âItâs plenty enough alreadyâŠ. If you keep doing this, my belly will stick out like an old man.â
Sethian imagined Yi-Gyeol with a protruding belly, grinned and carried him.
âThat doesnât sound bad either.â
âWhat do you mean itâs not bad. Of course, it is.â
âIf it was you, I think it would be worth looking at even if your stomach was sticking out.â
âArenât you saying that just because itâs not your body?â
Sethian, who walked with a pouting Yi-Gyeol, gently laid him down on the bed.
âIn any case, if it is you, you are free to leave your body, so you donât really have to insist on going out for a walk, right?â
âThereâs a difference between walking around with only your soul and walking on your own feet.â
Yi-Gyeol looked excited once again.
âI thought I would never be able to walk on my own two feet again. I hope I get healthy soon so that I can walk and run.â
Sethian looked down at his beaming smile and patted his head involuntarily. Yi-Gyeolâs smile deepened with the mellow warmth and pleasant strokes.
Every time he sees Yi-Gyeol, and every time he does something, he strokes his hair. Whenever he pets him like a small animal that is hungry for affection, he leans on him as soon as he strokes him and reveals on his face that he is in a good mood. Sethian liked each and every reaction of Yi-Gyeol, and he wanted to see it over and over again.
He just belatedly realized why his habit was formed, and it is both fascinating and ticklish inside at the same time. Immediately after that, he felt like sharing his vitality with him for some reason.
Thinking that far, Sethianâs gentle face suddenly hardened a little.
âCome to think of it, numbness? Why didnât I know that?â
âOh, thatâŠ.â
Yi-Gyeol avoided his gaze with a troubled expression on his face. Sethian always moved and carried him and let him walk very little when they were together, so his body didnât really feel numb. It was something that he sometimes felt when he moved alone, and he couldnât say it easily because he thought it would annoy Sethian if he told him.
Waiting for Yi-Gyeolâs mouth to open, Sethian spoke firmly as if he had read his thoughts.
âIf you really donât want to bother me, donât hide anything that happens to your body. What would bother me more is if things get bigger.â
Whether it was an immediate effect of what he said, Yi-Gyeol quickly lowered his eyes and apologized in a small voice.
ââŠSorry.â
He speaks well without hesitation normally, but in this case, his face rapidly darkens and his voice crawls like a person who has taken on all the sins of the world. Sethian didnât like it, but he didnât intend to criticize or admonish him. Rather than changing the human being Joo Yi-Gyeol, he thought it would be more comfortable to just get rid of the things that would have made him react like this.
Sethian looked at Yi-Gyeolâs downcast eyes, grabbed his chin, and lifted it slightly.
âWhat about now?â
âThe numbness? Itâs fine right nowâŠ.â
âIt wonât be okay if you move more afterward. Open your mouth.â
As soon as the words were said, Yi-Gyeol showed a bewildered look and grabbed Sethianâs wrist â which was holding his chin â with both hands.
âAgain? Weâve just done it before you left.â
Before going to do his business, he had already given him vitality through a very deep kiss as usual. Itâs only been a little over an hour if you look at the time, but it was dumbfounding to hear that he wanted to give him vitality again.
Sethian also thought that he was giving him vitality too often, but the eccentric thing is, the more he looked at Yi-Gyeol, the more he paid attention, the more he wanted to kiss him. With the way things are, he thought that his lifespan was shortening too quickly, but Sethian was a person who wasnât particularly concerned about such things. Only the living present matters.
âThat person said that the condition will only disappear when you get enough vitality, so I am just trying to do that.â
âWhat? WaiâŠ!â
Not even listening to Yi-Gyeolâs words, Sethian lowered his lips as if he was in a hurry. Soon, Yi-Gyeolâs rigid body relaxed.
Suddenly, the sound of a bird flapping its wings outside the window was heard. Nobody knows since when, but a crow sitting silently on a tree outside the window flapped its large wings and flew away somewhere.