CH 87

“Ha, nngh, mmph……”

As their lips interlocked, Renato’s body intensely shuddered. Khalid firmly hugged the struggling body with his left arm and pressed on the round chin with his right hand. Renato’s lips, wet with the medicine he couldn’t swallow, slightly opened.

Not missing the opportunity, Khalid pushed his tongue in, making the body in his embrace tremble once more. Khalid moved the hand holding Renato’s chin to support his neck, letting the medicine flow in little by little.

“Huu, uh.”

Renato’s eyebrows, drenched in sweat, frowned when the bitter medicine soaked his mouth. His small tongue tried to push the invader inside his mouth, but it failed.

Khalid pressed his tongue against the soft flesh that tried to eject him, easily overpowering it. Then, to relieve Renato’s tension, he gently rubbed the stiff neck with his hand.

Gulp.

Having transferred all the sedatives to Renato, Khalid slowly moved his tongue to induce him to swallow the medicine. Several small sounds rang out from Renato’s throat. Even after making Renato drink the sedatives, Khalid didn’t part his lips right away. Instead, he swept Renato’s trembling back and breathed into his mouth.

“Ha, huff, cough.”

Renato hurriedly inhaled the breath that opened up his clogged throat, then lightly coughed.

“It’s okay, so please breathe…… Slowly.”

After a moment of hesitation, Khalid withdrew his lips and softly whispered. Then, he pressed his lips on Renato’s again and breathed in a few more times to calm the rough breathing.

Khalid only completely parted his lips away after Renato’s hard breathing had somewhat calmed down. Squelch, with a wet friction sound, the lips that were tightly interlocked moved away.

“Huu, ah……”

Renato breathed in and blinked with a half-conscious face. Tears streamed down from his eyes each time his eyelids closed and reopened.

“Have you come to your senses?”

Khaled softly asked, wiping the tears on Renato’s cheeks with the back of his hand. The lavender-colored eyes filled with tears were still out of focus.

Renato blankly looked up at Khalid who was talking to him. A beautiful low-pitched voice echoed in his ears. His vision was blurry because of the misty tears. However, he could immediately realize who the other person was.

“Kha…… lid?”

A muffled voice rang out from his parted lips. Khalid answered, carefully arranging Renato’s silver hair stuck to his cheeks back behind his ears.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“R, really?”

Renato muttered in disbelief. His eyes, cloudier than usual, looked at Khalid’s face as if judging something.

Khalid noticed that Renato’s mind was still wandering in his memories. He quickly combined the words Renato had sporadically said during treatment in his head.

Honestly, it was full of things that he couldn’t understand, but he thought he knew what to say to Renato now. Khalid said out loud the words Renato would like to hear the most at this moment.

“I’m back, to keep my promise.”

“Ah……”

Fortunately, perhaps it was the correct answer, a small exclamation rang out from Renato’s mouth. The reddened corners of his eyes contorted, the tears pooling there flowing down. At the same time, his trembling hand clasped Khalid’s shirt as if he would never let go.

“I, I waited a long time, but you didn’t come, so I thought you had already forgotten, but I kept waiting…… Hic.”

“I see, was I too late?”

“I didn’t know, that Maximo did that, so, huff, just like an idiot…… I’m sorry, for resenting you, I’m sorry……”

“Shh, don’t cry. Because we have met again now, hmm?”

Smooch. Khalid wiped the wet eye area with his lips, then soothingly patted Renato on the back when he apologized to him and cried in a sad voice. Then, as the damp shirt stuck to his hand, Khalid slightly clicked his tongue. Renato’s body was drenched in sweat just like someone that had fallen into the water.

Besides, his posture had changed a lot from the beginning because he kept struggling during hypnosis treatment. After checking the condition of Renato who was loosely clinging to him, Khalid wrapped his arm around the slender waist.

He pulled the exhausted Renato onto his right thigh and sat him down, then wrapped around the round head with his hands and rested it on his shoulder. He thought it would be good for Renato to rest for a while.

“It’s all over now, so please sleep.”

“B, but I can’t sleep because it hurts……”

When Khalid tried to put Renato to sleep, he muffled his words, saying he couldn’t do so. Seeing Renato still holding onto his left waist, Khalid squinted his eyes.

“Where does it hurt? Here?”

“……! Agh, wait, ugh!”

Khalid overlapped his hand on Renato’s covering his waist where the scar was located, then gently pressed on it. Surprised by the sudden stimulation, Renato let out a shrill groan. His hand, caught in Khalid’s, twitched.

“N, no. I hate it, ugh!”

“It’s not something to be hated, it doesn’t hurt either.”

Khalid corrected Renato’s words and loosened his grasp. He then bent his thumb and gently rubbed the spot where the scar was. The sweat-soaked shirt was clinging to Renato’s skin, so his new skin was clearly visible.

“But, ugh, the sword, a lot of blood…… I obviously, died……”

“You did bleed, but you have gotten better now, and you didn’t die. Look, you are fine now, right? Hmm?”

Khalid persuaded Renato in a soft tone and gently caressed his trembling waist. He felt worried because Renato’s skin under his shirt was hot.

“How about now, it doesn’t hurt when I touch it, right?”

“Nngh, b, but…… It feels, strange.”

“How strange? Do you not want me to touch it? Do you feel bad?”

“I don’t, feel bad, haa……”

Renato groaned and rubbed his forehead against Khalid’s shoulder. Every time the man’s hand brushed his scar and touched his waist, he felt a strange sensation. His hands and feet were shaking, and his skin was tingling.

“Please, don’t. Stop, ugh.”

Renato let out a muffled nasal sound, twisted his waist, and raised his knees. Sensing an unfamiliar excitement, his legs squeezed together and his inner thighs felt ticklish.

“If you say it doesn’t hurt, I’ll stop.”

“It, it doesn’t hurt. So……”

Hearing Renato’s reply, Khalid, who had been stimulating the scar, withdrew his hand. Completely exhausted, Renato panted and buried his face in Khalid’s shoulder. Even though the man’s hand had moved away, his waist still felt ticklish.

“Now then, close your eyes.”

Khalid pulled the limp body closer and covered Renato’s eyes with his hand. When his vision darkened, Renato wiggled his hand to grab Khalid’s shirt.

“Will you…… stay with me?”

Khalid froze when hearing the voice filled with slight anxiety. Feeling his heart become heavy because of the pitiful plea, he bowed his head and softly kissed the small lips exposed under his hand.

“Of course. I will continue to stay by your side.”

Renato’s body gradually relaxed in relief at his answer. Khalid patted Renato on the back until he was sound asleep. Confirming that Renato was breathing regularly, Khalid took off the hand covering his eyes. He wiped Renato’s tear-stained face, then turned his head to look at Souad.

“Does it have to be like this?”

“My apologies.”

Souad, who was quietly organizing his tools, bowed his head when hearing the sharp reprimand. He had nothing to say as an excuse.

“Next time won’t be like this, right?”

“Next time will be easier than now. It’s because today is the first time he looked into his wound……”

“Huu.”

His gaze, as heavy as his sigh, turned to the sleeping Renato. Khalid had met a lot of people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Within the Knights Order right now, there were also several knights suffering from trauma.

If Renato didn’t properly face his traumatic event, the treatment would only be scratching the surface. Khalid rationally knew that Souad’s treatment was right. It was something that Renato had to go through at least once for a successful treatment.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel enraged. At those who hurt Renato, at Souad who made him suffer for the sake of effective treatment, and at his helpless self who could only embrace and comfort him throughout the hypnosis treatment process.

“So, what is His Imperial Highness’ condition?”

“……I can’t say his condition is good.”

“Explain in detail so that I can understand.”

“In His Imperial Highness’ case, it seems that his mind has reached its limit because of repeated abuse over a long period of time rather than being caused by a specific incident. I don’t think it’s still the case now, but it seems he used to have visual and auditory hallucinations in the past. And……”

While explaining his diagnosis to Khalid, Souad hesitated, unable to continue. Khalid motioned at him to keep talking.

“In my opinion, besides post-traumatic stress disorder, he may also be under delusional disorder.”

“Delusional disorder?”

“Yes, His Imperial Highness’ fear of certain situations is so great that he seems to feel that they have actually happened. I think you also have some guesses when you went through the treatment process with him, your highness.”

“Hmm.”

Khalid murmured in a low voice. Just like what Souad said, he also felt uncomfortable several times while listening to Renato’s words during the treatment.