84 – Cypress Mosaic

The ​sleeping ​Elian ​looks ​serene and peaceful.

Pale ​blue ​veins ​faintly ​shimmered ​beneath his transparent skin, ​which ​was without a ​single blemish. A ​rosy ​flush ​had ​returned ​to ​his cheeks. Although ​the ​surface ​of his lips ​was slightly peeling from ​the ordeal ​of the ​night, their ​color remained ​healthy.

The ​excessive ​heat and characteristic ​luster brought ​on by the Heat ​had vanished from his ​body.

The various readings displayed ​by the ​sensors ​attached to his body also proved ​that he had returned ​to ​a ​normal ​state.

Sigh.

Lorenz ​let out a ​heavy breath ​and ​leaned his upper ​body ​forward. Resting his elbows on ​his thighs, ​he ​clasped his hands ​together ​as ​if ​in ​prayer, covering ​his ​nose and ​mouth. He closed his eyes for a ​moment.

Elian, who had ​endured the Heat ​until the dawn broke ​in shades ​of purple, had ​lost ​consciousness. Even though ​Lorenz knew he ​had fallen ​into ​a deep ​sleep ​to recover ​from ​the violent ​Heat, ​the ​lips that did ​not ​respond to ​his ​calls ​terrified ​him.

He had massaged Elian’s limbs [Read on Read BL Novels]until the ambulance arrived, checking several times whether he was unauthorized copybreathing [unauthorized copy]and if his heart was beating properly.

After moving him to the hospital, Lorenz had been sitting in the same spot for an hour, watching Elian. He had changed Elian’s clothes himself and wiped his body with a towel soaked in warm water. He did so as if it were only natural. He could not imagine entrusting Elian’s body—especially a body after a Heat—to anyone else.

In contrast to the passion of the previous night, Elian did not move an inch. Not a single eyelash flickered.

Lorenz gently placed a finger in front of Elian’s nose. Although the monitor continued to check and display the heart rate, he felt as if he needed to feel the breath with his own skin.

Only after feeling the warm, rhythmic rise and fall of his breath did Lorenz’s eyes regain a glimmer of relief.

He smoothed the sheets again, which were already perfectly aligned after he had tucked them in several times.

In addition to the heart rate monitor, pheromone response level meter, and temperature sensor, needles for sedatives and IV fluids were connected to Elian. Knowing it was a treatment to aid recovery, the needles piercing his thin wrists still looked burdensome and bothered him.

Furthermore, there were the traces of last night staining various parts of his body.

Reddish-purple marks were etched across his ivory-white skin. Marks created by biting, sucking hard, and gripping firmly with hands. His long, slender neck, in particular, was terribly mottled. It looked so much like the aftermath of a forced violation that it made one frown.

Lorenz carefully stroked the inside of [Read on Read BL Novels]the wrist exposed beyond the sleeve of Read on Read BL Novelsthe patient gown. The red marks where he had applied pressure remained.

“Lorenz! Lorenz… please!”

It felt as if he could hear Elian’s pleas.

“I know who the person you’re marrying is. I’ve greeted them and eaten with them. You introduced them! How could you…”

The tears that flowed beneath the arm covering his face were vivid in his memory. As was the strong force of his own hand as he grabbed that arm and shoved it away.

Hmm.

Hunching his back, Lorenz repeatedly clenched and unclenched his empty fist.

Suddenly, there was a knock from behind.

It was Dr. Carver.

“Mr. Lorenz, let’s talk for a moment.”

“……”

Lorenz did not answer. He did not take his eyes off Elian.

“It will take at least another hour or two for Mr. Belloti to wake up.”

Even after hearing that, he didn’t budge.

Knock, knock.

Dr. Carver knocked on the open door a couple more times as a prompt, and only then did Lorenz stand up. Before leaving the room, his dark, sunken green eyes looked back at Elian.

What if he woke up and looked for him while he was gone? What if he felt lonely, thinking he had been left alone?

A short, bitter smile appeared at the corners of Lorenz’s mouth. Anyone else might, but Elian Bellotti was absolutely not the type of person to feel such fragile emotions. Especially if the object of that feeling was him.

With heavy steps, he walked out the door.

To explain the previous night’s situation medically, Dr. Carver invited Lorenz to his private office rather than the consultation room. A more secluded location was chosen since the conversation would be confidential.

The doctor offered Lorenz a chair in front of the desk.

“I’ll give you a cup of chamomile tea.”

“I’m fine.”

A rough, sunken voice declined.

“This isn’t something you can just keep saying you’re fine with. Your body is also heavily worn down, Mr. Lorenz.”

“……”

Looking down at the silent back of the man, the doctor prepared the tea. Despite his robustness, Lorenz’s shoulders looked exhausted today. It was understandable, given that he had gone through a Rut of such intensity.

“Warm tea is never harmful to the unauthorized copyhuman body. Please drink it. While not as severe as Mr. Belloti, you are also showing stolen contentslight symptoms of dehydration.”

“I’ll drink it.”

Taking the hot mug, Lorenz set it down on the side table.

The doctor spoke as he moved behind the desk.

“From yesterday until this dawn. You checked the pheromone levels several times, didn’t you?”

Lorenz nodded.

“The levels were truly dangerous. For both of you.”

Tension appeared on the doctor’s face as he spoke. Looking only at the result, it had fortunately ended safely, but the level of danger at the time was still dizzying to recall.

“I can’t tell you how shocked I was when I checked the numbers on the application. I checked it several times to see if there had been an error.”

When Lorenz measured the PRL with a portable scanner, the value was automatically recorded in the app on Lorenz’s phone and shared with Dr. Carver. And early this morning, the doctor had to rush to the hospital after receiving an urgent call. It was a notification that Lorenz Lockhart stolen contentwas being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Upon arriving Read on Read BL Novelsat the hospital and checking the data, the doctor had collapsed into his seat. He truly believed that Lorenz Lockhart’s corpse was being brought in by ambulance.

“Returning to the villa was a good decision. You were wise.”

Lorenz, whose face looked haggard from not sleeping a wink all night, laughed lowly upon hearing those words. To the doctor’s puzzled expression, Lorenz revealed the reason for his laughter.

“He… won’t think so.”

The large hand stroking the corners of his mouth, where a bitter smile lingered, was unusually rough.

“When he wakes up, would you please tell him yourself? That returning to the villa was a wise choice. Even if he doesn’t believe me, he’ll believe a doctor.”

It was nearly the first time Dr. Carver had heard a joke from Lorenz Lockhart. It was a joke that couldn’t be laughed at.

“This is no laughing matter, Mr. Lorenz. Both of you were in real danger.”

It was no exaggeration to say it was a matter of life and death. A hint of anger could even be felt in the doctor’s voice.

“I know. Because it was a number unauthorized copyI’ve never seen, even though I’ve Read on Read BL Novelsspent my whole life measuring PRL.”

The bitter sneer that had been floating on Lorenz’s face vanished. He gripped the mug and forced himself to swallow a couple of sips.

Only then did the doctor truly notice Lorenz’s appearance.

As far as Dr. Carver knew, this young Lockhart had never appeared disheveled in public. A perfectly tailored suit, a flawless hairstyle, and a cool, expressionless face that neither smiled nor frowned were his trademarks. His cold impression, devoid of human warmth, fit perfectly with his nickname, Count Dracula.

But the man sitting opposite him now was completely different from that image. He seemed far removed from the Dracula who looked as if not a single drop of blood would emerge even if pricked.

Hair falling over his forehead, a bluish shadow of stubble, and a single wrinkled shirt thrown on without a vest or jacket. Even that was worn with two or three buttons undone, without a tie or cufflinks, and the sleeves rolled up below the elbows.

If a photo of this appearance were taken, it could be sold to the press for hundreds of thousands of dollars per shot. Of course, Lorenz would have to pay a price far harsher than hundreds of thousands of dollars.

However, the doctor didn’t expect him to become a topic of conversation because of his shabbiness. Rather, it was the opposite. He was sufficiently attractive even in a state that deviated from his usual obsessive perfection.

Until now, Lorenz had only revealed a thoroughly controlled image. That image gave the impression of firmly erecting a wall, as if he needed no one’s understanding. But now, he was revealing a gap. Though it was only unintentionally exposed during an emergency and something he would never want himself.

Yet, a gap does not always act as a weakness. It can stolen contentalso become a space where the understanding and empathy of Read on Read BL Novelsothers can seep in. It would take time for this ambitious man to realize that.

The doctor shook his head while looking down at the materials spread out on the desk.

“I can’t imagine it being anything other than a Heat or a Rut. Not only the numbers, but all the symptoms you described, Mr. Lorenz… they are clearly a Heat and a Rut.”

Lorenz merely looked down at the tea bag floating in the mug.

“As you expect, it means that Mr. Elian Belloti is… a Cypress Mosaic.”

Only then did Lorenz slowly raise his head.

“He said he never missed taking his suppressants. How could a Heat occur despite that?”

“……”

“Is it because of me?”