By Zephyria 
When we arrived at the remote hot spring, there were hardly any people, as expected. Only an old man who seemed to be the owner and a few servants.
“Have you ever been to a hot spring?”
Kyle asked, breaking the silence that was so still you couldn’t even hear the rustle of clothes.
“No. I’ve only read about them in books.”
“You’ve always wanted to go since you were little. I thought you would have gone already.”
Come to think of it, in the five years I was separated from Kyle, I never once thought of going alone. I didn’t eat delicious food even when I saw it, and I felt no emotion even when looking at amazing scenery.
When we were together, even food that wasn’t that great tasted excessively delicious, and ordinary scenery felt beautiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I was so focused on finding him that I had no time to pay attention to anything else. The only leisurely thing I did was reading? But that was more for acquiring culture than for enjoyment.
Because of that, I unintentionally read some erotic books a few times. This is a secret because I think I’ll get scolded.
“What’s the point of going alone? It’s just a lot of warm water.”
It was so quiet that I unknowingly mumbled as if whispering. Kyle, who was right next to me, suddenly leaned his face in and whispered the same.
“You kept holding back so you could go with me?”
“I didn’t hold back, I just didn’t think about it.”
“That’s the same thing. It’s meaningless unless I go with you.”
“……”
It was true, but for some reason, I didn’t want to readily agree. I unknowingly glanced back. The servants were following us with their heads bowed so low that the tops of their heads were visible. They were walking silently, so even if we spoke quietly, they could hear everything.
“Why are you looking back?”
“What?”
“Why? Are you embarrassed?”
“Stop it.”
I gritted my teeth and spoke in a low voice, and Kyle rubbed his forehead against my shoulder and chuckled. It’s not funny at all, so why is he doing this? I felt unpleasant and slightly moved away, and Kyle looked back and said.
“Don’t let anyone in until I call.”
“Understood.”
As they had been doing, they all disappeared quickly without making a sound. Kyle, who had been still for a moment until he couldn’t feel their presence, took off my hood and asked.
“Is it okay now?”
He had a cheeky expression. But I couldn’t say anything. It’s always troublesome when Kyle acts like a pervert outside like this, but then again, I’m also a little unhappy if he doesn’t flirt with me at all.
So I couldn’t actively stop Kyle.
“It would have been better if you had come when you were younger. When you had Sealing Magic cast on you and your body wasn’t well.”
Kyle, who had stopped for a moment, started walking again and took my hand.
“You were worse off than me. I didn’t know it back then, but now that I think about it, it’s amazing that you were even alive.”
“Me?”
Kyle widened his eyes and asked back in surprise. The pain was so severe that he couldn’t possibly not know, but he had a truly hypocritical expression.
It would be fortunate if he had a constitution that was insensitive to pain, but I felt even worse because Kyle was probably just used to the pain that had been going on for too long.
“But you didn’t die, so it was bearable enough. If it was really bad, you would have died a long time ago.”
“……”
It was true, but for some reason, I felt even worse. This was Kyle’s specialty. He always said the right things and grated on people’s nerves. It wasn’t wrong, so it was hard to argue. But when I was young, I would just get annoyed, but now that I’m all grown up, I can’t do that.
Kyle, sensing that I wasn’t in a good mood, stroked my lower back with an overt touch. It was funny that he thought this would make me feel better. What’s even more annoying is that I actually felt a little better.
I gently grabbed his hand, which was slowly moving towards my abdomen and trying to go inside my clothes. And I stroked his arm all the way to his elbow and asked.
“When are we going to Actan?”
“Tomorrow or the day after? I don’t know. We can go whenever it’s convenient.”
I thought we would stay longer, but it was unexpected.
“What are you going to buy Nasser as a gift?”
Kyle seemed to be pondering, as if he hadn’t decided yet. While we were having that conversation, we arrived at the guest room. From what Kyle and Sakira said earlier, it seemed like we were staying here tonight.
The room wasn’t fancy or luxurious, but it was well-organized and clean. The bed was also much smaller than the one in the mansion, which I liked.
I sat Kyle down on a chair and undid the tightly fastened strings and buttons one by one. Kyle was completely entrusting himself to me and was quietly still, then he groaned.
“Hmm……”
My body suddenly trembled at his languid voice.
Kyle, who had been pondering until I quickly took off his clothes and put on a gown, asked as if he didn’t know.
“What do kids like? What did you want the most when you were little?”
I didn’t even need to think about it. I wanted a family the most when I was little. I had my grandmother, but even when I was young, I may have vaguely known that our relationship wasn’t normal.
Anyway, I thought it would only make the atmosphere strange if I said this, so I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.
“A store?”
Kyle tilted his head, as if he hadn’t expected that answer.
“There was a chicken skewer shop outside the alley where I lived, and I wanted that the most. Then I could eat it every day. Because it’s mine.”
Now that I said it, it was strange. Nasser is the only Imperial Prince, so it’s ambiguous to give him just this as a gift…… I was feeling awkward when Kyle suggested a reasonable compromise.
“Then should I give him some land? And tell him to fill in the empty spaces himself.”
Somehow, the scale became much bigger than I had expected. Is it because he was born into the Imperial Family? I really couldn’t keep up with him in this area.
To give a recent example, Kyle had made an impulse purchase before crossing the sea. He suddenly bought a chandelier with a lot of crystals on it, saying that the quality was good, but it was worth my entire fortune.
He said so confidently that he would buy me everything I wanted and that I had money too, but I became penniless with that one expenditure. Of course, I didn’t show it, but it’s true that my vision blurred for a moment when I heard the amount.
That’s why I picked up a lot of pearls while Kyle was sleeping when we were on the ship. From now on, I have to travel around and diligently pick up jewels, find antiques, and steal Relics from the Ruins. That’s the only way I can afford that huge expense.
I made a solemn vow alone, and Kyle and I lightly washed our bodies and went to the outdoor hot spring.
It felt much colder because my body was wet. Kyle, in particular, is very sensitive to the cold, so I quickly put him in the water.
“Be careful because the stones are slippery.”
The temperature was slightly hotter than when I usually wash. I wondered if it would be okay because it was colder than I thought, but strangely, my body quickly warmed up when I came into the water.
“Aren’t you cold?”
At my question, Kyle nodded with his face submerged in the water up to his eyes. I wasn’t cold even though my upper body was out of the water, but I guess Kyle wasn’t.
I couldn’t help but laugh at his frog-like appearance. Actan is such a hot country that Kyle is particularly sensitive to the cold. I probably wouldn’t have dreamed of a winter trip if I didn’t have the robe I gave him.
I pulled Kyle’s submerged body and hugged him. As if he had been waiting for it, Kyle sat down between my legs. Taking advantage of the gap where his face slightly came up, I quickly cupped Kyle’s cheeks with my palms.
I stared at Kyle, who was closing his eyes with a happy expression as if he was warm, and asked.
“What did you want the most when you were little?”
At that, Kyle’s expression, which had been relaxed and comfortable, suddenly hardened. It was only for a fleeting moment, but I saw it. A playful smile appeared on Kyle’s face, who opened his eyes.
“The throne?”
“……”
“It was my dream to become Emperor and purge all the things I didn’t like.”
He was smiling wickedly, but I couldn’t believe it at all. Kyle sometimes seemed to forget that I had seen his entire past. Anyway, that liar. He lies as soon as he opens his mouth.
And why does he have to lie so brutally even when he’s lying? Occasionally, Kyle acted as if he was eager to prove that he was a terrible villain.
The reason why he feels comfortable doing that is because Kyle thinks that the many incidents and deaths he has experienced so far are his fault. So this behavior was paradoxically close to self-deprecation. I guess that’s the only way he can feel comfortable.
If I had been next to Kyle, who was so small and young at that time.