HRB 126

Ketron was looking at Eddie with eyes that seemed to have sunk.

He seemed a little thinner, too.

No matter the circumstances, Eddie was just as overjoyed, so he shot up from his seat with a bright smile.

“Ket!”

As Eddie moved closer to Ketron, Ketron reached out and blocked Eddie’s approach.

“Don’t come closer.”

Eddie, who had never been rejected by Ketron since waking up here, froze.

“I’m covered in a lot of filth.”

However, at his subsequent words, Eddie belatedly realized that the smell of oil and burnt material was emanating from Ketron’s entire body.

Marquis Rivalt, who had brought Ketron back, had only said that Ketron had gone somewhere in the Imperial Palace for a while, but he hadn’t explained where or what he had been doing.

What… was he doing? Eddie wondered, but that wasn’t the important thing.

It didn’t matter if Ketron had rolled around in mud. Eddie, disregarding Ketron’s attempts to hold him back, approached and embraced him.

To be precise, it was less of an embrace and more of being embraced within his large arms.

For someone who told him not to come closer, Ketron didn’t push Eddie away. No, it was more accurate to say he couldn’t push him away.

He could hear his heart pounding. It was the sound of Ketron’s heart from his firm chest, and Eddie’s heart, which Ketron must have been hearing, was likely the same.

Ketron remained still for a long time, but then he slowly, hesitantly reached out and embraced Eddie. From his much weaker touch than usual, Eddie could feel that he was worried about Eddie’s body.

Eddie had thought about many things on his way here today. What he should say when he saw Ketron again.

He had come after contemplating whether to say he missed him, to ask him to hold him tightly, or whether he should first talk about what he had gone through, about the Demon King, or about his own past.

But upon facing Ketron’s subdued expression, the words he had repeated and refined countless times in his mind vanished in an instant.

There were words he needed to say, but at this moment, nothing came to mind.

“……Sorry.”

“……”

Silence descended heavily.

Breaking through that silence, Eddie finally spoke the words that had come to mind first.

“I’m sorry.”

After saying it, he realized that word was far simpler than all the words he had overthought. It was the most truthful word at that moment.

That was all.

For a long time afterward, the two of them remained embraced, forgetting time and place.

Ketron tried several times to confirm Eddie’s presence before his eyes. He would feel around his chest where his heart was, listen to Eddie’s breathing, or stare intently at Eddie’s blinking face.

Eddie knew, without a word being spoken, that Ketron was repeatedly verifying that Eddie was alive, so even though it took a long time, Eddie patiently waited for the process.

Ketron ultimately asked nothing. It was as if his return was enough.

Of course, Eddie had no intention of letting it pass without a word, as he had before.

He planned to tell him everything today.

“I couldn’t even give you a birthday present.”

Eddie said, sounding upset, and had Ketron, who seemed a little calmer, sit on the chair where he had been. Then, he wiped the soot from Ketron’s face with a handkerchief.

What on earth was he doing to get all this on him? Surely they didn’t make my child do labor, did they?

Unaware of what Eddie was thinking, Ketron, who had been meekly allowing Eddie’s touch, shook his head.

“That’s fine.”

“I’m not fine.”

Not only had he been attacked and his life hung in the balance, but the very next day was Ketron’s birthday.

When he woke up, quite some time had already passed since that day, and the new year had already become a distant memory.

He had made Ketron experience the worst birthday and the worst new year simultaneously. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

Actually, he had planned to throw Ketron a surprise party the next day, but it had completely fallen apart. He knew that what had passed couldn’t be changed, but it was their first birthday and first new year together.

Sighing heavily, Eddie busied himself with wiping Ketron’s face.

Even though the soot would disappear once he washed, Eddie was bothered by how messy Ketron’s handsome face was, so while Eddie wiped his face, Ketron, who had been still, subtly moved his eyes to scan Eddie’s entire body.

His gaze, meticulously scanning from head to toe, seemed to be checking if Eddie was truly unharmed and alright.

The situation, with each of them observing the other, struck Eddie as rather amusing, and he burst into laughter.

“Ket.”

“Yes.”

“I have a lot to tell you.”

There really was a lot.

Now that the story’s influence had faded, there was nothing holding him back from talking about various things, and since he had decided to live with Ketron in this world for a long time, he didn’t want to hide anything.

I’ll tell him everything. My past life, the novel I read, the story I shared with Tarajiel in that space where I faced death, and so on.

But there was no particular rush. These were things that could be told slowly and carefully over time. These weren’t things that could be summarized and told quickly. They required dedicated time.

Most importantly, Eddie didn’t want to rush.

“First, go wash up.”

Although Eddie had wiped him down, he had only cleaned the smudges on his face; Ketron’s clothes were still covered in soot.

Adding that since it was late, they should stay the night, Eddie led Ketron towards the bathroom in one corner of the room.

Come to think of it, they probably don’t have shampoo or soap like they did at the inn here.

Secretly regretting the absence of a convenience store, Eddie, who had Ketron meekly following his lead, guided him into the bathroom and then let out a sigh, looking around the spacious room.

As the Emperor had said, it was a “VIP room,” decorated in a classic style that was both neat and elegant.

Though he had never been, Eddie imagined a five-star hotel suite would feel something like this. Of course, there were likely more ornate decorations than that.

Suddenly, the Emperor’s voice echoed in Eddie’s mind, saying that almost everything he needed was here.

“…….”

No way.

Eddie looked around and realized the only place to put luggage was the nightstand next to the bed. He glanced towards the bathroom where Ketron had gone, then stealthily moved towards the nightstand like a stray cat.

“……Hah.”

Eddie opened the nightstand and froze, his eyes wide, upon seeing what was inside, then slammed it shut roughly.

Are you, are you, are you insane?

He had vaguely expected that it would contain things of ‘that nature.’ Like oil, or something to be used as lubricant.

However, inside were not only the things Eddie had imagined but also things that far surpassed his imagination.

He remembered. The nickname for Capital Irena was the City of Pleasure. It was a moniker created by the nobles.

Nobles!

Suddenly, heat rose all over his body. If he looked in a mirror, his skin would probably be flushed like a drunk person’s.

Just then, the sound of water began to come from the bathroom.

Eddie, spacing out and focusing on the sound of water from the bathroom, slowly sat down on the bed. The feeling was, well, exactly as the Emperor had asserted – incredibly, incredibly plush!

“Ah.”

This is driving me crazy.

The bed is plush! Everything needed, and even things not needed, are all here! The soundproofing is probably excellent too!

Although the Emperor had said such things, Eddie had only recently survived death, and he had so many things he wanted to tell Ketron, even if there was no rush, that his mind was entirely focused on that.

So, Eddie, who had dreamed of falling asleep peacefully after chatting with Ketron in bed, felt a sensation of being pushed by some unknown force.

Ugh, ugh, Eddie let out a silent scream, then, exhausted, slumped onto the bed before suddenly sitting up.

“……Convenience store.”

He needed a convenience store. More precisely, he needed something that would be in the convenience store at this very moment.

The moment Eddie pictured the convenience store that always followed him wherever he went.

Swish.

A new wooden door appeared right next to the door leading out of the room.

He had worried that the benefits of possession might have disappeared now that the story’s influence was gone, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

As expected! Finding the convenience store he had trusted, Eddie shot up from his seat and quickly entered the newly formed door.

The interior of the convenience store, still neatly organized, was perfectly maintained.

Eddie, anxious because Ketron might come out soon, quickly approached the item he was aiming for.

Next to the gum section were countless ‘those things.’

Condoms, which varied in brand, type, and size, and which always made him feel awkward, second only to sanitary pads, when restocking…

There were plenty of condoms there, the kind he used to calculate with a deliberately indifferent face when customers might feel embarrassed.

Eddie bent down and scanned the condoms.

Because he had checked them multiple times when restocking, he roughly knew the types.

Lee Jeong-hoon’s convenience store was in an apartment complex, so condoms weren’t a top-selling item, meaning there weren’t that many varieties stocked, yet there were quite a few.

In the early days of starting the convenience store, he had looked around thinking, Wow, they really have everything, but later, he just restocked them out of habit.

Looking at them again with such seriousness felt a bit embarrassing. It was beyond just looking at display items; he was looking at them for personal use.

Unintentionally knowing Ketron’s size, Eddie, without checking the types, grabbed the largest ones and poured them onto the bed. Not long after, Ketron came out of the bathroom after washing.

His body, steaming with warmth, was wearing a robe, as he couldn’t possibly wear his soot-covered, messy clothes. The robe seemed small on Ketron’s body, even the largest size, as it gaped open in places.

Watching the water drip from his hair, Eddie approached and naturally took the towel placed on Ketron’s head and began to dry his hair.

“Um… Ket, you know.”

Ketron remained still as Eddie dried his hair.

This large black cat didn’t hiss much when being washed or dried, readily accepting Eddie’s touch, and he was now calmly accepting Eddie’s touch and listening intently to his voice.

His body no longer smelled of oil or burnt material but had a pleasant fragrance.

Eddie, his face flushing inexplicably at the sight of his firm, almost hard chest revealed through the open robe, hesitantly began to speak.

“Originally, I had a lot I wanted to talk to you about, so I was planning to just chatter away today.”

It wasn’t just a lot; it was a truckload. He wouldn’t have enough time even if he stayed up for several nights.

Originally, he had planned to spend tonight talking about such things and leave the Imperial Palace the next morning.

But.

Considering the Emperor’s words, and the things that were prepared…

It felt like he was being pushed, didn’t it? That this was a very good opportunity.

Of course, even without that, it was perfectly natural for a healthy adult man to want things with the person he liked. It was just that the circumstances hadn’t been right until now.

“But today, with you….”

His face was burning hot, all the way to his ears, and worried that this might be a mistake, he hesitated for a moment, but Eddie finally spoke the words.

“……I want to.”

I haven’t even properly confessed yet, isn’t this too hasty? Did Ketron not think that far ahead, and am I being too forward? Will I seem too lustful if I bring this up so soon after waking up?*

Even after blurting it out, Eddie couldn’t put his mind at ease and couldn’t look Ketron in the eye. He couldn’t even finish the sentence with, ‘What about you?’ At that moment, his body was suddenly lifted.

“Whoa.”

He was laid down on the bed, and as his eyes met the large silhouette that covered his body, Eddie realized he hadn’t misjudged at all.

It wasn’t hasty; it was rather late.

As their eyes met, Ketron’s now visibly aroused, Eddie no longer hesitated and wrapped his arms around Ketron’s neck.

It was the beginning of a long night.