IBPC | Chapter 2.5

Was it more absurd to return to his original time from this past that was over a thousand years ago? Or to carry and give birth to the child of a prince? No, strictly speaking, weren’t both impossible?

And what about his original time? Had anyone noticed he was gone? He thought he had dropped his phone somewhere before being dragged here. If he had it, someone might have realized he was missing, right? Would Chanseok have found it? Or had he just vanished without a trace, buried in some pit?

“Will anyone… look for me?”

Thinking about it, he had been living alone ever since his grandmother passed away. Life had been busy and tough, so he didn’t have any close friends who would come to his house. The only person he had was Chanseok, who attended the same classes. And… the green onions and lettuce he had planted on the rooftop… they’d probably all die.

“I’ve traveled all the way to the Jinha Kingdom era, and all I’m worried about are green onions and lettuce.”

Seoyul suddenly felt a wave of self-loathing and curled up. As he sighed at the lingering muscle pain, he heard movement outside the room, and the servants entered.

“We’ve brought your meal.”

Seoyul tried not to pay attention, but he glanced up slightly.

Come to think of it, hadn’t he had a proper meal since arriving here?

The moment he arrived, he had been thrown in front of Heegon like prey, and during the time he spent having sex with him, he had only consumed water, soft fruits, and sweet snacks that resembled medicine.

How could this be? He hadn’t eaten properly and had just been having sex day and night.

Seoyul shuddered at the wave of self-loathing but still glanced at the food being placed in front of him. It looked like some kind of thin porridge, along with other unidentifiable dishes.

But when the food was right in front of him, Seoyul finally felt a strong hunger. He glanced at the servants and sat up from the bed. Enduring the stiffness in his lower back, he straightened up, and the servants pulled the table closer to him.

“Please eat.”

They all looked at him with curious eyes. Seoyul felt burdened by their gaze but, as if entranced, picked up the spoon. He carefully tasted the food in front of him.

“…….”

He wasn’t sure how many days it had been since he last ate. But, unfortunately, even so, Seoyul frowned as he swallowed the first bite.

What… is this?

It was surprisingly tasteless. The thin porridge-like dish, as well as the side dishes, were all bland and unappetizing. Seoyul poked at the food and finally asked the servants standing in front of him.

“Um… do you have any salt?”

“…….”

“If you could bring me just a little, I’d like to adjust the seasoning.”

At Seoyul’s cautious request, the servants exchanged awkward glances. Then one of them, clasping his hands together, replied with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, but salt is too precious……”

“Bring it to him.”

As the servant hesitated, another voice cut in. At the low voice that echoed in the room, the servants quickly bowed their heads and stepped aside. Then, through the opening door, Heegon entered.

“…….”

Seeing him, Seoyul unconsciously swallowed hard.

Come to think of it, this was the first time they were properly facing each other after the heat and rut… right?

Seoyul’s face flushed in an instant.

The servants left, and only Heegon and Seoyul remained in the room. What followed was an awkward silence that made it hard to breathe.

But Seoyul had been sneaking glances at Heegon since earlier.

His neatly tied-back hair. His properly worn clothes. During the rut, Heegon’s hair had been disheveled, and they had both been out of their minds, so he hadn’t noticed, but……

He’s incredibly handsome……

There were many records describing King Eulsa’s appearance as pleasing, and indeed, his son was no different… no, he truly lived up to being an Alpha.

With a face that seemed sculpted, more so than any actor Seoyul knew, he couldn’t help but chew on his lip. It wasn’t an exaggeration when dramas portrayed Alphas with a glowing aura and slow-motion effects.

He felt embarrassed remembering how he had once thought Chanseok, a Beta, seemed like an Alpha.

“…….”

As Seoyul cautiously glanced at Heegon, he soon noticed something. When Heegon slightly turned his head, Seoyul saw the earring hanging from his ear.

“Ah, that earring—”

Seeing it, Seoyul unconsciously widened his eyes and pointed at it.

The earring found at the excavation site of the pond. An identical one was hanging from Heegon’s ear. The professor had said that earring was presumed to belong to the Third Prince, Tae Heegon.

“So it really was Tae Heegon’s.”

For some reason, he felt both happy and amazed. Seoyul quickly swallowed his words, which had slipped out without thought. He lowered the hand that had been pointing at Heegon and covered his mouth.

“…….”

Heegon silently observed Seoyul, then let out a soft sigh.

“The earring?”

He reached up and touched the earring hanging from his earlobe.

“Do you like it?”

“…….”

“But I can’t give it to you. It’s my mother’s keepsake.”

Heegon’s indifferent eyes scanned Seoyul up and down.

“If you like it, I can have one made for you.”

Caught off guard by Heegon’s response, Seoyul hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, no, that’s not it……”

Seoyul trailed off. As he closed his mouth, silence fell between them again. Just as Seoyul was starting to feel suffocated by the awkward atmosphere, Heegon spoke again.

“I heard you were brought here against your will.”

“……?”

At Heegon’s subtle remark, Seoyul met his eyes, hoping for something. But Heegon’s following words were, as expected, of no use.

“But I can’t afford to pity you. I need you. The reason for that, I think you’ve already figured out last night.”

Heegon’s gaze followed the traces of passion visible through Seoyul’s loosely worn clothes. Heegon looked at them and recalled the previous night.

“Fortunately, it didn’t seem like you disliked it either.”

At Heegon’s brief comment, Seoyul felt an indescribable embarrassment. To hide it, he stared at the cooling food in front of him.

Of course… his relationship with the Alpha hadn’t been one-sided, and he hadn’t disliked it. But whether it was 100% his own will was questionable.

“If I say I don’t want to… do I have a choice?”

Even though he knew it was impossible, Seoyul clung to a last shred of hope and asked Heegon. To his trembling question, Heegon answered without hesitation.

“No.”

Heegon’s dark eyes gleamed as if to ensnare Seoyul.

If he had lived without knowing, he might have managed somehow. But now that he knew what this body could offer him…

“It doesn’t matter what kind of life you’ve lived, or if you have someone you love, or a lover. From now on, you’ll live for me, and you’ll belong to me.”

“…….”

“You are mine.”

Like an unchangeable truth, those words fell from Heegon’s lips.

Strangely, Seoyul felt a strange calmness wash over him. It was as if there was no point in struggling anymore, as if he was standing before a predetermined fate.

You are mine.

With those words, Heegon fell silent again for a while. Seoyul did the same. What more could he say in front of someone so resolute?

Then, after sitting quietly, Heegon suddenly stood up. Seoyul thought he was leaving, but instead, Heegon walked over to him, who was still sitting on the bed.

Noticing this, Seoyul looked up at Heegon with slight panic, and Heegon reached out toward him. He cupped the back of Seoyul’s head and gently tilted it downward.

“……?”

Seoyul gasped and shrank back, but Heegon pressed his nose against the nape of Seoyul’s neck and inhaled.

“The scent… has weakened. It’s almost gone.”

“……?”

“It seems my scent is still lingering, though.”

At Heegon’s muttering, Seoyul, unable to look at him directly, spoke in a trembling voice.

“The scent? Well, the heat is over, so…”

“Heat?”

“Ah, um… my… erotomania. Since my erotomania has ended, the scent has faded, right? Isn’t it the same for you, Your Highness?”

Seoyul brought his face close to Heegon’s shoulder and sniffed. The scent that had overwhelmed him last night had also faded.

“…….”

Heegon watched Seoyul sniffing him, then straightened up. This time, he moved his hand to gently lift Seoyul’s chin.

“And, why is that?”

“What… do you mean?”

“I told you not to bite the neck.”

Seoyul, faced with Heegon’s calm demeanor, which was so different from before, thought quickly.

‘Is he talking about marking? Well, of course…’

He realized he needed to answer wisely about this.

It was clear that Tae Heegon didn’t know about marking. So, was it better for him to know, or was it more advantageous for Seoyul if he remained ignorant?

In the brief moment before Heegon could notice, Seoyul thought hard. Then he tried to act as natural as possible.

“It’s just that if an Omega like me… no, an Eumin bites the neck… it’s not good. It’s just……”

As Seoyul hesitated, Heegon guessed what he was trying to say.

“Is it… a weakness? For Eumins?”

“Huh?”

At Heegon’s question, which didn’t seem suspicious, Seoyul quickly accepted it.

“Yes, that’s right. The neck needs to be careful. It could go wrong……”

“There’s no record of such a thing regarding Eumins…… Is there anything else I should know?”

Seoyul shook his head a couple of times in response. Then Heegon finally stepped back from him.

“The neck, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“…….”

“Do you need anything else?”

At the final question, something suddenly crossed Seoyul’s mind. Heegon seemed more composed than expected when not in rut, so Seoyul decided to seize the opportunity.

“By any chance, I had a bag with me. Could I get it back?”

“A bag?”

“My belongings! The black bag I had slung over my shoulder like this. Could I… get it back?”

Seeing the glimmer of hope in Seoyul’s eyes, Heegon subtly bit the inside of his cheek.

“If the child asks about the clothes and items he brought, pretend you don’t know. We can’t tell what those things are, and who knows what he might do with them.”

Recalling Pacheon’s warning, Heegon avoided Seoyul’s gaze.

“Pacheon said it was lost in the chaos……”

“Huh?”

“But I’ll tell him to look for it. Don’t get your hopes up, though.”

At Heegon’s answer, Seoyul’s face darkened instantly. Heegon deliberately turned away.

“I’ll have salt brought to you. Finish your meal.”