IBSBV Ch 12

Chapter 12

‘He doesn’t hesitate.’

Not the kind of behavior you’d expect from someone who had been embezzling the money that came from the imperial family every month.

The butler, who had taken Eddie to the office, retrieved one of the many pouches from the safe and handed it over. It was quite heavy.

“Buy whatever you think His Highness needs. I won’t interfere.”

With those words, the butler left the room before Eddie did.

Left alone in a space filled with traces of others, Eddie checked the amount before placing the pouch inside his magic bag.

‘A pathetic hypocrite and bystander.’

When that status window had popped up, listing newly added keywords, the first characters that had come to mind were all major characters. There was no time to worry about extras who had only been given a few lines of description and dialogue.

People without even the keywords he, the original author, had assigned.

In other words, if he set their keywords cleverly, he could turn them into Louis’s people without much effort.

‘I’ll watch for a little longer.’

Suppressing the itch in his fingers, he returned to where he was supposed to be.

“Your Highness?”

When he had left, Louis had been sitting in his chair. But now, for some reason, he was crouched near the doorway.

Lifting his head from where it had been buried between his knees, Louis suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of Eddie’s pants. Judging by the dirt on his knees, it seemed he had crawled all the way there.

The area around the table was a mess. The chair had toppled backward, perhaps in the process of standing up, and the tablecloth was lying on the floor. The jar of candy Bell had given him had shattered.

“Your Highness.”

Lowering himself, Eddie took Louis’s hand and quickly scanned him for any injuries.

“Where did you go?”

“Oh. I went to the wardrobe with the butler because I wanted to help Your Highness change clothes. But there weren’t many outfits. I’ll probably have to go out and buy some tomorrow or the day after.”

“…Go out? Outside? You’re leaving the palace?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t need it. This outfit is enough. No, I like this one. I don’t want anything else.”

Louis was still wearing the fur vest Eddie had given him over his indoor clothes. The same went for his shoes.

Even as he stubbornly refused, Eddie patiently explained.

“You can’t live in just a vest. And those shoes will become too small soon. You’ll need new ones. And underwear, too.”

“I don’t nee—”

“Your Highness, I don’t share underwear. I can give you as many outer garments as you want, but not underwear. Mine would be too small for you anyway.”

Louis’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, his ears turning red as if he had imagined something inappropriate.

“I’ll bring back something delicious too. You’ve never had food from outside, have you?”

“…Candy.”

“Candy? You want candy?”

“Ask the butler for money and buy a jar of candy. Get one that’s much bigger and prettier than the one that servant gave me…”

After vehemently refusing earlier, Louis suddenly made his request. But midway, he trailed off, as if remembering what he had done.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break it. I didn’t know it would fall when I did.”

“I understand. Now, let’s get up.”

Eddie dismissed the apology and helped Louis to his feet.

“Stay standing for a moment.”

He then placed Louis’s hand on the doorknob to help him balance.

After making sure he could stand on his own, Eddie carefully gathered the broken jar and scattered candy onto the tablecloth, wrapping the sharp fragments securely. He set the chair upright and adjusted the table’s position before finally guiding Louis to sit on the bed.

Just as he was about to pull the service bell, a gloomy voice stopped him.

“Eddie, you’re not mad… right?”

“Not at all. I’m not petty enough to get angry over something like this. But if something similar happens again, don’t move. You might get hurt.”

“…Okay.”

Only after seeing Louis’s slumped shoulders straighten slightly did Eddie ring the bell.

Bell, who must have been nearby, entered the room almost immediately. Seeing the mess, he quickly fetched cleaning supplies and tidied up.

Eddie double-checked the floor to ensure no glass shards remained before turning to Louis.

“Are your knees okay?”

“They’re fine.”

“Then stand up again. Let’s practice walking. Hold out your hand—I’ll help you.”

Louis hesitated, his fingers fumbling in the air before finally resting lightly on Eddie’s palm.

As soon as their warmth met, Eddie tightened his grip and adjusted his pace to match Louis’s, step by step.

“You’re doing well, Your Highness.”

A strange ticklish feeling spread through Louis’s nose at the steady stream of praise. It was just walking, yet it felt like he was dancing.

So, without realizing it, he said something he shouldn’t have—words he had only repeated in his mind.

“…Don’t kill me, Eddie.”

For a moment, Eddie thought he had misheard. If Louis had whispered, he might have pretended not to hear. But his voice, calm yet unwavering, rang so clearly in my ears that Eddie stopped dead in his tracks, unable to hide his agitation.

He was sure the tremor in his hands had been transmitted through their joined grip.

‘Damn…’

Now that he had reacted, he had to respond somehow.

Should he laugh it off as a joke? But wasn’t it too late for that?

“I’m sorry. Forget it. I misspoke.”

Before Eddie could organize his thoughts, Louis hurriedly took back his words.

“What I just said… just ignore it. I said it wrong. Sometimes, I confuse dreams with reality… Stupidly. It doesn’t mean anything, so don’t think too much about it.”

But spilled water is hard to scoop back up.

The air grew heavy, sinking to the point that Eddie could hear Louis’s wavering breaths. He swallowed a sigh.

Should he let it go or not?

He had intended to bring it up eventually. It was just that he had only been here for a short time, and he had kept silent, fearing it would only make Louis warier of him.

Eddie cast a glance at Louis. Though his face appeared calm, the tension was evident.

His pale complexion, trembling eyelashes, and eyes that seemed on the verge of welling up—Eddie’s chest clenched upon seeing the deep-seated fear within them.

He had already suspected much, but there was a stark difference between merely guessing and confronting the truth.

Could Louis, in his current state, be able to handle it?

The thought ran deep, and silence stretched between them. Growing anxious, Louis tightened his grip, clinging to Eddie’s hand as if it were his only lifeline. Desperation, though unspoken, was palpable.

It snapped Eddie back to his senses.

‘Louis isn’t weak.’

Besides, his goal was to protect him, to make him smile freely—not to leave him helpless, unable to stand on his own.

Since Louis had already voiced his fears, leaving them unaddressed would only let them fester. It was better to clear them away before they took root and caused deeper wounds.

“Your Highness.”

Eddie, who had been standing beside Louis, turned fully to face him. Then, he took both of Louis’s hands.

“Aren’t you curious about me? About what I look like, for instance?”

Louis, though startled by the sudden question, nodded obediently.

“…I am.”

“Then let’s focus on your sense of touch.”

Eddie guided Louis’s hands to his cheeks.

A serious glint flickered in Louis’s eyes. Even without further instruction, his fingers instinctively moved on their own.

He had unintentionally brushed against Eddie’s face before, trying to gauge his position, but this was different. This time, they both allowed the touch—welcomed it.

Louis closed his eyes and, relying on the sensation beneath his fingertips, began piecing together an image of Eddie’s face in his mind.

It was a strange yet fascinating experience—to gradually come to know someone’s features through touch alone.

It felt as if he were peeling away invisible layers, uncovering something hidden.

—Cool.

Though there was no breeze in the room, Eddie’s skin felt as cold as it had when Louis first touched him on the terrace.

His cheeks were soft despite his lean frame, and his facial contours were slender. His ears were neither large nor small. Louis traced back over Eddie’s cheeks.

It felt different from when he had touched Eddie’s damp skin after a bath. Perhaps it was because of the slight dampness of his own hands, but the way their skin clung together sent a strange shiver down his spine.

As he moved his thumb sideways, he brushed against the bridge of Eddie’s nose—high and pronounced. When his fingers reached the rounded tip, the thought crossed his mind that it was… oddly cute.

Sliding his hand downward, he traced the curve of Eddie’s philtrum, then reached his lips. They weren’t entirely soft, but there was a pleasant plumpness to them.

His fingers lingered there. A dry gulp ran down his throat, his neck stiffening.

Something about this—something he couldn’t quite put into words—felt dangerous, as if he was on the verge of making some unknown mistake.

Suppressing an odd sense of regret, Louis withdrew his hand and reached upward instead.