IBSBV Ch 13

Chapter 13

Sliding his fingers through the fine strands of hair that framed a smooth forehead, Louis let out a slow breath. He had thought this before, but Eddie’s hair was incredibly soft. This time, he didn’t want to pull his hand away so easily.

Lost in his own world, Louis touched and retouched Eddie’s hair, feeling it over and over. He even leaned in to take a sniff. They used the same shampoo and soap, yet somehow, the scent was different. It was like a forest soaked in rain, damp earth rich with moisture.

The anxious pounding in his chest gradually eased. He wanted to bury his face in the curve of Eddie’s neck and stay there.

It was strange. Eddie was someone he should be wary of, and yet he kept craving his warmth. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find a reason for it.

Perhaps he was simply starved for affection, but whenever he was in front of Eddie, his reason and emotions seemed to move separately.

“What color is your hair?”

“Black.”

“Your eyes?”

“A deep reddish-black. My skin is pale. Oh, and I have a tear mole under my eye. I’m quite handsome, in a masculine way. Very masculine.”

“…I see.”

But the face Louis pictured, pieced together from that explanation, was anything but rugged. It was strikingly beautiful. On top of that, he was slender. The more that delicate image settled in his mind, the warmer his body felt.

Louis quickly took a step back. His heart, which had been beating lazily, started to race. He didn’t think it would calm down anytime soon.

“Does that give you a general idea of what I look like?”

“…Yeah.”

Beautiful. Louis barely swallowed the word rolling around in his mouth and nodded.

“Then let me reintroduce myself. My name is Erden Asius, the second son of Baron Asius.”

“Erden Asius… Erden, Asius. Erden, Erden.”

To make sure he wouldn’t forget, Louis repeated Eddie’s real name over and over.

“And—”

Eddie took a slow breath before continuing.

“I am an assassin. Or rather, I was. Until I came here.”

Louis’s emotions, which had been running wild with a strange excitement, suddenly came to a screeching halt as if doused in cold water. The flush on his cheeks, which had been a youthful red, drained into something pitifully pale.

“The House of Baron Asius followed the brother of the Second Empress, who is His Highness Sover’s mother, and because of that, by chance in my childhood I came to catch His Highness Sover’s eye and was raised as an assassin. The reason I came to the North is because I received orders to kill Your Highness.”

“…I, I s-see….”

Louis barely managed a weak response, his head dropping.

Even if he had already known the truth, hearing it outright while his feelings teetered between doubt and dependence was still a shock.

He was afraid of what Eddie would say next.

He was curt but kind. He took care of him but had a quiet coldness about him. There was no telling what kind of blade might be hidden behind his tongue. He wanted to run, but the knowledge that he couldn’t made him feel all the more pathetic.

Taking two shaky steps away from Eddie, Louis bit down on his trembling lips to keep the tears from falling.

“Your Highness.”

Eddie closed the distance by a single step—shorter than what Louis had put between them—and knelt on one knee. Then, carefully, he took Louis’s right hand in his. Louis flinched but, thankfully, didn’t pull away.

“I won’t kill you, Your Highness.”

“…Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be unhappy. I abandoned all lingering attachments when I came to the North. Every single one of the people who used and tormented me.”

“…Liar….”

“If I were lying, I wouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

He kissed the back of Louis’s hand, stroking it a few times with his thumb to calm him.

Once, lightly. Twice, firmly.

Even without sight, Louis could tell exactly what was touching his skin. His mind blanked. Everything felt hazy.

By the third kiss, it was scalding. It burned.

“I swear. No matter what happens, I won’t betray you. Even if my family tries to drag me back, I will put you first.”

With reverence and devotion, he finally rested his forehead against Louis’s hand.

“Please trust me.”

“You really… won’t betray me? You won’t kill me?”

“No. I won’t betray you. And I won’t kill you. I can’t kill you.”

Reaching out with his other hand, Louis carefully traced the shape of Eddie’s face, his position, his posture. Then, he let his legs give out and sank to the floor.

He wanted to look at him.

Even if he couldn’t see, he wanted his gaze to hold Eddie’s image. And he wanted Eddie to see that.

“Then…”

—Will you stay by my side until I die?

It was a selfish desire he couldn’t bring himself to voice.

Not killing him was already an act of loyalty in itself.

Louis had no right to ask for more. He still couldn’t bring himself to trust Eddie completely.

People’s words were convenient like that.

So he buried his tangled, greedy emotions deep inside and clung to the one desire he could allow himself.

“Promise me.”

He lifted his left hand to Eddie’s lips.

“Kiss here too.”

There was a desperate hunger in his voice.

“Just like before. Three times. No, t-ten times. And press down hard.”

Eddie quirked an eyebrow and looked between the outstretched hand and Louis’s face.

“No.”

“…What?”

“A vow is meant to be made only once, at the most crucial moment. If you keep demanding it, it loses its meaning. I’m not some dog.”

He lowered his hand.

Louis’s lips parted slightly in shock.

Knock, knock, knock—

“I’ve brought dessert.”

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

The knock split the space between them, and Eddie abruptly stood, dusting off his knee. As the door opened, Bell entered, carrying a tray.

He glanced once at Louis, who sat frozen like ice on the floor, before placing the plate with the cake on the table.

“Come on, get up.”

Eddie reached out his hand. Louis hesitated for a moment, fumbling in the air, but then firmly grasped his hand and pulled himself up.

The cake was sweet and slightly bitter.

And then came the night. Louis was still plagued by nightmares.

I don’t want to die. Don’t abandon me, Eddie.

“Hush—calm down, Your Highness. I’ll stay by your side.”

As he wiped away the pain flowing between Louis’s tightly shut eyes, Eddie pressed a kiss to the back of his left hand.

“I won’t abandon you.”

Even if Your Highness abandons me.

I will never abandon you.

“I’ll protect you, so let go and rest. There’s nothing to fear.”

 

***

 

Morning arrived. After having breakfast with Louis, Eddie informed the butler that he would be going out.

‘When they said they’d prepare a carriage, I wondered who they’d send as the coachman…’

“Yo—!”

Sitting in the driver’s seat, the knight Ted waved his hand.

“Get in already.”

Though not exactly thrilled, Eddie knew that a coachman was supposed to be someone who could wield a sword. They weren’t the same as stable hands. Given that there were no soldiers here, it was only natural that the only ones who could drive a carriage were knights.

“I can go on my own.”

“I know. But I’m supposed to keep an eye on you. Just get in quietly, will you? Oh, or is it too stuffy inside? Then sit up here with me.”

Eddie held back the urge to flip him off and climbed into the carriage.

“We’re heading out! You’d better brace yourself—I drive rough.”

With Ted’s loud shout, the carriage wheels began to roll.

Leaning back into the plush seat, Eddie gazed out the window. The road down from the castle was quite long. When he had arrived in Sober’s carriage, they had traveled from above, so he hadn’t been able to get a good look at what lay below.

How long had they trudged through the seemingly endless snow? Eventually, a village came into view.

As he slid the window open, the lively sounds of the bustling town pierced through the white-covered world.

He thought of Louis. The cage he was trapped in was so deathly silent that Eddie wanted him to experience this vibrant world one day.

The plaza they arrived at was even noisier. The Northerners were tall and broad-shouldered, with voices that boomed.

‘It feels strange seeing this in reality, even though I created it.’

After parking the carriage at the depot, Eddie dragged Ted along and headed to a tailor shop first. He bought several shirts and pants, as well as vests and jackets made of bear, fox, and wolf fur, along with fur hats and shoes.

At a store recommended by the shopkeeper, he stocked up on plenty of undergarments and socks. After that, he picked out a cane embedded with a ruby that resembled Louis’s hair color.

Before he knew it, his hands were full of paper bags stuffed with candy and snacks.

“Hey, did you come here to rob the stores or what?”

Ted grumbled as he ended up carrying some of the bags. Ignoring his complaints, Eddie wandered through the alleys.

There were more shops without signs than he expected. That was something he hadn’t accounted for. Due to a lack of imagination, he had only written vague descriptions, skipping over details.

“Hey! If you’re done shopping, let’s head back. My arms are about to fall off!”

He had been admiring the town, but Ted kept whining and rushing him. Just as he was about to snap at him to shut up—

[Pathetic, Lowly Villain 1]