IBSBV Ch 4

Chapter 4

 

Gah! He nearly let out a yelp. Before he could even resist, his body tilted backward.

Louis didn’t stop there—he immediately rolled onto his side. With an arm wrapped tightly around his neck, Eddie had no choice but to be dragged down with him.

“Ugh, what are you doing?!”

He immediately tried to pry the arm off his neck, but the more he struggled, the tighter Louis held on. Naturally, it was hard to breathe.

“Are you trying to kill me? Let go right now!”

The situation had completely flipped from before. No matter how much he twisted and turned to break free, it only made things worse for him.

Louis, watching the head struggling in his arms, slowly closed his eyes.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep! I said let me go!”

It had been tough earlier, but he had at least managed to hold his own. Now, it felt like he was ensnared in some unyielding vine.

After a while, he grew exhausted. His arms, which had been flailing through the air, lost their strength.

“Ha—.”

Whatever, let it be. His neck was a little uncomfortable, but what could he do?

His position was awkward too—his upper body was on the bed while his lower body dangled off, making his back ache. But since Louis refused to let go, he had no choice but to endure.

Just as he was grumbling internally, the sound of steady breathing reached his ears. Eddie clicked his tongue and began shutting down his thoughts one by one.

It was a ritual he always performed before falling asleep. Without it, he would suffer from insomnia—one of the bad habits born from his unstable childhood.

Blocking out all complex thoughts, he eventually…

‘Stayed up all night.’

He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

He was already sensitive, and with such an uncomfortable sleeping position, it was impossible to get any rest.

Damn His Highness. When is he going to wake up? It looked like dawn had already broken.

As he muttered tiredly to himself, the sensation of breathing against his head suddenly changed.

“…Huh…?”

A moment later, Louis jolted upright in a panic.

Finally freed from the hold, Eddie got up and dusted himself off.

His entire body ached. He stretched his arms, arching his back with a deep yawn before rubbing his sore shoulders.

When he tilted his head from side to side, a loud cracking sound echoed. He clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, trying to loosen up the tingling in his arm from the strain.

While doing so, he noticed Louis subtly inching away from him.

“Did you have a pleasant dream?”

You sure slept well.

Eddie asked indifferently, his face blank, as he gathered his belongings from the floor.

“Hm. I’ll see you in an hour. I need to get some rest too.”

Leaving behind Louis, who stood there blinking in a daze, he threw out one last comment.

“And take care of that as well.”

He didn’t need to explain further. It was morning, after all. A natural bodily reaction. A sign of a healthy lower half for a man.

Leaving Louis’s bedroom, he entered the room next door.

Though the butler had said it was messy, the room, which carried a faint scent of dust from disuse, was several times cleaner than Louis’s had been before it was cleaned. The furniture was all intact as well.

After hanging his outerwear loosely on a hanger, he unpacked his bag.

All he had brought with him was a single fountain pen, two bottles of ink, a notebook, and the enchanted pouch that Sover gave him.

It was a meager collection, to say the least. But the contents of the space-expanding pouch were another matter.

Inside were a generous amount of money, dozens of winter outfits, various medicinal and poisonous herbs, magic scrolls, and multiple pairs of winter shoes. There was also an ornate dagger with intricate engravings, along with everyday necessities such as underwear, shampoo, and soap—all luxury goods far beyond what a commoner could afford.

Eddie sifted through his memories from this body.

Despite constantly pushing him toward hell, Sover had shown an unusual amount of interest in him.

He had strictly forbidden Eddie from wearing anything other than the clothes and shoes he provided, and he was just as obsessive about which items Eddie was allowed to use.

As a child, even if Eddie’s gaze lingered on something for a moment too long, Sover would kill the pet he was raising or mercilessly beat the servants.

When no one was around, he kept Eddie close by his side, stroking his cheek or kneading the nape of his neck. On rare occasions, he even buried his nose in his neck, inhaling his scent deeply.

Yet, he never went beyond that—as if he had his own boundaries.

While his obsession was almost pathological when Eddie was in sight, the orders he gave were always life-threatening tasks. It was unclear whether he cared for him or merely pretended to, just to make him easier to use.

Even in the carriage ride to the North, it was the same. He extended a false sense of kindness by escorting him personally while repeatedly discussing Louis’s assassination, using his family as hostage.

‘What a damn bastard.’

Grinding his teeth, Eddie drew the sword Sover had given him to plunge into Louis’s heart. The blade, steeped in an eerie energy, gleamed vividly.

It was beautiful, yet sinister.

As he ran his fingers over the engraved ancient script on the blade, a chilling sensation sent shivers down his spine.

For a moment, he felt like he was losing himself. Though he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, he felt intoxicated. Almost simultaneously, he mishandled the sword and ended up cutting himself on the edge.

That was when he snapped back to reality. Hastily, Eddie checked his hand. The wound was deep, but there was no trace of blood.

Suspicious, he examined the sword. The part where the ancient script was engraved had turned red, as if it had absorbed his blood.

‘Wasn’t it only supposed to react to curses?’

He found it strange, but there was no one here to answer his questions. Pushing aside his unease, he sheathed the sword.

It was a weapon he had no intention of using anyway—one he would never take out again.

After storing it back in his enchanted pouch and sealing the opening, he turned his attention elsewhere.

‘I should change my clothes.’

He was still wearing the damp clothes from washing Louis. Though they had dried somewhat overnight, they still felt unpleasant. Eddie swiftly stripped off his shirt and pants.

His skin was as pale as snow, his toned muscles forming a lean yet well-proportioned physique. However, his back was marred with deep whip scars, disrupting the otherwise flawless appearance.

Expressionless, he examined his reflection in the mirror before slipping his arms into the sleeves of a fresh shirt. After pulling on a pair of pants, he turned—only to notice a book lying on the bed.

Had it been there before?

‘I’ll read it later if I can’t sleep.’

He dismissed it without much thought and threw on a fur vest enchanted to keep him warm and light. After tucking his magic pouch into his inner pocket, he pulled the bell rope.

Once. Twice. Repeatedly. Then, he began yanking it with frantic urgency.

How much time had passed?

Knock, knock, knock.

“A-Ah, h-hello! I’m Bell, a servant!”

With a knock, the door opened, revealing a freckled servant who entered, panting heavily. His eyes darted over Eddie, and his face turned red like a ripened apple.

“You’ve changed your clothes. They suit you w—”

“Prepare breakfast for His Highness.”

“P-Pardon? Uh, um, His Highness usually doesn’t eat breakfast…”

“Did he say that himself?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Then bring it.”

“…Understood.”

“Tell the chef to prepare it properly. No half-measures.”

Not eating often didn’t mean his meals should be skipped altogether. Choosing not to consult His Highness and simply assuming was a clear dereliction of duty.

Eddie’s gaze turned icy at Bell’s casual excuse, as if neglecting his duty was the most natural thing in the world.

The sharp, almost chilling stare made Bell flinch and take an instinctive step back. Eddie, ready to leave, closed the distance between them in a single stride.

Bell swallowed hard at the sudden proximity, his back pressing against the door.

“Hey. Stop standing there frozen and move.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“You’re blocking the door.”

“O-Oh! Y-Yes!”

Finally, Bell stumbled aside in a hurry.

Eddie shot him a glance before stepping out into the hallway. Watching the flustered servant scurry away, he clicked his tongue in irritation.

After closing his door, he turned toward the room next door.

“Your Highness, it’s me.”

A knock accompanied his brief announcement before he stepped inside.

Louis, seemingly in the middle of getting out of bed, lost his balance and tripped over the blanket.

“Be careful. Are you all right?”

Eddie took a step forward, about to help him up—

“D-Don’t come near me!”

Louis recoiled, shouting in alarm.

“Stay away! Get out, get out!”

“Where would I go? I’m already right in front of you.”

“Get out, I said!”

“Ah, but I told you my name yesterday. Eddie Roison. Not ‘you’—Eddie. Please call me Eddie.”

“Leave!”

“Don’t you find that phrase tiring?”

“Go to hell!”

“That one, too.”

Louis’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out, as if he had lost his train of thought.

“Come now, let’s get up.”

Eddie slipped his hands under Louis’s arms and hoisted him up, ignoring his struggling protests.

Though he resisted, it wasn’t particularly difficult to manage. The difference in strength was stark compared to when he had been unconscious.

Realizing that, Eddie also noticed something else—Louis’s struggles weren’t entirely out of hostility. Even as he rejected Eddie, he made sure not to hurt himself in the process. It wasn’t just blind defiance; he had been protecting himself all along.

The butler and others would never know this.

Even if he pointed it out, no one would understand. They wouldn’t even try. To them, Louis was nothing more than a cursed vessel. And even if they did come to recognize his careful restraint now, it wouldn’t make their fear of him disappear.