IBSBV Ch 6

Chapter 6

Eddie quickened his pace as he left the kitchen.

“Your Highness.”

Upon entering the bedroom, he found Louis sitting blankly, his gaze slowly turning toward him.

“Try this.”

Eddie pulled out a cookie and placed it in Louis’s hand. Without hesitation, Louis took a bite, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Is it good?”

“…It is.”

“Eat as much as you’d like.”

He handed over the entire basket.

“…What about you?”

“I’m not fond of sweets.”

“Then why did you bring them?”

“For you, Your Highness.”

“Have you had breakfast?”

“I’m fine.”

Louis fumbled for another cookie.

“Take this. It’s not too sweet, just a little salty.”

Salty?

Eddie took the cookie and bit into it.

Yet, as expected, he tasted nothing.

It was like chewing on dry soil. As he rolled his tongue, he thought he could feel grains of salt.

He carefully examined both sides of the cookie where his teeth had left marks.

“It doesn’t seem like salt…”

Was it finely crushed peanuts?

Apparently understanding Eddie’s reaction differently, Louis fumbled in the basket for another cookie.

“…Is it good? A little salty, right?”

Sensing an impending misunderstanding, Eddie quickly clarified.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I can’t taste anything. I wasn’t always like this, but now, whether something is sweet or salty, I can’t tell. So you don’t have to give me any more. If it’s unpleasant for you, I’ll take them away.”

“…Forget it.”

Louis swatted away Eddie’s hand and clutched the basket tightly.

—So that’s why he’s so thin…

At that moment, a quiet, sullen voice echoed in Eddie’s mind.

Eddie’s eyes darted around, confused by the sudden unfamiliarity, wondering what was going on.

—Did I hit his hand too hard? Does it hurt…?

Louis lowered his head deeply. It seemed that his thoughts were somehow being transmitted directly to Eddie.

Why? That question surfaced, but for now, the boy’s drooping shoulders concerned him more. Just as Eddie instinctively reached out—

—He gave me food… but what if he gets angry at me for hitting him?

His hand halted midair. At the same time, text appeared above Louis’s head.

[Character 1]

He didn’t even have time to think about what it meant.

—What if he gets mad and kills me sooner…?

Startled by the nervous voice that followed, Eddie stepped in front of Louis and knelt down on one knee. Now at eye level, he could see the boy’s expression.

Despite the overwhelming unease evident in his inner thoughts, Louis’s face appeared composed, even nonchalant.

‘So he has figured out that I’m an assassin.’

When? And how? Judging by the flow of his thoughts, Louis likely had a good idea of who had sent Eddie as well.

This was a stark deviation from the early chapters of the original novel Eddie had once read with care.

‘Or maybe he realized it at this point in the original novel too, but it was never written down.’

Lowering his gaze, Eddie weighed his options.

Feigning ignorance felt like deceit. But outright admitting, ‘Yes, I was ordered to kill you, but I have no intention of following through,’ left too much room for doubt.

Unaware of Eddie’s turmoil, Louis continued his silent spiral.

—I don’t want to die.

A desperate, almost frantic voice tightened Eddie’s expression.

—I may be cursed, but I still want to live, even just a little longer.

—I hope he doesn’t get angry.

—I hope he doesn’t kill me right away.

—I hope he lets me live… just one more day.

His emotions seeped in, wrapping around Eddie’s chest like a crashing tide. It felt like being trapped in the middle of a raging sea. Eddie bit down on his lip. He had never shown anger. He was used to reading people’s emotions after a lifetime of walking on eggshells. But exposing his own feelings? That was foreign. Uncomfortable. Even frightening. So he had masked himself—acting blunt, aloof, and a little prickly.

But now, realizing that Louis had been watching his every move with fear since the moment they met, while being washed, even while eating breakfast—Eddie felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. He hadn’t failed to consider his perspective, but merely thinking about it and actually hearing his inner thoughts were two entirely different things.

He felt sorry.

There was no way to dispel the guilt weighing him down, so he could only swallow a forced sigh.

One minute, two minutes. Precious time scattered meaninglessly beneath the silence. As the stillness stretched on, Louis’s fingers twitched, as if unable to endure it any longer.

The moment he saw that, Eddie snapped back to his senses. Biting down on the inside of his cheek, he let out a dry scoff.

What is he even doing? He knew better than anyone that getting swept up in someone else’s unstable emotions wouldn’t do him any good. And yet, he was acting so carelessly, like some inexperienced novice.

His expression, weighed down by the heaviness of his thoughts, shifted in an instant.

The other was the other, and he was himself. There was no need to be dragged into another’s storm.

With his composure regained, Eddie’s gaze landed on the basket of cookies Louis was clutching so dearly.

“Do you prefer sweet or salty?”

“…Huh?”

The silence that had been pressing down on them was broken, leaving Louis fumbling in surprise. Eddie let out a small chuckle, deliberately lighthearted, and repeated his question.

“I mean the cookies.”

It had only been two days since they met.

Even if he tried to explain himself in detail, Louis’s anxiety wouldn’t disappear. If anything, premature honesty might end up being more harmful, and make him even more wary.

“I’ll tell the chef to prepare a dessert for you every day. What would you like?”

“…I like both.”

Louis, who had been staring downward, slowly lifted his head.

Eddie gently brushed over Louis’s tense hands before taking the basket from him and helping him to his feet.

“I noticed yesterday—your knees are covered in bruises. Do you often trip and bump into things? Is it uncomfortable?”

He slowly took his hand and led him forward.

“It’s because you’re not yet used to the layout of the room. Once you get a grasp of where things are, moving around on your own will become much easier.”

Louis seemed at a loss but didn’t resist Eddie’s guiding touch, which shifted the air around them as naturally as flowing water.

He took each step as Eddie led him, feeling as though he ought to.

Though his hesitation showed in the way he kept searching for the ground with his toes.

“You’re doing well.”

After managing to take about ten steps without stumbling, Louis’s nose scrunched up, as if struggling to suppress a swell of emotion.

“There’s a bed here. And next to it, a small nightstand.”

As they walked about thirty steps, focusing on Eddie’s explanations, Louis tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. As if it were a lifeline, he began to lean on Eddie for support.

Was he naturally athletic? Or was it simply because he was the protagonist? Whatever the case, his initially awkward steps gradually became steadier.

After nearly an hour of circling the room, Eddie led him to the terrace.

Whooosh—A gust of wind howled fiercely, whipping their hair into disarray.

“…It’s cold.”

Eddie removed his fur-lined vest and draped it over Louis. Then, noticing his bare feet, he even slipped his own shoes onto him.

—Unlike yesterday, this outfit doesn’t have brother’s scary scent.

Louis’s emotions, which had paused for a moment, flowed into Eddie once more.

‘Scent?’

Eddie’s eyebrow twitched upward.

Could it be that the outerwear he lent him from the bathroom still carried Sover’s cologne? Well, considering he had worn it the entire journey to the North, it wouldn’t be surprising.

‘Now I understand.’ 

How Louis had figured out his identity.

Sover had a strong sadistic streak. The likelihood that his abuse extended beyond the physical to emotional torment was high. He must have tormented Louis far worse than he had tormented ‘Eddie.’ Before bringing him here, Sover had probably played mind games with him constantly, reminding him that an assassin could be sent at any moment to kill him.

Eddie clenched his jaw to suppress his anger. He could finally understand why Louis had suffered from nightmares last night. His fingertips trembled with restrained fury.

Even clinging to him in sleep was likely a result of Sover’s conditioning. Abuse followed by feigned kindness—his usual tactic to make his victims latch onto him. He loved having control, whether over people or situations.

‘That sick, twisted bastard.’

Eddie swallowed back the curses bubbling up in his throat and steadied his voice.

“Are you warm now?”

“…Yeah.”

“Take a deep breath of fresh air. It’ll help clear your stuffy chest.”

Louis obediently followed his instruction, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply—only to cough violently as too much wind rushed into his lungs.

Even in the presence of something as harmless as nature, Louis fumbled, as if life itself had drained him of ease. Eddie rested his chin on his arms, watching him quietly.

“…Hey.”

After a long silence, Louis hesitantly spoke up first.

“Eddie.”

“Hm?”

“My name. It’s not ‘hey.’ It’s Eddie.”

“…Eddie.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“…Never mind.”

He opened and closed his mouth several times, but in the end, he gave up on saying anything. His expression remained just as clouded as before.