IBSBV Ch 22

Chapter 22

 

It had only been difficult to take a step when he couldn’t gauge the difference in height between stairs. But after going up and down them every day, Louis had gotten quite used to it.

 

Without Eddie’s support, Louis calmly stepped down each stair, gripping the railing with one hand and holding his cane in the other. By the time he reached the hall, he was able to smoothly reorient himself and head outside.

 

Snow had piled up softly, greeting him. He thrust his cane deep into the ground to first get a feel for the depth before taking a bold step. His fur-lined shoes were immediately swallowed up by the snow. A chill crept in along with it.

 

Rather than feeling sharp or bitter, the cold was refreshing and exhilarating. He took a deep breath, letting the wind, laced with chill, flow deep into his lungs.

 

The sudden rush of cold air pricked his throat and chest. His stomach felt a sting as well—but the sensation was welcome.

 

It was proof that he was alive, well, and breathing.

 

“Don’t I walk pretty well on my own now?”

 

Louis, who had been walking far ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around. Though he couldn’t see, his gaze landed straight on Eddie.

 

“Yes. You walk very well. But don’t get cocky. The moment you let your guard down, that’s when you fall flat on your face. And I won’t be helping you up if you do.”

 

As always, his tone was gruff, but there was deep concern behind the words.

 

Louis beamed. He knew he wouldn’t fall, but every time Eddie worried about him, it made his heart flutter and tickle. His heartbeat quickened. The calm mask he wore so well around others always crumbled embarrassingly fast whenever he was with Eddie.

 

“Aren’t you cold?”

 

Eddie came closer and wrapped a scarf around Louis’s neck. He even adjusted the fur hat he’d made Louis wear earlier, pulling it lower to cover his reddened ears.

 

Every time Eddie’s hand brushed past, his skin flared as if lit on fire.

 

“What about you? Aren’t you cold?”

 

Louis lightly touched Eddie’s cheek. The warmth Eddie had carried with him had all been stolen by the shameless wind—it was cold to the touch. His hand moved downward, fingers feeling along his neck. Nothing was there. Louis furrowed his brows and quickly tried to return the scarf.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“But I am.”

 

Eddie’s firm refusal made Louis pout. Whenever Eddie drew a line like this, there was nothing Louis could do. He stood there silently for a long while, staring again and again at the man he couldn’t see. He wanted to voice his disappointment, but wasn’t sure how it’d come across.

 

—You know, Eddie. I get curious every time this happens. What kind of expression do you wear when you look at me? How do I look, in your eyes?

 

He didn’t want to be seen as a whining child. He wanted to look reliable—handsome.

 

But asking out loud scared him. What if he didn’t get the answer he wanted?

 

“Your Highness.”

 

As the thoughts deepened, emotion laced the fingers that once again grazed Eddie’s cheek. Eddie’s lips, caught within Louis’s hand, slowly puckered like a goldfish’s.

 

Just as Eddie was about to scold him for squishing his face, Louis abruptly pulled him into a hug and blew warm breath against his cheek, like he was melting frozen skin. Then, he even began to nuzzle his face against Eddie’s.

 

“What are you doing!”

 

Eddie’s slightly rough skin felt so nice. Louis clung and rubbed until both their cheeks were sore.

 

“Please stop.”

 

Even as Eddie snapped, Louis didn’t relent. Only after he’d passed on all his warmth did he finally pull away. Then he quickly pulled off his own hat and plopped it on Eddie’s small head.

 

“You don’t have to give it back. I’m not cold. But hold my hand instead.”

 

Eddie grumbled, wiping away the traces Louis left all over his cheek with the back of his hand.

 

“No. You said you could walk just fine by yourself. So why do you suddenly want to hold hands? Alright, enough resting. Let’s pick up the pace. Move it. Walk faster.”

 

“Okay, okay. I’ll walk like I’ve got wings on my back. But don’t take off the hat. That’s an order. You absolutely can’t take it off.”

 

Louis insisted—worried Eddie might catch a cold.

 

Even if he couldn’t see, he could feel it. Eddie’s wrist had grown thinner than when he’d first grabbed it. His chest, belly, and thighs had all noticeably lost weight.

 

Ever since Louis got into the habit of sleeping wrapped around Eddie, he could feel the changes in his hands and body. He never said it out loud, but he was scared. Scared that one day, Eddie might just disappear like smoke.

 

He knew Eddie was alive—knew he wouldn’t just vanish—but the longer they spent together, the more he couldn’t bear to imagine a single tomorrow without him.

 

To Louis now, Eddie was the only person he could accept dying for. As long as Eddie didn’t get hurt, Louis could die smiling.

 

—I worry that you’ll get sick.

 

Leaving behind a single strip of that burning-black fear, Louis walked past Eddie. He wanted to make Eddie worry about him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be a source of concern. It was such a contradictory heart, even to himself.

 

Eddie watched the back growing smaller with each confident step and rubbed at the corners of his eyes. Maybe it was the growth spurt, but Louis seemed different by the day. Thanks to proper meals, he’d gotten taller, and his back had broadened too.

 

‘He’ll probably grow even more.’

 

In the original work, Louis had been well over 190cm tall. Though he was proud, exhaustion caught up with him. Ever since arriving in the North, Eddie hadn’t gotten a single good night’s sleep.

 

‘I never was a good sleeper to begin with, but even for me, this is a bit much.’

 

It wasn’t even that sharing a bed with Louis made him uncomfortable anymore—he simply couldn’t sleep. Strangely, his body didn’t feel sleepy even though his mind was constantly under pressure. Aside from the weight loss from his now-nonexistent appetite, he hadn’t suffered much physically. It was a relief… and also driving him crazy.

 

“Tsk.” 

 

Eddie clicked his tongue and rubbed his neck.

 

The only real comfort these days was that Louis no longer had nightmares. He didn’t need comforting in the middle of the night anymore, and he slept peacefully like a lamb. Though Louis used to be the one nestled in Eddie’s arms, now that he was the one being held close, Eddie found himself deep in thought.

 

He was the one who’d helped Louis stand up—but the boy’s changes were coming far faster than expected. Far faster than in the original. And with it would come earlier danger.

 

Eddie knew that well. And yet, he couldn’t slow Louis down. He couldn’t bring himself to dampen the boy’s relentless efforts to grow and change each day.

 

Flap—!

 

That’s when it happened. A sharp mana signature, unfamiliar yet not entirely foreign, pricked at his senses. Snapping out of his thoughts, Eddie looked up and spotted a black bird circling the clear blue sky above.

 

Its eyes, set with yellow jewels where pupils should be, confirmed it as a magical carrier bird—not a threatening creature.

 

But the message it carried bore weight.

 

The moment their eyes met—

 

《Eddie, it’s been a while.》

 

A voice, planted by Sover, rang through Eddie’s mind.

 

《I’ll keep this short. Don’t forget the orders I gave you. I told you to win him over, not to change him. Don’t go stirring up anything unnecessary. Just do as you were told. When he lets his guard down, drive the White sword into his heart, seal the curse, and return to me immediately.》

 

《Don’t forget for even a second—you belong to me.》

 

‘What a load of bullshit.’

 

The curse slipped out on its own. As he twisted his lips and reached up to rake a hand through his hair, his fingers caught on his hat. It reminded him of Louis’ insistent plea—not to take it off, no matter what.

 

“Eddie—!”

 

At the same time, a voice echoed loudly from the far end of the garden.

 

“I’m coming. Stay right there.”

 

He’d let too much distance come between them while listening to some goddamned nonsense. Eddie quickly picked up his pace. Behind him, the magical messenger bird fluttered close, still not done, determined to deliver Sover’s final words.

 

《You were mine from the very first moment I saw you. Don’t betray my trust. Unless you want to pay a cruel price.》

 

A threat as tired as it was obvious.

 

 

***

 

‘Hah.’

 

He scoffed. Not even funny. The Eddie who once cowered in fear and followed every unreasonable command without question—he didn’t exist anymore.

 

‘You think that kind of threat will work on me?’

 

Maybe it’s just that Sover didn’t know. Eddie came to a stop and stared at the magic messenger bird. It hovered in place, unbothered by the glare he was shooting its way.

 

‘It’s strange.’

 

Technically, Sover was a character he created. And yet, instead of even a sliver of affection or pity, all he felt when he thought of him was a deep, inexplicable aversion. More than anyone else in this world, Sover made his skin crawl.

 

Which was odd, really. Because Sover, too, was just as lonely as Louis—maybe even more so. A man who had never known happiness even once in his life…

 

But Eddie couldn’t sympathize. Not even a little. He didn’t even pity him. All he could do was wonder—why, back then, as a kid, had he created someone like Sover? What kind of feelings or intentions had shaped that complicated man? Even now, with his memories intact, the answer escaped him.

 

He didn’t know how long he stood there, locked in a staring contest with the bird. But then something changed. The air around him shifted, and a chill shot down his spine.

 

It all happened so fast. Even before the thought had fully formed, it felt like time itself had slowed for a breath. Then—whoosh!

 

A cane tore through the frozen air, narrowly missing Eddie and smashing into the bird’s head with perfect precision. Even he, a trained assassin, hadn’t been able to react in time—it was that fast.

 

Crack! The sound of shattering glass rang out as the messenger burst into a stream of white wind and vanished.

 

Eddie’s eyes widened in surprise. His head snapped toward the direction it had come from, almost instinctively. Louis was running toward him, his steps unsteady and desperate. And then—he fell.

 

Even though the ground was covered in snow, that fall had to hurt. But Louis didn’t seem to feel it at all. He sprang up at once and kept running, terror written all over his face.

 

—Eddie…!