Chapter 1: The Return of a Possessive Victor

An unusually clear day.

The red hair symbolizing the Sulleban family fluttered in the wind.

His emerald eyes, which suited the sweltering summer remarkably well, accentuated the man’s face.

Even the droplets running down his cheeks felt alluring.

“Come here.”

His voice, worn out as if he had been exhausted all night, came out hoarse enough to sound pitiful.

Despite the obvious fatigue on his face, his expression was gentle, no, softer than that.

Anyone would see him as harmless, a man without a trace of malice, yet it was impossible to approach him easily.

Because he was his childhood friend, and the one destined to take his life.

Gulp.

A dry swallow slid down his throat.

Just as the dampness on his fingertips began to feel cold, his face twisted abruptly like crumpled paper.

“What do you think you’re doing right now? Surely you’re not suggesting we play hide-and-seek.”

The grinding of his molars slipped through his teeth as if he might bite his throat out at any moment.

A chilling flash passed through his eyes, and Kebel felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

He was definitely the Osh he knew, but for some reason, he felt unfamiliar, as if someone else had possessed his body.

Was that why?

Without realizing it, his shoulders stiffened and his body shrank back.

At that, Osh looked at him with the sorrowful eyes of a wounded beast.

“Why… won’t you come to me?”

With a voice laced with resentment, his eyes drooped pitifully.

Normally, seeing him like this would have softened Kebel’s heart, and he would have embraced him, but now, he couldn’t.

The only thing he could do was awkwardly force the corners of his lips up with a flat voice.

“…I-it’s been a while, Osh.”

At the ill-fitting greeting, Osh’s brows drew together.

His drooping eyes returned to their original position as he lifted his lowered gaze.

“That expression doesn’t look pleased to see me at all…”

“…”

“What do you think, Kebel?”

At his unfamiliar casual tone, Kebel’s eyes widened.

The words themselves were gentle and soft, yet the manner of speaking sent chills down his spine.

Osh wearing the mask of a beast, such a description would fit perfectly, as he felt so foreign that Kebel kept wanting to run away.

Noticing Kebel’s glances darting around as if searching for an opportunity, Osh’s face hardened further.

As if he could burn everything around them to ashes at any moment, he stared straight at Kebel with blazing eyes.

So frightened was he that a hiccup slipped out of Kebel’s mouth.

“Kebel.”

The distance Kebel retreated was the same distance Osh closed in.

As Kebel stepped back again, Osh followed once more and spoke.

“You wouldn’t know what kind of feelings I had when I ended the war.”

As if daring him to see how far this would go, Osh took a few more steps forward.

With the distance now completely closed, Kebel stepped back, only to find his back pressed against a wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

As if to remind him that escape was impossible, a chilling presence made his body tremble.

“If you knew, you wouldn’t be running away like this.”

Looking at Kebel, who was cornered like a trapped mouse, Osh slowly stretched his lips into a smile.

Like a commander anticipating victory, his demeanor made Kebel’s heart pound violently.

It thumped so hard it felt as though he might collapse at any moment, his vision spinning.

He needed to escape somehow, but his stiffened body refused to move.

“Look at me.”

Osh spoke, now standing right before him.

Though he had clearly just returned from war, for some reason, he carried a pleasant scent.

A thick, intense fragrance seeped deep into his lungs, and heat spread downward through his body.

“Kebel Iliya.”

Without hesitation, Osh called his full name.

The moment he did, Kebel’s hazy mind snapped back to clarity, his vision sharpening.

In the silence that settled between them, their gazes tangled in midair.

Amid the dangerously precarious atmosphere, Kebel averted his eyes.

Apparently dissatisfied, Osh grabbed his chin and lifted it.

“There wasn’t a single moment I didn’t think about you.”

As if releasing a long-suppressed thirst, he laid bare his yearning without restraint.

Under that overwhelming, unwavering gaze, Kebel unconsciously swallowed.

“But what about you?”

“…”

“Instead of waiting for me, you were busy plotting to run away, thinking of stabbing me in the back.”

Unable to hold his breath any longer, Kebel exhaled sharply.

At his roughened breathing, Osh’s eyes darkened deeply.

With a gaze brimming with raw desire, Kebel bit down on his lower lip.

Why… why had it turned out like this?

Everything had seemed perfect.

According to the original story, Osh was supposed to return to the imperial capital with news of victory in six months.

But overturning all expectations, he ended the war in less than a month and appeared here.

In front of someone as insignificant as himself…

Before the question of why could even settle, Osh released his chin and gently brushed his face.

Perhaps because it had been a war after all, his once-soft hands now felt rough.

For some reason, it felt like it was his fault, and Kebel grabbed his hand.

“……Sorry.”

At Kebel’s quiet murmur, Osh’s eyes widened.

But soon, as if trying to gauge his intentions, his gaze narrowed suspiciously.

At that look, Kebel shook his head, as if to show he had no ulterior motives.

“I just… feel like you went through all that because of me…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest, that’s why, and swallowed the words.

Because Osh was staring at him as if he might devour him at any moment.

He merely glanced at him and bit his lip again.

Seeing Kebel’s cautious behavior, Osh erased his expression as if nothing had happened and gently brushed his bitten lip with his thumb.

“If that’s the case, then all the more reason for you to stay by my side. Otherwise… I might have to shackle your ankles.”

“O-Osh?”

“Why are you so scared? I haven’t even started yet.”

His tone had already returned to polite speech, and he curled his lips into a dangerous smile.

In his lush green eyes, it felt as though a dark aura was swirling.

“I have no intention of losing you again. And even less of handing you over to that bastard.”

“…”

“So it would be best if you never think about running away from me again.”

He suddenly leaned in close, enough to make Kebel flinch.

With a heavy thud of his heart, Osh whispered softly by his ear.

“I’ve come back… so you can look forward to it.”

His voice felt like shackles, binding him tightly.

Unfamiliar emotions surged, throwing his breathing into disarray.

As Kebel met Osh’s gaze through his uneven breaths, Osh curved his eyes and smiled beautifully, just like he used to.

With a face that seemed utterly harmless, he briefly pressed his lips against Kebel’s fourth finger before pulling away.