Chapter 37: The Gaze Beneath the Terrace

“…”

Even while people around him spoke, Osh continued looking only at him.

The corners of his eyes curved gently with the smile Kebel loved so much.

“Do you really like him that much? Osh Sulleban?”

“…I already told you that’s not true.”

“And you expect me to believe that with a face like that?”

‘A face like what?’

What kind of expression was he making?

Without realizing it, Kebel raised a hand to touch his face.

As Beryl had said, the corners of his lips were slightly lifted.

Had he really been that happy to see Osh?

Kebel quickly flattened his expression into a straight line and looked back at him.

Beryl responded by twisting his lips crookedly, almost mockingly.

“Hah, Kebel Ilya. The more you keep acting like this, the more it feels like provocation to me.”

“What do you mean by-”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Beryl grabbed him and immediately dragged him toward the back door.

Without saying where they were going, he strode ahead angrily, breathing sharply as though barely holding back his temper.

He walked so quickly Kebel soon found himself short of breath.

After walking for quite some time, they finally stopped at the terrace, the place where couples usually met in secret.

Several small spaces were divided by curtains.

Curtains drawn shut meant someone was already inside.

Open curtains meant the area was empty.

Beryl pushed Kebel into a small terrace space near the edge of the castle wall.

Then he pulled the curtain closed behind them, hiding the space from view.

“Y-Your Highness?”

“Isn’t it natural to get angry when your fiancé is standing there grinning while thinking about another man?”

“When did I ever grin like that-?!”

Beryl cornered Kebel against the wall.

Their distance was close enough for him to hear the other man’s breathing.

Kebel tried desperately to lean his face away and create some space between them.

But Beryl only leaned even closer, refusing to allow even that tiny distance.

His eyes burned fiercely.

Gulp.

Kebel’s throat bobbed nervously.

For a moment, he truly thought Beryl might do something to him.

Eventually, Kebel placed his hands against Beryl’s chest, the very part he’d been trying not to touch.

The overly prominent bulge pressed clearly against both his palms.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, the sensation felt embarrassingly vivid.

Kebel’s ears flushed red involuntarily.

Even knowing that reaction might give Beryl the wrong idea, he couldn’t calm his body’s instinctive response.

In the end, Kebel pushed harder against him, trying to force him away.

But Beryl’s muscular body didn’t budge even slightly.

If anything, it only worsened his mood.

“You know… the more someone tries to push another person away, the more irresistible they become.”

“…”

“I tried to endure it. I tried to wait patiently. If only you hadn’t spent the entire day pushing me away.”

Every time he spoke, his breath brushed across Kebel’s face.

Their noses hovered dangerously close.

Kebel slowly removed his hands from Beryl’s chest.

“What? Embarrassed now? At this point, we’re bound to do much more than this eventually.”

“Stop it. This… this isn’t like you, Your Highness.”

“And what exactly is ‘like me’?”

Unlike Kebel, who stammered in panic, Beryl lazily dragged out his words with mocking amusement.

A quiet chuckle escaped him as he tilted his head slightly and moved even closer.

Anyone looking at them would think they were about to kiss.

Kebel lowered his chin sharply, ready to knee him right between the legs.

But before he could move…

Bang! Crash!

Two terrace lanterns exploded loudly and shattered onto the ground.

The sudden noise broke Beryl’s concentration.

Kebel quickly slipped free from his arms and stumbled backward, bracing himself against the terrace wall as he steadied his breathing.

Still wearing an irritated expression, he lowered his gaze.

And froze.

Below the terrace stood Osh.

Red hair glowing beneath the lights.

He was staring directly at Kebel with a chilling gaze that looked capable of killing someone.

The sight was so frightening it nearly made Kebel’s legs give out.

Why was he down there at this exact moment?

And since when had he been watching?

Worse still, Osh’s eyes looked strangely darkened.

The area wasn’t dark enough for it to be a trick of the night.

The castle lights illuminated everything clearly.

Kebel rubbed his eyes once and looked again…

But the spot below was already empty, as though nobody had ever been there at all.

‘Was it an illusion?’

But Osh’s terrifying gaze still lingered vividly in his mind.

Never once had Osh looked at him that way before.

Anxiety crept through him relentlessly, and Kebel repeatedly bit down on his lower lip.

At the same time, a scene from the original novel suddenly surfaced in his memory.

Enoch and the Crown Prince standing together on a terrace.

And Osh watching them silently from below.

This situation felt exactly like that.

Only now, Kebel had taken Enoch’s place.

The story was already changing from the original.

And if he truly had replaced Enok, then this route undoubtedly led to a happy ending with the Crown Prince.

Then what about Osh…?

Kebel had never finished the original story, so he didn’t know Osh’s ending.

But for some reason, he felt certain it would be a tragic one.

As Kebel stood lost in thought, Beryl approached him again.

Apparently the situation outside had already been cleaned up.

One of Beryl’s knights hurriedly exited the terrace, making Kebel realize just how deeply he’d been lost in thought.

“What a shame. It would’ve been even better if we’d managed to kiss.”

Beryl curled his lips upward slyly like a serpent.

Amusement danced in his eyes as he gently brushed Kebel’s brown hair aside.

Soft strands slipped smoothly between his fingers.

When he tried to repeat the gesture, Kebel caught his wrist and stopped him.

Until now, he had endured everything because Beryl was the Crown Prince, because he was royalty.

But Osh’s lingering image refused to leave his mind.

So Kebel finally spoke clearly and firmly.

“Please stop now. Acting like this when the other person doesn’t want it… isn’t right.”

He wanted to call it harassment.

But considering Beryl’s position, he forced himself to phrase it more carefully.

Beryl looked at him for a moment before wrapping an arm around Kebel’s waist and sliding one leg between his thighs.

“Even if I do this, no one would dare say anything against me.”

“Maybe not. But to me, Your Highness would remain a terrible person for the rest of my life.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No. I just don’t want my already unpleasant feelings toward you to grow worse.”

Kebel met his gaze directly without wavering.

Seeing that unwavering stare, Beryl finally spread his hands as though conceding defeat and stepped back.

A gesture showing he wouldn’t touch him anymore.

“This time, I’ll back off here. But remember this well. Next time, there won’t be any fortunate interruptions or accidents to save you. So you’d better prepare yourself.”

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce to Your Highness. Would you meet that person first?”

“And who would that be? Enok Shrimp?”

“…Yes.”

It felt as though Beryl had crawled inside his head and read his thoughts directly.

Only then did Kebel suddenly remember Enok and feel guilty.

By now, Enok was probably stuck beside that uncomfortable Duke.

The thought alone made Kebel pity him.

He needed to introduce Enok to Beryl as soon as possible.

“Enok is the Empire’s greatest fortune teller. And he’s incredibly beautiful. I’m certain Your Highness would like him very much.”

“As if that were possible. To me, the only beauty is you, Kebel. Still… if you praise him this highly, perhaps I should meet this Enok after all. I’m curious about someone worthy of such admiration from you.”

Beryl bared his teeth in a grin.

With one hand, he lifted the curtain and motioned for Kebel to follow him.

Kebel deliberately kept some distance between them as he followed behind.

At some point, servants had also appeared behind them, likely coming to retrieve the Crown Prince after his long absence.

While Beryl and the servants spoke, Kebel quietly slipped off in the opposite direction.

Just as he thought he’d finally escaped Beryl.

Someone suddenly yanked him into the darkness.

He was so startled that no sound even came out.

The attack happened too quickly for him to react.

Kebel struggled belatedly, but each movement only made the person holding him tighten their grip further, one hand firmly covering his mouth.

He had never lived in a way that should’ve earned someone’s hatred.

‘Who could this possibly be?’

Just as Kebel was about to bite the hand covering his mouth.

A familiar voice whispered into his ear.

“It’s me, Kebel.”

Soft.

Gentle.

Sweet and clear enough to soothe him instantly.

It was Osh’s voice.

Only then did the hand over his mouth loosen, along with the tight arm around his waist.

Slowly, Kebel turned his head to look at him.

Under the faint moonlight, Osh’s skin looked flawless and smooth.

Elegant and refined as always.

A face Kebel had seen countless times before.

And yet…

Why did he suddenly seem so unbearably precious, like someone he’d longed desperately to see?

Kebel gently brushed his fingers along Osh’s cheek.

“…Osh.”

At the sound of his name, Osh slowly closed and opened his eyes once.

His face looked noticeably thinner, as though he hadn’t slept in days.

And then Kebel noticed it.

The cut near his lips.

The split skin looked exactly as though someone had hit him.

The sight made anger surge through Kebel instantly.

“What happened to this?”

“…”

“What happened?”

Despite the repeated questions, Osh said nothing.

He simply stared at Kebel silently with those green eyes.

“Did the Count do this? Because you didn’t attend with me as your partner-”

The rest of the sentence died in Kebel’s throat.

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