Fairy Trap

“Brother.”

A low, dreary voice overtook the surroundings. With his eyes covered, Yi-Gyeol, whose face was buried within Sethian’s arms, was unable to move because of the voice despite his frustration. Just by hearing his voice, he seemed to know how angry Sethian was. As soon as he realized it, he felt a chilling sense as if all the blood in his body was being drained.

“Euugh….”

Zair’s painful groans could be heard in his ears. Yi-Gyeol came to his senses only after hearing it and tried to get away from Sethian, but the hand holding his head did not budge at all.

“I certainly warned you.”

A blunt sound was heard once more between Sethian’s oppressive words. What followed was Zair’s groan, which grew a little louder than before.

“I told you I’ll never lend what’s mine to anyone.”

“Sethian, you piece of shit…! Euugh!”

Another thump was heard. Shortly afterward, Sethian gently held Yi-Gyeol’s body. Yi-Gyeol, whose stuffy vision suddenly opened and was lifted up, stopped breathing upon seeing Sethian’s cold side face in front of him.

“I think it’s the first time you’ve ever left such a mark on someone, am I mistaken?”

Zair frowned and raised his hand that had been pressed down on the tea table and stroked the back of it. In the place where his hand was, an angled teaspoon, bent twice as if it were about to break, was lying around. If the teaspoon had been a little harder, it would not have been possible for the bones on Zair’s hand to have remained.

The corners of Sethian’s lips, who was coldly facing Zair, slyly curled up.

“You saw it right.”

Sethian agreed with Zair’s words and looked down at Yi-Gyeol in his arms. He had a pale complexion and his eyes were glued to Zair’s blood-stained hands that had just been exposed. The skin was completely crushed and he could see blood flowing down to his wrists. Sethian got irritated with Zair even more, who took Yi-Gyeol’s gaze with ‘just that much’ injury.

“…!”

Yi-Gyeol’s body trembled greatly at the sudden hot and tingling sensation he felt at the back of his neck. When he took his eyes off Zair and turned his head, he saw purple hair touching the nape of his neck.

“Se…th, Wai…, Aah!”

It wasn’t the first time he felt the soft flesh on the back of his neck being strongly sucked, but it was particularly strong this time. It felt as if his skin had been torn off and was being chewed well within Sethian’s lips. The chilling pain and the indescribable strange stimulation caused his shoulders to shrink and his body to shiver. The heat that started from his neck quickly spread across Yi-Gyeol’s face.

Taking off his lips, Sethian leaned his head on his shoulder and looked down at the already out of breath Yi-Gyeol, and threw a cold glare at Zair, who still had a disapproving gaze.

“You should’ve guessed it clearly by now. What will happen if you touch this person.”

After leaving those words, Sethian left the rose-filled garden while holding Yi-Gyeol in his arms. Zair stared fiercely at Sethian’s back for some time.

−Zair-nim, are you all right?

The white butterfly that was flying around brought up the words that he had been holding back. Crown Prince Sethian and the young man named Joo Yi-Gyeol could hear a soul’s voice, so when things started happening, it couldn’t do it even if it wanted to open its mouths.

Zair’s eyes, which were filled with terrifying anger just moments ago, slowly softened. He looked down at the back of his hand that was beaten by Sethian. The blood was clotting, the skin was badly disfigured, and from the pain, it seems like his bones had been cracked. But for some reason, a small smile surfaced on Zair’s face as he assessed his own hands.

As the result was what he intended, he couldn’t help but be satisfied.

⋆♚⋆♛⋆♚⋆

As soon as Yi-Gyeol returned to their bedroom, he clung to Sethian with a pale complexion on his face.

“Is it going to be okay? He’s bleeding too, what should we do if he’s seriously injured?”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“How can I not worry?! His hand…, The back of his hand….”

The corners of Sethian’s eyes frowned slightly as he watched Yi-Gyeol sit on the bed, rolling his eyes anxiously and shaking.

“It’s none of your concern.”

“But it happened because of me. I….”

“Joo Yi-Gyeol.”

Sethian called Yi-Gyeol’s name in a cold voice. Whether that worked or not, Yi-Gyeol’s trembling shoulders abruptly stopped, and his eyes, which had never looked properly at him before, finally captured Sethian.

“You only have to care about me in front of you.”

Sethian’s fingertips touched Yi-Gyeol’s neck. The traces he left just a while ago are already turning bright red.

“Did that bastard touch you?”

Yi-Gyeol’s trembling lips tightly shut. Sethian, who had been looking at his eyes obsessively, suddenly headed out the door. Lenox and Kirsty, who were waiting outside, reflexively bowed down when they saw him.

“Lenox, explain.”

At Sethian’s bleak voice, Lenox calmly expressed the situation at the time. From when Yi-Gyeol walked over the garden as if chasing something, to the strange conversation between the two. Even the smallest detail of the conversation was reported to him.

After quietly listening to the report, Sethian pulled off the sharp cross-shaped ornament on the chest of Lenox’s uniform by force. Then, he abruptly thrust the pointed end of the decoration into Lenox’s side with all his might.

“…!”

It was a sudden attack, but Lenox only frowned slightly and did not groan.

“I attached you to Joo Yi-Gyeol so that no one could touch him. Bear that in mind.”

“…I apologize. I’ll keep that in mind…moving forward.”

It wasn’t until Lenox answered so that Sethian pulled out the brooch and put it directly on his hand. The hot blood on the brooch soaked Lenox’s palm as if to warn him.

“Go get treated and change clothes.”

It sounded like he was caring for him but Sethian just hoped that Yi-Gyeol wouldn’t notice his wounds. Even though he fully knows that Zair is one of his siblings who’s after his life, to worry about him that way, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Taking his eyes off the bloodstains that began to dye Lenox’s uniform, Sethian went back into the room. An indescribable strange feeling surged inside him as he watched Yi-Gyeol being restless and anxious as he sat still on the bed. He left him alone for now since he was a prince, but if Sethian would follow his feelings, he wanted to drag Zair to his torture chamber and chop him into pieces.

Coming closer to him, Sethian grabbed Yi-Gyeol by the chin and forced him to look at him. As he stared at him without saying a word, Yi-Gyeol’s eyes fluttered even more anxiously, and his two hands grabbed Sethian’s wrist.

“I’m sorry….”

Sethian’s eyebrows twitched. He thought he was still worried and concerned about Zair, but he apologized instead, contrary to what he expected.

“Sorry….”

“For what?”

He couldn’t help getting frustrated hearing Yi-Gyeol apologizing continuously. There are so many things hidden behind those short words that he doesn’t know what he’s really trying to say.

The white part of Yi-Gyeol’s eyes remorsefully grew even redder.

“I caused you some trouble, didn’t I? As expected, I shouldn’t have desired to go out…. I should’ve just stayed still….”

The trembling on Yi-Gyeol’s hand, which was gripping Sethian’s wrist, visibly grew.

“I made you mad. Please don’t be angry…. It’s all my fault….”

Yi-Gyeol’s face piteously crumbled. A forced smile hung on the corner of his lips, and his wide-open eyes were trembling as pitifully as his hands.

“Sorry. I won’t go out anymore. I’ll just…stay inside the room.”

“Joo Yi-Gyeol.”

“I’ll listen to you and behave well…. Don’t hate me, please….”

Yi-Gyeol’s eyes gradually filled with water. The reflection in his eyes was definitely Sethian’s, but it was as if he was looking at something else.

Without even recognizing what he was saying, Yi-Gyeol repeatedly said sorry and told him not to hate him over and over again. The trauma he thought he had already forgotten rose to the surface and surrounded him once more.

He shouldn’t cause problems. He shouldn’t be a burden. He shouldn’t be hated.

If that happens, he will be alone again.

Yi-Gyeol doesn’t want to go back to his insanely lonely past. It was too hard to bear to see the warm faces of those people close to him become as cold as ice, and the affectionate words that flowed from their mouths turned into bone-piercing painful awls.

All that remained in his mind were not regrets or worries about Zair. The only thing important to Yi-Gyeol right now, rather than the fact that Zair was injured, was that he caused trouble for Sethian, and that he was clearly angry. It was the first time that Sethian, who always seemed indifferent, was angry with such a frightening atmosphere, so he was so scared beyond control.

He was a haven that he had barely found and had barely obtained. Sethian’s side was the only place where he found himself standing on his own two feet, and he was the only one who cared for him without any prejudice. He could still feel the warmth as he embraced him, but the mere thought that he was suddenly hated and abandoned made him not be able to endure it.

The depression and negative thoughts that he thought he had already forgotten came rushing in like a big wave. His heart pounded so fast that it ached and his head was throbbing.

Sethian held his hand tightly as if he would never let go and looked into Yi-Gyeol’s eyes who was eroded by insecurity. The first thing that Sethian felt, who confirmed the uncontrollable anxiety in Yi-Gyeol’s eyes, was a supreme joy he had never experienced before.