"You won't be able to do anything to me. You won't," Ravi said, confident that Raymond wouldn't leave him here with someone as wicked as Adrian."Your confidence doesn't impress me." Adrian's cold voice made Ravi's gaze sharpen towards him.Ravi scoffed. "And who are you anyway? I'm not here to impress you."Ravi wanted to say more to insult Adrian, but the man instead delivered a hard slap to his cheek. Ravi didn't flinch or show his pain, which only seemed to satisfy Adrian even more.Adrian growled angrily and once again grabbed Ravi's neck tightly, overwhelming him to break free. "Don't you dare raise your tone in front of me? You're just a speck of dirt under my fingernail.""In that case, let me go. If you find humans disgusting, don't bother dealing with me." Ravi disregarded Adrian's warning. He dug his nails into the man's skin until Adrian released him, but not without leaving a smirk on his lips."I am a king, shouldn't you feel honored to deal with me?"Ravi wished he coul
Ravi always knew Raymond would come to rescue him from Adrian's grip. Raymond wouldn't leave him here; he had promised Ravi."Marvos? No one invited you here."Ravi heard Adrian call out, and there was no one else there but Raymond, which meant Marvos was Raymond. Had he been the one accused of killing people outside? Raymond, the one Ravi knew?Ravi's darkening eyes caught traces of blood staining Raymond's body, making everything clear. Ravi's vision blurred for a moment when a shove from Adrian sent his back crashing into the man's sturdy chest. He resisted, but Adrian's arm was tightly wrapped around his neck, making it difficult for him to move and break free. His eyes were fixed on Raymond, waiting for him to come to his rescue, but Raymond stood there as if rooted to the spot. However, the rebellion in those eyes sent shivers down Ravi's spine. Adrian must have done something to Raymond.Ravi felt a surge of panic as Adrian's hand landed on his thigh just below Raymond's gaze.
Ravi Lazy Arsenio unlocked his bedroom door and was surprised to find a scattering of black feathers covering the gleaming wooden floor. He stared at the tightly closed window, through which the morning sun's rays penetrated the transparent glass. The dark-haired man stooped down to pick up a feather in front of him, which felt softer and thicker than any bird feather Ravi had ever touched.Ravi sniffed the air, which seemed to swirl around him, caressing his senses with a sweet scent of melted chocolate and a faint hint of freshly fallen rain. Taking a deep breath, he allowed more oxygen to fill his lungs; he had never smelled this unique combination before. He realized that the feather he held between his fingers also carried the same scent, only more intense, as though the aroma emanated from it. Ravi was almost lost in himself, forgetting about the state of his room, captivated by the intoxicating fragrance, until a sound shattered his thoughts.Creak!The sound of rustling sheets
"Ravi asked me to come, so here I am. It doesn't matter that it's not the right time, because if Ravi hadn't called, this meeting wouldn't have happened so soon," Raymond said in a half-whisper that Ravi could still hear clearly.A line appeared between Ravi's eyebrows as he didn't understand the last sentence that came out of Raymond's mouth. He saw the sincerity in Raymond's differently colored eyes, which were starting to tear up. But Ravi couldn't recall when he had asked Raymond to come. He didn't even know Raymond until the man suddenly appeared before him. It was all nonsense!"It hurts, Ravi," Raymond grimaced, looking at him with teary eyes as if begging Ravi not to push him too hard.When Ravi felt that Raymond wouldn't harm him, he released his grip and took a few steps back. Still, he didn't look away from him, afraid he might miss something in Raymond's hidden expression. But deep down, Ravi couldn't help but believe that Raymond wasn't a bad person and that what he had sa
Ravi woke up sweating and exhausted. He massaged his forehead and took a deep breath, realizing that he could still smell the chocolatey aroma. He pulled the edge of the blanket up to his nose, inhaling deeply as if it were his lifeline. Ravi initially thought that what had happened earlier was just a dream, but when he sniffed the blanket in his hand again, he knew it was all too real."Enjoying something, huh?" Ravi froze as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.His cheeks grew warm as he realized that Daniel had caught him sniffing the blanket in an unusual manner. Ravi quickly let go of the blanket as if nothing had happened. He didn't understand why he had acted that way, and it seemed irrational to him. It was unlikely that he would be so affected by another man's scent."He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Daniel asked whom Ravi understood who his brother was referring to.Ravi sighed and shook his head, moving the blanket away from his body. He suddenl
Ravi knocked on the storage room door, not expecting it to be unlocked since he believed Daniel would have locked it if Raymond had been confined inside. There was no response from inside, just silence when he slowly cracked the door open, revealing the dim yellow light from an old bulb that provided enough illumination for him to spot Raymond's presence. Ravi took a few steps further inside, leaving the door open behind him.In the corner of the empty room, Raymond was huddled, his arms wrapped around his knees, oblivious to Ravi's presence. He was now wearing one of Daniel's loose-fitting shirts.Ravi felt sympathy for him; he couldn't deny that seeing Raymond without any clothes clinging to his body exposed many scars crisscrossing his half-thin form, and Ravi couldn't simply ignore it.Not knowing Raymond's age, he might have had some 'issues,' and Ravi winced at his earlier unkind thoughts. For some reason, it hadn't crossed Ravi's mind to kick him out from the beginning when he f
"I will die."The sentence felt like dozens of needles piercing right into Ravi's chest, making it hard for him to even look at Raymond for now. Ravi made a choked sound deep in his throat, never expecting those words to come from Raymond. But in less than a day of knowing Raymond, he felt the pain and heaviness in the way those words came out of this man's lips.Ravi remained silent, keeping his mouth tightly shut. He swallowed every word he wanted to say to Raymond. They stayed silent until the quiet was broken by Raymond's hoarse voice. "But Ravi, it's the best choice. I'm a bad elf, if you want to refuse, do it now, Ravi. I don't want to go back there.""Where do you live?" Ravi cautiously asked, not wanting to inadvertently trigger painful memories for Raymond.Raymond replied weakly, "My house is quite spacious, filled with many horses, but it can sometimes smell."Ravi's chest tightened, his eyes growing warm as he heard that, Raymond had touched a sensitive spot this time. What
"Father told the neighbors that Raymond is our cousin who has come to stay, so they don't need to ask any more questions when they see Raymond," Father said after taking a sip of water.Ravi glanced at Raymond, who was devouring his pasta in front of him as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. It was as if he didn't care that people were discussing him in the middle of the dining table.Ravi shifted his gaze to the plate of Scotch egg in front of him, with just one piece left and a smear of tomato sauce on top of it. He sliced it and took a bite, savoring the combination of minced meat and boiled egg in his mouth. Ravi wiped the sauce off his lips with a napkin. "Father, I will clean the empty room upstairs."Father nodded, but his mother responded after arranging the plates on the shelf. "Daniel can help Ravi, right?""Sure, Mother," Daniel replied, sitting next to Ravi, who had just finished his meal."No need, Daniel. This morning you said you wanted to check the restaurant this eveni