Chaika’s Poison 30 |
“Why do you think you don’t deserve it?”
Mihail asked as he brushed away the tear gathered at the corner of Chaika’s eye with his thumb.
“I….”
Chaika barely managed to utter a single word before pressing his lips tightly shut and shaking his head. He bit down on his lower lip so hard it looked ready to split, then opened his mouth again.
“I… Lord Mihail… I….”
“Chaika.”
Mihail called his name, cutting off the rambling words. He cupped Chaika’s small cheeks and met his gaze. The purple eyes wavered, unable to settle anywhere.
“I’m going to do a lot for you. I’ll make sure you eat well, sleep comfortably, wear good clothes, spend peaceful and pleasant days, and that no one can ever harm you. I’ll make you healthy and let you live like that for a long, long time.”
“…….”
“……. Y-yours…?”
Chaika murmured with eyes sloshing with tears.
“Yes. Mine.”
“…Mine….”
Chaika repeated the word as if feeling out its meaning. In the meantime, a single tear that had been trembling at the corner of his eye finally spilled over and rolled down his cheek. Before it could fall to the floor, Mihail caught it with his lips and swallowed it.
“What does it mean… to be Lord Mihail’s ‘mine’?”
Chaika asked. Mihail wrapped an arm around Chaika’s waist and pulled him close, using his other hand to cradle the small face as he met his eyes directly.
“My possession. Something only I can have. Something only I can touch. Something only I want. Something I want to own exclusively. Something that must belong to me alone.”
Mihail laid out the words raw and unvarnished. Chaika inhaled sharply, as though savoring each one.
“You… want to have me?”
“Yes.”
“Th-that… in that way?”
“Yes.”
Chaika fell silent, breathing unevenly again. Mihail waited, his gaze fixed solely on those purple eyes.
“Then… Lord Mihail… do you love me?”
“…….”
Always cautious, timid, and fearful—yet every so often, he did something unexpectedly bold. That was Chaika, through and through. Caught off guard by the question, Mihail stopped breathing.
Love?
As Mihail repeated the word silently, Chaika’s eyes twisted slightly as he asked again,
“Or do you just want my body?”
Instead of bristling at the question, Mihail traced back what he had felt before—and what he was still feeling now.
Mine. Mine alone. Something that belonged only to him. Something he alone must have.
A fierce possessive desire, as if he had been born for the sole purpose of claiming this one being.
A sense of something within himself being completely filled—something he hadn’t even realized was lacking. A feeling that a part of him he hadn’t known was missing had returned. A feeling of being whole, perfected, simply because Chaika existed.
He had never experienced love, so he couldn’t be certain whether this was love or not. But if this wasn’t love, then what else in the world could possibly be called love?
“I… I—….”
Mihail began slowly, staring into the moisture-laden purple eyes. But Chaika reached up and covered Mihail’s mouth with his hand. Then, smiling sadly, he slowly shook his head.
“I… I don’t deserve something like Lord Mihail’s love.”
As Chaika whispered the words, the tears pooled in his eyes finally fell. He slowly removed the hand covering Mihail’s mouth and instead cupped Mihail’s face with both hands. Then, tilting his head, he pressed his lips gently to Mihail’s.
Golden lashes soaked with tears fluttered as they lowered, and lips that tasted faintly of salt met Mihail’s softly and tenderly before pulling away.
After the brief kiss, Chaika stepped down from the sofa he had been standing on and, keeping his eyes fixed on Mihail, slowly backed away. Grabbing him would have been easy. All it would have taken was an outstretched arm—or a few steps, or even a short sprint—to snatch Chaika back and bring him here again.
But Mihail didn’t do it. No—he couldn’t. He remained rooted to the spot, thinking only of the sensation of Chaika’s tear-wet kiss lingering on his lips, and of the words he had been unable to say with Chaika’s small hand covering his mouth.
There was only one place Chaika could possibly run to within the castle.
The side of the blood brother he trusted so deeply—Nile.
Just as expected, once Mihail confirmed that Chaika had entered Nile’s quarters, he chose to wait quietly instead of going to retrieve him immediately. But even as the night deepened, as dawn began to pale the sky, and even when the next day’s sun fully rose, Chaika did not return.
One night of waiting was enough.
As noon approached the next day, Mihail stormed into Nile’s quarters.
Bang.
He threw the door open without the owner’s permission, but as expected, no one tried to stop him.
Nile, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped to his feet in surprise. But as if he had anticipated Mihail’s arrival, his expression soon settled into calm.
“Chaika.”
Mihail called out to the one hiding behind Nile’s back. Normally, Chaika would at least peek his face out, but today he didn’t move at all.
“Come here. Chaika.”
Mihail called again, stepping into the room. Nile raised an arm protectively, blocking Chaika behind him. A violent urge boiled up inside Mihail—to fling Nile aside and snatch Chaika away immediately. To suppress the impulse, Mihail stood still for a moment and took a long, deep breath. Then he turned and pulled the wide-open door shut, cutting off all outside eyes.
When he turned back toward the room, Nile took a step back as if sensing danger. Still, his expression remained calm and resolute.
“My younger brother is not an option.”
Nile said bluntly, without preamble. Yet it was a statement that perfectly grasped the situation.
“Whether Your Grace has developed some level of affection for my brother, or whether this is nothing more than a passing interest—I don’t care. I’m not curious. Either way, it’s not allowed.”
“The physician says that even if he lives long, he’s got maybe ten—fifteen years. And that’s only if he eats well, sleeps well, rests properly, and is cared for meticulously.”
“…….”
“I know you protected Chaika in your own way. Hiding his appearance so he wouldn’t be violated or sold into a male brothel—that was the right call. But if he stays by your side like that, how many more years do you think he’ll live? Without proper food or clothing, curled up in some corner, dozing in snatches—how many years do you think he can endure?”
Nile’s eyes trembled sharply. It seemed he hadn’t known Chaika’s condition was that severe.
“At my side, he’ll eat well, dress well, sleep in a warm and comfortable bed, and receive careful treatment. He won’t have to wear rags, ruin his hair, hide his face, or scrape by doing menial labor out of fear that something awful might happen to him.”
“But isn’t that only if my brother becomes Your Grace’s lover or concubine? You’re not doing this purely because you find him adorable and want to cherish him, are you? You desire this child and want to possess him. Isn’t that the truth?”
“It is.”
In response to Nile’s aggressive, blunt words, Mihail answered without hesitation. Nile clenched his teeth hard.
“Absolutely not.”
“That’s not for you to decide, Nile. I’m telling Chaika to come back with me.”
“Chaika won’t go.”
“Judging by how you decide that on your own, he’s not your brother—he’s a slave, is he?”
At Mihail’s sneer, Nile glanced back at Chaika behind him. Chaika could be seen gently shaking his head side to side.
“He says he doesn’t want to. He didn’t want to from the start—that’s why he ran here on his own.”
Mihail’s patience had worn down to nothing. He couldn’t understand why he had to stand here, trading words with an Omega over something like this. He had endured enough solely because Nile was Chaika’s blood brother. With a dangerous look, Mihail stepped forward.
“Stop!”
Nile shouted.
“And if I don’t?”
Mihail asked with a crooked smile, taking another step closer.
“If you forcibly take my brother, I’ll contact Marquis Lucius and return to the marquisate with this child. He may not be a slave, but he is unquestionably affiliated with House Lucius. Your Grace won’t be able to stop that. Marquis Lucius would gladly send you several Omegas to replace me.”
“You think I’d let you leave?”
“Are you prepared to wage a territorial war against House Lucius?”
It was an extreme example, but Nile was right. If Marquis Lucius wished, he could formally protest to the Emperor over Chaika being taken by force—and if he desired, he could even declare a territorial war.
A territorial war itself wasn’t the issue. If anything, war would simply add a bit of excitement to Mihail’s monotonous days. But that wasn’t the real problem.
The problem wasn’t Nile. It wasn’t House Lucius.
It was Chaika.
“I just want to speak quietly for a moment. At least for now.”
As Mihail softened his threatening air, the Chaika who had remained motionless behind Nile finally peeked his head out. After glancing at Mihail once, Chaika nodded to Nile. Wearing an uneasy expression, Nile hesitated briefly before stepping aside.
Instead of approaching, Mihail waited for Chaika to come to him.
Chaika stood with his head bowed for a moment, then slowly walked toward Mihail. With his head lowered, his face couldn’t be seen. Mihail bent his knees and slowly lowered himself.
He knelt as if prostrating himself before a Beta with neither title nor rank—but he didn’t care in the slightest. That sort of thing meant nothing.
What mattered was seeing Chaika’s face.
Author: Levia