The Northern Grand Duke’s Hamster

It was enough to drive him insane. Kyle Blake found himself occasionally seized by such thoughts as he gazed at his lover.

His lover, warm and cheerful yet harboring an air of secrecy, was not someone who tormented him. And yet, there were times when he made Kyle painfully aware of his own limitations, forcing him to confront his own helplessness.

Kyle wanted to protect him. Because he loved him. Because he wanted him to be happy. Because he didn’t want that man—who had already died once and fallen into a foreign world—to experience any more danger or suffering.

But that wish was an almost impossible one.

Looking back, Shu had been swept up in all sorts of perilous incidents. From the minor, like a hamster thief and a chandelier incident, to the more serious, like northern reconnaissance, political strife, and now, even this Shin Gwangsan expedition…

“…Your Highness.”

“…”

“Your Highness!”

It wasn’t until his name had been called several times that Kyle remembered the presence of those following behind him.

The moment he exhaled a sharp, cold breath and turned his head with a fierce glare, he saw James, pale-faced and panting, struggling to speak.

“C-Could we rest for a bit? The knights are exhausted from the battle with the wyvern. The sun will be setting soon, and pressing on through the mountain path at night would be dangerous.”

Kyle replied in a flat, emotionless tone.

“…Dangerous? For whom?”

“…”

“Did someone die just because we encountered a wyvern? The truly dangerous moments, we’ve already passed safely thanks to someone else’s help. So what’s left that has you all dragging your feet like this?”

He couldn’t understand. At that moment, their request for rest felt utterly unreasonable to Kyle.

If anyone had the right to say it was ‘dangerous,’ shouldn’t it be Shu—who had risked himself for their sake, allowing them to escape unharmed?

In truth, none of them had sustained any significant injuries. But at the same time, none of them could say for certain that Shu was currently safe.

“Even if we hurry back, it won’t necessarily make the Beast Scholar any safer. Besides, he did say he would return without fail…”

“…”

“And making sure all of us return alive is important too, isn’t it?”

It was only then that Kyle’s steps came to a halt.

Even if all his thoughts were consumed by Shu’s safety, he was still the Grand Duke of Blake, the ruler of this land, and the commander of these knights.

As the exhaustion finally flickered across Kyle’s otherwise cold expression, the keen-eyed knights instinctively began preparing to camp. They knew—if they didn’t rest now, they wouldn’t get another chance.

Kyle watched their actions for a moment before turning away.

James was right. Shu would return. All he had to do was turn into a beast and come back on his own.

But the man he was dealing with was that white-robed magician—someone exuding a chillingly dangerous aura. Perhaps the most formidable existence in the lawless zone.

What if he didn’t give Shu even the smallest opening? What if, in that brief time, Shu was injured? What if… the path back was somehow cut off?

Anxiety gnawed at him. For the first time, he felt fear so intense it nearly paralyzed his reason.

“…Shu.”

Kyle clutched his head, murmuring in anguish.

“What am I supposed to do with you?”

His hollow voice drifted into the frozen mountains like a sorrowful confession.

“What am I supposed to do…”

And later, when he finally saw Shu again, Kyle’s worry—and the fury that bordered on self-destruction—only intensified.

The frost poisoning had spread from his arm to his shoulder in just three days, leaving him barely able to lift his arm.

Even as a mage treated him with emergency care, Shu merely broke out in a cold sweat but never uttered a single groan of pain. Watching that, Kyle felt himself burning up inside.

He should have moved faster. Before that cursed mark spread further, he should have run himself into the ground to get here sooner.

No, he should have killed that bastard.

If only he had been overwhelmingly stronger. If only he hadn’t been overpowered back then, Shu wouldn’t have needed to follow that wretched magician. He wouldn’t have had to push himself to the brink just to protect Kyle, coughing up blood in the process.

And when Kyle learned that the reason Shu had coughed up blood was that he had burned through his own life force—he knew, instinctively.

Ah, this moment… will haunt me as a nightmare for a long time.

“I will never leave you alone again.”

To this, Shu responded in a reluctant voice.

“Am I a baby?”

Though his words were curt, the way he carefully observed Kyle’s expression made it clear—he felt guilty for making him worry. He was the type to never back down when the moment called for it, yet he also couldn’t stand seeing his lover’s heart in pain.

Instead of replying, Kyle pressed his forehead gently against Shu’s. A sigh, escaping unconsciously, brushed against lips and cheek.

He wanted to ask—why?

Why, even in moments like this, do you never wear an expression of resentment? You’ve sacrificed yourself for others, even been doubted for it, and yet you only ever look troubled or inconvenienced.

Why is it… that you never show even the slightest trace of frustration or betrayal?

This isn’t even the world you were born and raised in.

“It’s okay.”

Shu’s whisper landed softly against Kyle’s ear. A gentle kiss followed, brushing against the corner of his lips before retreating—a touch as light and tender as a bird’s feather.

“I really am fine, Your Highness. So please, don’t make that face.”

“…What kind of face am I making?”

Shu chuckled quietly.

“Hmm. It’s a bit hard to describe…”

Then, with swift movements, he pressed quick, affectionate kisses to Kyle’s nose, lips, eyelids, and cheeks.

The sight was so endearing and lovely that Kyle wanted nothing more than to pull Shu into his arms. But he hesitated, worried that pressing against his injured shoulder and arm might cause him pain.

Seeing this, Shu burst into laughter again and spoke.

“Because you’re kind, Your Highness.”

Kyle lowered his gaze with a small smile.

“You’re the only one who would say that about me.”

Kyle took care of me with the utmost devotion. He fed me, picked up things for me, and even insisted on opening doors for me himself.

Since I had made him worry with my reckless actions, I accepted it quietly… but—

‘There’s no way I can let him help me bathe!’

I stubbornly shook my head, pushing Kyle away as he tried to follow me into the bathroom. Dressed in comfortable clothes with a towel draped over his arm, he looked down at me with an expression so full of concern that it almost seemed pitiful.

“I was worried about you to the point of madness.”

“…”

“If it were up to me, I would have torn that bastard to shreds… but I had no chance of winning. More than anything, throwing away the life I owe to you so recklessly would be the cruelest thing I could do to you.”

I swallowed hard at the gravity in Kyle’s expression.

Noticing the wavering in my eyes, he gently cupped my cheek and whispered.

“This is all because I’m not strong enough.”

“…”

“So, at least let me take care of washing your arm.”

“…I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Shu…”

“Haah!”

I let out a deep sigh, turned my back to him, and walked into the bathroom. Kyle stood still in his place, watching my retreating figure with a look of hesitation.

Halfway there, I scratched the back of my head and glanced over my shoulder.

“…Hurry up and come in.”

His face brightened instantly, and he strode toward me in quick, eager steps. He caught up within three or four strides, and I leaned against his shoulder with a playful grin.

“This is a one-time thing.”

“Alright.”

Afraid I might change my mind, Kyle immediately agreed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close with a careful touch—so cautious that I could feel how tense he was, making sure not to brush against my injured arm.

I decided to give in, at least for now.

Yeah. This was probably one of the ways he coped with his anxiety. Maybe I had been a bit too harsh with him.

They say even the dead get their last wishes granted, so why not the living? He wasn’t asking for anything outrageous… This was actually pretty modest. It’s not like he suggested we bathe together or anything—

[(/▽＼)]

“No, that’s not it!?”

I suddenly shouted at the empty air, causing Kyle to tilt his head.

“What’s not it?”

“N-Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“More importantly, take off your clothes.”

“…What?”

Even I could hear how dumbfounded my voice sounded. I cleared my throat a few times and looked at him again.

“Here? Now? All of a sudden?”

“I’ve infused the bathwater with herbs for relaxation and cast magic to aid recovery. You need to get in before the effects fade.”

Speaking matter-of-factly, Kyle began unbuttoning his shirt.

I quickly turned my head away and looked toward the ‘bath’ he mentioned.

‘…A bathtub?’

No, this wasn’t a bathtub.

The large, circular tub was spacious enough to fit at least five grown men. The water rippled gently, and its color resembled that of a natural hot spring. Even the scent was similar.

‘…Maybe it’s just herbal-infused water.’

I rolled up my pant legs and dipped just the tip of my toe in—only to immediately jump back like a startled rabbit, retreating all the way to where Kyle was.

W-What, what, what, what the hell?! What is that?!

“Shu?”

“No! Is that even water?! That’s not lava?! Are you trying to boil me alive?!”

Kyle glanced between me and the tub, then moved in an instant.

His speed was so fast that my eyes couldn’t even track him.

“I—”

Before I could finish my sentence, he had already reached me, lifted me effortlessly into his arms, and, with practiced ease, yanked off my shirt.

“Wah! What are you doing?!”

“Are you planning to bathe with your clothes on?”

“No, but that’s not a bathtub! That’s a pot! If I go in there, I’ll die!”

“You won’t die. It’s fine.”

“I will! Aaaah! It’s hot!”

I clung to Kyle with one arm, wrapping myself around him like a lifeline, and screamed at him not to let go.

For some reason, he found this endlessly amusing, struggling to suppress his laughter before finally bursting out in open amusement.

Why the hell is he laughing?! I’m about to get boiled alive!

Hamster—no, someone save me!