The room assigned to Aresh had distinctive Egorovan patterns on its walls and carpets, although the actual colors were simple.
Seiichirou gasped—the moment he was inside, the door shut tight and a strong pair of arms enveloped him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay…,” Aresh murmured in a low voice.
His scent, so distinct from the Egorovan fragrance in the room, threatened to make Seiichirou weak in the knees, but he pushed back against Aresh’s burly chest. There was still some unfinished business between them.
Although Seiichirou did not put much force into his arms, Aresh sensed his resistance and relaxed his grip.
“We…still haven’t talked it over,” Seiichirou said.
Aresh was silent for a very long moment before he said, “Let me heal you first. I’m sure you’re fatigued, and not to mention you got hit by the Holy Maiden’s magic.”
“No. Let’s talk.”
Although he thought it ridiculous to use his own health as a bludgeon to threaten Aresh with, Seiichirou just knew that he wouldn’t be in a state for conversation if Aresh used his magic on him. Besides, he only had a slight fever, which had never deterred him from working in the past. He could put up with this level of discomfort.
Acknowledging the strength of Seiichirou’s will, Aresh made him sit down before taking the neighboring seat. It was hard for them to talk while facing one another directly.
“If this is about the marriage offer, I turned it down immediately.”
According to Aresh, his family had summoned him to ask about Seiichirou, at which point he announced in no uncertain terms that they were indeed romantic partners. Then his parents told him that a member of the Egorovan royalty would be coming to visit. He couldn’t exactly scamper home after that, so he ended up going through with the meeting.
He had not expected Lars to pop the question of marriage. In his mind, his family calling him over and the marriage offer were two entirely separate things.
“My family is my problem, and…I certainly wasn’t planning on getting engaged. That’s why I didn’t feel the need to tell you about it.” Aresh looked at Seiichirou’s face, his expression screwed up in discomfort. “Sorry,” he muttered quietly. Some part of him evidently understood that he had incurred Seiichirou’s wrath.
Next, he addressed why he independently decided to go to Egorova.
“I was…looking for a way to send you back to your country…,” he admitted.
“Huh?”
Seiichirou’s eyes widened at those unexpected words.
Hadn’t Aresh been rushing to tie Seiichirou down to this world so that he wouldn’t return to Earth? What changed his mind?
“Did you…decide that you were better off without me?” Seiichirou asked, not realizing how much his voice was trembling.
“Absolutely not!” Aresh snapped back. “I don’t want you to go. But that…that is my selfishness speaking. You were brought to this world suddenly against your will. You cannot see your family, and even the air makes you ill.”
By now, Seiichirou had developed some level of magicule resistance, all thanks to Aresh. And because they were now romantic partners, receiving treatment through intimate relations was a non-issue.
But if Aresh had not been there, if they had never formed this connection, then Seiichirou might very well have lost his life.
“I’m sure that those who figured out a way to revive the ancient summoning spell would eventually find a way to send you back to your original world,” said Aresh.
“I suppose…”
If the magically gifted commander of the Third Royal Order was saying so, then it had to be true.
Aresh had resigned himself to their eventual parting.
Seiichirou wanted to return to his original world. He wanted to see his parents. He wanted to experience the comfort and safety of the land of his birth.
But…
“That’s why I came to Egorova, so that I could find a way for you to travel between worlds,” Aresh said.
“What?”
For a moment, Seiichirou could not understand what Aresh was saying. He stared at the man before him, his eyes wider than ever before.
Black hair, purple eyes, and a form that exuded masculine beauty. That was Seiichirou’s man.
“I believe that our sorcerers will eventually find a way to reverse-engineer the ancient magic and complete a spell that will return you to your original world. You’re not the Holy Maiden, and so it would be difficult to pinpoint you and summon you back. Romany’s literature deals primarily with the Holy Maiden and her purification, and our magic focuses on offensive spells for dealing with monsters. There is only so much we can achieve. A good thing, then, that our country is opening diplomatic relations with a nation that specializes in magic and technology, but I know that it is easier said than done. It’s why I thought of seeing for myself if there were any leads, and then telling you,” Aresh said quickly, without pausing for breath.
Seiichirou did not interrupt him. His brain was entirely focused on piecing together what he had just learned.
Wait? So that means…?
The reason Aresh went off to a different country without telling Seiichirou anything was because he knew that Seiichirou would eventually return to his original world and he wanted to find a way to travel between the worlds? So that they wouldn’t have to part ways forever?
“Did…the Egorovans know about this?”
“No? Given my position, I don’t generally have any opportunities to travel to Egorova. I simply used their desire for me to meet the fourth princess as an excuse to go.”
Aresh was saying that if they just wanted a meeting, he would do the meeting. Then he would be given free rein, and if it took too long to find what he wanted, he would make up some excuse to go back to Romany. Since their nations would be establishing diplomatic ties, he could do what he pleased. The man was utterly single-minded.
“Why didn’t you say a word about this to me?”
“Because it depended on whether I found a method.” Aresh averted his gaze uncomfortably. In his mind, he couldn’t speak about it if it wasn’t definite. He might give Seiichirou false hope or make him homesick.
Seiichirou’s lips clenched into a tight line as he pulled out a small box from his breast pocket.
When he presented the box to Aresh, it was the other man’s turn to blink in utter non-comprehension.
“Open this, please,” Seiichirou said curtly.
Aresh took the box.
He opened the inexpensive-looking lid to find two unadorned silver rings.
“What’s this?” He looked up at Seiichirou’s still glowering face.
“In Romany, you wear accessories on your chest to indicate that you have a partner, yes?” Seiichirou answered sullenly. “In my country, you give your engagement partner rings engraved with each other’s names on the inside and wear them on the finger next to your little finger.”
Aresh’s long fingers held up the simple rings. He and Seiichirou’s first names were engraved inside.
“Everyone underestimates me.”
When Aresh looked at Seiichirou again in disbelief, the man was much closer to him than he expected. Seiichirou leaned against him, his expression still a picture of fury.
Aresh collapsed on the chaise under Seiichirou’s weight. As Seiichirou glared down at his partner, he continued, “You think I just got pulled into this relationship, don’t you? Don’t you underestimate me.”
When Seiichirou’s lips descended on his, Aresh accepted them in a dumbfounded haze.
The Egorovan royal palace must have been outfitted with proper soundproofing, because no sound emanated from outside the room. Here, in this dead silent space, one could hear a pin drop.
“Mm…hah…”
As Seiichirou leaned against Aresh, he pushed his tongue inside the other man’s mouth and ran his hands over his body through his shirt.