Rodia dismounted his horse. His mood was sour. He felt bad for leaving abruptly, but, strangely enough, his annoyance was sudden and difficult to control, and wished not to expose it to the prince. However, leaving suddenly was quite rude without even saying goodbye to Prince Nikolai.
"Young Master, you're back... What happened to you?"
Katerina gasped as she immediately ran towards him by the doorway after he opened the door without knocking. Concern was all over her face. Dmitry and Leonid were not present in the house.
"It's just a little scratch, it's nothing serious." Rodion airily said, still not over his grouchiness from earlier. He closed the door behind him and brought his hand to his temple to touch the bandage.
Sigh. How could I be so rude, leaving the prince just like that? …I want to go back and apologize.
"That's a relief, then. It looks like it was tended to properly as well." Katerina glanced at the nightrobe he wore, then at the strip of cloth tying his hair in a ponytail. She quickly returned her gaze to Rodion's face; her expression shifted to one of curiosity, though she held back her questions.
Katerina turned and went back to the sofa. She was folding the laundry and sat down to continue the task. "Have you eaten yet? Lyonya and Mitya are outside herding; they haven't eaten yet. You can join them. They'll be back sooner for breakfast."
Rodion politely declined. He wanted to go to bed and rest for a while. Especially since he couldn't take the prince off his head, he hoped to sort out his thoughts. A lot had happened since last night, and his emotions were kind of in turmoil because of Prince Nikolai.
He explained to Katerina that we wished to rest first due to exhaustion from traveling back. Katerina didn't insist any further and allowed him to rest first.
Arriving in his room, he closed the door before striding towards his bed. He removed the night robe he had been wearing before he threw it on the bed and crawled up to the bed, laying on his back, half-naked.
Sigh… Is it because the entity that possessed this body as well is a potential lover of the prince that I'm getting this certain effect?
Unable to understand why, he was a little denial to admit it. He certainly knew what emotions he was experiencing, but he couldn't understand why. Why would such a feeling abruptly surface within him?
I miss him…
His hands moved to his hair, pulling the strip of cloth into the air, holding it by either end with his fingers. He stared at it, the fresh memory of the prince tying his hair flooding his imagination. He could still feel the warmth against his neck, the intimacy of their closeness—it was overwhelming, yet he had managed to survive that heart-racing moment. As the memory played in his mind, his heart began to race again, and his cheeks flushed with heat.
Almost immediately, he tossed the strip of cloth away from him, watching as it landed softly on the bed beside him.
This is not good. What's happening to me? I never felt this sort of heart-racing moment back in my previous life!
But not a minute passed before he reached out for it again, his fingers softly caressing the fabric. He stroked it gently, savoring its softness, and thought it must carry the scent of the prince. Glancing at the closed door of his room, he then turned his attention back to the cloth. As if entranced, he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. He pulled it back, staring at it for a moment before bringing it to his lips. It brushed lightly against his mouth before he pressed his lips to it in a soft kiss.
His room was in complete silence; the soft smack sound of the kiss echoed, but it didn't revert him to his senses. Despite the embarrassment of such an action, he accepted it but didn't let it control the certain feelings that were tugging at his heart.
I have to test and confirm these feelings.
Turning to his side, he grabbed the night robe from his side and draped it over his upper body. The soft fabric against his skin lulled him to close his eyes. He clenched the strip of cloth in his hand, feeling his consciousness drift off. In just a mere second, his breathing gradually went shallow and his body relaxed.
*
Rodion stirred in his sleep. He turned to his side, but instead of expecting a soft bed, his body fell to the hard ground, his face kissing the dirt.
"Augh!" he groaned in pain as he pushed himself up to sit. His movement triggered a metallic chime, and suddenly realized he was wearing the same golden bracelet from his previous dream. Next to him lay a large flat stone, the place where he had fallen.
He stood up and turned to survey his surroundings, but the place was shrouded in darkness. As his eyes adjusted, it dawned on him that he was actually inside a cave. Blue moonlight streamed in through the entrance, casting a soft, subdued glow. The cave was vast, evident from the expansive opening before him.
Without bothering to waste time exploring the cave, his bare feet touched the cold ground, and strode towards the entrance. As he reached closer to the entrance, a sweet, graceful melody reached his ears. A mellow, light, and wafting tune danced through the silent and chilly night. When he reached the entrance, he was immediately basking under the full moon.
Outside the cave, a lush forest greeted him. As he stepped out, his foot sank into the damp wild grasses, and dried leaves crunched beneath him. The melody grew more distinct, pulling him in with an almost magical allure. He scanned the area for its source, wandering deeper into the forest. The accessories on his wrists and the golden necklace around his neck tinkled softly with each step. Though he ventured further into the woods, the source of the enchanting melody remained elusive.
As he searched the surroundings, he turned to his right. A cluster of trees obstructed his view, but he spotted a pond. The surface of the water lay still, shimmering in the moonlight. Water lilies floated across it, seemingly blanketing the entire surface, their blossoms adding to the ethereal beauty of the scene.
He turned and made his way toward the pond, weaving between the trees until he finally reached it. Standing at the shoreline, he gazed at the lustrous surface, the melody still wafting through the air like a haunting whisper. He leaned slightly forward to catch a glimpse of his reflection, and as he looked down, his eyes widened in shock and apprehension.
A large Capricorn horn adorned his head, attached to the skull of an unfamiliar creature that crowned him. It covered half of his forehead, encasing the top of his head. Golden tattoos adorned his cheeks, a series of small vertical lines and dots marking a path from his brows down to his jawline. Large, golden oval earrings dangled from his ears, adding to his striking appearance.
He nervously stepped back in pure fright but tumbled onto his buttocks. To his growing horror, he noticed a large spine from an unknown creature stretching across his shadow, connecting from behind his skull crown down to his upper hip. Dread and confusion gripped his heart, causing it to race. Just as he was about to push himself up, the melody returned to his ears, its haunting notes cutting through the panic that had momentarily made him forget about it.
Fortunately, he could finally discern where the melody was coming from. Still plunged to the ground, he turned and looked up to his left side. In one of the trees, there's a figure that sits on one of its thick branches.
His amber eyes flickered, and almost immediately, his breath hitched. What he saw felt deeply familiar.
It was a man with his back to him, his long white hair cascading down, dancing in the chilly breeze. Three pixies flitted around him, holding a sheer, white veil that draped over his head and around his body. His delicate limbs hung gracefully beneath him, and the sweet melody that filled the air came from the flute he played. He resembled the moon itself, his entire form glowing softly in the dim light.
Rodion couldn't be more familiar with it; it was exactly a copy of his painting from his study room.