Rodion jolted in his seat and turned to face the prince once more.
Prince Nikolai was gazing up at the moon, his expression filled with palpable agony. Suddenly, Rodion was struck by an excruciating headache, far worse than the first time it had hit him. He groaned, clutching his head with one hand and gripping his hair as he curled up in his seat.
Murmuring voices echoed inside his head, cries, and calls he had a hard time comprehending.
"…ugh…" He groaned, panting and gasping for air, while he tried his best not to create a sound to avoid alarming the prince.
Prince Nikolai was completely absorbed in gazing up at the moon, his heart and soul aching for something.
"I was as beautiful as the moon, gazing down at him, admiring him from above... I miss him so much that it breaks me every time I think of him."
The prince's voice, as cold as the night, was like a melody that gradually soothed the harrowing pain in his skull. The unintelligible voices in his head vanished. Rodion stayed in his position and leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs as he cradled his sweating temple, calming his racing heartbeats.
F*ck…I… that was hellish…
As he gradually regained a bit of his energy and composure, and although his head was still throbbing, he glanced at Prince Nikolai. His breathing was still ragged, but he managed to put up a façade, sitting upright and not moving his eyes away from the prince.
"…You're Highness, look at me."
His strained, breathless voice caught the prince's attention, he watched him turn his head to look at him. Rodion's gaze fixed on the prince's enchanting visage, captivated by it and the innocence it held, ruined by the agony of longing. For an incomprehensible reason, it broke Rodion's heart.
In an instant, Rodion felt his own consciousness slowly morphing into a different form, a weak flickering string tugging at his soul before it invaded him. He sensed that he had turned into a different person, but also one with the person.
Prince Nikolai gazed at him, as though he were trying to search for comfort, a solace to sooth his pain.
Rodion sighed in a rather relieved manner. He softly smiled and said, with a soft whisper amidst his ragged breathing, "...I am here."
The words that came out of Rodion's mouth caused the tears that were swelling up at the corner of the prince's eyes to roll down to his cheeks.
"…That can't be."
Rodion scooted closer to him, his heart aching at the sight of him crying.
"It's me…Did you wait for me?"
"I did... for more than 500 years."
Their gentle whispers floated through the still, chilly night. Each word they exchanged offered comfort, yet it wasn't enough to fill in the hollowed pain of how much they missed each other.
"What took you so long?"
"I'm…sorry. I didn't know my soul was gravely damaged, and it took almost all of me to heal just the portion of my soul and regain my own will and consciousness through my remaining power. I couldn't find where you were right away because of it…"
The prince's shoulder suddenly jerked when a sob escaped from his mouth. He stared at Rodion with mixed emotions. Unable to hold it any longer, he leaned forward for a hug, but then Rodion made a gesture with his hand to stop him. This made the prince stop to look at him in confusion and disbelief, tears continuously flowed down his cheeks.
"Why...?" he sobbed.
"I wanted to speak with you for a little longer, and any physical contact may trigger my temporary possession of this body." Rodion explained, his voice was rather lower than before.
Hearing his explanation, Prince Nikolai pulled back before he wiped his tears off his cheeks. He forced a smile and hummed in understanding.
Rodion's amber eyes were fixed on the prince. He longed to hold him just as much as the prince did, but he couldn't. They remained seated, gazing into each other's eyes and drinking in the sight of one another.
"…I miss you---"
Before Rodion could finish his sentence, a fist struck his face.
"Ugh…Why—"
One punch after another struck his face. The prince stood up and yanked Rodion's long hair forcefully.
"I waited for more than 500 years, and you can't even give me a hug? I don't care about your explanation, you idiot!"
Rodion collapsed to the ground, but the prince didn't stop his assault; he kicked him relentlessly with his bare foot, overcome by a sense of frustration and other emotions that wrought havoc in his heart.
"Wait, hold on, we can't touch each other; it might—ugh!"
"Shut up, you stupid! I don't want to hear your excuses!"
After a series of attacks, Rodion finally lay unconscious on the ground. Upon realizing what he had done, Prince Nikolai snapped to his senses. He immediately sat down next to him and poked his cheek with his finger. The skin contact felt nothing to him so he followed it up with a hard slap to Rodion's face. The sharp sound echoed, startling the horse by the gate from its slumber.
"Liar… I'm dying, and I can't even get a hug… You better come back."
He stared at the unconscious Rodion before he decided to grab him by the wrist and begin to drag him inside his Manor.
"Forgive me about this, Young Master… You're too heavy for me to carry… Why are you so heavy?"
He struggled to drag Rodion's body and, upon reaching the entrance stairs, adjusted his grip. Releasing Rodion's wrist, he seized the sleeves at his shoulders and yanked him up. However, the force caused the shirt to rip, sending Rodion crashing down, his head striking the hard concrete of the steps. The prince lost his balance and tumbled forward, his legs straddling Rodion's body.
Prince Nikolai huffed for breath and remained still for a moment, resting in his position.
"I haven't done much exercise for a very, very long time. I'm tired already."
Taking a deep breath, he resumed to drag the unconscious Rodion into his manor.