The next day, Rodion woke up with a throbbing pain in his head—different from the headache of the night before. He groaned as he brought his hand to his head to check, feeling a gauze cloth clumsily wrapped around it. Still groggy from his sleep, he pressed and massaged his fingers to where the discomfort and pain were. He flinched and hissed to realize there's a wound.
How did I…
He propped himself up on his elbow, but as he exerted himself, the muscles in his back and shoulders ached. He froze for a moment before collapsing back onto the bed.
"Ugh… What happened to me?"
The last thing I remember from last night is getting beaten up by the prince. Did he knock me out and keep going until I was injured?
He scanned his surroundings and realized he was in a bedroom. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was carefully tucked in with a blanket, wearing only a night robe. His trousers were still on, but his shirt was gone.
What happened to my clothes? Recalling the assault he received, he couldn't help but scoff inwardly. The prince has some strength despite looking like a ...twink. And this bandage on my head was poorly placed, did he do this?
He turned to his side, groaning as he pushed himself up once more, enduring the pain on his muscles and sat on the bed, when suddenly, the door to his room briskly opened.
The prince, who was wearing the same night robe from last night, entered. He smiled at Rodion, pausing for a second when his eyes saw the bandage on his head.
"What happened to you?" He asked with curiosity, his figure approaching the other.
Rodion nearly snorted when he heard him. "Good morning, Your Highness. You don't remember what you did to me last night?" he asked, looking at the figure of the prince who stood across him while he sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped.
The prince crossed his arms and massaged his chin, a hum vibrating in his throat. After almost a minute of "trying" to remember the event from last night, he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Sounds like it."
Rodion blinked at his nonchalant reply but didn't press any further about it.
"It's alright, Your Highness. You mentioned to me before that you have a bad memory, I didn't think it was actually this bad."
"Whatever you say, here, let me fix that for you."
Prince Nikolai paced closer to him and removed the muddled gauze cloth from his head. Rodion felt alarm when he felt the prince's touch on his face. He immediately pulled back his head.
"Your Highness, you're not supposed to touch me." He said, recalling how he had instantly lost consciousness from their physical contact last night.
"What do you mean? There's a big cut in your temple; this needs to be tended to so it won't get infected. I genuinely don't remember what happened last night, so allow me to make up for it."
"…but—ugh!"
The prince reached for his hand and pressed his injured temple. "Shut up, let me take care of you." he said, then carefully removed the gauze and brushed aside the strands of hair covering the wound. A wave of concern washed over him as he examined the injury. "Stay here, I know that stupid knight brought a first aid kit before. I'll go and get it, wait for me here."
Rodion watched as the prince turned his back to him, heading toward the open door with the discarded gauze in hand. Once the prince's figure disappeared from view, Rodion slumped back onto the bed.
Does he have a split personality? It can't be a mere poor memory. His personality changes during the night. At night, he talks really softly, and he's gentle. Right now, just like the day I first met him a few days ago... he seems carefree and assertive.
He sighed loudly.
"Ugh… My back and shoulders hurt, what did he do to me last night?"
He massaged his shoulders with his hand while the other reached out to his temple to touch the cut. The wound was not small, but not large enough to cause panic. However, it was throbbing with pain.
"My left cheek feels kind of numb, too…"
He could vividly remember what happened last night. After suffering an excruciating headache, another entity overcame his will. Was the entity from last night someone important to the prince? It certainly seemed that way. The transmigration was turning out to be more complicated than Rodion had imagined.
Did I accidentally get caught up in some mystery or fantasy? There's a chance that the other entity within me is responsible for the original Rodion's disappearance.
Suddenly, he heard the prince enter the room again, and his thoughts came to an abrupt halt. He pushed himself up to sit, facing Prince Nikolai once more. His eyes were drawn to the small first-aid kit in one hand and a wet towel in the other.
"Sorry, it took me a while. I had to wash my hands first before coming back here." said the prince as he approached him.
"Your Highness, I can take care of myself. You don't have to do this." He said, a little shy and uncomfortable having a prince tend his wound.
Prince Nikolai settled down and sat himself next to him. "What are you talking about? Just stay still, I don't want to repeat myself here. Lean closer to me." he then placed the first-aid kit on his lap.
"Your Highness, this isn't really necessary…" Rodion insisted, but the prince cut him off.
"You're so persistent. And stop calling me that. I'm not relevant anymore; just call me Kolya from now on."
Rodion sighed softly in defeat and leaned forward toward the prince. Being taller than Prince Nikolai, he had to bend slightly to clean his wound more easily. His messy, wavy hair fell over his cheeks and temple. Almost immediately, his breath caught in his throat as the prince reached out, brushing his hair back and tucking it behind his ears. A surge of panic raced through him, but he steeled himself to remain still.
But the prince's eyes flickered to his, and noticed how his Adam's apple bobbed up and down softly on his throat. A sly smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Young master, relax. Why are you getting slightly worked up?" He teased, his voice carried a hint of playfulness.
"Please, call me Rodya." Rodion said, his eyes darting towards the wall, avoiding the playfulness of the prince's gaze.
"Hold your hair for me. Will you, Rodya?"
Rodion obeyed in silence, bringing his hand up behind his head to gather his hair and keep it out of the way.
Hurry up! Being this close to you… it's a good thing I don't have to worry about getting caught blushing because of my brown skin.
Prince Nikolai began by gently wiping Rodion's wound with the wet towel, his eyes focused and careful.
"I bet you're blushing right now. Are you, Rodya?"
Rodion flinched. His gaze, initially fixed on the wall, veered towards the prince's face. Noticing his gaze, the prince met his eyes, and his smile widened.
"Are you Rodya?" The prince's voice was once again teasing.
"If Your Highness could be so kind as to finish this quickly, I would really appreciate it."
The prince clicked his tongue and said, "You're no fun. And please, I have already told you to call me Kolya."
He reached for the first-aid kit on his lap and opened the cover. Taking out an antibiotic, a piece of gauze, and adhesive tape, he turned back to face Rodion. Squeezing out a sufficient amount of the antibiotic, he applied it to the wound, rubbing it gently to keep the area moist and help prevent scarring.
As the prince's fingers rubbed against Rodion's skin, he couldn't shake the thoughts of what had happened the night before. His gaze remained fixed on the prince, and he wondered at how was it that nothing was happening to him despite their physical contact? He wasn't losing consciousness or succumbing to any overwhelming sensation. It left him both confused and oddly reassured.
It must be because the entity had lost possession of this body. His fragment of his soul is not present right now and nothing is triggered.
As the prince cut the gauze, Rodion's eyes wandered to his nape, tracing the soft, smooth porcelain skin. Sensing the gaze, the prince tilted his head up and caught Rodion staring.
"Where do you think your eyes are looking, Rodya?"
He swiftly moved his gaze away from the prince and once again fixed on the wall.
Prince Nikolai smirked. "You're so obvious. Just stay put, we'll just put this gauze on, then we're done." He held the piece of gauze he cut in place with the adhesive tape and turned to Rodion.
However, instead of asking for Rodion to lean forward a little closer to him, his other hand reached out for his chin and gently tilted his head down. His smirk widened when Rodion reacted, their faces placed in proximity. To Rodion's surprise, the prince began to trace his fingers along his jaw.
Why did you say I'm not supposed to touch you? Care to explain what happened last night, hm?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of flirtation.
You… You're making this hard for me!
"…Kolya, please…"
Rodion's restrained voice made it obvious that he was having a hard time, certainly not from controlling himself, but with the awkwardness of their proximity and position, his cheeks were burning hot.
Hurry already!
The prince, however, flinched when he heard his low voice. He let go of his chin and finally put the gauze on his wound.
"There you go. This will keep your wound clean and we can change it later."
Prince Nikolai turned to close the first aid kit, then stood up. He glanced at Rodion, his eyes lingering on his, before he smiled. "Since I helped you clean and tend your wound, I need to ask you a little favor."
Rodion looked up at him, his expression a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Don't give me that look. Now get up in there and follow me." He briefly said and didn't give Rodion time to protest as he briskly exited the room.
Rodion was left alone once more, staring blankly at the open door before he stood up to follow him.
Prince Nikolai, on the other hand, dashed off in a panic, his porcelain cheeks flushed bright red.