He awoke from what felt like a deep slumber and was taken aback to find someone else had taken over his bed, a sight he never expected.
All he saw was a sea of black sticking out from under his covers, and Hael immediately knew who it belonged to. What he couldn't understand was why.
Just what happened last night? How did the King end up falling asleep in his room? Hael's mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
He tried to wrack his brain, and small images of last night came to mind. They had been chatting the night away, talking about this and that, and the King, feeling tired, couldn't bother leaving, so he told him he was going to spend the night in his chambers.
But that wasn't what surprised Hael; what surprised him was that Ceremus was lying relatively comfortably in his arms, and it didn't look like he had any intentions of letting go. Hael could tell by the lack of light outside that it was around five AM when he'd get up and meditate. Unfortunately for him, with Ceremus glued to his body, he would be unable to move without waking the King up.
Hael could only lay there and watch Ceremus sleep.
His face, usually in a permanent scowl, was now relaxed, and he slept so peacefully that Hael momentarily forgot himself. He couldn't help but wonder what had brought Ceremus to this state of tranquility, and why he was the cause of it.
He felt compelled to touch his soft-looking skin but held himself back, realizing how rude it would be to touch someone without their permission. Instead, he studied his face and was captivated by how beautiful the King was. His straight brows, long and narrow nose, strong cheekbones, and perfectly shaped lips—everything about him was lovely. It took Hael a good ten minutes to search for a single imperfection, a minuscule flaw, but he came up empty.
He couldn't understand how such an ideal being could exist, lying beside him. The white-haired man seemed oblivious that he, too, could be considered a flawless being.
"The face of an angel," He whispered to himself.
After another ten minutes had gone by, Hael could feel Ceremus stir next to him, looking as if he were on the verge of waking. He held in an unconscious breath when he saw those golden eyes staring back at him.
"Hael?" Ceremus called.
The King stared at the stunned young man through lidded eyes before looking around him and realizing he wasn't in his chambers.
"Oh, it seems as though I did fall asleep here. I'm sorry—" Ceremus started to say but briskly cut himself off.
His eyes went wide. Was I just about to apologize? He thought to himself.
Hael didn't seem to notice his shock and shook his head. "It's alright. We did go on rather late last night." He said.
His words seemed to calm the King down, and he nodded. "Right. I should probably head back to my chambers before the maids start wondering where I am, " he said as he got out of bed and adjusted his robes.
Hael observed as he ran a finger through his wavy hair. With his previous state restored, the coldness of his face returned, even as he regarded Hael.
"I'll be out later today and will not need your services. Until then, please report to Zazel or to Anemone if you need anything, " he said before leaving.
*
A few days passed, and the three huntsmen were to report to work the following day.
They were glad they didn't need to spend their days recovering at home anymore, under their wives' nagging. But they cared the most about finding out what came off the manbeast.
It was the first thing Georgios asked when they sat for their morning meeting.
Anthanasia, who was in attendance, couldn't help but scoff at their lack of manners. "You should at least greet everyone before you start going on a tangent, " she said.
Georgios glanced at her before looking at every member there, including the captain. "Good morning, everyone. The guys and I just came back from almost being mauled by a beast. Forgive us if we wish to inquire about his status, " he said sarcastically.
The others were silent before Casper spoke up. "This manbeast that you speak of, what exactly did he look like?" He asked.
Georgios paused, and Aigeus had to take the lead. "He resembled a man physically, but the way he fought, his strength, it was akin to a beast." He said.
"And you guys were unable to defeat said 'beast,' correct?"
Aigeus frowned. He could feel the eyes of their companions piercing through them, silently judging.
"Of course, we were unable to beat him! We did everything we could and realized we were outmatched. Say whatever you want; we were not trying to die a dog's death out there!" He exclaimed.
Georgios and Boris nodded their heads in agreement.
"Relax, no one is judging you here. We are all aware of the man you had to face back there, and it's understandable that you fled to save yourselves. You have families, after all."
Boris frowned when he heard this. "Man?"
Casper threw a glance at Anthanasia, and the young huntress sighed. "I guess it's my turn to speak now?"
The three men looked at her with confusion. She explained the events after they were sent off, how she was to go to the forest, and how she encountered the supposed "manbeast," who happened to be a mortal man and not at all the beast they thought they saw.
"You guys must've been in shock or something because he looked like any regular old man." She said.
The vice-captain looked at her, and she shrugged in response. She would let these three idiots discover Hael's true identity later as her form of revenge against them.
The three men blinked, and the other's stares went from judgment to pity.
"Just what in the world is going on?"
The men would soon find out that day when they would finally report their findings to the King.
With the vice-captain present, Georgios, Aigeus, and Boris trembled like leaves when they saw not only the King looking down at them with his cold gaze but also the very beast they had discussed earlier staring at them with those same piercing eyes.