After that, Reinhild kept avoiding Xion for a while. Not that running away did much good inside the house—he got caught quickly anyway.
To be honest, it had been a bit much.
It wasn’t something that could be brushed off as “just a greeting.”
Even if Reinhild had spat every curse he knew and fled through the pelting snow, Xion would have had nothing to say in his defense.
But instead of running, Reinhild put all his strength into keeping his guard up against Xion.
He’d been wary before, too, but the mood now was a little different.
Whereas before he’d watched for cues over every little thing and acted cautiously, now Reinhild made a point of showing his displeasure and grumbled openly at Xion.
Xion was very pleased by that.
It was far better than crying, resenting him, suffering, and running away.
It felt as if Reinhild had gotten comfortable enough to act more unreservedly.
If I’d known, I would’ve kissed him sooner.
Picturing Reinhild hearing that and sputtering “That’s not it at all!” in shock, Xion took freshly baked scones out of the oven.
As the rich scent of butter filled the house, Reinhild, who’d been lying in bed refusing to get up as if in protest, peeked out of his room.
Xion split a scone and slathered it with jam and cream.
Gulp. Xion smiled at the sound of Reinhild swallowing his spit.
“What tea should I make to go with the scones?”
“Bread is supposed to be eaten with milk.”
Before he knew it, Reinhild was seated at the table, waiting for the scones to be served.
And so, today as well, Reinhild ended up getting “caught” by Xion without even realizing it.
“The weather’s gotten much nicer.”
“Really?”
“There’s still a little snow, but without wind it won’t feel cold. Shall we go have a look around the village together?”
“Can I go out?”
Reinhild, who’d been chewing his scone, lit up with joy.
Had he wanted to go out that much?
Imagining walking hand in hand with Reinhild along the snow-covered lanes as they looked around the village put Xion in a good mood, too.
Reinhild finished every last bit of scone and milk and jumped to his feet.
“Let’s go right now!”
“It’s cold outside. We need to bundle up properly first.”
“It’s fine, the place I used to li—…ve was colder than this.”
Swallowing down the word Demon King’s Castle, Reinhild snuck a glance at Xion.
When Xion simply smiled without a hint of suspicion, Reinhild looked pleased.
Xion brought out thick winter clothes, dressed Reinhild in them, and wrapped a warm scarf around his neck.
“Shall we?”
“Okay.”
Maybe because he was buried under layers, Reinhild moved a good deal more slowly.
The moment they stepped outside, Xion reached for Reinhild’s hand and took it. Rather than shake him off, Reinhild gripped back even tighter.
No doubt he wanted to warm his hands, which had gone cold the instant they stepped out.
Having planned from the start not to bring gloves, Xion kept hold of Reinhild’s hand and slipped both into the pocket of his own coat.
A satisfied smile spread broad across his lips.
“Oooh.”
After walking for quite a while from Xion’s house at the edge of the village, the first thing they saw was an open space blanketed with white snow.
With most of the buildings gone, the white-washed emptiness made the village look much larger.
Reinhild, unable to hide his surprise at the barer-than-expected “village” scene, gaped and looked around.
No matter how far they walked, all they saw was snow.
“Are there… no other humans here?”
“The only ones who live here are the two of us.”
“But I heard humans are supposed to live all bunched up together…”
He was so flustered he forgot to pretend he was human.
Last time, his straining to act like he wasn’t the Demon King had been cute. This time, the unhidden words popping out were, beyond expectations, downright adorable.
“Other villages are far off, and there are no horses here, so it’s hard to go looking for people. There are a lot of monsters around, too, so leaving the village is dangerous.”
GROOOO—
Right on cue, an owlbear’s cry came from the distance.
Reinhild turned his head toward the forest, mouth agape. His gaze trembled. Was he afraid of the ferocious owlbears?
Xion had thought he’d be delighted; had he known, he wouldn’t have brought the owlbears here.
Even so, he liked that the owlbears’ cries startled Reinhild into clinging to him.
Xion, finding it endearing that Reinhild squeezed his hand inside the pocket even tighter, put his other arm around him.
Reinhild looked up at Xion with a face that said he had a lot to say.
He was probably working hard to find a way to speak that wouldn’t give away that he was the Demon King.
He wanted to kiss him right there, but that would mean tugging down the scarf that covered Reinhild’s jaw and mouth, so he decided to refrain.
He didn’t want Reinhild to be cold.
“Do you want to meet other people?”
At Xion’s question, Reinhild shook his head hard.
Xion had worried what he’d do if Reinhild wanted to see people besides him, but it seemed that wasn’t a concern.
“The nature’s nice here, the air is good, there are lots of animals to see… just perfect.”
Not to mention there are no humans or Heroes. Swallowing that last bit, Reinhild felt satisfied.
Since arriving here it had been one bewildering surprise after another, but it wasn’t bad. In fact, he liked everything.
“Wow, there’s a river here?”
“When the weather warms, you can see fish. Very pretty ones that shine a vermilion hue.”
“There’s a lake over there, too!”
“Root’s lake is famous for being clear and clean. It’s not deep, so it’s great for swimming in the summer.”
“Look there. A deer!”
“With no people in the village, I suppose it’s come this far down.”
At first Reinhild glanced around warily, but before long he was dashing here and there, excited.
In the process, their hands slipped apart which was a shame, but that much was fine.
Apparently not feeling the cold, Reinhild came back with his bare hands full of winter flowers.
“Look.”
His hands were as red as the scarlet winter blooms.
At that point, his fingertips must have been stinging and smarting, but Reinhild was beaming as if everything were wonderful.
“Rein.”
“Mm.”
“My Rein.”
“…Hm?”
Xion took Reinhild’s chilled hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed those fair fingers to his mouth and breathed warmth onto them.
At the touch of warm breath on the cool skin, Reinhild’s body gave a little shiver.
Xion placed a soft peck on those fingers, then gently wrapped Reinhild’s hand in both of his.
“Shall we head back now?”
“…Okay.”
Reinhild kept looking back, reluctant to leave.
It was an empty, barren village, but nothing delighted him more than running free across a wide-open space.
“It’ll be warmer tomorrow. Let’s come out again then.”
“Can we?”
“Of course. Tomorrow, shall we follow the river far down?”
“Let’s!”
Reinhild’s face lit up bright again.
If Xion had been made of ice, he would have melted all over at the sight of that smile.
“Ha.”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
If Reinhild guessed what Xion had just been thinking, he might panic and try to run.
The daydream that had just skimmed through Xion’s mind, he would keep that to himself. At least until Reinhild chose him and him alone.
❖ ❖ ❖
Back home, Reinhild warmed himself in hot water, ate a hearty dinner, and headed to bed earlier than usual.
When Xion finished getting ready for bed and came into the room, Reinhild was sprawled face-down on the mattress, fast asleep. Maybe because he’d left the house for the first time in a while and moved his body to his heart’s content, he wouldn’t have noticed if someone carried him off.
Of course, Xion wouldn’t just stand by and watch someone else carry Reinhild off.
Xion lifted Reinhild and laid him down properly.
Gazing at those slightly parted lips, Xion lightly pressed Reinhild’s chin. The small, triangle-shaped mouth opened a little wider.
Perhaps because of the kiss the day before, the lower lip Xion had bitten and sucked was ever so slightly swollen compared to usual.
By morning it would settle back. It was a subtle change.
Xion didn’t want the trace he’d left to disappear.
Smack.
So he set his teeth on Reinhild’s lower lip and pursed his own lips to draw it up with a suck.
Hoping that, even a little, the mark would last longer.
“Ugh…”
Not enough to wake him, but painful enough to be uncomfortable, it made Reinhild let out a low groan.
Paying it no mind, Xion cupped Reinhild’s cheek as he tried to turn his head away.
In that moment, Reinhild’s eyes flew open.
“…!”
Their gaze met and just as Xion hid his fluster and leaned back as if nothing had happened,
Reinhild smiled brightly at him.
Thump.
It felt like his skull rang with the sound of his heart dropping from overstimulation past its limit.
“Ee, oh… huh…”
Muttering something unintelligible, Reinhild closed his eyes again and fell back asleep.
Thump, thump, thump.
In the stillness, the sound of Xion’s heart grew louder.
He’d watched Reinhild sleep many nights, but this was the first time he’d seen him smile in his sleep.
“Rein.”
“…”
“My Demon King.”
“…”
Xion gazed down at Reinhild for a long, long time, then gave him one last kiss and lay down at his side to try to sleep.
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