The Night He Found Me First

“Here, give me one more.”

He wanted to get drunk enough to forget this wretched feeling.
He never understood people who drank until they lost their senses, but today, more than anyone, he desperately wanted that.

“Drink this and go home.”

Thud. The owner set a glass on the table and spoke curtly.
He seemed to have noticed Eren was already quite drunk.

“I’ll handle myself, don’t worry about me.”

It was something he wouldn’t normally say, but he blurted it out under the influence of alcohol.
Still, since Eren was dressed in expensive clothes, the owner didn’t add anything further and just took the money.

Eren had no intention of staying longer anyway.
Kazen was probably back at the ducal estate by now, and he needed to hurry back and prepare his bed.
Even drunk and dazed, such thoughts came to him.
He didn’t know whether to be amazed at himself or proud.

“Hmm, time to go.”

Eren muttered, downing the last glass.
As he kept drinking, the sweetness seemed to grow stronger.
Perhaps he was losing his sense of taste due to the intoxication.

Leaning on the table to turn his body toward the door, his head suddenly spun.
It felt as if he were floating in the air.

“Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick.”

Just when he thought he’d managed to settle his churning stomach, it threatened to rebel again over just three glasses of liquor.
Eren hurriedly covered his mouth and rushed out of the tavern.

Running into an alleyway, he slumped against a wall and vomited forcefully.
His stomach heaved, and the expensive food he’d eaten at the palace came pouring out in a mess.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

His throat burned, but after emptying his stomach, the nausea subsided.
Eren took the tie he had stuffed carelessly into his pocket and wiped his mouth.
He was in no state to remember that it was extremely expensive silk.

Trying to move again, he struggled to push himself up, leaning against the wall.
Suddenly, the long alley seemed to spin, and he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.
A few people were wandering in the dark alley.

A fatigue stronger than the intoxication swept over him, making his body feel as heavy as lead.
All he wanted was to lie down right on the street and sleep.

“Young sir, it seems you need a place to rest?”

Just then, someone cautiously grabbed Eren’s arm and spoke up.
Glancing sideways, Eren saw a man with strange, heavily applied makeup looking up at him with a bright smile.

“Come with me.
I’ll help you spend the night comfortably.”

“I need to prepare His Grace’s bed.
Let go of me.”

Even with his mind hazy, the only thought in Eren’s head was preparing Kazen’s bed.
The fact that Kazen had been kissing Harold didn’t even cross his mind.

“Don’t be like that, come rest.”

“Let go, I said…!”

As Eren tried to slap the man’s arm away, he lost his balance instead and staggered.

“Ah, stop grabbing me…”

“Don’t be like that, come with me.”

Not wanting to miss his chance, the man grabbed Eren’s arm and tried to pull him toward him.
Suddenly, another hand shot out from behind and pulled Eren back by the waist.

“Get your filthy hands off him.
Before I cut them off.”

“Who do you think you are, interfering— Gah!”

The man, who had started shouting at the cold voice and rough words, faltered.
First, he was frightened by the other’s large frame, then cowed by his splendid clothing, and finally, his eyes widened at his beautiful face.

“I hate it when something of mine gets dirty.
So get those disgusting hands off him right now.”

As if disgusted by the mere thought of contact, Kazen looked down at the man’s arm with icy eyes.
Finally snapping to his senses, the startled man let go of Eren’s arm.

“What are you doing?
Get lost, now.”

Kazen glared sharply at the man, who was hesitating, and muttered in a low voice.

“S-sorry, sir!”

Finally terrified, the man let out a half-scream apology and disappeared as if fleeing into the dark alley.

Eren, still held in Kazen’s arms, could only blink his bleary eyes.
All his senses were dull, his head fuzzy, making it impossible to grasp the situation.

“I was wondering where you’d gone.
You really outdo yourself.”

With an annoyed voice, Kazen pulled Eren’s shoulder, turning him toward himself.
Even that slight movement made his stomach churn.

“Ugh.”

As Eren covered his mouth, Kazen irritably pulled his hand away and gripped his chin.

“Drunk on just three glasses?”

“Need to prepare Your Grace’s bed… Let go…”

Muttering softly, Eren’s eyes were already half-closed.
Looking at him, Kazen let out a deep sigh.

“Drinking like this when you can’t even hold your liquor.
Pathetic.”

“Your Grace…?”

Belatedly realizing the person before him was Kazen, Eren mumbled with slurred speech.

Thinking he had come to his senses, but his pupils were still unfocused.
Kazen wrapped an arm around his swaying waist again, pulling him close, and muttered softly.

“Was it that shocking to see me kiss Harold?”

He ran his hand over the seemingly slimmer waist Harold had mentioned and frowned deeply.

“He’s not someone you can dare to covet.”

“Sorry…”

Looking down at Eren, who was mumbling softly as he slumped into his arms, Kazan clicked his tongue.

“Tsk.
Takes so much effort.
Guess he doesn’t know who his master is.”

Muttering lowly, Kazen bent down, placed an arm behind Eren’s knees, and with his other hand on his shoulder, lifted him up in one swift motion.
As if he’d lost consciousness, Eren went completely limp.

Eren’s body kept slipping as if he were holding a cat, making Kazen’s irritation flare.
He briefly considered just dropping him on the street but changed his mind.
If someone dressed this nicely was left lying on the street, robbers wouldn’t leave him alone.

If Eren disappeared, he’d have to handle all that paperwork at the estate himself, and he couldn’t allow such a troublesome thing to happen.

“Cooperate a little.”

As if proving he was an innocent fellow who didn’t even know how to put his arms around a man’s neck, his arms hung limply down, making it even harder to keep balance.

“Sorry, so sorry.”

Looking down at Eren, who kept mumbling pitifully about being sorry, Kazen let out another deep sigh.

“If you vomit on my clothes, I’ll leave you behind.”

* * * *

Eren wasn’t someone who dreamed often.
In fact, one could say he had never slept deeply enough to do so.
He always dozed lightly and woke up.

Nevertheless, he had a nightmare that day.
The content of the nightmare was actually simple.
It was just Kazen telling him he was no longer needed and to leave the ducal estate.

In the dream, Eren cried his heart out.
He hadn’t even cried like this on the day he was facing death, but when he woke up, his cheeks were damp, soaked with tears.

“Do you normally shed tears in your sleep?”

Still drowsy, Eren couldn’t grasp the situation even upon hearing Kazen’s voice.
It was clearly a familiar bedroom and the familiar sound of Kazen’s voice, yet he couldn’t understand why he was here with him.

“Have you decided to ignore what I say now?”

Then, as Kazen tapped his forehead with a finger and asked, his mind snapped awake.

“Y-your Grace?”

Hurriedly wiping his damp cheeks, he sat up.
For a moment, his head spun, and he pressed his forehead, quickly looking around.
Somehow, he was lying on Kazen’s bed.

Staring blankly at Kazen’s irritated face, he chased his last memories.

The previous night, Eren had fled after seeing Kazen kiss Harold in the palace garden.
His memories ended with him leaving the palace, entering a tavern, and drinking.

“H-how did this happen…”

“That doesn’t matter.
Bring my morning tea.”

“Ah, yes…”

Only then did Eren realize he hadn’t done a single piece of his morning work.
There was no time for other thoughts.
Springing up, Eren bowed deeply to Kazen and spoke loudly.

“My apologies, Your Grace!
I will prepare it immediately!”

Hastily straightening his disheveled clothes, he rushed out of the bedroom.
His mouth was parched, and his stomach churned.
A wave of nausea hit him, and he leaned against the corridor wall, catching his breath.

“A hangover.”

Having never drunk this much before, this level of hangover was also a first for him.
It felt as if the world was spinning around him.

I’ll never drink like this again.
Making such a useless vow, Eren moved his trembling legs.

‘Wait, but… how did I get back?’

Still clutching his foggy head, he tried hard to remember what had happened yesterday.
No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t figure out how he had returned to the ducal estate.

He didn’t teleport, so how on earth did he get back?
He vaguely remembered meeting someone at the end…