Everyone is Obsessed With Me (reupload)

Chapter 18

After what seemed like days - though it was only a few hours - the door of the room opened. Light poured in, causing Hanbal to quickly crawl farther away and shield his face. The person who opened the door was Osric, who examined Hanbal silently. His fingers were bleeding from excessive clawing and banging, and his shirt was slightly unbuttoned, revealing raw, red skin. Vomit stained the floor, and blood coated the wooden door like a gruesome painting.

Hanbal's long white hair looked as though it had been pulled roughly. Tear tracks marked his cheeks, and drool dripped from the corner of his small pink lips. He was shaking and seemed to be hyperventilating, his small chest rising and falling at an alarming rate. Despite it being only a few hours - the same time he had made Osric wait - he seemed to already lost his composure.

In a rare moment of pity, Osric crouched down and gently picked the frozen Hanbal. Gently, like a loving father, he patted Hanbal's back in an attempt to calm him. When Hanbal reached out to grip his shirt, Osric smiled slightly - a beautiful, angelic curve that was as rare as the blue moon. His amber-yellow eyes curved gently into crescent moons, thick black lashes fluttering around them like cages. His porcelain skin, smooth and youthful despite his age, stretched gently, mimicking a soft smile of some sort. He looked truly happy - very happy, in fact.

"My poor baby," he whispered, his voice dark and doting. "It pains me to see you like this."

Hanbal, too dazed to understand what was going on, could only cling tighter. It seems that despite a different soul inhabiting his body, the body itself could not forget or let go of its past trauma. No matter how hard he tried to reason with himself or run away, he was constrained within the body of a damaged child who never got to grow up.

"I-Im sorry..." Hanbal just mumbled in a daze. His eyes are still unfocused and quivering.

"I forgive you, baby." Osric hummed gently; his handsome face softening greatly. He seemed quite content with Hanbal clinging onto him - no, he was ecstatic. The strange feeling that had infested him a few weeks ago continued to grow, as if eating at his soul and replacing it with its own. Day by day, it felt as though this feeling had been his since the beginning.

Osric hummed as he walked through the halls, his voice sweet like a songbird in the morning. The servants nearby trembled when they heard it, realizing he only sang when blood was being shed. They cast their gaze down, unwilling to be the prey that caught the predator's eyes.

After a while, they reached his study. Once he opened the doors, he cast a cold glance at the two battered bodies before him. Cynerik and Cyneric, their shirts ripped and bloodied from whippings, their wrist slapped until they were so red they looked dyed in blood. Despite the gruesome state of their bodies, their face remained defiant - content even - as if they felt no regret. When their golden eyes caught sight of Hanbal's small back, it brightened immensely. Cyneric smiled broadly, showing his long, white canine teeth.

"Go," Osric said coldly. His eyes held not a shred of warmth, even as he looked at his sons born from his seed.

Cyneric furrowed his brows and hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave, but Cynerik merely nodded slightly. Together, they turned to leave. Before limping away, Cynerik glanced back and saw Hanbal's dazed face - unfocused eyes, tears, and drool staining Osric's once-pristine white shirt. He stared a moment longer, as if trying to capture the image, then smiled faintly. It was a small smile, barely noticeable smile - but it was a satisfied smile, as though he greatly enjoyed the view.

Osric narrowed his eyes slightly but turned around and seated himself upon his large, throne-like chair. He placed Hanbal on his lap and wiped away the tears and drool decorating his tiny face. For a moment, Hanbal's fear-muddled mind saw a familiar figure blur before his unfocused eyes. His heart pounded, and a wave of bliss washed over him. He saw ebony skin that shone like the midnight sky, dark freckles scattered like stars. He reached out and gently caressed the face of the person he missed most.

Delirious, he called out with a voice full of affection, "Papa..."

Osric froze slightly, his pen pausing midair as a sense of fulfillment filled his chest, making it feel warm and light. With a smile that he hadn't even known he could make, he pulled Hanbal closer to his chest and whispered, "Papa is here, baby. Papa will never let you go..."

Like a promise he swore to keep, he repeated it many times until his lips ran dry.

He listened as Hanbal's chest slowly rose and fell, his beautiful yellow eyes closing peacefully. Osric bent down and lightly kissed Hanbal's sweaty forehead. He paused - then kissed it again, then his nose, then his cheeks, before returning to his forehead. For what felt like hours, Osric continued to pepper Hanbal's face with light, affectionate kisses, as though addicted. He only stopped when he heard a knock at the door.

Annoyed, he kissed Hanbal's cheek one last time before turning his cold gaze onto the door. "Come in."

Butler Shen bowed lightly, his fox-like eyes lingering briefly on Hanbal before falling on the floor. "The Crown Prince requested to meet with you."

Osric just hummed and leaned on his arm, his expression hardening slightly. He is not entirely fond of meeting with the royal family. In his eyes, they are insignificant - destined to be swallowed by him eventually. Still, it was poor etiquette to ignore a personal request from royalty. Especially since it comes from someone like the crown prince. With a sigh, he waved his hand, beckoning Butler Shen closer.

"Call for the doctors and have them examine Hanbal." Osric bent down and placed one last kiss on the corner of Hanbal's eye before gently handing him over. Butler Shen bowed lightly and departed, Hanbal cradled in his arms.

Once they were farther from the study, Butler Shen slowed and gazed down at Hanbal with an unreadable expression. He gently wiped the sweat from Hanbal's face, which was contorted in discomfort - it seemed he was having a nightmare. Butler Shen hummed a soft tune under his breath, too quiet for anyone else to hear but just loud enough for Hanbal. Slowly, Hanbal's furrowed brows eased, and the tension around his eyes softened.

Without another word, Butler Shen continued walking, ignoring the chilling gaze watching them from afar.