Chapter 80

Noquia, still reeling from Theo’s furious assault, finally gathered her wits and shouted.

“Hey! Why are you doing this to me?!”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t! I have no idea what you’re even talking about! At least tell me the reason!”

“You’re the one spreading rumors all over town!”

“What rumors? What did I supposedly spread?”

“Don’t play dumb! The one about me and Blaine going all the way!”

“Huh? You two… went all the way?”

“No!”

Theo’s fists clenched tightly, trembling with indignation. He really looked wronged. Seeing Noquia’s reaction, Father, realizing she wasn’t the source of the rumor, stepped in to mediate.

“Wait, hold on. Looks like she really isn’t involved.”

Encouraged by this unexpected ally, Noquia vigorously nodded and quickly hid behind Father’s back. Seeing Father take her side, Theo slowly regained his composure, his expression calm again, though still frustrated.

But the thought that Noquia might be the culprit lingered. Theo, staring at her suspiciously, took a deep breath and asked.

“Was it you?”

“No, I said it wasn’t me.”

“Really not you…?”

Noquia pounded her chest, exasperated.

“I said no! Gah, it’s so frustrating I could scream.”

“It’s not… but it has to be you…”

“Why just me? Was I the only one there?”

“Think about your usual behavior… Who would people suspect first?”

“Huh, my life’s been completely wasted…”

Muttering despairingly, Noquia seemed at her wit’s end. Father asked again, “Really, not you?” This time, Noquia shook her head vigorously.

“It’s not me. Really not me. If I were the culprit, I’d reset my Murderer Tier.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped at her bold claim. Theo’s tense shoulders immediately relaxed. Seeing her speak so seriously, it was clear Noquia wasn’t the culprit.

Theo let out a hollow sigh, lowering his head.

“Then who the hell is it…?”

Blaine, at a loss watching Theo, rushed over to peer at him. He had caused this entire mess with a poorly chosen remark and felt both guilty and afraid that Theo might be furious at him.

“Uh, hyung….”

At Blaine’s voice, Theo snapped his head up and scolded him.

“And you’re banned from entering my house for the foreseeable future.”

“What?!”

It was a bolt from the blue. Blaine’s face froze in utter shock. He flailed his arms, trying to speak, trying to plead or explain—but words failed him.

“I’m tired today. I’m heading off early.”

Ignoring the flustered Blaine, Theo rubbed his forehead and staggered toward the entrance. Maybe from overthinking, he felt a slight fever coming on. Blaine, face pale and panicked, stomped his feet behind him, then suddenly ran and clung to Theo’s neck.

“Hyung! I messed up! Please forgive me!”

Tears brimmed in his eyes as he begged desperately, but Theo acted as if he couldn’t hear him, trudging down the stairs with his hand on his forehead. Blaine dragged his feet, hanging onto Theo’s neck the entire way out.

When they reached the waystation and boarded the carriage, Theo kept his hand to his forehead, eyes shut, avoiding Blaine entirely until the carriage started moving. Sitting across from him, Blaine grew increasingly anxious. What if Theo never looked at him again? What if he never spoke to him again?

Maybe he should have stayed behind at the guild house, desperately trying to clear up everyone’s misunderstanding—to protect Theo from any trouble.

As he fretted, Theo suddenly opened his eyes and glanced out the window. Blaine’s face darkened even further. Was Theo going to make him get off? Or was he about to get off himself?

Lost in thought, Blaine’s anxiety spiked. But after scanning outside, Theo let out a relieved sigh and leaned back against the seat.

“?”

Then, turning to the visibly anxious Blaine, he spoke.

“Let’s act awkward at the guild house for a while. If we pretend we’re distant because of the rumors, everyone else will notice and keep quiet, and it’ll blow over fast.”

Theo said it as casually as ever, voice even and expression indifferent. Blaine blinked, mouth slightly open.

“You… you’re not mad at me…?”

“…I am mad. Your slip of the tongue snowballed into this mess.”

“I’m… sorry…”

“But it wasn’t intentional, right?”

Theo’s voice softened, resigned but gentle. Though he said it, he didn’t seem to blame Blaine much.

From the context, Blaine likely hadn’t understood Noquia correctly. Otherwise, he’d be clueless, and the Blaine Theo knew wasn’t clueless at all. At best, he was naive. Having undergone surgery at a young age, rehab, and only two years into society, how much could he realistically know about… well, anything sexual?

For Blaine, “heading straight to bed” probably just meant literally going to sleep—just as he had with Theo. That explained why he had said what he did.

Theo looked at Blaine, ears drooped, and thought: maybe he should give him some sex education? But he shook his head. That wasn’t really his responsibility. Parents would guide him, or he’d learn later with a partner.

Sorting through his thoughts, Theo felt a century-old weight lift, and his chest unclogged. Blaine, watching Theo nod to himself in satisfaction, tentatively moved his lips and asked.

“Then… can I come to your house?”

Theo looked at him silently. Blaine was taller, bigger, and yet constantly cautious, like a small, skittish animal. An animal to be held, nurtured, protected. But no meant no. Not everything could be granted just because the child was endearing.

Shaking his head, Theo met Blaine’s gaze directly.

“No. Too many eyes in Ratteon. We can act distant at the guild house and still be friendly in the village. Otherwise, it’ll just stir up more rumors.”

Blaine, face downcast after Theo’s firm refusal, hung his head silently. His chest ached with the ballooning weight of self-blame. He couldn’t blame anyone else for the outcome—only himself.

Arriving in Ratteon, Blaine felt the walk to Theo’s house unbearably short, forcing himself to slow his pace. Yet, before he knew it, Theo’s home loomed right before him.

“I’m going in,” Theo said, stepping onto the porch and waving. Blaine forced a smile, hiding his disappointment as he watched Theo go inside.

With a thud, the door closed firmly, and Blaine dropped his gaze, idly scuffing his shoes against the dirt, scattering dust. He lingered by the doorway, then made his way to the flowerbed beneath the window.

Sitting on the edge, knees drawn up, back resting against the wall, Blaine gazed up at the light spilling from the window, then buried his face in his knees.

Days passed as Theo and Blaine continued their careful pretense of distance. In public, Theo ignored Blaine completely, while Blaine’s eyes never left him. The young boy’s tender, unwavering devotion tugged at the hearts of anyone who saw it.

Even those who had once teased the two gradually fell silent, respecting Blaine’s feelings and no longer speaking of their relationship.

Each day, Blaine would accompany Theo to his doorstep. When Theo waved him in, Blaine’s eyes, full of unspoken longing, followed him.

“When… how long do we have to keep doing this?” Blaine asked softly.

“It’s quieted down a lot, but just to be safe, let’s hold out a few more days,” Theo replied.

Blaine slowly lowered his head. In a barely audible voice, he muttered, “Okay…” Theo glanced down at the round crown of his head, steadied his own wavering resolve, and opened the door.

“See you tomorrow.”

Even after Theo went inside, Blaine lingered at the flowerbed for a while, then sat down, leaning against the wall. He took a small pinch of Retai Powder and gazed at the sky, lost in thought.

That night, Theo, sleeping like the dead, was suddenly jolted awake by an alarm. Frowning, he tossed and turned, then shot upright, his display already lit with a notification. As expected, a trade alert had popped up.

Springing from bed, Theo headed for the front door. To save time, he threw open a window and leapt outside. A familiar scream greeted him.

“Ah!”

Though he had landed on the flowerbed, the unexpected cry startled him, causing him to misstep and hear another scream as he accidentally stepped on something.

“Ah!”

Recovering his balance just in time, Theo glanced down in disbelief. Sitting on the flowerbed, it was none other than Blaine who had been caught underfoot.