After what had seemed like forever to me, we had finally gotten back to my room. Victor guided me to the bed and sat me down, then removed his coat from me and grabbed a water basin left on my nightstand and walked over into the bathroom.
While he did that, I went ahead and removed my shirt and changed my underwear and pants. He emerged from the bathroom as I had just finished changing, then dragged me right back to mt bed and sat me down again.
"Victor…" I started to say. He grabbed a towel and started to wipe me down, "It's not as bad as you think-"
What I had started to say was an excuse, something to get him to calm down and leave me alone in my shame. Though clearly, he didn't want to hear of it and had other plans, considering he slapped me before I could continue.
"Pardon my insolence, My Lord, but this is not about your dignity or condition," He started, first not meeting my eyes, but then looking at me with tears of anger welling in his eyes, "We received a letter from you saying that you had decided to willing stay for at least a week, stating that nothing was going on with you and that idiot fish king and that you found him uncomftorble to be around, but then i am finally able to come and join you here…And what I saw was very clearly the opposite!"
Victor then started to actually shed tears, which I genuinely thought impossible for a tough and unbreakable like him. But clearly, protecting Lev was much more important to him than any dignity he may have.
Seeing that made me feel even worse, knowing that I had practically stolen his master's body, even if he was still sealed within it. Looking at him, I truly wanted to spill everything about how I wasn't actually Lev, but even I knew that now wasn't the time and that it would probably never be the time to do so.
"I was so worried about you! Do you have any idea of the amount of times I was about to take Arwan and blow right threw those palace gates?!" He continued to lecture, tears streaming down his face as he did.
He then paused to catch his breath, looking at with tears still falling down his cheeks. He was trembling, perhaps from worry, but also from fear of losing the one last person he held dear in this world.
"Victor, I am so sorry," I said, looking down and holding his wrist, then looked back towards him, "Yes, you are right. I should be taking what happened so seriously…but even you have to realize that I am in a state of shock and am not able to properly process what just happened!"
"Haaaa, yes I do realize…and I am so sorry for acting this way, But I'm just so, so worried!" Victor held my hand as he started to break down some more, taking me out of a trauma state, making me want to cry some more.
I pulled him next to me and embraced him in a tight hug, now also starting to cry silently. As he hugged me tightly and let his tears flow, soaking my shirt, I did the same and dug my face into his collar, making him know that I was now reacting as one probably would in this situation.
Hugging me tightly, he sighed. I hugged him tighter in response, enjoying the consulling and linking my arms under his armpits to put my palms on his upper back.
Unaware of how Victor was reacting, I had noticed that he had stopped crying, but I hadn't yet. So, I clung to him, eventually recalling the incident in my mind and starting to cry my eyes out again.
Eventually, sensing that I had stopped crying, Victor pushed me away with a flushed face. Then he went back over to my nightstand, where he had placed the basin of water. Dipping the towel into it to get it wet, he then wrung it out and grabbed my shoulder, holding me down in place.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I questioned, feeling uneasy from the sudden forcefulness and wiping the wetness of my tears from my face.
"Well, I am simply going to clean the filthiness that man left on you and remove it from your noble body! After all, anyone who dares to harm my Lordship should be removed from the face of the earth and face damnation, but since said person is a King, I'll just have to settle with this." He sighed angrily, making it clear how he felt.
Victor was a very loyal person, someone who would throw away everything they had just to follow the object of their dedication to the ends of the world. Though in that sense, he could act very overly protective, even beating the shit out of someone who only talked a bit of smack.
And if I had to be honest, that really scared me. Just imagining what he might do to get Lev back in control of this body or make me and him entirely separate again…it honestly freaked me out.
But, even though I was aware of the things he might do, I still thought he was rather dependable. Which was why when he did things like this, I was willing to let it slide and do whatever he wanted.
"Er, I can wash myself though-" I started to negotiate, but was quickly cut off by him grabbing my chin and rubbing the wet cloth on my neck, right by where Llyr left bite marks and hickeys.
"Nonsense! This is my way of atoning for not being able to protect you from him! A knight of my position is willing to lower himself to make it up to you like this, so you best accept it!" He announced, reminding me of a tsundere character you'd see in games and anime.
"Right…haaaa, fine. Just don't touch me anywhere too inappropriately, got it?!" I jested, only half jokingly.
"Please, I'm not that son-of-a-bitch dragon who likes to put his hands anywhere he wants under the guise of 'Healing you,' so accept my help, would you!?" Victor exclaimed, moving down to my pecs.
"Yeah, yeah. And please, don't say things like that about Arwan. I am plenty aware of his feelings, and trust me, I plan to do anything BUT reciprocate them. If he confesses, then I'll just have to shoot him down," I admitted, finally understanding why the two of them fought while we were staying in the Peril Kingdom.
"Hmp, good. After all, it's rather improper for a Knight and his lord to be in an intimate relationship. So it's best you keep it on the down-low, no more letting him do with you s he pleases…even if it's your way of keeping hin obedient." He glared and lectured me with a threatening tone, knowing all about the night when I first met Llyr.
I gulped and just nodded my head, agreeing to his demand. Victor then just continued to wipe me down, then applied salve and other ointments to the bite marks and hickeys on me.
Despite being his employer and of a higher ranking than him, I still found Victor to be rather intimidating. Not only because of the information I have on him from the novel and what he himself has told me but also because of how scary he can be in general.
If Victor and I were biologically related, he'd be the scary, overbearing, and caring elder brother. While I'd be the mischievous, always-getting-into-trouble younger one.
"Alright, I'm done there," Victor exclaimed, helping me put my shirt back on. Then, buttoning it, he asked me one last thing. "Is there anywhere else he's touched you that you would let me see?"
"Mmm, no…" I trailed off, making my eyes drift away from his gaze. As he narrowed his eyes at me, I thought he was going to demand I strip off everything right in front of him, but instead he just stood up and walked towards the door.
"Well then, make sure you wash that fish's stench off you quite thoroughly. I will be right outside the doors, so if you need anything, make sure to call for me," Victor said before opening the doors and stopping right outside them, letting them shut right behind him.
As I watched the doors to see if Victor would emerge from them again, I stayed on the bed, trembling. I secretly hoped he would come back through them, or at least someone other than Llyr would, offering me some solace from the indecent act.
Feeling disappointed, I just looked at the mark on my ring finger and sighed. I felt like breaking down and sighing again. After having to mask most of my emotions in front of Victor, I felt even worse.
I wanted to end it all here and now, as any normal person would after having been taken advantage of like I had, but I knew better. I had things to take care of in this body, and speaking of, it wasn't even mine, so it wouldn't feel right.
Doing what I did back during the war on earth, I just took some deep breaths, thought about the little number of good things I had, and got up to take a bath.
Though, of course, not before going out to the balcony and having a quick smoke. However, like always, the "quick smoke" turned into me burning through half a pack like I did whenever I was in the process of getting through a depressive episode.
Feeling much better and like I was on cloud nine(though that's not a good thing exactly), I finally went and took my bath.
When I got into the marble bathroom, hot bubbly water was already drawn, perhaps by Victor earlier, who must have used some magic to make sure it was the temperature I was drawn as until I got into the tub.
A small smile spread across my face, but was soon diminished. I had to once again remind myself that every little thing done with care by Victor and Arwan wasn't done for me, but for the actual Lev. So, with a straight and slightly annoyed face, I slipped off 'my' shirt.
I then went to take 'my' pants off, but stopped when I saw the bruises from the tight grip Llyr had on me. 'I'm really sorry about all this, Lev.' I thought, rubbing the marks.
Coming back to myself, I took the rest of my clothes off, then went right into the tub. Not trying to get a too-good glimpse at Lev's body(for privacy reasons), I wanted to double-check for any other bruise marks.
Looking down, I could see that Lev's body had gotten even more ripped, thanks to me no less. After all, working out was a hobby of mine. But besides that, I could see a very slight bruise shaped like a hand on the left side of my waist, then twisting my body around to look at my back, there was s bruise in a straight line, perhaps from the table.
'Haaa, that'll definitely hurt tomorrow.'
***
I came out of the bath almost half an hour later, making sure I cleaned extremely thoroughly. However, as always, as soon as I change my clothes, dry my hair, and get comfortable, something has to go wrong.
A blaring alarm resounded throughout the entire palace, and due to the enhanced hearing of an elf, it felt as though my eardrums were about to explode. I quickly covered my ears, groaning from the intensity.
"M'Lord!" Victor shouted, barging in through the doors and coming over towards me, "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, but what exactly is going on?" I exclaimed, tilting my head at him with an annoyed expression.
Though, of course, before he could answer, Araluen came rushing in. Panting like she had just run a marathon and hadn't been able to catch her breath.
"M-My Lord, There is a…Ha- an Intruder!" She exclaimed, her hands on her knees and taking deep breaths.
"A what!?" I asked, but then recalled my conversation with Cordelia, who told me about the danger Llyr was in, "Bring me to his majesty right this instant!"
I ran over to her and helped her up. She then started heading out of the room. I followed her with Victor close behind me, ready to draw his sword when needed.
Llyr was in his office, and as we got closer, I saw the knights who were in charge of keeping watch over him lying on the round, lifeless. Then the three of us busted through his office doors, where we saw him cornered by an assassin sent by the Demon King.
I threw the knife that I always kept hidden in my boot towards him, but he unfortunately dodged. Having sensed our presence when he got in the vicinity of the room.