I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

Chapter 336: The Rest He Needed

Neither of them spoke on the way back to their chambers. Cherion stayed close beside Zarius, one hand lingering at his back.

Cherion and Zarius parted ways with Reiner, Ezek, and a thoroughly drained Gillian. Cherion said little, offering them only a tired nod before leaving with Zarius.

As they walked down the hallway, Cherion found himself watching Zarius far more than the path ahead. The Duke hadn’t said a word since parting ways with the others, and that alone was enough to set off every alarm bell in Cherion’s head. Zarius wasn’t exactly chatty on a good day, but this was different. His jaw was clenched so tightly a muscle kept twitching near his cheek, and he looked like he was trying to wrestle a dozen thoughts into submission without letting a single one escape. Seriously, blink twice if you’re about to declare war on someone, Cherion thought.

Every few paces, Zarius’s red eyes would drift toward the dark corners of the stone ceiling before flicking over his shoulder to the empty hallway behind them. It was a restless habit Cherion hadn’t seen since they first met, if he didn’t count the subjugation.

Cherion occasionally glanced back too, his eyes searching the dim stone arches to see what on earth Zarius was looking at, but there was absolutely nothing there. Just empty hallway.

What does he see? Cherion wondered, a cold, annoying knot of anxiety tightening right in the center of his stomach. It was frustrating, not knowing what kind of invisible threat was making his man act this guarded.

The moment they stepped into their private chamber, Zarius didn’t even bother removing his heavy cloak. He didn’t loosen the straps or complain about how uncomfortable it was. He simply walked straight to the edge of the mattress and dropped down.

Cherion stared at him for a second.

That alone was concerning.

Cherion closed the door behind them, sliding the thick iron bolt into place with a solid thud. The sound was oddly comforting. Finally, the palace was on the other side of the door.

No nobles watching. No fake smiles. No pretending that everything was perfectly fine while everyone silently calculated how close they were to disaster.

Reaching out, Cherion gently cupped the Duke’s wide face in both of his hands. He used the flat of his thumb to carefully wipe at the edge of Zarius’s cheekbone, trying to remove the pale cosmetic powder they had painted on earlier to fake the "sick, dying Duke" appearance for the nobles. It was a good trick for politics, but right now, it just looked messy. But as the white powder smeared off onto his skin, Cherion’s fingers completely faltered. The flesh underneath wasn’t warm or flush like it usually was after a long walk, it was genuinely cold, a ghostly, drained gray that made his heart skip a sudden beat.

"Zarius..." Cherion murmured, his composure cracking just a little bit as his thumbs traced the Duke’s cheeks. "Why does it feel like you really went pale for real tonight? Seriously, stop it. It’s actually scaring me a bit. The pale is supposed to be the fake part."

Zarius let out a long, shuddering breath, his heavy hands coming up to rub at his eyes and face. He thoroughly smeared the rest of the powder into a messy, dull blur across his skin, looking completely done with the day. "Earlier... I felt like something was watching us. Or... watching me, specifically. I didn’t know actually."

Cherion’s eyes went wide, his voice dropping into a sharp, rapid whisper as he leaned closer to Zarius’s ear, his instincts kicking into overdrive. "Omg... is that the curse caster? The one who’s been pulling the strings?"

Zarius didn’t answer immediately, his fingers still pressing hard against his temples as if he were trying to block out a lingering, pounding headache. The raw exhaustion in his massive frame made him look smaller than he actually was, the imposing, terrifying aura of the Northern Duke completely muted behind closed doors. Here, he was just a guy who had been pushed past his limit.

"Hey, listen to me," Cherion insisted quietly, his palms moving back to press firmly against Zarius’s cheeks, forcing the giant to look up and meet his eyes. "It’s okay. It’s fine. You just need to keep up the act of being sick for a little longer. Whoever this was, whatever is lurking in those hallways, they can’t know that you’re already totally okay. Let them think the curse is still working its magic. If they think you’re weak, they get sloppy."

Zarius looked into Cherion’s anxious face for a long, quiet second, his red eyes searching Cherion’s face before his expression finally softened into something weary but compliant. "Yes. You’re right. We keep up the act."

He let his hands drop to his sides, slowly shifting his massive frame back onto the plush pillows without even bothering to remove his heavy boots. He laid down flat on his back, his voice a low, gravelly whisper as he looked up at the dark wooden beams of the ceiling. "I need some rest, Cherion. Just a little bit. My head is spinning."

Cherion blinked, his heart doing something annoyingly soft as he looked down at the usually terrifying Duke, who currently looked less like a fearsome ruler and more like an overworked giant who needed a nap.

Though he had to admit, the part where Zarius said his head was spinning had scared him a little. But honestly, after everything that happened today, it was probably just exhaustion. The man had pushed himself too far. little rest, maybe some healing, and Zarius would be fine.

He climbed onto the mattress and settled against Zarius’s side, resting his head over the steady beat of the Duke’s heart. After a day full of nobles, secrets, fake illnesses, and enough tension to give anyone a headache, this was the first thing that actually felt normal. "Let’s go on some quick sleep then. No more thinking about other things."

Zarius didn’t move his body much, but his long, heavy arm came around Cherion, pulling him securely against his chest with a tight, possessive grip. His large hand came up to completely cover his own eyes, shielding his face as if the faint light in the room was too much to bear.

With his face hidden behind his own hand, Zarius slowly breathed in and out, his heartbeat steady beneath Cherion’s cheek as the silence of the palace finally settled around them, leaving the shadows outside their door felt impossibly far away.