CHAPTER 57
Their lips met again, this time slower, deeper. Sihyun's hands curled into the bedding beneath him, unsure whether to push or pull. Muwon cupped the side of his face tenderly, as if Sihyun was something precious and fragile, not the dangerous sorcerer bound in chains. The kiss was warm… disarming… dangerous.
Sihyun's body responded before his mind could catch up. He leaned in, pressing into the kiss. Their breaths tangled, hearts synced.
Then, Muwon pulled back just slightly—his dark eyes watching Sihyun, filled with something soft and unreadable. Without a word, his hand moved to the iron chains around Sihyun's wrists.
Click.
The Sorcerer's Chains hit the floor with a dull clink.
Instantly, Sihyun felt it—the rush of power surging into his limbs. His skin hummed with energy. Glowing tattoos, like fiery red veins, slowly shimmered across his arms, his collarbone, his chest. His eyes lit with an otherworldly red-gold hue, shimmering like a star catching fire.
Magic filled the room, thick like mist. The air bent around him, flickering with gold and crimson sparks that danced between their skin like tiny spirits. Muwon didn't flinch. He watched in awe.
Sihyun blinked, trying to steady himself. But then Muwon moved again—this time pulling off his ceremonial robe, layer by layer. Sihyun froze, eyes widening.
"What… are you doing?"
he asked quietly.
Muwon didn't look away.
"Like I said,"
he said gently,
"the ritual must continue."
Sihyun didn't argue. The energy between them swirled like a living thing—charged, intimate, raw. The room pulsed with heat. The shadows curled around the edges as though hiding from the magic's intensity. Sihyun's glowing gaze met Muwon's.
He could feel his magic flowing again, more intense under the full moon's pull. Muwon came closer, unafraid. His touch was warm against Sihyun's burning skin.
As their bodies met again, and the ritual continued, magic poured from Sihyun into the prince—threading through Muwon's curse mark like molten starlight. Muwon's eyes fluttered closed as the warmth filled him.
And for a fleeting, breathtaking moment, it felt like they belonged only to each other.
The ritual had ended, but neither of them moved.
Muwon lay beside Sihyun, their bodies still close, breaths syncing in the quiet aftermath. Moonlight poured in through the silken curtains, casting silver streaks across the bed. Sihyun's tattoos slowly faded, his magic settling. The air was quieter now, but the room still held a faint, golden hum.
Sihyun stared up at the ceiling, heart still racing. Muwon's hand lightly brushed against his.
Neither spoke at first. Then, Muwon turned his head, his voice low.
"Yuhyun told me everything,"
he said gently.
"About your mother. About how the humans hunted your kind like animals. How he had to protect you from the world, even from yourself."
Sihyun's chest tightened, his gaze staying fixed above.
"He told me about the way you survived. The hiding. The stealing. The fear."
Muwon's voice was calm, but there was sorrow in it.
"The way the world taught you to bite before you could speak."
Sihyun turned his head slowly, looking at Muwon. His eyes were unreadable.
"Is that why you love me?"
he asked, tone sharp and skeptical.
"Because you pity me? Because my story is tragic enough to earn your affection?"
Muwon frowned and moved closer.
"No,"
he said firmly.
"I started caring about you long before I knew your past. Before I knew you were a sorcerer. Even before you ever looked at me without hate in your eyes."
Sihyun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then why?"
Muwon smiled, small and quiet.
"Because you were always more alive than anyone else. Even when you were cursing me. Even when you were fighting those chains. There's fire in you, Sihyun. The kind that refuses to die, even when the world does everything to smother it."
Sihyun swallowed, caught off guard.
Muwon continued, voice softer now.
"And somehow, even with that fire, even with everything… you still came back every night. You still let your magic heal me. You still stayed."
There was a silence.
Then Sihyun looked away.
"…That doesn't mean I trust you."
"I know,"
Muwon said gently.
"But I'll keep showing up anyway."
Sihyun blinked, caught between disbelief and something softer. Muwon leaned closer, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face.
"You don't have to believe in the world, or even in me,"
Muwon whispered.
"But I'll believe in you. Until you believe in yourself again."
Sihyun looked at him for a long moment, then let out a small, almost tired laugh.
"You're really stubborn for a prince."
Muwon smiled.
"Only with you."
Sihyun didn't respond, but this time, he didn't pull away when Muwon gently reached for his hand again.
And in that moonlit quiet, the space between them no longer felt like war.
Morning light poured gently into the room, casting long beams across the floor. Sihyun stood near the edge of the bed, already dressed in the simple robes the palace provided. Muwon approached him quietly, the sorcerer's chain in his hand.
Sihyun turned just in time to see it. His eyes widened.
"No…"
he whispered, instinctively stepping back. But Muwon reached for him anyway.
"Don't,"
Sihyun said sharply, his hand shooting out to grab Muwon's wrist.
Their eyes locked.
Muwon froze. He could feel the tremble in Sihyun's grip, the silent plea behind his cold gaze.
"Please…"
Sihyun's voice broke, raw and quiet.
"Don't put that on me again."
Muwon's heart clenched. He stepped closer, slowly removing Sihyun's hand from his.
"I won't let you be in chains forever,"
he said softly.
"But for now… you have to trust me."
Sihyun hesitated. His breathing was shallow, heart pounding in his chest. Muwon gently cupped his cheek.
"If I don't do this,"
Muwon continued,
"the king will think I've lost control of you. And they'll do worse than this chain."
Sihyun swallowed hard, then gave a faint nod, eyes lowered.
"I need you, Sihyun," Muwon whispered.
"So nothing will happen to you. Not while I'm here."
Then, with regret in his movements, Muwon fastened the chain around Sihyun's wrist once more. The glow in Sihyun's body faded like a dying ember. But his eyes never left Muwon's.