The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 17: ’How easy...’

During the travel, because of the worsening snow and concerns for safety, they resorted to using only two carriages. One carried Alaric, Cael, and Soren while the other held Lyric and Sylas, riding ahead as a silent escort.

Inside the first carriage, Soren sat by the window with his cheek almost touching the frost-touched glass. Morning light filtered through the swirling white, giving everything a muted glow. Flakes drifted like tiny silver feathers outside that looks soft yet relentless, and the wheels creaked with every uneven patch of frozen ground.

Across from him, Alaric and Cael occupied the opposite bench. The two sat close to each other yet with an unspoken stiffness as if they both instinctively leaned away from Soren, but the cold forced them to tolerate the proximity. He was, after all, important to their mission. A fragile asset they had to preserve.

’Hmm... I still don’t get why people call snow beautiful,’ Soren thought, eyes following the flurry of white. ’Sure, it looks nice. Pretty in the eyes... but that’s all there is to it. It’s cold, slippery, dangerous. Nothing more, nothing less.’ He then let out a subtle sigh, fogging a small patch of glass.

What he didn’t notice was the way Cael’s gaze had been quietly fixed on him the entire time. It’s steady, unreadable, almost studying him. Cael’s gloved hands also rested loosely on his knees, but his expression betrayed a strange mixture of curiosity, intrigue and something else he refused to name.

Meanwhile, Alaric had already settled into his usual posture such as arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed, jaw set with the relaxed rigidity of someone conserving strength. Despite his facade of calm, the slight twitch in his eyebrow suggested he was more aware of their surroundings and of Soren than he let on.

The carriage rocked lightly, soft thuds of snow hitting the roof, and for a moment the entire world felt muted. Soren kept staring out the window, lost in his thoughts, unaware that both men across from him were watching him in entirely different ways.

’I wonder how Elias is doing... It’s been a while, and with how hectic everything’s been, I haven’t even written him back.’ Thinking about it, a small knot of guilt tightened in Soren’s chest. ’He’s probably annoyed. If I don’t reply soon, he’ll scold me for a whole day. Hah... imagining his face lecturing me is actually funny, but...’ His expression softened faintly. ’Really, I just miss him. I’ll make it up to him once this contract is over.’

He then pulled the curtain shut with a soft rustle and leaned back against the seat only to find Cael’s eyes already on him.

Their gazes collided that made Soren froze while Cael blinked once, tilted his head an inch, and smirked slowly and knowingly as if he caught Soren doing something embarrassing.

But Cael’s thoughts were far from mocking in the way Soren assumed.

’Well, look at that... So, he can actually make an expression.’ Cael’s smirk deepened with eyes subtly narrowing. ’I almost thought he wasn’t human.’ The sight of Soren flinching away so quickly was too amusing and Cael leaned back, legs crossing leisurely as if he had all the time in the world to enjoy this while Soren immediately averted his gaze, cheeks warming despite the cold.

’What was that? Was he staring at me this whole time? I hope some beast gouges his eyes. Uh, No. No, no. Bad. That’s bad. Silly me...’ He shook his head hard while squeezing his eyes shut for a second in an earnest, almost childlike gesture that he didn’t realize was visible to the others.

Cael did.

And the man actually chuckled in a quiet and low, but undeniably entertained.

Meanwhile, in the other carriage, Lyric and Sylas were already at each other’s throats. The journey had barely begun, but Sylas simply couldn’t stop bringing up the one thing guaranteed to make Lyric explode—

the infamous, impulsive kiss he planted on Soren during their first meeting.

"Can you shut your crap already? I swear, Sylas, I’ll kick you out of this carriage!" Lyric snapped, lifting one foot threateningly as if ready to boot him through the door.

Up front, the driver released a long, exhausted sigh. He had been listening to their bickering since departure, and clearly made the noble decision to mind his own business or go mad.

Sylas only grinned, resting an elbow on his knee. "Yeah? Go on then, kick me out. What if I catch your disease from sitting next to you anyway? You kissed that commoner, after all. Maybe any second now you’ll start vomiting rats. Ugh! Just imagining it... absolutely disgusting."

He shuddered dramatically and Lyric didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of Sylas’ hair, then yanked it hard while dragging him into a headlock so tight that Sylas’ back arched.

"You, bastard!" Lyric hissed between clenched teeth. "You really want to pick a fight with me, huh? Fine! Let’s see how long that mouth of yours lasts!"

"Ow, ow! Okay, ow! Let go!" Sylas wheezed, slapping his wrist while half-choking and half-laughing. "I said sorry! Come on! What if I get your disease, huh?!"

Lyric tightened his arm that Sylas choked harder. At this time, the driver just sighed even deeper.

Just when they thought the worst of the trip would be limited to Sylas and Lyric’s constant bickering, fate decided to prove them wrong when a sudden, bone-rattling thud rocked both carriages.

Before anyone could react, a pack of Grudge Hounds which are massive, shadow-furred beasts with glowing red slits for eyes lunged out from the snow-laden tree line. Their snarls tore through the icy air, claws raked against wood and their fangs snapped at horses.

The second carriage even tilted violently, then tipped half-on its side.

The world jumbled in a blur of white and chaos.

"W-what the, ugh!" Alaric groaned, shoving the broken door aside as he dragged himself out onto the snow while Cael followed right after, stumbling once before quickly regaining his balance.

Neither of them spared even a glance at Soren who was bleeding from a gash on his forehead, crimson running down his temple and dripping onto the snow.

’Oh... I’m bleeding.’ He touched the warm slick on his skin, blinking. ’Should I... act dizzy? Do normal people faint? Or scream? What’s the proper reaction here?’

He stared blankly for a moment, completely out of place amidst the chaos before pushing himself upright and steadying his breath. Ahead of him, Cael and Alaric were already drawing their swords from their scabbards, blades glinting under the weak winter sun. Their expressions sharpened, all traces of earlier boredom gone.

Snow kicked up as the Grudge Hounds circled them, low snarls vibrating through the ground.

In the distance, the twins were already engaged with Sylas blocking a massive paw swipe with his armored forearm, teeth gritted while Lyric slashed upward to keep another beast from sinking its fangs into a knight’s throat. Knights on horseback struggled to control panicking steeds, steel clashing with claws.

The peaceful morning shattered into a battlefield of snow, blood, and black-furred monsters.

And in the middle of it all, Soren stood awkwardly with a bleeding forehead, still wondering whether he should pretend to faint or not.

"Why are there beasts here?!" Cael snarled as he drove his blade straight through a Grudge Hound’s skull. He then planted his boot on its head and yanked the sword free with a wet crunch. "The scouts said this area was clear!"

Blood sprayed across the snow as another knight fell back, shouting orders. The battlefield was still shifting with snow, steel, and shadows colliding with frantic force.

"Your Highness, please be careful!" Lyric’s voice cut through the chaos as he and Sylas approached, swords dripping with fresh blood. "This doesn’t look like a coincidence at all!"

"How can you be so sure?" Cael scoffed, giving the twisted corpse beneath his boot one last shove. He then glanced toward Alaric with a half-grin. "What do you think, Duke?"

Alaric opened his mouth to answer but Cael’s attention flicked past him, landing on Soren.

Blood. Fresh, dark, running down Soren’s temple that made Cael’s smirk vanished instantly.

His eyes widened just a fraction, just enough for Alaric to notice and without waiting for the Duke’s reply, Cael was already striding toward Soren, his boots crunching sharply against the frozen ground that made Alaric’s gaze narrowed. The twins, on the other hand, paused mid-command to watch.

Soren blinked at Cael’s sudden approach, confused. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Oh. I forgot you were here," Cael said, voice oddly tight. "You’re too quiet to notice sometimes. Your head, it’s bleeding."

Soren touched the drying streak on his skin, then offered the most harmless faint smile he could manage.

"Oh, Your Highness, it’s not worth worrying about. The wound already closed since I healed it the moment I felt the blood. Thank you for your concern though." He wiped the remaining crimson with the back of his sleeve

...and Cael immediately reached into the inner pocket of his robe, pulling out a handkerchief. He held it out without hesitation.

A small gesture, almost nothing yet enough to make Alaric’s brows lift slightly. Enough for the twins to exchange a quick glance before returning to ordering the knights to dispose of the corpses so they could resume the journey.

"Use that," Cael said.

Then, quieter, as if he suddenly remembered to act casual, "And... hmm. I’m feeling a bit dizzy myself. Can you heal me? Also, once we get back into the carriage... can I borrow your shoulder for a while?"

Soren blinked.

"Yes, Your Highness," he replied softly, accepting the handkerchief. "And thank you... I’ll wash it before returning it."

Cael nodded, expression unreadable for a moment.

Around them, knights dragged bodies, horses snorted nervously, and the stench of blood mixed with crisp winter air. But here, between Cael and Soren, the atmosphere shifted into something far quieter, far stranger, and far more noticeable than Cael probably intended.

’How easy...’ Cael smirked.

While on their way, a figure hiding behind the tree watched the carriage go while looking at the pile of beasts being left behind as he clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, another failure."