Little Pink Starfish

Pei Sen felt like he couldn’t breathe. The temperature in the bathroom was already high, and now Eagle had him pinned between the wall and his still-wet body. The hand that had been braced on the wall was now against Pei Sen’s neck, burning hot against his skin and making the heat even more unbearable.

And with the air he was trying to breathe being completely stolen by the man in front of him, the kiss made him feel almost dizzy from lack of oxygen.

He wanted to push Eagle away — if this kept up, he really might faint. But the moment his hand touched Eagle’s warm, damp skin, he immediately lost his nerve.

Just then, Ichabod’s voice came from outside: “Young Master! Something’s happened, Young Master!”

Pei Sen was finally released. He gasped for air, only daring to look above Eagle’s neck — and even that made him feel faint again.

The handsome, refined youth had deep green eyes so beautiful they could draw a person in completely. His long golden hair clung to his glowing pale skin from the bath. The whole image was dazzling enough to make someone lightheaded, and with that gentle smile of his, Pei Sen didn’t dare look even at his face anymore.

In that instant, Pei Sen suddenly understood a lyric from Earth — how when the moonlight is too beautiful and gentle, it can stir feelings of love. And the young man in front of him was just like that — too beautiful, too gentle. Compared to him, that so-called moonlight was nothing. Eagle was utterly irresistible.

Feeling his own heart beating faster, Pei Sen’s back pressed against the wall. He was drawn to the person before him, yet also wanted to shrink into the wall — the inner conflict left him overwhelmed.

“Pei Sen, stop looking at me like that.” Eagle sighed and finally withdrew his hand from the wall. He bent down to pick up the towel that had fallen to the floor, frowned at it, and decided it was no longer usable. Then he looked at the still-dazed Pei Sen, leaned in again to bite softly at his lips, and only then walked over to grab a clean towel, slowly drying himself and putting on a silk robe.

Pei Sen stood in place speechless, his clothes now half-soaked.

Eagle had kissed him right after getting out of the bath, and most of the water on his body had ended up on Pei Sen, leaving him looking thoroughly disheveled.

He fled the bathroom, doing his best to ignore Ichabod’s surprised but understanding look, and hurried back to his room to change clothes.

Even now, Pei Sen’s heart was still pounding wildly, nowhere near calm.

While changing into a dry shirt, Pei Sen’s hand suddenly froze. He looked at his reflection in the dressing mirror.

The dark-haired young man still had visible warmth on his face — no wonder Ichabod’s expression had been a little odd. He probably thought something had happened between him and Eagle in the bathroom.

“It was just a kiss,” Pei Sen said quietly.

After living here for so long, he’d grown used to his current appearance. The young man in the mirror was strikingly attractive, with clear, compelling features.

Eagle was undeniably good-looking — but Pei Sen’s face and figure could also be called flawless.

As he touched his own reflection, Pei Sen suddenly realized why he’d been feeling an unexplainable discomfort since encountering the grown-up version of the young master.

It was his gaze — Eagle looked at him differently now. That once-slightly-shorter youth had grown taller and now carried an aura of dominance.

…After what just happened, Pei Sen came to a sudden understanding.

It probably wasn’t his imagination.

The adult Eagle, well… probably wanted to sleep with him.

“Do nobles often have this kind of habit?” Pei Sen sighed, somewhat confused. He truly didn’t understand what kind of feelings Eagle had for him.

Was it dependence? Or the kind of ‘affection’ nobles often indulged in?

Ichabod hadn’t looked particularly shocked earlier, likely because this wasn’t such a big deal to nobles.

Pei Sen was attractive and deeply loyal — even if Eagle had a special relationship with him, Ichabod wouldn’t find it strange.

That’s how nobles were. In the end, they’d still marry someone of suitable status and have heirs. Nobles in the Yali Continent tended to have pretty low moral standards.

Having spent so long in this world — even if not originally on this timeline — Pei Sen’s main character had come to understand more about how these native nobles worked.

“So, Young Master, what exactly do you see me as?”

Standing in front of the mirror, dressed neatly again, Pei Sen had calmed down completely, as if what happened in the bathroom had never occurred.

“No matter what, being with someone as handsome as Eagle — even if just briefly — doesn’t really feel like a loss,” Pei Sen smiled faintly. “But… I just can’t.”

He had always taken love seriously. That’s probably why he’d had almost no romantic experiences.

Pei Sen was a strange person — warm-hearted, kind, and good to many people. He had many friends, was easily moved, and often softened quickly. That much was true. But beneath that, he was also someone who valued emotions deeply.

People are complicated — and so was Pei Sen. His personality couldn’t be summed up with just a few words. His actions didn’t always match how others defined him. But there was one thing he had held fast to for many years: sincerity.

Even in the real world, he treated others with genuine warmth and courtesy.

But when it came to love, his seriousness often scared people off.

He was willing to give without expecting anything in return — but in matters of love, he had always been careful.

Pei Sen had grown up in a broken home. His parents had gotten together rashly at a young age, and after he was born, things only got worse. Years of arguments, yelling, and even physical violence became the norm.

Ever since then, Pei Sen had sworn not to repeat that cycle — which made him even more cautious when it came to relationships.

He knew how ugly people could become when a relationship couldn’t be sustained.

“Forget it, don’t overthink it. Maybe Eagle’s just acting on teenage hormones.” Pei Sen turned and walked out. “I wonder what was so urgent that Ichabod came rushing over.”

They had only just arrived at Red Maple Castle. Pei Sen knew Aiken had a lot to discuss with Eagle, but they’d agreed that today, Eagle should rest first. If it wasn’t something truly urgent, Ichabod wouldn’t have interrupted Eagle during his bath.

After all, Ichabod knew full well that Eagle hated being disturbed while bathing or sleeping.

When Pei Sen rushed to the study, Eagle — now dressed in a clean shirt and trousers — was already sitting on his sofa chair, casually watching the person in front of him.

Besides Ichabod, another man was present in the study. The moment Pei Sen saw him, his whole body tensed up.

“Sadin?”

Yes, it was Sadin.

After Pei Sen and Eagle fled the capital of the Kingdom of Esmia, they had lingered for a while in Fredelis Town, then made their way back to Frost Maple Territory in a rickety carriage. Because they had to wait on players who needed to log off and return, their travel speed had been slow.

Sadin, however, had likely rushed over at top speed. As a Sword Saint, if he traveled nonstop, it would only take a few days to get from the capital to Frost Maple.

Time-wise, it hadn’t been long since Pei Sen last saw him — but now Sadin looked like he had aged years. Pei Sen blurted out, “Did you spend a few years in a temporal ruin too?”

Sadin paused, then gave a bitter smile. “No.”

But he looked exhausted and worn down — nothing like a young Sword Saint should appear.

“So you’re saying… that’s Burke Angre’s ashes?” Eagle suddenly asked.

Pei Sen was startled and looked at the small box Sadin was holding. It was a simple, unadorned wooden box — not at all like the urns Pei Sen had seen before.

And when they left the capital, Burke Angre had still been alive. If anything, it had been Leiser who looked like he was on the verge of death.

Sadin nodded solemnly. “Yes. According to the Grand Duke’s wishes, he wanted to be buried in the Lannor Family’s cemetery.”

Eagle stared at the box for a moment, then looked away. “Alright.”

Sadin spoke softly, “Young Master, please don’t hate the Grand Duke. He knew he shouldn’t have done many things… but he was in pain too.”

Eagle remained expressionless. “How did he die?”

Sadin replied, “His Majesty Leiser has fallen unconscious. The power of the curse kept growing stronger, and he could no longer bear it. On the advice of the Church’s clergy, the Grand Duke offered his own Holy Blood to weaken the curse’s influence… and so…” His voice was heavy with sorrow. “The Grand Duke volunteered.”

Eagle didn’t respond. He just gave a faintly mocking smile.

“Young Master, the last thing the Grand Duke said was that he was glad you were safe. At least the Lannor line could continue — he didn’t feel so guilty about how the family had raised you.” Sadin sighed.

But Eagle said calmly, “That’s unfortunate. The Lannor family never really raised me. And I don’t intend to continue the Lannor line either.”

Sadin looked at him in shock, not understanding.

Eagle lowered his eyes. “The Lannor family really is a bunch of hopeless romantics… whether it was Burke Angre, or Svejji.”

Burke Angre died for Leiser. Svejji followed the Lady of Red Maple in death. It wasn’t surprising — the Lannor family had once been glorious, with strong heritage. But by Burke Angre’s generation, it had fallen into decline — likely because too many of them were hopelessly sentimental.

“I’ve decided to spend the rest of my life with Pei Sen. I won’t take a wife. I won’t have an heir. So the Lannor family line will end with me, Sadin.”

At that moment, the most shocked person in the room wasn’t Sadin, or even Ichabod, who was standing in the background.

It was Pei Sen, who suddenly turned to look at Eagle in disbelief.

W-wait a minute, Young Master… Did I agree to spend my life with you?

Uh, shouldn’t this kind of thing be discussed first?