Chapter four: A Memory That Never Sleeps"
---
"Ash"
"Ashin"
Ashin paid no attention to the sweet voice seductively piercing his ears.
His hands continued working on that pale, sculpted body.
At the same time, Ashin watched everything happening in those rooms.
It was a dream—
A dream where he saw himself caressing the person he loved.
That memory was something he could never forget.
He truly loved seeing him.
But it was as if the world was mocking him.
From those soft, tempting moans
To a shocking memory that mentally and emotionally destroyed Ashin—
The memory of the breakup he hated,
And hated himself whenever he remembered it.
Ashin watched himself inside the dream that had now turned into a nightmare.
—
The young man lay on the bed, avoiding Ashin's sweet hands.
And in the next moment,
That person shoved Ashin hard,
Sending him to the ground.
The young man stood and left the bed.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"You're disgusting, Ashin. Even now you still see me in that filthy way."
The sound of footsteps grew louder and louder.
And all Ashin saw was a retreating back that didn't glance at him once.
Ashin rushed after his partner, but it was useless—
He couldn't reach him, no matter how fast he ran.
"I'm doing this for you. We're over, Ashin."
The most terrifying words dropped onto Ashin's heart,
Marking the beginning of a memory from a cursed day.
"Don't go, please…"
Ashin extended his hand, but nothing happened.
"Hah… Hah…"
His breathing was erratic,
And his heart nearly burst from running in that nightmare.
When Ashin thought he had caught his partner—
The man vanished like a mirage.
Gone.
As if he had never been there in the first place.
Ashin looked at his empty hands.
He felt cold.
His hands trembled.
He collapsed to the floor.
His knees betrayed him, unable to bear the weight of his emotions.
He screamed aloud, rejecting the idea—
The idea of being abandoned by his partner.
It was a shock.
A huge one.
"No."
"No."
"No."
His voice grew angrier and sadder.
Everything seemed cursed to him.
He screamed again—
"No… No…"
His voice quieted as he felt himself pulling back.
Then suddenly, his imagination conjured an image more terrifying than his partner leaving:
An image of his partner with someone else,
And happiness wrapping both their hearts.
Ashin shattered at the sight his imagination had painted inside his nightmare.
He grabbed his hair and pulled hard—
So hard it felt like he might rip his strands out.
But the pain was nothing compared to the storm of emotional agony within him.
Once more, his mind played tricks—
Dragging him to another scene.
It had been doing this constantly for the past year,
As if ready to mock him every time he closed his eyes seeking rest.
These nightmares had stolen his sleep.
And now he found himself hugging his partner's blood-covered body.
"Wake up."
Even though he knew it was a dream, he couldn't control himself.
"Wake up, please…"
He begged, desperately.
Shaking the bloodied body of his partner.
"Please…"
He leaned down, checking for a pulse.
Placed his ear on his partner's chest—
Nothing.
And finally,
He cried.
Tears of suppressed emotion.
He cried endlessly.
—
That was his nightmare.
But in the real world,
Ashin lay on his bed like a sacred painting.
The floating white silk curtains adorned with sparkling green patterns,
The velvety sheets gently resting on his body,
And the moonlight sneaking into the room like warm sea waves.
Everything looked radiant and mesmerizing.
Except for the tremors shaking Ashin's bed—
They were worse than one could imagine.
His murmurs were like pained screams,
Shaking the entire room.
And waking up the sleepers.
Ashin's parents' room was directly above his.
And since the windows were open,
The gentle night breeze carried Ashin's voice like a musical note
Through the darkness into a room that once held peace.
Ashin's father sat up, sighing,
After gently tapping his partner who awoke in panic.
"Calm down."
He tried to be warmer when he spoke to his wife.
The beautiful omega rose and threw herself on her husband.
"It's Ashin again."
He didn't answer.
But his silence was enough of a response.
The alpha extended a hand, gently stroking his partner's back.
"Seems like it."
It wasn't a moment for warmth between them—
There was someone who needed to wake up from his nightmare.
And since the servants lived in a separate building,
There was no one to wake poor Ashin.
Besides, no one was allowed to enter a royal family member's bedroom while they were inside.
—
The two pulled themselves up,
Walking through the hallway and down the stairs in silence.
As if talking was useless.
They had searched—
But found no reason for their child's behavior.
Just yesterday, they discovered their child was hurting because of love for someone.
But they found nothing concrete.
They pushed the door open and entered the room.
The omega rushed and began shaking Ashin to wake him up.
The father watched everything over his partner's shoulder—
He was shocked.
And why wouldn't he be?
He was watching his only child crying—
Crying hard with broken breaths.
This terrified the mother.
She began shaking him harder
Until Ashin woke up, reaching out into the air, screaming:
"No, please!"
Ashin woke up, now sitting and pulling at his hair.
Barely escaping his nightmare.
He saw his parents around him but couldn't speak.
Neither the mother nor father asked any questions.
The mother simply wiped his face gently.
While the father handed him a glass of water.
Ashin took it and drank it in one go.
"Are you okay?"
Came the terrifying voice of his father,
Echoing through the room along with the wind blowing in fiercely.
"I'm fine…"
The words barely came out of his throat.
He felt dry—
Despite the water passing through to soothe him.
The father gently pulled his partner away from their son.
"Follow me to my office."
He was speaking to Ashin.
"What are we going to do?"
Ashin asked, trying to gauge his father's reaction.
But the father didn't allow more words.
"We'll play a little chess, then get to work."
Ashin understood—
His father was about to beat him at the game,
And for every lost piece, he'd ask a question.
If Ashin failed to answer,
No one knew what his father might do.
"Alright."
Faylith watched her husband with a worried expression.
Aurelian approached his omega partner,
And planted a soft kiss on her cheek and forehead.
"You need to sleep, Faylith. You've been working hard lately."
Faylith hesitated, not wanting to leave them alone.
Aurelian understood why—
And responded with a warm touch to the omega's delicate cheek.
"I'll come back to you soon, Faylith."
It was a promise—
That he'd return to their room
And pick up where they left off.
To comfort her,
So she wouldn't worry.
"I'll trust you, Aurelian."
The omega pulled herself away,
Returning to her room after checking on her son one last time.
---
The beginning of the new day was already turbulent—
Carrying the pain of a distant past, the ache of the present,
And soon, the future would join,
Turning into the present,
Then the present into the past.
Thus, the pain piled atop pain,
Waiting for someone to heal it.
But both sides were wounded.
So will today's sun—or tomorrow's—shine brighter
On a gentle life?
Or does fate hide suffering for everyone?
And back to Nouya,
Now faced with a new and unpleasant choice.
A choice that could turn his whole life upside down
But if Nouya truly cared about such things,
He wouldn't have come this far.
As long as he lives and does what he wants,
He fears nothing.
—
As usual,
Nouya wore the uniform of an indoor restaurant waiter.
He worked gracefully in the kitchen,
Trying to keep up with the fast-paced demands.
He grabbed this, cleaned that, chopped those, and washed others.
He didn't hate it or get bored.
The idea of earning money alone
Kept him working at full energy.
But the surprise was—someone had come for him.
Nouya wasn't particularly well-known here,
So for a guest to ask for him was extremely strange and rare.
Nouya didn't think much about it and went to the guest—
He couldn't refuse,
Not when his pay could be docked.
Nouya walked toward the luxurious dining room,
Emotionless, like a programmed machine.
He knocked and entered.
"It's me—Nouya."
Inside the room sat a man—
Neither old nor young.
From his experience, Nouya sensed he was close in age to Mr. Ritchard.
"You may sit."
The man spoke in a calm, kind tone,
As if not wanting to scare Nouya.
Nouya sat and looked at the well-dressed man in a sharp black suit.
"Do you want something?"
Nouya asked, waiting for an answer.
The man cleared his throat a bit,
Calmly adjusting his collar.
"I came to offer you a deal you can't lose."
Nouya raised an eyebrow and adjusted his posture.
"Really?"
He seemed interested.
The man measured his reaction,
Extended a hand, and placed papers on the table.
Nouya took them,
And the moment he glanced at them,
He felt uneasy.
"A marriage contract?"
"Yes."
Nouya's expression grew colder and sharper.
He stared at the man like he might kill him.
The man waved his hand gently.
"Don't rush—just keep reading."
"What do you think I am?"
"Please don't misunderstand. Just listen to me for a moment."
Nouya threw the papers on the table,
Crossing one leg over the other.
"Alright. I'm listening, truly."
He was angry,
Though it was internal only—
His face remained cold.