I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 65
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Yeshion couldn’t believe his ears.
But then he let out a short “Ah,” nodding in realization.
Adelio had a habit of saying things in a way that could easily confuse others. He likely meant, “I wanted to check on you,” but phrased it as, “I wanted to see you.”
“Have you been doing well?”
“Me, I’ve been the same as always.”
“Really?”
“What would be different?”
Yeshion shrugged nonchalantly.
Adelio suddenly stood from where he had been seated and stepped closer, towering over Yeshion.
The height difference forced Yeshion to crane his neck uncomfortably, making him furrow his brows and instinctively take a couple of steps back.
“I’m being considerate of you now, you know.”
Adelio’s crimson eyes darkened, heavy with suppressed emotions.
At the mention of consideration, Yeshion tilted his head quizzically. Adelio mirrored his retreat, closing the distance once again as he continued.
“Isn’t it a little stingy to give so little to someone trying not to act on impulse and avoiding doing things you’d dislike?”
“Um…”
“Changing rooms. The attack.”
With each phrase, Adelio leaned closer, driving Yeshion backward until his back pressed against the wall.
Adelio planted his arms on either side of him, trapping Yeshion in place.
“Even the fact that you were unwell—I had to hear all of it from others. Aren’t we friends?”
Yeshion opened his mouth, then closed it again.
If he were honest, he didn’t feel the need to share such things.
Changing rooms, being attacked—none of it would change by talking about it. Nothing would get resolved.
But if he were to voice this thought, Adelio’s reaction was unpredictable.
Yeshion chose his words carefully.
“I didn’t have a way to contact you, and… I assumed you’d already know. You mentioned before that you hear everything about me.”
As he spoke, Adelio’s frown began to soften with each word. Yeshion felt a flicker of relief that his explanation seemed plausible enough to satisfy him.
Though Adelio wasn’t entirely pleased, he couldn’t deny the logic.
After a moment of deliberation, he changed the subject.
“Then how were you treated?”
“Pardon? Treated?”
“Yes. Last time at the palace, I heard you were held like a baby. Was it the same this time? I heard you were… moaning.”
Yeshion pressed his lips together tightly.
If he were to explain how Eldis had helped by assisting in… a certain way, how would Adelio react?
“What? He helped you? Then I’ll do it too.”
The response would undoubtedly be something along those lines.
In the end, Yeshion shook his head vehemently.
“It was the same as last time.”
“The same? Then what about the moaning?”
“I don’t remember. I must’ve made noises because I was in pain.”
He had to stay confident.
Suppressing the hammering in his chest, Yeshion widened his eyes in feigned indignation.
“I see. That’s what it was, then.”
Adelio nodded, seemingly satisfied, and dropped his arms slightly, creating a bit of space.
When Yeshion looked up at him in confusion, Adelio spread his arms wide.
“Then I should hug you too.”
“Why should you?”
“Even if it was for treatment, at the end of the day, the two of you were hugging, weren’t you?”
“Well… yes, I suppose.”
But how was that relevant to Adelio asking for a hug right now?
“You hugged someone who isn’t even your friend, but you’re not going to hug me, your friend? Doesn’t that seem strange?”
“What kind of friends go around hugging each other like that? Do you hug your other friends this way too?”
“So, are you not going to?”
Adelio dodged the question entirely, shaking his open arms slightly as if urging Yeshion to hurry up.
Yeshion hesitated, debating what to do.
If he hugged Adelio now, he’d likely let it go for today. Eldis wouldn’t have to deal with any unnecessary interference.
But if he didn’t…
He’d probably start whining about how I hugged someone else but not him.
Yeshion felt his head spin for a moment. Adelio, for all his intimidating demeanor, was acting like a spoiled child.
But that’s still better than him trying something worse.
Yes, it was better to humor him now than to risk him attempting to imitate Eldis’s more… direct actions. This was essentially a form of coercion: “Hug me now, or I’ll do something worse.”
