The One and Only Sami Chapter 36

“Razard?”

“Whatever, forget it. Shall we?”

“Uh, well… there’s no one here… so if you could just let me down now…”

Sami had a bad feeling about this. It seemed the chilly aura wasn’t just due to the shadows cast across the man’s face. As Sami spoke up hesitantly, the fingertips wrapped around him lightly brushed against his side.

Lips curved as gracefully as a bow held a soft smile. Even if his eyes looked so wicked.

“No. I told you this is how we’re going about it. I’m not even going to give you shoes.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll personally see to your clothes and jewelry, but I have no intention of getting shoes fitted. I won’t even allow a foot mold to be taken.”

Razard deliberately ignored the dumbfounded Sami, acting completely nonchalant.

“In fact, I’m thinking of making sure your feet never even touch the palace floors. What do you think?”

“What?! That’s ridiculous. I have legs that can walk, and you want me to be carried around for the rest of my life?”

“And why couldn’t you go about like that?”

With that same smiling face, the man turned his head to look at Sami. His blonde hair, catching the colors of the night lights, looked as white as the moon.

The side near Sami’s ear was cast in total shadow where the light didn’t reach. That area was as dark as a tree stump. All these contrasts carved out the planes of Razard’s face. The bridge of his high nose was exquisite where the white light met the blue darkness, and the plump curve of his lower lip, with the small shadow beneath it, was so delicate it made Sami’s heart ache for no reason.

His lips parted, revealing the tongue that had teased Sami so many times. Even in the dark hallway, his tongue was a deep red.

“I can make you stay like that whenever I want, if it’s what I desire.”

With lips that made any observer swallow hard, he uttered such arrogant words.

“…”

Suddenly feeling a surge of defiance, Sami clamped his lips shut and stared at him stubbornly.

Faced with that grumpy expression, Razard dropped the faint, smiling gravity of his face and finally burst out laughing.

“You really want to get down, don’t you? Fine, I’ll put you down then.”

His voice was cheerful, yet it held a strange, humid weight. Before Sami could react to his whim, Razard leaned his head toward the exterior of the hallway and gave a sharp, light whistle.

Heavens know how they heard a sound thinner than a breeze brushing palm leaves, but a moment later, two pairs of glowing eyes approached them from the darkness of the hallway, prowling slowly.

The eyes were positioned much lower than a human’s, and their footsteps were silent. Sami’s body went rigid.

A black leopard and a white lion. The two predators that had guarded Razard’s feet at the offering ceremony stood beneath him once again, exactly as they had then.

“How about getting to know your fellow pets? The black one is Ratun, and the white one is Akum.”

“Wha—huh—ack?”

“Go ahead, get down as much as you like.”

That is so cheap…!

Sami couldn’t even find the words to respond to this mean-spirited prank. The only young noble he had ever served closely was Master Antar. Because he had served someone exceptionally kind and gentle, his standards for the character of a bright young man were impossibly high.

So this was simply flabbergasting. How could a fully grown man act so petty!

The moment he took a deep breath to give him a piece of his mind, a low grrrr vibrated from the thick throats of the beasts at his feet, sent him into a panic. Completely terrified, Sami frantically threw his arms around Razard’s neck.

With the boy clinging to him tightly, Razard stifled his laughter. The way his shoulders shook with mires was beyond infuriating.

“Come on, I’m letting go of you. Get down.”

“D—don’t you dare let go!”

“Haha, I told you, hurry up and get down.”

The polite posture he’d been held in earlier was now a messy scramble; Sami was using all his limbs to grip Razard’s torso for dear life. It felt like he wouldn’t let go even if someone tried to pry him off.

Finding it hilarious that Sami had even wrapped his legs around his waist and locked his ankles tight, Razard deliberately pulled one of the arms supporting him away. Then, he swung his free arm around just to show Sami he could.

Finally, unable to contain the surge of anger, Sami started thumping Razard on the back.

Smack.

Once he started, a wave of uncontrollable sorrow hit him.

Smack, smack. The hits he rained down on the man’s back gradually grew more forceful and deliberate.

The back muscles were so solid he felt as if a blade wouldn’t even pierce them, so he doubted the man would even blink no matter how hard he hit. Thus, he decided to be truly “bratty.”

“Ouch, ow. You dare to lay hands on the Ruler’s body so recklessly?”

The words were fearsome, but his tone was saturated with laughter and playfulness.

Sami kept his mouth shut and continued to pummel the man’s back and shoulders. Meanwhile, he squeezed his legs even tighter around Razard’s waist to make sure he didn’t fall off.

“Ha, hahaha… what is this, a baby monkey? All right, Sami. Stop. Stop.”

Eventually, Razard’s hand came back to support Sami. His large palm firmly gripped Sami’s back.

“If anyone else had seen this, they would have fainted. They’d tell me to punish you immediately and tame you so you’d never do it again.”

Still wearing that smirk, Razard chuckled and took hold of Sami’s chin. He tapped his thumb against Sami’s stubbornly set lips. The sense of him coaxing the boy was unmistakable.

“But well… you’ve fallen into my hands now, so it’s fine.”

Despite being so mischievous, his expression was incredibly refreshed.

“Ratun and Akum had their fierce days too.”

Razard gave a short whistle, and the prowling beasts sat down on their bellies.

“But they followed me soon enough. They’re smart ones. They know when to stand firm and when to bow.”

When Razard reached out the hand not supporting Sami, the black leopard and white lion took turns rubbing their cheeks against the back of his hand and his palm. Low purrs rumbled out from beneath the beasts’ drooping upper lips.

“Now, they listen to my commands well.”

Razard, rubbing their fur until it made a scritching sound, stole a glance at Sami.

“Want to touch them?”

“What?”

“Come on, I’ve got a hold of you.”

“N—no way. I’m not touching them. You said they distinguish between when to stand firm and when to bow. What if they also know exactly when to bite?”

And he felt like that “moment to bite” would be exactly when his wrist reached out to touch them like a fool.

Holding the trembling boy, Razard gave a short snort as if he were listening to something amusing.

“These two would never bite you.”

His hand rubbed Sami’s cheek. The tense Sami flinched at the touch, but soon hunched his shoulders and accepted it.

“Even among pets, it’s obvious who is above and who is below. It’s only natural that you, who stays tucked in my arms, are more special.”

“That’s…”

“If you’re scared, I’ll keep holding you. Here.”

The breezy attitude and soft words kept swirling in Sami’s head. Set against the black night, his sand-colored hair and golden eyes stood out even more.

Sami was a simple, unassuming servant. He was the type to be purely happy with just a little “special” treatment, like Auntie Jarta sneaking an extra snack into his hand or Master Antar looking out for him so he could see the banquet.

The ordinary understand the value of the special.

So, it was inevitable that he’d feel a flutter at the word “special,” even if Razard tossed it out so casually while comforting him.

Sami watched Razard in silence, then looked down at the lion and leopard circling his feet.

Though their edges were a bit groomed, their teeth and claws were still sharp enough to bite and tear his flesh.

“…You can’t let go.”

Did Harut’s words carry some kind of fantasy or magic as well? He seemed to have a power that led people exactly where he wanted them. For example, the power to make someone finally reach out their hand toward predators they never wanted to face again.

Razard leaned his upper body down to bring Sami to eye level with them. Still held in his arms, Sami faced the white lion and the black leopard. Their eyes, with sharp pupils, were definitely those of flesh-eating beasts.

Razard’s hand patted Sami’s back. He whispered as he stroked him from the back of his neck down to his waist.

It’s okay. I won’t let you go from my arms.

It was always like this. Razard was the one who pushed him so wickedly, but in the end, Razard was the one he clung to with enough trust to leave himself in his care.

“Right then. I’ve got a firm grip on you, so give them a pat.”

Sami swallowed hard and cautiously reached out his hand.

The white lion’s mane brushed against Sami’s fingertips. He managed to stroke it a couple of times, but startled by the vibrating purr in its throat, he ended up throwing his arms around Razard’s neck again.