The One and Only Sami Chapter 37

“Well? How was it?”

Sami took a short, sharp breath and shook his head frantically. It was definitely still terrifying.

Razard stopped coaxing Sami—who was once again clinging to him for dear life—and let out a booming laugh.

“Dear me. You’ve still got a long way to go. I suppose you’ll need more time to get acquainted.”

Well, the effort was commendable. Though, even if the boy had cried the whole time saying he couldn’t touch them, he probably would have been just as cute. Adding that thought to himself, Razard pressed his forehead against Sami’s. He took the fingertips that had touched the mane and gently interlaced them with his own hand. He gave a soft, appreciative stroke as if praising a job well done, then moved his hand back to caress Sami’s cheek.

Every single gesture was quite tender, making it feel as if he were truly cherishing a precious thing.

“When you keep a pet, you need time to break them in at first. You should know I’m being quite lenient with a lot of things as a generous sovereign, Sami.”

“How is this being generous…?”

“It is generous, believe me.”

The fingers that had lingered near the corner of his mouth moved to the center of Sami’s lips. He tapped the small, plump lips a few times before breaking into a long, thin smile.

“I’ve even been overlooking the way your eyes keep searching for Salif’s son.”

Sami’s huffing breath hitched and stopped instantly.

Razard was still caressing him with a gentle touch. Yet, the air around them seemed to turn frigid in a single heartbeat.

“…”

It was exactly as he said.

Throughout the journey here, every time they encountered someone, Sami had repeated the cycle of stealing a glance and then quickly dropping his gaze.

He had spent a bit more time looking at the younger men especially, the ones whose black hair peeked out from beneath neatly wrapped turbans. As soon as he confirmed they weren’t the one he was looking for, he would lower his eyes immediately—but Razard had already seen everything.

It was laughable that the boy thought his wandering gaze would go unnoticed while he was literally held in the man’s arms.

He’s quite clever, yet so dim and foolish in the strangest ways.

“Sami. It’s alright to lie to me. I’ll find out the truth anyway. But…”

Sami couldn’t tell if the slight tightening of Razard’s smiling mouth was due to the shadows or if he only felt that way because of his guilty conscience.

“What did I say your master’s personality was like?”

“…”

Sami, who had been pounding on the man’s back just moments ago to vent his sorrow, now looked at him warily. From beneath their feet came the scritch-scratch of furred beasts pacing the hallway floor. A sudden, icy shiver ran through his entire body.

Sami licked his dry lips and spoke carefully. He was an observant servant. He knew exactly when he needed to look someone in the eye and when he needed to meekly lower his gaze.

“You are… jealous, fickle, and you wish for the things you raise to follow only you, sir.”

“Look at you being clever again right when it counts.”

The hand where only the thumb had lingered moved up fully to cradle Sami’s cheek.

With a slow tilt of his chin, Razard gave another sharp whistle. The black leopard and white lion prowling around them understood their master’s signal perfectly and retreated, moving far enough away to be out of sight.

“I wanted to introduce you properly, but that’s a shame.”

Only then did Razard finally set Sami down.

The sensation of the hard floor hitting the soles of his feet was cold and unfamiliar. To be fair, he had been carried for a very long time. He probably hadn’t been held in someone’s arms like this since he was an infant, a time he couldn’t even remember. Even then, since his parents were laborers who couldn’t let their hands rest, he likely spent more time strapped to a back.

Despite being held in someone’s arms for so long, he hadn’t even had the chance to think about how the embrace felt. He hadn’t had the luxury to notice if it was warm or firm. He hadn’t been in a relaxed enough state of mind to savor such impressions.

Yes, he was completely exhausted.

All thanks to a new master who was jealous, fickle, and wanted what he raised to follow only him.

“Sigh…”

Everything felt hazy. Sami leaned his hand against the railing with a thud and sighed. His tightly pressed lips poked out in a pout. It looked as though if his face crumpled any further, he’d burst into tears.

Razard stood beside Sami, leaning his elbows on the railing and watching him in silence.

However, Razard’s thought that the boy might burst into tears was slightly off.

“Am I not even allowed to be curious about those around me?”

Sami threw the question at him in a suppressed voice. It was hard to control his chaotic emotions, so his voice trembled slightly at the end, but he didn’t mumble or trail off; he managed to say it all the way through in his own way.

Razard tilted his head slightly to the side. It was a playful movement. The large earrings hanging from his ears jingled with the motion. That thin metallic sound seemed to laugh in Razard’s stead.

“Sticking to your guns even after I scared you?”

“You’re someone who can do whatever you want anyway.”

Sami bit his lower lip hard, then turned his head away with a long exhale. His clear amber eyes shone transparently, glazed with moisture.

“I just thought… if you really intended to break me by force, you would have set me down while the leopard and lion were still right there.”

His words were quite bold, but Sami’s gaze drifted downward. It was unclear if he lacked confidence in his own words or if he just found it uncomfortable to keep looking at Razard.

“So… uh, I felt like you were only scaring me as much as I could handle.”

The moment he heard that, the boredom vanished from the face of Razard, who was leaning his chin on his hand. A bright, refreshing smile spread across his lips.

With his blonde hair fluttering slightly in the breeze blowing from across the night, he looked for that one moment like nothing more than a slightly mischievous young man. But it was only for that single moment.

“Your old master is safe and sound. Since you offered your body to take his punishment, I must naturally keep my word.”

The fingers framing his sharp jaw twitched. From the jeweled rings on each of his long fingers, a peculiar scent wafted again. Sami unconsciously twitched his nose.

Jasmine, pomegranate, oasis, sand, mint, apple, rose, tree bark, iron, and fire.

All sorts of scents changed and spread from moment to moment. Yet, somehow, it didn’t feel cluttered at all.

A scent so diverse it felt like too much for a quiet, deserted hallway to hold. Sami thought that Razard was like a single incense burner. A golden burner hung with countless jewels.

That “incense burner” reached out and touched Sami near his cheek.

“Still, put aside your longing for your old master for the time being. I’m a very jealous man.”

His tone when mentioning jealousy was incredibly light. It even felt refreshing, to the point where one might wonder if he was just teasing. Even the fingertips touching Sami’s face so casually were light; there was no weight to his words at all.

Everything was playful, but Sami, the one involved, couldn’t take it as a mere joke.

He couldn’t say, ‘I’ll worry about him without making it obvious,’ nor could he say, ‘Don’t make jokes like that.’

“But still…”

“Do you want to see him?”

“…”

Razard’s eyes curved into thin slits. He was still smiling, but Razard was the type to smile even when he was angry or annoyed.

“Then I’ll have to make sure you can’t have such carefree thoughts.”

His tone was still overflowing with playfulness, but Razard’s mind was cold.

He thought it would be best to soak the boy’s body and mind so thoroughly that he couldn’t think of anything else. Well, it was also true that his mood wasn’t great. The boy was truly shameless. It was Razard who had snatched Sami into his arms like a conquest.

Sami felt a sudden chill and kept his eyes down, his pupils darting back and forth.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

Sami had no idea where his boundaries were.

If he groveled, the man would coax him; if he fought back, the man would suppress him again; if he looked wary, the man would grin; and if he asked for something, the man turned cold. It was hopeless.

His new master was a mess. He couldn’t figure out a strategy for how to handle him.

“Anyway, now that I’ve finally got you in my possession, I need to think about what to do first. I’ll be busy for a while.”

Razard’s fingers passed his cheek and reached his ear. After gently stroking Sami’s black hair with the back of his fingers, his lips moved. Unlike his broad laugh from before, it was a faint, subtle smile.

“I think you should definitely grow your hair out. It’ll suit you.”

Every time his fingers touched his hair, the ends brushed against Sami’s skin with a soft scritch, making him itch. Sami bowed his head without an answer.

If the man wanted it, he would grow his hair or cut it; he would become whatever version was commanded. Just like now, draped in clothes Harut had chosen and hung with necklaces Harut had placed on him.