Normally, it was Somnus who came to wake him up. So the fact that it was Agaraes today, with that soft, knowing smile that clearly said "I know exactly what happened last night," had sent Li Shen straight under the covers in panic.
Maybe Somnus had cleaned things up after Li Shen passed out, because the sheets and his body felt dry and fresh.
However, still! That didn’t mean he was ready to pop out and say "Good morning, Agares!" like nothing happened—not while he was still completely naked under the covers! And what was up with Agares’s voice being extra cheerful this morning?!
While Li Shen was drowning in his embarrassment, Agaraes had apparently already left the room. He heard the soft sound of the door closing deliberately loud, like Agares wanted him to know he was giving them privacy.
Then, a deep, smooth voice came down from above his head.
"Li Shen, when you act that adorably, it makes me want to devour you all over again."
"N-No way!" Li Shen shouted, still buried in the sheets but bolting upright. "Agaraes said breakfast is coming! Breakfast!!"
Looking up, he saw Somnus lounging casually at his side, propped up on one arm. His perfectly built, half-naked body looked like it had been carved from marble. And yes—it was nearly noon already—but Somnus just smiled as if everything were totally normal.
...Seeing him clearly in daylight made his charm almost too powerful.
Li Shen felt like he might actually get a nosebleed.
They were both men, and still...
What the hell? Was Somnus the type who looked modest when dressed, but was secretly ripped underneath? Wasn’t that kind of thing just a fantasy? Oh right. This world actually was fantasy.
Somnus’s long golden hair, now loose, had not a single trace of bedhead. It flowed silkily across the white sheets, catching the light like threads of sunshine.
Li Shen couldn’t stop staring at him.
"Ah... it’s already fading," Somnus murmured, watching Li Shen. "That feeling from last night... it’s slipping away. A bit of a shame, really."
Li Shen noticed the way that soft, shimmering violet gaze lingered on his neck and chest, and the moment he remembered how much Somnus had kissed and gently bitten him there the night before, he instinctively yanked the sheet up to cover himself all the way to his neck.
What am I, a lady?! he thought. God, I’m being ridiculous! Even he thought his reaction was embarrassing.
He was probably blushing all the way down to his neck, totally flustered, and Somnus let out a low, amused chuckle from his throat before finally sitting up.
The long strands of his golden hair shimmered as they slid over his bare shoulders.
Honestly, Somnus looked more like a god than anyone Li Shen had ever seen.
"Getting to enjoy you all shy and flustered like this... it might only last for a little while," Somnus said.
He smiled with that same beautiful face as he said something so bold, like it was a simple truth.
Li Shen was speechless.
Wait... Is this really going to become a normal thing?
"What do you think, Li Shen?"
The gentle almost teasing kiss that followed barely touched his lips—it was just a small sound and a brush—but it made him realize something: maybe he had rushed into things too quickly yesterday.
Somnus had always been kind and sweet to him, even from the very beginning. But now... it felt even more intense, like Somnus had melted into pure affection. And if this kind of emotional overload became the norm, Li Shen seriously wondered if his heart would survive. His chest, already overworked from the night before, was still thumping wildly.
Will there really come a day when I get used to this?
Even after he and Somnus officially... well, became lovers, Li Shen’s daily life didn’t really change much.
If anything, it had a rhythm now.
Somnus would wake him up in the morning, and they’d have breakfast together.
After that, he’d either go for a walk in the garden or chat with someone.
After lunch, more reading, another stroll, or more conversation.
In the evening, he’d bathe with Somnus while chatting, then go to bed with him.
Sometimes—well, depending on the mood—they’d stay up late. Doing... that.
He was still working hard—learning everything he could about this world, especially the common knowledge that had skipped over in his memory.
Oh, and luckily, he could read the written language here.
That had been a pleasant surprise!
Apparently, things that had been part of his daily life for years stuck with him even subconsciously.
As for the language he was speaking, he was pretty sure it was still the language he used in his previous life. But in this world, things worked differently.
Whenever someone consciously tried to communicate, their words would carry a trace of magical energy. That magic helped convey the meaning clearly to whoever was listening, even across different languages or species. So, there wasn’t a concept of needing to study foreign or other languages here. As long as someone had a native language—something they thought in—the magic would take care of the rest.
That was the way Kherisval worked.
Weird, right? Magic.
It felt like a cheat code for life. But even magic here seemed complicated. Apparently, every living being had some amount of magic energy inside them. When that internal energy interacted with the natural magic energy that filled the world, it caused different magical effects. That’s what they called magic or sorcery.
In the end, Li Shen had decided to think of it like this: magic was just another invisible element in the air, kind of like oxygen on Earth. Whether or not that idea was totally correct, though—he wasn’t sure.
To interfere with the magic power inside the body, there were certain steps that had to be followed.
If those steps were done properly, anyone could create the same result to some degree.
That’s what they called "magic."