CHAPTER 108: CHAPTER 108: COMPLETELY IN THE DUST

Steam drifted out from the bathroom door as Min-jae stepped into his room with a towel draped over his shoulders. His hair was damp, falling in loose strands that clung to his cheeks.

He had scrubbed until his skin felt raw. He had washed twice. He had rinsed three times. He had used every scented soap available.

It still was not enough.

He lifted his shirt and sniffed himself again.

The faint scent of fruit lingered stubbornly, as if determined to cling to him forever. A mixture of sweetness and sourness clung to the air around him. It was like he had fallen into a winery, rolled across an orchard floor, and taken a nap in a fruit stall.

He let out a long breath of frustration and sat on the edge of the bed. "I still smell like juice."

There was a knock on the door.

Before he could call out, the door opened and Meical stepped inside. He had removed his gloves, his sleeves rolled slightly from earlier. His expression softened the moment he saw Min-jae fresh out of the bath, but the calmness lasted only a second.

Meical stopped walking.

He inhaled once.

Then again.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Min-jae glared. "Do not say anything."

Meical closed the door behind him. "I haven’t said anything"

"You are thinking about it."

"I am thinking of many things," Meical responded, his voice warm. "But the main one is that you still smell like fruit."

Min-jae sighed as he ran a hand through his damp hair. "I know. I washed. I even used that other nice smelling soap. It did nothing. I smell like a fruit basket."

Meical approached him slowly, the smile deepening. "You smell like juice, a little bit of sweet and sour.."

"Do not phrase it like that."

Meical stopped directly in front of him. "I can’t help it. You truly do."

Min-jae looked up at him with tired eyes. "You think this is funny."

Meical’s shoulders moved slightly as if suppressing another laugh. "Only a little."

Min-jae narrowed his eyes. "Be honest."

"It is amusing," Meical admitted, leaning down slightly. "Very amusing."

Min-jae gave him a look that carried every ounce of irritation he had. "I suffered today."

"Yes," Meical replied softly. "I know."

Before Min-jae could speak again, Meical lifted his hand gently and tilted Min-jae’s chin upward. His voice grew lighter and warmer, almost playful. "Do not be angry."

Min-jae clicked his tongue. "I am angry."

Meical smiled and leaned in, kissing him lightly. A soft, brief kiss that carried affection more than desire. It was gentle. It was warm. It was almost comforting. The kind that made Min-jae’s shoulders lower a little.

Meical kissed him again. "Do not be angry. I will make them suffer more for throwing fruits at you."

Min-jae blinked once, then twice, confusion clouding his expression. "Why would you do that. They already hate me enough."

"They should not touch you.." Meical said simply. "They shouldn’t not even think of it."

Min-jae stared at him. "Why are they even targeting me so much. The things they said today were absurd. How did I bewitched you? What are they already suffering from that makes them think I’m the reason."

Meical straightened and stepped back slightly, crossing the room to pour water into the glass on the table. He handed it to Min-jae before sitting beside him on the bed.

He spoke calmly. "I removed all the implementations for a month."

Min-jae blinked slowly, the glass halfway to his lips. "You what."

"They wanted Eldridge’s ruling style," Meical said with no hesitation. "So I am giving them Eldridge’s ruling style."

Min-jae lowered the glass. "Which means."

"It means nothing is free anymore," Meical explained. "No free housing. No stable food prices. No guaranteed meals. No affordable medicine. No fair tax adjustments. Everything has returned to its previous state."

Min-jae stared at him in silence. His mind connected the pieces one by one. The anger in the streets. The frustration in their eyes. The crowd gathering faster than expected. Their reaction when they saw him earlier.

It made sense now.

He exhaled slowly. "So they are starving."

"Some," Meical answered. "It’s not concerning. But enough to understand the difference."

"And their expenses?"

"Have doubled.." Meical said. "Sometimes tripled. Eldridge ruled by pressure. So I am letting them taste pressure for a month. Only a month. After that, I will restore everything."

Min-jae pressed his thumb against the bridge of his nose. "So the reason they threw fruits at me is because they think I caused it."

"Yes," Meical replied. "And because the rumor and confrontation that led me into destroying their comfort."

Min-jae felt irritation prick under his skin again. "Of course it did."

This was wall Seraphine’s fault.

"They see you as the source," Meical continued calmly. "You became the perfect target. I expected the shouting. I did not expect fruit throwing."

Min-jae glared. "You should have warned me."

"I did warn you," Meical reminded him. "I told you not to go outside."

Min-jae paused. "That does not count. You should have told me the reason."

"You would have gone out anyway."

He had no response to that because it was true.

Meical looked at him with a gentler expression. "I did not think they would escalate like this. The guards will be disciplined for letting them get so close."

"It is not their fault," Min-jae said. "The crowd was too big."

-_-

"Wait, what guards? Do you have people secretly tailing me?"

-_-

Meical looked away, the room suddenly becoming more interesting than continuing his conversation with Min-jae.

-_-

"You, sly..bastard..."

Meical smiled slightly "It’s for your safety my darling, I don’t want anyone to hurt you. Regardless if it was a big crowd, it’s their job to protect you."

-_-

"It’s alright, it’s just run. I’m not stupid enough to stand there and let them beat me up with sticks. I’ll punch their fucking faces. They had the audacity to throw fruits at a noble, I’ve been completely disregarded. They wouldn’t dare do that to you, even if you weren’t the governor.."

Kaizar’s reputation was completely in the trash, even the commoners didn’t respect him as a noble anymore.