Deep Boredom - Part 2

“Hoo.”

Chedev let out a sigh and nervously stretched his neck.

He had a slight headache, and the back of his neck felt stiff. It seemed like the whole day of continuous cabinet meetings had drained his energy. Today, he felt particularly exhausted due to the persistent opposition’s stubbornness over the issue at hand.

He extended his hand to the aide who followed behind him, reporting on the matters. It meant that they should wrap things up at this point. The aide, Onyx, simply nodded and respectfully stepped back.

“No need to follow. Go and rest,” he instructed the knights who followed behind him. They too saluted sharply and disappeared into the darkness. Now alone, Chedev finally made his way towards the bedroom.

Just before opening the bedroom door, he hesitated.

“Harder.”

“Harder, even harder.”

“Keep going… keep doing it.”

It was because of Rasha, who had acted strangely last night.

Having been intertwined for seven years, they knew each other’s preferences and characteristics very well. Rasha was inherently delicate, so whenever the intensity of their lovemaking increased even a little, she would immediately become overwhelmed. Her breathing would tremble as if struggling to hold back, and she would be unable to relax. These were all evidence of that. Knowing this, Chedev always tailored their intimate encounters to her needs.

He had no particular complaints about that aspect. What could they do when the situation and circumstances were like that? Given the time they had spent together, if that had been an issue, it would have erupted long ago. However, their relationship had been going smoothly for the past seven years without any problems.

Yet, yesterday’s Rasha desperately pressed and demanded as if she believed he had some dissatisfaction with that aspect.

Why, when they hadn’t even been intimate once or twice?

In truth, he had succumbed to her stimulation and relentlessly pounded like a wild animal in heat until morning, only regaining his senses when day broke. Unable to say anything, Chedev observed her sleeping before leaving the bedroom in the early morning. The marks remaining on her body were serious enough to indicate an oppressive relationship, even if Rasha wanted it that way.

To him, of course, it had been more than just enjoyable. However, seeing Rasha in front of his own eyes, the pleasure of the previous night immediately faded, and he thought that enduring it a hundred times, no, a thousand times would have been better.

Countless bruises were evident, and the delicate and soft skin seemed to have been kneaded like dough, with faint bruises in the pressed areas. It was the harsh price paid for the ecstatic night. Chedev thought it would have been better if he had been the one in pain, but all the exhaustion was left solely to Rasha. Therefore, last night’s intimate encounter served as a catalyst, tightly reining in his unleashed patience.

Mulling over his decision once again, he opened the door.

Recognizing that it was already past midnight, he silenced his footsteps. Since she exerted herself last night, she would have gone to ebed early for sure. Chedev, who was heading straight towards the direction of the bathroom, suddenly paused.

His gaze shifted to the side.

In the late night, the slender back that he always saw upon returning from his duties was not there. The bed was empty.

Chedev stared blankly at the bed, which exuded a pale atmosphere due to the moonlight. The scene of the bed, where nothing existed in terms of presence, was somewhat unfamiliar.

It took a moment before his motionless feet started to move.

“Rasha.”

She’s out there somewhere, he thought, his voice casual.

His steps, which were initially heading towards the bathroom, spread out to various corners of the bedroom. The bedroom, where he and his lover had spent many years, was incredibly spacious, and there were plenty of places where Rasha’s petite figure could be concealed. However, despite thoroughly searching every visible spot, he couldn’t find a single strand of her black hair. Just in case, he checked the bathroom as well, but it was filled only with coldness and emptiness.

“Rasha?”

His voice still remained calm.

The wandering feet, without a sense of direction, soon moved towards the living room. It was twice as large as the bedroom. He looked around, focusing on the sofa in front of the panoramic window, which she liked to gaze out of, but even this place was enough to disappoint him.

She’s not here.

As soon as he realized that fact, Chedev forcefully opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

“Rasha.”

“Are you here?”

“Rasha?”

Opening the doors of the rooms closely connected to their bedroom, he searched for her. His steps, which had some degree of composure, unknowingly transformed into an impatient demeanor. The sound of doors being roughly opened in the dimly lit hallway and his voice calling Rasha’s name echoed repeatedly.

Not long after hearing the commotion of the late night, the butler appeared on the upper floor.

“Master, is there any problem?”

“Where is Rasha?”

“Whar? Wasn’t she in the bedroom?”

“She’s not there.”

The old butler was usually skilled at hiding his emotions, but he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at his master’s stern reply. Chedev stared at the wrinkled face in disbelief.

While searching for Rasha with all his senses beyond his eyes, Chedev couldn’t fully grasp the fact that she had disappeared. More precisely, she was simply not in the bedroom, but he still held an unfounded belief that she must be somewhere within the mansion.

However, seeing the stunned butler, that belief wavered without hesitation, as if realizing that the premise itself had been flawed from the beginning.

‘Do you think we should stop?’

‘Well, then let’s put an end to this, too.’

Why do those words come to mind at this moment?

Memories of the past, which he had dismissed as trivial tantrums and let slip away like sand through his fingers, suddenly invaded his mind. The atmosphere when those words were spoken and Rasha’s expression vividly resurfaced as if it happened just yesterday.

Chedev frowned. The reason for his discomfort was as if he had swallowed something unpleasant. After a brief silence, the butler sensed that something unusual had happened from the master’s distorted expression.

“I will gather the servants right away to find out.”

The dimly lit Cecilion Manor, which was gradually darkening along with the night, began to light up again, one by one, and soon became as bright as midday. From the servants who had left early to the knights who had recently retired, everyone moved busily as if it were broad daylight. There was no separate commotion in the middle of the night.

While the butler gathered the servants on the ground floor and conducted an investigation, Chedev returned to the bedroom. Although he knew no one was there, he lifted the unnecessarily spread-out blanket. Inside, instead of Rasha, lay the negligee she had worn last night, torn to shreds and turned into rags.

Chedev stood there helplessly, holding it in his hand.

‘Wasn’t she in the bedroom?’

If the butler thought that, so did the majority of the servants working in the mansion. As well as Chedev himself. Until he discovered the empty bed, he naturally assumed that Rasha was sound asleep here.

But that was a somewhat reasonable assumption.

After spending nearly seven years like that. There had never been a time when she wasn’t there in the bedroom when he returned from being away. She always waited for him to come home in his safe haven. That was the familiar and comforting sight of the night that Chedev knew so well. Seeing the empty bed, it was as if his mind went blank, as if he had been too accustomed to it.

To be honest, the empty, chilling bed still felt unsettling.

“Master.”

Suddenly, a presence cut through the darkness. The butler, who had headed downstairs, had returned.

“There are two maids who claim to have seen Miss Rasha during the day. One of them encountered her on the staircase that the servants use. It was a momentary encounter, so she didn’t examine closely, but she seemed almost the same as usual. And the other one saw her heading towards the stables.”

As the butler reported, the guard Verhine entered the bedroom one after another and spoke.

“Your Excellency, it has been confirmed that Miss Rasha is currently not present in the mansion as she has not been found anywhere. I asked the guards at the main gate just in case, but they reported nothing unusual, so it seems she might have left through a different route.”

Chedev, who had been standing still and listening to consecutive reports, put down the negligee and asked the butler.

“Is there a door near the stable that leads to the outside?”

Whether it was due to his question or not, the butler responded with a troubled expression.

“Yes, there is a side door that the servants use to enter and exit the mansion.”

Ever since Rasha became his lover, she had received no less than royal treatment, but she was originally the daughter of a stablekeeper. She couldn’t be unaware of the route primarily used by the workers in the mansion. Just the fact that she had descended through the servant’s staircase located in a corner, rather than the main staircase connected to the hall, indicated her intention to avoid the attention of others.

A chill ran down my spine as I realized that Rasha had actually left the building on her own. I couldn’t be the only one feeling it. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, because no one would have expected her to disappear like this today, and no one would have bothered to catch her or even notice her.

The enchanting yet peculiar events of last night suddenly came to mind. Was her attitude of conforming to me to the point of clinging on, unlike usual, her last act of kindness before leaving?

‘Let’s break up.’

The sound of her voice rang in his ears. Chedev clutched at his forehead, which was still sweating from earlier. Beside him, Verhine broke the silence.

“Give the order, and I will start tracking her down immediately.”

“That’s a given.”

“….”

“…. For now, find her and make sure she’s safe, and just determine her whereabouts.”

It meant not to forcefully bring her back. Understanding the meaning, Verhine, who had remained silent, quickly left the bedroom.

After giving the same instructions to the butler, Chedev took out an incense burner and lit it. The incense burned vigorously, releasing hazy smoke that pierced through the air. Chedev’s gaze, fixed on the smoke, was complex and intricate.

‘Keep going… Do more.’

Memories of last night resurfaced, where I had pushed her the brink of suffocation while continuously stimulating myself. And… even memories from a little earlier.

‘Don’t go…!’

‘Don’t act like a child!’

When he pushed away the hand that was holding him, it was not Rasha but someone else who was more surprised. He, who had always been frustrated by not being able to treat her preciously, was the first to brush off Rasha’s arm. At that moment, Rasha’s pupils, looking up at him, were filled with a gleaming moisture. And within them, there was also a hint of being wounded.

‘Isn’t that a bit different from the rumors I’ve heard?’

When he entered the reception room, leaving Rasha behind, Lady Robeni leaned forward and spoke. The strong scent of perfume emanating from her disgusted Chedev, so he moved away.

‘They said you’re so infatuated with her beauty, but it doesn’t seem like it.’

‘….’

‘You said she was your lover. Do you treat your lover so neglectfully?

‘Shut up.’

Even after entering the reception room, Chedev kept seeing Rasha’s face, her eyes red. It was strange. On one hand, he felt like he should comfort her right away, but on the other hand, he thought it would be fine to just leave her be. Conflicting emotions of uneasiness and indifference clashed fiercely within him.

‘Or are you bored?’

Chedev, about to put the incense to his lips to borrow fire from the attendant, paused. Lady Robeni had a mocking smile on her lips. It was a face that clearly showed it was none of her business.

‘You’ve been together for almost seven years, right? Then it’s about time to get bored.’¹the concept of “7-year itch” suggests that around the seventh year of being together, couples may experience a decline in satisfaction or a sense of restlessness, leading to potential problems or a desire for change.

‘….’

‘Hmm? Surprisingly, you’re not cursing. It’s as if something has pricked your pride.’

Bored.

Chedev tried to think of that word in relation to Rasha. Bored, bored, bored, bored… Had there been a time when he was bored? In Chedev’s eyes, Rasha’s existence had never come close to such an expression, which could be called trite. If he had grown tired of her, and tired of this relationship, then even if he looked at Rasha, he wouldn’t get an er*ction.

Rather than being bored…

He had become accustomed to it.

That was the right expression.

Rasha was always in the familiar place that Chedev knew well, by his side and in his arms. Whether she was absent due to a mission, official duties, or other reasons, whenever she returned, Rasha was always there, unchanged. She always waited for him in that same place, with the same appearance. Her heart and attitude remained consistently devoted.

It had been one year, then three years, and before they knew it, it had been seven years.

Seven years… Not an insignificant amount of time.

That time was enough to instill habits and routines in someone. That’s why Chedev had also become so accustomed to her waiting for him, giving herself to him, and caring for him. No matter what he did, even if he acted a bit selfishly, he had a foolish belief that she would love him just the same as before. There was no trace of arrogance that emerged from the settled relationship.

So, as a while ago, he didn’t feel the need to console her.

“….”

And now.

Rasha’s response in the bedroom, filled only with a chilling coldness, was an answer to his belief.

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  the concept of “7-year itch” suggests that around the seventh year of being together, couples may experience a decline in satisfaction or a sense of restlessness, leading to potential problems or a desire for change.