Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel! Chapter 50: Xavier

Then they turned a corner.

And Riven saw his room.

A newly built, immaculate, and very, very obvious prison cell.

Despite its luxurious bed, the fine silk sheets, and the presence of an actual wardrobe, it was unmistakably a cell. The only entrance was a thick, reinforced door with a heavy lock, and there were no windows.

The only comforting thought was that it wasn’t dirty or inhumane.

But still.

Riven stopped in the doorway, ears flattening. "Oh, hell no."

The man behind him gave him a very clear choice—walk in on his own or be put inside.

With an exaggerated sigh, Riven stepped in.

The door shut behind him with a final click of the lock.

He turned, fully expecting his captor to leave, but instead—

The man pulled up a chair outside the cell.

He wasn’t leaving.

Riven blinked.

Wait.

Was this guy going to be stationed here? Like, right outside his door?

All the ti?!

"...So, you’re my personal babysitter now?"

Silence.

Riven exhaled dramatically, walking to the bars separating them. He leaned against them, gazing at the man with open appreciation. "You know, I could get used to this. Being locked away by a handso, mysterious man? Very romantic."

Nothing.

Riven’s lips curled. "Silent types really are my weakness, you know. Do you have a na, or should I just call you Handso?"

Still nothing.

The man didn’t react, didn’t move, didn’t even acknowledge his existence beyond watching him with those unreadable brown eyes.

Riven placed a hand over his heart. "You wound , truly."

No reaction.

Riven groaned, dragging himself to the bed and flopping onto it dramatically. He kicked his legs, pouting at the ceiling. "Fine, fine. I see how it is. You win."

Silence.

Riven sighed into the soft silk of the pillows.

The dungeon was eerily quiet at night. The only sounds were their breaths.

Xavier stood in front of the cell, that was his job, protecting his master’s possessions. Not allowing a single scratch on them and making sure they never leave his sight. Thought it was extrely late, there was no evidence of fatigue on his face.

He had not moved much since he took his place.

His presence was absolute, his silence suffocating.

Yet, for the first ti in a long while, his focus wavered.

It wasn’t intentional. He had simply let his gaze settle on Riven for too long.

The half-wolf lay curled up on the massive bed, one of his hands resting against his own fluffy ears as if he were self-soothing.

His long tail was curled around his legs, the fur twitching slightly in his sleep. Despite being kidnapped, locked in a dungeon, and thrown into an entirely unfamiliar place, he looked... peaceful.

Xavier had seen many prisoners in his ti. So scread, others cried. So tried to bargain, so fell silent in despair. But this one...

This one slept like he belonged here. To be fair, he was not exactly a prisoner... He beca his master’s possession.

Riven shifted slightly in his sleep, his brow furrowing just a little before he let out a tiny, soft sigh. Then he spoke...

"Mmm... So an... Everyone... bullying ..."

His voice was barely above a whisper, so soft that Xavier almost thought he had imagined it.

But then Riven turned, pressing his face against the silk pillow, and mumbled again.

"So unfair... my life is so hard..."

His tone was pitiful, almost whining, but in a way that made sothing deep inside Xavier falter. It was... strange.

Riven’s ears twitched slightly as he settled deeper into sleep, and his pink cheeks were flushed from warmth. His lips parted slightly as he sighed again, his expression soft and vulnerable in a way that Xavier wasn’t used to seeing.

Xavier exhaled quietly.

He wasn’t supposed to react. He had been trained for years to suppress his emotions, to remain detached no matter the situation.

But right now, for so reason...

He felt sothing.

His fingers instinctively moved to the scar running down his face. A habit. A mindless movent he did whenever sothing unsettled him.

He had received this scar a long ti ago—long before he had beco the man he was today. It no longer hurt, yet he always found himself touching it whenever sothing tugged at him emotionally.

And right now...

Right now, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Riven.

The half-wolf’s breathing was slow and rhythmic, his body rising and falling with every exhale. His black hair was tousled against the pillow, a few strands falling over his face. His tail curled and uncurled, the fluffy tip flicking slightly before stilling once again.

Xavier swallowed. Why was he noticing these things?

Why did it matter how his ears twitched?

Why did it matter how soft his expression looked in sleep?

Why did it matter that his voice, so full of mischief and flirtation when awake, sounded so fragile in his dreams?

Xavier clenched his jaw and forced himself to look away.

This wasn’t his concern.

It didn’t matter.

But still...

His eyes flickered back, just once.

Just once.

Riven sighed again, mumbling sothing incoherent, shifting in his sleep once more. His tail curled tightly around him, his hands lightly squeezing the fabric of the sheets, almost as if he were seeking comfort.

Xavier released a slow breath.

And before he even realized he was doing it, he whispered—so quietly, so faintly that it was almost lost to the stillness of the room—

"My na is Xavier."

He didn’t know why he said it.

Maybe because Riven had been trying to pry it out of him all day, flirting shalessly despite being a prisoner. Maybe because Riven had been so damn persistent, throwing complints at him with no sha. Perhaps because he had looked right at Xavier earlier and had the audacity to call him handso.

Maybe because, deep down, Xavier knew Riven wouldn’t rember this mont.

He would never know.

He would never hear.

And yet, sohow, saying it still felt important.