A brief silence filled the carriage. Facing a situation where he didn’t know how to respond, Cayden couldn’t utter a word.
“Why does your complexion worsen? Are you worried it might be seen as running away?”
“…”
“No need to worry. I finished all the tasks I needed to do and left a letter too. I chose just the necessary words to write down.”
In short, he had secretly left with nothing but a brief letter.
Assad, who had actually done this, seemed extremely carefree. What words could Cayden offer to such an Assad? He had no choice but to accept that Assad had properly concluded his affairs and left a letter. With words failing him, Cayden simply nodded quietly.
However, he couldn’t prevent worries from piling up at his feet. Cayden’s face gradually turned pale.
“Whatever it is, don’t worry. The same goes for language issues. If you’re concerned about my inability to speak the kingdom language, stop that right now. I’ve learned it well.”
“The kingdom language?”
“Yes. Just as you learned the imperial language, I learned the kingdom language.”
Assad smiled lightly.
As if announcing its departure, the cargo wagon shook loudly. The inside and outside of the carriage rocked roughly. But the vibration was felt for just a moment. It soon regained its previous tranquility. This was thanks to the magic cast on the cargo wagon.
A quiet stillness continued, to the point where it felt as if the carriage wasn’t moving. But there was something noisy without sound. It was Assad’s direct gaze fixed on Cayden’s face.
“Now, should we become senior and junior colleagues working together at a trading company?”
“…That’s what Amun and I promised to act like with each other.”
Fidgeting, Cayden obediently gave an answer.
“Since you’re older than me, I should play the role of a junior colleague.”
“No, you can be the senior.”
Assad treating him as a superior? It was burdensome even to imagine.
From the beginning, roles like senior or junior weren’t important. They lost all meaning once Assad entered the cargo wagon. After all, he wouldn’t be venturing outside the lodging with Assad instead of Amun.
“I don’t understand why you have such a dazed face. Don’t act awkwardly. If you remain so stiff, who would think I’m a colleague working with you?”
Assad, with crossed legs, leaned his upper body toward Cayden.
“Right, senior?”
A coy smile appeared on the face of the man who was beautiful like a picture.
Cayden couldn’t give Assad an answer. He just smiled brightly, following Assad’s lead.
‘I’m… going to the kingdom with Assad, not Amun.’
That fact was becoming increasingly real.
It was the beginning of a journey that embraced nothing but bomb-like worries.
* * *
Ruana, the capital of the northern kingdom Elba, which was under the protection of the Emperor of Helio, was a cold city with long winters and short days. It was the opposite of Acro, where the days were long.
The early sunset’s colors were also different. Unlike Acro, where colors were generally so intense that they hurt the eyes, Ruana’s sunset was a slightly hazy vermilion and pink, as if mixed with water. Just like the sky right now.
Cayden and Assad were fortunate enough to set foot in Ruana before the sun completely disappeared. It was an arrival earlier than scheduled.
The carriage stopped in front of an ancient, grand mansion located on the outskirts of the capital. It was accommodations for the Helio people hiding their identities.
Responding to Cayden’s letter saying he could go to Elba, Emma had once again told him to stay at the mansion where the wedding would be held.
But Cayden had to decline Emma’s kindness. He wrote a letter saying he had already found accommodations, using the excuse that he had something to handle with trading company people who happened to have business in Elba. It was unavoidable since he had to spend the night under the protection of guards.
This grand mansion was the accommodation that Amun, who had received a promise to exclusively serve as Cayden’s attendant, had reserved.
Cayden nervously entered the antique, weighty mansion. He felt somewhat bewildered, as he had expected to stay at a more modest accommodation than this, not one with a tavern on the first floor and an inn on the second.
He was overwhelmed. He could barely hear the words of the manager introducing the mansion. He could only barely understand that a famous scholar, who was the owner of this place, had changed the mansion’s purpose into accommodation for travelers after retiring and returning to his hometown.
‘Amun… since when did he decide to switch places with Assad?’
Seeing such a nice accommodation already secured, it seemed that this fact had been a secret only to him. The guards who came along also seemed to know before him that they would be accompanying Assad.
“Ah…”
Cayden, who was glancing up at the high ceiling of the mansion, turned his head toward the commotion beside him.
Assad was moving luggage. He effortlessly lifted a seemingly heavy bag with his right hand. He also took what was in Cayden’s hands.
“It’s luggage I don’t want to entrust to others.”
“But…”
“Have you forgotten that I came along to play the role of a junior colleague?”
And Cayden was startled once more by Assad’s whisper that reached his ear.
It wasn’t just Cayden who was flustered. The guards, who stepped inside a bit late due to checking the outside of the mansion, also seemed restless. Only the mansion’s manager and some servants, who were gathering the remaining luggage, looked with curious eyes at the trading company people who had come from distant Helio.
Cayden’s embarrassment continued even after being guided to the bedroom by the manager. Assad, without any thought of entering his own room, first stepped into Cayden’s bedroom. Along with the luggage bag he was carrying.
Assad dismissed all the servants who had followed. He began unpacking Cayden’s luggage in place of the servants. Seeing Assad trying to do a task he wouldn’t have entrusted even to Amun, Cayden froze.
“Please don’t do that. I can do it myself. I’ll do it.”
“It’s fine.”
Trying to speak up courageously proved futile.
Assad, who had briefly bent over, soon neatly placed an outfit that only wealthy northern nobles would wear on the bed. It was something he had pulled out from the luggage bag he had brought.
From the collar to the hem of the pants, the high-quality formal attire without even a slight wrinkle was something even Cayden, who was ignorant about fashion, could recognize as valuable.
“This is…”
“What is it?”
“…”
“Your clothes. You need to attend your friend’s wedding.”
With just the two of them, Assad’s manner of speech changed back to how it was before. It was such a relief.
But apart from the relief in one corner of his heart, Cayden again didn’t know what to do. The problem was that outfit, which seemed several hundred times more expensive than his own worth.
Your clothes, he says… Did Amun prepare it?
But Amun had told him he would prepare suitable clothes. He couldn’t understand how such clothes, far from suitable, had suddenly appeared.
Cayden observed Assad’s mood. Assad somehow seemed in good spirits. However, he seemed to be waiting for Cayden to answer, to show some reaction. His gaze was quite obvious.
“The clothes… are really pretty. They’re as stylish as what gentlemen with invitations to beautiful parties would wear.”
Hesitantly, Cayden opened his mouth.
“Of course, they’re pretty and stylish.”
“But…”
But? One of Assad’s eyebrows could be seen rising crookedly. Cayden squeezed out the maximum courage he could muster and continued speaking.
“Emma… knows that I work at a small trading company. She also knows well that I am a person without a single possession. So if she sees me wearing such fine clothes, I think she might feel something is strange.”
Cayden’s words, which had been flowing slowly, gradually accelerated and then hastily concluded. It felt as if he was out of breath.
“Cayden. Has it been about 7 months since you and I formed a marital bond?”
“…I believe so.”
“It’s not just a belief. It’s definitely 7 months. Seven months is time for many things to change. The tiny trading company where you worked might have brought in a new person like me and luckily opened trade with the imperial family during this time.”
“…”
“The mouse that escaped the mousehole has turned into a big cat. Isn’t that a good thing?”
It was a forced narrative.
Assad, who had finished speaking, picked up the top that had been placed on the bed. He had neatly hung the shirt, vest, and formal jacket on a sturdy hanger to minimize wrinkles in the fabric.
Assad held the clothes against Cayden’s body. Though his worried expression was a flaw, even just checking with the eyes, it looked quite good.
“It suits you well.”
“…”
“But I don’t intend to force you to wear it.”
Assad, with his head slightly bowed, said as he met Cayden’s gaze. And shortly after, he added one question.
“What were you originally planning to wear? Assuming our trading company still hasn’t escaped from being a mousehole.”
“I… was thinking of something more ordinary.”
“If the person in front of you right now were Amun instead of me, how would you have spoken? Would you have suggested buying new clothes?”
Cayden’s eyes widened at Assad’s words. He was surprised by the question that seemed to read his mind. Both Assad and Amun were too easy to read his inner thoughts. It was awkward and embarrassing.
“Yes. That was my intention.”
“I’d like to hear the details.”
“…”
“Where were you planning to go to buy new clothes?”
Assad smiled. For some reason, his face as he asked the question looked too joyful.
Cayden didn’t want to break Assad’s inexplicable joy. So, without realizing it, he began to ramble.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
