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It was an action that could be considered rude enough to warrant criticism, but Luciel couldn’t say anything. He just thought that Arpel’s face, coming closer to him, was utterly surreal.
His eyes, which could be described as cool and collected, quickly became hazy, and his ears turned bright red. As Arpel quietly looked down at Luciel, who had even stopped breathing, he whispered:
“May I remove the thread stuck to your hair?”
“…Ah.”
Only after this quiet question did Luciel come to his senses. Arpel continuously took in the sight of Luciel nodding with a subtly flushed face.
Since there wasn’t actually any thread stuck, Arpel just pretended to remove it. His movement as he stepped back showed no lingering attachment. Only the gaze of the other person, watching Arpel move away, remained persistently.
It was an unmistakable reaction. Observing each detail, Arpel became certain that the hypothesis he had formed after discovering Luciel’s weakness was true.
The Crown Prince, Luciel Lencester, harbored strong feelings for him. His flustered attitude and the emotions overflowing from his eyes that he couldn’t quite hide were too similar to the being Arpel cherished most in this world.
Perhaps that’s why he could understand it. The emotions this man held.
“I, I should go now.”
“Pardon?”
Just as Arpel was pondering how to use Luciel’s affection, the man sitting across from him abruptly stood up. His steps leaving the terrace were too rushed. It was obvious to anyone that he was flustered.
Although Arpel caught sight of Luciel’s reddened nape, he didn’t try to stop him from leaving. Rohan would be coming soon. There was no need to make them meet.
As the unwelcome guest disappeared, thoughts naturally multiplied. More precisely, Rohan’s face, looking at him with the same eyes, kept circling in his mind. Just thinking of him made Arpel’s chest feel tight.
‘Why?’
Unlike moments ago when he showed no agitation, he felt something stirring as soon as he thought of Rohan.
Arpel, who had been trying hard to believe that everything he felt when Rohan confessed his feelings was just embarrassment and awkwardness, now faced belated confusion.
If it was simply embarrassment from a confession of love, shouldn’t he have felt the same when he realized the Crown Prince’s feelings just now? Even if he could only feel complete emotions through Rohan, this was… too different.
Arpel carefully placed his hand on his chest. His body, imitating humans, clumsily transmitted his heartbeat to his fingertips. Even if it was very slow. But now, that sound was too intense.
The voice confessing love, the affection pouring out every time their eyes met, and the happiness. Every time he recalled these things one by one, it felt like he could hear his heartbeat in his ears.
“I’m sorry, am I late?”
The main culprit who had caused such deep contemplation belatedly arrived at the terrace. His face, as he entered holding juice in both hands, was full of apology.
Arpel glanced at the moon visible in the distance. Its angle had slightly tilted by now. Where had he been and what had he been doing? His gaze, silently watching Rohan, seemed to interrogate him about the time that had passed, which was much longer than expected.
But Rohan didn’t try to gauge Arpel’s reaction.
“…Arpel. Who were you with?”
Because he realized that someone had been with Arpel in this space where he should have been alone. Rohan’s face hardened as he put down the two glasses he was holding. Although he was trying to force a smile, it was useless to Arpel, who was attuned to his emotions.
Passionate emotions flowed out. It was clearly anger. The chair turned at a different angle from when he left, the warmth that hadn’t yet dissipated. All of these clearly showed the presence of another person.
It seemed like there would be an unsettling reaction if he told Rohan, who already looked angry, that it was none other than the Crown Prince who had visited. Because of this, Arpel could only hesitate to answer him.
“Why… won’t you tell me?”
“…Ah.”
“Is it someone you need to hide from me? Is that why you won’t tell me? Is that person you met secretly so important?”
Rohan approached and grabbed Arpel’s shoulders. Although he seemed to be trying his best to be gentle, it appeared difficult to control as his hands trembled and the force on Arpel’s shoulders fluctuated.
Arpel only felt clear emotions towards Rohan, and sometimes showed a more human side according to Rohan’s will. Pain, dreams, sleepiness… that’s how it had been so far from what he had experienced.
He felt a slight ache on his shoulders. It resembled pain, but it was a heavy sensation that couldn’t quite be called painful. Even this was new to Arpel. He carefully extended his hand and grasped Rohan’s. Trying to hold back the thoughts that were threatening to multiply, he spoke words to soothe Rohan.
“That’s not possible.”
“Then? Who came?”
“…The Crown Prince.”
Rohan had expressed anxiety bordering on obsession just from encountering the Emperor in the banquet hall. The fact that Arpel had met the Crown Prince alone in an isolated space, and in a situation where Rohan wasn’t present, seemed to tighten around his throat heavily. In an instant, it felt like everything around him turned red.
Feeling the intensifying emotions, Arpel moved his hands. Both hands pulled Rohan’s waist into an embrace. Naturally, Rohan’s body, its center of gravity disturbed, completely covered Arpel.
Barely grasping the back of the chair with one hand behind him, Rohan blankly looked down at Arpel’s face, now shadowed by his own body. Even the anger that had been clearly present in his eyes had completely vanished.
“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
The hands embracing Rohan’s waist rhythmically patted his back. It was a gesture reminiscent of comforting the young Rohan who used to cry loudly. Although the person in his arms had grown much larger compared to then, it didn’t matter to Arpel.
Despite the uncomfortable position, Rohan endured it for a few more minutes. His desire not to separate flowed in completely. After confirming that some time had passed, Arpel gently comforted Rohan.
Of course, during this time, he had to tell Rohan everything about the conversation with the Crown Prince. Since the conversation itself didn’t contain anything special, Rohan had to nod, albeit with a somewhat doubtful expression.
“So, where did you go?”
“Ah…”
Rohan, who had been smoothing out Arpel’s disheveled clothes, quickly adopted an awkward expression. His gaze briefly flicked to the juice glasses he had brought.
“Just… pest control.”
“Pests?”
“I think it’s because the juice is sweet. There were more than I expected.”
It was clear he didn’t want to say more. Although Arpel had no ability to distinguish truth from lies, he could tell just by meeting Rohan’s gaze that he wasn’t lying.
Arpel tried not to pry into his excuse that wasn’t really an excuse. If it weren’t for the unknown emotion that suddenly welled up from deep in his chest, he would have.
“Is it something you can’t tell me?”
“Ah…”
Was it because he had always immediately stopped whenever Rohan showed even the slightest dislike? Seemingly flustered by the immediate question, Rohan blinked, swallowing slightly.
The action of looking at Arpel’s face and then lowering his gaze resembled a puppy checking its owner’s mood after doing something wrong.
Only when Rohan’s eyes drooped did Arpel snap back to his senses. He belatedly realized that he had spoken half-impulsively without thinking. His clear gaze rested on Rohan’s lips, which were moving as if hesitating to speak.
“…No, it’s okay. As long as you’re not hurt.”
A hand slowly extended towards Rohan’s face, coming to rest on his cheek with a tickling touch. Rohan’s face, which had seemed quite tense, quickly relaxed at the familiar consideration.
If it seemed like he didn’t want to answer, Arpel wouldn’t ask. This was also an implicit standard that Arpel, who prioritized Rohan above all else, had maintained. The reason why it was wavering now…
No matter how much he thought about it, there was no answer. It was obvious. Not being able to fully understand the emotions Rohan evoked was something he experienced several times a day, to the point where he was becoming accustomed to it.
I wish you had nothing to hide from me. This clear desire soon disappeared, swept away by the wind that was rushing into the terrace.
Perhaps that thought, which had clearly revealed its outline before dispersing, was the reason for the sudden action that seemed like a small fit of pique.
Having spent more time on the terrace than expected, the two soon left the place. Taking a sip of the juice Rohan had brought was a bonus. The sweet liquid seemed to clear his mind a bit.
“It should be about time for the banquet to end. We should head to the audience chamber first…”
“Lord Rohan!”
The steps that had been advancing down the long corridor, with Rohan familiarly leading Arpel, came to a sudden stop. It was because of a cheerful voice calling him from behind. Arpel also glanced in the direction of the voice.
Blonde hair as brilliant as Leriana’s flowed down in waves. If Leriana had a doll-like appearance, the woman before them was undeniably a dazzling beauty to anyone who saw her. Her blue eyes smiled at Rohan.
“Um, I greeted you briefly earlier… do you remember?”
“You said you were from the Seltum viscounty family, right?”
“Indeed, you do remember!”
The woman’s smile became even more confident. Still, she didn’t spare even a glance for Arpel standing next to Rohan.
Arpel could only stand to the side like a bystander, watching the scene of the two exchanging trivial words. The moment he recognized himself as a bystander, lightning struck Arpel’s world.
Suddenly, he couldn’t properly hear the conversation between the two. Just from seeing the woman across from them covering her mouth and laughing, he could tell they were having an amusing conversation. Or if not that, at least that Rohan was readily answering her words.
“Will you marry me?”
Even in his daze, that sentence was heard clearly.
“I don’t care that you were originally a commoner, Lord Rohan. Now you’ve received God’s blessing and gained fame among the Empire’s people with your outstanding skills. If you marry me, my status can erase that blemish.”
“…Hmm.”
“You can surely rise to a higher position. Isn’t that attractive?”
Rohan was silent. Arpel, with anxiety rising to his throat, finally moved his body that had been still all this time and grabbed Rohan’s hand.
Say no. Right now.
He didn’t know why. No, he didn’t want to know. Right now, stopping him was more important than finding the reason for this action. As if reading the desperate plea in his hand, Rohan showed a polite smile towards her.
“I’m sorry, but I already have someone in my heart.”
“…I see.”
As if she hadn’t expected to be rejected, the woman left the corridor hurriedly with a reddened face. Only Arpel and Rohan remained in the now deserted place. Still not letting go of Rohan’s hand, Arpel, who had been keeping his mouth shut, found it hard to come to his senses due to the overwhelming satisfaction pouring over him.
“Arpel. Shall we go now?”
Rohan, with a face that looked happier than any smile Arpel had seen before, squeezed their joined hands a little more. The faint sound of him humming clearly showed how good his mood was.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
