“What?” Amun asked, startled. It was the first time Cayden had seen him lose his composure.
Cayden hurriedly confessed that he had gone to the training grounds with Lihet. Worried that Lihet might get in trouble, he slightly changed the story, saying that he had been the one who wanted to visit the training grounds first. Besides that, he told everything as it happened.
“Amun, please keep this a secret from the Crown Prince.”
“…”
“I think it would upset him. It’s not that I want to make a good impression on His Highness, I just… don’t want him to be upset because of me.”
Cayden cautiously spoke while watching Amun’s reaction. He knew that Amun reported his activities to Assad every day.
“I understand. But… where exactly were you? His Highness seemed completely unaware of your visit.”
“Oh, I was sitting at the top of the stairs. I was told that my face wouldn’t be visible from below there.”
“So that’s why your skin is reddened from watching the training grounds in direct sunlight,” Amun said with a small sigh, more to himself than to Cayden.
“When I lived in places where magic reached, I didn’t notice, but the sun is really hot here. My skin stung even though I was just sitting still. But… it’s not as bad as you make it sound, Amun. My face isn’t that red. Even Lihet didn’t mention anything.”
Cayden tensed like a child about to be scolded and clenched his hands. But because it was Amun in front of him, and he could feel that Amun was worried about him, he wasn’t scared.
“So, you don’t need to worry.”
A brief silence passed between them. It was Amun’s laughter that broke the silence, though it quickly faded.
“Me? Worried?”
“…Wasn’t that it?”
“…”
The more Cayden spoke, the more displeased Amun’s face became. It seemed he had over-interpreted things. Cayden wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
“Sometimes, even people of Helio get injured by the sun. Someone like you, without immunity to the desert sun, should be especially careful. I’ll tell the servants to send up an ointment for your reddened skin.”
Starting with a warning not to forget to apply the ointment, Amun continued with a few more nagging remarks.
When had he last heard such nagging? It was so long ago that the memory was faint. The unfamiliar concern in Amun’s voice made him feel both glad and embarrassed.
‘I guess he really was worried after all.’
With this thought, he found himself smiling awkwardly.
“Was the view from the stairs entertaining? I doubt you could see properly,” Amun asked, his face souring again as if something displeased him.
“No, I could see well. They all moved so effortlessly. It was like watching a dance, so amazing that I think I kept my mouth open the whole time.”
“You must have seen… His Highness holding a sword then.”
Amun rested his chin on the back of his hand and met Cayden’s eyes. His posture and expression were slightly off from his usual demeanor. To Cayden, he just looked like a teenager going through puberty. It was a thought that would probably anger Amun, who was as calm and mature as any adult.
“Once, I was taken to see gladiator matches. I was dragged to the arena against my will. I didn’t want to see it.”
After being lost in thought for a moment, Cayden came out with something unexpected.
“It might sound funny coming from someone like me, but that night I had a nightmare. It was a dream about people getting excited over the blood spilled by gladiators.”
“…”
“The atmosphere at the training grounds today was gentle, but… when the warriors prepared to fight, well, it changed to something a bit frightening. It reminded me of watching the gladiator matches. The sound of sharp objects clashing, people’s cheers and shouts… faces drenched in sweat, rough movements… everything at the training grounds became too intense. I think I felt as uncomfortable as when I sat in the arena seats.”
Cayden moved his lips as if embarrassed to continue recounting the memory.
Amun showed no reaction. He simply blinked silently, hoping Cayden would continue.
“But strangely… when I laid eyes on the Crown Prince, my uneasiness subsided.”
“…”
“Was it because he looked so peaceful? He didn’t frown like the others, nor did he shout. He didn’t needlessly provoke his opponent… even while wielding his sword, he moved lightly and smoothly, as if he were just warming up.”
“And he won in the end?”
“Yes, very easily. It was the same no matter who his opponent was. His Highness was strong and beautiful, like that curved sword he was using.”
Cayden slowly added, “The sun… yes, he was truly like the sun.”
Cayden smiled softly, recalling the beautiful man who had shone with the morning sunlight.
“I was so focused on watching the sun of the training grounds that I didn’t notice my skin burning from the other sun.”
Silence filled the spacious bedroom. An awkward stillness swirled, so intense that even the bird that had been sitting on the balcony railing quickly fled.
Due to Amun’s prolonged silence, Cayden had to worry whether he had misspoken.
But although Amun’s face was flushing and paling and he wouldn’t meet his eyes, he didn’t look angry. Cayden quietly waited for Amun to speak.
“His Highness… is an excellent warrior. He can’t be compared to those vicious arena gladiators, or even to most warriors of Helio.”
When Amun spoke again, he looked pleased, as if he himself had received the compliment instead of Assad. Despite trying to hold back his smile, he ended up grinning anyway. Finding this cute, Cayden eagerly agreed with Amun, saying he was right.
“His Highness goes to the training grounds almost every day for practice. You can go see him anytime. But instead of from the stairs like today, it would be better to watch from inside the training grounds. I’ll have a place prepared for you.”
“No,” Cayden said urgently, alarmed.
“Is it because the warriors’ duels make you uncomfortable? Well, you don’t need to see the others. You can just focus on the Crown Prince.”
“That’s not it. I’m worried about inconveniencing His Highness. He’ll be displeased to see me… I don’t want to distract him. Just having seen him today is enough for me.”
“…”
“I won’t set foot near the training grounds again. So, please keep this a secret from His Highness.”
“Are you afraid of the Crown Prince?”
Amun’s question silenced Cayden. It had hit the mark. He felt somewhat intimidated, thinking Amun might find his behavior pathetic.
“Aside from his noble status, he’s someone four years younger than you…”
Occasionally, Amun would casually say such shocking things.
Since he could say such things offhandedly, he must be close enough to Assad that Cayden needn’t worry. Still, he couldn’t help being surprised each time.
To Cayden, marriage to Assad wasn’t much different from when the count had bought him at the age of 14 and assigned him as his son’s body servant. The desert emperor, upon receiving the oracle, had bought him and forcibly placed him in Assad’s hands.
Still, Assad wasn’t like a young master. Though he avoided Cayden, he never raised a hand against him. He didn’t oppress or torment people with his pheromones, nor did he try to hurt them. Instead, he was helping Cayden adapt to this place.
Assad was a good person. It was evident from the fact that a smart and kind child like Amun followed him.
Moreover, he had even sent such a child to be Cayden’s companion. He could have imprisoned Cayden in the west wing of the annex and forgotten about him, but he didn’t.
Even if Amun’s real role was not a companion but a monitor, Cayden didn’t mind. He enjoyed the time spent with Amun.
Additionally, as Amun had mentioned, Assad was four years younger than Cayden. He had just completed his coming-of-age ceremony.
Despite this… Cayden was still afraid of Assad. Assad was the person who owned him and an angry alpha. That’s why he was afraid.
But he couldn’t voice this foolish fear. Cayden simply answered with a silent smile.
“Well, I’ll keep the secret from the Crown Prince.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve certainly learned how to say thank you… Next time, I should watch the training grounds from the stairs with you, Cayden. Just briefly, so your face doesn’t sting.”
“…I’d like that.”
Even though he had said earlier that he wouldn’t set foot there again, when Amun offered to go with him, he found himself nodding, thinking it might be okay after all.
“For now, we should focus on studying the Imperial language first.”
Amun said in a brighter voice than before.
“Yes, I understand.”
A small smile also appeared on Cayden’s lips. For some reason, Amun seemed to be in a good mood, which made him smile along.
* * *
“I’ll tell the servants to send up an ointment for your reddened skin.”
Standing stupidly in the middle of the bedroom, Cayden recalled Amun’s words.
Cayden did receive the ointment. The problem was that the person who brought it wasn’t one of the familiar servants… but Assad.
