“Let’s slip outside for a moment.”
“Alright.”
As if it couldn’t be helped, Cayden smiled, giving Assad a sweet permission in his embrace.
Assad carefully led Cayden to the outskirts of the Emperor’s Garden. And soon, he hid their bodies behind the shadow created by a giant arch pillar.
Assad stood in front of Cayden, who leaned his back against the white marble pillar. He drew his body close and carefully caressed his bride’s hand and arm. It was his own version of a massage.
“…”
However, Assad’s touch, which he couldn’t quite apply pressure to, only felt ticklish to Cayden. A smile appeared and faded repeatedly on his lips.
“When we return to the banquet hall, people will be annoyingly bothersome beyond reason. They’ll pounce like snakes starved for days. Since they would have seen us talking with today’s guests of honor, they’ll think it’s their turn now.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare myself mentally.”
“With the people of Helio, no, with the people of this royal family, you have to be brazen. If you have something to say, don’t hold back and say it all. Those gathered in the banquet hall have such thick skin that if your words aren’t sharp, they won’t properly understand.”
“But at the last banquet… Everyone was kind to me.”
Ahem. Assad, hearing Cayden’s words, unnecessarily cleared his throat. He felt caught. Those gathered at the last banquet had all been given a warning from Assad. That if anything happened where they pretended to be tactless and scratched or stabbed the Crown Prince Consort, he would erase their names from Helio without leaving a trace.
“Cayden. Do you know what I was thinking earlier?”
Fiddling with Cayden’s hand, Assad brought up a new topic.
“I thought it would be nice if you were only affectionate to me. Childish, isn’t it?”
“I don’t think I’m particularly affectionate…”
Cayden murmured with a puzzled face.
His bride was so unaware of himself. He didn’t know that his face was handsome, and he didn’t know that he was affectionate. Assad worried about how he intended to survive in this harsh world. Well, since he would always be by Cayden’s side, there wouldn’t be a problem.
“True. Your words aren’t entirely wrong, Cayden. Anyway, you’re most affectionate to me. So I decided to be more broad-minded. Letting other people get a taste of your kindness and affection. I’m trying to be somewhat understanding.”
“…”
“I’m special to you after all. I receive kisses every day that others won’t receive in their lifetime. So I won’t be petty with jealousy.”
Cayden stared blankly at Assad, who had drawn even closer. Then he smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth. It was a smile that emerged without any chance to hide it.
“Would you tell me the reason for your smile, Crown Prince Consort?”
“Earlier… I was reminded of a letter I received from Emma.”
“Did your friend mention me?”
“She said my junior Amun likes me. She was certain that his feelings were deep.”
“She has good insight. When I went to that person’s wedding, I thought she had a strange misunderstanding… In fact, your friend recognized my feelings before I did.”
Cayden’s gaze, which had been directed upward, slightly lowered. His eyes circled around Assad’s chin, or below it. Cayden was feeling shy. Assad was gradually, little by little, learning the emotional undulations shown by a man who didn’t easily reveal his inner thoughts.
But for some reason, a dark hue spread across part of Cayden’s face.
Assad immediately noticed this change. He was certain that the dark emotion still remaining in a corner of Cayden’s heart had suddenly emerged.
“And in that letter…”
Cayden, who had opened his mouth again, awkwardly trailed off.
It was impossible not to be concerned about the darkness that occasionally shadowed Cayden’s face. But Assad was neither too surprised nor too impatient. He had no intention of making a fuss about having to take Cayden to a sunny place filled only with sunshine. Nor did he have any intention of forcibly pulling out and burning the shadow cast over the person that was Cayden.
It was something that needed time. To completely step into Cayden’s shadow and place a small lamp there. And to stand beside Cayden. That was the only thing he could do. At least, that’s what Assad thought.
Assad waited for Cayden, who seemed to have something he wanted to say related to the letter he mentioned receiving earlier. If it had been someone other than Cayden, he wouldn’t have waited even a second. He felt somewhat embarrassed at that thought.
“I heard from Emma that the owner of the farm where I worked has changed. The Count’s family went bankrupt… Everyone scattered, and the young master is lying in bed with his mind not fully intact.”
“…”
“That thought came to me together and made me feel strange.”
Meeting Assad’s eyes, Cayden continued speaking.
“I don’t feel that he’s pitiful or unfortunate. It’s just amazing that I can’t even clearly recall the face of the person who tormented me even in my dreams… that frightening person. All I vaguely remember is his face being crumpled by your hand and bleeding. It was the same when I first received the letter, but I thought about it again… so I felt strange.”
Cayden’s eyes contained a color that somehow seemed complex and subtle. But they didn’t look dark at all.
“Now, that person to me… has become someone of only that much significance. If I hadn’t met Your Highness, I would still be dreaming of that person every day. Even if I met that person again, I wouldn’t have been able to think of refusing. So I… am grateful to Your Highness.”
Assad had no intention of placing noisy words on top of Cayden’s calm voice. He simply kissed Cayden’s cheek briefly. With a thousand words contained in it, he kissed Cayden’s lips once more.
“I’m more grateful.”
“What?”
“You’re not the only one who has changed. Look. You’ve made me a better person.”
“…You were already an excellent person.”
“Excellent, sure.”
Assad’s blunt words with a deadpan face made Cayden laugh again. There was affection in his violet pupils that contained Assad. They sparkled beautifully beyond comparison.
Assad felt awkward about himself. He felt his cheeks getting hot. Now even just having Cayden smile at him makes his body heat up. Assad was on the verge of going crazy at how pathetic he had become.
“By the way, that person Emma, when she comes to Acro and sees you, she’s going to be incredibly surprised.”
And so Assad changed the subject. It was because he was afraid of being caught standing in front of Cayden like a lecher, harboring indecent thoughts.
“I told her to prepare herself because there would be something surprising.”
“It’s fortunate that we can now have the conversations we couldn’t finish in Elba. Neither you nor I need to pretend to be someone else anymore.”
Assad, who had been pondering something, added one more remark.
“Still, I didn’t dislike the time spent as your junior. Rather, I liked it.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right, senior?”
“…Yes. I liked it too.”
Receiving Assad’s casually posed question, Cayden willingly became his senior. He gave the answer Assad had been hoping for. It was unexpected.
Had he developed a strange taste? He loved seeing Cayden treat him as his subordinate. The fingertips touching Cayden felt like they were burning hot, as if they had been scalded. It was a heat that would soon spread throughout his entire body. His attempt to change the subject by talking about Emma had become futile.
“Senior. Shall we completely slip away like this? I want to be alone with my senior.”
“No.”
“Wouldn’t the guests of honor support us, me and my senior, having a harmonious and intimate time?”
Assad persisted despite the fairly firm rejection.
“Still no. We should go back now.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“…”
However, when Assad actually agreed, Cayden swallowed his words and hesitated.
After being silent for a while, Cayden glanced around. And soon, he carefully embraced Assad and whispered in his ear.
“What remains… we can do it after the banquet, right?”
Assad’s ears instantly turned bright red upon hearing Cayden’s words. Assad felt his heart pounding wildly. He had a feeling that if Mat’s power-infused gem had been in his hand right now, it would have been flashing non-stop. It would have shone red on its own without needing any words.
“…Yes.”
Assad grabbed Cayden’s hand. He interlocked fingers with his bride’s hand that had many scars. An indescribable sense of satisfaction spread from their touching hands.
This hand, he would never let go again. Not for a single moment. Even if Cayden were to lose him, he would persistently find him. And he would grab his hand again. Assad made the pledge once more.
“Let’s go back, Assad.”
With a more composed voice, Cayden addressed Assad. Just like Assad, heat had risen to both of Cayden’s cheeks as well.
Assad simply nodded in response.
And then, he just smiled broadly. Assad could no longer hold back his escaping smile. He didn’t want to hold it back either. It was okay even if he looked awkward and childish.
A smile meant only for Cayden shone brightly beneath the shadow created by the arch pillar.
<Beautiful Bride, Side Stories End>
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
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