Chapter 53
“Blair!”
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Yes. You said you’d be back quickly.”
“Ah, I met with my brother Theodore on the way. I was delayed because we were talking.”
Kyle lowered his head and buried his face in Blair’s shoulder. As the barriers between them fell, the frequency of Kyle’s physical affection increased. Having recurring dreams that always ended with losing Blair and going mad, Kyle became anxious whenever Blair wasn’t in sight. Each dream was painful. He kept thinking that this dream must never become reality. Even though it was an absurd dream, he felt as if it would someday come true and take Blair away from him.
Blair thought Kyle might have some emotional deficiency. Perhaps he simply liked warm body temperature. Was that why Kyle always tried to have lovers in the past?
Of course, Blair’s heart had turned over every time he witnessed that back then, but looking back now, it was somewhat understandable. Having grown up virtually alone, Kyle must have wanted to feel warmth.
Kyle’s personality was gradually changing in a different direction from before. Blair was sometimes surprised. The recent Kyle seemed completely different from the person he had known in the past. Of course, the 18-year-old Kyle was from over 17 years ago, so it was natural that Blair couldn’t remember him as vividly as yesterday. But his fundamental temperament and behavior itself felt quite different from when he had been Emperor.
Blair stroked Kyle’s hair as he nuzzled against Blair’s shoulder like a young animal. At first, Kyle’s attitude was very burdensome. But despite being a head taller and two years older, Kyle strangely felt like a young and fragile creature who needed protection. Perhaps it was because past habits were completely ingrained in him.
Not wanting to think complicated thoughts, Blair simply stroked Kyle’s fine hair.
Before they knew it, the short two-week vacation had passed. Summer’s fierce heat had subsided a bit. The morning and evening breezes were getting chilly. The time to return to the Academy was approaching.
After dinner, when they returned to their room, Blair spoke to Kyle. If they were to leave tomorrow morning, it was better to pack now.
“We should start packing. You should also prepare your belongings so you can leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
Though Kyle had come almost empty-handed, he had received so many gifts that he now had a bundle to take back.
“Okay, I will.”
“Make sure you don’t leave anything behind.”
“Okay.”
Kyle answered with a slight smile.
Recently, Kyle seemed to have a lot on his mind, as his eyes had deepened and his cheeks had lost weight. As he passed his coming-of-age, his baby fat seemed to be disappearing. Since he often woke up while sleeping, it seemed he was still having nightmares. Blair worried, but Kyle dismissed his concern, saying it was his own problem.
As his facial structure became more defined and a melancholic air surrounded him, Kyle’s face grew increasingly beautiful. Even though he hadn’t raised him, Blair felt a slight pride whenever he saw Kyle’s beautiful face. Blair was actually quite a cold and resolute person, but he was rather yielding with Kyle. When Kyle looked at him with teary eyes, nervously glancing around and hesitantly making requests, Blair simply couldn’t refuse. The sleeping arrangement was a case in point. It was not common for two noble young men close to adulthood to share a bed. Only married couples would typically do that. So perhaps strange rumors might have spread within the mansion. But when Kyle made a gloomy face, Blair couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
Lately, Blair had fallen into mild self-loathing. If he had been the Emperor, he would surely have ruined the country. Just seeing Kyle’s face clouded all his solid reasoning. All his resolutions when he first returned to the past—to not grow attached to Kyle anymore—had long been in vain. Of course, their relationship was developing in a clearly different way from their past friendship, but in any case, he was still deeply entangled with Kyle just the same.
Blair regretted having inwardly criticized Kyle in the past for lacking the qualities to be a good ruler. Even when Kyle had a favored lover, he never crossed the line. If Blair himself had been Emperor, and had such a beautiful nation-toppling lover, he would have given everything away and become a mad tyrant, rejecting loyal subjects with honest advice and ruining the country. Thinking about it now, Kyle was a person with tremendous self-control.
Indeed, he had made the right decision to remain as the third son of the Monetery family this time. At worst, he would only squander part of this enormous family’s fortune. Blair, sinking into self-loathing, pressed his forehead and shook his head. Kyle worriedly looked at Blair’s serious expression. After having those dreams, Blair’s every move was vividly etched in his eyes. His heart sank whenever Blair showed any sign of distress. That dream, which always ended with Blair dying, felt just like a prophetic dream. It was an excessively ominous dream.
Though he tried to convince himself it was nothing, whenever Kyle saw Blair, he felt the deep emotions his dream self had experienced. And the end of those emotions was a sense of loss and pain he absolutely did not want to experience.
“What’s wrong? Headache? Should I bring you medicine?”
“No, it’s not that kind of problem.”
Though Kyle asked worriedly, Blair shook his head.
“Nothing to worry about. I just remembered something.”
“Mmm.”
Kyle nodded with an unconvinced expression but didn’t press further. Blair changed the subject.
“Was there anything uncomfortable during your stay at the House of Monetery?”
“No, not at all! The chef’s skills are excellent. The servants are all kind, and everything was great. I’m almost sad to leave.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ll have to reward the staff separately.”
Blair smiled calmly. Regardless, he couldn’t help but be pleased to hear that his guest had rested well during his stay.
“Sleep early tonight. If we arrive too late at the Academy, you’ll be tired for classes the next day.”
“Okay, I will. What about you?”
“I should sleep early too. My brother must have returned home by now, so I just want to say goodbye to him and my sister. Please rest first.”
Though he would likely have that dream again, Kyle couldn’t interfere with Blair’s duties. After leaving Kyle in the room, Blair went to see Theodore. Since handing over the documents to Theodore, he hadn’t once returned home on time. He seemed very busy. Even today, he arrived home after eleven o’clock. Blair, standing in front of Theodore’s door, called out to him.
“Brother.”
“Yes.”
Theodore opened the door. He clearly had a lot to do. His once-robust build seemed to have grown slightly thinner.
“I’m leaving for the Academy tomorrow. If you have anything to say, please send a letter right away. I’ll reply immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Is the work progressing smoothly?”
“Well, yes. The freckled maid working in Princess Adriana’s palace will soon be brought to the Imperial court. The doctor too, of course.”
“It would be better if it became even more scandalous.”
“Being the Empire’s shame, they won’t make it too big. It takes time to involve all the surrounding nobles. But with clear evidence, it won’t be easy for them to escape. Empress Spirenda will likely be expelled as well.”
“I suppose so. I’ll keep that in mind, as news will eventually reach the Academy as things progress.”
Blair smiled and rose. Now that this matter had left his hands, there was no need to worry further. Theodore seemed to be handling it well.
“Ah, I’ll tell just you a secret, brother. After this matter is resolved, I’m thinking of tackling issues related to human trafficking or kidnapping. There’s no concrete plan yet, so please don’t mention it to the Princess, just keep it between us.”
Theodore’s eyebrow twitched.
“Human trafficking?”
“Yes. It seems a related market is flourishing in a small city near the Imperial Capital. I recently heard about it. You’ll have your hands full with the Baron Spirenda affair, so my sister Clara and I will look into this matter.”
“I see.”
“There are likely people backing this operation. At minimum, they would be bureau-chief level officials, or if nobles, count-level or above. They must be quite wealthy too. For such a large operation to hide from the nation’s eyes, that level of backing is necessary. Since stirring it up recklessly wouldn’t be beneficial, we’ll quietly investigate on our side.”
“Do that. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be going now.”
Blair closed the door and left. Having already informed Clara about the secret code and asked her to look into this matter, he felt less worried. Money, strangely enough, moved as if it had a life of its own. Clara, who ran the merchant guild and thoroughly understood the flow of goods, would surely know something. One might deceive the eyes of the country and its laws, but it’s not easy to hide the trail of money.
Even lately, kidnapping incidents had been occurring in the Empire, making the public uneasy. Of course, Blair didn’t believe that human trafficking or slave markets existed only in Yureho. But given its geographical proximity to the Imperial Capital, making it easily accessible to nobles, it was certainly one of the larger operations. Dismantling a market where human trafficking was practiced would gain public support in many ways.
Returning to his room, Blair packed for the journey back. When leaving the Academy for home, he had traveled with a light step, even leaving his uniform behind, but now he had a lot to pack for the return journey. Kyle seemed to have packed all his belongings during Blair’s absence, as a bundle of luggage sat on the tea table.
“You’re not asleep yet? You should rest first.”
“I waited for you.”
Kyle slowly approached and watched Blair packing from the side. Recently, Kyle hadn’t slept alone. He worried that if he fell asleep alone, he would have that dream again. The dreams always ended with grief, wailing, and a half-crazed version of himself. He didn’t have the confidence to sleep alone and wake up crying without Blair. Lately, having Blair beside him when he woke up provided some reassurance.
Truly, if Blair were to disappear from this reality as well… Kyle was gradually becoming completely emotionally aligned with his dream self. Whenever he saw Blair, he felt desperate and yearning, wanting to keep him by his side. He felt ominous when Blair was out of sight. He didn’t want to stupidly lose Blair like his dream self. No, he couldn’t lose him. He must not lose him.
[To be continued…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
