Nigel, still sick, arrived in the capital half-collapsed. The journey from the northern region of the kingdom to the central capital wasn’t particularly long, but the sheer number of monster encounters along the way had been ridiculous. By the time they reached the capital, the knights traveling with them had all collapsed as if they’d just toured the entire continent.
“Young master, are you alright?”
Looking at him with clear concern, Roshan watched as Nigel weakly shook his head.
“No… I’m not okay…”
“To think you’d fall ill just as we arrived in the capital.”
Roshan’s voice brimmed with regret. This was the young master’s first time in a new place—he should have been excited and full of wonder. Instead, he was being carted straight to the estate without even a proper look at the city.
Nigel, who had visited the capital enough times to be bored of it—not to mention having actually lived there—could only offer an awkward smile.
“I’ll be fine, Roshan. I just need some rest. Is there a fixed schedule from here on?”
“Actually, we’d anticipated the possibility of you falling ill on the journey, so we planned everything with plenty of leeway. You still have to attend an audience with His Majesty and meet several others, do you not?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
He’d asked Ruder to help him find Schumacher, and had decided to go see the man himself to help with the decision. Still, now that he was in the capital, Schumacher wouldn’t be difficult to locate—there was no need to rush. No matter how fired up he felt, he wouldn’t be able to do anything with his body this worn down.
“Shouldn’t we schedule the audience with the king properly, at least?”
“There’s no need to worry.”
“But what if we’re late and he finds fault with it?”
“I’ve heard His Majesty isn’t the type to be petty. Please rest easy.”
“Hmm… Alright. Then you should go rest too, Roshan.”
“Thank you, young master. Please get some proper rest.”
After sending Roshan away, Nigel sank into thought.
Come to think of it, the current king wasn’t Esian, who constantly picked fights with him, but his father, King Roderick. By all accounts, Roderick was said to be a decent man. No matter how urgent Nigel’s business might be, he wouldn’t summon a sick child by force. That was the normal standard. How someone like Esian—who fell short of that standard in every way—ever came into being, he couldn’t understand…
For now, Esian would still be just a prince. Lacking the power he’d once held as king, he’d likely be an even bigger menace. Best to avoid him altogether…
Esian was the embodiment of ambition. There was no way the rumor about Nigel being the divine emissary hadn’t reached his ears. If he’d heard even more details, he was surely planning how to exploit it. Whether Nigel tried to avoid him or not, Esian would inevitably show up eventually—if not on his own, then under the pretense of an invitation.
As Nigel was lost in thought, Inas came over and climbed onto the bed without even asking, lying down right beside him.
“Why are you—?”
He started to scold him for getting into bed without permission, but the words died in his throat at Inas’s next movement. With that gentle, familiar smile, Inas reached out and brushed the strands of hair from Nigel’s forehead and cheeks. As always, he was devastatingly handsome. Clearing the hair from Nigel’s face, Inas met his eyes directly and asked:
“What were you thinking about so seriously?”
“Esian…”
The moment he answered, Inas’s expression twisted into something fierce. Nigel flinched reflexively. Seeing his reaction, Inas forced himself to calm down. Only then did Nigel feel comfortable enough to complain.
“Why are you getting mad just because I said his name?”
“You’re in bed with me and talking about another man, Nigel. That’s a little cruel, don’t you think?”
For a moment, Nigel just blinked, not fully understanding what he’d just heard. Then, as the meaning sank in, he shot upright, eyes wide with alarm. He glared at Inas with suspicion and burrowed deeper under the covers.
“Don’t say weird things like ‘bed’ and all that. I’m twelve years old.”
“You were the one who brought up Esian.”
“Only because the situation called for it. There’s no way that guy wouldn’t be interested in me.”
At that, Inas looked genuinely surprised, eyes widening.
“You knew?”
“Of course I knew. What, you think I wouldn’t notice?”
What did he take him for, some clueless political simpleton? Nigel frowned, annoyed, and Inas quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I thought you weren’t aware of that filthy bastard’s intentions.”
“How could I not? I’m the second son of the Duke of Magnus and a divine emissary. It’s not just Esian—anyone would try to get close.”
“……”
Inas fell silent, his expression turning complicated. He slowly sat up and looked straight at Nigel. There was a hint of pity in his gaze, which made Nigel bristle.
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing… I already knew you were like this, but I overestimated you, Nigel.”
“What do you mean overestimated?!”
Outraged, Nigel kicked at him from where he lay on the bed. Of course, it had no effect. Inas didn’t even flinch. Letting out a heavy sigh, he looked Nigel straight in the eye.
“This isn’t about politics. Nigel, Esian is extremely interested in your face and body.”
“…Yeah, you definitely overestimate me.”
Nigel immediately took back what he’d said earlier. It seemed Inas truly believed that Nigel could date anyone in the world if he just put his mind to it. While Nigel stared at him, dumbfounded, Inas sighed again.
“Please, look in a mirror sometime.”
“Okay, sure, I’m not ugly. But Esian’s into women.”
“What makes you so sure? Do you know what happened in the past?”
The cryptic tone sent chills down Nigel’s spine.
“…Don’t tell me I was in some kind of relationship with that bastard in a past loop?”
“No.”
Thank god. Nigel exhaled in relief.
“I killed you and then offed myself before that could happen.”
…He’d breathed out too soon. Already aching all over, hearing that sent his head spinning. Nigel clutched his temples as a dull throb bloomed behind his eyes.
“I almost got involved with that guy?!”
“Not involved—he tried to force himself on you.”
“…I don’t even know if that’s lucky or tragic.”
It must’ve happened during an early loop, before Inas could stop it. Nigel wasn’t stupid enough to fall for someone like Esian, so in that sense, he was lucky. But being targeted by someone that vile—well, that was definitely misfortune. Either way, it was in the past now, and that was something to be thankful for.
As Nigel shrugged and brushed it off, Inas sighed.
“I hate the capital. Too many weird flags get triggered around you.”
“You’re exaggerating. It’s just Esian.”
“There are plenty more. With this many people, there are bound to be hundreds, even thousands of flags.”
“And the duchy’s fine? That’s a place full of people too. Maybe you’re just paranoid. I’m not popular, you know—I’ve never even been properly confessed to.”
“That’s because no one wants to lose their head to Lord Ruder. He would’ve done anything to protect you, Nigel.”
Nigel’s eyes flicked toward Inas’s legs—without thinking. His father had apparently placed a curse on Inas: if he broke his vow, his genitals would rot. If that’s what he did to someone chosen to be Nigel’s future adjutant, it must’ve been even harsher for everyone else.
“I get where Lord Ruder was coming from. There are way too many bugs trying to crawl their way toward you.”
Inas smiled lightly as he said it. But the chill in his voice made it sound more like he was saying, “I’ll slaughter every last one of those fucking bugs.”
Not wanting a bloodbath, Nigel forced a smile.
“There’s no one like that. Don’t worry.”
As soon as he said it, he felt weird—why was he reassuring someone who wasn’t even his boyfriend anymore? Then again, their relationship had already grown so close again that such distinctions hardly mattered.
“I suppose you’re right.”
Inas shifted closer, bridging the gap between them. Lying beside Nigel, he offered his arm as a pillow. It happened so naturally, Nigel didn’t have time to stop him. With Inas this close, his head spun.
“Get some rest, Nigel. Your voice is cracking.”
That’s because you keep talking to me, Nigel thought. But instead of snapping, he obediently closed his eyes. Once he recovered, there were official events to attend and a number of personal tasks as well. Counting through each one in his head, Nigel soon drifted to sleep.
***
The mild fatigue that had built up left him with a bit of a fever—but after resting for a full day, he felt completely fine. Just as he sat up, preparing for the next part of his schedule, an unexpected visitor arrived.
“Good day, Lord Nigel.”
Seeing the elegantly dressed girl, Nigel froze.
The woman standing before him was none other than Danika Demilan, the future Countess of Demilan. Nigel vividly remembered her razor-sharp battlefield presence as a border commander. She’d taken to the front lines herself during minor skirmishes near the kingdom’s edges.
But right now, she didn’t seem to be here in that role. The voluminous dress she wore—something she hated for being inconvenient on horseback—was a soft sky blue, a color she didn’t even like. Her expression wasn’t particularly pleased either.
This was clearly the same phase where his father was trying to play matchmaker, scouting suitable candidates for Nigel’s betrothal.
In other words, she had come here as one of his prospective fiancées.
But this time, Father had made a mistake. In the future, Danika and Nigel had known each other reasonably well. Aiming for the title of Countess, she had been seeking a marriage alliance to strengthen her faction. Eventually, she’d married a knight from a low-ranking family who was talented in swordsmanship. Most likely, her appearance here today was the result of being caught up in her younger brother’s schemes to steal her position as heir.
Of course, Inas knew Danika’s circumstances too. Would he factor that in and stay calm? Hard to say. This was the same man who’d gotten mad yesterday just because Nigel mentioned someone else’s name while they were in bed.
Instinctively, Nigel’s gaze flicked nervously to the side. But with Inas standing behind him, there was no way to read his expression.
