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“It seems to be from the Salvation Church, judging by how careless it is… The Emperor probably gave tacit approval.”
Arpel nodded lightly towards Rohan, who was changing the subject while swallowing his unsettled emotions. This was something Arpel could also sufficiently infer.
If not, there would be no reason to keep them confined to the palace during the festival period. Given that the Emperor had launched an attack as soon as they left the temple, there was no doubt that he had impure intentions with this proposal.
Arpel’s obvious gaze turned to Rohan. He wanted to ask in detail about what exactly had happened, why there was a smell of blood then… But seeing how reluctant Rohan seemed to talk about it, he hesitated to pry. After carefully examining Rohan’s body several times, it didn’t seem like he was injured anywhere.
Perhaps sensing this gaze, Rohan smiled gently and intertwined their hands.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you well.”
“…Alright.”
“So… don’t meet with that person, Arpel.”
“That person?”
Distracted by the sensation of their firmly clasped hands, Arpel asked Rohan a beat late. The hand gripping his a little tighter and the eyes that were smiling yet brimming with intense energy seemed to hold his gaze, not letting it waver even slightly.
“The Crown Prince.”
His quietly murmuring voice had a slight tremor, and anxiety also wafted from it. Arpel just blinked silently for a moment.
“…Why would I meet him alone?”
“Then it’s fine. It’s okay.”
Rohan’s eyes softened at the attitude that found such a question strange. Had he been that anxious? It was almost regrettable not to have reassured him quickly.
Although Arpel resonates with Rohan’s emotions, just like now when he’s expressing anxiety, the day when he fully understands Rohan’s psyche will never come. Whenever he was overwhelmed by the emotions pouring from Rohan, Arpel couldn’t let go of his lingering attachments.
All he could do was gently stroke Rohan’s hair as a gesture of reassurance.
The soft hair was lightly ruffled. He couldn’t shake off the thought that Rohan was like a puppy seeking affection. No, since his body had grown this big, perhaps he was more like a large dog now.
The neatly arranged hair became slightly disheveled with each stroke of his fingertips. As if not caring at all about his hair becoming messy, pleasant emotions continued to pour out from Rohan.
A breeze carrying the scent of night seeped through the slightly open window. As he quietly felt the cool temperature, he thought that you look really beautiful under the soft moonlight.
“Look only… only at me. Arpel, you’re my sword, aren’t you?”
“…”
“I love you, Arpel…”
A sweet confession was heard. Rather than setting the mood, it seemed like words spilled out because he couldn’t hide the emotions welling up inside him. But the sincerity contained in it was without a shred of falsehood.
While the usual emotions surged and flowed in, Arpel felt like all of them were mixing dizzily today.
“…Mm.”
That must have been why Arpel gave such an ambiguous answer. Having experienced various emotional fluctuations just today, he couldn’t grasp anything clearly.
That answer seemed to have a slightly different meaning to Rohan.
The overflowing emotions became even more brilliant. Arpel couldn’t help but take a sharp breath for a moment. This was despite being a demon sword that could live without breathing. That’s how intense the affection and love were.
“Thank you.”
“…Why?”
And what came out was an unexpected expression of gratitude. Unable to infer the reason at all, Arpel forced down the inexplicable fluttering in his chest and asked him. His behavior seemed almost anxious at a glance.
“You answered me.”
“That answer was…”
“I know. It’s not an answer to my confession.”
Rohan, whispering with a smile, carefully grasped Arpel’s hand. He felt the sensation of the held fingertips trembling slightly. For a while, Arpel couldn’t say anything, like someone who had lost their bearings on what to say or do.
The vague feeling of standing at the edge of a cliff kept coming, making him unconsciously rely on the hand holding his. Despite the strong force transmitted, Rohan’s face was full of only a bright smile.
“When I first confessed, you said you were sorry, remember?”
“…”
“Then the next time, you didn’t give me any answer at all…”
“…Rohan.”
“Now you’re not sorry to me, and you’ve given me an answer.”
So thank you.
There was truly not a speck of negativity in the emotions contained in his words. That he was really happy and joyful. Rohan’s expression, voice, and the emotions flowing into Arpel were whispering that.
Why are you grateful for something like that?
Although this question rose in his mind, Arpel couldn’t bring himself to voice it. He didn’t want to needlessly disturb Rohan’s mood, who looked happier than anyone.
…No, perhaps even that was an excuse.
It was an issue he had never been aware of before. The statement that his reactions had gradually changed to the sincerity Rohan had been conveying particularly lingered in his ears. Each time, emotions yet to be named jumped around, asserting their presence.
‘I…’
If the time comes when Rohan confronts me with his sincerity again.
Can I be the same as now?
Arpel couldn’t dare to guarantee it.
***
The first morning in the imperial palace dawned.
“Would you please leave those there and go out?”
Rohan issued the same dismissal to everyone who came to serve them. It wasn’t an action that quite matched his clear voice showing good spirits. Only after the hesitant servants had put down everything they brought on the floor and left did he move.
Following Rohan, Arpel got up, pushing aside the blankets, and blankly looked down at the many things scattered on the floor below.
Perhaps sensing puzzlement from this action, although not asked, Rohan voluntarily explained the reason.
“I told you, didn’t I? That there are people targeting you.”
“…Wouldn’t this be unrelated?”
“No way. We don’t know what dangers might come from where. So we have to be careful about everything.”
It was a look that seemed impossible to shake his stubbornness.
In the end, Arpel could only blankly watch as Rohan dipped a silver coin from his pocket into the wash water, carefully inspected the clothes brought by the servants for any issues, and even meticulously checked the tea water that seemed to have been provided for morning refreshment.
Judging by his use of the silver coin for checking, he seemed to be worried about poison… But Arpel, being a sword rather than a human, would not be affected by poisons fatal to human bodies. It’s unclear whether Rohan had overlooked this fact or momentarily forgotten it due to his concerns.
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
Still… the current situation of receiving such concern wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Arpel chose to simply keep his mouth shut and watch Rohan’s actions rather than speak the truth.
Since the festival had officially started from last evening, it wouldn’t be bad to go out and explore the capital, but there were still plenty of days to enjoy.
‘We might never have another chance to enter the imperial palace.’
Among the various conversations they had before going to bed, there was also talk about the imperial palace. Given this rare opportunity, it would be good to examine the inside of the palace, whether there are satisfactory results or not.
It seemed to be for the same reason that they had accepted without hesitation the Emperor’s offer to stay in the palace during the festival period.
Although Arpel was still overwhelmed by confusing emotions, he found himself patting Rohan’s head, feeling touched by his words at that moment.
The breakfast brought by the servants shortly after went through a similar process. Although there was not a single poisoned dish, judging by his eyes still full of wariness, it seemed he hadn’t completely shed his distrust of the imperial family until the end.
After finishing the rather chaotic meal.
“Absolutely not.”
Rohan’s answer was not only firm but also seemed faintly angry. Arpel was momentarily at a loss for words at his adamant reaction.
The plan to examine the inside of the palace seemed to be proceeding smoothly, but Rohan’s attitude suddenly changed at the single suggestion that “it might be better to look around separately.” It resembled his morning demeanor when he was obsessively checking if there was poison in the food.
Last night, when Rohan went to get drinks, didn’t he say that the man who handed him the glass secretly put some kind of powder in it? That’s what he seemed to have heard. Having witnessed it directly, it was somewhat understandable that he was being sensitive.
However, it was unrealistic to thoroughly check this huge palace while walking around together. Moreover, walking around together would make them more noticeable.
If he took the form of a sword, it wouldn’t matter… but having told the Emperor that they had stored the demon sword separately, it wasn’t a good option.
“Rohan.”
“Let’s go together, okay?”
“I told you I could go to your side whenever you want.”
Of course, it wasn’t that it couldn’t be done at all, just that it wasn’t a good method. Nevertheless, the reason Arpel wanted to separate from him was that he needed time alone.
Time to think about the inexplicable emotions that had been raging more noisily since yesterday.
“…Will you really come when I call?”
“Yes. I promise.”
Faced with Arpel’s rare show of stubbornness, Rohan finally backed down first. The exploration of the palace seemed to go according to Arpel’s wishes, but…
“…Rohan.”
Despite not much time having passed since they parted, Rohan called for Arpel. The voice strongly calling for him, and the purple line visible if he just put a little strength into his eyes.
Arpel readily responded to this will, and when he closed and opened his eyes, with a feeling of being sucked in somewhere, Rohan was blinking right in front of his nose.
Just as he was slightly taken aback by the face too close to him, Rohan muttered blankly while looking at the suddenly appeared Arpel.
‘You really… came…’
Rohan, who had been staring at Arpel as if entranced, only belatedly came to his senses. He even glanced around sheepishly with a slightly reddened face.
“I’m sorry… I was anxious about whether Arpel could really come…”
Faced with the desolate downcast eyes and trembling voice, Arpel couldn’t add any words and had to comfort Rohan.
Of course, even without these two things, Arpel wouldn’t have scolded Rohan.
