“It’s not like I actually wanted to eat it…” Munch. Munch.
Mikhail reluctantly chewed the piece of chestnut Adrian had offered him. His half-hearted expression slowly gave way to widening eyes.
Chestnuts weren’t exactly common in the Rustavaran Kingdom, but that didn’t mean much to those living in the capital. They occasionally showed up on dining tables, yet rarely garnered much attention. Mikhail had never cared for sweets or desserts anyway, so that wasn’t surprising.
But…
After a few chews, the roasted chestnut had completely disappeared from his mouth. Did Adrian say he’d added honey? Maybe it was the bite-sized portion, but eating just one left him craving more. He muttered to himself without even realizing it.
“That’s… actually good.”
As if he’d been expecting that reaction, a hand quickly shot in from beside him. Adrian had apparently prepared a few more, and three bright yellow chestnuts were now neatly placed in his open palm. Mikhail simply stared at them. When he made no move, Adrian spoke up.
“Have more. There’s plenty.”
He gestured with his eyes toward the pile of roasted chestnuts sitting on the nightstand. Just as Mikhail, wearing a reluctant expression, reached out to take the three chestnuts—
“Aww~”
A mocking voice came from across the room.
“Look at you two taking care of each other. Hey, how about you take care of me for once?”
“Are you insane? Just imagining doing that with you makes my skin crawl.”
The snickering tone made it clear the mercenary was teasing Mikhail for eagerly accepting the chestnuts from Adrian.
But neither of them was the type to blush over childish jokes like that.
Instead, Mikhail curved his lips into a sly smirk and turned to look at the mercenaries—as if to say, Jealous much? Bet you don’t get this kind of treatment, huh?
And then he took it a step further.
Lowering his head slightly, Mikhail opened his mouth over Adrian’s palm, his gaze never leaving the mercenaries. They’d expected him to get flustered or shy away, but the young man provoked them instead. One of the mercenaries muttered under his breath, scowling.
“Wow—such a pretty face, but what a nasty personality.”
Yeah, keep being jealous.
Mikhail casually chewed on the chestnut in his mouth, lips moving without a hint of shame. Adrian didn’t read too deeply into it. He was simply content with having handed the chestnut to Mikhail.
“Want me to peel more?”
He was genuinely pleased by how willingly Mikhail took each offering, eating them without a second thought. Come to think of it, this was something he’d never done for Mikhail before—it would’ve been frowned upon by formal table manners.
“……”
What had started as a petty attempt to tease the mercenaries had accidentally turned into a rewarding interaction, and Mikhail wasn’t about to let that little victory go to waste. Adrian nodded contentedly and returned to peeling chestnuts, fully focused.
Now that he thought about it, even back in Basamiel, Adrian had always seemed to enjoy using his hands to do things himself.
Mikhail watched Adrian’s meticulous movements, then lifted one corner of his mouth in a smug smirk aimed at the mercenaries on the other side, who were clearly annoyed by the sight.
Having tried to mess with him and ended up twice as irritated, one of the mercenaries let out a quiet, exasperated chuckle.
***
The rhythmic clatter of hooves had long since become familiar.
It would still take several more days before they reached Harvaizan, the capital of the Delbaran Kingdom.
The reason they weren’t traveling by teleportation magic and had instead opted for a carriage was due to something Adrian had explained when they were crossing the kingdom’s border: they needed official traveler nameplates issued to verify their identities. These nameplates would be required upon entering the capital and again for participating in the tournament.
Mikhail lightly brushed a hand over the nameplate he kept tucked safely in his coat and turned his gaze toward the window. He didn’t need to look directly at it to know that it bore a fabricated background and the crest of the Delbaran Kingdom.
Since the name “Mikhail” was fairly common throughout the continent, there had been no need for him to use an alias. Adrian had done the same, and the two had made their nameplates without much deliberation.
What Mikhail found himself focused on now wasn’t the name engraved on it. Under his fingertips, he could feel the raised texture of the Delbaran crest, etched into the metal beneath his fingerprints.
That same emblem carved over my heart…
A faint frown crept across Mikhail’s brow.
‘I’ve definitely seen something like this somewhere before.’
Most of the emblems Mikhail was familiar with were far more intricate, composed of numerous strokes and complex designs. The one that had appeared on his chest, however, consisted only of a rounded outer boundary and a single diagonal line across the center.
‘What if—’
He rested his index finger against his lips and lightly rubbed his chin.
‘What if this isn’t the completed emblem yet?’
If the mark ever did reach completion, then maybe he’d finally understand what it represented… Mikhail’s lips twitched slightly in frustration. But if he waited until it was complete to figure it out, that might be too late.
If this really was the trace of a curse, just as Adrian had suggested, then he needed to be one step ahead before the conditions triggered it.
A radiant golden emblem…
To say Adrian hadn’t crossed his mind even once would’ve been a lie.
Mikhail pressed his palm gently over the fabric where the mark lay on his chest and smiled faintly. He couldn’t quite explain it, but a gentle warmth bloomed inside him.
“…You’ve been thinking forever, and now you’re just randomly smiling—what’s up with that?”
At Adrian’s voice, Mikhail jerked his head up.
Adrian, wearing his usual disinterested expression, had the Darphung nestled in his arms. The creature wagged its tail excitedly, eyes sparkling like it couldn’t wait to be let outside.
“We’re getting off soon.”
“Ah. Already?”
Mikhail responded while rolling his neck to relieve the stiffness from sitting for so long. Now that they were about to disembark, the carriage suddenly felt stuffy, and he found himself wanting to breathe some fresh air.
One of the mercenaries let out a loud, unapologetic yawn.
“Hope the inn in this village still has some rooms left. I’m not spending another night at the gambling hall, that’s for damn sure.”
“Heard from the coachman it’s on the outskirts—should be better this time,” another replied.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Adrian and Mikhail nodded slightly in agreement, clearly thinking the same.
Knock knock.
The coachman tapped on the back of the carriage, loud enough for the passengers to hear.
They had arrived at the next village.
***
Adrian and Mikhail were wandering through the city like casual travelers who’d happened upon it by chance. Mikhail had mentioned wanting to stretch his legs after being stuck in the carriage for so long, which was how they ended up in a secluded alley on the edge of town.
Spotting several tents pitched along the narrow lane, Mikhail murmured to himself,
“What is this place?”
Beneath the tents were small stalls displaying items like statues, iron ornaments, and what looked like old books. Adrian scanned the wares with a brief glance before answering Mikhail’s question.
“Looks like a place that mostly sells antiques.”
“Ohh. They’ve even got chess sets here.”
Mikhail’s gaze lingered on a chessboard for only a second before drifting away, as if he were trying not to let it show he was interested. The movement was subtle—but not subtle enough to escape the senses of a dragon like Adrian.
As Mikhail turned to walk toward another stall, Adrian picked up one of the ivory chess pieces and called out from behind him.
“…You like it?”
“Like what?”
“Chess.”
“…I only played it because I had to. It’s similar to battlefield tactics.”
Adrian stared intently at Mikhail’s face as he gave the offhand reply—and then let out a quiet smirk. The squirming of Darphung in his arms had reminded him of something.
“Excuse me.”
The stall’s owner, who had been absorbed in reading a book, slowly raised his head. He was an old man with a monocle on one eye.
“Mm? What is it?”
Young customers were rare in a place like this, so the owner didn’t bother getting up right away and just asked what Adrian wanted while remaining seated. He was used to tourists wandering in by mistake and pestering him with pointless questions. But this young man wasn’t some unwelcome guest—he was a real customer.
Adrian pulled a gold coin from inside his cloak, flicked it with his fingers, and sent it flying straight toward the old man.
“Ah—oh!”
The coin came out of nowhere, and the old man fumbled a few times before finally catching it. When he realized it was gold, he quickly stood up.
“Is one gold enough for this chessboard?”
The young man’s eye for value was sharp.
It was a board that could easily fetch a gold and a silver from a clueless buyer, yet the actual price was a single gold. But there wasn’t even a price tag—how had he known that?
The old man slowly nodded, still stunned, his expression dazed. Something about the young man’s presence made it impossible to muster the nerve to haggle for more.
“Y-yes, of course. Would you like it wrapped?”
“Yes, please.”
Adrian smiled as he answered, then jabbed Mikhail in the side with his elbow.
“Ugh—what was that for?” Mikhail muttered, frowning.
“Take it.”
The shop owner was already handing over the wrapped chessboard with a grin.
“Me?”
“Yeah. It’s yours.”
Mikhail took the chessboard with a reluctant look, and when he turned his head, he saw Adrian smiling at him.
“…Thanks.”
He looked down at the chessboard now nestled in his arms and gave a quiet word of thanks.
A gift, given and received without even realizing it. How did he know I liked chess?
A faint smile crept onto Mikhail’s lips—and Adrian, silently, just kept watching him.
