His piercing blue eyes alone were intimidating, but the chilling aura surrounding him made Latian’s knees nearly buckle.
Why did he have to arrive so early?
Latian, who had been kneeling and facing him directly, quickly put on a bright smile.
“Oh! You’re here! Well, listen, it’s not like I ignored your words on purpose. I was just so exhausted that I accidentally fell asleep…”
“Am I supposed to care about your exhaustion?”
“Well, no! But I was afraid you’d think I ran away if I went to another room, so I just lay down here for a moment, and—oops—I dozed off. It was a mistake!”
“Get lost.”
At the cold dismissal, Latian hurriedly scrambled onto the sofa.
Ugh, what a jerk.
A main character with the personality of absolute garbage.
So unfair.
So cruel.
“…But I’m hungry. Can I go downstairs to eat?”
“……”
“I need three meals a day, or I might collapse before we even reach the capital! And after eating, I’d also like to use the bathroom.”
“…Hah.”
At the ominous sigh, Latian shrank back, peeking over the sofa.
Claude, who had been glaring at him disapprovingly, checked the time before adjusting the lantern, making the room brighter.
Then, he headed toward the entrance.
A moment later, his voice rang out, ordering the guards to bring food.
At least he wasn’t so heartless as to let someone starve to death.
Not that skipping a single meal would actually kill anyone, but as a Korean who lived off rice and hearty meals, Latian strongly disagreed with that logic.
Claude disappeared into the bathroom.
As Latian sat patiently, a soldier knocked on the door with his meal.
He hurriedly went out to retrieve it.
‘This feels just like getting delivery.’
But the thought of delicious, greasy takeout only made him miserable.
He couldn’t eat that anymore.
Damn it, why did he even think about it?
‘I want crispy fried chicken. I want soft bread with jam.
Not this dry chicken breast and rock-hard bread.’
Sighing, he picked up the bread, his eyebrows drooping in dejection as he chewed on the tasteless morsel.
It wasn’t good, but hunger left him no choice.
Just then, Claude emerged from the bathroom.
A subtle scent of fragrant oil tickled Latian’s nose, making him pause mid-bite and look up.
Instead of heading to bed, Claude crossed the room and plopped down onto the sofa directly across from him.
A natural, unspoken invitation.
Latian suddenly felt like he had indigestion.
Uncomfortable, he glanced up at Claude and, feeling awkward, decided to speak first.
“Um… So, uh, you came back early today, huh?”
“……”
“Uh, what time are we leaving tomorrow?”
Claude silently observed Latian’s eating habits.
Despite sneaking glances at him, Latian’s hands never stopped grabbing food and shoving it into his mouth.
Anyone watching would think he hadn’t eaten in days.
From his large, round eyes flickering with uncertainty to the way he nibbled at the food—Claude suddenly pictured a squirrel stuffing its cheeks for winter.
He quickly erased the image from his mind.
“At dawn.”
“Oh… I see. I should sleep early, then.”
“……”
“The journey will be tough. So, um…”
“Finish eating before you talk.”
Seeing Claude’s brow furrow in frustration, Latian hurriedly swallowed his food and gulped down water.
Crumbs clung to his lips as he looked up at Claude, who had no words left for him.
“You’re such a mess.”
The cold assessment slipped out naturally.
Claude grabbed a neatly folded handkerchief from the table and tossed it at Latian.
“Wipe.”
Latian gratefully dabbed at his lips where Claude had gestured, then flashed a bright, harmless smile.
His eyes curved into a friendly, sheepish grin.
“Thanks, big brother!”
And at that moment, Latian instinctively realized—
The cold-blooded man before him had let his guard down more than before.
Perhaps, he might be able to dispel Claude’s suspicions sooner than expected.
“You’re actually kinder than I thought.”
“……”
Claude stared at Latian’s beaming face, his brow deeply furrowed, as if seeing a level of shamelessness he had never encountered before.
“Anyway, what I was trying to say earlier—”
Latian quickly shifted the topic.
“Can I… sleep in a bed, too?”
“……”
“I’ll be quiet in the next room! You can even put guards on me.”
Latian clasped his hands together, eyebrows drooping in a pitiful expression.
His big, watery eyes looked as if they could spill tears at any moment.
Claude remained silent for a long moment before finally letting out a sigh.
The atmosphere felt strangely like he was about to agree, and Latian’s heart pounded with anticipation.
“I’ll allow you to use the bed.”
“!”
“But—”
“……”
“You’ll be sleeping in mine.”
Claude tilted his head toward the large bed behind him.
Latian’s lips twitched, but he forced an awkwardly sweet smile.
“You sure? Didn’t you say you hated sleeping next to me?”
“How do I know what you’d do if I let you out of my sight?”
“Oh, come on. What would I even do?”
“Especially at this hour of the night. And you want to be alone?”
Claude curved his lips into a cruel smile. There was no room for negotiation.
“…Fine. I’ll go wash up, then.”
Latian answered cheerfully and promptly disappeared into the bathroom.
Only when the door shut did his expression crumple.
‘Still doesn’t trust me.’
Honestly, he had thought Claude would send him to another room by now.
He could have just assigned guards instead.
‘Does he think I’m some kind of threat? Isn’t he overestimating me a little?’
Getting permission to sleep in a bed was fortunate, but the fact that it was Claude’s bed made it significantly less appealing.
‘Is he just messing with me at this point?’
‘He wouldn’t kill me just for rolling over and bumping into him in my sleep… right?’
After washing up and changing, Latian returned to the room.
For some reason, climbing into the bed felt oddly nerve-wracking.
Claude, who was lying beside him reading a book, didn’t acknowledge him.
‘He used to act so disgusted before. Seriously…’
Muttering complaints internally, Latian peeked out from under the blanket.
“Sweet dreams, big brother.”
“I might, if you’d stop calling me that.”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s friendly and nice.”
“……”
“Oh, I misspoke again. Then what should I call you?”
“…What do you even think of me?”
“Lord?”
The fact that Latian already knew the answer and was still dragging this out was pure mischief.
Claude shot him a sharp look before smacking him lightly on the face with his book.
“Ow!”
It wasn’t even that hard, but Latian clutched his face like he’d been mortally wounded.
Claude ignored him completely, closed his book, placed it on the nightstand, and lay down.
Left pouting in the darkness, Latian sulked.
The room fell into a deep silence.
“……”
He didn’t even dare to toss and turn, worried that he’d get scolded.
Listening to the slow, steady breathing from beside him, he wondered—
‘…Is he really sleeping? With me right here?’
‘He really doesn’t see me as a threat, huh… For some reason, that kind of stings.’
Hadn’t Claude warned him to be careful because he was sensitive to killing intent?
If Latian actually tried something, would Claude wake up immediately?
Stealing a glance, he shifted his eyes slightly to the side.
The moonlight streaming through the window made the silhouette beside him appear even darker.
His thick, dense eyelashes rested peacefully, and his straight, high nose looked as though it had been drawn in a painting—stunningly beautiful.
Come to think of it, he had never seen a man this handsome in his entire life.
‘As expected of the protagonist, huh?’
He barely managed to tear his gaze away and face forward again.
Though he thought he’d be too conscious of him to fall asleep, his full stomach and the warmth on his back soon made his eyelids heavy.
Sleep enveloped him, pulling him deep into its embrace.
* * *
The next morning.
On the arduous journey toward the capital, Latian suddenly shrieked,
“Ahhh! Over there—it’s a monster! A monster!”
Pointing at a small, fluffy ball of fur, he was utterly terrified.
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