Chapter 195
T/N: Please don’t read this chapter in public if you’re not good at holding yourself back, like *wink*
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The Scarlet Scales Knight Order was using lodgings in an annex provided by the Imperial family. An ordinary Imperial knight would have been housed in his own residence or lodgings in the Empire, but the circumstances were different for the Scarlet Scales Knight Order.
Cadel was from the Empire, but he’d been exiled, Van was a holess wanderer, and Lun was from the Mainue Kingdom. Even Lydon was a different race altogether.
There were no proper lodgings for them in the Empire, but the knights of the Empire could not afford to travel from inn to inn. In the end, the Emperor himself took their plight into consideration.
‘Which way is it? I think it was through the garden over there.’
Cadel hurried towards his new lodgings. Since his subordinates’ rooms were all on one floor, he planned to bring them all together and explain their next mission.
But before he reached the annex, a figure grabbed Cadel’s ankle.
A large stone statue occupied the center of a small garden connected to the annex. The pure white stone statue made of marble was carved with the image of ‘Kelligan’, the guardian deity of the Seven Knights ‘Janin’ worshiped by the Empire.
Kelligan had a benevolent smile on his face, his eyes closed, his hands clasped together, praying for soone.
The soft moonlight poured down, caressing the delicate statue and the man before it, a shadowy figure blending into the darkness, a single ray of moonlight creeping over his shoulder.
‘……Lun?’
He was a man who exuded noble elegance just from his standing posture. Cadel, who imdiately recognized his identity, started walking, and Lun’s head turned as he sensed his presence.
“……Leader.”
“What are you doing in a place like this?”
“As you can see, I’m looking at the statue.”
Lun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he pointed to Kelligan’s statue. Cadel moved to his side, and together they looked up at the statue.
“Have you suddenly developed a sense of faith? Why did you co out this late at night to see the Guardian of the Empire?”
“Suddenly? I’ve always been a religious person, don’t you rember? Even before we entered the Forest of Enchantnt, I was praying for Leader.”
“……Co to think of it, it did happen.”
“At that ti, I prayed to the gods of the Mainue Kingdom and the White Kingdom. Should I pray to the god of the Empire from now on?”
It was a joking question, but Lun’s face showed a hint of confusion as he said that. Cadel shifted his gaze and looked at Lun’s profile. His face was as sculptural and beautiful as always, but his expression was filled with worry and his mood had beco even darker.
Worry. He wondered what Lun was worried about.
Suddenly, Cadel felt uneasy. Lun had clearly spoken his mind. He said he wanted to be Cadel’s man, and he promised to leave everything behind to do so. Cadel didn’t doubt his sincerity. But now that he had left everything to co to the Empire. Didn’t he still regret his choice?
‘……It still doesn’t show up. That system window.’
He wondered if the unexpected news of Lun’s joining might have sothing to do with his shadowy expression. Cadel felt a deep unease that threatened to overshadow the joy of their reunion.
He unnecessarily dug his nails into the palm. His eyes flicked to Kelligan’s statue, then back to Lun, unable to contain himself. Still gazing up at the statue, Lun’s beautiful face was lost in thought, refusing to et Cadel’s earnest gaze.
“Don’t regret it.”
So Cadel blurted out. It wasn’t a question about whether Lun regretted his choice, nor was it a plea for him not to do it. It was an order that was almost like a complaint, not to speak of regret.
Lun’s gaze shifted, his blue eyes showing a bit of surprise, bewildernt, and a hint of amusent.
“Out of the blue?”
“You’re the one who had to give up everything you had, and honestly, I have nothing to gain. If you were to calculate the math, you would have lost a lot more without even looking at it. No one likes to lose, so it may feel unfair, but don’t…… don’t regret it.”
Cadel looked Lun straight in the eye. He felt uneasy as if soone had poked him in the heart with a needle, but he tried not to show it.
“……I don’t. Regrets and all that.”
Lun raised his hand to his scabbard out of habit. He raised his fingertips to touch it, as if to reveal a tingling emotion, and the corners of his tightly closed mouth drew into a faint arc.
“I don’t know why you thought that. Did I look like I regretted it?”
“You looked like you were miserable about sothing.”
“It’s a misconception, Leader. Just like when they see the ants by the road and say that it will rain soon*. I’m sure it’s the sa this ti.”
*The ants are often said to be able to predict the rain, but there’s no scientific evidence for this claim.
“……It’s a sha.”
Cadel couldn’t deny it, so he just frowned and heard a low laugh. Lun lowered his eyes for a mont and pursed his lips, revealing his cautious thoughts.
“I was a little worried.”
“Worried?”
“If I sohow manage to shake it all off and run away with it, and I don’t prove to be worth it. My family will say Leader has ruined , Leader will be disappointed in , and you’ll think you’ve wasted your ti waiting for soone who isn’t even that great.”
A timid worry, out of place, clouded Lun’s expression. The dark emotion on his still picture-perfect, elegant face was precious because it was unfamiliar, and Cadel wanted to correct it because it was not like him.
The fact that Lun, who was so confident in the face of danger at every turn, was letting such a trivial concern cloud his judgnt. Cadel found it frustrating, but also quite endearing.
“So, on a late night like this, you were worrying while looking at the God of another country? Have you reached a conclusion?”
“Not yet.”
The questions that assailed Lun, the nagging doubts, were all problems that he could not solve alone. You could reach out with all your might, but if there was no one to hold your hand, you’d just sink deeper and deeper into the mire. This remarkably noble and arrogant man was, to the point of ridiculousness, perpetually unsure.
Cadel had learned that the hard way, and he was confident he wouldn’t make a mistake this ti.
“So let conclude.”
Cadel reached for Lun’s sword. Ignoring Lun’s reflexive backing away, he drew Lun’s own sword. Cadel twirled the blade lightly in the moonlight, then held it out to Lun’s puzzled face.
“Appointnt ceremony, is this how it works?”
Cadel roughly put the sword on Lun’s shoulder and said sothing plausible. Lun’s lips parted in a small smile as he realized the intent of Cadel’s muttered words. He paused, hesitated, and then a rippling smile spread across his face.
Lun followed Cadel’s lead and dropped to one knee on the grass in the garden. He looked up at Cadel solemnly, his posture polite and respectful.
Cadel, too, gave Lun a serious look that belied his clumsy behavior and raised the hilt of his longsword to Lun’s shoulder.
“If you give your loyalty, your honor, and all the struggles of your life, I will give you the—”
“…….”
“……What should I give you?”
He wanted to keep it natural, but it was hard to do an impromptu appointnt ceremony. Cadel was embarrassed to have broken the atmosphere that had beco quite solemn, but he steeled his expression and acted shalessly.
“If you want sothing, I’ll listen.”
“……Even if you play this well, it’s like playing house, Leader.”
“Shut up. What could I do when I have only seen it once? Roughly match the rhythm.”
“No one in their right mind would offer a deal at an appointnt ceremony.”
“Oh, well, if you don’t like it, don’t bother. You’re my knight, after all, no matter what anyone says—”
Lun did not allow the ssy appointnt ceremony to co to a sloppy end. He rose from his kneeling position, pushed Cadel’s arm away from the sword, and with one hand on Cadel’s waist and the other on the back of his head, Lun turned his head and pressed their lips together.
In a series of fluid movents, Cadel’s eyes fluttered open, unaware of what had happened to him. What was the aning of the long lashes and half-lidded blue eyes, right in front of his nose? It wasn’t until he parted his lips that he realized the burning sensation.
Thud. The fallen sword clattered across the grass. Lun took a step forward, and Cadel took a step back. But the firm arm around Cadel’s waist tightened around him each ti as if it could not tolerate the slightest distance.
The hard bridge of Lun’s nose lightly pressed against Cadel’s cheek and cheekbone. Soft lips pressed roughly against his, and without hesitation, tongue darting out to probe his teeth. Lun changed his stance uncontrollably, raising his teeth and nuzzling Cadel’s lips, then gently sucking him as if to soothe him in pain.
Grabbing a fumbling hand and placing it on his shoulder, Lun ruffled Cadel’s hair and nuzzled his smooth earlobe.
A relaxed hand plucked the earring that had been in Cadel’s ear the entire ti. Lun’s eyes glowed a radiant splendor as he lost himself in the kiss. His gaze fell on Cadel’s eyes, which were slowly changing color. Slowly, Lun sucked in his lips and watched srized as the dark gray eyes turned to a vivid bronze.
He t Cadel’s agitated gaze, curled his stiffened tongue around it, and buried his lips a little deeper. A wet, lustful sound rang in his ears. Cadel didn’t push him away, but he didn’t take him fully either. He looked frightened as if he were overwheld by the passion pouring into him.
It wasn’t upsetting, or sad. It was just lovely. That cautious affection of Cadel’s, so wary but never pushing himself away.
Their breathing grew steadily louder, warming each other’s bodies. Cadel’s hand holding Lun’s shoulder tightened, and his body, which had been as stiff as a pumice stone, slowly began to relax. Cadel gently twisted his head from its forward fixation, allowing their lips to et more comfortably.
Lun, who had been persistently kissing Cadel as if he was going to devour him, flinched and stopped his actions. He stared into Cadel’s tightly closed eyelids, then slowly pulled his lips away.
A thin line of saliva dangled from the newly parted lips. Lun traced Cadel’s lower lip with a firm thumb and caught the sight of him panting slightly. He kissed the corners of Cadel’s fluttering eyes, and beneath the carefully raised eyelids, the bronze-colored pupils were once again revealed.
What Lun had waited for, so longed for. His eyes showed such a longing look, conveying that he would have given up everything to get what he wanted.
“You don’t have to give anything.”
“What…….”
“Leader, you just need to look at . My loyalty, my honor, my life’s struggle…… everything. You just have to keep an eye on them.”
If you would just look at . Lun would stand by Cadel’s side forever. Even though he knew it was a ludicrously losing business, and that he would give it all away with foolish ease.
He couldn’t stop himself any longer.
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