* * *
“Even so. A name is meant to be called by the people closest to you. I want our child to be free from that weight, at least when they’re with loved ones.”
After a silent moment of thought, Felix nodded.
“You’re right. You always are, Lowell.”
Honestly, even if Lowell had suggested naming the child Kkomuli permanently, Felix would have nodded and agreed all the same.
That’s just how he was—when it came to anything unrelated to safety, he always wanted to grant Lowell’s wishes.
Besides, when Lowell spoke earnestly with those brilliant blue eyes, everything he said sounded completely reasonable to Felix.
There was never any real reason to say no.
‘He must be trying to seduce me on purpose.’
Lowell hadn’t done anything, but Felix—already smitten—kept nodding along, quietly scoffing at himself.
“Then how about giving the name a meaning related to love or happiness? That way, whenever someone precious calls their name, they’ll feel like their happiness is being wished for.”
“Yes. Let’s look into names like that.”
And with that, today’s discussion about the baby’s name came to a close.
Lowell, feeling the tension melt away, leaned his head against Felix’s shoulder.
Then he tightly clasped the large hand that had been stroking his own without pause.
As their hands wove together without a single gap, a warm sense of satisfaction filled Lowell’s chest.
‘Hm?’
But Felix, whom he expected to smile back lovingly, had instead gone stiff.
“What’s wrong?”
Lowell glanced up in confusion and asked.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Me?”
Lowell couldn’t help but burst out laughing, bewildered by the accusation.
‘He was just fondling my hand this whole time, and now he’s telling me not to tempt him just because I squeezed back?’
Felix was serious.
Which only made it more absurd to Lowell.
“Yes. And if you really didn’t mean to tempt me, don’t laugh like that.”
“Laugh like what?”
“Like a lark. You sound like one when you laugh—so clear and pure that the very air feels fresher.”
Lowell felt wide awake after hearing that explanation.
‘There’s a limit to being lovestruck!’
Knowing it was futile, he still wished the others around them hadn’t heard Felix say that.
But judging from how all the knights had suddenly lowered their heads, that hope seemed in vain.
“It’s just a normal laugh! You’re the only one who hears it that way!”
Lowell, who’d thought he’d grown desensitized to embarrassment, realized just how wrong he’d been as his neck turned bright red.
“That’s impossible. Everyone thinks so—they just don’t say it out loud. So if you don’t want to seduce people, don’t laugh like that in front of others.”
“Huh? Why would I want to seduce anyone?”
“Even if you don’t mean to, they get seduced.”
Lowell decided to abandon this topic altogether.
Continuing it would only deepen his shame.
“…Was I too distracted to notice, or is this really the Imperial Palace?”
For a sudden change of topic, it flowed surprisingly naturally.
Felix wanted to emphasize again that Lowell needed to be careful because his charm was beyond imagination—but he held himself back.
“Right. Since you fell asleep for reasons even you don’t know, we couldn’t move far. The capital was the best place to summon the priests, too.”
“I see. Then… are we going back to Nix now?”
The moment the word “go back” left Lowell’s mouth, Felix’s constantly moving hands came to a sudden stop.
For the first time, it truly hit him—Lowell was awake, and everything was slowly returning to where it should be.
The weight of happiness made the return to daily life almost overwhelming.
“There’s still something I need to take care of. Once that’s done, we’ll go back to Nix.”
“Yes. The Grand Duke’s castle in Nix is our home. We have to show it to the little one too.”
Sunlight streamed through the window and lit up Felix’s face.
Not a single shadow remained.
“Lowell, once we’re back, let’s have our wedding.”
The long, weary night had come to an end. And an undying sun now stood by his side.
“Yes.”
After much thought, they named the child Edwin.
Perhaps thinking the biggest task was now complete, Felix started stepping out more often.
Though he usually returned within the hour, the number of people seeking him increased, and so did the frequency of his absences.
Still, Felix hated leaving Lowell alone and made no effort to hide his displeasure whenever he was summoned.
Just yesterday, he’d been called out five times—and his voice grew colder with each reply.
By the last one, he didn’t even open the door to the guest.
It was only after Lowell kissed him several times to calm him down that he finally left, albeit reluctantly.
“Take care.”
“I will.”
This time, perhaps it was something he truly couldn’t avoid.
He stood up without hesitation.
“I’ll be back soon. Stay inside the room, okay? If you feel stuffy, tell the knight outside to come get me.”
Felix said the same thing every time he left the bed.
At first, Lowell responded enthusiastically, but now he was so tired of it that he practically said, “Fine, fine, just go already.”
“Come back quickly.”
Once he confirmed Felix was gone, Lowell got out of bed. He needed to move around if he wanted to recover faster—but Felix was so overprotective, he rarely got the chance.
The moment Lowell even looked like he was going to step out of bed, Felix became a nervous wreck.
He usually lasted no more than five minutes before coming up with some ridiculous excuse to force Lowell back into bed.
Just yesterday, Lowell walked for three minutes and Felix had insisted, “Lowell, your feet look swollen—you must be exhausted.”
“I told you, I’m almost fully recovered.”
Lowell lost count of how many priests had been clinging to him over the past few days.
‘At least three or four show up every day…’
He sighed deeply and walked over to Edwin’s cradle.
The temporary nurse stepped aside.
The baby smelled of warm milk and softness.
“Would you like to hold Master Edwin?”
Lowell nodded.
They say newborns are the hardest to take care of, but perhaps because so many people were helping, there wasn’t much for Lowell to do.
He just held the baby now and then, pacing around the room.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“If it gets tiring, please put him down right away.”
Tia, now fully recovered and back to work, nagged from the side.
Felix had repeated that warning so often that now others did it even in his absence.
“I told you, I’m really fine now.”
In fact, Lowell felt better than ever.
‘Maybe because the dark magic is all gone.’
According to the explanation, Edwin had taken in all the stagnant magic that had been sealed within Lowell due to the brainwashing.
That created room for new magic to form—and Lowell now possessed a faint trace of magical energy.
There was even a hopeful prediction that his overall health would improve, so he decided to believe it.
“Tia, how’s Tony doing?”
“Same as I reported before. He woke up before you did, Your Highness, after receiving treatment. But because the injuries were deep, he’s still dealing with residual pain and is undergoing rehab with light training.”
“He could rest more and return slowly…”
“Tony wants to come back as soon as possible.”
* * *
