* * *
Even then, Felix refused to lower his guard.
The Crown Prince gave a slight shrug and took two steps back from Lowell.
“I’ve heard you’re rather protective, but I didn’t expect it to this extent. Did you actually form a bond? You don’t seem the type to lose your senses over someone.”
Lowell nearly sighed at the Crown Prince’s arrogance.
That kind of overconfidence could only be shattered through experience.
“Oh? What’s everyone doing here?”
Dripping wet from his bath, Robin walked in, blinking in confusion.
The one who would eventually break the Crown Prince’s arrogance… was standing right there.
This wasn’t Lowell’s problem to deal with.
“I was bringing you your medicine, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding with His Highness.”
“I see… Wait, did you just say ‘His Highness’?”
Robin, who had been responding calmly, suddenly turned pale and snapped his head toward the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness! Didn’t you promise not to undo the spell?”
“There was no choice once they started catching on.”
The Crown Prince, despite never having intended to hide it thoroughly in the first place, responded shamelessly.
‘He was just waiting to see when they’d notice, letting bits of it slip on purpose, yet he talks as if he had no other option.’
Lowell felt a twinge of sympathy for Robin, whose brows drooped like a dejected large dog.
He had to suppress the unconscious thought of, ‘How did he end up dealing with such an ill-tempered man?’
“Shall we continue this conversation in the study? It seems Lord Felix has something to say as well, and it would be troublesome if the servants saw us like this while passing by.”
Though the Crown Prince didn’t seem the least bit troubled by the situation, he didn’t seem particularly interested in watching Robin flounder any longer.
“Fine.”
A crimson aura flickered around the Crown Prince once more.
Since illusions no longer worked on those who had already seen through them, Lowell could still see his true form, but to others, he would appear as the knight they had seen before.
“Come here, Lowell.”
Felix, seemingly unsatisfied with just having Lowell by his side, nearly pulled him into an embrace.
Though not much time had passed since he had woken up, Lowell felt as exhausted as if he had been outside all day, and he leaned against Felix.
‘I already miss the peaceful Grand Duchy.’
With an endless mountain of troubles ahead, he longed for the days when he could lie in the study with Felix, reading books and dozing off, sharing apple pie.
As Lowell closed his eyes and rested against him, Felix let out a quiet chuckle, seemingly pleased.
Neither of them noticed the Crown Prince grimacing as if he had just witnessed something distasteful.
“Go on in.”
Felix opened the door, gesturing for the Crown Prince and Robin to enter first.
“Make sure no one enters.”
Leaving the knights posted outside, Felix was the last to step into the study.
As they settled into their seats, their expressions were starkly different—Robin radiated guilt, while the Crown Prince looked amused.
“So, I assumed our business was concluded. If you linger any longer, you’ll start drawing suspicion.”
“I’ve already taken care of that. You don’t need to worry. More importantly, you must have questions you’re dying to ask.”
The Crown Prince absentmindedly ran his fingers through Robin’s damp hair as he spoke, seemingly unaware of the gesture himself.
Felix resisted the urge to furrow his brows and opened his mouth to speak, but Lowell was quicker.
“Why did you go so far as to deceive Lord Felix just to come to the Grand Duchy?”
Gone was his previous politeness—Lowell got straight to the point.
“Haven’t you already figured it out?”
Leaning back on the sofa with an air of arrogance, the Crown Prince answered with a question of his own.
“There’s a big difference between assuming and hearing it directly from you. I won’t press further, as I trust in Your Highness’s wisdom.”
Lowell had, in the most courteous way possible, just said: ‘If you don’t understand the difference, then you’re a fool, so I won’t bother explaining.’
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow before breaking into a crisp laugh.
“You were pretending to be polite, but now you don’t even bother hiding your impudence. What, do you think I won’t dare touch you because Felix is beside you?”
“Antaios.”
Before Lowell could respond, Felix’s low voice echoed through the room.
At the sound of his name, the Crown Prince paused, his gaze settling on Felix’s unreadable expression, as if lost in thought.
Beside him, Robin shifted uneasily in his seat.
‘The Crown Prince may despise the Emperor, but in this aspect, they are undeniably alike.’
Lowell, however, felt neither fear nor discomfort in this situation.
The way the Crown Prince prodded him just to gauge Felix’s reaction was reminiscent of what the Emperor did at banquets.
It wasn’t as outright violent, but it was still an irritating habit.
“As a friend from the battlefield, let me give you a final piece of advice. If you continue to threaten Lowell, any alliance we have—built on trust—will be impossible.”
But Felix had no intention of letting it slide.
His words carried a warning: if this continued, their relationship wouldn’t be one of cooperation but of mutually held leverage, poised for betrayal at any moment.
“Fair enough. I’ve been rather lenient, haven’t I? Turns out, friendships forged in war are more useful than I expected. If I’ve offended you, I’ll apologize—Lowell de Clarke.”
“I should apologize as well. My words may have been inappropriate, depending on how they were perceived. I was on edge because it seemed like Your Highness still doubted Lord Felix.”
“You two are quite the pair, each getting angry on the other’s behalf.”
The Crown Prince had meant it as a joke, but Felix’s ears turned red, and the fingers gripping Lowell’s sleeve twitched.
The man who seemed indifferent to everything else turned into a petulant youth whenever Lowell was involved. Lowell silently laughed at the endearing reaction.
“Let me be clear—I wasn’t doubting Felix. It’s you I was suspicious of, Lowell de Clarke.”
But his amusement vanished at the Crown Prince’s next words.
“To be more precise, I wasn’t suspicious of you as an individual but of the Clarke family itself. I needed to confirm something. On my way back to the capital, I received credible information that the Clarke family is among the noble factions preparing that ritual.”
The implication made Lowell cover his mouth with his index finger in thought.
‘If I have no memories of it, then they must not have been the masterminds. The original novel mentioned a mass purge of noble families… Clarke must have been among them.’
With this new revelation, Lowell now fully understood the hostility the Crown Prince had shown him.
It wasn’t just because Robin had nearly drowned due to him—it ran much deeper.
“Since it’s well-known that I have a connection with Felix, it wouldn’t be strange if your family attempted to use you. I had to make sure.”
“Are you saying you suspected Lowell of approaching me with ulterior motives?”
Felix’s voice, laced with barely concealed anger, made it clear he had completely forgotten that he, too, had once harbored similar doubts.
“I didn’t think he deliberately sought you out, but I believed the Clarke family could have used him. When I investigated, I heard that Lowell isn’t particularly bright. That means he could be used as a pawn without realizing it himself.”
The Crown Prince declared this right to Lowell’s face, utterly unbothered.
“Lowell is sharp.”
Felix immediately interjected, as if worried Lowell’s feelings would be hurt.
But Lowell, who couldn’t care less about the Crown Prince’s judgment of him, scratched his head and muttered, “You don’t have to go that far.”
* * *
