* * *
It felt as if the two of them were the only ones left in the world.
The space around them had grown quiet.
Usually, it was always Eren on the losing end of Ashard’s teasing.
That’s why the expression on Ashard’s face now—it was one Eren usually wore.
Cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
Eyes darting about, unsure where to settle.
A hand hurriedly raised to hide his face.
It was the face of a young boy who had just fallen in love.
A clumsy sort of purity, blooming on the ever-composed and mature Ashard.
“Does it suit me?”
Eren leaned in, repeating his question.
Ashard, unable to speak, simply nodded before quickly averting his gaze.
The unfamiliar sight sparked a mischievous streak in Eren.
He reached out and gently held Ashard’s cheeks, turning his face so their eyes met.
“You barely even looked at me and answered so half-heartedly. That’s kind of disappointing, Lord Ashard.”
Ashard’s face instantly turned crimson.
His stiff body didn’t seem to know what to do.
And for the first time, Eren understood exactly why Ashard had teased him so often in the past.
Meanwhile, Ashard, forced to face Eren by those hands on his cheeks, was barely keeping himself together.
He had never been this nervous before.
The moment Eren turned to him wearing that flower crown, it felt like the whole world had been painted in shades of violet.
Eren’s features were always bright and elegant, so Ashard had expected the flower crown to suit him.
But the result was more than charming—it was captivating.
Far beyond his imagination.
He used to scoff at the emperor’s claim that he couldn’t speak in front of the one he loved.
But now, he was experiencing it himself.
If anyone saw Eren like this, they’d freeze up too.
“You’re beautiful.”
“…That’s all you have to say?”
“Yeah. There’s no other word that fits. You’ve made me dumbstruck.”
Eren beamed, his face melting into soft delight.
Ashard didn’t take his eyes off him for a while, needing time to adjust to the sheer beauty before him.
And just as Eren was starting to get flustered by the intense gaze, Ashard abruptly turned and began walking away.
“Where are you going now?!”
“A flower shop.”
“…What? Why a flower shop all of a sudden—?”
“I need to buy all the lisianthus.”
“…Sorry, what?”
At first, Eren thought he was joking.
But Ashard’s expression was dead serious, and that threw Eren completely off.
Especially when Ashard, walking briskly down the flower-lined path, muttered loud enough for Eren to hear:
“I can’t believe I never thought to give him flowers.”
The starlight above seemed to pale in comparison to the glow between them.
As the world around them sank into darkness, it felt like all the light poured only on the two of them—as if the entire universe existed for their sake alone.
It was the opposite of what they were used to: not chasing the light, but being bathed in it.
The warmth that began at their fingertips traveled up their arms and reached their hearts.
But it wasn’t just body heat—it was filled with a wordless affection and deep trust.
The soft trembling of their interlaced fingers revealed that their hearts were beating in sync.
When they arrived at the flower shop, Ashard bought every single lisianthus and handed them all to Eren with a satisfied look.
He’d gone in alone and cleaned the place out so fast, Eren hadn’t even had time to protest.
Now standing there with both arms full of flowers, Eren could do nothing but hold them.
“Lord Ashard… isn’t this a bit much? How am I supposed to carry all of this?”
Ashard gave a calm, gentle smile.
“So that’s why you looked upset. Was that the problem?”
Just as Eren was suspiciously eyeing him, trying to figure out what he was up to, his eyes widened in shock.
At Ashard’s signal, several men clad in black cloaks appeared from all directions.
“Take everything to my chambers.”
With that one short command, the black-cloaked figures nodded and took all the flowers from Eren’s arms.
Just like that, they vanished—so fast it was almost like they’d used a disappearing spell.
Eren could only stare at his now-empty hands, still unsure if it had really happened.
“Wh-Who were those people?!”
“Who else? Knights of the Fridit household.”
“…The knights? Why all of a sudden…?”
“All of a sudden? They’ve always followed me. Didn’t you know?”
Of course not, you ridiculous man.
Eren barely held back the words rising to his throat.
The idea that Ashard thought he—who couldn’t even read a presence, let alone wield a sword—would notice what he could… was absurd.
“Always…?”
“They’ve been tailing us on every outing.”
“Since when?!”
“Since your first time out in Trovien. You went to the theater, remember—?”
Silence fell.
Eren opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
His mind raced back to that day at the theater.
The more he remembered, the more horrified he looked.
‘Wait. The play that day was—’
Eren’s head slowly turned toward Ashard.
Face pale, he asked, praying the answer wasn’t what he feared.
“Were they at the theater too…?”
“They were. I even know you were the one who suggested going.”
Ashard answered before Eren could even finish his sentence, helpfully offering up the exact thing Eren didn’t want to hear.
It left Eren staggering like a ghost had just passed through him.
It had been a while ago, but the secondhand embarrassment came flooding back.
He scanned the area for a hole to crawl into.
The carefully maintained image he’d thought he had—shattered in an instant.
“…Let’s go somewhere else, please?”
The flower shop just had to be near that same theater.
Wanting to get away as fast as possible, Eren tugged at Ashard to move on.
Ashard let out a low chuckle at Eren’s utterly defeated expression, like his soul had just left his body.
He wanted to tease him more, but figured the poor boy might just faint if he kept going, so he decided to stop there.
It was true they had been at the theater together, but there was no way anyone could know it was Eren who had suggested they see the play.
After all, he had specifically ordered the escorts to stay within range to protect them, yet far enough that they couldn’t hear their conversation—because he wanted only himself to hear everything Eren said.
“We’re going together, obviously. Don’t want to lose you again.”
Ashard quickly grabbed Eren’s hand.
He knew that little head of his was probably full of ridiculous assumptions again, but chose not to correct him.
Usually, he couldn’t tell what the boy was thinking, but this time at least, there was no room for weird ideas to grow.
Time passed.
By the time the festival lanterns that had lit up the night finally began to dim, Eren and Ashard started making their way back to the mansion.
Ashard had said he’d carry him again if it got too hard, and though Eren had initially refused, the pain from walking so much eventually wore him down.
He ended up surrendering to Ashard’s arms.
When Eren mentioned it might be more comfortable to be carried on his back rather than in his arms, Ashard had agreed, and now Eren was bouncing lightly on his back as they headed home.
“I think I’ll be away from the mansion for about a week.”
“…A whole week?”
“There’s some trouble in the territory. It shouldn’t take too long, though.”
A week. A short time, depending on how you looked at it.
But to Eren, it was a precious span he didn’t want to lose.
Hearing Ashard’s inevitable words, Eren’s expression darkened.
He wanted to ask him not to go, but Ashard was a Duke—one of the Empire’s highest nobles.
Even getting this one date with him must’ve been no easy feat. Eren, more than anyone, knew that.
He’d seen it all from the closest distance.
So he couldn’t bring himself to whine.
Eren lowered his gaze in silence.
His head, which had been scanning the area, now simply drooped as he leaned against Ashard’s broad shoulders.
* * *
