* * *
Lowell never expected the emperor to move so quickly in plotting schemes from Nix, a place far from the capital and beyond his direct influence.
And worse, he was using Lowell to do it.
“So, from that last attack, they confirmed that Felix cares about me?”
If he did nothing, new attacks would keep coming.
He had been slowly fortifying Nix and the Grand Duchy, and with just a little more time, he could have prepared countermeasures against such schemes.
But right now, they were in a transitional phase.
“Transition periods are always the most vulnerable.”
Lowell racked his brain, searching for a way to overcome this crisis.
Understanding the emperor’s and his faction’s goals—and what they were planning to achieve them—was a significant advantage.
“Lowell. You don’t have to look so worried.”
Noticing Lowell’s prolonged silence, Felix assumed he was frightened and tried to soften his voice.
Lowell, who was simply lost in thought, relaxed his tense expression.
“It’ll be fine.”
Optimism in unpredictable environments was one of Lowell’s ways of protecting himself.
“I’m not worried. I was just thinking about how to protect us.”
“Us?”
Felix furrowed his brows at the word “us,” then quickly smoothed his expression.
He had been trying not to appear intimidating, but unfortunately, Lowell was too preoccupied to notice.
“Yes. You, me, and the little one.”
Lowell gently rubbed his stomach, which showed no visible changes yet.
Felix clamped his mouth shut.
Normally, whenever Lowell called the baby “the little one,” Felix would grumble, “Do you really have to call them that?”
But this time, he reacted differently—like someone caught off guard by an unexpected attack.
“And beyond that, I want the Grand Duchy and Nix to be safe too. You fought so hard to protect this land.”
“I was just fulfilling my duty. It’s nothing special.”
“Fulfilling one’s duty is the right thing to do. And doing what’s right is always harder than doing what’s wrong.”
Lowell admired Felix for never seeking a reward despite his great deeds, but he didn’t want him to undervalue his own efforts.
“You’re the only one who says that.”
“Then others are just being ungrateful.”
Felix let out a low chuckle at Lowell’s deliberately lighthearted tone.
As he shed the burdens weighing on him, he found himself smiling more naturally—and Lowell loved that.
His normally stern features, which could sometimes make him look a bit harsh, softened entirely when he smiled.
In those moments, all Lowell saw was a young man gazing at the person he loved.
There was nothing more captivating to him than seeing happiness bloom on Felix’s face.
After a moment of deep thought, Felix pressed his fingers to his temple and spoke again.
“Two days ago, I received a coded letter from the crown prince. There were no signs it came from him, but the code was something he once showed me as a child, and the contents were something only he and I would understand. That confirms it. At first, I ignored it, thinking he and the emperor were plotting something together.”
A spark went off in Lowell’s mind.
The crown prince had been searching for trustworthy allies, and Felix was one of them.
“But since the emperor is watching him closely, he couldn’t send obvious signals. The subtle hints must have been ignored by Felix.”
But this time, Felix didn’t overlook the sign. His desperate desire to protect Lowell had driven him to notice.
Lowell, sensing the perfect timing, silently thanked a god he didn’t even believe in.
“But why is he telling me all this? Is it to prove that he trusts me—that he has nothing to hide?”
Lowell was surprised that Felix had shared so much, but his confusion quickly faded.
“If I believe what’s in this letter, I’ll need to leave Nix for about a week starting next week. Not far, but to avoid detection, I’ll have to take a complicated route. And I can’t bring you to an unsecured location. I’ll assign more knights to protect you, but there’s still risk.”
Lowell understood—Felix was explaining why he had to leave.
“If he’s telling me this much, it means he’s already decided to go.”
Felix wasn’t the type to create unnecessary anxiety over uncertain matters.
And for Lowell, this was actually good news.
“But I have to go. If it’s a trap, I can escape. But if it’s a real opportunity, missing it would be the end. Opportunities don’t come twice—not on the battlefield, and not beyond it.”
“Then you should go.”
As Felix said, this was an opportunity—a chance to get on the safest ship and cross the roughest currents.
Lowell wasn’t foolish enough to demand he give it up over an uncertain threat.
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t want to block the best choice just because I’m worried. You made this decision because you believe it’s the right path for us. I’ll stay here and do what I can.”
“Alright.”
No more words were needed.
Felix returned to his documents, and Lowell, in his usual spot, opened a book.
He wasn’t actually reading—his mind was busy sorting through the new information—but a familiar sense of comfort settled over them, as if they had returned to normalcy.
“The kid is leaving tomorrow too.”
“We should say goodbye properly. How about a final meal together? I always missed out before.”
“Do we have to?”
Zephyros had long since earned Felix’s disdain.
Lowell wasn’t particularly fond of him either, but he felt guilty for pushing an oblivious boy into someone else’s schemes.
They wouldn’t meet again after this, so the least he could do was give him a proper farewell.
“I want to end things properly.”
“It’s unnecessary, but if that’s what you want, we’ll say goodbye together.”
Felix still wasn’t thrilled, but he didn’t object to Lowell’s wish.
At the dinner arranged for a formal farewell, Zephyros blushed every time his eyes met Lowell’s.
‘What’s with him now?’
When Zephyros first arrived, Lowell had noticed him avoiding eye contact and figured it was understandable.
‘He probably thinks he got caught up in something he shouldn’t have between me and Felix. Can’t blame him for that. If I show him that I’m willing to let things slide, he’ll relax a little.’
That assumption was shattered in less than ten minutes.
“The chef recommends the venison today—it’s been roasted with mushrooms.”
Trying to extend an olive branch, Lowell intentionally addressed Zephyros first.
But Zephyros, clearly flustered, fumbled with his words.
“Ah, i-is that so? I-I’ll enjoy it—no, I mean… Thank you for the meal.”
It was baffling.
He had no trouble chatting with Felix, yet suddenly, he was acting like Lowell was someone to be afraid of.
‘And that reaction… anyone would think—’
Watching Zephyros fan himself, cheeks flushed red, Lowell squeezed his eyes shut.
He couldn’t understand why, after everything, Zephyros would develop feelings for him.
‘When? How did this even happen?’
At least until the note had been delivered, Zephyros had never been this blatant about his interest.
Even Felix—who usually paid little attention to others’ emotions—raised an eyebrow and shot the prince a sharp look.
Lowell had invited him here to smooth things over, but the situation only seemed to be getting messier.
He sighed internally.
If there was anyone in this world who never acted as expected, it was undoubtedly Zephyros.
* * *
