* * *
Lately, he had been sleeping more, often dozing off before Felix got back.
“Lowell, are you here?”
But just as that thought crossed his mind, Felix opened the study door and stepped inside.
For someone who had barely slept for days, he didn’t look the least bit exhausted.
“Yes.”
“If you’re okay with it, shall we head back to the tower early tonight?”
“Sure.”
It wasn’t a request he had any reason to refuse, so Lowell quickly moved to Felix’s side.
“Is your back alright?”
“Yes. Maybe it’s because someone kept massaging it while I was asleep, but it’s gotten much better.”
“I see.”
Lowell had known, even half-asleep, that Felix was taking care of him.
But since he never got the chance to properly thank him, he had deliberately brought it up, hoping Felix would take the opportunity to gloat a little.
But instead of boasting, Felix simply acted like nothing had happened.
So rather than beating around the bush, Lowell just told him directly.
“Thank you for taking care of me, even when you were busy.”
“That’s something that should go without saying. If the person carrying your child says they’re unwell, doing nothing about it is the kind of thing only trash would do.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“From books.”
Lowell was curious about what kind of books Felix had been reading, but he swallowed down the question.
It didn’t seem like it would be particularly enlightening anyway.
“Let’s go inside.”
Even as Felix casually opened the tower door as if nothing had happened, Lowell kept fiddling with the ring in his pocket.
Now that the moment had come to actually give it, he didn’t understand why he was hesitating so much.
“Lowell? Are you feeling unwell?”
Felix asked, sounding puzzled when Lowell remained standing absentmindedly without stepping inside.
Snapped out of his thoughts by the question, Lowell let out a small “Ah,” and finally stepped into the room.
“It’s not that—I just have something to give you.”
“What is it?”
Felix casually asked as he helped unwrap the scarf around Lowell’s heavily armored form.
Clutching the ring, now warm from being held too long, Lowell fidgeted awkwardly.
“Could you lower yourself a bit?”
Felix couldn’t quite see what Lowell was holding, but he obediently bent down as requested.
To match Lowell’s height, he had to fold his waist almost in half.
Taking the prepared string, Lowell threaded the ring onto it and slipped it around Felix’s neck.
He signaled that he was done with a light tap on Felix’s shoulder.
“This is…”
Felix didn’t even need to ask why Lowell was returning it.
The moment he caught Lowell’s scent, it hit him.
Though Lowell was standing right in front of him, it felt like he was being held in his arms.
“It’s the engagement ring I received as a gift. You have to return it to me when you come back.”
Felix stared down at Lowell in silence before finally responding with a quiet, “Alright.”
His expression showed how overwhelmed he was, as if any more words would be too much.
Instead of fumbling for a response, he simply pressed a kiss to the ring.
The act felt almost ceremonial—so much so that it made Lowell’s stomach churn as if the kiss had been placed directly on him.
“Would you lend me your bracelet as well, Your Grace?”
“A trade, then?”
Felix asked back, but he was already unclasping the bracelet from his wrist and slipping it onto Lowell’s arm.
Due to their difference in build, the bracelet was so loose that it nearly slid right off.
Without hesitation, Felix removed it again and knelt down.
“Your Grace?”
Lowell, confused by Felix dropping to one knee, soon realized he was fastening the bracelet around his ankle instead—and let out a laugh.
“It fits perfectly.”
It was still slightly loose, but unlike when worn on his wrist, there was no risk of it falling off.
“You’ll have to give it back when I return.”
“Yes.”
That night, they lay in bed a little earlier than usual.
Whenever Lowell moved his leg, the gems on the bracelet made a soft clinking sound.
“Be careful on your way.”
“You be careful, too.”
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Tia knows how to use the magic sphere in the tower. Contact me if you ever need to.”
“Understood.”
With that simple exchange, they soon fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a while.
And when Lowell woke the next morning, Felix was already gone.
Lowell knew Felix had left quietly to avoid waking him, but despite understanding, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
He ran his hand over the spot beside him, the sheets already cold to the touch.
The chill left a hollow feeling in his chest.
Before that feeling could take root, he sprang out of bed.
He needed to shake off the creeping sense of loneliness before it swallowed him.
“A week without seeing him is nothing. It’s not like I’ve ever been the type to rely on others. I’ve spent far more time alone than with anyone else. Feeling lonely now would just be ridiculous.”
To Lowell, loneliness was like an old scar. It had hurt unbearably at the time, but after a while, it had become just another part of him—something he barely noticed unless he stopped to look.
And when he did, he’d simply think, ‘Oh, right. That’s where the loneliness was.’
It didn’t bother him. In fact, it felt like proof that he had grown stronger.
“Have I gone soft because everyone’s been so kind to me? Or is it just that my body has grown younger, and my heart along with it?”
Lowell quickly pushed the thoughts aside.
He shook out his limbs on purpose, forcing himself to shake off the sluggishness and find his energy again.
“You’re awake?”
Xenia, who had been waiting outside, approached with a basin of water after the knights finished their brief check.
“Good morning, Xenia. I feel like I’m getting lazier every day, waking up this late.”
“Lazy? Not at all! You’re carrying a baby, so resting properly is important.”
The way she called it “the baby” still felt strange, and Lowell unconsciously ran a hand through his hair.
He’d gotten used to the noble customs and acted accordingly, but moments like these still made him feel a faint sense of resistance.
“Thank you. I’ll take care of the rest myself.”
Declining her offer to help him dress, Lowell took the comfortable clothes she handed him.
The knights kept their eyes straight ahead even while he changed, so he hurried through it as if racing to finish first.
It was fine when it was just men, but he didn’t want to be half-dressed in front of a woman.
“When did His Grace leave?”
Still slightly breathless, Lowell asked, and it was Tia who answered first.
“His Grace departed just before dawn. Officially, he’s out on a monster subjugation mission, but he’ll be splitting off midway. He said he’d contact you through the sphere once night falls.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
After a quick breakfast in the tower, Lowell bundled up to head to the main castle.
He wondered if he had overdressed, but remembering how Felix always insisted on layering him up, he decided he couldn’t just go out carelessly.
Seeing how the knights subtly scanned his attire, he figured his choice was appropriate.
‘Are they actually reporting on what I eat and wear, too?’
With that suspicion lingering in his mind, Lowell wrapped a scarf around himself before finally stepping outside.
* * *
