* * *
Clang.
The sound of a spoon hitting the floor rang through the quiet room.
Since everyone had been resting in silence, all eyes instantly turned toward the source of the noise.
“I’m sorry!”
Robin, who had been standing absentmindedly, flinched and hurriedly set down the teacup he was holding.
He had been adding a bit of sugar to Lowell’s tea when he must have dropped the spoon.
But the real issue wasn’t just this single mistake—Robin had been making a series of small blunders all day.
‘Bringing the wrong clothes, burning his tongue while eating, cutting his finger on paper… And those are just the ones I can count.’
Simply put, he had been acting as if his mind were somewhere else entirely.
“It’s okay. Some tea spilled, but are you hurt anywhere?”
Lowell waved a hand dismissively at Robin, who looked flustered and panicked.
Normally, Robin would have laughed off such a minor mistake and lightened the mood with a joke.
But today, he seemed incapable of doing that.
‘It’s hard to believe he’s this shaken up just because the Crown Prince left.’
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Lowell tried to piece together the reason behind Robin’s odd behavior.
Watching him pick up the fallen spoon and clean the floor, Robin looked like he had pulled himself together.
Just as Lowell was debating whether to ask him directly—
“You’re quite passionate.”
The comment came in a flat tone from Felix, who had been sitting nearby.
“Huh?”
Lowell, who had assumed Felix was still focused on his documents, blinked in surprise and looked at him.
But Felix had long since stopped working and was now staring at Lowell—who, in turn, had been watching Robin with a concerned expression.
“The way you look at him is very intense. Someone might get the wrong idea.”
Lowell blinked again before rubbing the back of his neck, which had started to flush red.
‘He knows perfectly well I have no feelings for Robin.’
Robin was someone the Crown Prince had brought along—an Omega.
He was undeniably handsome, but when it came to matters of importance, Zephyros was a much bigger concern than Felix.
‘If anything, I should be the one feeling jealous, not Felix. There’s no reason for him to care.’
Lowering the book he had been holding, Lowell met Felix’s gaze.
Felix, as if realizing his own awkwardness, resumed moving his pen.
But instead of writing anything meaningful, he was merely doodling absentmindedly.
“You wouldn’t misunderstand, would you, Felix?”
Lowell deliberately emphasized the word misunderstand, and Felix’s grip on his pen loosened slightly.
It wasn’t that Felix had genuinely doubted him or felt reassured by his answer.
Rather, it was the playful yet soothing way Lowell spoke—telling him there was nothing to worry about—that defused the tension.
“As long as you don’t go overboard.”
Felix backed off with a small concession. Lowell simply smiled and turned his attention back to Robin.
The latter seemed completely oblivious to their conversation, still lost in thought.
Anyone could see that something was seriously wrong.
‘He’s not sick, is he?’
It wouldn’t be too strange if he had suddenly fallen ill right after the Crown Prince left, but Robin had always been in good health, and he didn’t seem feverish.
‘Well, if it’s something serious, he’ll say something eventually.’
Lowell figured that in this condition, Robin wouldn’t be able to train in swordsmanship today.
He decided to talk to him only about the necessary matters and leave it at that.
‘For now, I’ll just stop worrying about it.’
Unfortunately, that resolve didn’t last long.
While Felix was away for training, Lowell planned to take a short walk before heading back inside.
Robin, however, insisted on accompanying him, despite Lowell telling him he could just stay inside.
‘Will he be okay?’
And as expected, he was not okay.
At first, getting some fresh air seemed to do him good; his eyes looked more focused.
But before long, he began to wobble, and soon, his steps grew unsteady.
‘At this rate, he’s really going to get into trouble.’
Lowell watched him with the same uneasy gaze one would give a child near a body of water.
The knights escorting them also looked on nervously.
And then, inevitably, Robin failed to notice an icy patch on the ground and nearly slipped.
“Robin!”
Lowell, already on edge, instinctively reached out first—but his own lack of strength nearly caused him to fall as well.
Fortunately, the knights had been prepared and caught them both, preventing any accidents.
“Oh! That could’ve been bad. I’m so sorry.”
Robin let out a sheepish laugh and bowed his head in apology.
Lowell, unable to hold back his deep sigh, spoke firmly.
“Robin, apologizing isn’t enough anymore. You need to go back and rest immediately.”
“Huh?”
“Do you realize how many close calls you’ve had today? I don’t mind small mistakes, but your safety is actually at risk right now. Go back to your room, rest, and reflect on what’s going on with you. If you want to do anything, you need to stabilize yourself first.”
Worried that he had been too harsh, Lowell added in a gentler tone:
“If you ever need to talk, I’ll always listen.”
“…Thank you.”
For the first time today, Robin dropped the forced smile he had been wearing and responded honestly.
That alone reassured Lowell.
‘At least he’s aware that something’s wrong. If he understands the problem, he’ll figure something out.’
That minor incident ended their walk earlier than planned.
Back at the estate, Lowell organized his clothes in the study and summoned Hamilton to receive a report on the past week’s events at the Grand Duke’s castle.
Initially, Lowell had found these briefings awkward—it felt like he was already acting as the Grand Duchess. But Hamilton had been adamant that he needed to listen.
“There were no other notable incidents. Also, the Grand Duke instructed me to summon a tailor.”
“A tailor?”
“He said your clothes seemed uncomfortable.”
Now that it was mentioned, the clothes he had deliberately chosen in a looser fit were starting to feel snug. His pants were fine, but his top was getting tighter around his waist.
“You can just buy some new ones. There’s no need to call a tailor.”
“I’ll ensure they arrive within the week.”
Hamilton, who usually never contradicted Lowell’s decisions, was uncharacteristically firm.
Since it wasn’t a big deal to Lowell, he let it slide.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll take my leave now.”
After Hamilton left, Lowell collapsed onto the sofa.
He had originally planned to look around the castle, but he simply didn’t have the energy.
‘I was always exhausted before, but now it’s even worse.’
Intending only to rest his eyes for a moment, Lowell ended up drifting into a light sleep.
But the moment someone tried to tuck a blanket over him, his eyes snapped open.
“Felix?”
The name came out instinctively as he rubbed his eyes, causing the person standing over him to flinch.
“Oh, did I wake you? I was just trying to cover you with a blanket.”
It was Robin.
He had gone back to his room earlier, but now he had returned.
Sitting up, Lowell frowned slightly.
“I told you to rest. Why are you here again?”
His words came out more bluntly than intended, perhaps because he had just woken up.
“After clearing my head a bit, I realized there was something I wanted to say.”
“To me?”
Lowell had told him he was willing to listen, but he hadn’t expected Robin to open up so soon.
“Yes. I felt like talking to you would help me feel better.”
“Is that so?”
Robin couldn’t have known, but perhaps instinctively, he had chosen the right person to confide in.
‘His intuition is good—he even picks the right people to talk to.’
* * *
