* * *
A different group watched them from a distance.
“Don’t you think His Grace might be in danger at this rate?”
“No matter how attractive Yuri is, he’s no match for Duke Graham.”
“Have you ever seen His Grace and the Duke together?”
Rumors flew around as Yuri and Sylvian, unaware, slowly picked up their pace.
“Thank you so much for coming today.”
“The pleasure was mine. It was a great experience.”
Sylvian smiled contentedly as he looked over the riding grounds at sunset.
Warming up indoors with tea between rides, sitting by a fire pit—it had all been lovely.
Getting closer to the younger nobles had been meaningful, too.
He didn’t want to stir up rumors by getting too cozy with Yuri, so it had been a calculated choice to be sociable all around.
He’d shown he could ride confidently, so the outing was a success.
Sylvian smiled and kissed Emily’s hand.
“Please invite me again next time.”
“Of course! You’re always welcome, Lord Sylvian!”
Building rapport with the Diacy family, who owned the stables, had also been a smart move.
Sylvian got into the carriage, leaving behind Emily’s beaming smile.
She had even arranged for the carriage to be brought to the entrance, saying she didn’t want him to tire himself.
“Mind if I ride back with you?”
Before the door shut, a large hand grabbed it, and Yuri climbed in.
“Of course. We’re going the same way—I’ll drop you off.”
At Sylvian’s words, Yuri’s lips curved into a bright smile.
“Today was really fun. Zeroth said there’s a great riding course in the Duchy, too. You should visit sometime.”
“Are you inviting me?”
“Of course.”
From the start, Yuri had never been a romantic interest.
It was a shame, but Yuri, an omega, was entirely out of the question.
Even now, Sylvian saw the different look in Yuri’s eyes—but he couldn’t accept it.
“We’re friends. You’ll always be welcome, Yuri.”
“…Friends. Right.”
That was as far as it could go.
Yuri understood. Sylvian was already married.
To a duke, second in power only to the Emperor.
There was no reason for divorce.
Biting his lip, Yuri smiled faintly, sadly.
“I’ll always be your friend, right?”
Sylvian took his hand, his expression soft.
“We both know how hard things have been. As long as our hearts don’t change, we can always be friends.”
Who knew what the future held—so he couldn’t give promises.
But he didn’t want to see disappointment on Yuri’s face.
He didn’t know why Yuri had fallen for him, but Yuri was undeniably a good person.
Kind to everyone, always smiling no matter what.
The kind of person who couldn’t help but be the protagonist.
“Even that is enough for me.”
“Hey, you’re always the one being kinder to me.”
Yuri was the one who came by his house often.
The one who played with Martius.
The one who noticed when Sylvian was down and made sure he had time to rest—
CRASH!
“Ah!”
“Lord Sylvian!”
He’d been rambling, wishing Yuri’s heart wouldn’t get hurt.
A loud crash jolted the carriage sideways.
Outside, guards were shouting.
Before Sylvian could hit the wall, Yuri yanked him close.
When he opened his blurry eyes, all he could see was Yuri’s chest, holding him tightly.
“Yu-Yuri?”
“Huh… I’m—I’m okay. What about you, Sylvian?”
With a deep sigh, Yuri came to his senses and checked on Sylvian.
Looking outside, he heard the distressed cries of horses—an accident must have occurred.
“Get it upright!”
“Don’t just stand there—help out!”
“Please, don’t touch! We can handle this!”
The tilted carriage was quickly lifted back into place.
Screech.
Thud.
Clack.
The carriage door opened, and a knight escort poked his head out.
“Lord Sylvian! Are you alright?!”
“I’m fine, fine. More importantly, Yuri—”
Blood was running down Yuri’s forehead where he had hit the inside of the carriage.
Sylvian took out a handkerchief and pressed it firmly to the wound.
“I’m a swordsman. This is nothing.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘nothing’ when it comes to injuries.”
“Please step out. The wheel’s broken—we’ll have to request another carriage from the Duke’s estate. Lord Holt, you should come with us.”
Yuri was about to say he was fine, but seeing the worry etched on Sylvian’s face, he gave a small nod.
Once outside, they saw the carriage wheel had completely collapsed into a deep pothole.
“Looks like Duke Graham’s carriage.”
More people began to gather as word of the accident spread.
The coachman hurriedly tried to calm the panicked horses.
“Would it be alright if you rode horseback?”
A knight, deciding it would be safer to escort the Duchess back to the estate before the crowd grew any larger, pointed to a horse.
“We should wait for a carriage at a nearby shop. Lord Holt is injured—it’s too risky to have him ride a horse in that state.”
Blood continued to trickle from the wound on Yuri’s forehead. Sylvian, pulling out another handkerchief in haste, applied pressure.
“It’d be better to call a doctor instead. You—inform the Duke’s estate of the situation. And you—bring a physician.”
“One of us should stay with Lord Sylvian.”
“Then let’s do as you say. Someone else can be sent to fetch help.”
A knight assisted Yuri as he struggled.
The one Sylvian had instructed gave reluctant orders to the coachman, then untied one of the horses.
Someone was watching them from a distance.
“P-please, come in!”
As Sylvian entered the nearest shop, the owner—who’d been peeking outside—quickly came forward to greet him.
“Do you have a room where someone can lie down?”
“Yes, I’ll take you upstairs. Shall I send for a doctor?”
“That would be helpful.”
The shopkeeper passed on the request to a staff member and led them upstairs.
“Please have the patient lie here.”
They had chosen well—a lodging that doubled as a tavern.
The bed was more than big enough for Yuri.
Sylvian pushed the protesting Yuri down onto the bed.
“Is there a doctor nearby?”
“Yes, there’s a skilled one not far from here. He’ll arrive soon—don’t worry, just rest.”
Once the shopkeeper left, the knight checked the room thoroughly.
“I’ll wait by the door.”
Having confirmed there were no issues inside, he stepped outside to stand guard.
“It would be awful if this left a scar.”
Seeing Sylvian’s worried expression made Yuri feel more awkward than anything else.
“With some medicine, this will heal quickly. Honestly, it might’ve been better if you just rode back on horseback.”
Yuri gestured to his own broad frame to reassure Sylvian.
Part of him found it endearing that Sylvian was so troubled on his behalf.
‘If I confessed my love right now, he wouldn’t know what to do, would he?’
Suppressing the overwhelming feelings inside him, Yuri forced a smile.
He couldn’t bring shame to the Duchess.
Even if people didn’t suspect him because he was an Omega, there were still rare cases where love transcended biological roles.
‘Maybe it really is just a youthful whim,’ like Martius said.
Feeling Sylvian’s warmth against his hand, Yuri slowly closed his eyes.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing the knock, Sylvian assumed it was the doctor and spoke.
* * *
