* * *
“Look at the way the vice-captain’s eyes are sparkling. Found a new talent, and it’s like he’s ready to die of happiness. Well, can’t blame him — the kid’s no joke. If I went up against him, I’d lose for sure.”
“Why’re you even asking? Of course, you’d lose. Still… it’s surprising. That guy only ever lounges around, napping or watching flowers bloom.”
“Exactly! But hey, it’s him, after all.”
“Still… Your Highness, you ever think about inviting him to watch the knights train? Or maybe tag along on a subjugation hunt sometime…”
Once most of the heretics had been dealt with and the situation calmed, the knights’ voices grew louder.
And naturally, Vivisian became a frequent topic.
Dressed in elegant clothes without a single wrinkle, yet cutting down heretics without hesitation — it left an impression.
Even Hesia, recognizing that, didn’t say anything when Vivisian was mentioned.
But… what the hell were they saying now?
Hesia was so dumbfounded that he almost stopped mid-swing with the sword embedded in a heretic.
A second later, he gripped the hilt tighter, and the heretic’s body, half-split, was ripped completely apart by the force.
Dodging the spray of disgusting fluids with a grimace, Hesia replied in a faintly irritated tone.
“Bullshit. You lot think I’m easy, huh? Bringing Vivi to a place like this? Not happening.”
“A place like this? Then what does that make us, who roll around in this hellhole regularly?”
“What the hell do you think? Poor bastards suffering through this shitshow.”
Lowering his voice so Vivisian couldn’t hear, Hesia muttered curses under his breath, then swung his sword to decapitate another heretic.
The knights standing near the splatter zone quickly ducked aside with exasperated sighs.
Not sparing them a glance, Hesia only scoffed under his breath.
The knights, long accustomed to his sharp tongue and abrasive personality, simply went about their duties or fiddled with their slime-stained uniforms, grumbling about how hard it would be to clean them.
Yet, even amidst that, some of them kept gossiping non-stop.
“What do you mean suffering? This is me sacrificing myself for the sake of the principality!”
“Ah, what a shame… That looks like foreign swordsmanship. I’d love to see what it’s about… I should’ve been a heretic…”
“Hah…”
Putting together a knight order made up of people literally obsessed with swords, regardless of their social status, naturally led to side effects like this.
Plenty of them could pass as textbook knights without issue—but every now and then, you’d get one of these types who practically handed their brains over to their swords.
“You people really have a talent for making me speechless in so many ways. Shut up before I lose my temper.”
“Aw, Your Highness losing his temper isn’t even that rare. If Lord Vivisian gets mad? Now that’s something to be worried about. But when Your Highness gets mad, especially when Vivisian’s not around, well… that’s basically your default setting.”
Hesia turned his head slightly, checking to see that Vivisian was chatting with Miranda, laughing, not even looking this way.
Only after confirming that did Hesia let the corners of his lips curl upward, ever so faintly.
“Alright then, Sir Tay. We’ll have a little chat later.”
“Ah…”
Ignoring Tay’s short sigh, Hesia kept moving his sword.
Slash, slash, slash, and slash again.
He focused solely on what was right in front of him, trying to shake off the tangled mess of worries about the future filling his head.
Unfortunately, even wiping out all the heretics wasn’t enough to clear his troubled thoughts.
Just as Hesia pressed his fingers to his temple with a small sigh, Miranda came dashing over, bright-faced as always.
Watching her, Hesia couldn’t help but wonder what nonsense she was about to pull to flip the whole training ground upside down this time.
Miranda grinned wickedly as she spoke to the knights.
“Lord Vivisian says he can’t do it with too many people, but… if there are knights curious about his swordsmanship, he’ll spar with up to three of them! Those interested, raise your hands—oh… way too many. Okay, listen up, only two of you will be picked. One spot’s already mine.”
“Boo! That’s favoritism!”
“Give us a fair chance too!”
“Hey! I earned this chance, so lower your voices. And Your Highness—why that face again? Don’t tell me… You’re thinking, ‘He’s mine, so no one touches swords with him without my permission,’ some ridiculous, possessive nonsense like that?”
“No, it’s not that. But seriously, can you phrase things a little… nicer?”
Hesia never thought he’d be the one saying words Vivisian often scolded him with.
With a face full of resignation, he muttered under his breath.
The knights, understanding that meant permission, began arguing about whether to settle it with rock-paper-scissors, or let Vivisian pick, or decide by age, before all heading over to Vivisian together.
Hesia stood still, simply watching from a distance.
Watching Vivisian, who had been quietly wiping down his sword, widen his eyes in surprise at the approaching group, laugh brightly upon hearing the situation, and then smile kindly.
Without realizing it, Hesia’s gaze had turned sour.
One of the older knights resting nearby, Proy, spoke up.
“What’s bothering you this time?”
Proy had helped Hesia a lot as his personal guard when he first struggled to adjust to life in the principality.
Hesia couldn’t bring himself to ignore the man, so he shrugged and mumbled:
“…You wouldn’t believe me if I said it’s nothing, right? Looks like I’ll have to have a chat with you before I get to Sir Tay.”
“Haha, how could I dare to chat with Your Highness? I simply hoped to ease your worries with my humble insight.”
“You sure talk pretty.”
Grumbling softly, Hesia plopped down onto a large rock nearby.
Resting his elbows on his knees, chin in his hand, he gazed toward the distant scene of Vivisian laughing with the knights and muttered:
“I know it’s childish. I know way too well. But still… I hate sharing Vivi with others. Every minute, every second of his time is precious to me. The thought of sharing even that much with others is unbearable.”
“But Your Highness, think of Lord Vivisian. This is the right thing to do. When you’re not around, who does he spend time with? The palace staff, the knights. Letting him build relationships with them like this is good for him. You don’t intend to turn him into a dog waiting endlessly for his master, do you?”
“Of course not! I— I… Vivi…”
“Then don’t stop others from approaching him. He’s kind, capable, and… honestly, quite unique. His background, his story.”
“…You know about him?”
“Veteran knights like me, or the ones who’ve wandered far and wide, probably figured it out by now.”
A man with looks like that and skills like that—there can’t be two Vivisians out there.
Proy smiled calmly, as if stating the obvious. Hesia couldn’t refute it, so he stayed silent, lips pressed together.
“Don’t worry though. None of them have any strange intentions. They act like they’re missing a screw, sure, but they’re good people. And if he’s really that person, there’s even less to worry about. Though I can’t say how exactly he ended up here… I’ve heard through acquaintances in the Empire that he went through far too much at a young age…”
Proy’s voice had that typical, slow, slightly clumsy tone of his.
Hesia gave a faint, bitter smile.
“Yeah… He went through too much at such a young age. I never realized how hard it was for him because he always seemed so much more mature than me. …You know I was a slave, right?”
“Yes.”
“He’s the one who saved me.”
Proy’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting that. Hesia observed his reaction for a moment before smiling softly.
“He’s also the one who sent me here. That’s why… I can’t help but love him.”
“So that’s how it is… Then, the ‘Vivi’ you speak of—is him?”
“Yeah. And… he might not live long. Or more precisely, he might choose not to live long.”
‘Obviously, don’t tell anyone that.’
Hesia buried his face in his knees, muttering as if he were confessing about skipping lessons to sneak into the training grounds.
“Of course. I swear on all my honor to keep that secret.”
“Hearing that from you… makes me believe it. If someone else had said it, I probably wouldn’t have.”
Hesia made a lame joke to lighten the suddenly heavy air, but his forced smile faded quickly.
“Vivi’s lost his will to live. It’s not depression—just… exhaustion. His whole life’s been one misfortune after another. He’s clung to that miserable life alone for so long… it’s no wonder he’s tired.”
Hesia’s voice softened, eyes clouding as he spoke with quiet understanding for someone’s weariness.
“But I’m selfish too, I guess… I want him to stay by my side. Even Grandmother seems to have figured it out—she’s been slowly easing up on my duties lately. Ugh, I’m so pathetic.”
After a moment of silence, Proy spoke gently, as if comforting a child:
“You’re not pathetic at all. Even if you were, that’s just how love is. It doesn’t mean you’re pathetic, Your Highness.”
“You asked me if I hated you today. Not at all. Sia, you’re not selfish in the slightest. You’re just in love with me.”
It was one of those dawns when sleep refused to come, and I woke up from a shallow doze.
That was when Vivisian gently caressed my back and whispered those words softly.
Remembering them now, that comforting memory made Hesia blink blankly, as if he’d been transported back to that dawn.
It was a moment when the guilt I’d tried so hard to bury began to rise.
And there was the kind person who knew everything and still kissed my forehead.
The warm breeze drifting through the slightly open window.
The curtains dancing softly in rhythm.
Ah… I’m already missing the time I spent with Vivisian.
It’s going to be a problem.
* * *
