* * *
Countess Holt had only recently recovered and wanted her son to at least earn his diploma.
The Emperor had agreed, delaying Yuri’s entry into the Order until graduation.
“So Martius is in the 2nd Order now?”
“By the time I graduate, he might even be eligible for the 1st Order.”
Yuri thought of Martius, who was growing stronger by the day.
Thanks to him, their family name had become more widely known.
After the baron and baroness vanished, investors came chasing after Martius—but backed off after reading the contract terms and realizing the Duke was involved.
‘Who would’ve thought all those investments were scams?’
It turned out the Duke had only directly funded a few. He had even created fake ventures to move his own money around.
Seeing that, people mistakenly believed the Duke trusted Viscount Nertian’s word.
They flocked to him—and ended up investing in all the other con artists who came his way.
Yuri didn’t want to tell the Duke’s wife any of the nasty rumors circulating outside.
“You could probably join the 1st Order with Martius too.”
“…That might be a bit much.”
If he joined the 1st Order, he’d be under the Duke of Graham directly.
Wouldn’t it be okay to enjoy graduation just a little?
The memory of brutal training flickered through his mind.
“I want to start training again, too.”
“That’s not allowed yet.”
A sudden voice interrupted.
Sylvian’s head snapped toward it.
“Y-You’re back.”
He stood up to greet Zeroth.
Zeroth opened his arms as if to embrace him, but Sylvian subtly evaded.
“And Martius?”
“I don’t keep tabs on every move of the 2nd Order’s knights.”
Zeroth answered Yuri’s question while staring silently at Sylvian, who had sat far from him.
‘He’s avoiding me…’
Zeroth tried to pull Sylvian closer again, but the way he dodged his touch made him withdraw his hand.
“How was your day?”
“Yuri came to visit. We walked through the greenhouse.”
“I’m glad to see you recovering well.”
Zeroth thanked Yuri and then shot him a look that clearly said, ‘You can leave now.’
“Can I stay for dinner?!”
“Of course! Martius will be back soon too.”
At Yuri’s pleading eyes, Sylvian quickly nodded—though not without glancing at Zeroth to read his expression.
After the kidnapping, Zeroth had oddly mellowed.
Given his usual possessiveness, Sylvian had expected him to cling and never let go again.
But instead, Zeroth was keeping even more distance.
Of course, Sylvian had also been the one who ran away, groaning with that desperate look like he still longed for him.
He wanted Zeroth to pine for him a bit more.
“Even without Martius here, I can still hang out, right?”
Yuri’s voice brimmed with disappointment.
“Of course. I only meant it’d be even better with him here.”
Martius, who had said he would leave the Duke’s estate now that he had found his brother, had been stopped by Zeroth.
He had become the excuse to keep Sylvian here.
“I’ll go rest in Martius’s room until dinner!”
“Won’t that be uncomfortable? We’ve prepared a separate room for you too.”
“Oh, it’s fine. We’ve gotten close, so I’m comfortable in his room. He’ll be off work soon, and we have things to talk about.”
Yuri fled from the duke.
No matter how he tried to twist things around, being alone with him until dinner was terrifying.
“You two seem to have grown closer while I was away.”
It was a relief, but Yuri’s smile was strangely off.
Sylvian tilted his head, puzzled.
“We did get closer.”
Zeroth replied with a soft laugh, his eyes curving.
Sylvian snuck glances at him, the picture of elegance as he held the teacup with the grace of someone straight out of a manners manual.
‘Come on, be curious.’
He felt like a fisherman dangling bait, waiting for the fish to bite.
He’d never enjoyed fishing, but now he thought he could understand why fishermen longed for a catch.
Since waking up, he had deliberately avoided Zeroth’s touch, so the man must’ve been thinking about his own actions too.
Sylvian was confident: if he just made a few more moves, he could win his heart.
“Soon, Marquis Karl will be marrying Lady Nepher.”
Sylvian, who had been sipping tea along with Zeroth, spat it out in shock.
“Cough, cough!”
He’s getting married?
To that Charlian?
“Mar-Marquis Karl?”
“Yes. It was my wish that, as payment for kidnapping you, he live unhappily for the rest of his life.”
Gulp.
Zeroth’s tone had lost every trace of humor.
Sylvian’s hand twitched around the teacup.
“So, Karl really did kidnap me?”
“I didn’t say anything to put your mind at ease. But you deserve to know the truth.”
Then why tell him now?
Sylvian’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Zeroth observed the change in his expression.
“Because I hate the thought of you not trusting me.”
“Ah… I’m. I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not fine.”
Zeroth had often soothed Sylvian by telling him everything would be okay.
But this time, he shook his head firmly.
“Being kidnapped is not something you can just get over. Even now, aren’t you scared of me?”
He saw Sylvian’s small lips pressed tightly together and knew he was right.
“You don’t have to be okay. Karl Rooster will come to ask for your forgiveness.”
Had Zeroth told Karl the truth?
Sylvian bowed his head as he listened.
Did he now know everything? What Karl did to him?
“So… Karl… really was a bad person?”
Sylvian’s voice shook. Zeroth let out a silent sigh.
“Did I… did I just imagine bad things? I was scared… but I also felt sorry…”
The way Sylvian’s voice faltered showed just how deep his pain ran.
“How did you come to think Karl was the culprit?”
“He said I was locked up… but whenever I woke up, he was there.”
Maybe the sedatives hadn’t been dosed properly.
Sometimes he’d wake earlier than expected.
And whenever that happened, he’d hear Karl’s footsteps—not from the door, but from the bathroom.
Sylvian choked up like someone feeling guilty for suspecting someone wrongly.
“That bastard— I mean… Did he hit you?”
“Ah, no!”
He did worse things.
Karl was skilled, too.
While Zeroth was away, Karl’s gentle and soft touch had been enough to offer false comfort.
If he said that out loud, Zeroth would lose it.
Sylvian swallowed a laugh, and his face darkened.
“Why… why me…?”
“Because of me.”
Hearing his trembling voice, Zeroth had no choice but to confess.
“He hated me because of something I didn’t tell him.”
“You… were in the wrong?”
“Yes. I was at fault.”
He couldn’t bring himself to talk about his past love for Hailey, but he could admit his mistake.
“He was hurt, and I turned a blind eye.”
Plip.
Tears fell on Sylvian’s thin pants, leaving dark marks.
“We’ve cleared things up. The Marquis regrets it too. But forgiveness is yours to give, Sylvian. No one will pressure you.”
A large hand gently cupped Sylvian’s cheek.
He flinched, about to recoil, but froze when he met those desperate crimson eyes.
But when Zeroth’s face came closer, Sylvian ran away after all.
Click.
Returning home, Martius opened his door, then backed up a few steps to double-check.
“You’re here?”
* * *
