* * *
It was ironic—Adrian, who had already tossed away such concerns, was less cautious than Klen, who knew nothing.
Finally, Adrian took a big bite of the fruit.
The crisp texture and unbelievable sweetness spread through his mouth.
The juice that oozed out with every bite tasted like honey, and a refreshing fragrance tickled his nose.
“What, do divine beasts eat fruit like this?”
“If word gets out, the entrance might become impossible to guard.”
“Maybe so.”
They smiled at each other.
Big sandwiches and sweet fruit—it was a far more luxurious meal than one would expect for a night they were supposed to fall asleep on empty stomachs.
Satisfied even through dessert, the two of them moved to the bed.
Wrapped in warmth and each other’s presence, they fell asleep together.
The Next Morning
When Adrian opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.
No one knew that Klen had returned yet.
Thanks to that, Fabian hadn’t come looking for him at the crack of dawn, and the servants seemed unsure of when they should wake them.
He could faintly sense people hovering outside, pacing just beyond the door—stepping up, then turning away.
They were clearly hesitating.
“…Klen. Don’t you think it’s time to get up?”
Maybe wandering the forest had taken more of a toll than expected—they had completely overslept.
And yet, the soft sheets and cozy blanket felt so pleasant.
Since they were already late, he found himself wanting to lounge a little longer.
Still, there were people surely worried about Klen.
He couldn’t delay reporting back forever.
“Klen?”
When he called out a bit more firmly, Klen’s eyelids finally fluttered open.
Those amber eyes turned toward him, clearer than expected—too clear for someone who had just woken up.
Rather than freshly awoken, it felt like he’d already been awake for a while, just keeping his eyes closed.
“When did you wake up?”
“Just a little while ago?”
Even his light, smiling voice didn’t sound like it belonged to someone who’d just come out of sleep.
“Time to get up now.”
But honestly, Adrian didn’t feel like frowning over something so small.
The morning felt too good for that.
I first moved his arm off me and sat up from the bed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Klen slowly rising as well.
Once I confirmed that, I knocked three times on the nightstand.
Knock, knock, knock.
Click—
“Did you sleep well, sir?”
As if they’d just been waiting for my signal, the attendants entered the room right away.
Unlike the unhurried Klen, they moved quickly, rushing to make preparations.
They didn’t say anything aloud, but I could see relief shining in the eyes of a few attendants—now certain we were both safe.
Naturally, I finished getting ready first, and with no need to hold back anymore, the attendants laid out an extravagant meal.
We ended up having not breakfast… but lunch.
“I’ll go report to Father first.”
“And what will you tell him?”
The fact that I went into the forest myself is a secret.
A few people know, but they’re tight-lipped.
Especially the knights stationed at the forest’s entrance—they won’t say a word unless the Count himself comes and directly asks, “Did Adrian really enter the forest?”
And even then, they probably wouldn’t want word getting out that several of them rushed me and got utterly defeated.
“I’ll just say that while I was wandering in the forest, a handsome divine beast guided me back to the entrance. That should do, right?”
“Do you think that’ll work? What kind of divine beast are you claiming helped you?”
“A handsome one… with blond fur?”
A blond divine beast, huh.
There certainly was one like that.
A majestic creature with bright golden fur—handsome and dignified.
“You mean that wolf?”
He was just a bystander at first, but in a critical moment, he did help me.
I still have a good impression of him.
Klen gave a faint smile and casually lifted my hair, then tousled it roughly.
“Ugh?!”
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Despite needing to weave in a fair bit of fiction about everything that happened, he seemed completely relaxed.
Judging by his attitude, it didn’t seem like he’d come up with anything elaborate.
‘Is that really all he’s going to say?’
Maybe he’s just going to repeat what he told me and leave it at that.
It might be enough.
Given the image he’s built so far, no one’s expecting a detailed explanation anyway.
I suppose there’s no need for me to caution him about anything.
He wouldn’t reveal anything unnecessary.
Klen stepped closer.
“…!”
Then, he lightly kissed me and turned around to leave—as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A casual gesture, like part of our routine.
But the attendants around us froze with wide eyes.
I probably looked just like them.
The only difference was—they were better at quickly hiding their expressions.
“You two seem to have gotten quite close.”
Linda covered her mouth with a hand, her expression warm.
Beside her, Vis smiled naturally too.
Even the air brushing against my nape felt embarrassingly ticklish.
I glanced around, trying to cool the slight heat rising in my cheeks.
But by the time my eyes came full circle around the room, the mood had shifted.
Linda and Vis now stood in front of me, faces solemn.
“What’s wrong?”
They both bowed deeply, in perfect sync.
“…?”
“We’re sorry, Lord Adrian.”
“We sincerely apologize.”
“What? Why? What’s this about?”
Still confused, I watched them bow even lower—as if they couldn’t go any further.
I hurriedly reached out and helped them up.
Holding that position was something you did during training.
If they actually needed training, I might’ve tossed a heavy rock on their backs, but this wasn’t one of those times.
What could they have done so wrong to be acting like this?
“Yesterday, we should have prioritized your condition first, my lord.”
“…What?”
“Instead, we let our own feelings of disappointment show. That was shameful behavior for attendants.”
“At the time, you were unwell and resting in Klen’s arms…”
“….”
Given the circumstances, it was only natural for them to feel hurt or resentful.
But after a night of rest, their heads cooled, and emotions gave way to reason.
I could only imagine how much self-blame it took for them to bring this up now.
“It’s okay. Honestly, if it were me, I might’ve grabbed someone by the collar.”
After all, it had been a whole week of waiting.
If it had been me, I’d probably have yelled the moment I saw their face.
“Thank you.”
“No need. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
Yet they were the ones apologizing—and even thanking me.
To scold people like that would be unthinkable.
I quickly tried to change the heavy mood.
“So, who came by while I was out of it?”
“Not many, my lord. The Count and Countess, Sir Fabian, Lord Willoy, Miss Madeline, and a few knights.”
That’s not “few” by any means.
Sounds like practically everyone I know came to see me.
I didn’t realize I was someone people cared that much about around here.
“And… Lord Elliot has visited frequently these past few days.”
“Elliot?”
“Yes. Even though he was told you weren’t receiving visitors, he insisted he only needed to see you for a moment…”
“Ah.”
Now I understood why he came.
I did give him a task before all this happened.
He probably wanted to report on it.
Still, for someone as lazy as him to move so diligently…
“He’ll likely come again today. What would you like us to do?”
“Hm.”
Linda looked concerned.
She was probably worried about how exhausted I might be after returning from the forest.
I was curious about Elliot’s report, and I didn’t really mind seeing him.
But—
“Since I’m finally feeling better today, I was thinking of going to the healer to get some medicine.”
I hadn’t forgotten how he’d casually rejected my request for a meeting and gone off to play.
“You’ll go in person?”
“I can retrieve it for you.”
* * *
