* * *
Eren’s eyes went wide as he looked between the Emperor and Ashard.
The only one who seemed shocked was him.
Appointed as a royal tutor—just like that, out of nowhere.
Eren couldn’t make sense of how things had escalated so suddenly.
“What do you mean I’m going to be the princess’s tutor?!”
“Just what it sounds like.”
Ashard’s nonchalant reply nearly drove Eren mad.
The Emperor had asked him to be his consort the moment they first met.
He’d barely dodged that mess—and now this?
Being roped into becoming the princess’s private tutor?
“How could you decide something like that without even talking to me about it first?!”
“You didn’t consult me either.”
Ashard’s response left Eren speechless.
After a beat of silence, he scrambled for an excuse.
“Still… I’ve never even met her! How do you know I’m the right person to be her tutor?”
“…You’ve met her before.”
“What?”
“You have met her.”
Eren sighed heavily.
Ashard wasn’t making any sense.
He had only been in the Trovien Empire for two weeks.
The only time he’d even left the house was for that audience with the Emperor.
How could he have met the princess?
Just as he was about to ask what he meant, a man came rushing in through the main gate.
He bowed to Ashard and handed over a scroll, trimmed with ornate gold.
The insignia on the seal left no room for doubt: the golden dragon, symbol of the Trovien Imperial Family.
A letter from the royal household.
Ashard unrolled it, and Eren, trying desperately to peek, stood on tiptoe—but it was no use.
He couldn’t make out a single word, let alone read the contents.
Without a word, Ashard handed him the letter.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
Eren carefully read the letter—and then froze on the spot.
A soft breeze rustled through.
Clouds drifted gently in the clear sky.
But Eren’s eyes, fixed upward, were completely unfocused.
‘…I want to go home.’
[Count Eren Nefendis of the Epentel Empire is hereby summoned to the palace within the week.]
[Empress Luan Trovien, of the Trovien Empire.]
“Just barely escaped the Emperor, and now…”
There was nothing but a hollow sense of defeat.
And now the Empress?
At this point, it was starting to feel like he was cursed by the imperial family.
When Eren’s usually impish face darkened, Ashard snatched the letter away.
He folded it neatly, handed it back to the attendant, and flicked Eren’s furrowed brow.
“Don’t make that face. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“How can I not worry?! It says Empress, Empress!”
They hadn’t been together for that long, but it had been enough.
Enough time for Ashard to realize that Eren was sharp—but also surprisingly simple-minded.
And more than that, that this small person had come to rely on him more than expected.
Maybe because Ashard was the only person Eren knew in Trovien.
But Eren had definitely started to open his heart, even if just a little.
Not that it was one-sided. Ashard himself had once been confused by his own sudden desires, avoiding Eren out of sheer shock.
But now, he found comfort in the closeness.
Eren, who boldly rejected the Emperor in front of everyone and chose him.
And every time he looked at him, his heart raced.
The feeling was unfamiliar and unplaceable.
He just… didn’t want to let Eren out of his sight.
“You never listen the first time, do you?”
With Eren sulking like he’d received a death sentence, Ashard slipped an arm under his knees and back, scooping him up.
Eren’s eyes widened as he was lifted into the air, staring in disbelief.
But Ashard didn’t flinch.
“P-Put me down this instant!”
“Didn’t you beg me to carry you like this before?”
“When did I ever?!”
“Keep whining and I’ll shut you up myself.”
Golden eyes stared intensely at Eren’s lips.
Gasping, Eren hastily clapped his hands over his mouth.
Yet his eyes kept sneaking glances up at Ashard’s face.
A soft breeze ruffled Eren’s red hair.
His smooth forehead, sharp nose like it was sculpted by a blade… Eren’s gaze slowly trailed from forehead to nose to lips.
As he unconsciously stared at Ashard’s lips, a memory struck him like lightning and he quickly turned away.
‘Are you insane?! Why am I suddenly thinking about that?!’
Those hot, soft lips that had once brushed against his own… Argh!
The memory brought color rushing to his face.
Soon his cheeks, ears, and even the nape of his neck flushed red.
Ashard, who had been watching him calmly, felt his own heart stir at the sight.
‘What’s he thinking about now…?’
Maybe something indecent?
The idea made Ashard’s heart skip.
Reflexively, he held Eren a little higher, keeping him from brushing against him.
“Damn it…”
“…What is even going on right now?”
Ashard had carried him in from the garden like he was about to do something dramatic—only to toss him on the bed and disappear.
Eren stared dumbfounded at the door Ashard had left through.
Not that he expected anything… but still!
Then why say all that?
Why carry him in like that?
“…Wait. Was I expecting something?”
Eren clutched the blanket angrily, then suddenly froze.
Was this really something worth getting upset over?
Maybe not.
But the way Ashard had just dumped him there and left… it stung.
The emotional back-and-forth was driving him crazy.
He had never felt anything like this for anyone before.
So Eren had no idea what it was he really felt for Ashard.
He assumed he was just annoyed by Ashard’s unpredictable behavior.
“…Haah.”
It was a sigh from the depths.
Eren flopped back onto the bed and rubbed his aching forehead.
The letter from the Emperor’s court—which hadn’t crossed his mind when he was with Ashard—suddenly surfaced again.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Eren curled tightly into the blanket.
As he buried himself deeper, he inhaled sharply.
He hadn’t noticed it before in his irritation, but this was Ashard’s room.
And the blanket carried his scent.
Eren’s nose pressed deeper into the soft covers.
For some reason, it calmed him.
Was it because he hadn’t slept well, nervous about the upcoming audience with the Emperor?
Or was it because Ashard’s scent was so close?
His frayed nerves began to ease, comfort slowly wrapping around his body.
His eyes began to drift shut.
“….”
Not long after Eren’s breathing turned soft and steady, Ashard returned.
He walked in and sat beside the bed, eyes locked on Eren’s sleeping form.
The very person who caused him so much stress… sleeping peacefully like nothing happened.
It was maddening—and yet, his lips wouldn’t stop curling into a smile.
Almost without realizing it, Ashard reached out and brushed Eren’s cheek.
He had thought it before, but his skin really was flawless and soft.
He gently pinched it, curious—and Eren’s brows furrowed as if he could feel it even in sleep.
“Even asleep, he’s feisty.”
As Ashard tried to pull away, Eren shifted and clung to his hand.
Instinctively, he rubbed his cheek against the palm.
It was an unconscious gesture, but unbearably cute.
“I really might have to lock him away somewhere.”
Letting him roam around like this, who knows when he’ll start doing this kind of thing unconsciously again?
The thought of anyone else seeing this made Ashard’s fists clench.
* * *
