* * *

“Then how about a village festival?”

Felix suggested casually but furrowed his brow slightly, his gaze wavering uncertainly.

While he didn’t retract the offer, the slight movement of his lips betrayed his unease.

“I’ll be heading back to my territory next week, but I thought you might want to do something before then.”

It was an uncharacteristically awkward excuse.

When Lowell had been bedridden, Felix hadn’t had the luxury of noticing such details, but now, even he sensed something was off.

Negative thinking often clung like inertia.

The fear that change might make things worse kept people rooted in place.

Like everyone else, Felix was struggling to return to his original position.

But the pull of Lowell’s influence was far too strong.

“All right,” Lowell replied.

In that simple response, Felix found himself defying the laws of nature.

His chest surged uncontrollably, to the point where he couldn’t even entertain the thought that things might worsen.

This was an attraction he couldn’t dismiss as mere pheromones playing tricks on him.

“I hope the last memory we create in the capital will be a happy one.”

At that moment, Felix sincerely wished to make Lowell happy.

Both his thoughts and emotions spiraled out of control, completely escaping his grasp.

“Yeah. I hope so too.”

Being with Lowell felt as if the world had turned upside down.

Every rule he’d known seemed to work in reverse.

Instead of shunning him, Lowell approached him; instead of expressing disdain, he warmly embraced him.

Without making demands, Lowell acknowledged Felix’s very existence.

Felix had no defense against what he had never built immunity to.

Yet, even though Lowell’s world was disorienting and overwhelming, Felix didn’t find it unpleasant.

Since recovery was necessary, leaving for the village immediately wasn’t an option.

The two agreed to return to the mansion to rest and make their way to the village together on the festival’s final day.

The Count of Clarke’s household, despite knowing that Lowell had been injured, neither responded nor took action.

The Count had silenced the servants under the guise of following the Emperor’s will.

Even Tanya only glanced at Lowell’s shoulder without asking if he was okay.

Lowell mused bitterly, thinking the original owner of this body must have felt terribly lonely.

Within the count’s house, where Lowell had no true allies, he found himself eagerly awaiting the outing with Felix.

Time passed slowly.

Lowell spent most of the sluggish hours sleeping.

Tanya, claiming it was due to pregnancy, assured him not to worry and brought meals to his room.

But Lowell had little appetite.

Still, he forced himself to take a bite or two for the sake of the baby and his own health.

Finally, the day they had promised arrived, marking the end of the monotonous wait.

Felix arrived in the same carriage as before, dressed even more meticulously than usual.

Without his overwhelming air of authority, he might have been mistaken for a young man trying to impress on a first date.

Anticipating Felix’s appearance, Lowell handed him the outfit he’d prepared in advance.

“To think you were planning to walk around in that flashy carriage, shouting, ‘I’m a noble.’ You’ve clearly never set foot outside your estate.”

Felix, staring blankly at the clothes as if asking what they were, was met with Lowell’s firm instructions.

“Your Grace, please change into these clothes inside the carriage.”

“What?”

The carriage was spacious and secure from prying eyes, so changing clothes wouldn’t be difficult.

However, the request was sudden for Felix.

“If we’re going to the village, we should enjoy it like ordinary people.”

“Ordinary?”

“Yes. Wearing that would be like announcing to everyone that a noble has arrived. You’ll attract too much attention, and it’ll be inconvenient to walk around. I want to blend in and sneak around like everyone else.”

Felix raised an eyebrow slightly but wasn’t one to insist on matters he was unfamiliar with.

He complied, stepping into the carriage to change.

Even dressed in commoner’s clothes, Felix didn’t show any signs of discomfort.

Though the clothes were slightly short on him—his pants ending awkwardly above his ankles—his excellent physique and handsome features gave him an air of elegance regardless.

‘Even dressed like that, it’s useless. He still looks like a noble trying to blend in.’

Lowell ended up handing him a robe as well.

However, Felix, instead of taking the robe, looked down at it silently before speaking.

“You should wear this.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You have… an appearance that stands out unnecessarily.”

Felix trailed off at the end, which was rare for him.

Lowell, who acknowledged that this body was indeed beautiful, couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle at Felix’s remark, thinking, ‘Is this what they call rose-colored glasses?’

Instead of pointing it out, Lowell asked Tanya, who was lingering nervously nearby, to fetch another robe.

Felix only seemed satisfied once Lowell wore the robe, even going so far as to adjust it to cover Lowell’s striking golden hair.

Meanwhile, he himself draped his own robe carelessly.

“We should park the carriage a little away from the village.”

Since walking all the way from the count’s house wasn’t feasible, Lowell agreed to Felix’s suggestion.

The carriage was as luxurious as it was comfortable, making it a reasonable proposal.

It didn’t take long to reach the village.

After a twenty-minute walk from where they left the carriage, they arrived at the lively village entrance, abuzz with activity for the festival’s final day.

Felix, overwhelmed by the vibrant atmosphere, hesitated, unsure if he should proceed.

Lowell gave him a playful push before he could dwell on it.

“You’re not thinking of turning back after coming all this way, are you?”

Felix’s hesitation vanished the moment he saw Lowell’s bright smile.

Without another pause, he strode forward, forcing Lowell to hurry after him.

Despite his best efforts, Lowell struggled to match Felix’s stride, often finding himself falling behind.

After several rounds of jogging to keep up, his frail body was soon gasping for breath.

“Lowell?”

Realizing Lowell’s labored breathing, Felix turned to see him struggling to push through the crowd.

Felix, belatedly noticing that his long strides had left Lowell behind, made a sheepish face.

He hadn’t considered this, having never walked alongside anyone other than his subordinates.

“I’m here.”

Lowell managed to catch up, still panting heavily.

Adjusting one’s natural walking pace wasn’t an easy task.

While he was lucky to catch up quickly this time, it was clear that in such a bustling crowd, losing sight of each other was only a matter of time.

Though there were covert guards following Felix, they were solely focused on him.

“Hold my hand.”

Felix’s words came out bluntly, followed by a quick explanation.

“If we lose each other, it’ll be a hassle. If you get lost, I might have to halt the festival to find you, and that would ruin everything.”

As if to emphasize there was no other meaning behind his words, Felix rambled on, his ears turning bright red.

Lowell, noticing the faint blush at the tips of Felix’s ears, couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

He cautiously extended his hand, which Felix gripped firmly before turning his head away and walking ahead. His pace was noticeably slower this time.

“Is there anything you want to do?”

Having reached the bustling center of the festival while still holding hands, they were greeted by a dazzling array of sights.

Stalls of all kinds lined the streets, with street performers, theatrical acts, and even circus tents adding to the festive atmosphere.

The sheer variety of activities made it difficult to decide where to start.

Having never experienced such festivities before, Felix deferred the choice to Lowell.

“When you’re at a festival, you start with something delicious.”

Lowell, in fact, already had his eyes on something.

“Let’s try that chicken dish.”

This time, Lowell tugged Felix along toward a vendor.

The dish, cooked over a gently glowing magical flame, reminded Lowell of the rotisserie chicken from his previous life.

The nostalgic aroma made his mouth water, erasing the loss of appetite he’d felt at the count’s house.

‘No matter how adaptable I am, I still miss the food I’ve eaten for almost thirty years.’

The seasoning was slightly different, giving the dish a unique flavor, but it was the closest to the familiar taste of home he’d encountered so far.

“I’ll pay for it.”

As Felix reached for his money, Lowell stopped him.

“All you have are gold coins, right?”

Felix had no response to Lowell’s hushed question, after all he was right.

* * *