* * *
Felix, expecting as much, wrapped his arms around him and gently set him down safely.
If not for his swift action, the boat might have tipped over.
“I almost fell at the worst possible moment.”
“I would never let you fall.”
Felix smiled as he tenderly brushed Lowell’s cheek with his fingers.
That was the biggest difference Lowell had noticed after the imprint.
‘He kept smiling so sweetly last night, and now again today.’
Outwardly, Felix hadn’t changed much — but inside, his heart was filled with a deep sense of security from being bound together, and with the joy of knowing his love was fully returned.
It was no wonder the tense, stoic expression he had worn for so long was finally beginning to melt away.
For Lowell, quietly observing the change at his side, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
But for those who had only watched from afar, it would have seemed like Felix had become an entirely different person.
“I’ll be careful too. I won’t get hurt in front of you, Felix.”
Sitting comfortably on the boat, Lowell gazed at the river, blooming with flowers.
It had looked beautiful yesterday too, but now, drifting along the water, it felt like they were moving through a tunnel made entirely of blossoms.
“It’s so beautiful.”
While Lowell stared, captivated, Felix began to gently row the boat.
As they floated downstream, the village gradually came into view.
“Oh, that must be the market from yesterday! It’s so lively now that the weather’s clear.”
Lowell couldn’t hide his excitement, feeling like it had been ages since he’d last traveled somewhere.
Felix, meanwhile, cared little for the scenery — he focused entirely on Lowell’s animated, glowing face.
“Yes. It’s very crowded today. Would you like to stop by?”
“Hmm… Maybe we could grab a meal there? Oh, but if it’s too crowded, we can just eat at the inn.”
“I don’t mind.”
Thinking Felix disliked crowds, Lowell quickly backtracked — but Felix just shook his head.
Now, the only thing that mattered to him was whether Lowell was there or not — not how crowded the surroundings were.
“What about you, Felix? Do you like it here?”
“Yes.
Seeing you happy makes me happy.”
Lowell had been asking about Felix’s thoughts on the travel destination, but the response he got was about himself instead.
“When our little one is born, it’d be nice to come back here together.”
Lowell murmured, recalling the black panther cub he had once seen in a dream.
Felix’s hands, moving skillfully on the oars, faltered for a split second.
“When our little one is born…?”
“Well, after they learn to walk, of course.”
Rowing automatically now, Felix stared blankly at Lowell’s belly.
Lowell let him be, knowing that after these silent, brooding moments, Felix usually brought up something important.
Petals floated down on the breeze.
Lowell instinctively reached out to catch one but missed, thanks to a sudden gust of wind.
‘Wasn’t there some superstition about catching a falling flower petal bringing good luck…?’
Lowell didn’t normally believe in such things, but he still stared wistfully at his empty hand.
Felix, who had been watching him silently, finally opened his mouth — with difficulty.
“If the child is born… how would you want to raise them?”
It was a topic they had barely touched upon until now.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, Felix had always avoided conversations about their future child.
Lowell knew that too, which was why he hadn’t pressed the matter before.
‘Even when we talked about the pregnancy, he focused only on my condition, not much about the baby.’
Lowell smiled warmly, feeling like this was another small but important step forward.
“What about you, Felix? How would you want to raise them?”
“First, to be a good ruler, they’ll need to be strong. Especially as the heir of Nyx — they must learn swordsmanship without fail. If they have talent in magic, then of course, it would be good to train that as well.”
Hearing his answer, Lowell could only blink in surprise.
Felix, serious and determined, continued speaking, completely unaware of how astonished Lowell was.
“Still, it’s not enough to just train the body. You also need a good grasp of history, philosophy, and enough artistic sensibility not to be looked down on by others. It’s best to find yourself plenty of good teachers too.”
Surprisingly, Felix’s opinion didn’t end there.
Like a strategist plotting some grand plan, he started laying out an elaborate vision for the child’s future.
Overwhelmed, Lowell averted his gaze and stared at the flower petals floating on the water.
‘If he keeps this up, he’s no different from those overzealous parents who enroll their kids in ten different academies. I mean, sure, a duke needs a lot of skills, but isn’t this a bit much?’
Lowell thought about protesting, but Felix’s passion was so intense that he didn’t dare.
Honestly, to Lowell’s ears, it sounded like someone daydreaming about raising a child he’d never even met.
Once Felix had finally finished, he noticed Lowell’s hollow gaze and awkwardly cleared his throat, realizing he’d been talking to himself.
“What about you, Lowell? What do you want?”
“…I just… I just want them to grow up loved, to be polite, to respect others… to be a good person,” Lowell stammered out, uncharacteristically hesitant.
Felix, visibly flustered, couldn’t hide his surprise.
“A good person… yes, that’s good.”
His face looked like he wanted to protest — what’s the use of a ruler being just “good”? — but he couldn’t bring himself to oppose Lowell’s wish.
In the end, the two fell silent and remained that way until they reached land.
“S-Shall we go eat?”
Deciding it was too early to be discussing the education of a child that hadn’t even been born yet, Lowell awkwardly changed the subject.
“Alright. We’ll leave this conversation for another time.”
Leaving the awkward mood behind on the boat, they headed toward a marketplace lined with food stalls — and there, they encountered an unexpected face.
“Huh? Felix, doesn’t that person look familiar?”
Lowell was the first to notice.
He pointed toward a row of tents where a man in elaborate makeup stood.
Felix quickly remembered where he’d seen him.
“It’s the troupe we saw during the Festival of Blessings in Phoebus.”
“Looks like this is their home base. There’s a pretty big building behind the tents — I think they perform there.”
Actors were standing outside the tents, calling out to tourists.
Among them, Lowell recognized a few of the supporting actors from last time.
“Do you want to see the play again?” Felix asked.
Lowell shook his head.
It had been fun, but he didn’t want to spend their limited time here seeing the same play twice.
“Once was enough.”
“Then let’s eat and decide what to do after,” Felix said, turning away without hesitation.
However, despite being the one to refuse, Lowell kept glancing back as they walked.
At first, Felix pretended not to notice, but after a while, he couldn’t ignore it and asked again.
“Lowell, if you want to see the play, it’s fine.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then why do you keep looking back? Are you curious about the actor who played the lead?”
Felix’s gaze sharpened — determined to interrogate whatever emotions Lowell might be feeling, whether it was fondness or discomfort.
Lowell, who had already forgotten about the actor, looked confused.
“Huh?”
“If you’re not interested in the play, then it must be the actor you’re curious about. What about him caught your attention?”
“That’s not it!”
* * *
