"I didn't realize you had been feeling this anxious all along... I've been so caught up in my own happiness, and I don't know how to apologize…"
"T-Theo , please calm down. Thanks to you and everyone else, I'm not feeling anxious at all."
Of course, that was a lie.
He felt anxious beyond belief, but he needed to somehow handle Theo, who had suddenly become distressed.
He tried to soothe Theo, but…
"Oh… I'm so sorry. Really… ugh…"
Theo, who had been staring at him, finally pressed his face against his waist to hide the tears that had spilled over.
Um… he wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Theo, but he really hoped he would stop pressing his face against him…
He could feel the tremors of her sobs in such a sensitive area… it was a bit overwhelming, especially in this situation.
At a loss for what to do, he looked for help from Sebas.
"...…"
Natasha and Sebas both silently bowed respectfully and then exited the room without a word.
Now Damien was left alone with Theo, who was pressing his face against him and sobbing.
Huh? What? Was it his responsibility to handle this?
They were his servants; shouldn't they take responsibility for this?!
How long had he been like this?
What, you ask?
How long had he been patting the head of the incredibly beautiful person who was crying with his face buried in his lap?
Though, by now, the sobbing had finally stopped.
Damien wondered if Theo had fallen asleep, as he had become completely still. However, he could tell that Theo wasn't asleep from the firm grip of the arms wrapped around his waist, as if refusing to let go.
"Um, have you calmed down a bit?" Damien finally spoke, feeling like this couldn't go on any longer.
"..."
But Theo remained silent, making no move to release him.
Damien sighed. There was no helping it, was there?
"Uh, it's a bit hard to say this, but… your horns are starting to press into me, and it's getting a little uncomfortable…"
It wasn't a total lie.
Theo's horns were relatively short and not as sharp as they might appear, so it wasn't exactly painful. But the pressure on his stomach was starting to get noticeable.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Theo suddenly pulled away, as if snapped out of a trance.
Finally free, Damien let out a subtle sigh of relief. That had been close on several levels.
"I'm sorry, that was half a lie. It wasn't really painful," Damien confessed, looking at Theo, who stared at him before letting out a sigh of relief.
But… Theo's face was bright red. Clearly, they were embarrassed.
Had Theo been too ashamed to look up this whole time?
"I'm honored that you care about me this much. But really, thanks to everyone, I'm not feeling anxious at all. Please believe me."
That was a lie.
But Damien forced himself to smile, thinking that if Theo saw him as some difficult, troublesome person, it would only create problems down the line.