Florian walked alongside Lucius, the papers still clutched tightly in his hands. The silence between them was oppressive, more so than usual. It felt as though the weight of the day's events had settled in the air around them, thick and suffocating.
He tried to focus on the papers, but his mind was racing. He couldn't seem to escape the thoughts that kept circling back to the details Heinz wanted about the princesses. There were questions about their routines, their conversations, how they behaved with and without their aides…
Some of the questions seemed irrelevant for someone who would one day be queen, but Florian didn't let his mind linger on them for long. 'Maybe Heinz has his reasons. Or maybe he's just trying to gather as much info as possible, just in case.'
'Still, kind of seems like he's searching for a criminal rather than a bride,' Florian thought, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.
As he flipped through the pages, the weight of what he had to do settled on him, a sickening feeling twisting in his stomach. He wasn't just supposed to offer advice anymore—now he had to gather information on the princesses, on all of them. Athena, Alexandria, and the rest. Every last one.
'I thought I was just gonna offer some friendly advice,' Florian thought bitterly. 'I can't believe I actually have to full-on stalk them now.'
The thought of getting close to them all—making himself a part of their lives, getting into their business—was uncomfortable, to say the least. He had already exposed himself by approaching Athena and Alexandria, but now... now he was supposed to dig up their personal secrets. He couldn't deny the growing sense of dread.
Florian sighed softly, trying to regain his composure. 'Focus. Bigger picture. Kidnapping. Be a Hero. That's the plan.' He needed to hold onto that. The kidnapping was still coming, and it could be his way out—his chance to be the hero. The one who saves the princesses.
But even as he clung to that thought, the pressure in his chest continued to build. His palms felt clammy, and his grip on the papers tightened. He had no choice. He was in too deep now. He had to play along, whether he liked it or not.
Lucius remained unusually quiet beside him, his footsteps steady and unwavering, his presence unyielding. 'He's surprisingly quiet today,' Florian noted, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Normally, Lucius would say something—whether it was sarcastic or teasing, there was always something.
But not today.
The silence between them grew thicker, and Florian couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just the weight of their task that made the air feel tight. Lucius's gaze kept flicking over to him, and his presence seemed to press in on Florian just a little too much. He could almost feel the tension radiating off him.
When they reached Florian's room, he stepped inside quickly, half-expecting to find Cashew nearby. But the little bird was nowhere to be seen. Before he could take another step, Lucius's hand shot out, grabbing him by the arm and slamming him back against the wall.
Florian's breath caught in his throat. "Fuck."
The shock of the sudden movement left him momentarily paralyzed, heart racing as his chest collided with the cold stone. Lucius's body was pressing against his in a way that felt different from their past encounters. His towering form loomed over Florian, his expression hard and intense.
"What in God's name were you thinking, Your Highness?" Lucius's voice was low, dangerous. The bite in it made Florian's stomach tighten. "Have you completely lost your mind?"
Florian blinked, struggling to regain his breath, confusion swirling in his chest. 'What the hell is with him and pinning me against things?! It's just like yesterday...'
But even as he thought it, a deeper truth hit him. This wasn't the same. Yesterday, Lucius had pinned him playfully, teasingly, but now... now there was something different in the air. Lucius wasn't teasing him. The tension wasn't playful—it was serious.
The energy between them was heavier, charged with something unspoken, something Florian couldn't quite place.
He could feel Lucius's body pressed too close to his. The heat radiating off him seemed almost suffocating. Florian had always known Lucius was attracted to him, but up until yesterday, the butler had done a good job of hiding it. Now, though, it was as if something was shifting—something moving between them.
Florian couldn't ignore the heat in Lucius's gaze, nor the subtle way Lucius's chest rose and fell with each breath. The air between them was thick with something dangerous, a charged tension that neither of them had acknowledged before.
Lucius's eyes locked onto his, and for a brief moment, Florian wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.
"Lucius, please," Florian said, trying to keep his voice steady despite the tightness in his chest. "Can you stop pinning me against the wall?"
But Lucius didn't budge. His eyes locked onto Florian with an intensity that felt both piercing and strangely... concerned. "What happened to you, Your Highness?" he asked, his grip on Florian's arm tightening ever so slightly, his voice dropping to a low, serious pitch. "You've been different since you woke up. What's going on?"
Florian's heart raced, his mind scrambling for a response. 'He's too close... why is he acting like this? What does he want me to say?' He met Lucius's gaze, searching for some kind of answer that would make sense, but the truth felt suffocating on his tongue, and he knew he couldn't say it—not yet.
"You already asked me this," Florian managed, his voice wavering despite his efforts to stay calm. The words felt hollow, but it was the best he could do. His mind was too muddled, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
Lucius's gaze sharpened, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Apparently, I did not ask enough," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but thick with concern.
"It's because of my concu—"
"I know you're lying, Your Highness." Lucius interrupted, his voice cutting through the air with startling clarity. "You can stop using the concussion excuse. I'm well aware that's not true."
'Fuck. He already figured it out?'
Florian's throat tightened, his words stalling. His chest felt tight, constricted by the pressure of the situation, and the proximity to Lucius only made it worse. He knew that there was a possibility that Lucius had seen through his lies yesterday.
He just didn't expect he'd confront him so early.
The weight of the conversation, the unspoken tension, felt suffocating. Florian felt like he was running out of options, running out of excuses, and suddenly, the best thing he could do was speak the only truth he could allow himself to voice.
"I just want to go home," Florian whispered, the words slipping out before he could stop them. His voice was quieter than he intended, and it carried an honesty he hadn't expected. "I just want to go home and see my sister."
There was a rawness in his chest as he spoke, and his heart ached at the simplicity of it, at the longing he couldn't hide.
'This is as honest as I can be.'
Lucius's expression softened, but his eyes searched Florian's face with such intensity, it almost felt like he was trying to see into Florian's very soul. For a brief moment, the room fell silent, the tension thick in the air. Florian didn't know if he should look away or meet Lucius's gaze—he felt both exposed and strangely relieved.
Then Lucius sighed, his grip finally loosening as he stepped back, giving Florian some space. "That's the only honest thing you've said since I met you, Your Highness," he said, his voice quieter now, tinged with genuine concern. "But as you saw... that's not possible. It never was."
Florian nodded slowly, his heart sinking. He had known it was too good to be true—that escaping this place wouldn't be so easy. "So don't say it again," Lucius added, his tone turning serious once more. "Not in front of His Majesty, or anyone else. You might risk getting punished—or worse."
Florian swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Lucius's words settle deep in his chest. He could see the concern in Lucius's eyes, but it didn't change the fact that Florian was still trapped, still playing a game where the stakes were higher than he ever imagined.
Lucius took a step back, his posture still tense but not quite as tight as before. His hands were slightly shaking, but his expression remained steady.
"Don't do anything reckless again," Lucius added softly, his voice laced with a quiet but firm edge. "You don't know what His Majesty is capable of. You're very fortunate that he has been meeting you with indifference, Prince Florian. Don't let that change. Whether you still love him or not, you have to learn that negligence is the ideal situation for you right now."
Florian's breath hitched in his throat. The weight of Lucius's words settled over him like a heavy blanket. Lucius was actually concerned for him—concerned for his safety. It was unexpected, and for a brief moment, something ached in his chest, but he quickly suppressed it.
'Why is he acting like this now? He was never this outright concerned in the novel.'
Florian couldn't help but wonder why Lucius seemed more drawn to him now that he was pushing him away, rather than when the original Florian had been chasing him. 'Is he just worried, or is he trying to play the hero? If that's the case, some things haven't changed.'
Either way, Florian knew one thing for sure—he couldn't afford to ignore the gravity of the situation.
Despite Lucius's warnings, Florian felt the familiar rush of determination fill him. He understood exactly what he had gotten himself into, perhaps more than anyone else did. He wasn't about to back down, not when there was so much at stake. He couldn't—he wouldn't. Not yet.
He had no choice but to keep playing the game.