"Are you okay, Your Highness?"
Cashew's soft voice broke through Florian's thoughts, pulling him back to the present. He looked up from his untouched plate of food to find Cashew standing nearby, his wide purple eyes filled with concern.
Lunch had finally arrived. Typically, the harem ate together in a lavish dining hall, but today was different. After the fiasco with Scarlett during the tea party, the harem members had been given permission to dine separately in their rooms—a decision Florian was profoundly grateful for.
"I'm fine, Cashew," Florian said, forcing a small smile. Then, almost instinctively, he raised a hand toward the boy. "May I?"
Cashew's cheeks flushed a faint pink as he nodded shyly. "O-Okay, Your Highness."
Florian's smile widened as he gently placed his hand on Cashew's head, ruffling his soft hair with a comforting pat. He had been doing this all morning—at seemingly random intervals—asking Cashew if he could pat his head. Cashew had told him multiple times that he didn't need permission, but Florian insisted.
He didn't just want obedience. He wanted Cashew to feel like he had a choice.
'He's starting to get it, though,' Florian thought with a touch of pride.
As he patted the boy's head, his mind drifted. 'He really does remind me of Kaz when she was younger. Back when she was shy and sweet... before she learned how to weaponize her sarcasm against me.'
A small chuckle escaped him. 'It's nice to have a little sibling figure here. Keeps me sane in this insane world.'
"What... were you thinking about, Your Highness?" Cashew asked, his voice tentative but curious as he gazed up at Florian.
"Well, for one, I was wondering why the palace's most important butler has decided to hang around my room," Florian said, his voice loud enough to ensure that Lucius, standing silently in the corner, would hear.
Lucius had left earlier after delivering a stern warning about testing Heinz's patience, but only an hour or two later, he had returned without any explanation. Now, he was stationed in Florian's room, observing him like some kind of immovable shadow.
Instead of focusing on his planning and writing—tasks that required privacy—Florian had been forced to pretend to enjoy one of the original Florian's hobbies: gazing at his collection of flowers. The glowing blue butterflies that hovered around the blooms added an ethereal charm, but Florian was more baffled than enchanted by their constant presence in his room.
"You could have just asked, Your Highness," Lucius replied, his tone neutral but with an almost imperceptible edge of cheekiness that made Florian bristle.
'Back to his usual self, I see,' Florian thought, suppressing a grimace. 'Still, I can't forget how close he was earlier. I almost shoved him away.'
Reluctantly, Florian stopped patting Cashew's head. The boy looked slightly disappointed but didn't say anything as Florian turned to face Lucius directly. The butler was studying a stack of papers, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"Alright," Florian said, crossing his arms. "Why is the head butler of His Majesty, the king, lounging around my room instead of doing whatever important tasks the king has for him?"
Lucius didn't look up from his papers as he replied, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "Because His Majesty has assigned me to watch over you."
Florian froze, his fork halting mid-air as his eyes blinked rapidly. "What? Why would he do that?"
Lucius didn't look up from his papers as he replied, his tone calm and measured. "Because His Majesty thinks you, Your Highness, are suspicious and wants me to ensure you keep your promise to watch over the princesses and provide him with information."
Florian's brain stuttered to a halt. 'What the fuck?'
"And... and you're just comfortable telling me this information?" Florian asked, his disbelief evident.
'Isn't that something you should keep to yourself? What's the point of spying on someone if they know they're being watched?'
He was spiraling. 'In the novel, Lucius stuck around Florian all the time, but that was after Florian kept seducing him. I thought I could avoid that now, considering I'm not seducing him, but now... he's being required to stay here? Are you kidding me?'
Lucius finally looked up from his papers, pinning Florian with that unreadable gaze. Florian shifted uncomfortably, his mind flashing back to when Lucius had cornered him earlier.
"If I had lied," Lucius said evenly, "you would have found a way to interject and demand I leave. But since this is a direct order from His Majesty, you can't say no."
Florian's jaw clenched. 'This... this guy!'
"And what about the other princesses?" Florian snapped, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Why aren't you watching over them? Or the maids? Why do I have to be the one to report back to His Majesty?"
He knew the answers to these questions, of course—he had written this world, after all—but throwing them out made him feel like he had the upper hand. If he could throw Lucius off-balance, even just a little, maybe he could get through this encounter with his sanity intact.
Lucius set the papers aside, leaning slightly forward. His movements were slow, deliberate, and unnervingly calm.
Florian's instincts screamed at him to back away, and he did, scooting slightly to the side before Lucius could get too close.
"Seeing your expression as you left me with the princesses yesterday," Lucius began, his tone carrying a faint edge of amusement, "I think you already know the answer."
Florian's stomach twisted. 'Fuck. He's actually smarter than he looks.'
"I-I don't know what you mean," Florian stammered, gripping his fork like it was a lifeline. "I just enjoyed seeing you get bombarded by women."
Lucius tilted his head slightly, his sharp gaze never wavering. "And what, exactly, is so enjoyable about that, Your Highness?"
Florian's eye twitched. His annoyance flared, but he quickly tamped it down, turning his attention back to his plate. Behind him, he could feel Cashew's wide-eyed gaze flickering between him and Lucius like a spectator at a particularly tense duel.
"You know what? Fine. Stay. I don't care," Florian muttered, stabbing at his food with more force than necessary.
"That's fine by me, Your Highness. Fine by me," Lucius replied smoothly, and for a moment, Florian thought he'd let it go.
But then he felt it.
A presence behind him. Close. Too close.
"Personally," Lucius said, his voice lower now, more intimate, "I'm also interested in learning everything about why you suddenly changed, Your Highness. While what you told me earlier was the truth, I know it wasn't all of it."
Florian jumped, nearly knocking his fork off the table as Lucius's words brushed against his ear. His eyes widened, and his heart slammed against his ribs.
By the time he spun around, Lucius was already standing straight, his expression perfectly composed—except for the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
'Is...' Florian's mind raced as his face heated uncontrollably.
'Is he trying to seduce me?!'