Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!
Chapter 118: ’Focus On The Test!’

Chapter 118: ’Focus On The Test!’

"So far, so good," Florian whispered, keeping his voice low as he leaned slightly toward Lucius and Cashew. The three of them stood concealed behind a set of ivy-covered columns in the garden gazebo, their vantage point offering an unobstructed view of Heinz and Alexandria.

The pair sat at a small, elegant table adorned with delicate teacups and fine pastries, illuminated by soft golden sunlight streaming through the enchanted canopy above. Florian’s eyes remained fixed on the scene, his curiosity simmering just beneath the surface. "How are they both feeling?"

Lucius crossed his arms, his gaze steady as ever. "Princess Alexandria is happy. Calm, as she always is," he replied in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

Florian nodded slightly. That wasn’t surprising. Alexandria’s serene demeanor was practically unshakable, a trait that only added to her allure. But Florian’s curiosity wasn’t so much about her as it was about the man across from her. "And King Heinz?"

Lucius hesitated, his sharp silver eyes narrowing slightly. "I... can’t see his emotions."

Florian turned his head sharply, blinking at Lucius in disbelief. "You can’t see his emotions?"

Lucius gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I used to, but ever since he returned from that island..." His voice trailed off, his expression hardening. "He’s become much more powerful. That’s why I keep reminding you not to test his temper. He may seem indifferent, but you’ve seen what he’s capable of."

Florian felt his chest tighten as the memory surfaced, unbidden and vivid. Heinz’s cold, unreadable face, the slight lift of his hand—and then Arthur’s head, gone in an instant. It wasn’t just the raw brutality of the act; it was the effortlessness, the utter lack of hesitation.

’All that power, only to be killed later? Whoever managed to do it must’ve been either terrifyingly strong... or terrifyingly clever.’ Florian forced the thought away and focused back on Heinz and Alexandria.

Heinz seemed perfectly composed, every bit the man Florian remembered from the novel. His charm was effortless, his flirtation subtle yet undeniably present. Alexandria let out a soft giggle at something he said, her gloved hand lightly covering her mouth. The sound was delicate, refined—befitting a princess.

"His Majesty really knows how to charm the princesses, doesn’t he?" Florian muttered, his tone tinged with a mix of admiration and envy.

Lucius tilted his head, his gaze unwavering. "Really? I think he’s quite distant with them lately."

Florian frowned, his brow furrowing. "That’s distant? If that’s him holding back, I don’t even want to imagine what it looks like when he doesn’t." He chuckled softly, though the sound was strained, his lingering headache pulsing faintly.

Lucius’s expression remained unreadable as he continued. "His Majesty used to be far more... demonstrative. Not just affectionate, but touchy. Skinship was second nature to him. Now, he won’t even take her hand. It’s disappointing her quite a bit."

"She’s... disappointed?" Florian asked, his tone sharpening with intrigue. "Does that mean she likes him?"

Lucius’s lips twitched in what might’ve been the beginning of a smirk. "Most of the princesses do. Or, at the very least, they find him attractive. It’s only natural." He flicked a glance toward Florian, his gaze steady yet teasing. "I’m sure Your Highness would understand His Majesty’s charm, considering—"

"You don’t have to bring that up," Florian snapped, cutting him off with a sharp edge to his voice. Lucius, ever unbothered, chuckled softly in response.

But the moment lingered, uncomfortably so, until Florian narrowed his eyes. "Hold on. Does that mean you can also see... love? As in, emotions of love, not just the usual stuff?"

Lucius nodded, the motion slow and deliberate. "Yes."

’Oh.’

Florian’s chest tightened slightly at the revelation. So Lucius could likely see lust too. That explained a lot—why he could so easily gauge a woman’s affections, why he always seemed one step ahead in matters of the heart.

Silence stretched between them as they both turned their attention back to Heinz and Alexandria. The pair exuded an undeniable chemistry, even if Heinz seemed less engaged than expected. Florian tapped his pen against his notebook, scribbling down a quick observation. From what he knew, it all made sense—Heinz’s connection to the gods, Alexandria’s divine ties.

’They’re a perfect match.’

He noted it down with an almost mechanical precision.

"So," Lucius began, breaking the silence, his tone as probing as ever, "am I allowed to ask why you couldn’t sleep last night?"

Florian stiffened slightly, his pen halting mid-stroke. "Depends," he replied cautiously, not looking up.

"Depends on what, Your Highness?"

Florian finally turned to meet Lucius’s gaze, his expression guarded. "What did you see when you looked at my emotions earlier?"

Lucius blinked slowly, his silver eyes thoughtful. "Fear, regret... and embarrassment."

Florian felt the heat rise to his face, his jaw tightening. ’Embarrassment.’ Of course, that would stand out. It wasn’t as though he could forget the nightmare that plagued him—a vision of his body, his face, caught in an explicitly compromising situation with another man.

"You’re embarrassed right now," Lucius pointed out, a faint trace of amusement in his tone.

Florian groaned internally, pinching the bridge of his nose. ’Now he’s just being smug.’

"It was just a terrifying and humiliating nightmare," Florian muttered, his voice clipped. "That’s all."

"Is that so?" Lucius asked, his tone heavy with skepticism. "I can tell when you’re lying, you know."

"I’m not lying."

"But you’re leaving out details."

Florian turned away with an audible huff, his patience wearing thin. ’This guy is insufferable.’ "Just focus on observing His Majesty and Princess Alexandria," he said through gritted teeth. "We’re about to move on to the second part of their activities."

"You’re deflecting," Lucius remarked, his smirk practically audible.

"And you’re being annoyi—shit." Florian’s voice caught as his eyes landed on a familiar figure approaching from the far side of the garden. His breath hitched.

Lancelot.

The knight’s strides were confident, his polished armor gleaming as he walked with a group of other knights. Florian’s stomach turned when Lancelot’s piercing gaze locked onto his. Then, as if to twist the knife, Lancelot winked. A playful smirk curved his lips.

Florian’s face burned, and he quickly averted his eyes. ’What the fuck?’ It was so random, so absurdly casual, that Florian couldn’t even begin to process it. ’Why is he being so shameless?’ He forced himself to steady his breathing, though the memory of last night’s vision clawed its way back into his thoughts.

And, as if things couldn’t get worse, he knew Lucius had caught every second of it. He could feel the weight of Lucius’s curious gaze boring into him.

"...So something happened with Lancelot?" Lucius asked, his tone dripping with barely concealed suspicion, his silver eyes narrowing in amusement.

Florian closed his eyes, exhaling heavily as his shoulders slumped under the weight of the question. ’Fuck it all.’

There was no point in lying—not to Lucius. The man would see right through him, as he always did. And to make matters worse, Florian could feel Cashew’s curious gaze lingering on him, like a timid mouse peeking out from its hiding spot, too intrigued to stay silent but too afraid to ask.

"I had a nightmare last night," Florian admitted begrudgingly, his voice low and clipped. "Lancelot ended up barging into my room because he thought there was an intruder. He got a little too flirty for my taste, so I made him leave."

Lucius tilted his head ever so slightly, his expression a picture of mild amusement and thinly veiled scrutiny. "He came into your room?"

"Yes," Florian replied sharply, already regretting bringing it up.

"And how was he even near your room?" Lucius pressed, his tone calm but laced with an edge that made Florian’s nerves prickle.

Florian shifted uncomfortably, running a hand through his tousled hair. "He said he was guarding me. I think the king asked him to do so, after... you know, the whole kidnapping incident."

Lucius’s brow furrowed, his composed demeanor giving way to something colder, sharper. "There was no such order," he said evenly, his words slicing through the air like a blade.

"What?" Florian blinked, his stomach sinking.

"As you probably noticed, His Majesty already assigned other knights to your protection," Lucius continued, his voice steady but tinged with an unmistakable undercurrent of irritation. "Lancelot, as commander, is not part of that roster. Whatever he was doing outside your room was of his own volition."

Florian’s throat went dry. There was no mistaking it now—Lucius was upset. No, upset wasn’t the right word. Lucius was jealous.

The realization sent an involuntary shiver down Florian’s spine, his heart skipping a beat. ’Fuck, I can’t deal with this right now.’ After that vision—after being forced to see himself in compromising positions he’d rather not think about—his tolerance for anything remotely suggestive was at an all-time low.

"Whatever," Florian said hastily, waving a dismissive hand. "I don’t care anymore. I’m fine. And all I’m thinking about now is the test. Lady Alexandria and the other princesses are my priority, so let’s just focus on that." He gestured toward the table where Heinz and Alexandria were finishing up their conversation. "They’re about to leave for the next location anyway."

Lucius stared at him for a long moment, his eyes searching Florian’s face for something unspoken. For a second, Florian thought Lucius might push further, might pry into things Florian wasn’t ready to talk about. But then, Lucius’s shoulders relaxed, and he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

"Very well," Lucius said at last, his voice calm again.

Florian let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, relief washing over him. He turned his attention back to Heinz and Alexandria, hoping to distract himself from the tension coiling in his chest.

’Just focus on the test.’ He repeated the mantra in his head like a prayer. ’Make Heinz trust me more, help him find a bride, and then get him to help me return to my world. That’s it. That’s all I’m going to think about.’

But as the group began to move to their next destination, Florian couldn’t shake the feeling of Lucius’s watchful gaze on his back—or the faint memory of Lancelot’s smirk as their eyes met in the garden.

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