Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!
Chapter 140: ’...Why Her?’

Chapter 140: ’...Why Her?’

Florian kept his expression carefully neutral, though his fingers twitched slightly against the porcelain of his cup. The warmth seeped into his skin, grounding him, but it did little to ease the unease curling in his gut.

It was rare for Heinz to single him out so openly, especially in front of Alexandria and Athena. He wasn’t sure if that should concern him.

He cleared his throat, lifting his gaze to meet Heinz’s. "I assume this is about the ball tomorrow?"

Heinz nodded once, predictably silent.

Across from him, Alexandria’s poised smile remained intact, but something was... off. Her eyes still shimmered with their usual charm, and her lips retained their delicate curve, but there was a stiffness to her posture now—an unnatural stillness, like a performer holding their breath before stepping onto the stage.

The way her fingers curled slightly against the silk of her gown, just for a fraction of a second, told him everything.

’She’s not used to being disregarded like this.’

Florian felt a pang of something—sympathy, perhaps. Alexandria might have been raised to be perfect, to adapt, to remain poised no matter the circumstance, but even she wasn’t immune to the sting of being overlooked.

And of all the princesses, she was the only one who might have genuinely cared for Heinz.

Athena, on the other hand, barely reacted. Her dark eyes flickered, but her attention wasn’t on Heinz—it was on Alexandria. As if watching to see how she would recover, how she would mask whatever she felt behind another well-practiced response.

"Of course," Alexandria finally said, dipping her head just enough to be polite but not enough to appear submissive. "Then we will not keep you."

The words were light, almost teasing, but there was an unmistakable weight behind them.

Florian could feel the tension simmering beneath the surface of the conversation—quiet but suffocating.

His gaze flickered back to Heinz, who remained still, unwavering, detached as ever. The king’s expression was unreadable, but the sheer authority of his presence left little room for argument. This wasn’t a conversation. It was a statement.

Florian exhaled slowly, setting his teacup down with deliberate care.

"Ladies," he said smoothly, his voice polite but distant. "I will be going now. Thank you for inviting me to tea."

Alexandria lowered her gaze, her smile still in place, but it was thinner now, stretched in a way that no longer quite reached her eyes. "We should do this again sometime, Prince Florian."

Athena hesitated, then gave a small nod. "I agree. This was very pleasant."

Florian inclined his head slightly, just as Heinz turned to leave.

"I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day," Heinz said flatly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Florian hesitated for just a second before following. As he stepped away, he glanced back, catching the way Alexandria’s fingers smoothed over her lap in a practiced motion—as if wiping away a moment of vulnerability. When she met his gaze again, the mask was back in place.

’I should ask Heinz why he chose Scarlett... then maybe I can start helping Alexandria more.’

With that thought lingering, he quickened his pace, falling into step behind Heinz as they moved through the palace halls.

"Lucius and Lancelot are waiting for us," Heinz said without turning his head. "I want to discuss some things before the ball."

"All right," Florian answered, though a flicker of confusion crossed his mind.

’Why is he the one picking me up? He could have just sent Lucius or even Lancelot to call me.’

But then again, Heinz was always unpredictable. Maybe he had wanted to observe the tea party for himself.

They walked in silence, the only sounds the rhythmic tap of their boots against polished marble and the soft rustling of fabric as servants hurried past. Each one bowed their heads at the sight of them—respectful, obedient. But Florian could feel their curiosity burning beneath their practiced deference.

It was understandable. The rumors had already spread.

Heinz calling him to his chambers back when he was still doing spy work had been a topic of whispered speculation. Many had dismissed it as an exaggeration, but now? Seeing Heinz personally retrieve him, walking side by side with him—it was enough to make anyone wonder.

’This must be strange for them.’

Florian mulled over the thought before finally lowering his voice. "Your Majesty..."

"Yes?" Heinz didn’t slow his stride.

"I want to ask you something."

"I already know what you’re about to ask." Heinz’s tone was casual, almost bored. "But go ahead."

Florian narrowed his eyes slightly. Heinz couldn’t see it, but he didn’t bother hiding his irritation.

’So he knows I’m curious.’

He sighed. "Why her?"

Heinz didn’t answer right away.

Florian watched as strands of the king’s dark hair shifted slightly with each step, catching the light before settling again. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken meaning. Then, finally, Heinz turned his head just enough to glance at him.

"Try to figure it out."

Florian barely held back a groan. Of course Heinz would say something cryptic. It was practically a skill of his.

"Why must you always be so confusing?"

The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

’Shit.’

Florian stiffened, eyes widening as he instinctively waved his hands in a small panic. "I—I didn’t mean to say it like that."

Heinz... snickered.

It was brief, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

Florian froze.

It wasn’t a chuckle, nor a full laugh, just a small sound of amusement—so out of place, so unexpected, that for a moment, he wasn’t sure he had even heard it right.

"You should speak your mind more," Heinz said, the amusement still lingering in his voice. "I can always tell by your expressions that you have more to say."

Florian scowled.

’Well, that just makes it worse.’

"I wouldn’t dare talk back to Your Majesty," he said, his voice slipping into something almost mechanical, rehearsed. A safe response.

Heinz chuckled, a low, amused sound that sent a prickle of unease down Florian’s spine.

Florian’s fingers twitched at his sides as a memory surfaced—Heinz’s voice cold and sharp, warning him not to overstep. The unspoken threats, the moments when death had felt like a breath away.

It was easy to forget, sometimes, how easily Heinz could kill. How easily he had killed.

Even now, when the distance between them felt smaller, when Heinz sought him out instead of discarding him, Florian knew better than to mistake it for friendship.

Heinz had murdered his own father without hesitation. That alone was proof enough.

’He could kill anyone.’

Florian forced his expression back into something impassive, willing the tension in his shoulders to fade.

’I just wish he’d stop baiting me like this.’

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.