After taking a rest and going to the lake to enjoy some leisure, Rensley, who had returned to the Duke’s bedroom, sprawled out like a soaked sponge. Without bothering to tighten his loose robe, he stretched his legs on the large bed. Rolling around lazily, Rensley grumbled casually.
“It’s too much to be scorching like this in the middle of the day. I’m so tired that I won’t be able to do anything in the evening.”
There was no response from Gezell. Unexpectedly, he had a somewhat gloomy expression. After swimming to his heart’s content in the bright lakeside sunlight, and devouring people like a beast right there, why would he be discontent now?
As far as Rensley was concerned, Gezell was a man with an occasionally incomprehensible inner world. He sat up, placing himself next to Gezell, who was still lying in bed.
“Why are you like this? Just tell me. I’ll be energetic even in the evening.”
“Actually, lately, I feel a bit…”
“What is it? Tell me. If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do my best.”
Gezell didn’t immediately respond. He had a slightly avoiding gaze, as if he were the one who had made a mistake. He finally spoke a bit later.
“Normally, just the thought of you crying is heartbreaking, but…”
“But what?”
“…for some reason, when we’re intimate, I prefer it when you cry. Even though you said you didn’t like it today, I just got more absorbed…”
“Ah.”
The short exclamation was more of a nuance of ‘Was that so?’ than surprise. Rensley lightly smiled and kissed Gezell’s cheek, which had become more serious as if he had made a mistake.
“That’s perfectly normal.”
“Do you think so?”
“If you’ve tasted something sweet, you might want to make someone cry with your own things. It’s a common thing. Besides, aren’t you… quite remarkable? It’s not something anyone can do just because they want to, so you can be a bit proud.”
“Is that so? Then does Maelrosen also feel that way when he looks at me?”
“What?”
Rensley looked at Gezell in surprise.
…Well? The current Rensley Maelrosen was undoubtedly someone who shared love with a man, and he had become completely accustomed to accepting him. However, this was just a story in their relationship. If asked whether he had ever regarded a man as an object of desire or love out of curiosity, he would say…
“Um… I think it’s better for me to cry.”
“Is that normal too?”
“Of course. Both of us are perfectly normal. Whether we’re normal or abnormal, if the day comes when you want to tie my arms for no reason and make me cry by hitting my buttocks with a crutch, then you can worry about it then.”
Gezell frowned, surprised.
“What a bizarre story. For whatever reason, there’s no way I would hit you.”
“Look at this. It’s really within a truly ordinary range now. Still, because Your Grace has such good energy, please don’t trouble yourself too much.”
As Rensley smiled, Gezell finally relaxed his expression and returned the kiss on his cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’ll give you instructions in advance, so please have your meal comfortably here.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“But Your Grace should dine with the Imperial Court people like Ivet, shouldn’t you? I’ll have dinner with my fellow knights.”
“I thought about having all your luggage brought to this room, but…”
“No. While staying in the palace, I’ll stay with my fellow knights in the knights’ quarters. It wouldn’t be strange to come and go occasionally, but if we continue staying here, everyone will see it as favoritism.”
Wondering if the others had enjoyed themselves at the public bath, Rensley, in a long prostrate position, looked up at Gezell.
“Because you brought me here during the day, I couldn’t properly sightsee. I haven’t been to the market, and I haven’t seen the clock tower up close yet. If we finish dinner and have time, can I go sightseeing with other members?”
“That’s fine. I have no intention of stopping you. It would be good to go together, but as the Duke, I came to announce my relationship with the Emperor, so I can’t go sightseeing in the square from the first day.”
Feeling sorry to go for a night out alone, Rensley kissed Gezell’s cheek. Smiling, Gezell asked in a soft tone,
“Do you like the clock tower? Shall I build one in Roudken too?”
“If I say I like it, are you going to make anything I want? It’s just something big and nice that I want to see. I don’t even know how to properly read a clock.”
Teasingly, Gezell lay down next to Rensley, resting his head on his side.
“It’s not difficult. You’re clever, so you’ll understand quickly. If it’s okay with you, I’ll teach you now.”
“Oh, really?”
“Just wait a moment. If I have paper and pen…”
“I brought them. Please write here. That way, I can review it on my own.”
Rensley hurriedly went down under the bed, rummaging through a small bag hanging by the saddle. He took out a notebook filled with scribbles, notes, and sketches, the same notebook where he had written a letter that he had no intention of showing to Gezell. It had been a while since Gezell had asked to keep the letter, and Rensley reluctantly handed it over.
Opening the notebook, Rensley flipped through the pages until blank ones appeared. Gezell suddenly fixed his expression and grabbed Rensley’s hand holding the notebook.
“Your Grace? Why are you doing this again?”
Gezell had already turned over several pages. While Rensley was watching him do this with a puzzled expression, he found the desired page, unfolded the notebook, and looked down silently. There was no significant change on his lightly colored face, but he seemed dissatisfied with something. Rensley directed his gaze to the page Gezell had found.
There, Rensley had drawn doodles. A tedious carriage coming all the way to Pheraira, a black bear wearing a crown and a cloak, and a joke-like drawing with Gezell Jivendad’s name below. It was a doodle that Rensley liked to draw when he was bored, and as he repeated it, his style had become quite stable by now.
Did he get angry because I dared to draw the king as an animal? Representing people as animals is a common technique in caricatures, so it could be misunderstood. Rensley quickly offered an explanation.
“Your Grace, this is just a joke.”
“You still draw these kinds of pictures.”
“It’s just a joke. Doodles. I didn’t draw you like a beast… It’s about the image. Fitting the image.”
“Maybe I thought it could be like that before, but I didn’t know you still saw me this way.”
“I just thought it felt similar…”
Is it really something to be so uncomfortable about? It wasn’t meant to mock; strictly speaking, it was a drawing imbued with affection. Rensley, who had always been lenient with his own rudeness and faults, became cautious when Gezell behaved unusually sensitively.
“Bears are big and cute animals, aren’t they? They appear a lot in old stories, and if taught well, they can perform tricks. I once saw a merchant in Celestine Square make a large bear roll a ball, and it was really cute. When I see Your Grace sitting alone by the fireplace, it reminds me of a bear, so I drew it. There’s no other meaning.”
Upon hearing this, Gezell remained silent, just looking at Rensley. The faint frown that had appeared initially now seemed uncertain.
“Bears are very aggressive animals. In addition to being aggressive, they are omnivores, harming crops, livestock, and humans alike. Their meat and fur are also less valuable compared to other wild animals.”
“Huh? Bears? The bears I’ve seen were gentle and cute…”
“Forest bears are not gentle at all.”
Rensley was genuinely surprised. Blinking a few times, he quickly realized the reason for Gezell’s discomfort and approached him.
“Really. If you don’t believe me, ask Ivet. Would Ivet say the same thing as me? People in Cornia generally find bears cute when they hear about them. I haven’t lived in the southern forest where bears hardly live, and I’m not a hunter, so how would I know about wild bears?”
“…So, does that mean the drawings I made in the past weren’t meant to depict me as ferocious, threatening, and useless?”
“There’s no way, Your Grace!”
Seeing Rensley flustered, Gezell looked down at the drawing again. His expression gradually softened, and in the end, he nodded as if understanding.
“Regardless of how real bears are, the drawings you made are cute.”
“Is that so?”
“So, shall we learn how to read a clock?”
“Yes!”
Gezell spread out a blank page again, drew a round circle, and wrote clock numbers inside.
“They say the clock tower in the square is a sightseeing spot, but it’s often used when making appointments. It’s easy to spot anywhere, so if you suggest meeting there, it’s easy for the other person to find you.”
“Exactly. That’s why there are many delicious restaurants and pubs around that area. It’s often used as a place for couples to celebrate love or make vows. I read a novel recently about a knight and a queen falling into forbidden love. Eventually, they decide to escape together, and there’s a scene where the queen disguises herself as a maid and goes to meet the knight waiting for her under the clock tower. It was a fantastic story… They said the clock tower was inspired by Molbessa’s clock tower, so I wanted to see it in person even more.”
“An affair and escape of the queen… I didn’t know such inappropriate literature was in my library.”
Seeing Gezell’s eyes subtly narrowing, Rensley burst into laughter. Pulling Gezell’s neck closer, he kissed him a few times, and Gezell soon responded with a light laughter.
“I only know that you are the one who easily teases me like this.”
“Please keep it a national secret.”
“Let’s go to the clock tower together next time. We can set a time, and if you wait, I’ll come.”
“Are you planning to run away together?”
“Not a bad idea. The country will be turned upside down.”
Finishing the silly joke, Gezell lightly stroked Rensley’s blonde hair.
“If you’re thinking of drinking outside, make sure not to get too drunk.”
“I came as a knight; of course, I can’t get drunk. …You’re not planning to watch over me again, are you? Don’t worry; many of us will go together.”
“I’ll say it again; I’ve never watched over you.”
Ignoring Rensley’s suspicious gaze, Gezell covered numbers with a pencil.
“Now, look at this. When reading a clock, divide the hours and minutes. When looking at the minutes, consider the space between the numbers as 5.”
As Gezell began his explanation, Rensley immediately focused on his words. Hearing the low and calm voice teaching him something reminded him of preparing for the knight exams, and he couldn’t help but smile.
While Rensley might not be known for being fond of studying, learning about the practical use of things he was curious about was always an interesting endeavor for him. Even more so when it came from Gezell.
* * *
By the time dinner was over, the sun had nearly set. However, the market in Molbessa stayed open until late at night. There were even stories claiming that it was more enjoyable in the evening. Rensley and the knights, having finished their meal and feeling excited, immediately prepared to go out.
While adjusting the saddle on his horse, Rensley asked his companions, “How was the public bath?”
“It was amazing! I’m going to Pheraira again just for that. Rens, it’s a shame we couldn’t all enjoy it together. By the way, what happened to your clothes? Did you change?”
“It seems someone played a mischievous prank while I was in the bath. They were off as soon as I came back.”
It wasn’t a lie if he didn’t specify who did it. Since there were occasionally mages or sorcerers who cast annoying spells on people at random, the companions thought it might have been one of those cases. Rensley gathered the reins of Marilyn, his horse, and urged his comrades, “Let’s go quickly. The captain said to be back by ten.”
“Yeah.”
However, as the knights hurried toward the castle gate, they had to stop once again. Another procession was entering the city through the central gate.
“What’s this? Were there more people coming?”
It was a sizable procession, as large as the envoy from the North that Duke Aldrant had brought. Bright torches were blazing near the gate to welcome the new visitors.
Red flags fluttered in the high sky. Rensley stared at them with blank eyes. The familiar golden thorned vine emblem, seen every day since childhood, was displaying its presence even against the darkening sky.
“No way.”
The man at the front of the procession blew a trumpet and shouted, “Cornia’s King Felix Dimora Elbanes, arrived to present himself to His Imperial Majesty!”
It would still take a while to reach the Imperial Tower from the central gate. The fanfare wouldn’t directly reach the Emperor inside the tower. It was just a ceremonial greeting to announce the end of the entrance procedure.
However, Rensley felt his shoulders twitch with the sensation of being targeted for a confirmation assassination with that shout. The rider’s voice felt like an arrow penetrating not his ears but his heart.
The name he never expected to hear here made Rensley’s eyes tremble with confusion and then slightly furrow in annoyance. He hadn’t heard that the King of Cornia was planning to visit. If Gezell knew, he wouldn’t have kept it a secret.
It takes more than ten days to travel from Aldrant to Pheraira even with the use of magic, but from the Cornian border to here, you can arrive in a much shorter time by riding horses. There might have been an unexpected change in the schedule. If the announcement of the King of Cornia’s visit wasn’t made to the Imperial Palace in advance, it would be natural for Aldrant not to be aware of the news.
As the cavalry advanced, the carriages that had been trailing behind also began to move. The loud sound of hooves from numerous horses echoed loudly on the ground. The most elaborately decorated carriage probably carried the newly crowned king. It was too dark to see inside from the outside, either due to the time of day or the curtains drawn over the windows. In front of the brightly lit castle gate in the night, Rensley’s face alone glowed faintly.
“Oh, so a delegation from Cornia is coming? I haven’t heard anything about it. Anyway, Rens, this is good for you. Maybe someone you know has come. The Duchess would also be pleased.”
“Ah… yeah. That’s true.”
“It’ll take a while for everyone to come in, right? We should have waited a bit longer and left.”
The voices of unknowing comrades were drowned out by the thumping sound of Rensley’s heart. Even though nothing had happened, the unease stemmed from years of experience. Emotions that had hidden like the dead suddenly surfaced reflexively. Rensley took a few deep breaths, lightly shook his head, and dispelled the remnants of anxiety.
The Imperial Palace was immensely vast, and Rensley Maelrosen was just one member of the palace guard, a mere knight. During his stay in Pheraira, Gezell would be guarded by Ivet and Anton, and Rensley wouldn’t have many official duties to attend. Felix, too, would only stay in events with dignitaries, so the chance of encountering Felix closely until leaving Pheraira was very low.
Even if they happened to meet, congratulating him on ascending to the throne would be enough. Felix Elbanes was no longer the inexperienced crown prince. Although he had a peculiar personality, he had the skill to secure the throne. Above all, ‘Even if it’s just a lower rank, I am now a knight of Gezell Jivendad.’
To be tense because of a human on the other side of the continent was unacceptable to himself. Finally, the procession came to a halt. The horse that stood at the very end gradually moved away, showing its tail.
“Now let’s go.”
Rensley smiled brightly, shaking the reins. The young knights’ horses surged through the castle gate.
Thank you! It’s going to be interesting 😁