Chapter 125:
Conflicting Gazes
As the door to the room closed, Silas walked forward, the cardigan around his waist falling loose as he began to unbutton it, feeling a little warm in the room. As he walked, his gaze met with Clarence’s. The prince had been sitting at a desk just out of view from the door, a bundle of books resting in front of him as he read. Once he saw Silas, he looked up, the light in his blue eyes a little brighter as a warm expression filled his face.
“What happened? Anything interesting?” Clarence stood up from the desk, closing the book on the table with a gentle pat as he approached Silas casually, as if he had done it many times before. He was still wearing his cardigan, but it had long since been unbuttoned, hanging around his shoulders and waist in a lazy fashion much unlike his usual uptight dress.
Silas stared at the prince, holding his cardigan in his arm as he said dismissively, “You know I can’t talk about that.” He walked towards the side of the bed, placing the knitted item down on the dresser gently as he stared inside the ajar drawer, filled with what looked to be clean clothes.
Seeing Silas at a loss, the prince spoke aloud. “There are some pajamas in there for you.” Clarence swiftly changed the subject, turning towards Silas with a reserved step forward.
Silas raised a brow, his expression flat. “Don’t change the subject. You know what I’m talking about.”
Hearing Silas’s words, Clarence began to feel somewhat frustrated. While he wanted to know what was discussed, he knew that no one trusted him, not even Silas, who he wished would trust him. He was not worthy of it yet, but he could only hope he could play on the shallow feelings, neither positive nor negative, Silas held towards him to break the ice, returning to the difficult topic at hand.
He decided to push the subject more, pushing Silas to say more to him. “You know, I could have left you and your mother at the palace in the dungeon and escaped on my own, but I didn’t.” Clarence said resolutely, his expression fixed on Silas.
Silas frowned, responding with some anger, “If you did that, you would have died that day with us.”
Clarence nodded his head, his gaze never falling from Silas, “And you could have killed me, but you didn’t. You decided to give me a chance, and I’m grateful for that. That’s why I want to repay my debt to you.”
“We need you for information, Clarence. Don’t inflate your self worth.” Silas spat back, his words carrying some bite.
“I’ve made a mistake, and I want to correct it.” While the elf’s words stung, Clarence knew Silas’s current objectives. He could only follow along, knowing he had no chance of survival otherwise. “I was a young, foolish child. We both made poor choices due to our history, but I want to change that. I want to be a better person, just like you. Give me this chance, Silas.” Hearing his name coming out of the prince’s mouth in such a fashion startled Silas silent for a moment, allowing Clarence to add, “I don’t expect you to trust me immediately, but please know my words are sincere. I am here to help. I can’t just sit here and watch my kingdom fall apart.” Clarence pleaded, his hands clenched at his sides as he stepped forward again, almost stepping into Silas’s space.
Silas stared at the prince, his expression tepid, “If you want to prove your worth, then start by helping us seriously. All you’ve done so far is impede us. Just look at that woman in the hall. What relationship do the two of you have?”
Clarence felt a warm feeling eat away at the corner of his heart. Maybe he’s jealous? Of course, Cordelia and I did have a political relationship in the past. Thinking of this, he cleared his throat and said resolutely, “She was a marriage candidate from the Vartien Kingdom, Duchess Cordelia Bernard. She believed I had something to do with the death of her friend. She-” The prince wanted to explain everything in one breath, sweeping away the anxiety Silas held towards him, but before he could finish explaining, Silas stopped him.
“That’s enough.” Silas raised his hand, stopping the prince, “I’m tired. We’ll talk about this later.” Clarence opened his mouth, ready for Silas to say something harsh, pushing him back, but before he could hear those words, Silas spoke again. “I’m going to change. Just stay put for now.” There was no response from the prince as Silas swiftly walked away, a small sigh escaping his lips as he left the room.
Standing next to the door, Silas held his forehead, feeling another sigh threatening to escape his lips as he thought to himself, The more he tries, the more I feel bad for him. Silas’s hand brushed down his face, a throbbing headache accompanying it. He’s a fool, a dumb fool, but I feel like I should help him. If I leave him, I don’t think he’ll survive on his own.
“Fuck.” Silas muttered under his breath, grabbing the clean clothes to change into.
On the other side of the door, Clarence was left to stand next to the bed where Silas had once been standing, the tips of his ears flushing red at the thought of the other man changing. No, stop thinking like that! Think of your redemption, you fool! He wanted to slap his cheeks, but knowing the redness would only make the elf suspicious, Clarence held himself back and sat on the bed, preparing a set of his own clothes. Reaching from the bed, his hand rested on the drawer handle, stopping at the cardigan neatly folded on the dresser surface, the sleeve resting down slightly, touching the drawer he was holding.
As he reached into the drawer, his finger brushed against the soft surface of Silas’s cardigan, the side of his calloused hand feeling a gentle warmth filling his palm. The feeling made the surface of his palm warm and tingly, as if something were eating away at his blood. He retracted his hand, tracing his fingers over his palm with a raised brow.
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.
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Once Silas walked out of the bathroom, his face wet with water, a drop of water fell onto his exposed collarbone, the pajamas he wore slightly too big for his thin frame. He walked forward, his feet bare as they tapped against the delicate flooring, his toes clean and glossy like salt-water pearls. Clarence held his breath, staring at Silas with a hazy gaze, feeling his face warm up unintentionally.
“I-I’ll be going in.” The prince uttered before he embarrassedly ran past Silas, his cheeks just as red as before as the door closed behind him, leaving Silas to stand in the room at a loss, staring at the door with a perplexed expression.
No matter how mature he tries to act, he’s still a sheltered royal. Silas sighed, adjusting the simple button-up top and pants he wore.
Clarence was not long in the bathroom, having spent much of the time splashing cold water on his face, and he soon stepped out, his button-up shirt unbuttoned in the middle, exposing his muscular chest. He walked awkwardly, his steps small and slow as he looked forward into the room and saw Silas already tucked into the bed, a book in his hand. As Clarence walked towards the bed, Silas looked up and made a face, staring at the open top.
“Why didn’t you button your shirt?” Silas asked, his voice nearly implying the prince could not dress himself on his own.
Holding the edge of the open shirt, the prince said with some embarrassment, “It was too small, so it wouldn’t button…” He pushed the shirt over to cover his torso the best he could, using his arm to cover the exposed skin like a bride on her wedding night.
Restraining the urge to roll his eyes, Silas simply responded, “It’s still cold at night. Get in the covers.” The prince did not refuse and he quickly moved under the covers, his embarrassment yet to dissipate.
After the two had fallen under the covers, they had succinctly agreed it was time to rest. Laying on the bed, the candle light now extinguished, all Silas could hear was the sound of breathing to his right, where the prince laid facing the ceiling, much like he was. Laying in such a fashion made Silas feel as though they had just done something unspeakable under the covers. With a bitter frown, Silas turned to the side, facing the left towards the tall window. The curtains had already been pulled, but Silas felt as though he could still see the brightness of the stars through the thick fabric. His mind was empty, full of fatigue.
On the other side of the bed, there was another figure too rambunctious to sleep. Will he move in his sleep again? Having shared the bed before, Clarence felt less off-guard around Silas, his body somewhat warm with excitement. He had never been hugged to sleep in such a fashion, and to be embraced by the person that he had grown feelings for made him giddy. He wanted to roll in the bed, holding Silas close to his chest as he embraced the man back, a smile gracing his face.
Silas, having turned away from the young man, did not see the foolish expression as he closed his eyes, attempting to ignore the young man at his side. Before long, his heavy eyes began to fall, drowsiness taking over his mind as he nestled into the pillow and breathed gently.
A short amount of time had passed before the prince moved to the side towards the elf. “Silas?” Clarence had been unable to sleep, laying so close to Silas. He could only call out to the man, his voice barely above a whisper. The other man grumbled in his sleep in response, turning over on his side to face Clarence, his nose nearly brushing against the prince’s like a kitten.
Feeling the prince’s warm breath, Silas slowly began to move closer to him, as if sensing the warmth within reach. His thin arms, wrapped in the oversized pajamas, moved towards the prince, pulling him in a tight hug from the waist. The prince fell stiff as Silas nudged closer to him, finally adjusting his head in the crook of the prince’s neck as his arms remained tightly bound around Clarence like binds.
The pair laid sideways, filled with warmth in the cool spring night. Silas’s soft blonde hair spread out behind him like a halo, the lengthened hair reaching his shoulders, gently brushing against the prince’s exposed skin like strands of fresh hay. The feeling was ticklish, and Clarence could not help but run his fingers through the tips of Silas’s hair, feeling enamored by the soft texture.
For now, he would be content with just a hug from the other man, but in the future, he could only hope for more, working his way into a deeper position into the other man’s heart. “Goodnight, Silas.” Clarence said with a sweet smile, gently patting Silas’s back as Silas gently snorted in his sleep, nuzzling against Clarence’s chest in his sleep, looking particularly content as he rested. Any trace of chilliness from before was gone.
One day, I hope you’ll lay in my arms like this during the day too. I wish we could stay like this forever. Clarence hummed quietly to himself, holding Silas a little closer to him as he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment as the pair fell asleep, a warm atmosphere shared between them.
…
Near the capital, the battle between Holland, Meredith, and Beau’s troops continued, the battle reaching a point of violence that could no longer be reigned in.
“Meredith, stay back! It’s going to get dangerous here!” Holland barked out towards Meredith, his fiery gaze fixed forward on Beau like a predator. Their swords crossed like limbs in front of them as they pushed forward, urging the other to fall so they could capture them, slicing them down in a wave of final vengeance. .
Using his fire magic to push back another man, burning the man’s armor in the process, Meredith stared towards the two fighting beasts with a hint of worry in his brow. This battle will not end well. While almost all of the men on Beau’s side had been eliminated, there was still the captain, and he was not a simple soldier.
When they had fought in Calith, their goal was to incapacitate the man as quickly as possible and to escape with Silas. If they fought the captain then, it could have led to a much longer battle, even with Holland and Vaan there, and it could have led to their capture in the early stages of their mission. Now was the time. Would they die, or kill the man that had been chasing them for so long?
Another man fell, and Meredith’s forehead soon broke out into a cold sweat. I’m beginning to run low on mana. I only have one mana potion left before I reach mana exhaustion. We need to hurry and finish this battle. Reaching for his waist, Meredith grabbed the last bottle of dark liquid as he threw off the cork and downed the medicine before he used one last fireball to take down the last standing soldier of Beau’s men, his face full of exhaustion and impatience.
Now that there were only the three of them left, Meredith had the chance to step in the battle, but before he could think about joining, Holland stopped him.
“Meredith, stay back and let me fight him! You’re too weak to fight!” Holland yelled, his sword dancing with Beau’s as the two men stepped around the battlefield like tigers, their eyes glued on the other with a predatory fixation. Turning back to Beau, Holland growled, “I’ve had enough of your games. You’ll die today!” Holland’s moves were erratic. There was a special hatred of the man in front of him that Meredith had yet to see in him before. His steps were vigorous, wild, and hard to follow, making it so even Captain Laurent had to step back and defend his frame with his heavy sword.
Meredith was too weak to participate in such a high-level skirmish, and if he were to use his mana, Holland could be injured. With Holland in such a fighting-frenzy, he was past the point of berzerk. Besides that, Holland would go wild in high-level fights. He was well aware of such a fact, but there was nothing that could stop the other man unless he had killed his opponent or fell unconscious by enemy hands. Usually, the man could rein himself in after a few heavy hits, however, he and the captain had a history of fighting, such a history that the battle between the two of them would never end until one of them was dead.
“What are you doing, Beau? Fight me properly!” Holland heavily swung down his sword, forcing the captain to hold his sword horizontally, the tip of Holland’s sword nearly pushing into the tip of Beau’s nose. Holland’s sword pushed down heavier and heavier on Beau, but the only way he could get a hit in was to surprise him.
With an opening in sight, Beau narrowed his eyes and yelled, “Behind you!”
With such a sad excuse of a distraction, Holland barked with laughter,“What are you-?” He moved his eyes for a second, nearly turning back just as Beau kicked a trick into motion right under Holland’s nose.
Using the edge of his foot, Beau lifted a small rock from the ground and launched it upward, aiming it towards Holland’s face, effectively startling the man into stepping back to dodge the rock. With Holland’s pressure reduced, Beau used his lifted leg to kick Holland in the gut with his foot, slamming the sole of his heavy metal boot into the man’s abdomen.
“Gah!” Holland coughed, his face full of anger as he reached forward and grabbed towards something out of Meredith’s view.
“Holland!” Meredith shouted, his face full of concern.
Grabbing the captain’s leg, Holland was ready to take him down and beat him into the ground, but as he grabbed the captain’s leg, Beau used his other leg to wrap around the other man and tackle him down, effectively straddling him as he lifted his fist and punched Holland directly in the face.
“How does it feel now, you bastard?” Beau punched Holland again, a stream of blood exiting Holland’s nose had now smeared, dying the tips of the captain’s knuckles red.
Holland flipped the captain and slammed the side of his head into the ground, awkwardly twisting the other man’s neck, hoping to break it. “I could never pass up a chance to kill you again.” Full of grunts and growls, the two men rolled on the ground, their swords no longer within reach as they rolled, punching each other and throwing the other to the ground as they struggled to gain the upperhand over the other. Their sweat mixed with dirt, making the ground under them wet.
There was no clear winner or loser, only pain, suffering, and loss. Blood splattered around them, metal clanging, and slapping sounds of flesh smashing flesh. Various cuts and bruises had appeared on either man, marring their skin with dirt and other debris from the ground. The more they moved, the harder it was to track the various hits either man was landing on the other.
Once the two men separated, both panting heavily as they stood from the ground, Holland moved towards his sword once again, leaving Beau to run for his own, a considerable distance away. He could not turn his back to Holland, so his speed was much slowly, slowing him down
Holland pushed the captain away and grabbed his sword once again, thrusting it towards the defenseless captain before another sword clashed with Holland’s. Using the suddenness of its appearance, Beau thrust the sword forward with all his strength and knocked Holland down before he kicked the man’s head once again, attempting to completely incapacitate him.
“You bastard.” Holland laughed, eying the man with a crazed expression, his body refusing to quit even under all the pain it received.
It was a cheap shot, but an effective hit to the head nonetheless. Grabbing the side of his head as he stumbled, Holland fell to the ground once again, his eyes and ears full of dizziness as he panted, attempting to stand before Beau kicked him down again, pressing the weight of his foot into his spine, producing a loud cracking sound that made Meredith wince in worry, his eyes fixed on the captain’s overbearing figure.
No, don’t do it! Meredith shouted in his mind, quickly moving towards the horse as the battle showed signs of slowing.
Beau lifted his second sword from his waist, hidden within his armor. “You didn’t give me a chance to use it.” The man lifted his sword just as Holland attempted to stand to his feet again, but it was too late.
Meredith bordered his horse, his expression low as he grabbed the reins, pulling the horse to the right to escape. “Holland-!” He yelled, watching as the other man’s sword missed the captain’s own, the blunt handle of the sword smashing into the back of Holland’s head. As quickly as the hit landed, Holland coughed a mouthful of blood, his vision growing hazy as he finally fell unconscious, his face full of regret. Captain Laurent was still standing, panting, his hair in disarray from the frenzied movements, but he was no longer the loser.
“You may have killed my men, but I’m still standing.” Captain Laurent said, his breaths ragged as he stared at Meredith with predatory eyes, his nostrils flaring as he attempted to keep his standing posture. His body was full of bleeding wounds, his face bruised and bloody, but he still managed to keep his gaze on Meredith as he kicked Holland. “This is the end, Charon.”
Meredith, having moved to his horse’s side, glared at the captain, his eyes momentarily falling on the unconscious Holland, his gaze brimming with regret. Before Captain Laurent could step towards him, Meredith quickly jumped on the horse’s back and pulled the reins, urging the horse away from the battle. While his movements weren’t quiet, there was no way he could stay any longer without being caught himself.
“You, stop!” His voice was heavy, echoing through the empty field as the sound of horse hooves grew more and more distant. He could only stand still and watch as the elven figure disappeared, moving too fast for him to follow in his injured state as he stepped forward twice, dragging his body forward.
Full of frustration, Captain Laurent turned back to Holland and used his handcuffs to subdue the vicious man. The metal was heavy enough to weigh down the captain’s hands as he pulled the other man’s hands behind his back and locked his wrists together behind him. While the man would not be unconscious for long, he had already summoned help as the battle started. It was only a matter of time before a prisoner caravan arrived.
Using what time he had, Beau turned to Holland’s bags. Holland’s bags contained nothing of use, only ordinary travel items, a fake travel token for the Yursear Kingdom, and a very crude map, filled with Holland’s terribly poor handwriting. Fighting the urge to slam the empty bag down on the ground in anger, Beau held the crumpled strap in his hand, gently placing the item on the ground away from the subdued Holland as he walked towards the various soldiers on the ground, scattered, burned and bloody, their weakened breaths no longer leaving their bodies.
With his strong nose, the only scent the captain could smell was the fragrance of burnt flesh and blood. The faint, foresty smell of mana was well-concealed, blocking his blood-hound like nose from operating properly. Even with reinforcements, the elf would be too far away to pursue. They had to take care of that criminal, Holland Joey. The man was too dangerous to leave alone.
He had already escaped the dungeon once. Beau would not allow another mistake.
After only waiting a short time, some distance away, there was a group of knights and a large carriage coming to the captain, a heavily-dressed knight riding the leading horse as a group of knights followed, many of them familiar to the captain. Once they approached, the corpses were left to rest momentarily as Holland’s unconscious figure was carelessly dragged and loaded into the back of the caravan and locked into the tight restraints, purposely prepared for strong prisoners and elves alike.
With his limbs in heavy metal braces, Holland had been captured, leaving only Meredith to escape the open field and into the forest, carrying the last of the vital supplies needed for the invasion.
…
Wrapped up the battle~~ Were you all expecting Holland to lose? I feel like while the two of them are equally matched in a lot of ways, I think Holland’s anger got the better of him which allowed Beau to use some dirty tricks to take him down. Poor Meredith will be on his own for a while. Meanwhile, we have Clare slowly worming his way into Silas’s heart… so sweet ;u; Though, why do I have a feeling some of y’all are shipping Beau and Holland now? =u=
In September YMtK will turn 3. While I’m excited to hit that milestone, I’m also excited to wrap up the story by the end of this year too. So much to look forward to, and much love to share still. Thanks for being a part of it all! Again, thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you have a safe and happy new year!! I will be anxiously waiting for the day Hunny can edit the drafts again
Edit: I did stream Crimson Snow yesterday to welcome in the new year, so you can watch that here~ I also did The Test, and I feel like Silas is more and more like his mother (me) with my results from that game ;; my secret word was angel >y<
Thank you.
Sorry I was late.Happy New Year in 2023 😊.
Thank you!! ☆ヾ(´・∀・)ﾉヾ(・∀・`)ﾉ☆ I hope your new year is off to a great start!!