Chapter 29

Early dawn.

A suffocating silence draped over the Trois Kingdom’s pier, so desolate not even a stray ant could be seen. The rhythmic crashing of waves and a thick, blinding fog only deepened the dreary, ominous atmosphere.

A man shrouded in a black robe appeared through the mist, clearly desperate to avoid drawing any attention.

“They definitely said it would arrive today,” the man muttered to himself. He clutched a piece of paper scrawled with incomprehensible strings of numbers and letters. As if answering his grumbled complaint, a ship rapidly approached the dock.

The moment the passenger vessel bearing the Celton Empire’s flag entered his line of sight, the paper in his hand trembled violently.

“Finally!” Barking a short exclamation of triumph, the man practically sprinted toward the vessel. Soon, the ship anchored, and the gangway lowered to the pier.

“Thank you for waiting,” a low voice drifted down from the deck. At the achingly familiar tone, the corners of the man’s mouth curled upward, carving deep dimples into his cheeks.

“It’s fine. I can wait that long,” the man replied, flashing a benevolent smile as if bestowing some great mercy. “More importantly, I assume you’ve taken care of everything?”

“As reported, everything has been handled perfectly.”

“Excellent work. And Aiden?”

“We cast a sleep spell on him, exactly as instructed.”

A highly satisfied smirk spreading across his face, the man scrambled up the gangway. He moved so frantically he didn’t even notice his hood slipping back, revealing a mop of bouncing, curly pink hair.

“Where is he? Where’s Aiden?” When the pink-haired man demanded, the robed figure on deck simply pointed toward the cabins. Though the figure’s towering height—easily over one hundred and ninety centimeters—was striking, the man paid it no mind, sprinting wildly down the corridor.

Reaching the designated cabin after a breathless dash, he threw the door open. Completely forgetting the need to conceal himself with his robe, he stepped inside.

Sweeping his eager, fluttering gaze across the luxurious interior, his eyes locked onto the man lying on the bed. Silky black hair, thick eyelashes, and a razor-sharp jawline.

“Aiden…”

It was Aiden Rosley, the very man he had sought so desperately.

Reaching out, he slowly stroked Aiden’s cheek. The skin, touched for the very first time, was impossibly soft. Next, he grasped Aiden’s hand, greedily intertwining their fingers. A chilling cold seeped into the spaces between his knuckles.

Swallowing hard, the man darted his eyes around the room. The curtains were drawn tight across the windows, and the door was shut securely. There was absolutely no one around to interrupt him.

“…Just a little bit should be fine.”

He carefully brushed his lips against the nape of Aiden’s neck. Lapping at the icy skin with a feverish tongue, a sickeningly sweet taste flooded his mouth. That minuscule stimulation was enough to make heat pool agonizingly in his groin. Just a little. Just a little more. Blinded by lust, he bared his teeth, lightly biting and gnawing at the flesh. With every red mark he carved into the pristine white neck, a twisted sense of satisfaction blossomed within him.

“…Don’t worry. I’ll… I’ll treat you so well.” The hand that had been tenderly caressing Aiden’s cheek trailed downward. It traced the prominent Adam’s apple, ghosted over the collarbone, and began to eagerly pop the buttons of his shirt. As the fabric parted, a glimpse of pale pink peeked through. His mouth watered at the thought of finally tasting what he had only ever been allowed to stare at from afar.

Meanwhile, his right hand roamed over well-honed abdominal muscles. As expected of an Admiral, your body is still incredible. Just as the man’s hand, accompanied by a low mutter, moved to ghost over Aiden’s lower half, his wrist was snatched in a vice-like grip. Simultaneously, a freezing voice dropped from above his head.

“Julian Lamour.”

…That’s impossible. The man—Julian—cautiously lifted his gaze. He immediately collided with crimson eyes that gleamed like hard, polished jewels. Swirling within those irises was an absolute cocktail of contempt, hatred, and utter disgust directed solely at him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Julian felt as though someone had crushed his windpipe. He desperately needed to make excuses—to claim it wasn’t what it looked like, that it was all a misunderstanding—but his voice completely failed him. As Julian’s mind spiraled into chaos, that same frigid voice sliced through the cabin once more.

“Don’t tell me… You bribed pirates and slaughtered everyone just so you could pull this kind of repulsive shit on me?”

“N-No, it’s not like that!” Julian finally managed to choke out. He had admittedly been blinded by momentary lust and coveted the man, but that was never his true objective. He absolutely refused to have his ‘good intentions’—his desire to personally save this naive fool who knew nothing but the sea—misunderstood in such a filthy manner.

“You see, I…”

“You…?” Aiden tilted his head slightly. It felt like a silent cue that he was, at the very least, willing to listen to an excuse. Although utter contempt still bled from his gaze, the mere fact that he was offering a chance proved this was the same gentle Aiden that Julian knew so well.

Right. I prepared for this. Even if he woke up earlier than expected and things went slightly off-script, it will be fine. Because his opponent was Aiden, the man he knew better than anyone else in the world. Comforted by that delusion, his heart settled. Taking a slow, deep breath, Julian began his rehearsed speech.

“I didn’t bribe the pirates. I saved you from them.”

“You saved me?”

“Yes, Aiden. It might be hard to believe, but the Celton Empire abandoned you.”

Aiden’s handsome brow furrowed. His eyes screamed, What kind of absolute bullshit are you spewing? but he didn’t interrupt, merely gesturing with his chin for Julian to continue.

“The Celton Empire labeled you as an accomplice in the Grand Duke and nobles’ assassination incident! They blamed you simply because everyone else died and you were the only survivor!” Julian intentionally raised his voice, desperate to mask its pathetic, underlying tremor. “I tried to save you, but everyone refused to help because the Empire placed a massive bounty on your head… And right then, His Majesty, the King of the Trois Kingdom, appeared before me. He said he knew you were innocent and offered me immense support in rescuing you from those pirates.”

Julian deliberately placed heavy emphasis on the ‘Trois Kingdom’ as he forged ahead with his tale.

“He declared he was willing to risk war for your sake. He was furious, saying he absolutely despised how they were treating a decorated war hero.”

The expected response was already set in stone. Aiden, having supposedly been asleep this entire time, would naturally fly into a righteous fury upon hearing this narrative. Julian was so incredibly confident that he knew Aiden better than even his own family that he considered this a guaranteed victory.

“Right. I see.” Yet, the reply that slipped past Aiden’s lips was agonizingly flat, completely devoid of even the most basic trace of emotion.

“I-Is that all you have to say?”

“Yeah. Why?”

A disbelieving scoff tore through Julian’s lips. “I just told you there’s a nationwide bounty on your head!”

“Is that so? Well, since things turned out this way, I suppose I might as well become a pirate.” Aiden replied with chilling apathy, as if discussing the weather.

“What? You, a pirate?” It was utterly unfathomable that Aiden of all people would ever consider such a path. Julian’s pitch began to climb hysterically. “Snap out of it, Aiden! I just told you His Majesty of the Trois Kingdom offered to take you in!”

“And I already told you. I’m not seeking asylum,” Aiden deadpanned.

“How can you still spout that nonsense in this situation?!”

Just as Julian shrieked his near-screaming protest, a series of sharp, commanding knocks—knock, knock—hammered against the door. It sounded as though the person intended to bash the wood down if they weren’t permitted entry. Grinding his teeth, Julian whirled around and roared.

“I’m busy! Piss off!”

“Oh, what a shame. I happen to have an abundance of free time.”

Thump. Julian’s heart plummeted straight through the floorboards. No way. That’s impossible. He desperately tried to deny it, but there was no way he could ever misidentify that detestable, mocking tone. Clenching his fists, Julian slowly twisted his head. Standing right there in the doorway was the man he loathed more than anyone else in the world.

“It’s been a while, Julian Lamour,” Clyde greeted lazily.

“C-Clyde…! H-How are you here… You, you definitely died!”

“Who knows. A ghost, perhaps?” Shrugging his broad shoulders, Clyde casually strolled into the cabin and snapped his fingers.

Acting on that singular cue, figures began pouring into the room one by one. From the familiar face of Logan to an assortment of complete strangers, every single one of them was garbed in the pristine naval uniforms of the Celton Empire.

The final man to step through the threshold was none other than Major General Kaydan—the very commander Julian had conspired with just before boarding.

“Y-You…!” Entirely forgetting the need to feign ignorance, Julian aggressively jabbed a trembling finger at the officer.

Kaydan merely glanced at the accusing digit, unimpressed. “Why act so surprised? Is this your first time meeting a liar?” he drawled, completely discarding any semblance of respect or courtesy.

“…What?”

“That whole bit about everyone dying except for Admiral Rosley? Yeah, that was a lie.”

All the color rapidly drained from Julian’s face, leaving a sickly, ashen pallor in its wake. All strength abandoned him, his hands dropping limply to his sides. “So… all of this was…”

“An act.” Aiden effortlessly finished the sentence Julian couldn’t bear to complete. Slipping out of the bed, the Admiral approached the traitor, towering over him. “I was incredibly curious to see exactly how you planned to woo me after slaughtering everyone and kidnapping me, but it seems this was your pathetic little script. Thank you for the demonstration.”

In stark contrast to his polite, almost gentle tone, the crimson eyes staring down at Julian were terrifyingly languid. The familiar, exasperated annoyance he usually reserved for Julian was entirely absent. It was an expression Julian had never once witnessed, not even back when he used their status as ‘academy batchmates’ as a shield to incessantly pester the man.

Yet, it was agonizingly familiar.

“Julian Lamour. If you intended to deceive me of all people, you should have been far more meticulous. Shouldn’t a former lieutenant and the head of a major merchant guild be less sloppy?”

“…”

“Then again, thanks to your incompetence, I get to execute a traitor and prevent a war in one fell swoop. I suppose it all worked out for the best, didn’t it?”

That was it. It was the exact expression Aiden wore when looking at outsiders or enemies standing firmly outside his boundaries. It was terrifying.

“A-Aiden, please, just listen to me…”

“Is there truly anything left for me to hear?”

“I-If you knew what kind of feelings drove me to plan this—”

“There’s really no need to pollute my husband’s clean ears with this filth.”

It was Clyde who abruptly severed Julian’s desperate pleading. As the Grand Duke theatrically clamped his large hands over Aiden’s ears, the Admiral scowled and shouted.

“Ah, seriously, what are you doing?! Do you have absolutely no ability to read the room?!”

Despite the blistering irritation in his tone, a profound, underlying affection bled through every word. Clyde was someone who had been allowed securely inside Aiden’s boundaries. Meanwhile, Julian was someone tossed out into the cold. No, to be perfectly accurate, he was a fool who had willingly walked out of that sanctuary himself. Crushed by the miserable weight of this belated realization, Julian lost even the faintest will to resist.

“Restrain him,” Clyde commanded.

At his word, the naval officers swiftly bound Julian. As he stared at his own inevitable downfall, the gaze Aiden leveled at him remained completely and utterly indifferent.