Looking for My Fiancé’s Lover

The wheat-like-coloured autumn sunlight filled the corridor.
The warm energy cast over the window with white dust floating in mid-air.
Amidst all of it, a strange man stood.
The man’s blond hair was as thick as a lion’s mane, and his pupils were vivid purple.
Even though there was not a single breath of wind inside the old building, the gypsophila flowers in the man’s arms slightly swayed.

As I stared dazedly at the man’s face, our distance was gradually shortened.
The man, upon approaching me, spoke in a calm tone.
It was a low but gentle voice.

“It’s a good thing that I prepared the gypsophila flowers for the vase.”

The man’s gypsophilas fell into the vase I was holding.
The sweet scent of flowers covered the whole space under my chin.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his flawless face.

Who is he?

Yet, before I could even ask for his name, the man turned his back and walked away.

 

The outdoor training ground was shed with strong sunlight.
Lockherd grabbed his nape with a strong numbness and entered the training ground.
His neck was only held for a short time, but it was stiff and painful as if a fracture had occurred.

Damn, I’m on duty tonight.
I’m going to have a hard time.

When Lockherd walked to the centre of the training ground, it was already noisy and bustling as if it was near the end of their practice.
Among them, a knight, who recognised Lockherd, smiled at him, face full of sweat.

“Did you already forget what would happen if you were to come late one more time? You do know that the leader can get rid of you without a trace, right?”

“You insensible idiot! Can’t you see it’s already been sorted out?”

Having said that, Lockherd rubbed his neck and shoulders once more.
It was no joke, he was really going to suffer.

“It is you who has no sense, my man.
His Highness, Nezar, was tired of waiting for you and ended up dealing with us instead.”

“Nezar?”

Lockherd remembered hearing the previous evening that Nezar wouldn’t have enough time for morning training since he would be busy inspecting documents.
Nezar’s not the type to change his schedule once it’s decided.

Did he finish his work already?

At the words of Louis, a regular knight like himself, Lockherd looked over to the other side of the training ground.
Everyone was enjoying the end of the morning training in various ways.
For instance, knights getting into a small, friendly fight over lunch, a knight collapsed on the floor, busy grasping his breathing, or a knight drenching himself with a water bottle over his head in hope of getting some heat off.
However, no matter how many times he scanned over the place, there was no sign of Nezar.

“I can’t see him.
Has he gone to the new castle?”

Louis shook his head in response.

“He went to deal with some immature noble lady.
One or two of them kept spying on His Highness near the training ground.
I think he shouted at least fifty times for them to leave.”

“…He went away with a woman? Nezar?!”

There were only two things that Nezar Audrine Caval hated enough to make him tremble with anger.
The first was having to please someone who brought him no benefits.
Second was dealing with someone who could not listen well.

Fortunately, none of the aristocratic ladies who had pursued Nezar belonged to either of these two categories.
Usually, the people who helped him could not afford to waste time by following him around, and those who followed him weren’t deaf.

“He repeatedly apologised for interrupting training on their behalf.
He tried to deal with it in moderation by sending them away.
Haha! Now that I think about it, it’s funny how some guys were trying to look more appealing by throwing their tops off during that time.” 

“It’s strange for him to have such humane considerations.
Until yesterday, he was so on edge that he was ready to kill someone at any moment.”

Nezar’s sensitivity doubled when he could not sleep for a day or two as he was up to ears in work.
Over the past few days, he stayed up all night rearranging and reinforcing the manpower for the Imperial Castle.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the prince’s castle had been gloomy and dark like a funeral house.
During daytime, Nezar was like a snow leopard starved for a fortnight, and was ready to expose its sharp teeth to any intruder who entered its private territory without permission.

Every time that happened, Lockherd had to deal with it and was quick to get exhausted too.
Nezar himself was aware of that fact, so when his sensitivity reached its limit, he would abandon all of his work and escape from the Imperial Castle.

Whenever he got onto the carriage in such a drained state, there was usually one place that Nezar would head to.
A small and cozy living room on the first floor of Count Ezellot’s residence.
He would go through the main gate of Ezellot Castle and head straight to the parlor.
It was as if he was waiting for someone to come to him.

“Ah, he’s here.”

At Louis’ words, Lockherd turned around.
Not too far away, Nezar, dressed in light clothes, was facing their way.
His muscle movements were noticeably strong even from the distance.
They were strong enough to be compared to an official knight.
As always, with straight and confident steps, he approached them from across the training ground.

Each time Lockherd stood and looked at him from such a distance, he felt a strange awe.

It was believed that Nezar was born to reign as a ruler.
Sometimes, it felt as if he was crafted from refine and solid porcelain.
The type that would never break even when it was hit by a typhoon.
Especially at times when he stayed up all night training on an equal footing with the knights.
There was, however, a defect to his seemingly perfect image.
His personality could be quite foul.

Nezar smiled as he spoke.

“The lazy nobleman has finally arrived.”

As a result, Lockherd had no choice but to avoid Nezar’s gaze with a sullen face.
Actually, frankly speaking, Nezar’s personality was not just a little foul, but immensely.

“Why hasn’t Sir Breit sent you to your grave yet? Did you perhaps find his weakness?”

“You must have forgotten, but our leader is not a man who will be influenced by a few gold coins or valuable objects.
You said it like it’s so easy to find his weakness.”

“This is not about ethics, but a matter of the knights’ discipline.
Isn’t that right, Sir Louis?”

“You are right a hundred times over.”

With a faint smile, Nezar unbuttoned his shirt.

Up close, his skin looked paler than usual, and his body didn’t seem to be in good condition either.
While Louis was away to get some water, Lockherd opened his mouth.

“You should look out for yourself.
Why are you wandering around in such a state?”

Nezar turned to Lockherd while ruffling his sweaty hair, shaking off the sweat.
His black hair fluttered in waves in front of his eyes.

“No one knows except for you.
It’s amazing that you even noticed it in the first place.”

“Your Highness the Prince, I’m not asking about that right now.
Are you sure this is a good time for you to show off your physical strength?”

Without a plausible answer, Nezar shook his head.
As usual, he barely said a word, but his complexion, which had only seemed a little exhausted earlier, darkened. 

At the change, Lockherd tried to reach out to him but then halted. 

I don’t know why, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.

Shortly after, Nezar intoned.

“Yesterday evening, His Majesty the Emperor ordered an attack to the north.”