By Zephyria “Be careful coming up.”
Leonardo, who was holding onto the pointed ornaments and leaning his upper body down, reached out his hand below. Hugo, who was further down than him, looked around at the scenery behind him with a slightly troubled look. The lights that illuminated the streets in the city, which had already fallen into darkness, densely embroidered the earth. The colorful sparkles created a different feeling from the daytime.
Whether all the schedules at the 3rd Main Stadium had ended or not, the Council’s control lines that had blocked the way were long gone. Instead, colorful lights, restaurants, and markets decorated the stadium’s outer walls splendidly. Thanks to that, the streets were more crowded than usual, as if the full-fledged festival atmosphere was about to begin.
In the midst of that noisy commotion, no one would guess that the figure climbing the clock tower, precariously stepping on the railing with his leather shoes, was the Duke of the Empire. Hugo, who had been taking in the distant scenery, shifted his gaze back to look up at the roof of the tower.
He saw Gold Eyes, a golden cat, smirking as if this kind of behavior was quite familiar. The cold night air swept through his golden hair, making it look fascinating. Hugo couldn’t help but chuckle, wondering what he was doing, but in the end, captivated, he grabbed the outstretched hand.
As soon as their palms were firmly intertwined, his heavy frame was pulled upwards in one go. Hugo stepped on a protruding decoration and added momentum, leaping lightly. His unbuttoned jacket fluttered in the air before falling down with his feet, led by the hand he was holding.
As he stood on the roof and regained his balance, a cool breeze gently scattered his navy blue hair. The vast world, like a universe unfolded beneath his feet, was reflected in his calm vision. Hugo, looking at the clear navy blue scenery, took a short breath. A strange sense of elation filled him.
“How is it? Can you see much better?”
Leonardo asked in a triumphant tone, as if he had discovered a good place. Then, without waiting for an answer, he took His Excellency’s hand and led him to a higher place. The two of them, who had climbed to the top of the roof that spread out like a trumpet, approached a decoration that protruded like a lightning rod.
Leonardo, gripping the finial, looked for a suitable place to sit and then plopped down on the roof ridge first.
“You sit too. If a large man stands on top of the tower, he’ll be surprisingly visible even in the middle of the night.”
Soon, he patted the spot next to him with his palm.
Hugo stared silently at his invitation, then slowly bent his upper body and sat next to Leonardo.
Since the upper part was so narrow, they couldn’t sit side by side and look in the same direction. But they were close enough to share warmth, occupying the same space with their arms touching. If his subordinates or the mansion’s staff saw this, they would surely be shocked and rush over.
The dry rainwater and mixed dirt would surely stain his white uniform pants, but Hugo entrusted himself to the escapade led by Leonardo. He loosened the tightly fastened tie.
“I knew you liked high places… you seem to have come up here quite often.”
“Well, it’s a basic skill for performing missions.”
The sudden answer was enough to naturally draw his eyes to the person next to him. Even in the middle of the night, his golden eyes, as clear as an animal’s irises, shone particularly bright yellow under the moonlight. The subtle excitement and raised corners of his mouth revealed his elated mood.
It seemed he thought he had already exhausted his opportunities, so he had no obligation to answer any questions. Unlike before, when he was overly cautious, he was now just rambling whatever he wanted to say. Even though he knew that his words would make the other person imagine all sorts of things.
It was fortunate that the atmosphere had eased, but Hugo, feeling a strange resentment, lightly touched Leonardo’s cheek with the back of his hand. The golden eyes, feeling the touch, rolled towards him. As if nothing had happened, the blue eyes stared at the world in front of them.
Leonardo, who had been following his neat profile, also paused for a moment before turning his head back forward.
Hugo, knowing that his attention remained on him, asked as if throwing it into the air.
“Do all Dark Silvers like to look down from high places?”
Bringing up ‘that name’ was quite a gamble. He didn’t expect an answer. He just hoped they wouldn’t drift apart.
But after a few seconds of silence, an unexpected answer came back.
“Not all of them, but it’s the easiest way to find a target. Of course, it’s also easy to become a target here.”
“…Is it okay to tell me such secrets?”
“It’s not a secret, it’s common sense that everyone knows.”
It was a short conversation, but Hugo realized that Leonardo had given him quite a few hints within it.
‘Is this the limit that’s okay?’
Suddenly, the carriage accident he had experienced at Pentagov came to mind, but he immediately pushed it out of his consciousness. He wanted to shake off any unnecessary thoughts that wouldn’t help the relationship at this moment.
“Common sense, I see.”
In exchange for giving him a chance to ask questions, he had been persuaded to come up here to watch the festival fireworks together. He knew that both sides would be in an uproar over the mysterious whereabouts of the Legion Commander, who had been away all day, and the Duke, who was late for his work. But he decided to put aside the worries that weren’t immediately visible.
If he could hear even small stories like this, he would be able to endure the future nagging to some extent.
His blue eyes glanced down at his wristwatch. The time was already 20:00, two minutes before.
It was about two minutes before the fireworks event that Leonardo was looking forward to.
Hugo muttered candidly.
“I thought I’d climbed pretty high in my life, but now I see it was nothing.”
“Hmm?”
“As a Duke, the highest I could stand was on the railing under this roof. But now I know I can look down from even higher….”
He murmured calmly, as if deeply moved. Leonardo, who had been watching him out of the corner of his eye, blinked slowly. He glanced at the other man’s watch before subtly lifting his eyelids again.
“It’s better for the Duke to be there. It’s less dangerous that way. The roof will protect you.”
“So, am I in a pretty dangerous state right now?”
“It’s okay now. I’m here.”
Hugo’s eyes rolled to the side. The two gazes, crossing in the air, became entangled as if they would absorb each other. Red lips, quietly probing for a reaction, suddenly parted.
“There’s no one around here who’d target you. If there were, I wouldn’t have asked you to come up with me.”
It was a confident tone. But it was also so full of conviction that he couldn’t help but believe it. Hugo’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the triumphant face.
“How do you know that?”
“If you’ve ever been targeted, you quickly learn when you’re being watched.”
Gold Eyes scanned the surroundings once, without any particular meaning.
“I’ve been a little lax lately… but I can still sense killing intent right away.”
Rest assured.
He continued with nonchalant mutterings, a corner of his lips raised.
Sometimes he would act uncharacteristically flustered in front of him, or hide an embarrassed expression and act cute, but Leonardo Blaine was once the squad leader of the Imperial Army’s special elite unit, Dark Silver, and a man who was called the Empire’s undisputed war hero. Hugo occasionally forgot this extremely obvious fact. And then, belatedly recalling it, he would fall into an indescribable sense of incongruity.
He was too young to have accomplished such tremendous feats, not ruthless enough to harm people, and so righteous and beautiful that he wished he would live a different life. Hugo often wondered why such a dangerous and attractive being had given him a piece of his heart. Especially to the man who had dragged him out into the world.
He could understand it when he was imprisoned in the Bando or the Council, since he had no one else to rely on, but now that wasn’t necessarily the case….
‘Why is he so kind to me in particular? That day, and just now too.’
There was a time when Leonardo’s affection for him seemed like an emotional upheaval caused by being pushed to the edge of a cliff. There was also a time when he steadied himself, telling himself that he, too, had only been momentarily swayed by that precarious and pure heart.
Of course, that line had already been crossed… but a Duke is in a position where he shouldn’t just grab whatever is put in front of him.
It was the same now. This was the clock tower, a place for a secret rendezvous that he had chosen to give stability to Leonardo, who loved the world while also being burdened by the attention of the world. And yet, here he was, speaking as if he was looking after his safety and protecting him. Hugo couldn’t understand the devotion towards him that accompanied that wariness.
But apart from that, could he really call himself a man if he wasn’t moved by those words?
The downcast eyes, knowing that a persistent gaze was upon them, were mischievous. The eyelashes that richly adorned the eyes fluttered seductively. Sometimes, he thought it wouldn’t be so bad to keep this lovely face hidden away forever.
Of course, that was just the thought of one man, not a Legion Commander or a Duke.
A large palm was placed behind Leonardo’s back. Soon, the broad shoulders slowly tilted.
His lips headed towards the star-filled, sparkling eyes, as if drawn to them. Then, suddenly, he changed direction and went lower.
Beyond the two shadows helplessly overlapping, a blue flash soared, scattering golden afterglow on the darkness.