BMD 544

His Excellency, being a fastidious man, seemed to like the feel of the massage, for he completely surrendered his body thereafter. Leonardo, as it was his task, devoted himself with all his heart and soul. As if to remind everyone of his noble status, the man merely tilted his head here and there, signaling ‘press here too,’ so Leonardo found the desired spots and applied firm pressure.

His chest expanded and contracted deeply as he let out a satisfied sigh. Although their secret rendezvous had happened by accident, Leonardo felt they had grown quite close as a result, and he cautiously broached a subject.

“By the way, Your Excellency.”

Theodore did not answer, his eyes remaining closed. Nevertheless, knowing he was listening, Leonardo continued.

“You mentioned earlier that this bird is a Divine Beast. Aren’t Divine Beasts sacred animals that can only be created by those possessing immense Magic Power?”

“…….”

“Then, is this bird Your Excellency’s Divine Beast?”

“It is not mine.”

The answer came back like a blade. Leonardo, who had been rubbing the trapezius muscles, asked again as if testing the waters, even though he had already expected this answer.

“If it is not yours, then whose Divine Beast is it? Do Divine Beasts usually [stolen contentvisit our sitestolen contentsite -->:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]follow others so well?”

As Leonardo spoke, he shifted his gaze to Theodore’s eyelids. Then, the gold eyelashes, beaded with droplets, fluttered open halfway.

“It is strange to me as well. This is the first time I have seen it cling to anyone other than myself. Perhaps it is because you feel similar to him.”

“Who is ‘him’?”

“The master of the Divine Beast.”

‘Not similar to you?’

Leonardo wondered inwardly at the answer, which seemed slightly off-point.

“In what way am I similar to the master of the Divine Beast?”

“…….”

This time, there was no answer for a while. For a moment, wondering if he had been too inquisitive, Leonardo kept his hands moving in silence until a slow voice drifted over.

“The heartbeat… I hear when held in one’s arms.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it is nothing.”

Theodore quickly withdrew the clue he had been about to let slip. Tsk, unsatisfied with the ambiguous response, Leonardo changed the question.

“Then what kind of person is the master of the Divine Beast? Is it perhaps that man, Borgen, who left earlier?”

“What? Haha.”

Tweet! Tweet!

Leonardo had thought that by bringing up the wrong person, Theodore would be inwardly provoked and blur out the truth in a fit of pique. After all, Leonardo himself would have been more than happy to launch a passionate tirade against anyone who compared His Excellency to a burly toad.

However, Theodore was calmer than expected; instead, the canary stepped in to express anger, pecking at him with its beak. For something that looked as clueless as a combat power of zero, it was quite prickly. Leonardo glared at the bird while wrapping his hand around its neck to stop the pecking.

“It is quite a talent of yours to bring up the exact opposite type of human. Borgen and he are far too different.”

Theodore added in a voice laced with laughter.

“He is as clear as the dawn dew, as noble and steadfast as the eternal snow atop a mountain. He surrounds his inner self with an icy wall like an impregnable fortress, making it difficult to discern his thoughts. Yet, at times, he possesses a heart that burns as hot and reckless as I cannot imagine. If I had to find a similarity, that is the part that resembles you.”

‘Oho.’

This was likely the longest and most detailed answer Theodore had given. Humans generally tend to ramble when describing something they like.

“It seems you are very fond of him.”

“…Why do you think so?”

“Just, because you speak of him so kindly.”

Though he phrased it vaguely, Leonardo could actually feel Theodore’s pulse quickening beneath his fingertips, which were pressing gently against the carotid artery. However, if he revealed this fact openly, His Excellency might feel embarrassed. Or it might seem suspicious.

“…….”

Sure enough, after that one remark, Theodore—who had been reciting metaphors like a flowing stream—shut his mouth. He then lifted his arm from the water and flicked his wrist. Splash, a stream of water poured following his movement, and simultaneously, the canary flew over and perched on the back of Theodore’s hand.

“Fond, is it….”

Thanks to that, Leonardo was able to confirm the identity of the shimmer he had glimpsed earlier.

‘That is….’

His eyes widened. Two accessories were shining on the left hand of the naked Theodore. One was a bracelet, and the other was a ring.

And those were items Leonardo knew well.

‘I expected the bracelet, but the ring belonged to Theodore too?’

The canary tapped the red gem on the silver ring with its beak. It seemed Leonardo had missed it earlier because Theodore had been pressing against the back of his head while they were in the water.

If there was one peculiarity he noticed now… it was that the ring, which looked slightly loose, was worn on the ring finger of Theodore’s left hand.

“That ring… did you share it with that person?”

Leonardo asked impulsively. The thought that he might hear the secret of the Castle of Romance directly from the source made him swallow hard.

However, Theodore merely glanced at the ring and countered with a question.

“Your curiosity is excessive. Do you often hear that you are overly inquisitive?”

Though the tone wasn’t cold, it was a clear warning. Leonardo flinched, but soon spoke up brazenly in a shrinking voice.

“…My apologies. But I sang a lullaby for Your Excellency, and when you asked about my family history, I told you everything in detail…?”

He read the room, but said everything he wanted to say. If an ordinary soldier had done that, it would have looked like they had forgotten their place and let their tongue wag recklessly. Nevertheless, based on the opponent’s reactions so far, Leonardo had a certain level of confidence that he would not be cast aside.

“…Go inside for a moment.”

Tweet?

Instead of answering Leonardo’s question, Theodore sparked a flame from the hand that had been scratching the canary’s neck. As the canary fluttered in surprise, the flame turned into thin threads, covering its blue wings. A birdcage created in an instant trapped the creature.

Tweet, tweet!

The panicked bird cried out loudly and flapped its wings. Leonardo was equally bewildered by the sight. Theodore created a non-burning perch, slotted it into the cage, and let it float on the water. The golden cage did not sink, floating like a low-lying cloud on the surface.

“Why did you cage it?”

Leonardo’s eyes darted back and forth at the inscrutable action. Theodore reached out to calm the canary.

“I told you that eyes and ears are spread everywhere.”

In short, it seemed the Divine Beast was also a target of surveillance. When he withdrew his hand, the canary fluttered again, repeatedly landing on the perch. It tilted its head, looking backward rather than toward where he and Theodore were, as if it had lost its sense of direction.

‘Did he block its sight and sound?’

Just as he was figuring out the situation, Theodore spoke again.

“This ring is like a token of faith that could break at any moment. Though we are currently in a temporary truce, it symbolizes our fate—that we may become enemies once more and point our blades at each other in the future.”

“…….”

“And if you misunderstood my relationship with him because of this ring, you are gravely mistaken. We each have different fiancées.”

“Pardon?”

Leonardo’s hand paused at the answer, which was completely different [Read on Read BL Novels]Read on Read BL Novels>from what he had expected.

“He is merely my enemy and my friend. A being I must kill one day, and a being who understands me better than anyone else.”

“Kill… him? You mean the master of the Divine Beast?”

He knew that Laina and Logia had not been on good terms in the past. However, since a water-attribute Divine Beast was lingering around while Theodore was out on a subjugation mission, and since it seemed to follow Theodore quite well, he had assumed that everything had already been resolved.

‘He even said only one person was allowed to know his name. That it was entirely “his” prerogative. Then he must be Aetas, right?’

Leonardo suppressed the urge to bombard him with questions. Meanwhile, he understood why the canary had been caged. What Divine Beast would stand idly by while someone spoke of killing its master?

“Do you believe that an enemy and a friend can coexist, Your Excellency?”

“Of course.”

Trickle, the sound of flowing water rushed over his consciousness whenever an awkward silence fell. The canary no longer chirped.

“Why are you not moving?”

At Theodore’s question, Leonardo realized only then that his hands had stopped. Coming [stolen content]style="position:relative;display:inline;">[Read on Read BL Novels]back to his senses, he once again pressed his thumb firmly against the nape of the neck beneath the blonde hair.

“Then, do you truly intend to kill him one day?”

“I must. For now.”

“But you called him a friend. How could you kill a friend with your own hands….”

In truth, friend or not, Leonardo—who had thought the two were lovers—felt his mind grow complicated as the facts he had presumed began to tangle. Then, Theodore, who had been leaning back comfortably, stiffened his neck and lifted his head halfway.

“If I do not kill him, he will kill me. That is the kind of relationship we have.”

“…….”

“Why, do I seem like a beast because I say I will eliminate a friend?”

Liar. The word almost escaped Leonardo’s throat.

“No, it is not that. I just… wondered if someone whose goal is assassination would speak so openly about it.”

He tried to phrase it indirectly, but it was equally impudent.

Slap—

In an instant, Theodore’s hand came up and lightly swatted Leonardo’s hand away. His skin was slightly scratched due to the sharp edge of the ring, but Leonardo did not show it.

Then, Theodore’s head turned halfway.

“What is it you wish to say?”

The sharp Gold Eyes stared at him more coldly than ever before.