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The pitch-black night slowly descended, wrapping the entire Clover Kingdom in darkness.
The cold winter wind slipped through the glass windows of the Crimson Lion squad’s headquarters, carrying a biting chill with it. And yet, the moment one stepped through the doors of the grand hall, that cold vanished completely, swallowed up by the scorching atmosphere thick with the smell of men and alcohol.
That was not the elegant grape wine poured into crystal glasses by the nobles of the royal capital. No, it was strong distilled liquor stored inside rough clay jars, personally brought back by Yami after one of his expeditions abroad. He called it “borderland specialty,” the kind of alcohol that only needed a single sip to set the whole body burning from throat straight down to stomach.
The reason behind this rather “illegal” gathering was a sudden whim from the Wizard King earlier that afternoon.
After spending an entire week buried beneath dry legislative paperwork, Julius, who already halfway to losing his mind, had suddenly slammed his desk and declared:
“You’ve all been working hard lately. No military talk tonight, we’re going drinking!”
And just like that, not a single Captain managed to refuse the constrained invitation from their boss (though honestly, most of them clearly enjoyed the idea anyway), whose soul was as free as the open sky.
Just so, here they were, throwing all those troublesome formalities aside for one night.
Around the large oak table placed in the very center of the hall, the Captains had settled themselves in a random circle.
Julius sat at the center. On his right was William Vangeance, followed by Nozel Silva and Fuegoleon Vermillion sitting side by side like a proud, perfectly matched duo.
Across from them, Yami Sukehiro had both feet propped shamelessly atop the table, seated between Jack the Ripper and Charlotte Roselei - who was currently trying her absolute hardest to keep as much distance from the rude man as possible by dragging her chair farther away.
At some point, Julius had already tossed his luxurious gold-embroidered cloak carelessly over the back of his chair. The top buttons of his shirt had come undone, and his face was slightly flushed from the heat.
His violet eyes sparkled brightly with excitement while his fingers continuously tapped against the table.
Right beside the Wizard King’s barely “restrained chaos”, William sat with perfectly straight posture.
Even amidst a room full of people letting themselves loose, the captain of the Golden Dawn still kept his formal attire completely neat and proper. His golden mask reflected the candlelight in shimmering glints, yet the violet eyes exposed beneath it remained calm and composed, entirely opposite from the noisy atmosphere surrounding him.
As usual, Yami was the one to start things off.
The man grabbed the empty bottle rolling around on the table with one rough hand and flicked his wrist, sending it spinning wildly beneath everyone’s heated gazes.
The bottle neck wobbled, slowed, slid past Yami, swept by Fuegoleon -
- and finally stopped, pointing directly at William’s chest.
Yami instantly burst into loud laughter and slammed the table with a bang.
“Hell yeah, perfect opener! Your turn, mystery mask! Hurry up and choose - Truth or Dare? Or are ya planning to chug an entire jar to escape?”
“Come on, Yami, don’t pressure people that much. We only just started.”
Fuegoleon frowned as he complained from across the table, though his hands were still busy gripping tightly onto Nozel’s sleeve to stop the Silva noble from standing up and leaving simply because he thought the smell of clay-stored liquor was too cheap.
William, however, didn’t look even slightly flustered by Yami and Jack’s laughter.
A small smile appeared beneath his mask as he spoke in the same gentle, calm voice as always:
“I’ll admit defeat from the very first round and accept the punishment of drinking sobering tea instead. Lord Julius plans to drink quite a lot tonight, so I need to stay sober in order to take care of him and escort him safely back to the royal palace.”
“Oi oi, Vangeance! The party just started and you’re already trying to run off to play babysitter? Talk about a buzzkill!” Yami grumbled while blowing out a thick puff of cigarette smoke.
Only then did Nozel shoot him a sidelong glance and speak in his usual mocking tone.
“At least he knows how to preserve the royal family’s dignity. Unlike some uncivilized brute who acts like he owns every place he sits in.”
“The hell did you say, braid-head?!”
Yami shot up from his seat instantly, nearly lunged across the table to grab Nozel’s hair if Fuegoleon hadn’t quickly thrust an arm across his chest to stop him.
Amidst all that lively chaos, Julius simply smiled until his eyes curved shut in satisfaction.
The Wizard King happily leaned his large frame toward William, his broad shoulder pressing directly against the younger man’s.
His deep voice carried the warmth of alcohol and amusement.
“William is always so thoughtful. In that case, I can relax and keep drinking.”
When the next round came, Julius himself eagerly reached over and spun the bottle.
The Wizard King’s enthusiastic spin sent the bottle turning in a large circle before it finally stopped -
- pointing directly at Jack.
The moment Yami saw it, he immediately grinned in delight and slung his muscular arm around his eccentric companion’s neck, yanking the man down against the table as he provoked him loudly:
“Ha! Looks like it’s your unlucky day, skinny bastard! You gotta choose Dare for me! I dare you to stick those slash-happy arms of yours into one of my dark magic cracks and fish out a coin! Either do it or chug three whole jars!”
The second Yami finished speaking, a pitch-black spatial crack twisted open in midair, distorted violently by the overwhelming dark magic pouring out of it. Black sparks crackled around the rift in a threatening display.
Jack the Ripper immediately cursed loudly, shoving Yami’s arm off his shoulders before breaking into his usual crazed “kekeke” laughter.
His teeth ground together in excitement.
“You looking down on me, Yami?! I’ll slice your pathetic little crack clean in half! What makes you think you can challenge me?!”
And without sparing a second thought for the consequences, Jack swung his arm - already transformed into a razor-sharp blade.
A violent slash of green magic tore through the air itself and cleaved directly through the dark spatial crack hanging in midair. The collision between the two types of magic exploded with a deafening boom.
The terrifying force from the missed attack instantly sliced off one corner of the thick oak table.
Broken dishes and shattered pieces of wood scattered everywhere - finally flying straight toward the corner where Julius and William were seated.
"Will you two lunatics stop wrecking public property already?!" Fuegoleon shot to his feet with a roar, swinging an arm up to raise a wall of flames and protect the remaining food on the table.
At that split-second of chaos, William moved faster than the eye could follow, half-rising from his seat as the wide hem of his cloak swept through the air in a flawless arc.
"World Tree Magic: Budding Wood Shield!"
A barrier woven from tightly intertwined ancient branches burst from the ground, towering high in front of them. It calmly and precisely caught every sharp fragment and splash of liquor flying through the air, never allowing any single strand of the Wizard King's hair to be disturbed.
Not only was Julius unafraid, he looked downright delighted. He grabbed tightly onto William’s sleeve and laughed so hard his whole body tilted sideways, pointing excitedly at the spatial crack that had yet to disappear.
"William, look at that! Yami’s spatial magic has gotten even denser lately, the compression is amazing! And Jack is still just as reckless, his attack angles are still absurdly sharp, exactly like when I first met him! This is so fascinating!"
William did not pull his sleeve away from the childish grip of his superior. He simply sat back down at an unhurried pace, smoothly retracting his World Tree Magic. One hand swiftly replaced Julius’s teacup with a fresh warm one, while the other pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and naturally, patiently dabbed at Julius’s lips to wipe away the remaining trace of liquor left behind after that hearty laughter.
At that moment, Jack snatched up the empty bottle from the table, his eyes practically bulging with excitement.
"My turn! Let’s see who dies next! Keke-keke!"
He violently spun the bottle, hard enough that it whirled like a crazed top before gradually slowing down and stopping with its neck aimed directly at the next victim - the fussy lady Captain, Charlotte.
Jack burst into savage laughter, pointing his blade toward her face.
"Ohhh, Captain Blue Rose! Pick Dare! I dare you to mount your broom and fly three full laps around this pillar-filled hall using only one hand, while the other has to carry that battle axe over there!"
As he spoke, he pointed toward the biggest rusted axe hanging on the barracks wall.
Yami immediately slammed his thigh and whistled loudly, his voice dripping with mockery.
"That’s the spirit! Do it already, Captain! Show us what the Blue Rose Knights are made of! Or what, you scared you’ll fall flat on your face?"
Charlotte’s face was already flushed bright red with fury. Watching Yami’s smug expression, her chest rose and fell violently beneath her elegant armor. She slammed her bowl of liquor onto the table and snapped through gritted teeth at the rude man:
"Shut your damn mouth, Yami! I’d rather drink the punishment than perform some vulgar embarrassment like that in front of all of you!"
Then without giving anyone the chance to stop her, Charlotte decisively grabbed the liquor jar, filled her bowl to the brim, and downed three punishment bowls in a row with reckless determination. The men around her immediately erupted into loud cheers and applause, while Julius clapped so hard he nearly laughed himself to tears.
But liquor from the borderlands was never something to joke about.
Only a few minutes after those three bowls settled into her bloodstream, Charlotte visibly began to lose stability, her body swaying unsteadily in her seat. The sharpness in her eyes clouded over with drunken haze as she rested her chin on the table and muttered in a weak, slurred voice:
"That ridiculous bastard... I... I’m gonna wipe that smug face right off you..."
Even completely drunk, she still forced herself forward and swung her arm, nearly slapping Yami across the face had he not dodged in time.
Charlotte’s outburst became the perfect spark to ignite the uncontrollable battle instincts of the two fight addicts.
The moment Yami dodged her swing, he burst into delighted laughter and turned toward Jack - who had been staring with bulging eyes and practically drooling from excitement this whole time.
"Keke-keke! Looks like Captain Blue Rose is down for the count."
Jack sprawled himself across the table, the magic blades on his arm crackling ominously as he pointed directly at Yami.
"Oi, Yami, I can’t hold it anymore! Let’s do a few real blows right here!"
"Hah? Are you picking a fight with me now, you battle junkie?"
Yami bared his teeth in a grin and slammed the sheath of his black katana onto the table with a heavy bang. He rose to his feet as thick, crushing Dark Magic suddenly exploded outward, making the air in the hall feel frozen solid.
"Fine then. Let me see what your rusty saw blades can actually cut."
Bang! Crash!
Without the slightest regard for anyone trying to stop them, Jack lunged like a beast pouncing on prey. His green slashing magic collided violently against Yami’s Dark Magic-coated katana. The shockwaves from their completely uncontrolled drunken swings cracked the stone pillars surrounding the hall, while dust and debris rained down from the ceiling overhead. Chairs, tables, and liquor jars rolled everywhere, smashing noisily against one another.
"Damn it! You two street brawlers!"
Fuegoleon roared, throwing out a massive wave of flames between them to forcibly separate the pair. Nozel’s expression darkened as mercury particles gathered around him, instantly forming a massive shield to protect Charlotte, who had already completely collapsed onto the table mumbling nonsense in her drunken haze.
Meanwhile, William remained calmly seated inside the pristine wooden cocoon he had created around his and Julius’s corner of the table, completely isolating them from the flying debris and burning embers outside.
As the night deepened, Yami and Jack finally began tiring after their destructive "exchange," eventually being forced back into their seats under Fuegoleon’s overwhelming flames. Only then did the gathering finally cool down a little.
At that point, Yami irritably wiped the stone dust off his face and roughly spun the bottle again. It spun wildly past Fuegoleon, before finally stopping directly in front of Nozel.
Jack immediately stretched himself across the table, eyes wide as he burst into savage laughter.
"Ha! Finally get to mess with this guy! Hey braid-boy, you dare compete with the Vermillion brat or not? You two are always at each other’s throats anyway. Don’t tell me you’re scared your weak little mercury magic’s gonna get roasted by Fuegoleon’s flames? Keke!"
Nozel Silva let out a contemptuous scoff and casually straightened his silver cloak.
"The Silva royal family’s magic is not some joke for you fools to toy with. But if Fuegoleon wishes to test himself, then I’ll gladly show him who truly stands above."
"Excellent, Nozel! I’d like to see how much you’ve improved yourself!"
Fuegoleon, seemingly stirred up by both the alcohol and the provocation, abruptly stood up as well, shoving his heavy oak chair back with a sharp screech.
The two immediately began demonstrating an absurdly advanced display of fine magic control right there on the spot. Tiny crimson flames like swarms of fireflies danced through the air alongside Nozel’s refined mercury droplets. They shot, spiraled, collided, and supported each other seamlessly midair. Their magic intertwined so flawlessly it almost seemed unreal - shattered mercury instantly melted into dazzling silver mist by Fuegoleon’s flames, swaying beautifully with every perfectly synchronized motion of the two men.
Watching the glittering lights overhead through the gaps in the wooden cocoon, Julius leaned his head closer toward William and whispered near his ear in a nostalgic voice:
"Look at them, William... They still coordinate perfectly without missing a beat, exactly like they did over ten years ago."
William tilted his head slightly, listening attentively while lifting a hand to lightly support Julius’s shoulder, which had begun leaning sideways from the alcohol.
"Were the two of them always like this when they were younger, sir?"
"Of course they were! Ever since they were kids, they’ve been inseparable. Always together wherever they went, yet somehow they’d still end up arguing every single time they opened their mouths."
Julius laughed with narrowed eyes, his broad shoulders trembling softly with each chuckle.
"You know what, when they were younger, Fuegoleon once accidentally burned off part of Nozel’s bangs while the two of them snuck into the magic forest to hunt beasts. Little Nozel was incredibly vain back then, so he burst into tears demanding compensation. And Fuegoleon panicked so badly that he actually used his own royal cloak to... wipe Nozel’s tears away. After that incident, Nozel locked himself in his room for three whole days because he was too embarrassed to face anyone, while Fuegoleon stood outside his door every day carrying all the sweets Nozel liked best just to coax him out."
Hearing that, William let out a genuine laugh beneath his mask. From the very beginning, all of his attention had been fixed entirely on Julius. He observed every nostalgic squint, every uneven breath tinged with alcohol, and the way Julius spoke so fondly about his subordinates. The warmth swelling in William’s chest unconsciously made him move just a little closer.
His gloved hands gently rested against the back of Julius’s chair, forming a posture almost like he was quietly enclosing the Wizard King within his embrace, ready to steady him at any moment should the alcohol make him lose balance.
"And that Nozel boy, despite always talking about 'the dignity of House Silva' and all that nonsense, he unconsciously clings to Fuegoleon more than he even realizes himself."
Julius let out a long breath reeking faintly of liquor, his fingers unconsciously hooking into the hem of William’s cloak as though searching for support.
"Don’t you notice? Whenever something chaotic happens in a banquet hall or meeting chamber, the first place Nozel instinctively retreats toward is always beside Fuegoleon. That arrogant child doesn’t trust anyone’s back except that Vermillion idiot’s. Back when they had just joined the Magic Knights, I remember they once went on a mission together and Nozel badly injured his wrist. Fuegoleon got so furious his whole face turned red while scolding Nozel for being careless, yet at the same time he personally bandaged him and carried him through miles of forest without a complaint."
Julius sighed deeply in satisfaction and leaned nearly half his body weight onto William’s shoulder, his voice lowering into something soft and indulgent.
"They’ve been attached to each other since before their magic not even fully developed. They grew up together, trained together, learned every little habit the other person had better than they knew themselves. And after standing side by side through so many life-and-death battles, things naturally became so close between them that... I’d bet no matter what happens in the future, nobody else will ever be able to wedge themselves between those two..."
Then Julius suddenly chuckled again.
"But don’t tell them I told you all these embarrassing stories, alright? Nozel’s terrifying when he’s angry. He’d probably skewer me in the middle of the hall if he found out! Hahaha."
William tilted his head slightly as he listened intently, the distance between them so close that he could feel the warmth radiating from Julius’s body brushing against his ear. Beneath the mask, his gaze held a deep reverence mixed with quiet indulgence, as though he was willing to unconditionally spoil this king who had temporarily set aside his crown.
And yet, William did not isolate himself from the merriment around them.
Through the gaps between the wooden branches, he looked toward Yami loudly cheering, Jack sneering and provoking everyone as usual, while Fuegoleon and Nozel - despite the irritation written across their faces - still had their flames and mercury intertwining flawlessly together. A peaceful smile slowly appeared on the Golden Dawn captain’s lips.
How long had it been since he last witnessed a scene so full of life and sincerity like this?
There were no political schemes, no burdens of noble houses, nor the dignified masks they all had to wear before the public every single day.
Here, amidst the chaos and wreckage of the banquet hall, they were simply comrades, simply friends genuinely living in and enjoying each other’s presence.
That lively, rough warmth seeped directly into William’s heart, quietly soothing the lonely shadows buried deep within him, making him unconsciously wish this night could last just a little longer.
He slowly turned the warm teacup in his hand before leaning closer, his whisper soft enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Lord Julius, you saw through all of them from the very beginning, and you were also the one who created a place where they could belong freely like this. Tonight... please just enjoy it to your heart’s content. I will always beside you."
Those words, combined with the gentle and pure magic of the World Tree quietly flowing from William’s body, unknowingly formed a sturdy barrier around the two of them - sealing them within their own warm and joyful atmosphere, completely separate from the noisy uproar of the banquet hall outside.
__________________________
The tense drinking session dragged on for hours, until the great hall of the Crimson Lion Kings was littered with “fallen warriors” defeated by the rustic borderland liquor. Charlotte was naturally the first to collapse onto the table, her soft, steady breathing from rare relief nearly drowned out by the chaos around her. Then came Jack, staggering out toward the cloud courtyard, muttering a string of filthy curses before passing out while hugging one of the massive stone pillars, completely ignoring the freezing night mist settling over his shoulders like a thin veil.
After a fierce round of drinking contests and emptying jar after jar, even Yami and Julius had finally run out of strength. The captain of the Black Bulls crashed heavily onto the stone floor, still clutching an empty bottle in his hand, loud snores rumbling out of him like distant thunder.
The moment Julius’s large body began to lose balance and tilt sideways - actually about to fall in Yami’s direction - William had already been waiting for it.
Faster than an arrow, he reached both arms out through the wooden cocoon that had just dissolved, catching Julius perfectly against his chest.
The firm body of the Golden Dawn captain accepted the full weight of the Wizard King without the slightest hesitation.
William carefully straightened the luxurious gold-embroidered cloak that had come loose in disarray, then naturally draped one of Julius’s large arms over his own shoulder. Though he normally carried himself like a refined, scholarly mage, at this moment he used the full strength of a grown man’s shoulders and arms to help Julius stand with practiced ease.
Before stepping through the ruined hall doors, William suddenly paused. He tilted his head slightly, the golden mask shifting faintly beneath the dying candlelight. Lowering his head politely, he cast Nozel and Fuegoleon a meaningful glance.
At that moment, Nozel Silva was sitting stiffly in his chair, his usually pale, elegant face now flushed red all the way to his ears after downing three punishment bowls of alcohol from yet another challenge Yami had thrown at him before finally collapsing. The silver prince’s violet eyes were hazy, yet still burning stubbornly with indignation. Standing right beside him was Fuegoleon, breathing out waves of heated pressure.
William smiled faintly and spoke gently into the silence of the room:
“I’ll take Lord Julius back first. Wish you both a pleasant night.”
The figures of the two of them gradually disappeared beyond the quiet hallway outside the barracks, the slow footsteps of William supporting Julius fading little by little into the still night.
The heavy wooden doors shut with a dry creak, severing the final warmth left behind by World Tree Magic. The space inside the hall suddenly sank into a suffocating silence. Now, the place resembled nothing more than a cramped storage room. The only remaining light came from Fuegoleon’s dying flames and the cold reflections cast by the mercury drifting uncontrollably around Nozel.
The borderland liquor worked like poison, twisting away all ordinary reason, releasing every buried emotion, affection, and hidden crack between the two greatest royal families of the Clover Kingdom.
Amid the wreckage of shattered tables and broken clay jars, the two royal heir stood facing each other, heavy breaths mixing together in the darkness. Another struggle slowly sparked to life, but this time, when Fuegoleon’s hand slipped deep behind the other man’s neck, and Nozel roughly grabbed Fuegoleon cloak to yank him downward, everything carried a far more dangerous sense of ambiguity and tangled longing.
__________________________
William supported Julius as they approached the luxurious royal carriage parked in a secluded corner of the Crimson Lion Kings’ barracks.
Bitter northern winds howled past the cliff walls and swept against their backs, sending both of their cloaks fluttering wildly, yet the warmth radiating through the layers of silk from the Wizard King’s body burned like glowing embers.
Along the sloping road, the kingdom’s highest ruler showed absolutely no intention of maintaining his usual dignified composure. On the contrary, the playful, childish side of him that had long been buried beneath mountains of paperwork had been completely stirred awake by the alcohol, making him even livelier than when sober.
He refused to walk properly. Every few steps, the king’s long legs would stumble deliberately as he relaxed his entire large frame and leaned most of his weight onto one of William’s narrow shoulders. He would not even keep his head upright for long either. Every so often, he buried it deeper into the hollow of William’s neck, slowly breathing in the cool herbal scent clinging to the younger man’s body, just like an oversized dog shamelessly seeking affection from its owner. The Captain of the Golden Dawn could only wrap an arm around him tighter, firmly gripping Julius’s waist to steady his balance.
“J-Julius-sama, please walk a bit more carefully… we’re almost at the carriage.”
William reminded him with difficulty as his own steps began to falter slightly.
Julius’s hot breath, thick with the scent of alcohol, brushed against the back of his neck again and again, leaving the ears hidden beneath William’s ash-blond hair slowly turning red from the excessive closeness - far more intimate than any proper boundary should allow.
After finally managing to guide Julius into the enclosed carriage cabin, William gently helped him recline against the velvet-padded seat.
Beneath the silver moonlight shining through the window, he reached up and removed the troublesome mask from his face, hanging it neatly on the leather hook beside the carriage wall, revealing a face marred by uneven scars. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heartbeat, William leaned down slightly and reached for the thick fur blanket folded in the corner, intending to drape it over Julius.
He had already planned everything out in his head - once he settled the king comfortably, he would quietly retreat to the opposite seat to maintain a respectful distance and avoid disturbing his sleep.
However, the Wizard King apparently had no desire to put an end to such an enjoyable night just yet.
The moment William’s gloved hand pulled the blanket up to Julius’s chest and was about to withdraw, Julius suddenly opened his eyes. Those deep violet eyes were completely clear, without even half the haze of a drunken man. If anything, they were filled with sharp awareness, along with the usual mischievous sparkle hidden beneath them.
He did not use force to restrain William. Instead, he simply reached out with two fingers and lightly hooked one of William’s retreating fingers. At the same time, the surrounding waves of Time Magic trembled ever so subtly, delaying William’s instinctive reaction by the briefest fraction of a second.
That single instant was already enough to completely shatter the defensive wall William had built through etiquette and restraint. Leaning comfortably against the wooden carriage wall, Julius casually tugged him closer. Using the momentum, he turned slightly and decisively rested his messy head on William’s lap.
The king stretched out along the wide seat, adjusting himself freely until he found the most comfortable position possible, treating the Golden Dawn captain’s legs like the finest pillow in the world.
“Julius… lord…”
William froze as though struck by a paralysis spell, every muscle in his body turning rigid on the spot. His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, half wanting to push him away, half afraid of being disrespectful, completely helpless against this natural yet outrageously overbearing behavior from his superior.
“The carriage ride at night gets pretty bumpy. Let me borrow this spot of yours for a while, William. You’re not planning to charge me for it, are you?”
Julius looked up at him from where his head rested on William’s lap. From that unusual angle, he could clearly see the rapid blush spreading across his subordinate’s face.
Under the moonlight, the long scar stretching across William’s face was exposed without anything left to hide it. Faced with such an openly direct stare, William instinctively tried to turn his head away in embarrassment, but Julius was faster.
He lifted a rough hand and, without the slightest trace of hesitation or discomfort, lightly flicked William’s nose to stop him from looking away. Then those large fingers slowly brushed along the uneven scarred skin on his face with unmistakable care and tenderness, as naturally as if it were the most obvious and beautiful thing in the world.
“Whenever there’s no one else around, you always like hiding in the dark and using that piece of metal to separate yourself from everyone, don’t you, William? But tonight, I already declared it back in the hall, no masks, no burdens of the crown, and no responsibilities of protecting the kingdom either. So just stay still and let me look at you for a while. Think of it as compensation for the awful liquor Yami forced me to drink.”
Julius’s low, husky voice echoed through the cramped carriage, carrying a lazy tone that somehow still felt unbelievably relaxed and gentle. He did not use authority to pressure him, nor sweet words to coax him, yet the way he openly displayed such unique favoritism and affection became the sharpest weapon of all - successfully tearing down the final boundary William had desperately tried to preserve.
William lowered his gaze to the man lying on his lap, chest rising and falling unevenly as his heart beat wildly out of rhythm. Faced with Julius’s teasing yet deeply sincere affection, all the calm composure and elegance of the perfect captain became utterly useless.
He quietly let out a breath, violet eyes curving into a soft, happy smile. William stopped trying to push him away. Slowly, he lowered the hands that had been awkwardly suspended in the air and gently pulled the fur blanket higher, tucking it snugly up to Julius’s neck to keep him warm. Then he brushed aside a few loose strands of blond hair falling over the king’s forehead and whispered softly:
“Alright… if that’s what you want, then get some sleep, Julius.”
Julius looked completely satisfied by William’s surrender. A pleased hum escaped his throat as he tilted his head, pressing one cheek more firmly against the fabric covering William’s lap before gradually closing his eyes.
He let go of all his defenses and drifted into peaceful sleep beneath the careful protection of his own captain while the carriage slowly rolled forward into the quiet night.
__________________________
The space inside the carriage had now sunk into absolute silence.
The banquet hall of the Crimson Lion Kings had long been left far behind, and all that remained was the steady, heavy sound of wooden wheels rolling over uneven stone roads, accompanied by Julius’s slow, quiet breathing.
It was only in this very moment, when the most powerful man in the Clover Kingdom had completely lowered his guard, stripped away every layer of defense, and entrusted himself wholly to sleep, that William finally stopped holding himself back.
The dam separating his reason from his emotions, something he had spent years desperately maintaining, suddenly collapsed entirely before the peaceful sight of Julius sleeping in his lap.
William lowered his head slightly, restraining even the sound of his breathing as much as possible. His gaze moved greedily across every familiar feature on Julius’s face.
He studied the broad forehead lined deeply with traces of endless burdens, the thick lashes resting quietly over closed eyes, and finally the lips still carrying the faintest curve of satisfied contentment.
The crescent moon above poured its pale light straight across the scarred side of William’s face, illuminating every jagged mark carved across his skin. But unlike usual, he no longer turned away to hide that ugliness or conceal it from sight. Instead, he faced Julius exactly as he was, with nothing hidden anymore.
The look fixed upon the sleeping king was no longer merely admiration or reverence from a loyal subordinate toward the man who had once saved him.
It held something far deeper than that now - something so painfully intense and tender that even William’s fingertips began trembling unconsciously.
Slowly, William raised one hand to his mouth. Using his teeth, he tugged loose the edge of his glove before removing the white fabric, revealing a slender bare hand with pale skin beneath.
He froze there for a long while.
One final struggle played out inside him, brief yet fierce, before it was swallowed whole by an invisible pull urging him forward.
And so, William finally crossed the boundary of every rule and restraint he had forced upon himself.
He reached out his bare hand and gently touched Julius’s cheek.
A touch so direct it felt almost frightening.
His fingertips immediately felt the heat radiating from Julius’s body, along with the faint roughness of skin weathered by years of battle.
That skin-to-skin contact, unobstructed by even a single layer between them, sent a violent tremor through William’s chest. A numbing current shot down his spine and pierced straight through his heart.
He did not rush to explore further.
Instead, he simply let his palm rest softly against Julius’s face like that, quietly feeling the faint pulse beating beneath the skin near his neck.
Then, like a pilgrim reverently touching a sacred relic, William’s fingers finally began to move - slow, careful, and unbearably gentle.
The back of his fingers brushed lightly along Julius’s sharp jawline, tracing over the stubborn shape of his chin before lingering for a long time at the corner of the Magic Emperor’s lips.
William’s thumb softly stroked those slightly dry lips, weathered by cold night air and strong liquor, lingering there to memorize the gentle curve Julius always used whenever he spoke William’s name.
Every caress was feather-light.
Every movement unbearably slow, as though William wished to carve every second of this warmth permanently into his memory.
Looking at the man who carried the weight of an entire kingdom every single day - the man who stood at the very peak of power to protect countless lives, now resting so obediently and defenselessly in his lap only made William more incapable of suppressing his feelings.
His hand slowly moved upward.
Long fingers slipped carefully into Julius’s smooth golden hair.
William gently stroked through each soft strand, savoring the silky texture sliding beneath his fingertips like the finest noble fabric. His movements were incredibly tender, almost worshipful, slowly soothing away the exhaustion that had lingered within Julius’s spirit for so long.
He leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer, allowing strands of his own ash-blond hair to slip between the fingers threaded through Julius’s golden locks.
Gold and silver intertwined together beneath the moonlight, glowing softly as though some invisible magic itself was weaving an unbreakable bond between them.
And yet -
When only a handspan remained between their faces, William suddenly stopped.
Under the warm breath brushing softly against his skin, William’s mind suddenly spiraled into countless tangled thoughts. He stared at those lips, his chest tightening around a sinful desire burning quietly inside him.
Did he even have the right?
The man lying here was the supreme ruler of an entire kingdom, the symbol of justice itself, the brightest embodiment of hope and light.
And William, beneath that elegant mask, was nothing more than a rotting soul, sharing a body with a being overflowing with deep hatred, someone walking every single day along the fragile boundary between loyalty and betrayal.
If you knew the darkness I’ve buried inside… would you still look at me with such kindness?
At that thought, an endless bitterness rose and lodged itself in William’s throat, making those violet eyes tremble violently.
He knew this might be the only time in his life Julius would ever lower all his guard so completely, and also the only chance William would ever have to selfishly keep him to himself, even if only within the fleeting illusion of a winter night.
The fear of what tomorrow might bring, the fear that these hands might one day no longer have the right to even touch the hem of Julius’s cloak, completely shattered the last pieces of the captain’s reason.
He did not need a title, nor did he ask for love in return. He only wanted tonight - just one quiet moment to carve the faith of his entire life into his soul.
“Julius…”
William whispered softly, his voice so faint it nearly dissolved into the howling wind outside the carriage, yet filled to the brim with aching longing and devotion.
Slowly, he leaned down further, casting aside every chain of restraint, inferiority, and propriety. William closed his eyes and gently rested his forehead against Julius’s.
Their noses brushed together as the final distance between them disappeared completely, their breaths tangling together until they became one.
In that brief, private moment within the silent winter night, William wrapped the sleeping man in all the fervent worship and deepest secret love he had hidden for so long.
He lowered his head just a little more, finally surrendering to these forbidden feelings, and, pressed a kiss against Julius’s lips.
He did not pull away immediately.
Instead, he lingered there lightly against those lips, savoring them slowly as though tasting some forbidden nectar.
William leaned down deeper, carefully parting Julius’s lips before gently sucking on the slightly dry lower lip of the king. He kissed him softly, painfully slowly, starting from the corner of his mouth and gradually moving toward the center, reluctant to let go of even the faint lingering taste of strong wine left behind.
That kiss carried both maddening devotion and a fear so intense it made his heart tremble - the fear that if he became even slightly more forceful, this fragile illusion of happiness would burst like a bubble and throw him back into his bitter loneliness.
This fear made William even more careful. He savored Julius bit by bit, the kiss so light it could not even wake a moth’s wings, yet carrying the full weight of a vow meant for an entire lifetime, offering up every piece of William’s sinful soul to his king.
When their lips finally parted with deep reluctance, William remained bent over him, leaning close to Julius’s ear just to listen to the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Only within the blurred stillness of the late-night darkness did the deepest part of the captain’s heart finally begin to crack open. It was a sorrowful longing, festering for years beneath the poison of fate itself.
He loved this man, a love that had long surpassed the boundaries of loyalty, yet that very love had become the punishment tormenting him every night.
William understood better than anyone that he did not deserve Julius. Nor could he abandon the duty entrusted to him by the other half of his soul.
The conflict between two worlds, between Julius’s saving light and the hatred lurking within the shadows of the past, had turned William’s feelings into a flower blooming inside a forbidden glass cage - beautiful, passionate, but forever trapped within its prison.
He was willing to bury these feelings with him until his bones turned to dust.
He accepted standing behind Julius forever like a devoted shadow, if only to protect the fair and peaceful world Julius dreamed of building.
To William, being able to exchange one drunken night for a few fleeting moments as Julius’s resting place was already the greatest mercy fate could possibly grant him.
No matter how violently the world outside might collapse tomorrow, no matter whether the kingdom fell into chaos, or fate itself became unbearably cruel, tonight William wished only to become the steadiest and most peaceful refuge of all, opening his arms wide to shelter the free wind known as Julius Novachrono.
These roots had already sunk too deeply into the earth. Even if he had to bear every fracture alone, even if the price waiting for him was an endless abyss or the complete destruction of his shattered soul, this would still remain William Vangeance’s eternal obsession - one that could never, ever be shaken.