Value and Vows

Agniele kept his word and remained by Ensi’s side even after he opened his eyes. Naturally, he followed Ensi around wherever he went, like a shadow.

Though he had suddenly gained a permanent attachment, Ensi made no effort to push Agniele away. If anything, he welcomed the behavior, which wouldn’t have been out of place if called eccentric, and smiled with satisfaction.

“……If you were going to act like this, why did you try to find a surrogate mother in the first place?”

“My judgment was briefly clouded.”

Rose, who had visited the mansion after hearing the news of Ensi’s awakening, looked disgusted by the dense alpha pheromones filling the room. Even in the face of her clearly fed-up reaction, Ensi merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Is that so—. Whatever the reason, as long as you have changed your mind, that is enough for me.”

Glancing at her master through the thin curtain as he lay held by someone, Rose let out a faint sigh but felt relieved inwardly. Ensi’s condition looked remarkably stable at a single glance.

Of course, even if he appeared that way, she couldn’t discuss headache-inducing workloads with him like usual. Therefore, she decided to bring up a matter that the mansion’s servants had been losing sleep over lately.

“Master, what should we do about the preparations for his appointment ceremony? Emma seems to be deeply worried about it.”

Agniele stuck close to Ensi’s side with no sign of returning to the Lacius estate, and it wasn’t as if the Lacius family had made any separate mentions regarding the ceremony preparations either.

With the appointment ceremony drawing near in the midst of this, it was only natural for Emma’s worries to deepen. After all, there was no way Agniele would skip an event that Ensi was also attending.

“Come to think of it, is the appointment ceremony in two weeks?”

“Yes. Would you like to prepare for it, Master?”

At Rose’s question, Ensi naturally looked up at Agniele, who was holding him. In his heart, he wanted to coordinate their outfits together, but he worried Agniele might not want to. Agniele, who had been focusing all his attention on Ensi, met his gaze without delay.

“Do as you wish.”

“But the Lacius family might have already prepared something.”

“It’s fine. I prefer whatever you prepare for me.”

“Is that so?”

How lovely. Ensi left a brief kiss on his lover’s face, who was nodding with a utterly devoted expression. Stroking the cheek that had lost its roughness and regained its luster, a soft smile played on his lips.

“The timeframe seems tight, though.”

“Among those who have received your grace, Master, there is someone with very quick hands. If we attach a few people skilled in tailoring, we can make the deadline.”

“What about the design?”

“Shouldn’t we just match it with your attire, Master?”

In Rose’s opinion, it was best to use this appointment ceremony to clearly proclaim their relationship to the public. That way, they could at least reduce the number of strange people approaching Ensi under the pretext of the grand party.

To achieve that, they needed to match not just the outfits but also the accessories. Because of this, the remaining time was beyond tight—it was practically at a level of grinding people down—but what did it matter?

Since it wasn’t her own workload anyway, Rose thought lightly of it and laughed. She even guaranteed that she would have it ready within the deadline no matter what.

Ensi also had no interest in the internal hardships of the staff, so seeing a confident Rose, he gave an answer telling her to do as she pleased.

“And Master.”

“Mmh?”

Ensi, who had lazily stretched his body while leaning his cheek against Agniele’s shoulder, raised his head slightly at the significantly more serious tone.

“The Saintess has arrived in the Empire.”

“Already? The Holy Kingdom wouldn’t have granted permission so easily.”

“I do not know the detailed circumstances, but she is currently in the Imperial Palace after completing her entry. She also left word that she would come here tonight.”

Beneath such swift action, there must be a fair amount of stubbornness and rigidity. Ensi inwardly thought that he had run up a debt to her and groped for Agniele’s hand, which was wrapped around his body.

“We must strengthen the security. We will also need someone to go out and greet her.”

“I will prepare it.”

Despite the entry of the Saintess proclaimed by the Asgard Holy Kingdom, the atmosphere was excessively quiet. It was likely because Cyriel had expressed her intention not to reveal her exact location clearly for the time being.

If so, Ensi had to move in accordance with that. Her entering the country ahead of the delegation the Holy Kingdom would send must be entirely because of him.

He felt sorry toward Cyriel, who had to move discreetly without even receiving proper guest treatment. Still, he was in no position to refuse her goodwill.

Ever since blacking out and waking up, Ensi had been careful about burning herbs, as well as the medicines he usually took. It was a natural course of action since not only Nicephorus but even Priest Doha had expressed dismay, saying his internal injuries were severe.

His expectation that his condition might improve soon with a priest guarding his side was short-lived. Despite possessing quite excellent skills, Priest Doha found it overwhelming just to maintain the status quo.

“Will she be staying here for the time being…….”

“It seems so. The Holy Kingdom’s delegation is scheduled to arrive in a week, so she will likely spend her time here until then.”

He also heard news that although she was still negotiating with the Imperial Family, the Saintess was brushing aside all opposition.

“Do you think the Imperial Knights will move as well?”

“It seems only the guards who accompanied her from the Holy Kingdom will move.”

“Dear me. Then Rose, you must handle this matter.”

The people currently guarding the mansion were excellent in terms of skill, but they were still inexperienced in external matters. That was why he wanted to entrust the task to Rose, who was as busy as he was as the leader of an organization.

It felt unsafe to leave it entirely to the naive ones. Especially for a task that required cooperating and coordinating with others.

If the Imperial Knights were moving, they could leave the coordination to them, but thinking that only the Holy Kingdom was moving, he felt he could only be at ease if he entrusted it to Rose.

“Yes, please do not worry. I will handle it so there is no dispute.”

Reading the deep trust in Ensi’s request, a smile she couldn’t fully hide hung on Rose’s lips. To handle the task Ensi had given her, she left after offering a neat greeting.

“Matters have become complicated.”

“Can it be helped? Before being a friend, Cyriel is the Saintess.”

“Is it alright if I check separately later?”

“Go ahead.”

Even at the cautious question of whether he could interfere with the mansion’s affairs, Ensi agreed without a second thought.

Agniele, who had easily obtained Ensi’s permission, briefly displayed a reluctant look but was quickly delighted.

Whispering his thanks while burying his lips against Ensi’s forehead, Agniele familiarly picked Ensi up in his arms and stood up from the spot.

“More than that, Iel, I don’t need to keep lying down.”

“You must not take internal injuries lightly. Especially not with your current body condition, where you feel cold in this summer heat.”

More than the naturally occurring expressions of affection, Ensi was concerned by the action of heading toward the bed as if it were a matter of course.

He wasn’t usually the active type, but perhaps because he had sustained a semi-forced bed life for quite a long time, his body felt heavy and stiff. Moreover, it was frustrating.

Containing his desire to stop lying down, he lightly tapped Agniele’s chest, but the other paid no heed.

Even though it must be equally stifling for Agniele to stay stuck right next to him, the man remained unyielding.

“Are you perhaps frustrated?”

“—No. It’s fine, so stay by my side.”

Agniele, who was willing to lose in everything else but wouldn’t back down even a little in matters like this, was inwardly malicious. Still, the reason he didn’t feel like being more stubborn was because he knew the anxiety the man hid while pretending otherwise.

Even as he laid Ensi down on the bed and pulled the cord to lower the curtains, Agniele watched Ensi’s reaction. Seeing Agniele looking like his expression would crumble this instant if Ensi said he wanted to catch some fresh air outside, Ensi let go of his desire this time as well.

Even though he knew the denial spat out like a sigh was not genuine, Agniele pretended not to notice. Keeping his mouth tightly shut, he tidied Ensi’s bedding.

Then, he sat on the chair placed beside the bed instead of on top of it. Ensi squirmed and turned sideways toward Agniele.

“Iel.”

“Yes.”

“If my illness does not get cured—.”

“There is no such way.”

Even though it was a hypothetical question, Agniele cut off Ensi’s words and flatly denied it blindly. Ensi, whose speech was blocked in bewilderment by Agniele’s assertion, only blinked his eyes.

He soon let out a chuckle, a meaningless laugh, and reached out his arm to wrap his hand over the back of Agniele’s hand.

“It is a simple hypothesis, so listen first.”

“……Understood.”

Ensi gently shook Agniele’s hand, which wore a reluctant expression, urging for an answer. Because the warmth transferring through the back of his hand was excessively cold, Agniele twitched his eyebrows and reluctantly nodded his head.

“If the opposition of Lacius remains firm because of my illness…… yet we can ignore it and get married.”

It was a semi-impulsive question. As much as it was, Ensi somehow became afraid to hear the answer and cast his eyes downward.

“Would it really be alright to do that?”

“It’s fine. You can do that.”

At the question he had barely finished after taking a breath while pretending otherwise, Agniele returned an answer as if he had been waiting.

Ensi, who had naturally expected the other to show a contemplating appearance, was conversely more flustered by the answer that came out in a single stroke. What caught Ensi’s vision as he unconsciously raised his head was a vivid smile.

“……Are you serious?”

“I am serious.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

If they could just be joined despite the family’s opposition, there was no reason for him to be reluctant. Rather, it was something to welcome. Reading Agniele’s expression, which clearly carried such an intention, Ensi wanted to be confirmed once more in clear language even though he knew it was a foolish action.

“—Why?”

His lips moved on their own at the answer that remained unchanged even after asking multiple times. Startled by his own question which he only perceived through his eardrums, Ensi bit his lower lip.

“Because you are the most precious.”

Seeing the lips turning white under the pressure, Agniele grabbed the other’s jaw and pressed down gently with his thumb. Unable to withstand the touch carrying a moderate pressure, Ensi opened his mouth.

Agniele, gently caressing the lips that were beginning to regain their color, realized his own inadequacy in failing to give Ensi trust and murmured softly.

“Among the things given to me, there is nothing more valuable than you.”

So do not worry. Agniele whispered so. Wearing a smile on his lips that he himself didn’t even perceive, he tenderly coaxed his shaking lover.

As a smile he hadn’t been able to see frequently of late and words that swallowed up anxiety poured out, Ensi looked up at him like a possessed person.

“If it’s like this…….”

“Hmm?”

Agniele tilted his head at the voice that died down weakly without even fully completing the sentence. As Ensi parted his lips meaninglessly and reached out a hand toward him, Agniele leaned his waist forward.

Ensi threw his arms around the neck of the opponent who had stepped closer, and met his gaze with their foreheads pressed together.

“Do not let that heart change.”

“There is no way it will change.”

“Even as time flows, the most valuable thing to you must be me.”

“Even if you don’t say so, it will be.”

“It’s a promise. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Staring into the straightly shining eyes, Ensi put strength into the arms hugging the opponent.

Just how long can a promise like this remain intact?

His mind, soaked in a familiar skepticism, expressed doubt once again, but Ensi merely lowered his head and pressed his lips against Agniele’s.