Knock knock—
When he opened his eyes half-asleep, everything was filled with that person’s scent, and for a brief moment he felt as if he were wrapped in that person’s arms.
But he couldn’t feel the familiar weight of strong arms, or the warm body heat allowed only to him. The blanket he hugged as he curled up like ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a shrimp was soft, but it didn’t offer the same sense of security as the touch he remembered.
The light seeping in under the blackout curtains—which he didn’t remember drawing—was particularly bright. It was a far cry from the darkness he last remembered.
Leonardo stared drowsily around the room, which had become somewhat familiar overnight, trying to recall when he’d crawled into this bed. He’d heard that sometimes, when extreme fatigue builds up to the point of near fainting, the body can unconsciously walk on its own to find a comfortable place.
He remembered Finder laughing a few years ago, asking if he sleepwalked. Leonardo half-buried his face in the soft pillow and slowly closed his eyes.
His whole body felt unbearably heavy. He didn’t remember the dream well, but judging by his foul mood, it seemed he’d had another nightmare.
It was a natural progression since he’d set foot in the imperial capital. Still, thanks to the scent rising from the bed, it seemed he’d woken up at this point...
Knock knock—
“...?”
Leonardo, who had been sluggishly buried in Hugo’s scent like a sloth, suddenly opened his eyes at the knocking he’d missed in his sleepy haze. Reflexively lifting his head like a meerkat, he heard a woman’s voice from outside, following the knocks on the door.
“Are you there?”
This was clearly the Commander’s personal room. But with an unfamiliar voice lingering, he didn’t know how to react. He looked around and checked the clock on the bedside table. 7 AM. About four hours had passed since he’d last checked the time.
“What, when did it get like this?”
Leonardo, gathering his wits that were still stuck to the pillow, kept his mouth shut as if no one were there and barely managed to sit up.
As he lowered his feet to the floor, he noticed indoor slippers neatly placed as if waiting to be worn. They looked too big and might slip off, but he shoved his feet into them anyway and stepped out of bed.
Knock knock knock—
As the impatient knocking came again, his sharp golden eyes fixed on the door with wary focus. Still, he smoothed down his bird’s-nest hair and naturally headed for the sofa. He’d sensed a presence and wondered if it might be Flynn. Sure enough, Flynn was sprawled on the armrest with his legs hanging over, looking like he’d worked overtime for two straight days. Judging by the mosquito-like breathing—and even snoring, which was unlike him—Flynn seemed to have been as exhausted as Leonardo.
In contrast to his ugly posture, a blanket was neatly covering his upper body. It looked as if someone had covered him. Leonardo vaguely recalled the gentle touch he’d felt in his sleep.
“Did he come and go at dawn?”
“I’m here on the Commander’s orders—”
At that moment, as if already certain someone was inside, the knocking and the woman’s voice grew louder. At the mention of the Commander’s orders, Leonardo hesitated, glanced around the ownerless room, then bent down to shake Flynn.
“Hey. Wake up.”
Even though he’d lowered his voice to a whisper, Flynn opened his eyes immediately, as if he’d been awake. For a moment, the whites of his eyes showed first, unsettlingly, but his pupils soon settled back into place. Leonardo leaned in and asked quietly:
“Someone’s outside, saying they’re here on the Commander’s orders. Should we open it?”
Flynn, still not fully awake, just stared at Leonardo with a dazed expression despite the question. Then, when the voice sounded again from outside, he jolted up from his seat in surprise.
“Ah, yes! I’ll open it right away!”
Did he know who it was, to react like that? Flynn, answering the air, slid down from the sofa as if rolling off. He got up awkwardly, hurriedly tidied his clothes, and rubbed his rough chin with a flustered expression. Then he went around the sofa, stood in front of the door, and fumbled with the door panel here and there.
Leonardo didn’t know how the lock worked, but when Flynn touched the handle, about three seconds later there was a click, and the heavy door slowly opened. Beyond it, in the corridor, a medical team of at least ten people stood waiting in two rows, lined up like they were in formation.
Not sure what to make of it, Leonardo gripped the sofa headrest and watched them closely, one eyebrow raised.
They came on the Commander’s orders? Just as suspicion crept in, the woman at the front stepped forward and revealed the reason for their visit.
“We’re here to escort you to the infirmary for a detailed examination. We ask for your cooperation.”
*****
“Eat all of this and this—and you already heard about the examination from the Commander, right? There’s no need to be nervous at all. Just stay still. There might be some discomfort, but we’re not doing anything bad to you, so don’t worry.”
Flynn brought Leonardo—now changed into an examination gown similar to a patient gown—a well-cooked beef stew and a potato salad mashed just enough to keep its texture. On top of that, he handed over several packets of unidentified powdered medicine, emphasizing several times that both the medicine and the examination were harmless.
Leonardo scooped up a large spoonful of stew meat, which tore along the grain with only a press of the spoon, and put it in his mouth. It was delicious enough to melt on his tongue, but he replied in a displeased tone, feeling like even Flynn was treating him like a child now.
“I said I get it—. As long as you don’t do things like extracting mana or stuff like that, I’ll stay still too.”
“...”
“And do you think I act up all the time for no reason? I have a sense of what’s going on, you know? I know this is just an examination. That’s why I’m wearing this obediently too.”
Leonardo raised the arm holding the spoon high and shook the silver ring visible under the loose examination gown. The ring, which fit perfectly around his wrist, wasn’t for the same purpose as handcuffs, but it was a bracelet-type restraint that served a similar function nonetheless. This was because the medical team had strongly insisted mana restraints must be worn to proceed with the examination.
Hugo had wanted Leonardo to undergo the examination without any restraints, but since he had a history of causing a disturbance in the infirmary once, the medical staff were already frightened, and it was difficult even to select examination personnel. In the end, Flynn had a brief argument with the medical team on behalf of the absent Hugo—during which Leonardo suddenly stepped forward and insisted on wearing the restraints himself.
There were several reasons, but the biggest was that he wanted to get the annoying task over with quickly. He was also bothered by the story that Agrizendro had exercised his veto power against the orders of an Upper House member from the same family because of him.
However, Flynn knew Leonardo was sensitive about handcuffs because of last night’s incident, and he wanted to avoid this situation as much as possible. But it wasn’t something he could solve by being stubborn at his level, and for a more precise examination, proceeding according to Leonardo’s wishes was the best decision.
So it was only natural for Flynn’s expression to turn complicated when he saw the silver ring fastened around Leonardo’s wrist.
“Right, it’s just an examination... Thanks, Blaine. For understanding.”
As Leonardo casually kept eating the stew, Flynn felt he was deliberately trying to act nonchalant. Maybe because of that, he felt even more sorry.
Leonardo only glanced at the weak voice and didn’t respond, instead pouring the remaining stew into his mouth. Then, taking a bite of the fluffy potato, he looked at the laid-out medicine packets and asked:
“By the way, what kind of medicine is this?”
Flynn flinched inwardly at what he saw in Leonardo’s hand.
“Huh? Oh. Muscle relaxants and painkillers... you know, that kind of thing.”
“Hmm.”
“Oh, and also. They said there’s a small amount of a component that causes drowsiness, but you don’t need to worry about it much. If you feel sleepy during the examination, you can sleep. The medical staff will proceed as needed.”
Leonardo nodded ambiguously. Then, craning his neck to look around for no reason, he asked with a sulky expression:
“Is your Commander busy? Why isn’t he showing up again?”
Flynn gave an awkward smile.
“...It seems he has a lot to check because of that incident yesterday. But he’ll probably come by the time your examination is over. I heard he instructed Gabe to clear his entire afternoon schedule. Won’t he be with you all afternoon?”
Even as he explained, Flynn couldn’t deny the bitterness rising inside him. Seeing Leonardo look for the Commander despite Flynn being right there made him feel like he wasn’t very trustworthy.
Well, he was someone who even gave in on the issue of restraints with the medical staff, so he was lacking in many ways to earn Leonardo’s trust.
“I’ll be here watching until the Commander arrives.”
Even so, Flynn lowered his eyes and muttered softly, trying to reassure Leonardo. It probably wouldn’t help much...
Leonardo, who had been chewing potatoes with one cheek puffed out, licked the crumbs from the corners of his mouth and stared intently at Flynn’s face.
“Really?”
Flynn raised his head, puzzled by the sudden question. Leonardo curved his lips and grabbed Flynn’s hand.
“You promised. You have to stay here.”
“...Huh?”
“Don’t leave me alone, okay?”
The tightly held hand was warm—almost hot, as always. As that heat held onto him in earnest, Flynn grew a little solemn, even though he had no intention of going anywhere in the first place.
“Yeah. Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Mr. Leonardo Blaine, if you’ve finished your meal, we’ll move to the examination room.”
Just then, the medical staff—finished with their preparations—noticed the nearly empty bowl and offered a subtle prompt.
Leonardo had finished the simple meal, but he still hadn’t taken the medicine, so Flynn gathered the laid-out packets, asking them to wait a moment.
However, Leonardo, who had gotten up first, naturally took them himself. Then, following the medical staff toward the examination room, he lightly shook the packets.
“I’ll take them inside.”
Flynn hesitated, then stopped in place and nodded without saying anything.
Anyway, one side of the examination room was made of transparent glass, so he could monitor the situation from outside.
“Do well in there.”
At Flynn’s send-off, Leonardo nodded slightly and went in through the examination room door. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t look as anxious as Flynn had feared, and he seemed to follow the medical staff’s instructions without much resistance.
Relieved, Flynn collapsed into the seat Leonardo had been using. He sighed, leaning his head against the pristine white wall.
He was Leonardo’s guardian while the Commander was away. He just hoped the examination would proceed safely, so he could take responsibility for him.
