Can I Keep It?

During the entire time they were under attack, the chef knight was busy with the food. He even took in the entire bonfire and the cooking food inside his shell so it wouldn't go to waste. However, that meant the heat was enclosed with him inside the impenetrable defensive shell. If the enemies were dead, perhaps he could be released, too, right?

Rodnir only chuckled as another knight started hitting the shell with his short sword lightly. In a teasing tone, he laughed about how he wanted to eat a cooked turtle for tonight. That particular knight was of hawk descent, so it was pretty believable. Even the monitor lizard knight among them joined the other, scratching at the turtle shell.

Kanaru watched the same scene Rodnir did and hid his laugh. He was more focused on making sure he got to cover every bite mark with his medicine. The skin swelled, but the redness didn't reach beyond the pads keeping the ointment from being rubbed away by the clothes. Just days ago, he was washing this body; right now, he was touching it again.

"…you should sleep tonight, Rodnir…" Kanaru whispered as he pressed the square on the final mark he had to patch. "You kept yourself up while I slept in the carriage, but you were fine then. Tonight, you used so much magic to deal with the spiders quickly. Don't worry, I won't do anything."

"I'd take up the offer if you still sleep next to me tonight. After all, I will need someone to hug." Rodnir laughed at his own joke, and Kanaru only shook his head as if unamused. The king's ward then wore his clothes again, Kanaru smoothing it out to make Rodnir look presentable.

From the side, Sir Heinz kept on watching the two. His eyes squinted at what Kanaru was doing. The actions did seem friendly, but he could tell how much the king would like a servant who didn't have to be told what to do. Also, those electric gazes… what if the king pulled a reverse card on his little ward? Would Rodnir be happy? No matter. That unicorn had a lot of concubines to choose from.

The captain was only preparing to see more of that bird prince in the future. The sun had always been elusive to the people of Middlemist, and all they had were imitations of light. There was no question that even the king would like to keep someone who glowed like Kanaru did. As for being treated like a real concubine, the bird was a man. Sir Heinz didn't know if the king would be interested as much.

His gaze wasn't as light as he thought it was. Kanaru could tell the captain was staring at him and Rodnir, but he was good at hiding his trembling. After all, if he visibly showed the matter, Rodnir would react to his fear. He just patted Rodnir's clothes one last time before turning to the dead spider.

"Do you wish to see more of it now?" Rodnir rose from the ground. They sat down earlier when he was being patched up. He reached out to collect Kanaru's hand again. "I will ask for them to spare us some glowing sticks to examine the spider. The fish might need more time to be fully cooked."

"Okay, let's look at it." Kanaru took the hand and let Rodnir pull him up from the ground. However, when Rodnir did so, it was strong enough to make Kanaru's body fall into Rodnir's embrace. It didn't help how Rodnir held Kanaru close in what seemed to be a hug.

The king's ward, however, whispered to his ear, "A lot of people dared to attack Middlemist for our resources and the crown's aversion to letting the king use his magic. Don't be afraid of how the knights look at you. They were only trained to scrutinize everything that could come close to the king."

Kanaru didn't dart his gaze at any of the knights that were secretly gazing at him. He just nodded and took control of his footing to pull away from Rodnir. "Thanks for saying that. I'm not bothered by it."

Tug. Kanaru wanted to back off, but Rodnir continued to hug him. It would have been fine if they were not being stared at by a lot of others. Kanaru blushed a little and whispered his complaints, "Hey, Rodnir…! You have to let me go…!"

"The coat your mother wove for you is so soft and warm. Can I keep it?" Rodnir chuckled, but Kanaru pulled a long face. The prince pinched Rodnir's side as he answered, "No, my mom gave this to me."

"Then…" Rodnir moved his other hand to catch Kanaru's pinching fingers. "I will only hold you like this until I feel comfortable enough. Stripping to my bare chest in this temperature made me feel so cold. Please keep standing close to me, Kanaru."

"…you don't have to hug me like this."

…

Kanaru's alternative was less awkward for him, but he still felt how he blushed under the gazes of the knights and the ambassadors. He even summoned his neck feathers just so he could hide behind them. It was embarrassing, but he didn't want Rodnir to get sick from the cold.

After all, Rodnir continued holding him from behind while the feather cloak wrapped around both of them. He had the bird prince sit in front of him, so he could share his warmth with Kanaru. The king's ward was even unbothered enough to do it while they were in the company of others.

The bird prince was done eating, so he was only using the light of the bonfire to sketch the giant spider. Rodnir was also finished with his soup, only snacking on frozen grapes that they bought from another kingdom weeks ago. They should have gone back to their carriage, but Kanaru wanted to draw as long as there was light. He didn't want Rodnir to sleep in their carriage with the lights on.

"Your Grace, I think you'd like to hear my news." One knight came from the darkness, descending from the high trees around them. He had a small piece of rolled paper in his hand. He then gave it to Rodnir. "The concealed confirmed the safe arrival and integration of that caravan in Krillman. Though that kingdom was also preparing to travel closer to where the drinkable water is."

"Even Krillman chose to move their people closer. Hmm, they're only creating a denser population inside the hunting grounds of the monsters." Rodnir only took a short look at the paper before returning it to the knight. "Send word to the outposts to sweep the forests more frequently. They just missed a giant spider and a pack of wolves just tonight."

The knight nodded, but he sighed. "But His Grace does realize that our troops need to rest, too, right? If they stretched the squads thinly, then…"

Rodnir only scoffed. "Then ask for more from the castle. What's the use of having a lot of soldiers if they stayed idle in their safe spaces?"