/
Hazard woke up at noon, as he had told Ramiah before going to sleep. It was the first time in a while that he had slept well, but he didn’t feel very good because he was awakened midway by Ramiah’s sudden entrance. On top of that, the dream he had after falling asleep again left his head in a mess. He had only dreamt of what had happened in the early morning.
“Oh, well…” Hazard decided not to dwell on the dreams anymore.
Ramiah asked Nathan to have lunch with them, so Hazard naturally headed towards the restaurant on the first floor. Just as he descended the stairs, Hazard paused and turned towards the guest room.
“Has he already gone down to the dining room?”
Perhaps because his dream had been so memorable and chaotic, Hazard, who would usually head to his own room, hesitated strangely that day. Instead of walking towards the guest room where Nathan was staying, he went downstairs to the restaurant. However, when he arrived, he found only Ramiah, Amani, and Remburton there.
Hazard leaned against the doorway and listened to their conversation, not entering the restaurant directly, as he could hear their voices exchanging stories through the slightly open doors. Ali spoke as he slumped onto the table.
“You know, Nathan is a good man! He didn’t say anything to me! I’ve never seen anyone like that before. That’s why I like him!”
“That’s surprising. I thought you would be at least a bit of a surprise,” Remburton muttered unexpectedly at the words. Amani pouted at him.
“Just like you, huh?”
“Haha, of course I’m surprised too. It has been about 100 years since the Elves disappeared. But El Prani, who appeared after 100 years, can’t you be surprised?”
“Hmm. I think my personality has changed a bit, but it wasn’t bad either. Well, it’s still fragile! So when are you coming in, Hazard?”
“I’m glad you guys like him.”
Hazard had to shrug his shoulders at Ramiah’s comment and entered the restaurant. But before he could sit in a chair, Remburton shot back.
“As I said yesterday, your behavior was too insular. You should have at least contacted me in advance. Do you really think it’s okay to bring Norbert here? I’m afraid he’ll spill the beans somewhere else.”
“Haha, I’m good at judging people. I feel like he was a good guy.”
“That same feeling that made me do a background check.”
“I have nothing to say about that.”
Ramiah snorted into the conversation between the two.
“When did you even do a background check?”
“Two years ago.”
“…Azar, don’t you have any common sense? What happened to Norbert two years ago?”
Ramiah shouted in bewilderment. Amani, who couldn’t understand what was going on, only widened his eyes and looked around. There was no other lion to growl.
Hazard waved his hand, dismissing her strong response, and quickly spoke an excuse.
“I didn’t know him at all back then, I apologize. I didn’t even know his name, and that was the first time I ran into him. But he spoke as if he knew me, so I went along with it. I know, I know. I overreacted! It hasn’t been long since I received their presents, so I was suspicious of everything at the time!”
“Haha! So when Remburton suddenly transferred to the magic department, I wonder if that’s why.”
Ramiah blew out a breath in a discontented manner, causing her bangs to flutter. Her sharp blue eyes glanced at Hazard. Amani, who was looking around, asked Azar gently.
“You know, why didn’t Hazard tell us that story back then?”
“Because by the end of the day, it was all over. Nathan has nothing to do with the royal family, and it was just my overreaction. So I thought it was best not to talk about it with you guys. It’s hard to have a proper conversation, so I thought it would be better not to get involved. That’s the end of the story. Let’s stop.”
“Well, that’s good.”
There was a slight dissatisfaction, but since it was already in the past, Ramiah didn’t press further. So their conversation went back to the beginning.
“It wouldn’t hurt if Norbert knew about our relationship.”
“We can go on an adventure together after graduating from the academy!”
“And Nathan is a mage, isn’t he? It’s perfect to fill in the gaps we have right now!”
Regardless of Nathan’s opinion, who wasn’t present, three out of the four people there welcomed him. The three sets of eyes turned to Remburton, the only one with a stern face, furrowed brows, and closed mouth.
“Well, think about it a little more, Remi. You’ll like him when you get to know him. We still have enough summer vacation, so we have plenty of time. And of course, you too.”
“I don’t think it’s bad! First off, Nathan seemed like a good person!”
“I’ve been in his class a few times, and even though he was weak and a little unsure of himself, he never caused any problems.”
“And he listens to my strange stubbornness without complaining. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be here with me in the first place.”
“Isn’t that because you’re a prince?”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have done such a thing.”
“What did you do?”
“It’s something you would be angry about if you knew.”
Then he chuckled. Instead of further wrinkling Remburton’s fierce expression and asking what he was talking about, Hazard’s gaze suddenly turned to the large clock hanging on the wall. The short hand was already pointing towards the sky, and the long hand lay on its side for a long time.
“He’s late.”
Hazard, who was absentmindedly tapping his fingers, looked towards the closed door of the restaurant, not thinking of opening it.
“Nathan is late.”
“I know.”
“Actually, I thought he would come with you.”
“Oh.”
Ramiah’s words pricked Hazard, and he stood up. The chair made a small noise as he hurriedly got up.
“I’ll go get him.”
Leaving behind Remburton’s complaints, Hazard walked quickly, almost running, towards Nathan’s guest room. He regretted not stopping by earlier when he came down. At the same time, anxiety about why Nathan hadn’t come down yet gnawed at Hazard’s mind.
Did Nathan forget Ramiah’s words about having lunch together? Or did he suddenly fall ill?
‘I hope nothing happened.’
Did he miss the dining room because he didn’t know where it was? No, he could have asked someone.
‘Was he waiting for me?’
Pausing in front of the guest room, Hazard hesitated for a moment. Feeling awkward, he coughed a few times before finally speaking up.
“Nathan?”
He knocked on the door and called his name, but there was no response from inside the room. Hazard scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. He lingered in front of the door for a while, unsure of what to do.
“I guess I’ll go in.”
Standing at the door, Hazard asked, as if seeking permission one last time. Of course, there was no answer.
Seeing signs of someone inside, Hazard confidently entered the room. He walked towards a table in front of the balcony, a seat bathed in starlight. Red hair peeked over the back of the chair.
“Nathan?”
Approaching without realizing it, Hazard heard the sound of relaxed breathing.
“What? Are you asleep?”
Nathan was comfortably asleep, leaning on the chair. The spot he chose was moderately warm due to the sunlight streaming through the window. The shadow of leaves cast a gentle shade on his face, making it the perfect place to doze off. Hazard noticed the medicine bottle on the table, and it became clear why Nathan had fallen asleep.
“Oh, he said he’d fall asleep if he took the prescribed medicine.”
Although his posture would be uncomfortable and his body would ache from sleeping like that, Hazard pondered for a moment about what to do with Nathan. It seemed pointless to wake him up from such a peaceful slumber. He thought it would be better to let him sleep and carefully move him to the bed.
Hazard placed his hand behind Nathan’s neck and lifted him gently. He noticed that Nathan’s face was flushed and his skin felt hot with sweat. His body seemed to be burning with fever. Hazard frowned, realizing this only now.
“I underestimated how bad it was.”
He clicked his tongue and picked up Nathan. With long strides and wide steps, he quickly made his way to the bed. Fortunately, he had been told to prepare a room near Hazard’s.
“Sven!”
As if he had been waiting, a soldier promptly arrived to assist Hazard with Nathan’s fragile body. They laid Nathan on the bed, and he fell into a deep sleep as if he had fainted. He would wake up three days later and spend the next ten days bedridden.