[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 45: Ch : Make a run for it
Liam had tried to make a joke and lighten up the situation, but he had a feeling that he had made things worse somehow. The suffocating feeling threatened to overwhelm everyone, and Prince Kaiden looked unwilling to hear anyone out.
Moreover, even bringing up Lady Sera was not working, which was a bad sign.
Finally, Prince Kaiden broke the silence as he stood up.
"I am done with my food. Liam, Reina, make preparations to leave. We will be heading out in two hours."
He told the other two, and they nodded quickly.
"Alright, got it."
"I will have things prepared by then."
Prince Kaiden stood up and left after that. No one tried to follow him because they were well aware of his bad mood.
Everyone felt a little hint of confusion at what had just happened, but no one was more confused by it all than the crown prince himself. As far as he knew, what Liam had said was the right thing.
He was supposed to marry Sera and live a nice life. Initially, he had thought that he would give Shuu a lot of money and a nice life, but that would not really solve Shuu’s problems.
In that sense, having Nero as a partner and a protector would be the best choice for him...
’I know it’s for the best... but why Nero...? I cannot accept Nero...’
It was not about Nero alone, and he knew it. But that did not mean he was willing to accept his feelings. Because if he did... then he would have to accept more things about himself that he was not willing to.
Before he knew it, his feet took him to stand in front of his door, and he paused outside it. He was not sure if he wanted to enter the place or not. Something in him told him that he should not head in there or he would regret it.
However, he ignored these warnings and decided to enter the room anyway.
The first thing he saw was Shuu sitting on the bed and Nero lying in front of him, with his head almost on his lap. It looked like a compromised situation, but there was no urgency in either Shuu’s or Nero’s eyes when they looked at him.
"Prince Kaiden, are you done with your lunch already? Did... something happen?"
Shuu’s words sounded carefully picked. Somehow, Prince Kaiden had a feeling that this was not how he reacted to Nero.
It caused a flash of unwanted jealousy to surge through his mind that he did not know what to do with.
Nero likely noticed his feelings. As his familiar, he was more often than not aware of what was going on with the hero. But he did not say anything.
"Nero, I need you to scout out some things. The head priest was trying to keep me here for much longer, so I want you to go and find out why."
Prince Kaiden’s order caused Nero to push himself back on his feet. His eyes looked at Prince Kaiden as he walked toward the window and jumped down.
Shuu felt a pang of emptiness as his friend left him alone. But that empty place was soon filled by someone else.
Unlike Nero, Prince Kaiden did not bother avoiding his lap, and Shuu felt a little awkward at the attention. Still, his hands played with the crown prince’s hair.
"I... think the saintess might be coming here. That is why the head priest tried to keep us here for much longer. We should leave before she reaches the sanctuary."
Prince Kaiden broke the silence, and Shuu blinked at being suddenly addressed by the crown prince.
"I... see... Should I get packing as well...?"
The sudden clarification at least told him why Prince Kaiden was in such a bad mood. He did not like having the saintess mess with his affairs.
Shuu tried to get up to start packing, but a pair of arms around his middle grounded him. Prince Kaiden buried his face in Shuu’s stomach, and it was a little too close to his sensitive area.
"Don’t-! I don’t want to get up right now. Besides, Liam and Reina will take care of that stuff for us. You just have to stay like this and let me enjoy your company."
Prince Kaiden told Shuu, and he felt flustered by his attention. He did not know where to put his hands or what to do. So he ended up running his hands through Prince Kaiden’s hair.
The gentle pressure caused Prince Kaiden to close his eyes and almost fall asleep.
For the hour, there was only silence as people worked around Shuu. Both Liam and Reina came around to check on how he and Prince Kaiden were doing before deciding to leave them alone.
As much as Liam wanted to interfere between the two, even he knew where his limit was. And Reina... looked a little invested in them at the moment. Her eyes shone in a way Shuu was not sure he liked.
Prince Kaiden remained asleep until it was time for them to leave. Nero had come back with the news that the saintess was on her way to the sanctuary and would arrive the next day.
So they left without even informing the head priest.
By the time anyone knew of their departure, it was too late. The head priest could only shake his head at the news.
"Saintess Rosalyen will not be happy with this news."
He sighed, but he was not worried. There was nothing the saintess could do to him anyway. Especially in his own territory.
"But, Head Priest, are you sure that everything will be alright? Not that I doubt the goddess’s selection or the hero’s intuition, but the extra sacred relic we found this time... it was not supposed to happen, right?"
The head priest looked at his assistant with a heavy sigh.
"You are right. Except for the chosen hero, no one has ever been able to touch a sacred relic. Even Lady Sera and other companions in the past were not able to. Perhaps we should have let that kid touch another sacred relic to make sure..."
But that was a risk. If Shuu had been able to touch another sacred relic, then it would have spelled disaster for everyone involved. One of the truths of this world would have been broken... 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Perhaps it is best for us to bury this news."
Even though the head priest said that, he knew it was already too late. News of what happened here must have reached anyone and everyone important by now.
