Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 369: ’Next Steps.’

After everything that had just happened—after the shouting, the destruction, and the storm of emotions that had crashed through the room like a tidal wave—Heinz let go of Florian as if nothing had happened.

As if he hadn’t just shattered half the room with his magic.

As if he hadn’t just clung to Florian like a drowning man holding onto the only thing keeping him from slipping beneath the surface.

He hugged him for ten whole minutes. Not a word. Not a sound. Just silence and pressure and warmth.

It had been... strange. Definitely out of character.

But, strangely enough, Florian hadn’t minded it as much as he thought he would.

He had expected to feel uncomfortable, tense, maybe even creeped out.

Instead, there had been a quiet stillness in that moment. An unexpected peace. He figured it wasn’t about him, really.

Heinz had likely just been overwhelmed—furious and heartbroken over the betrayal of someone he trusted so deeply.

’I guess... I saw a part of him I wasn’t supposed to see,’ Florian mused quietly, seated now on the single surviving couch in Heinz’s lavish—but recently wrecked—bedroom.

The other couch had split down the middle, the chairs were cracked, the carpet burnt, and most of the ornate vases had become nothing more than glittering shards.

Heinz now sat at the edge of his massive, high-backed bed, silent, fingers laced loosely as he stared off into space like a man lost somewhere between rage and exhaustion.

But he wasn’t a monster. Not entirely.

Not anymore.

’So he does feel things. He’s not just the cold tyrant we made him out to be in the novel.’

Somehow, that eased something tight in Florian’s chest. Just a bit. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Even so, the silence between them began to weigh down like a thick blanket. It pressed against his skin, making it hard to breathe.

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to stay.

Or if Heinz wanted him to leave.

Or if it mattered at all.

"Should we... ask for someone to fix and clean your room, Your Majesty?" Florian asked, cautiously breaking the silence. His tone was lighter than he felt. Anything to give the moment shape. Anything to keep Heinz from sinking too deep into whatever darkness was crawling behind those red eyes.

Heinz finally turned to look at him. And then—without a word—he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the entire room shifted. The damage vanished before Florian’s eyes like a film playing in reverse. Shattered glass reformed into vases. Torn curtains knit themselves whole again. Burned fabrics smoothed out, and cracked furniture became seamless once more.

It was as if the destruction had never happened.

’What...? He can do that too?’

Florian blinked, stunned. He’d expected maybe a servant. A team of workers. Maybe even a mage.

Not that.

He knew Heinz was powerful, but this... this was something else.

To be honest, Florian never paid much attention to the magic system in this world. He hadn’t needed to. Lucius had his abilities, but he didn’t really use magic in the traditional sense.

The servants hardly used any. Magic, for most of them, seemed like background noise—an element of the world, not the focus.

The only one he ever saw use magic was Heinz.

And now... he was starting to realize just how little he knew.

All he remembered from the novel was that Arcaniors could control elemental magic to varying degrees.

But this?

This was on a different level.

Florian stared at Heinz, who looked almost bored as he leaned back against the bed frame, eyes half-lidded.

"Your Majesty, just... how powerful are you?" he asked, genuinely curious now. His voice dropped a bit, cautious but sincere. "What kind of magic can you do? It seems like you can do a lot of things."

He listed them in his head like tally marks. Making a man’s head explode without lifting a finger. Causing the ground to shake and walls to crack just from anger.

Reversing everything in this room with a flick of his hand. And then there were the times Florian saw blood bloom on Lucius and Lancelot’s skin from invisible slashes when they angered him.

It wasn’t just magic.

It was terrifying.

Heinz didn’t even blink.

"Everything," he said simply. His voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. As if he were describing the weather.

"I can do everything."

There was no pride in his tone. No arrogance. Just a hollow certainty. It was, simply, the truth.

"That was what I asked the God when I managed to speak to him," he continued, his fingers absently toying with the crystal hanging from his necklace. "To become the most powerful in magic. Apparently, that also meant owning a dragon."

He raised the necklace slightly. The crystal glinted.

’No wonder I didn’t see much of him.’

Florian’s eyes widened. "Azure went inside...?"

"Mhm," Heinz murmured. "He was quite upset."

"Oh..."

Florian looked down, suddenly uncertain. A flicker of guilt pinched at his chest.

’But why though?’ He wanted to ask. Why was Azure upset? Was it about what just happened? Was it about him?

But he swallowed the question.

He’d already asked enough that didn’t matter. And frankly, the silence that followed made the room feel fragile again.

Still, a part of him felt a little sad that Azure was gone. He missed the little dragon’s quiet presence. Missed the small weight curled on his shoulder, or nestled in his lap.

He cleared his throat quietly.

"So..." he began, voice softer now, cautious, "what are you planning to do now?"

He didn’t need to specify. They both knew what he meant.

The traitor.

Delilah.

"I’ve already said it, haven’t I? She will be punished," Heinz said flatly, his voice cold as steel. "She already gave her reasons. She’ll serve as an example for others... and then she’ll be exiled." His eyes darkened, shadows creeping into his face. "She’s lucky I didn’t choose execution."

Florian swallowed. He kept his face still, composed, but inwardly—

’Yeah, you executed Florian just for sleeping with Hendrix.’

The thought struck bitterly, even though he didn’t want Delilah to die. It wasn’t that he wanted her to suffer, but... it felt so deeply unfair.

Why was mercy so selectively applied?

"But..." Florian’s voice was soft as he gently pushed his unease aside. Something didn’t sit right. Pieces of the puzzle weren’t clicking into place, and he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Heinz turned to him, tilting his head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. "You think she’s guilty," he murmured, "but you also think she’s not the one who’s been bothering you, right?"

The words hit Florian like a splash of cold water.

He blinked. "Your Majesty... does that mean..." he hesitated, "that you don’t believe it either?"

Heinz gave a calm shake of his head.

’Oh... then—’

"I know she wasn’t," Heinz said simply, now gazing up at the ceiling as if it held the answer to some distant memory.

Florian stared at him, stunned. "What? Your Majesty, I—can you explain? What do you mean you know she wasn’t? She... confessed, at least partially."

"But you know as well as I do," Heinz replied smoothly, "guilt doesn’t always mean guilt. Sometimes it means protection."

That sank in slowly. Then it clicked.

Right.

"Lucius can only detect emotion," Heinz continued, his voice low and even. "If she felt guilt, he took it at face value. But guilt alone doesn’t explain her actions. Her words didn’t line up with her behavior. Her reasoning was flimsy. You saw it too."

Florian nodded slowly, the memory returning—Delilah’s downcast gaze, her vague explanations, the way her fingers had trembled.

"Then... why are we not investigating this further? Why still go through with her punishment?" Florian asked, his brows knitting together. "Why were you so angry if you knew she wasn’t the culprit?"

The sharp rise of Heinz’s brow was answer enough.

"You’re really quite dense, Florian."

’What?’

Florian frowned, about to snap back, but Heinz waved a dismissive hand, as if brushing aside his protest before it could form.

"She may not be the one behind it, but she knows who is. And she’s hiding them. That is, in itself, treason. She chose them over me." Heinz’s voice grew quieter, but not gentler. "She openly disobeyed me. She chose to let her emotions guide her, let her grief over my mother cloud her loyalty."

His fists clenched in the fabric of the sheets beneath him, jaw tight. His next words came with a tremble of restrained fury.

"And she chose to protect someone... who could’ve potentially harmed me too."

Florian stared. Suddenly, Heinz didn’t look so cold. He looked... betrayed.

And Florian couldn’t help but be reminded of Delilah’s expression. The strange blend of sorrow and defiance. Her loyalty to the late queen was unquestionable, and yet... she had resented her, hadn’t she? Or at least, there had been bitterness hidden beneath her devotion.

Come to think of it, that duality always confused him.

"Your Majesty," Florian said gently, "what exactly was the relationship between your mother and Delilah? It’s just... confusing. I can’t tell if she admired her or hated her. I want to understand. Maybe if we knew more, we could figure out who she’s protecting—and why."

Heinz looked at him, studying him carefully, but not speaking. The silence stretched long enough for Florian to question if he’d overstepped.

"I’m not saying we shouldn’t punish her," Florian added quickly, "but I want to try talking to her. Just once. I might be able to get something out of her. She looked at me strangely before. She said I reminded her of the Queen. Maybe... I can use that. Maybe we’ll finally get some answers instead of throwing her away and losing our only lead."

It was impulsive, yes—but it felt right. They couldn’t afford to exile her and go back to square one. Not when there was more to unravel.

Heinz stared a moment longer, unreadable as always. But eventually, his posture relaxed. He exhaled a long breath and sat up straighter.

"She was my mother’s lady-in-waiting," Heinz began slowly. His tone had changed—lower, more guarded, as though he were recalling something he rarely allowed himself to think about. "But before that, she was..."

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com