Chapter 84: Chapter 84

As soon as he opened his eyes, a sharp headache hit him, making his brows furrow instinctively. He felt nauseous, his mood utterly foul. Reluctantly, Luke grabbed his head and got out of bed. The first thing he did was glance around.

Once he confirmed that he had indeed woken up peacefully in his own room, his gaze fell on the glass sitting on the desk. It held a few drops of yellow liquid. Luke tilted his head, puzzled. He couldn’t recall anything.

“I definitely went to the tavern yesterday…”

He had gone to the square’s tavern to blow off steam after being infuriated by Theo. There, he had run into that annoying Woods fellow, who had bought him a drink. Without much thought, Luke had downed it, and then…

“I don’t really remember much after that.”

Luke furrowed his brow, adopting a serious expression as he strained to recall the events of the previous night. Unfortunately, no more memories came to mind. He vaguely remembered leaving the tavern with Woods, but… was it him who brought Luke home?

“…”

The thought made Luke suddenly feel something rise from his stomach. He clamped his hand over his mouth, suppressing a dry heave.

Well, in any case, he had made it home safely and didn’t seem to have caused any major trouble. Giving up on trying to piece together his blurry memories, he decided to head downstairs. The attempt to recall last night felt like it would give him a splitting headache.

“Ugh, my stomach… Pale.”

Every step he took made his stomach churn. It felt as if he were walking on a wobbly rubber floor, his vision swimming, making it hard to steady his legs.

“Pale, where are you? I feel like I’m dying…”

With half-lidded eyes, Luke trudged down the stairs, though he misstepped at one point. As he teetered, a dreadful sense of doom washed over him. Falling here would be incredibly painful, and in his current state, there was no way he could catch himself.

Just then, an arm wrapped around his waist, steadying his swaying body.

“…Oh, saved.”

Relieved he hadn’t face-planted into the floor, Luke glanced at the arm supporting him. It wasn’t Pale’s—it was too thick. Slowly, he turned his head.

“Luke, at this rate, you might as well move your room to the first floor. Do you even know how many times you’ve almost fallen down these stairs?”

The voice belonged to Theo, droplets of water dripping from his dark hair as though he had just finished bathing. The rhythmic sound of water hitting the floor filled the silence.

“Huh? Theo?”

Luke blinked, tilting his head as he muttered blankly, causing Theo to flinch.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“…Wait, no! What are you doing here?!”

“Don’t struggle. You’re on the stairs—it’s dangerous.”

Theo carried Luke down to the first floor with ease, only letting him go once they reached the bottom. Freed from Theo’s grip, Luke felt oddly empty. His expression darkened.

“What are you doing here?”

“Looks like you don’t remember.”

“What?”

What was with that ominous line? Yesterday, Theo had stormed out of the house, annoyed, so why was he here now?

Theo suddenly grabbed both of Luke’s hands, lifting them up. Before Luke could protest, Theo guided his hands to his own temples, making Luke’s fingers touch his damp hair.

“Still don’t remember?”

“What are you—”

Luke was about to ask if Theo had eaten something strange when he froze. His brows furrowed deeper.

‘You said you couldn’t take your eyes off me! And yet, you looked away, didn’t you? At me!’

No. This couldn’t be happening. Someone must have tampered with his memories. There was no way this was real.

‘Hey, you’re the commander of the entire military! You can’t just contradict yourself like that! You said you’d take responsibility for my injured hand, and then you just left without a word!’

But the memories, once they started surfacing, became clearer and clearer, like fog lifting to reveal the full scene. Luke’s mouth fell open.

Images of Theo’s face, the words Luke had spilled out without hesitation, and his own lips moving non-stop—all of it was undeniably real.

“Did you remember?”

“…Huh? No? Not at all?”

Luke tried to sound casual, but his tone betrayed him. He prided himself on being a good liar, but the memories coming back to him made him want to flee as far as possible. Had he really made such a fool of himself while drunk? And in front of Theo, of all people?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… Hic.”

Luke hiccupped, his shoulders jerking. His body, apparently still shaken by the shock, reacted immediately. Above him, Theo let out a soft chuckle, making Luke snap his head up.

“You think this is funny? You’re happy I made a fool of myself while drunk, aren’t you?”

“You said you don’t remember.”

Luke flinched. What a stupid mistake. He’d just confessed to everything without realizing it. Not only had he embarrassed himself, but he’d done it in front of the one person he least wanted to show such a side to. The overwhelming shame and sense of defeat made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

Now, Theo would undoubtedly say something like:

‘A former soldier drinking himself into such a state? Impressive.’

Or worse:

‘Humans are supposed to be rational creatures, yet you behaved like a stray dog last night.’

Luke braced himself for the humiliation, wondering how to counter Theo’s words, how to act unfazed.

“Is your stomach okay?”

“…What?”

“I saw you stumble on the stairs earlier. How’s your ankle? And what about your hand?”

Luke blinked rapidly. What did he just hear? In the span of a few seconds, he had imagined dozens of scathing remarks Theo might make, but none of them matched this. It sounded almost like… concern?

“Theo?”

“Yes?”

“…Are you really Theo?”

Luke grabbed Theo's cheek and gave it a gentle tug. The smooth texture of his skin met Luke's fingers as Theo tilted his head quizzically, as if asking, What are you doing?

“Well, I thought maybe someone was impersonating you.”

“Still not sober? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I mean…”

Nonsense? If anything, Theo was the one being bizarre. No teasing, no lectures? Of course, Luke was flustered.

“Let’s head to the dining room. Pale made stew for you.”

“Oh… okay.”

Luke trailed behind Theo, craning his neck now and then to glance at him. No matter how much he stared, his suspicion didn’t wane. Theo, perhaps feeling the gaze, awkwardly cleared his throat and quickened his pace, slipping into the dining room.

Apparently, Pale had gone to the square early in the morning to shop. Now that he thought about it, Luke realized he hadn’t been paying much attention to house matters lately, busying himself with errands outside.

Theo slid a plate in front of Luke, who had propped his chin on his hand at the table. The aroma of warm stew wafted upward, enticingly rich.

“You’re not eating?”

“I already did.”

Theo motioned for Luke to dig in with a nod. Then, instead of doing anything else, Theo simply watched as Luke picked up a spoon and began eating the stew. Feeling like a zoo monkey under Theo’s gaze, Luke nonetheless couldn’t deny how good Pale’s stew was. He all but buried his face in the bowl as he devoured it.

“Luke.”

“Huh?”

As the bottom of the plate came into view, Theo, who had been silently staring all this time, finally spoke.

“Did you remember everything from yesterday?”

“...So, you’re teasing me after all, huh?”

Was this Theo finally showing his true colors?

“I asked if you remembered everything.”

The emphasis in Theo’s voice suggested there was a specific purpose behind the question.

“Well… most of it?”

“From where to where?”

“Let’s see… me pulling your hair, yelling at you, and then you carrying me home like luggage.”

Theo’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. Luke, baffled, stared at the rhythmic motion, unsure of its meaning.@@novelbin@@

“And what’s the last thing you said before you fell asleep?”

The tapping abruptly stopped, as if Theo had made up his mind about something.

“Before I fell asleep?”

Luke crossed his arms and focused on dredging up his memories. He clearly recalled getting back home. With a bit more effort, he remembered drinking honey water and bits of Theo’s words. Theo had said he hadn’t left because of discomfort. Beyond that, though, Luke couldn’t recall the “last thing” he’d said.

“I don’t remember.”

“…”

“What is it? Did I… curse at you or something?”

Luke’s expression turned serious. As much as Theo annoyed him, he was still the commander of the empire’s military. If Luke had insulted him, there was a slim but real chance he could be charged with lèse-majesté. If Theo suddenly lost his composure and decided to punish him, it would be a massive headache.

“Ha… never mind. Just finish your food.”

But Theo only sighed, like a deflated balloon, exhaling his energy in a single breath.

“Hey, come on. I must’ve done something stupid, right? Tell me!”

“Your mistake is not remembering.”

“What kind of answer is that? If you’re not going to tell me, don’t bother asking!”

Grumbling, Luke picked up his spoon again and finished off the rest of the stew. As he cleared the table, Theo suddenly pulled out a crystal orb from his pocket. Probably a work-related report, Luke thought, deciding to back off and avoid getting in the way.

As he began to step away, Theo pushed his chair back with a screech and stood up.

“Luke.”

Theo’s voice was calm but weighted, drawing Luke’s full attention.

“Benji has recovered his mana.”