Author's Note:
I'm back :)
*****
"Let's stop for a quick rest," Percival heaved a sigh. A tumultuous rush of sounds had collapsed behind him. The brown-haired nobleman looked back, only to see the two nameless knights slump over on the ground, uncaring for the plants they've just kicked their boots into.
One of the two nameless knights hurriedly stripped off his plates of armour.
He gasped for breath, "I can't feel my legs anymore!"
"Same!" His buddy wailed beside him, sharing a similar devastated expression.
Behind them, Azalea listened to their complaints with an amused grin. The tips of his voluptuous white hair had grown beads of sweat, sliding down his neck like fair droplets of diamonds upon a swan's. A layer of mist clouded over his smooth forehead.
Despite staying quiet, it was apparent that the silver knight has also become fatigued.
"There should be a lake nearby," Percival's eyes scanned the map, his pale face showing an expression of knowing. "I recommend washing there."
"Washing?" A pair of heated eyes bore into his back.
Lucilline could not withhold his excitement. "I haven't taken a bath in ages." There was the slimy feeling of clothes sticking to his skin, almost as if filthy goo was staining his back. This uncomfortable sensation had secretly made Lucilline gnash his teeth, and his eyes on the verge of tearing up whenever he remembered the big bathtub in the Duke Rubius manor.
Little did he know, a certain person's ear perked up at the mention of a bath.
Layla whistled to himself. "Ah yes, I am also quite interested in taking a bath." The pink-haired Prince couldn't stop laughing to himself.
These strange laughs alerted a deadpanned glare from the Crown Prince.
Dimitri muttered under his breath, "Freak."
Layla rolled his pink eyes at the blonde-haired Prince. He checked his nails, which seemed to fester traces of dirt in between. "How am I a freak? I am merely taking advantage of a lake nearby to appreciate the views." His eyebrows wiggled, as if to confirm his intentions to the Crown Prince.
This had only earned him an even more deadly glare from Dimitri.
"I can help Young Master with washing," Augustine bowed his head.
Willow joined in, "Me too! I can help too!"
Lucilline hurriedly dismissed them. "No thanks."
The group set up a camp, the tents nailed down to the soil, with leafy bushes surrounding the walls. Percival gave them some instructions about the lake nearby. It should be clean and have no inhabitants. Therefore, the group members took turns at taking a bath.
The two nameless knights lit a campfire, a fire combusting amidst the dark forest.
Everyone decided to let the girls wash first.
Willow and Farrah was unanimously voted to take a bath first. In fact, the Demon Princess frowned upon it. She couldn't help but wander, Are these petty humans using me to test the waters? What if the lake has a trap? At last, she only shrugged. Forget it. There isn't anything out there that can defeat me.
Lucilline did not miss that smug smirk coming to the surface on her lips.
The black-haired nobleman was puzzled: ??? What are you so smug about?
"What is Lucy's favourite food?" By the campfire, a pink-haired young man inched closer. Their shoulders accidentally brushed past one another. For once, Lucilline felt quite sensitive to his surroundings. Perhaps it was because it was Layla—the first person to openly and oh-so-shamelessly confess their love to him.
Lucilline couldn't help but be on guard around this guest.
He hummed to himself, "I don't have a favourite food."
His strands of black hair outlined his fair face, and his mundane expression. Layla did not mind this reaction, rather, his heart thumped even faster.
The pink prince laughed, "Hmm, then what do you do in your free time?"
Lucilline thought to himself. Back in the Capital City, he would stroll around the streets and shop for jewelry to add in his father's collection. The most beautiful and precious jewelry belonged to Grand Duke Rubius. Not even the diamond earrings sculpted purely from Isdis Kingdom's sharpest iceberg could escape from his grasp.
However, those jewelries had never been worn by Lucilline. Those earrings, gems, rings, and necklaces were all stashed away into a box.
Normal noble children would shop around, picking out clothings and jewelries to wear. But Lucilline left all of that for Willow to do.
"I... don't know?" Lucilline tilted his head.
The smile on Layla's face slowly stiffened. He gently slipped a hand onto Lucilline's shoulder, rubbing the soft fabric as a reassurance.
His eyes thinned into warm crescents, "Then why don't we hang out more often? I can visit you at Lydia Kingdom, and then I'll make it so that you'll find a favourite food." A smile wandered in his pink eyes, shining like the sun rising from the horizon. "Would that be fine?"
Lucilline found himself lost in those pair of pink eyes—the most beautiful carnations, as if petals of cherry blossoms rained him in warmth.
His heart jolted within the confines of his chest.
"..mn," Lucilline pursed his lips, averting his eyes from the too-bright-Prince. His cheeks burned, and he softly spoke, "That would be fine."
The smile on Layla's face froze. SERIOUSLY!?!
It was like a volcano erupted in his mind, with lava bursting into the skies and melting the horizon into oblivion. Thousands of pink hearts flooded his eyes—and his heart lodged into his throat. He could no longer breathe—his every breath seemed heavier, as if they weighed a ton heavier than his own body.
"A-Ah, Lucy~ I think I'm going to cry!" Layla sobbed.
He leaped out and wanted to wrap the black-haired nobleman in his arms.
Instead, a strong force hauled him from his collar—slamming him straight into the ground. Augustine's expression had never been any colder than before, his gaze deadpanned like the two void holes of a hollow skull.
"It's your turn for a bath, Prince Charming." His voice twitched at the ends, "Allow me to escort you there safely as a butler."
Lucilline speechlessly watched the reincarnator drag Layla on the ground, twigs and branches cut into his bruised limbs... until their figures both disappeared into the bushes.
Lucilline: ... when did Augustine get so violent?
"May I sit here?" A low voice muttered next to his ear.
Lucilline blinked, "Yes, Your Highness."
Dimitri wore a stern frown, as if offended by the title. "Haven't I told you already? You can call me by my name when we're alone." His hazel brown eyes shivered as if they were frightened by the forest's cold. "I am not the Crown Prince right now. I'm just Dimitri."
The black-haired nobleman fell silent.
"I understand," he solemnly responded.
Lucilline would prefer for others to call him by his name, rather than "Young Master Rubius". He imagined how depressed he'd be if he heard everyone call him "Your Highness" every single day.
Dimitri sat still next to him near the campfire.
The tip of the fire twirled like the sash of a silky skirt, illuminating the edges of their faces pale. Only the sound of crackles filled the silence, with soft pops bursting from the pits of the campfire. The wood emitted a scorched smell, but the scent of cedar and embers made Lucilline subconsciously lengthen his breathing, wanting to smell it more.
"You've really worked hard." Dimitri sighed.
Lucilline's eyes widened. "Really?" He made an amused voice, "How have I worked hard?"
Dimitri made an exasperated expression, "Huh? You don't know?" He wore a tired smile, "The reason why you've gathered us is to travel to Ubel Kingdom, and that is for an important mission regarding the demons, right? You are committing yourself to our Kingdom's affairs, and that is a milestone for only a person of nobility. You could get killed by demons on the way and could get attacked by thieves. You really are so selfless."
Lucilline thought to himself.
It wasn't entirely true. The only reason why he decided to travel to Ubel Kingdom was to find the Book of Memories, to restore Farrah's lost memories, and find a way to avoid his death.
He wasn't doing it all for Lydia Kingdom.
He wasn't as selfless as Dimitri thought he was.
"Did I say something wrong?" Dimitri noticed the subtle frown on the black-haired nobleman's face. His heart was shaken up by Lucilline's small frown. Did I make him feel bad? How do I make him feel better?
Lucilline snapped out of it. He shook his head, "No, you didn't say anything wrong." His silky strands of black hair were like the clouds of a twilight night, "I'm just thinking that I'm not as selfless as you think I am."
When he looked at Dimitri, he felt a pang of guilt smash into his chest.
Dimitri wore a surprised expression, "Oh really?" His locks of golden hair were as if sewn from threads of wheat, "Why do you think so?"
The black-haired nobleman curled his fists.
His brows furrowed, "It's because I'm doing everything for myself." He hired Augustine as his butler in order to prevent the reincarnators of 'K' from killing him. He never really cared for Augustine's well-being—whether he lived or died... neither mattered. He only needed Augustine alive to stop 'K' from taking his life.
He invited Dimitri, Percival, Azalea, Jacques, and the others to join the adventure for Ubel Kingdom for his own wishes. He only needed them so that he wouldn't die.
Whether they died or not, that didn't matter either—
"That's only what you think." Dimitri deadpanned.
Lucilline lifted his head up in surprise.
The blonde-haired prince talked as if everything he said were facts. "You don't notice it, but everyone likes you because they know how nice of a person you are." He pointed a white-gloved finger at him, "If you don't believe me, then ask them. I like you because I know you don't cut edges and everything you do is amusing to watch."
Dimitri raised a brow. "Doesn't that make me pretty selfish? I'm only hanging out with you for entertainment."
Lucilline was at a loss for words.
Sure... that does sound pretty selfish—but coming from the sadistic prince of Lydia Kingdom, it was no surprise at all!?!
From the corner of Lucilline's eye, he noticed the two nameless Knights calling Azalea to take a bath at the lake.
"Are you sure there's no other reason why you hang out with me?" Lucilline asked.
Dimitri hummed, his low baritone voice sounding like a dark horn. He then shrugged, "Other than your skincare, there is no other reason."
Lucilline recoiled in shock: !!!
He expected it, but hearing it personally from the man himself did hurt his self-esteem. Lucilline clutched his chest in a dramatic matter, "E-Enough. I d-don't want to listen anymore..." The gloom on his face earlier had already disappeared.
A smile glimmered in Dimitri's eyes. Well, it seems that things worked out in the end.
"Hmm? Are you sure you don't do anything in terms of skincare?" He asked curiously. "I can't imagine having such pristine skin without taking care of it—"
Lucilline stood up.
He wore a wry smile, "Let's save this for another day. I'm going to wash up."
*****
Lucilline trudged towards the lake.
The serene and still surface of the water encompassed the entire strip of land, like a string of necklace strung across a maiden's fair neck. Despite being surrounded by so much land, the lake remained clearer than polished diamonds, and the soft soil underneath were visible to the naked eyes.
Lucilline sighed. "It's so beautiful."
He dipped a hand in the lake, feeling the coldness creep up his fingers, sliding past every crevice and joint. Lucilline smiled to himself.
It was finally time to get rid of the filthy germs and take a bath—
"Lucy!?!" An alarmed voice blurted out, "What are you doing here!"
It was then Lucilline finally noticed that he was not alone. The surface of the lake stirred, and a handsome flushed face, as if the pale skin was sprinkled in cherry juice. Azalea blushed at the feeling of those golden eyes burning into his own body.
Azalea grabbed a towel to immediately cover himself, but Lucilline had long since seen what the silver knight wanted to hide.
"...your back," Lucilline's voice was dumb. "What happened?"
Seeing that couldn't hide it anymore, Azalea no longer covered himself up. On his slender and taut back, ragged scars stretched across the pale surface like ink brutally slashed onto canvas. The scars criss-crossed one another, and there was too much to fully count them all. They burned a brownish red, as if pennies were lodged into his spine.
Azalea shook his head. "It's fine. It was from a long time ago."
He averted his eyes, but he could still feel the searing burn of Lucilline's gaze piercing into his skin.
At last, Azalea could only give in. "I'll tell you only if you tell me what happened to you."
"Me?" Lucilline was puzzled. But nothing happened to me?
As if Azalea read his mind, the silver knight brushed a strand of white hair out from his amethyst purple eyes. "Your hand."
"Oh." Lucilline understood.
The scars on his own hand was barely visible—probably because he just dipped it in the lake, but bits of the makeup powder had already been smeared off. Never had Lucilline expect to have something in common with this silver knight—much less scars.
"Well," he huffed, "it's not a big deal to tell you the story behind these scars."
Lucilline kicked off his heels and pulled up his tight pants to his knees. He sat on the edge of the lake, sinking his soft legs into the body of water.
Azalea was standing in the lake, with Lucilline's pair of legs just beside his ear.
"I suppose I was upset that day. It felt as if everything was taken away from me. At that moment, I could hardly breathe, I couldn't fit any food into my mouth, and the entire world was numb." Lucilline gazed off into the distance, where the vines hung off of tree branches like ribbons on the walls of Royal Palaces. "So I gave myself this."
The scars on his hand felt vivid and full of life—it was his own creation.
Azalea's frown deepened.
"When I finished, I could finally feel myself come back to this world. Sure, it was painful, but it was the pain that pulled my soul to land on the ground." Lucilline spoke as if the scars weren't his own—as if he wasn't the one who carved them.
He tilted his head, looking down at the silver Knight's naked body. "There's my story. What about yours?"
The black-haired nobleman lifted a leg, ripples scattering through the water. Droplets splattered onto Azalea's cheek, whose gaze had darkened.
Azalea peeled his eyes away from the leg.
He recounted how he got those slashes at his back, "I'm not sure if Willow mentioned our past to you—we're siblings and we used to live in a small village." Lucilline hummed at the information. Well, I know that you're siblings.
The white-haired knight sighed. "We got separated—in the end, Willow found you and I..." He covered his eyes with a calloused hand. "Like the stupid kid I was, I got lost in the forest."
Lucilline could sense the foreboding tingle in the air. He pursed his lips.
"I was soaked in our towns' blood, and the forest is full of animals. A pack of wolves smelled the scent on me. They got hungry and thought I was their prey."
Lucilline frowned. He could imagine a small blood-covered child, racing throughout the woods with a pack of wolves racing behind his trail. No matter how hard and how fast they ran, the wolves' giddy steps and the husky pants would still stick close.
"I got a few wounds here and there." Azalea coughed.
Instead, a dark glare shot at him. Lucilline retorted, "It's not just a few wounds here and there."
Azalea subconsciously sweated. He wore a shy smile, "Ahh... yes, you're right, Lucy." A tuft of white hair was blown by the night's breeze. "In the end, I was saved by a stranger in the forest. Though I never really got to thank my saviour properly."
Lucilline stifled his breath. He bent down, gently patting the white-haired Knight's shoulder. He didn't have any reassuring words to say. The black-haired nobleman could only hope for those scars to fade soon.