Chapter 495: ’Missed.’
’What is this...’
Florian and Heinz walked side by side down the corridor, the only sound between them the steady echo of their footsteps against the marble floor.
Their silence stretched on, taut as a bowstring.
Occasionally, they passed a maid or a butler who immediately stopped to bow or curtsy.
Florian’s polite nods were automatic, but he couldn’t help noticing the way the servants’ eyes lingered.
The maids pressed their hands to their mouths, whispering and giggling as soon as the two had passed.
The butlers and knights exchanged raised brows, their gazes darting between him and Heinz.
’They’re all whispering. About us.’
Florian tried to brush it off, but the sound of hushed laughter felt like it clung to the back of his neck.
And Heinz... Heinz didn’t acknowledge any of it. Not a single word, not a single shift in expression.
The silence was suffocating.
Florian’s chest tightened as unease built within him. ’Why did he come himself? Why didn’t he send Lucius... or even Cashew? Did something happen? Is this about the ball? About me?’
The questions spun wildly, knotting into a tangle of fear.
His palms had gone clammy, his heartbeat loud in his ears. Each step made it worse, the tension mounting like thunder before a storm.
’Say something... say something!’ Florian begged silently, his eyes flicking toward Heinz’s unreadable face. ’Please, just anything. You’re making me crazy.’
His fingers trembled at his side, and he clenched them into fists to hide it.
And then—
"Are those two..." Heinz’s deep voice finally cut through the silence, low and casual, yet sharp enough to make Florian nearly trip over his own feet. "...a couple?"
Florian blinked, startled out of his spiraling thoughts. "Huh?"
He turned toward Heinz, wide-eyed, as though he hadn’t heard correctly.
Heinz finally glanced at him, his piercing gaze calm, almost curious. "Scarlett and Athena. Are they a couple?"
"Uhm." Florian froze, caught completely off guard.
His throat felt dry.
He wanted to say no immediately—because it wasn’t his secret to tell, because what if Heinz got angry?
Despite everything, Heinz still owned the princesses. Their lives, their futures, were under his command.
’If I say the wrong thing...’
But Heinz wasn’t stupid. He was sharp, always watching. If he had asked, it meant he had already noticed something. Maybe this wasn’t about curiosity at all. Maybe it was a test.
"If they are, good for them," Heinz said at last, his tone maddeningly casual, almost lazy. "It’s rare enough for two princesses to get along at all. But for them to be a couple?" He gave the faintest shrug, like it was nothing.
Florian blinked at him, stunned. "...It’s... okay with you?"
Heinz finally looked at him, brow faintly arched. "Why wouldn’t it be? It saves me the trouble of theatrics. I’ve no desire for another Alexandria. If they want each other, they’re free to take it. I’m already letting them go if they wish."
Florian’s brows knit. "Yes, but..."
"But?" Heinz’s gaze sharpened, pinning him.
Florian’s heart skipped. ’But you killed the original Florian for sleeping with someone else.’
He bit down on the thought. ’Though... that was with Hendrix.’Still—
The casual way Heinz said it felt so cruelly unfair. Florian’s stomach twisted, a strange cocktail of relief and bitter resentment. He was glad Scarlett and Athena wouldn’t suffer, but... why them and not him?
Florian forced a small laugh, shaky. "But nothing. I’m just... very surprised, that’s all."
Heinz didn’t press. Instead, he glanced ahead, hands loosely clasped behind his back. "And how long has it been going on? I assume fairly recent."
Florian shook his head quickly. "They’re not a couple... not yet, at least. Scarlett seems to have feelings, but she isn’t sure if Athena likes her back."
"Oh, she does."
Florian blinked. "...Hm? How could you possibly know?"
Heinz smirked faintly, almost imperceptibly. "When I found her, she was loitering in front of Scarlett’s door. Nervous. Her face as red as Scarlett’s hair when I asked what she was doing. She mumbled something about needing to talk to her."
Florian’s lips parted.
Oh.
For a moment, the tension in his chest unraveled. His shoulders loosened, and the heaviness he’d been carrying cracked just enough to let a smile slip through.
Then—relief.
Then—warmth.
Scarlett had a chance. A real chance.
Heinz’s gaze flicked toward him, sharp and assessing. "You seem happy."
Florian’s lips curled into a soft smile, almost unconsciously. "I am. It’s rare to witness love blossom... and they do seem to fit together, like pieces of a puzzle."
Heinz hummed, a low sound in his throat, almost skeptical. "Mhm. But I do recall—in my first life—Scarlett seemed to despise Athena. Not even seemed.
Scarlett talked down on her constantly, with no restraint."Florian slowed his steps for a heartbeat, glancing at Heinz from the corner of his eye. "Well... she’s changed."
Heinz’s expression didn’t shift, his pace steady, boots echoing softly against the marble floor. "And Athena just forgave her. Just like that?"
Florian shook his head lightly. "Scarlett’s been trying to make up for it. She’s been persistent. Genuinely so."
"I find it difficult to see how anyone could forgive so easily," Heinz said, voice flat yet edged with disbelief. "And even more so... to love someone who once hurt them."
’Oh? Seriously? Coming from him?’
Florian blinked—and then, before he could stop himself, a laugh slipped out, warm and incredulous. It startled even him, breaking the tension like a crack of light through glass.
Heinz’s head turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "Why are you laughing?"
Florian raised a hand to his mouth, still chuckling under his breath, though the sound was softer now—muted, almost guilty.
His shoulders trembled slightly, and he turned his head just enough to avoid Heinz’s piercing gaze.
"It’s nothing, Your Majesty," he murmured, forcing the laughter back down, though a smile still tugged at his lips. "I... don’t know why I’m laughing."
Heinz’s steps didn’t falter, but his voice cut through the air like a blade. "I find that hard to believe. Out with it."
Florian swallowed, feeling his throat tighten.
The mirth had already drained from him, leaving only the sharp echo of it in his chest.
He slowed his pace for half a second, then forced himself to keep stride with Heinz. His palms were damp, and he clenched them into fists at his sides to hide the trembling.
’I have to calm myself.’
He inhaled deeply, trying to calm the jitter in his chest.
When he finally spoke, his tone was softer, steadying. "It really is nothing. Rather..." He glanced up at Heinz, emerald eyes flickering with cautious curiosity. "...I want to ask Your Majesty why you came to fetch me yourself in the first place. Surely, it isn’t just to talk about Scarlett and Athena?"
He expected Heinz’s cool, immediate reply.
But instead—silence.
Not a pause to consider. Not hesitation.
Silence.
Then...
"I just missed you."
’What?’