MPNS Ch 23

Chapter 23

Then Nikiel paused for a moment before nodding.

“Very well. It’s better to have company on the way than to be lonely, so I’m fine with walking alongside you, Duke.”

Once again, the bird fluttered its wings inside his arms. Nikiel tried to soothe it. He grew a little worried, thinking the bird might be hurt since it was acting unusually.

“Why is it like this? That bird used to be so calm and dignified.”

As Nikiel gently gathered the restless bird, he noticed Lucien’s expression stiffening instantly. Wondering what was wrong, he saw Lucien looking at the bird with a strange, almost puzzled expression and asking:

“Is this bird really calm and dignified?”

Seizing the opportunity, Nikiel began to boast about the bird. Normally a man of few words, he rarely spoke much with anyone but Paul and the other palace attendants, and Paul was usually too busy to listen to his bird stories.

“Yes, it’s very calm and intelligent. I was worried when I brought it in injured, but it seems the wound has fully healed now, so I’m relieved…”

He absentmindedly scratched under the bird’s beak with his index finger and pressed a kiss against its cheek. He had momentarily forgotten Lucien was right there, and it was an act born out of affection for the beautiful bird.

Lucien’s face twisted oddly.

‘What’s with that? Does he dislike birds because he’s a snake?’

Nikiel thought that might be the case. Lucien kept looking at the bird with a strange expression for some time, as if witnessing an absurd spectacle.

Nikiel tried to shield the bird from Lucien’s gaze. Though Lucien’s look was more of shock and disdain as if seeing a sibling acting overly affectionate with a lover, not threatening, reptiles and birds of prey naturally didn’t get along, so Nikiel wanted to keep his precious bird outside of Lucien’s striking distance just in case.

“Reptiles and birds of prey are natural enemies; no wonder he looks at it like that,” Nikiel thought.

Fortunately, Lucien only gave the bird a strange look and did not speak to or interfere with it.

The two walked side by side down a secluded path.

The trail leading to the Prince’s Palace was not meant for royalty but for servants and palace laborers, so it was somewhat rugged.

Nonetheless, the bushes were not overly thick, making the path passable. After walking for a while, Lucien asked, sounding curious.

“…By the way, Your Highness, why do you take such rough paths?”

He seemed a man of few words, genuinely puzzled by his question. Lucien also seemed to know Nikiel’s previous personality.

‘Why walk here?’

Nikiel thought to himself: Because it’s good for my ankles. Walking on uneven gravel stimulates the small muscles around the ankles, strengthening them. His ankles were made up of very thin ligaments, so walking on such rough terrain was a subtle way to train them.

But he couldn’t say all that outright, so Nikiel offered a vague excuse.

“There are trees thick enough here that sunlight doesn’t come through. It’s a hassle to carry a parasol, so this suits me fine.”

Without replying, Lucien gave a slight nod, seemingly aware of Nikiel’s usual concern for appearance.

‘But he hasn’t asked why I walk without attendants. He doesn’t openly swear, so he probably just doesn’t care much about me. Then why offer to escort me?’

Though Nikiel lived wild and unruly, and though he was reckless, Lucien’s failure to ask why the prince was walking through forest-like paths alone showed his indifference.

Nikiel was somewhat troubled by this lack of interest in him from someone who was supposed to be escorting him.

‘I was thinking of targeting only the others, but this one isn’t easy either. Are all these handsome guys really that arrogant?’

Nikiel thought so and stroked the bird once again. The bird purred inside his arms, very unlike a wild bird.

It acted like a pet, yet Lucien said it wasn’t his bird, which puzzled Nikiel even more.

“Duke, do you happen to know the owner of this bird?”

“…Something like that.”

“Of course! You even know the bird’s owner! Genius! You’re going to be a scholar when you grow up.”

Unaware that Lucien was right beside him, Nikiel poured praises on the bird. Muttering affectionately to it as if it were his own child, the bird slightly flapped its wings in delight, while Lucien’s expression grew more and more displeased.

After pampering the bird so much and seeing Lucien’s strange facial expression, Nikiel asked,

“Why do you look like that? Are you feeling unwell, Duke?”

“…No. It’s just something unpleasant…”

Though weak, Lucien seemed to have a delicate stomach. Nikiel nodded and continued walking.

Soon, the Prince’s Palace came into view through the trees. Nikiel had no intention of inviting Lucien inside.

He recalled Raymon’s reaction the last time when male companions were called into a room, wide-eyed and complaining about lewdness, which made him mildly annoyed.

Nikiel smiled at Lucien and said,

“Thank you for escorting me. I shall be on my way now…”

But as he finished this farewell, he suddenly realized he had forgotten the original plan to request a handshake.

In his hurry, he reached out his hand but confused it with the arm holding the bird, accidentally grabbing Lucien by the collar.

Had he stopped there, it might have been forgotten, but with the rebound, his elbow bent, narrowing the distance between them. One of them would have to be pulled toward the other, but Lucien didn’t move, so Nikiel was drawn into Lucien’s embrace.

‘Oh no, my poor baby.’

If he ended up in Lucien’s arms like this, the bird might get hurt. Nikiel abruptly twisted inside the embrace.

He thought it would be better just to roll on the ground instead. His spine rotated, and muscles he normally didn’t use whispered anxiously, as if wondering what was happening.

When Nikiel closed his eyes tightly, bracing for the impact, he suddenly smelled the familiar scent of cologne often used by Ossinis noblemen. It was a common fragrance, something you could smell just walking down the palace hallways, but it felt incredibly refreshing.

Before any other senses could kick in, his nose detected it first. Next came the feeling of a solid chest.

Nikiel was so flustered he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening. Since the person beside him was Lucien, naturally the one who caught him and pulled him into his embrace would be Lucien, but Nikiel struggled to fully recognize it.

He wasn’t just held — he was leaned back enough so that his arms weren’t holding the bird but wrapped around Lucien’s nape.

Like a couple dancing a tango in the forest midst the trees, Nikiel wrapped his arms around Lucien’s neck and arched his back. He wanted to bite his tongue hard in embarrassment.

‘So embarrassing…’

But as a sensible adult, sometimes you have to accept embarrassment. Trying to defuse the situation, Nikiel gave a small smile.

“Uh, it wasn’t intentional. Sorry about that.”

“……”

Despite his sincere apology, Lucien’s stern expression did not soften. And he didn’t release him, so Nikiel carefully observed Lucien’s face.

“Duke…?”

Lucien couldn’t take his eyes off Nikiel, who was held close. His face looked stunned, as if petrified like a warrior turned to stone after seeing Medusa. He looked as if he had endured something terrible and could no longer react.

Nikiel felt awkward. Because of that awkwardness, he completely forgot to consider the reaction of his holy power from the contact.

‘Well, I made a mistake, but what’s with that face?’

Just as Nikiel was about to call out to Lucien again, Lucien’s face suddenly flushed red.

Before Nikiel could ask if he was all right, the bird, which had been still in his arms, flapped its wings and let out loud cries like a rooster greeting the morning.

“Kwaaak—!”

“Hey, this bird… um, Duke… could you help me up…?”

Unable to control the flapping bird, Nikiel blushed with embarrassment and asked Lucien to help him stand.

“…My apologies.”

Lucien finally seemed to regain composure, offering a brief apology before steadying Nikiel.

Nikiel removed his arms from around Lucien’s nape. Lucien’s flushed face had returned to clear and composed as if nothing had happened.

Nikiel awkwardly stepped away and straightened himself. A subtle silence hung between them.

‘…Embarrassing as it is, isn’t this some kind of successful skinship after all?’

Nikiel forced a positive spin on the situation, his brain rejecting negativity and commanding itself to see the moment favorably.

He barely lifted the corners of his mouth and said to Lucien,

“I — I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t trying to hug you forcibly, or not like that, I mean…”

“……”

No matter how he tried to explain, his excuse sounded like a few words to gloss over some lewd harassment.

Nikiel pursed his lips and fell silent, realizing further speech would only ruin his fate.

Lucien showed no reaction. Glancing at him briefly, Nikiel thought Lucien seemed lost in thought.

If the bird hadn’t been flapping and squawking, an invaluable silence would have existed between them.