He paused, watching Wolfram walking down the stairs, pleased that his smile was returned, albeit in a more composed manner.
"Not in your office yet?" Wolfram asked, stopping on the last step. Yuuri wondered if he did this on purpose since they were now the same height.
"I still have some time left. Are you busy?"
Wolfram hesitated for a moment, but a familiar soldier - his deputy - emerged from behind him, smiling contentedly and answering for him.
"He has the rest of the day off."
Wolfram looked sharply at the boy - Arwin if Yuuri remembered correctly. He didn't quite understand the exchange of glances between the two, but since Wolfram had some time off, that was good. They might not be able to spend all that time together, but it's always something.
"So how about a walk in the garden?" he asked, offering his arm
- he had seen it being done in the movies his mother used to watch and smiled when Wolfram looked at him surprised, tilting his head slightly to the side. But finally, he took him under the arm, clearly satisfied.
They moved toward the garden, Conrad and Arwin walking a few steps behind them. Wolfram's subordinate had sent away the other two soldiers, so at least only the two would accompany them.
He wanted to ask if he had perhaps heard anything about the progress of the investigation about those strange crystals but decided that he would not spoil the mood now by reminding Wolfram about an unpleasant topic.
It was overwhelming enough for him alone, so he could guess how it affected Wolfram, who knew the man well. Of course, he didn't show it on himself and kept repeating that he was fine, but Yuuri already had experience with Wolfram repeating again and again that he was okay.
At least he seemed to be trying to deal with it. The next day after they returned, he locked himself in his studio and didn't leave until the evening, and Yuuri ordered that no one disturb him. After that, Wolfram started spending mornings there, although he didn't want to show his paintings to anyone and even burned some of them. Yuuri didn't comment on this, after all, everyone has their own ways of coping, and Wolfram probably had plenty of time to see that it worked.
They reached the exit door into the garden, and as they started down the stone path, Yuuri reflexively looked around to see if Rosalinde was nearby. He hoped the girl wouldn't find out they had come here.
They turned towards the fountain, slowing down and looking at the garden in silence for a while. The weather was not as hot as it had been the last few days, and a gentle breeze brought the scent of blooming flowers to them. There seemed to be no one else in the garden beside them, so they could enjoy it all in peace.
"I was thinking of sending Greta to Cavalcade a little earlier."
Yuuri furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Wolfram, who was looking at the bushes with purple flowers growing by the pathway.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" Yuuri plucked one of the flowers from the bush and placed it behind Wolfram's ear, whose serious expression disappeared, and he smiled again. This suited him much better.
"Someone is trying very hard to get as many of these crystals into circulation as possible, and there's no telling how many people might be influenced by them. She'll be safer there."
"Probably so." He nodded, and they moved on. "We'll talk to her about it later."
They reached the fountain, and Yuuri spotted a familiar bed of red flowers in the distance. He led Wolfram toward it, trying to think of something to change the topic of conversation. Something that contains nothing about any dangers or problems.
"I was thinking of creating a national league in baseball."
"A league?" Wolfram said the word slowly, clearly not understanding its meaning.
"It's like a competition for the strongest fighter. Each territory will send its own team and they will compete among themselves."
"I thought you were the only one with your own team."
"Yes. But what's the point of having one if they can't play against anyone? So I'll tell the other lords to form their own teams, and we'll organize a competition."
"But then there's a chance that you might lose to someone."
"That's the point. That's what fair competition is all about."
"I don't know if it's a good idea to let someone win against you. They can use it to undermine your authority."
"Wolf, it's just a game." They stopped at a flower bed and sat down on a low wall. "It's not meant to have anything to do with politics."
"I'm sure some people will try to link it anyway."
"Then, you can laugh at them for taking a silly game so seriously."
Wolfram laughed. He still kept his hand on his shoulder and leaned slightly toward him, watching the garden. Conrad and Arwin hid in a strategic spot behind them to not spoil their view and give them at least a semblance of privacy.
"Do you think he will be able to make his team? Your uncle, I mean."
"Well, I don't know. To find so many people willing to give up their time for some game." He contemplated, resting his head on his shoulder. "Although I think I'll be able to find someone fitting for my team."
"Your team?" Yuuri asked, surprised.
"Of course. Do you think I'll miss such a competition?"
"I thought you didn't like baseball."
"But I won't be the one playing, will I? I have some people perfect for doing it for me."
"Like who?"
"You'll see at the first game." He smiled mysteriously, and now Yuuri was curious and slightly concerned. He had said it was just fun, but still, he would have to take it a little more seriously. He had no intention of losing to Wolfram in a baseball game.
"Your Highness!" Gunter called out in the distance and Yuuri had a feeling of déjà vu.
He sighed and stood up reluctantly as his advisor appeared on the path, walking toward them. Wolfram was still smiling warmly at him, somehow filling him with relief.
"Yes, yes. I'm on my way," he said when Gunter called out to him again. He stood in front of Wolfram, pondering for a moment what to do. He wanted to bid goodbye to Wolfram in a slightly more... intimate way, but with so many people around, the only thing he could think of that wouldn't cause him embarrassment was to pet him on the head.
Wolfram didn't comment on it, but his gaze clearly said he shouldn't do it again. Yuuri smiled nervously and turned toward Gunter, quickly tossing that they would see each other later, and left fast before Wolfram changed his mind and yelled at him for this. So that meant it was not a good thing to do. He had to think of something else.
As he approached the fountain, he noticed that Conrad was not following him. So he turned around, checking to see what had happened to him.
Conrad stopped by the flower bed, staring at Wolfram, who looked at him uncertainly, still sitting on the low wall. They weren't talking, but the younger brother looked like he was feeling quite uneasy anyway. He had started acting this way around Conrad since they left that residence in Bielefeld, and although Yuuri didn't know any details about it, he found it quite charming. It could be seen as a significant improvement in their relationship, especially since Wolfram didn't seem to be doing it in bad faith.
Finally, Conrad approached his younger brother and, just as Yuuri had done earlier, patted him on the head, causing Wolfram to be completely shocked, after which he turned around and caught up with Yuuri as if nothing had happened.
"Are you okay?" Wolfram snapped awake and looked at Arwin, who was standing next to him.
Seeing his amused face, he quickly got up before his friend decided to do something strange again. Everyone has been treating him strangely lately. He didn't even want to think about what came to Conrad's mind.
"Did you think you'd avoid training that way?"
"It was always worth a try." Arwin shrugged his shoulders.
"Gather the rest of the squad and..." Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest and tapped a finger on his shoulder, contemplating a suitable plan for today's training. "The training ground behind the barracks should be suitable. We won't risk setting anything on fire there." He smiled to himself as it occurred to him to test something he had been thinking about for a week.
"I don't even want to know what you came up with," Arwin said, resigned.
"You'll see during training."
They left the gardens and - after the other two soldiers joined them - Arwin separated from them and went to look for the rest of their squad. They were all on duty today, so finding them shouldn't be much of a problem. So was taking them to train - they are officially responsible for his protection, so he can do what he likes with them.
"So, do we have training after all?" asked Helgard as they moved toward the training grounds. They didn't have to go through the castle; it was possible to get there by taking a shortcut, circling the gardens, and passing through a side gate. A wide stone staircase led down along the slope, taking them to the back of the castle, where the barracks were located. They were still within the castle's walled areas, separated from it by a steep hillside halfway up the hill on which Blood Pledge Castle was built. Just beyond the barracks area was a vast training field that could probably accommodate the entire Shin Makoku army.
"Today, however, we're going to do something much more interesting than the usual combat training."
"Depends on who finds it more interesting." Helgard smiled softly, completely unconcerned about this, unlike Roderich, who marched toward the training grounds as if he were going to a beheading.
"You always refer to my training as if it were the worst torture in the world."
"Of course, we have to exaggerate a bit. Otherwise, everyone would want to join us, and we would lose our elitism."
"The elitism in being tormented by our captain?" interjected Roderich.
"You can always go back to my uncle's army if you have a problem with that." Wolfram admonished him. "If you want to be called the strongest troop in terms of maryoku, you have to pay the price."
Roderich didn't speak up and only sighed resignedly. He was his newest soldier, and it looked like he was still having trouble acclimating. However, Wolfram's unit was finally starting to be recognized for their skills - a major achievement considering the age of his soldiers, where even the oldest Helgard was still younger than Conrad - so Wolfram wasn't about to cut them any slack.
A few regular soldiers were training, but they had enough room to take one corner of the training grounds where no one would disturb them. They stopped on the sidelines, and the rest of their squad eventually began to join them until, finally, everyone showed up, and Arwin returned to his side.
"What do you intend to practice?" he asked quietly so the rest of the men wouldn't hear him.
"We're going to see if you can also become immune to extreme temperatures."
"You don't even know where that came from," he said, sounding doubtful.
"I know of one factor that may have influenced it."
"So now you're really trying to kill us?" Arwin looked at him with a look of disbelief with which he tried to cover the amusement in his eyes.
"Someone who has as much control over his maryoku as you do should have no problem telling when to stop before he uses too much," Wolfram said, now louder, and turned to Helgard. "Take nine men and step aside. You will not participate in this and will only observe for the time being. Exhausting the entire squad is not the best idea." Then he added, glancing at the rest of the squad as several soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't think you'll get away from this. You'll be doing the same thing once the rest of the squad recovers."
He waited until Helgard had gathered half the squad - the one they had agreed was under him whenever they decided to split up - and looked at the remaining eight standing in front of him. Arwin still stood beside him with his arms crossed.
"This will be an ideal opportunity to accurately measure our soldiers' maryoku levels," Wolfram said, smiling contentedly at him, at which Arwin merely rolled his eyes. It seemed to be finally getting through to him what he would have to do, and his amusement was finally really fading. "So, use the maryoku in a visible way and in a manner that I can compare it."
Helgard had been kind enough to bring them herbs to aid maryoku recovery, so Arwin and the rest of the soldiers taking part in the training were now slowly sipping them, sitting on the ground at the edge of the square.
The training went much better than Wolfram had anticipated, and none of his men looked as sick as he sometimes saw those who overdid the use of maryoku. A night of decent sleep and they would be back to themselves.
Measuring the power levels possessed by his men also went well. He had noticed a significant increase since the last time, although he had previously taken only approximate measurements. Now he had accurate data.
He himself, of course, did not use up his maryoku, as there was no need for it, so he merely stood by during training, observing and commenting from time to time. Now all that remained was to see if it worked, but they could wait until tomorrow.
He sent away the soldiers training today to rest, and since Arwin was now out of strength, Helgard was in charge of protecting him. He took with him the additional two men who had not practiced today and also returned to the castle.
"Any plans for today?" Helgard asked as they entered the cool corridor. Standing even right next to a heated fireball didn't bother him much, but for some reason, Wolfram now felt like going back into the cold. Maybe too much fire for today, even for him.
Dinner time was approaching. They had spent much more time on this training than Wolfram had expected.
"I planned to do something, but someone got in my way." Wolfram sighed, and Helgard smiled slightly. "I'm just going to go take a bath and then go straight to dinner."
His desire to be cool followed him also into the bathroom, where he bathed in water that would probably be icy to others. An interesting change, but for him it was refreshing, so he didn't mind.
Fortunately, either the news of their training hadn't yet reached the others, or simply no one decided to bring up the subject. Either way, Wolfram ate his dinner in peace without any questions, then finally headed to his office.
He left all the soldiers outside the door and sat behind his desk, pulling a white crystal from his pocket. He summoned a fireball and started looking at it in a brighter light.
Then he took his bracelet off his hand and looked at its gemstones the same way. They were almost identical, differing only in color and those strange black streaks appearing in the white crystal. It gave the impression that it was tainted with something.
Wolfram put down the white crystal on the desk and touched the red one on the bracelet. He concentrated for several minutes, closing his eyes and straining his mind, but felt nothing. The same went for the light blue gemstone. So these don't affect his mind in any way? Or he just didn't have the opportunity to sense anything now, without any trigger like with Gwendal approaching him. However, he had a feeling that touching those crystals earlier had somehow calmed him down, although he wasn't sure if that was simply the fault of him getting attached to that piece of jewelry.
It was still possible that the origin of these crystals was related, given that they were so similar. Thanks to the teacher in his vision, he learned that they could be "charged" and then used for something.
He tried to look through the scroll he got from him, hoping to find more information about it there, but it was written in the same old alphabet as the descriptions in the library. In addition, the language was specific, so it was hard for him to understand most things, even from context. He'll have to use the dictionary he left at the temple and hope he can eventually decipher it.
In addition to the notes, there was also a map in the scroll, but he was unable to read it either. It depicted a vast mountainous area, with a wide river flowing next to a town whose names he did not associate. So, in this case too, he had to consult the library at the temple.
He put the bracelet back on and hid the white crystal in a desk drawer. His men followed him as he left the office and moved toward the bedroom. It looked like he had to wait with everything until his departure in three days.
Wolfram took a critical look at the painting on the easel. He had started to paint it yesterday, but this morning found that it was not good for anything after all. Fortunately, a small area of the canvas was painted over, so it might be possible to use it in some way. He had heard about paintings that had been painted on other paintings.
He was beginning to feel bad about throwing away so many canvases, but it was the only thing he could think of to do with them. There was no way he would let anyone look at them, especially since he didn't even feel like looking at them himself.
But did he even feel like painting today? Not really. The art studio was a much better place to sit than his office, so he came here every morning to spend some quiet time. It was spacious and bright, with large windows from which he could see one of the side gardens. Although he had to air it out properly first. The stench of paint was an effective deterrent to people, but it still worked on him too.
He took the painting off the easel and put it against the wall, covering it with a cloth. The studio didn't need any major cleaning - he no longer painted pictures while sleepwalking, and being conscious, he tried hard not to make a mess - so now he could busy himself with something else.
In one corner was a pile of junk, things he didn't really need right now but which he didn't want to throw away yet. It was a good place to hide something he didn't want anyone to see. And one of those things was a romance he had recently started reading.
He would never reach for such books on his own, but lately, they had gained popularity and begun to appear everywhere in sight, so he finally decided to flip through a few and see what people liked so much about them.
While he had tried to read romances before, he had difficulty understanding what the characters were about. For example, why did the main character seem to always have a strange obsession with one of the men? Often it was to the point where she would daydream about this person and have strange fantasies, after which she often ended up blushing for some reason.
He didn't understand what they all meant. At least before. Two months ago, he started reading one of the romances that were on display in the bookstore and found that he understood perfectly how the main character felt. The things she went through with one of the men reminded Wolfram so much of his own experiences with Yuuri that he immediately bought the book and read it in one evening.
Then he read a few more romances, feeling somehow reassured that he wasn't the only one going through such things and that others also felt the same way he did, even if they were only characters in a book. In addition, he recently found a romance in which the main character had problems with physical contact with other people, not understanding how anyone would even want to do such a thing with anyone. Then she met her fiancé, with whom the marriage was arranged by their parents, and suddenly began to think that physical contact with this person might not be so bad. He heard several people talking about the book in the bookstore praising it, which made him start to think that maybe there was nothing wrong with him after all.
It was one of the few books of this type that he decided to keep for himself. He finished reading it two days ago, but he still liked to return to it. It was tucked next to the book he started reading yesterday. This one also enthralled him, although in a completely different way.
He had assumed that nothing special happens in romances except meeting people and outbursts of emotions, but this one started with the kidnapping of the main character. It surprised him so much and drew him in at the same time that he forgot that this book was a romance until it turned out that the masked stranger who rescued the heroine was a lord who the heroine was secretly in love with for a long time. Wolfram was as disappointed as she was when it turned out that the lord in question was already engaged. Wasn't the point of these books that couples always end up with each other in the end? How was the author going to solve this?
He took the book and sat with it by the window, intending to find out today how it would end. The atmosphere was perfect for reading, with a gentle warm breeze flowing into the room and birdsong coming from the gardens.
It was not difficult to become absorbed in reading and lose track of time, but a suddenly opening door snapped him out of this state. He felt angry and disappointed. No one should disturb him here. And on top of that, he was interrupted at such a good moment when it turned out that it was the lord's fiancée who was behind the kidnapping of the main character.
Irritated, he lifted his gaze from the book and looked at Rosalinde standing in the middle of the room, which did not improve his mood one bit. What is she thinking, walking into his studio like this?
The soldiers standing in the doorway seemed confused, looking at Wolfram apologetically and turning around uncertainly as if they didn't know what to do. She had to force her way through them before they even had time to react, taking advantage of the fact that they wouldn't act aggressively toward the lady. This is how it ends when people try to be kind to unkind guests.
"What do you want?" Wolfram put down the book and crossed his arms over his chest, having no intention of getting up from his seat by the window. Since she was going to abandon all civility, so was he. He looked at her with superiority, letting her know what he thought of her by his very attitude.
"Your presence is becoming a nuisance," Rosalinde said, taking a step toward him. "You're bothering Yuuri too much, so I thought it would be better if someone told you it was about time you went home."
Wolfram raised an eyebrow. He had narrowly prevented himself from laughing right in the girl's face. It looked like this one was starting to get delusional. Maybe he should ask Gisela to examine her.
Yuuri asked Gunter before breakfast to suggest to Rosanlinde that it was about time she had left the castle already. His advisor took the task with undue seriousness, but in his hands, it should still go much better than if Yuuri were to do it himself.
This conversation was not to take place until after breakfast, and during the meal itself, Yuuri asked Greta what she thought about leaving early. She took it better than he assumed, but perhaps she herself recognized that she couldn't spend much time with her parents in this situation anyway. She did, however, ask Wolfram to send for her right away if they discovered another lost city. The rest of the meal passed in a pleasant atmosphere. And after breakfast, Yuuri went out into the hallway with no intention of going to his office yet.
Even though he trusted Gunter completely, he decided to listen to their conversation anyway. Or at least he tried to, because when he finally managed to find them - Gunter had dragged Rosalinde away to a secluded spot so that no one from the servants would overhear them - it seemed that their exchange was already over.
It was hard for him to gauge the girl's reaction. For now, she merely stood and seemed to be watching something outside the window.
"Your Highness?" Gunter asked in a whisper as he emerged from around the corner. Rosalinde still stood motionless, apparently not hearing him, but Yuuri preferred to step back anyway.
"And how did it go?" he asked.
"I'm not sure she understood me. She nodded the whole time yet said nothing. And then she seemed not to listen to me at all anymore."
"So what do you think? Anything else we can do?"
"We can wait until tomorrow and see if she reacts in any way."
"And prepare a carriage to send her away if she doesn't," added Conrad, who, of course, followed Yuuri. He seemed concerned about Rosalinde's behavior, leaning against the wall, looking out into the corridor and watching her.
Yuuri sighed but finally agreed.
"Just don't be impolite."
"But of course, Your Majesty, you have nothing to fear. I have no intention of doing anything that would damage your good name."
Yuuri smiled awkwardly. Well, Gunter probably won't change, though he should hardly worry that he would do something wrong.
He looked around the corner again to see if Rosalinde was still standing there, but the corridor was already empty. He wondered if anything had reached her. And what was she actually doing in between looking for Yuuri? She must have had something to do, right?
Well, that was none of his business. He had his own work to do now, so he should go straight to his office.
He moved along the same corridor where Rosalinde was standing, and only now did he notice that the art studio windows were visible from the spot Gunter had chosen for the conversation. Wolfram was sitting in one of them, with his nose stuck in a book. So this is what his painting looked like, huh?
But the sight made him smile to himself. Guess nothing would happen if he stopped by him on the way. It's not as if Wolfram was busy right now.
He turned and headed in the other direction; from the corner of his eye, he saw Conrad following him.
After reaching the corridor where the studio was located, instead of the bored soldiers he usually saw here, he found an open door. As he approached it, he heard voices, through which he learned where Rosalinde had gone.
Conrad passed him and looked inside first. Yuuri joined him and stood in the doorway, looking at the situation.
Wolfram's two men stood nearby, looking uncertainly at their captain, who appeared to be on the verge of losing patience. He was sitting at the window with his arms crossed and one leg placed over the other, tapping his finger rapidly against his shoulder. Another moment and he would summon a fireball. The only thing holding him back was likely that he didn't want to burn down his studio, but he probably wouldn't care about Rosalinde's dress.
Who was standing only a few steps in front of him. If she would have any complaints about anything, Yuuri would tell her that she had asked for it herself. What she was doing now was like walking into a lion's cage.
"Of course, how he ignored you yesterday perfectly shows how much he cares about you," Wolfram said with irony in his voice. "You're starting to get more and more ridiculous. You'd better go home before you make a complete idiot of yourself, and if you do that today, I might not mention to anyone what happened today." Wolfram sounded impatient but not angry. More like he was talking to a stubborn child. Good, he should not let himself be provoked.
"What happened?" Conrad asked one of the guards. Yuuri noticed that Arwin, who had been following Wolfram the whole time, was nowhere to be seen. He wondered what had happened to him.
"She came in here suddenly and started saying strange things. We are starting to worry about her mental state."
"Strange things?"
"He's only doing it because of you. If it weren't for your presence, he would have married me right away, but you had to come and ruin everything." Rosalinde almost shouted reproachfully.
"Do you think we should interfere?" asked Yuuri when Wolfram smiled triumphantly.
"Maybe no one bothered to inform someone like you, but I didn't come anywhere myself. It was Yuuri who went and brought me back, unlike you, whom he is trying with all his might to send away."
"'He's rather able to handle her,'" Conrad replied, but seemed to think it would be better to get closer to them, just in case. And off to the side to get out of the way of any projectiles.
Rosalinde stood silent for a while, apparently not knowing what to answer, and Wolfram looked increasingly pleased with himself. He relaxed and leaned back comfortably in his chair, smiling arrogantly at Rosalinde.
On the other hand, Yuuri felt himself blush when Wolfram mentioned it. Putting it that way made him feel desperate. Well, it was probably exactly like that at the time, but that's no reason to say it out loud. Still, it seemed to give Wolfram satisfaction, so he'll probably mention it often.
Rosalinde seemed to have given up on the verbal duel and decided to do the very thing Wolfram was holding back from, sending something that looked like a tiny tornado in his direction. Fortunately, the boy quickly dodged, so only the window frame was damaged.
"That's enough of that." Conrad stood between Rosalinde and Wolfram, who had risen from his chair. "Lady Hagen, I think you realize perfectly well what you are doing by attacking Wolfram."
Rosalinde snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her body weight to her left leg.
"And what are you going to do to me? It may not have reached you yet, but I will soon be your queen. So you should treat me accordingly."
Conrad smiled indulgently, and Wolfram, standing behind him, rolled his eyes. Yuuri should have started to worry that this was another situation where someone was trying to attack them, but somehow this scene seemed comical.
"Helgard." Wolfram turned to the soldier Conrad had spoken to earlier. So that was his name. Yuuri thought it was something like that. "Search her and see if she has anything with white crystals on her."
The two Wolfram soldiers approached the girl, who was clearly unhappy about this and began to protest loudly, and started searching her.
"Do you think she is under their influence?" Yuuri stood next to Wolfram. Rosalinde only now seemed to notice him and suddenly fell silent.
"For what other reason would she act like this?"
The girl reached between the folds of her dress, but Helgard quickly took the object she had taken out, tossing it quickly to the floor. Next to Conrad's foot landed a tiny knife with a white crystal in the handle. So Wolfram was right.
"There's also this." A second soldier removed a necklace, also with a white crystal, from Rosalinde's neck. Yet depriving her of them did not calm the girl's behavior. She started screaming, exclaiming how dare they touch her.
"Take her away. I'm sure big brother will be very eager to interrogate her," Wolfram ordered while Conrad picked up a knife from the ground and took the necklace from the soldier, careful not to touch the crystals.
The commotion had already managed to attract more guards and other curious people. Conrad and Wolfram's men went outside to explain the situation to someone and hand over Rozalinde and the confiscated items, so only Yuuri and Wolfram remained in the studio. The unpleasant smell of paint was already almost completely gone, but people still seemed reluctant to approach the room.
"Not even a little peace," Wolfram muttered, slumping back in his chair and sighing heavily.
"At least nothing serious happened."
"Right. It was pretty funny." He smiled with satisfaction and reached for a book lying on the windowsill.
"Seed of jealousy?" Yuuri raised an eyebrow, reading the title and looking at the cover. It was brightly colored and had flowers around the edges. It didn't look like an adventure book.
Wolfram pressed the book to his chest, and his cheeks reddened slightly.
"I didn't know you read romance." Yuuri smiled and stood between him and the door so that no one in the hallway could see him. It was his private view.
"Well, some have an interesting plot." Wolfram's eyes fled to the door, and he relaxed a bit when he realized that no one could see him.
"Really? And what kind of storyline does this one have?" Yuuri continued, having no intention of dropping the subject. This was something new and something Wolfram was definitely embarrassed about. A perfect opportunity to repay him for mentioning that thing earlier.
Wolfram glared at him, but after a moment, he breathed a sigh and placed the book on his knee.
"The main character was kidnapped by the fiancé of the man she fancies and who later rescued her from the situation."
"Actually interesting." He chuckled. "And why did she kidnap her?"
"I was just trying to find out, but someone interrupted me." Wolfram looked reproachfully in the direction where Rosalinde had disappeared.
"I see. In that case, then, I will order that no one interrupt you." The vision of Wolfram reading romance was strange but, on the other hand, interesting. Yuuri was curious if it would affect him in some way. Maybe instead of wanting to look for more lost ruins, he'll want Yuuri to take him on a date. He wouldn't mind a date. It's been a long time since they've been on one. In fact, they've never been on an actual date. So he'd better read those romances, and eventually, he'll start thinking on the subject just like Yuuri.
Wolfram's gaze made him feel like laughing again, but Gunter's voice from behind caused him to flinch.
After a moment, the man rushed into the room and ran up to Yuuri with tears in his eyes, imprisoning him in a hug.
"Ah, Your Majesty! I was so worried! I heard that there was another attack and immediately thought of the worst. I'm so glad you're all right!"
"Gunter, calm down. There is no need for you to squeeze me like that!"
"Your Majesty!" Gunter wailed, seeming not to listen to him at all. If he went on like this, they would end up with victims in a moment anyway.
He looked around, searching for help. Conrad was still in the hallway, and Wolfram was already busy reading his book. Seriously? It's nice that he's no longer acting overly jealous, but in this situation, he could at least pretend and help him.
He tried to call out to him, but he didn't seem to hear him either. Only after a few minutes did Conrad rescue him.