CH 26

“Lix!”

The youth, who had been sitting in the chair tapping his feet, put on a bright and happy expression upon seeing him and called out. Calix wrapped the coat he had brought with him snugly around the youth’s body, wrapping him without as much as the tiniest gap. His heart felt much more comfortable, but the youth did not seem to be comfortable at all. The squirming youth’s eyes glared at him in annoyance. However, Calix had no intentions of backing down with just this, and he adjusted the coat even more tightly.

“Did you find the book?”

The squirming youth asked with shining eyes. The youth looked up at him and asked with round eyes, his head slowly tilted. He really knew how to act in order to fool someone into thinking that he was harmless.

The sight of the youth blinking his eyes with his head tilted could not be more adorable. The youth’s glinting eyes pressed him silently.

Won’t you get it for me quickly? Won’t you? Hm?

Calix suppressed his desire to immediately reach out his hand and stroke the youth’s head. He enjoyed feeling the touch of the youth, but seeing him beg like this was not an inferior pleasure. 

“It will take some time.”

At Calix’s words, the youth assumed an irritated expression. Seeing the youth silently move his small mouth, it appeared that he was grumbling something. Calix suddenly felt the urge to put his finger between those small, grumbling lips. Without a doubt, they would be soft and moist, and he would probably abruptly get upset.

“Ah, right. Lixy.” The youth swiftly erased his irritated expression and spoke.

His black eyes darted around busily. The youth, whose eyes flitted about as if choosing his words for a moment, opened his mouth to speak with a rather cautious expression.

“Is the Emperor very sick?”

It was an unexpected question. He had never seen the youth show interest in the Emperor, so he wondered what made him ask this sort of question. Calix had received a report that the youth had even followed the spy to the palace where the Emperor resided, but he couldn’t have heard or seen anything special. 

Well, he might be dense in some areas, but he was very clever in others, so he might have picked something up.

It wasn’t a bad thing that he wandered as he wished to stave off his boredom, but if he became interested in some affair and became hurt in any way, it would truly become difficult. However, the youth was one who did as he wished, so to forcefully tie him down would not be a good move either.

What to do—

Calix sat and thought while looking at the youth, and soon a smile graced his face.

It wasn’t a bad idea to let the youth loose to satisfy him once in a while. And Calix needed something to take his mind away from books in any case.

“He is seldom able to leave his sickbed.”

The eyes of the youth who heard this answer flashed radiantly with bright light.

Calix internally swallowed his laughter, and began spilling just enough bait to attract the youth’s attention.

“It is strange, since he does not have any particular disease.”

Scooting his butt closer, the youth stuck to Calix and asked in a low voice.

“What are his symptoms?”

Even though he asked the question himself, his eyes darted around quickly, and he swallowed loudly.

Calix pretended to be thinking and fanned the youth’s anxiety.

“Well…”

The anxiety-ridden youth even clung to his arm and began to pester him.

“Ah. Think a bit faster. Faster.”

The breath of the youth, who was bouncing on his butt, tickled his ear. Calix slowly looked down at the whining youth with calm eyes. He must have been quite anxious, seeing as how he looked as if he would even climb up onto Calix’s shoulder. Calix could clearly feel the slender body and movements of the youth hanging off his arm.

At the precise moment when he thought that the youth would turn his head away and sulk if his anxiety was prolonged, Calix opened his mouth to speak.

“It is just, he cannot wake from his sleep.”

The youth’s eyes grew round. Calix sneakily wrapped his hand around the shocked-looking youth and sat the youth on his lap.  Even as he was lifted up and placed on Calix’s lap, the youth showed no signs of caring. He was intently lost in his thoughts. Of course, he was so accustomed to being on his chest, on his lap, and in his arms that it seemed like he could feel no resistance towards this. Calix wore a satisfied smile as he pressed his lips to the youth’s black hair. 

“Calix.”

The youth who had been lost in thought for a while called him with a gaze that meant he was determined.  As the youth gazed at him, he clasped Calix’s hand.

“I will take care of it, so don’t worry anymore.”

The youth’s attitude was as if he would immediately run out and squash the enemy forces.

How could this little one be so endearing?

Calix smiled silently at the youth.