Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 299: ’Quiet Week’

And yet another week had passed.

The sovereign summit was just twenty-four hours away, looming over Florian’s head like a storm cloud thick with thunder and judgment. The palace halls buzzed with subtle energy—servants whispering, guards sharpening blades, banners being unfurled in distant wings—but for Florian, things had been... strangely quiet.

But not in a good way.

The silence wasn’t peaceful. It was hollow. A quiet that pressed against his chest and made it hard to breathe sometimes, like walking through a fog where you couldn’t see your own hands.

Ever since Heinz’s public announcement, Lucius had been keeping his distance. No, scratch that. He’d been icing him out.

Of course, Lucius wouldn’t say that. No, Lucius would insist he was "busy," with that irritatingly polite smile and those frigid eyes. But every time Florian did catch a glimpse of him—passing in the corridors, during briefings, across the training yard—Lucius would barely look at him. And when he did, it was with a look so sharp it could slice bone.

It stung more than Florian wanted to admit.

’It’s not like I wanted him to flirt with me again or anything... but this?’

It wasn’t just distance.

It was rejection.

Cold, calculated rejection.

And Florian hated it. Not because he missed being flirted with—he didn’t. Not really. But because Lucius had been a constant. A steady, annoyingly handsome presence who made this twisted world a little more bearable.

Now, even that was gone.

’He probably thinks something’s going on between me and Heinz... or worse, that I somehow seduced my way into becoming a queen candidate.’

The thought made Florian grimace. He couldn’t even argue—it wasn’t like he understood Heinz’s reasoning either.

Lancelot, on the other hand, was MIA for a legitimate reason. He’d been dispatched to investigate suspicious activity near the border villages. No word, no letters. Just gone.

Heinz? He still summoned Florian. Sometimes. Always formal. Always business. He’d brief Florian about the dukes—what to expect, how to talk, who to avoid. Apparently, they were all volatile, unpredictable, and most of them hated Heinz.

Which made Florian a target by association. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Great.

’There’s a real chance someone might sabotage this summit just to spite him.’

Florian hadn’t seen the princesses either. Not even Alexandria or Athena. They used to show up at least once a week for tea and idle gossip. Now? Nothing. No knocks on his door, no sarcastic quips, no laughter.

The absence of sound was deafening.

Even Cashew was absent, oddly enough. His shy little shadow, the quiet comfort in his chaotic routine. Apparently, Heinz had entrusted him with a "very important task" for the summit. Cashew had been running around like a flustered duckling ever since.

So, Florian was alone.

He spent most of the past few days with Azure curled on his lap, or watching butterflies flit around the garden. Sometimes he’d re-read his notes, practicing lines he would deliver with a strained smile. Other times, he just... laid there, staring at the ceiling, too overwhelmed to move.

Today, he couldn’t sit still anymore.

The summit was tomorrow.

The dukes would arrive.

And Florian felt like he might throw up.

He walked through the marble corridors, the soles of his shoes echoing off the floor like a metronome counting down the hours. His hand pressed against his chest as he exhaled deeply.

’Ah fuck. I’m so nervous.’ He hit his chest lightly, trying to coax his heart into slowing down. But it thudded stubbornly, tight with dread.

’Should I just run away? I don’t... I don’t think I can do it after all.’

It was a stupid thought. He knew that. He’d done presentations before. He’d pitched campaigns to executives with shark-like smiles. He’d once humiliated himself in a boardroom by presenting a tagline for glow-in-the-dark sex toys.

And yet—this felt worse.

These were dukes. Practically royalty. Unpredictable, spoiled, foul-tempered, and powerful. Some of them barely respected the king. And Florian?

Florian was a harem member with a marketing degree.

’At least businessmen had some damn decorum...’ he thought bitterly.

Still... his mind kept circling back to Lucius.

Even if the man was probably jealous or angry or whatever, his absence was jarring. He had been a constant in Florian’s bizarre new life—stern, sharp-tongued, overprotective. Someone Florian could banter with, argue with, trust in a weird way.

And now?

Gone.

Just like that.

’If I’m being honest... if I ignore the fact that he’s in love with whoever he thinks I am... Lucius was good company.’

And it wasn’t just him. Cashew. Lancelot. Alexandria. Athena. They had all become... something. A ragtag collection of people Florian could almost, maybe, possibly consider friends.

So, was it really that strange for him to feel bothered by all this?

To feel... lonely?

’I should be relieved. I’m free from the ridiculous flirting. The drama. The stupid BL tropes...’

He stopped walking.

A butterfly landed on the edge of the fountain beside him, its wings a shimmer of pale gold and blue.

Florian sighed.

’God, I’m so confused.’

He looked up at the sky, overcast and dimming toward dusk.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

But right now?

Right now, he just wanted someone to sit beside him and say, "You’re doing fine."

Even if it was a lie.

"Hah. What a stupid thought." Florian muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he looked forward and kept walking. The cobblestone path beneath his feet gleamed softly under the sun, the marble buildings of Concordia bathed in a golden warmth.

It was a good day. A beautiful day.

But wasn’t it always?

The sun always seemed to shine in Concordia—its skies unblemished, the gardens perpetually blooming as though nature had been placed under a never-ending charm.

’Come to think of it... I’ve never seen it rain here.’ Florian blinked, glancing up at the cloudless blue above. ’Is it not rainy season? Or does it not rain at all? Odd.’

It was the kind of odd that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Like a painting that was too perfect. Too clean.

As he wandered deeper into the courtyard, footsteps and hushed laughter pulled his attention. He spotted two maids walking side by side, skirts swishing as they moved. They were whispering and giggling, completely absorbed in their conversation.

"Lord Lucius looks even better today," one of them said, sighing wistfully.

Florian’s ears twitched at the name, like a dog hearing its master’s whistle.

Lucius.

He slowed his pace.

"But is it just me... or does he look more down than usual?" the second maid asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"Yes! But it adds so much more to his appeal," the first giggled. "Hah. If only he wasn’t so avoidant of women."

"True—"

"Excuse me," Florian cut in, stepping closer. His voice was polite, but urgent. The two maids jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.

"P-Prince Florian!" one of them stammered, quickly bowing. The other followed, both visibly flustered. "W-What do we owe the pleasure, Your Highness?"

"I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about Lucius," Florian said evenly, though his heart was pounding just a little harder in his chest. "Do you happen to know where he is right now?"

The second maid nodded shyly. "Yes, Your Highness. He’s overseeing the preparations in the guest wing. The palace is making sure everything is perfect for the dukes’ arrival."

’Guest wing? Right. Of course. For the summit.’

"Is that near here?" he asked, already glancing toward the nearest corridor.

The maids nodded in unison. "Just a few halls down, then to the right, Your Highness."

"Thank you," he said quickly. Then, without waiting for their formal goodbyes, Florian turned on his heel and bolted.

"...O...kay?" one of the maids muttered after him, blinking in confusion.

Florian barely registered their confusion. His feet moved on their own, his thoughts a whirlwind of anxiety and something else—something hotter. He didn’t know if this sudden urgency came from a desperate need for answers, or if it was because Lucius’s absence had started to gnaw at something deep inside him.

Maybe it was both.

’What is wrong with me? Why do I care so much that he’s ignoring me?’ Florian thought as his footsteps echoed down the hall. ’It’s not like I liked being flirted with. I should be relieved. I should be celebrating.’

But he wasn’t.

There was something suffocating about being iced out. Like he’d been cast aside without warning. Without explanation.

’I didn’t even do anything this time.’

He clenched his fists.

Fine. If Lucius wanted to play cold and mysterious, Florian was done playing along. He didn’t want this awkward silence, and he didn’t want to tiptoe around someone who had once practically shadowed his every step.

’I’ll show him what happens when he ignores me.’ Florian scowled. ’I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I will get some answers.’

With his nerves bristling and his pace quickening, Florian turned the corner—heading straight for the guest wing with nothing but righteous indignation and confusion burning in his chest.