Chapter 666: Collision Course
But while one person was busy hiding from the sudden threat, a certain adjutant had been very busy keeping his and his Captain’s shit together.
In fact, had the Duke and Duchess not been called over by the patriarchs of the dukedoms, then they would have had a much bigger problem.
It was the fifth group now.
Since setting foot into the auction hall, they had been bombarded with stares.
Luca, for one, leaned toward his good brother and whispered, "Brother, is something wrong? People keep staring."
The blonde’s face softened instantly, his lips quirking with a smile that was a little too proud. "Brother, it’s because you’re too cute."
Luca blinked. Cute? That couldn’t possibly be the answer. But Ollie said it with such conviction that Luca almost believed him.
Kyle, however, was less convinced. He was fairly certain the stares had less to do with Luca’s cuteness and more to do with the Duke walking in front of them, his expression dark enough to kill a man at fifty paces. Still, the effect was useful. No one dared approach when Duke Leander’s face looked like that.
At least until the Duke left to join the other patriarchs.
And then, as if sensing blood in the water, the flies started to gather.
The first wave was composed of nobles who apparently thought this was their chance to force their children to audition for the role of "next Duchess."
Hands extended far too close to Luca’s face, as though demanding he take them and kiss them, and every single time, Kyle swore he felt the air temperature drop a degree. His sharp eyes darted around, half-expecting to find icicles forming along the walls.
Thankfully, the icicles were under control. But what couldn’t really be helped was how the Imperial Crown Prince, who was just a man being tested by circumstances at this point, would reach for Luca’s hand, intertwining their fingers as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The nobles froze mid-motion, their practiced smiles faltering as Xavier’s calm yet cutting gaze shifted toward them for a fraction of a second.
It was but a moment, but it was enough to have them retreating as though they had suddenly remembered urgent business elsewhere.
But surely the adjutant hadn’t thought it would be that easy? Because, as an auction hosted by House Mylor, how could anyone miss the vibrant blonde who stuck out like a beacon?
His little star, who had been fed so well he practically glowed, looked every bit too shiny and happy, and so it was no wonder he attracted his own set of flies.
Kyle, who had the honor of dealing with what Princess Kira often referred to as ’mom fans,’ learned to remain cordial when there was no looming threat. He was like a beast biding its time, patient but always on guard.
However, not everyone looked at his little mop in a way Kyle could accept. Some fluttered their lashes at the shining star in hopes of beguiling him.
And fully knowing how Kyle had beguiled the blonde himself, he wasn’t about to underestimate anyone else trying. Better to be careful.
Extremely careful.
His tall frame was glued to Ollie’s side, and when someone attempted to fluster the blonde, Kyle’s hand would drift casually along his back. Ollie would look up at him with those smiling eyes, unbothered, while Kyle’s tone stayed even.
"Are you tired now?" he would ask smoothly, his hand pressing lightly against Ollie’s back.
The move was subtle, but those watching caught it. Their reactions were immediate. "Ah, of course, we’ve been talking too much!" they would stammer before retreating.
Ollie, as always, blinked in confusion. "But... haven’t they just introduced themselves?"
Kyle’s polite smile didn’t falter. "Yes. Introductions noted." He gave the noble a shallow nod before turning back to Ollie as though no one else existed.
Xavier was much the same. When Luca tilted his head and whispered, "But weren’t they just greeting us?" Xavier glanced down, his lips softening into the faintest smile.
"They were," he agreed calmly, adjusting Luca’s scarf just so. "And we already responded." His eyes swept across the retreating nobles, a gleam of warning flashing there. "Now they know."
Luca tilted his head. He didn’t know what they were supposed to know, but Xavier said it with such certainty that Luca felt oddly reassured.
Eventually, the ambitious would-be Duchesses were driven off, their numbers thinned until only the second wave remained. This group was different. They were businessmen and officials, keen on asking about the future of the daycare.
Kyle took the lead here, answering smoothly, his tone polite but carefully noncommittal. "The plans are still under discussion," he said again and again, never giving away more than necessary. He maintained the balance perfectly, until—
His eyes lifted for only a moment.
And then he froze.
"!!!"
Because across the auction hall, seated with calm composure yet unmistakable intensity, were the very eyes they had been trying desperately to avoid.
Kyle practically blazed through his farewells, bowing his head with polite smiles as he ushered everyone forward. "Excuse us, the Duke is calling," he said smoothly, his voice calm enough to fool anyone who wasn’t standing close enough to see the tension in his jaw.
Luca tilted his head in confusion. "But... Papa isn’t—"
"We need to move locations," Kyle hissed under his breath, his hand already pressed lightly against their back to steer them. "I accidentally made eye contact with the masters!"
Luca blinked. Masters?
But there was no time for questions.
Because fate, it seemed, had other plans.
The next moment, as Kyle hurriedly pushed them through the side door in hopes of escaping notice, they came to an abrupt halt.
Because standing right there, as though waiting for them all along, were Minister Kordell Nox and Marquise Evelyn Nox.
"!!!"
The Minister’s face was carved from stone, unreadable and imposing. The Marquise’s smile was elegant, but it stopped short of her eyes, which gleamed with a sharpness that made Kyle’s stomach twist.
The air thinned instantly, heavy and suffocating, as though the walls themselves had closed in.
Kyle froze, his breath stuttering. They hadn’t stumbled into them by chance. No—this was a collision. A trap sprung at the worst possible time.
And as if that wasn’t enough to send him spiraling, the master mechanics—those same figures he had hoped to avoid—were also closing in from the sides.
"..."
The silence was deafening.
Kyle felt it in his bones. The world had turned against him. He must have woken up cursed today. Why else would he be sandwiched between the people they had been hiding from for months and the very elders who had cornered him with relentless curiosity before?
He could already picture his obituary: Here lies Kyle Nox, adjutant, strategist, unfortunate son. Death by proximity.
Just as his mother’s smile widened, ready to strike, salvation arrived in the form of the Master of Ceremonies.
Mitchel, who at any given moment could either be hailed as savior or condemned as damned, stepped forward with a loud clap of his hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would kindly proceed to your seats! The auction is about to begin."
The tense air cracked, and Kyle seized the chance. He broke the locked stares with a shallow bow and a polite smile.
"Mother, Father. What an honor. I have missed you terribly!" His words flowed like honey over broken glass. "I regret that we have no time to talk further. Unfortunate, truly."
Ollie, standing beside him, gaped openly at his boyfriend. Just what was happening?!
Inside, Kyle’s heart was thundering hard enough to knock the wind out of him. But he thought—just maybe—he had managed to slip away.
Until his mother’s voice, soft and wistful, cut through the air.
"Such a shame, really." Evelyn’s smile widened, and Kyle’s blood ran cold. "But no matter. We’ve asked the people of House Mylor about a competent guide for the auction, and we were told their son was present today."
Kyle’s eyes widened in horror.
"Wait—" he choked out.
But before he could act, the cadets froze in shock as Marquise Evelyn Nox moved with surprising speed and agility, her hand darting out. In one smooth motion, she had plucked Ollie from where he stood.
"?!"
The blonde blinked rapidly, completely unprepared as the Marquise’s satisfied smile shone down on him.
Her hand patted his head gently, almost dotingly, as she asked, "Would it be all right with you if you guided us for a bit? I believe you’d be able to do it better than anyone."
Ollie’s brain blanked. He was face-to-face with the full force of a beauty attack. His defenses crumbled instantly.
"I—I..." His cheeks flushed pink, his voice soft as he nodded. "Alright, My Lady."
On the side, Kyle stood frozen, his jaw slack. His little star. His mop. Kidnapped. Right in front of him.
Snatched clean from under his nose.
"..."
Kyle could only gape as the impossible unfolded. The Marquise looked positively radiant, Ollie looked like he was about to melt, and Kyle—Kyle wanted to ask how this had escaped his big brother?!