Don't Come Near Me, I'm Just a Background Character [BL Harem]

43 - The Tsundere's Crying

The following morning, I felt my body creak as I stumbled out of the covers and into the bathroom. The soreness in my thighs and back stung as I moved even the slightest bit. My god, I should never have touched those wooden swords... I thought.

Two familiar, timely knocks on the door sounded. I jumped into loose silk pajamas and invited the servants in. A tray of beautifully arranged pastries were set on the tea table before they left as usual. Yet, they seemed particularly rushed today. I stared at their fleeting silhouettes with narrowed eyes, stretching and walking towards the table with eager eyes.

I feel quite refreshed today. Maybe it's because I moved my body so much yesterday. I bit into the apple pastry. I should meet up with that tomato more often. A small grin crept up to my face as I thought about his familiar fluffy red hair bobbing as he walked.

"Rem." A familiar voice rang from outside the door.

"Come in," I said, hastily placing the bread down onto the plate and standing. The door swung open as the prince walked towards me with a heavy gait. I bowed, my gaze lowered. "Good morning, Prince."

"When did I instruct you to bow?" He frowned, his jaw tense. I could hear his gritted teeth from his tone.

What's the problem with bowing? And what's with his tone? I complained inwardly, a wave of confusion hitting me. "My apologies, your highness." I said, lifting my head to meet his gaze before gasping. The prince's haggard figure drew quite a sorry sight. His eyes were bloodshot due to a lack of sleep, and his dark under-eye circles had deepened. His hair was disheveled, his face pale as a ghost.

"Who was he?" He muttered through his gritted teeth, biting down his jealousy. An unfamiliar seething rage boiled up, threatening to spill onto his expression. For once, I felt a sense of danger emanating from the usually shy prince, but it wasn't pointed towards me, but rather the unknown person by my side last night.

I stepped back, grabbing the edge of the table and smiling nervously. "Your highness, I really don't know what you're talking about."

Lucius stepped forward, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards him. I let out a yelp and staggered forward, fumbling to try and regain my balance but to no avail. As I was pulled nearer, I saw the subtle intricacies of his expression. His lips were cracked and his eyelashes fluttering from exhaustion.

"Prince, I told you to sleep well." I said, frowning. "Are you being overworked? You should have called me. I'm your aide, I should be helping you with your duties." I sighed and set him down on the edge of the bed. The crease between his eyebrows softened and he watched my motions with indecipherable eyes.

I moved to close the blackout curtains, but before I could, a hand clasped my wrist, yanking me back towards the bedside. "Remis," he muttered. Startled, I blinked and pivoted around, a mix of surprise and bewilderment washing over me. The prince had his head down, his hair concealing his eyes, and his hands clammy and cold to the touch.

"Yes?" I stood awkwardly, my arm dangling by his firm grip.

"Why... do you seem like you're distancing yourself from me?" He mumbled under his breath. I tilted my head and furrowed my brows, confused. He pursed his lips as he watched my expression. "It hasn't changed! Before, that time, you chose to kiss that prick rather than me, and then now–"

"Are you talking about that one time while you two were shooting? Your highness, I either had to kiss you or him. What does that have to do with distancing myself?" I frowned, gently sweeping his bangs aside to reveal his teary eyes. A slight pang pricked at my heart as I gazed at his pitiful expression. "Your highness, I assure you, I'm not distancing myself from you. I simply wanted you to save your first kiss for your lover, that's why I chose to kiss Theodore."

"You call him by his name! You even have a name for him, 'Zier'. What do you call me? 'Prince', 'your highness'..." He seemed to completely miss the point, the tears that had welled up in his eyes falling, tracing a path down his cheeks as he struggled to speak.

Panicked, I leaned in, using my hands to gently wipe his tears away. He sniffled, glancing up, his tear-glazed eyes revealing vulnerability. "I-I... I said that I didn't care..." he mumbled, rubbing his cheek against my outstretched hand, "b-but I was lying... hic... why don't you call me by my name? Why can't... hic, I have a nickname too...?"

I felt an arrow strike my heart as soon as I heard his words. A twinge of guilt tugged at me as I felt the softness of his worn cheeks against the palm of my hand. His eyes widened as I leaned in, extending my arms to hug him. Before I could even get close, he wrapped his arms around my waist desperately, and I let out a surprised yelp, losing my balance and landing in his lap.

"I'm sorry..." I said. His breathing was heavy as he tried to hold back the tears streaming down his cheeks. My embarrassment from hitting my forehead into his chest was overwritten by guilt. The poor thing... I thought. He just wanted to get close to his aide, but I made it so hard for him... I sighed.

A few minutes of comfortable, assured silence fell. I rubbed his back in circular motions, feeling the fabric slide through my hands as I did. His stilted, harsh breathing soon stopped, and the silence was broken by his accusing, shy tone. A few minutes of tranquil and reassuring silence settled between us. I traced gentle circles on his back, my fingers gliding over the fabric of his clothing. His strained, heavy breathing gradually stopped, and the quietude was interrupted by his voice, accusing and bashful.

"W-well... it's good that you're sorry! You dared make me cry, you should be punished!" He snorted, yet refusing to let go of my waist, his head still cradled in the crook of my shoulder.

I tamped down my amusement from his familiar coquettish behavior and nodded docilely. "Then, Prince. How do you intend to punish me?"

He let out a hmph and pushed me further into his embrace. "From now on, you shall address me by my first name!" he declared. "A-and... I suppose I will call you Rem, considering you are my aide, and we ought to appear close."

A laugh escaped my throat as I pushed away. He looked slightly disappointed. His discontent face made me want to tease him further. "Since we need to act close, as you say, should I kiss you to make up for not doing it before?" I joked.

"Yes, that's fair. You should kiss me now." His face reddened, contrary to the shameless words coming out of his mouth.

I froze.

"What?"

He pointed to his lips, his blush turning darker by the second. "Right here."