SLDS 25

He had heard that women sometimes apply cosmetics to their nipples and the surrounding area to enhance their sexual appeal.

But the chest before him was not an embellished one; it was raw and natural. Moreover, it was a vivid, beautiful crimson, as if dyed with crushed flower petals.

Tristan simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from the plumply protruding flesh. He did so even while knowing it was an impertinent act.

Isn’t it true that when a person encounters something unbelievably beautiful, they find themselves staring as if mesmerized? That was exactly Tristan’s state right now.

“My clothes?”

“……”

“Ah, you mean my chest is showing through?”

Cecil realized what Tristan was talking about and flapped his damp shirt back and forth.

As the shirt that had been clinging to his body billowed, Tristan finally straightened his gaze. As if belatedly realizing his own rudeness, his face flushed red from his neck to his forehead.

“Unless I have something unusual attached to me, you have the same thing too, so what’s the problem?”

“It is just a bit… embarrassing.”

“You’d be appalled if you saw the guys who walk around topless in the training grounds.”

Cecil muttered in disbelief and finally burst out laughing. He was well aware of Tristan’s straitlaced nature, but in his previous life, they had always clashed, so he never knew he was such a funny person.

This was also the first time Tristan had seen Cecil laugh so joyfully.

His first impression was that he seemed as prickly as a sensitive cat and difficult to approach, but seeing him laugh like this, he was nothing more than a fresh and vibrant twenty-year-old youth.

Tristan found himself staring blankly at Cecil without realizing it, then quickly came to his senses. He hurriedly schooled his expression, cleared his tight throat with a cough, ahem, ahem, and said.

“Please go inside. You’ll catch a cold otherwise.”

“See you again soon.”

Cecil greeted him with his eyes beautifully curved, as if the lingering warmth of his laughter remained.

He was the first to walk past Tristan. Even though he was soaked in sweat, there was no sour smell; instead, only a pleasant fragrance drifted from him.

Are all royals like that? Tristan felt a little puzzled as he watched the retreating back.

‘See you again soon’ was not just a simple pleasantry. Cecil Adrian truly appeared before Tristan not even a few hours later. No, to be precise, he had come to see the Crown Prince.

On his first day on the job, Tristan, who was busy getting a grasp of his assigned duties, thought his eyes were going to pop out when he saw Cecil.

It was a well-known fact that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Empress was like walking on thin ice. Moreover, when he had a private audience with Crown Prince Alexis, he had heard directly that the Crown Prince was very wary of the Empress.

And yet, Cecil Adrian, who shared the Empress’s bloodline, not only boldly showed his face in the office but also sat right down at an empty desk.

Even Crown Prince Alexis didn’t so much as glance at him, as if he took his presence for granted.

While even the attendants were going about their duties, the only one with a dumbfounded expression was Tristan. With no one explaining the situation to him, he stood frozen, as if time had stopped just for him.

Tristan’s eyes darted around busily. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand the situation, so in the end, he had no choice but to awkwardly ask a question.

“Your Highness, excuse my impertinence, but I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Why is he here?”

The blue eyes that had been fixed on the documents flickered upwards.

Alexis glanced once at Cecil, who was sitting demurely in his seat, and then turned his attention back to the documents as if it were no big deal. Then, an indifferent voice flowed out.

“Pay him no mind. Just think of him as a decoration.”

“You mean… to ignore him.”

“It was an order from His Majesty, so it cannot be helped. I cannot guarantee how long this act will continue either. There’s nothing to do but leave him be until he quits on his own.”

“…Yes.”

“So, it would be best for you to ignore him as well. I doubt you’re idle enough to pay attention to other things, are you?”

A sharp pointed remark followed. Tristan quickly pulled his loosened concentration back together. Crown Prince Alexis was a difficult person to deal with. Tristan was not foolish enough to get on his bad side.

The office returned to its usual routine. While everyone carried out their assigned tasks, Cecil sat still and endured for two hours.

Just as Alexis had said, no one paid him any mind, treating him like an invisible being.

During that time, Tristan figured out the reason for this strange standoff.

There might have been a way to drive him out through harassment, but if that happened, Crown Prince Alexis would surely be criticized. Instead, the plan was to wear Cecil down by treating him like he was invisible.

The problem was that this method wasn’t working on Cecil at all. Even in a situation that could be felt as humiliating, he maintained his consistent composure.

‘Both of them have extraordinary personalities. The Crown Prince, who is in the same space as his political enemy, and Cecil, who is steadfastly enduring it—they are both equally relentless.’

As he was secretly watching, his eyes met Cecil’s. Cecil, who had been resting his arms on the empty desk, gave Tristan a beaming nod of greeting.

Tristan gave him a slight nod in return and sighed.

Maybe… he’s a little pitiful.

About a week later, Tristan was gradually getting used to his duties as the chief aide. He came to work early in the morning and, until the sun set, stayed cooped up in the office, handling the tasks ordered by Crown Prince Alexis.

The work suited his aptitude well, but he couldn’t help but become tense whenever Cecil appeared.

Cecil Adrian would invariably visit the Crown Prince’s office around the time the afternoon sun, which had been beating down hotly on the top of his head, began to tilt slightly. Today too, he appeared, flaunting his sparkling face.

Honestly, it was not easy to ignore him. How could anyone easily pretend not to see such a beautiful face?

The Crown Prince might hold ill feelings toward Cecil, but to ordinary people, he was just a pleasant sight for the eyes. The same was true for Tristan.

Even the antique gold molding on the walls and the exquisitely crafted decorations on the furniture could not outshine Cecil’s splendid appearance.

He was more eye-catching than any decoration, so Tristan had to swallow a sigh inwardly every time Cecil appeared.

The main culprit for distracting his concentration was once again spending his time at the empty desk today. It must have been boring to laze around doing nothing for nearly two hours, yet he never once left his seat and steadfastly guarded the desk.

“Leave this to Cecil.”

Alexis handed over a bundle of parchment.

‘So he does give him something to do!’

It was the first order given since he took on the duties of chief aide. Tristan, who had been feeling awkward about the long period of neglect, showed a bright expression and hurriedly unfolded the parchment.

The content was, as expected, the easiest and most mundane of the political affairs Alexis handled. A task that wouldn’t matter whether it was done or not.

Still, it was something. Tristan passed the parchment to Cecil. His small face wore a brighter smile than ever before. Seeing his expression full of anticipation, Tristan found himself smiling along.

“Please take care of this.”

“Don’t you worry.”

Cecil skimmed the contents of the parchment and nodded. Tristan wondered if he could do it properly, but surprisingly, he acted without hesitation. There was not a hint of hesitation in the hand that was transcribing something onto a blank piece of paper.

Before long, Cecil came to find Alexis. He held out the parchments in both hands.

His emerald eyes sparkled endlessly. Along with a confident expression, his face was full of pride. It was a look that said he wanted him to see what he had accomplished as soon as possible.

Alexis didn’t even give him a glance. Even with the person in question standing right there in front of him, he gave an order to his aide.

“Check it.”

“Yes.”

Tristan hurriedly took the parchment in his stead. Just a quick glance was enough to elicit his admiration.

Not only had he organized the jumbled content into a table to make it easier to read, but he had also added supplementary information in the remarks column. The summary table had been transformed into a single proposal.

“This is truly… excellent.”

“Thank you.”

Tristan placed the parchment on the desk as if to say, ‘Look at this.’ An indifferent gaze touched the parchment once before turning away. One would think he could offer a word of praise, but the Crown Prince’s heavy lips remained sealed.

Cecil remained in front of the desk for about five more minutes after that. His proud expression gradually faded, and the corners of his mouth drooped.

“Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“No.”

“…Yes.”

Cecil answered in a dejected voice. He bit his lip hard and then looked at the sky outside the window for a moment. The day was already drawing to a close, and there was nothing more for him to do. It was no different from being told to leave.

In the end, he gave up and turned to leave. His retreating figure as he left the office was so lacking in energy that even his shoulders were slumped.

Tristan unknowingly turned his head to check on Cecil’s expression. Only after Cecil’s shadow had also left the office did his face return to its original position. And then his gaze met the blue eyes that were staring intently at him.

“Didn’t I tell you to pay no mind?”

“Ah, that is, I…”

“This is the last warning. Manage your gaze properly.”

Alexis’s brow furrowed slightly. Afterwards, fully revealing his displeasure, he picked up the parchment that Cecil had submitted.

Even he himself could not understand why he was feeling displeased with his competent chief aide. He just blamed everything on Cecil. Because that was the easiest and most logical thing to do.

Looking at the neat handwriting that was as meticulous as his personality, Alexis sighed deeply.