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"How rare. With this much land, we could definitely keep making profits."
Lloyd strolled along the beach, occasionally kicking at empty seashells with the tip of his earthy brown boots. His eyes gleamed with delight as he gazed into the distance, where the sunset lingered on a sky rippling with soft clouds.
"My Lord, we still have the dandelion field project and those unfinished orders for heating system renovations. If you wish to move forward, I suggest letting Knight Bayern and Count Arcos catch their breath first."
Javier Asrahan, Lloyd's bodyguard, walked quietly behind him and spoke up.
Lloyd pouted, his eyebrows furrowed slightly before he sighed with reluctant resignation.
"Tch, fine. Let's wrap up the current projects first, then."
To be honest, the generosity of Queen Alicia Magentano was truly remarkable. After Lloyd and his knight saved her life from an assassination attempt during a royal banquet, and after Lloyd helped reform the education system at the Royal Academy and restored prestige through the dramatic appearance of the Bone Dragon (an event he orchestrated with Her Majesty’s approval), the Queen had not hesitated to sign off and grant the Frontera territory a vast, unclaimed stretch of seaside land in the southwest.
"Praise be to the Queen’s generosity! Long live Her Majesty! Long live, long live, ten thousand years!"
"Truly, Your Majesty is a wise and brilliant ruler. Your heart is boundless-...."
"STOP, STOP. I get it. Now sit your butt down and quit wriggling it in front of me like that."
Queen Alicia, as always, furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth in annoyance at Lloyd’s dramatic kneeling and flowery words, gesturing for the servants to escort him out.
Remembering this, Javier sighed.
"Alright, Javier. Back to work! Once we finish the current projects, we’ll kick off this seaside tourism venture, hahahaha!!"
Following the long shadow of his master flickering on the sand, Javier obediently walked after him.
"Yes, Young Master. But I demand a raise—because as I’ve said many times, I’m a knight, not...."
"Work hard! Make money and retire! Ha ha ha ha!!!"
In truth, Javier’s daily schedule while serving Lloyd Frontera was quite easy to remember.
Before, his 24 hours were just a blur. Time flowed in a monotonous cycle—mornings spent chasing down the drunk Young Master to stop him from damaging innocent villagers' property; by noon, as the sun scorched the stony roads and villagers shut themselves inside to avoid trouble, Javier would steal a moment to train with his sword before Lloyd finished lunch and went to the tavern.
In the afternoons and evenings, Javier’s job was to search for Lloyd, either to stop him from cursing and smashing things in a drunken stupor or to drag him out of some corner of the village where he’d passed out. Over time, Javier’s senses sharpened to the point that he could no longer sleep even briefly. Exhausted, sleepless, and worn, he would still dress, train, and report on the day’s “guard duty,” only to repeat it all again the next day.
Day after day. A territory sinking deeper into debt. Hunger and the icy winter winds were slowly killing its people.
The massive debt eventually drove the Baron into despair. Lady Marbella constantly worried, while greedy lenders circled the estate like vultures, eyeing its remaining assets. They even tried persuading the Baron to sell his beloved wife or housemaids to repay what he owed.
The heir, once destined to inherit the barony, was now a drunken mess, lashing out and blaming the world for everything.
The sword Javier once gripped tightly, believing it could help him accomplish anything, now felt heavier than ever. He questioned everything.
Was this really okay? Could he truly do something for the Baron - the man who had saved him as a child? Could he do something—anything—for this land?
Could he... still believe in something?
After a long and weary time, a soft, fateful breeze carried with it a wish, genuine and fervent, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, flipping the page on the ruinous past.
Ever since that day, when Javier found Lloyd alone on the manor road, muttering strange things to himself, the 24 hours he used to dread had suddenly become vivid and full of life.
Now, in this moment, it felt like each day brought something new and unpredictable.
Just the other day, Lloyd had swapped his usual attire for a plain white shirt under a shabby vest and oversized brown windbreaker, chatting cheerfully with villagers to arrange contracts for renovating the Odol house. Another day, he had Javier dig with a shovel, only to sketch indecipherable blueprints by nightfall. There was even a day when Javier, forced to cut steel bars like a laborer, saw Lloyd talking to himself like a madman.
Then there were the business trips to Cremo, the battle with the Gigatan, the assassination attempt on the Queen, and the breakthrough in mana circle upgrades...
Lloyd never failed to surprise him.
At night, when Javier knocked on the young master's door and stepped inside, he, as usual, sat down in the wide, comfortable armchair that Lloyd had specially commissioned from a dwarf craftsman, made just for his bodyguard. (Of course, the Young Master had turned his head and hastily explained, "I only did it because if you sleep in a bad position and strain your neck or back, I’ll lose a valuable human resource!" Still, whatever the reason, those gestures always left Javier feeling quietly warmed and somewhat pampered.)
The soft rustle of pen against paper, the glow of the small desk lamp illuminating blueprints and ledgers, the gentle crackle of the firewood… With a pillow in his arms, Javier drifted into a dreamy slumber, lulled by the sound of the Young Master's humming.
It had been a very long time since Javier last remembered what it felt like to suffer from insomnia, or the kind of physical exhaustion that once made sleep impossible.
An old woman who once slammed her door in terror at the sight of Lloyd now handed him herbal candies and said,
"Young Master, take this candy. Sigh, I wish my son could be even a tenth like you."
Young men who used to groan at Lloyd's tavern antics now cheered,
"Long live Lord Lloyd!"
"Lord Lloyd, look at me! I built two Ondol houses today, all by myself!"
Street corners that once had only a few sad produce stalls now overflowed with laughter and children’s voices.
Every time Lloyd and Javier passed by, vendors shouted excitedly,
"Young Master! Please take these freshly picked vegetables for you and the Count!"
"My meat too!"
"Our cow milk is 100% pure! Drink it and you’ll be taller than Sir Asrahan!"
And though Javier would grumble at the absurdity of it all, he couldn’t help but notice how Lloyd’s cheeks flushed red and a reluctant smile tugged at his lips.
Each day was a new story, tiring, yes, but brimming with hope.
Hope for the future.
A future Lloyd, no, Suho, truly dreamed of. One where the young and old lived happily, without fear or hunger. A future where neither he nor Lloyd had to worry about threats from the world beyond. A peaceful, well-earned retirement.
After all this time, Javier knew one thing for sure:
He could trust Lloyd.
He only needed to believe, follow his lead, and things would work out.
.
"By the way, what about your parents?"
"Pardon?"
Lloyd rubbed his nose. Both master and servant were strolling across soft sand as the breeze gently blew. Lloyd’s long hair fluttered to one side with the wind as he asked.
"Your parents. Tell me about them."
"You’re not usually interested in other people’s private affairs."
"Well..."
"...Do you really care?"
"Yeah."
Lloyd scratched his head, feeling a little awkward.
Was asking this too much? Would Javier think he was prying?
Javier stared into the distance. For some reason, a strange warmth and flutter stirred in his chest.
Was it because his Young Master was genuinely interested in his story?
Far away, the sunset that once hovered overhead had now gently dipped below the horizon, painting the sky and sea in a romantic shade of reddish pink.
"My parents..."
And so, Javier began to tell his story.
.
"Why are you so quiet?"
"Uh… well, everyone has a first time."
Lloyd let out a sheepish laugh while clinging tightly to the neck and shoulders of his bodyguard, trying his best not to be blown away by the violent gusts of wind. Honestly, from this height, Lloyd would rather sacrifice a bit of noble dignity than fall a few hundred meters and end up splattered like a frog on the ground.
After much effort, the old projects were finally wrapped up, and Lloyd Frontera’s seaside tourism development plan had officially launched. Today, after a long day of hard work, Lloyd wasn’t sure what possessed him, but before he could stop himself, he’d already blurted out a ridiculous request.
"Ugh, I’m too lazy to walk back. Can you use those tacky rainbow angel wings of yours, Javier?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could slap himself ten times. What the hell did he just say? Did that mean he was asking his bodyguard to carry him like a sack of potatoes and fly him home?! Lloyd knew he wouldn’t survive such a height without getting motion sickness.
But when he nervously glanced over at Javier, he froze.
Javier had already spread his radiant, multi-colored angelic wings wide open and was holding out his hands.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Javier frowned, his lips curling slightly (damn it, even when making an annoyed face, the guy was too handsome, Lloyd was convinced this man was CGI; no real human looked that good), and replied in a calm, matter of fact tone:
"What else do you expect me to do? Tie you up, sling you over my shoulder like a sack of grain, and fly home that way? How would I even begin to explain that to Count Arcos if he saw us?"
"W-Wait..."
Wait a minute- did he mean carry him and fly back?!
No way in hell.
Lloyd would rather die than let that happen. If the people in the estate saw him like that, his reputation would be ruined forever. He’d have to live in hiding up a mountain for the rest of his life.
"No thanks, I’ll just walk bac...."
Before he could finish, the world spun.
In an instant, Lloyd found himself snug in the strong arms of his knight, in a full-on princess carry.
"OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS?! WHO PERMITTED YOU?! HOW DARE YO-....!?"
"Easy, Young Master. We’re a few hundred meters in the air. If you don’t hold on tight, I can’t guarantee what will happen."
The one who takes initiative always has the upper hand. Lloyd wanted to protest more, but with the wind whipping into his face, he got flustered and instinctively tightened his grip around Javier’s neck.
As he saw the tips of his Young Master’s ears turning red, Javier's heart briefly skipped a beat, and he even lost control of his mana for a second.
FLAP.
Javier’s wings spread wide, slicing through the sky, ready to soar alongside the drifting clouds.
"Look, Young Master."
Hearing the whisper so close to his ear and the warmth of Javier’s breath against his skin made Lloyd shiver a little, but he still obediently leaned closer to peek over Javier’s shoulder.
"Oh."
"Wow."
From their position mid-air, gliding just off the mountain slopes, both of them could only gasp softly at the breathtaking sight of the sunset over the sea. The sunlight melted into the ocean, scattering countless fragments of pink crystal and silver sparkles across the waves. The tide whispered softly as it brushed against the fine golden sand, like a voice gently recounting an old love story. The whole sea seemed to be drifting into a tranquil slumber under the soft twilight, the sky above like a sheer crimson silk gently lulling the ocean into dreams.
They say beauty can wash away sorrow, maybe that was true, at least a little.
"The Queen… really gave us a beach this beautiful?"
Snapped out of his daze, Lloyd murmured, lost again in daydreams of making a fortune with this gorgeous view.
Javier, waiting patiently for his Young Master to collect himself, gave a light flap of his wings and glided with the breeze, tightening his hold slightly around the figure in his arms.
"Well, the Queen probably knew exactly what you wanted."
As he spoke, his breath brushed against Lloyd’s skin. That’s when Lloyd realized just how close they were.
If he tilted his head back just a bit...
Or if that ridiculously handsome face leaned forward just a bit...
Then his status as a virgin and his untouched lips might be gone for good.
With that terrifying thought, Lloyd blushed furiously. He quickly turned his face to the side, avoiding Javier’s gaze as much as possible, unaware that his every movement had been noticed.
His Young Master, even after a full day’s work and exposure to the sea breeze, still carried the fresh scent of sun-dried clothes and something warm and light. With this close proximity, Javier couldn’t help but smile softly.
The Young Master smells nice.
Of course, he didn’t say it out loud. He just wanted to enjoy it a little longer.
And so, both master and servant remained quiet for the rest of the flight. In fact, with Javier’s smooth flight and Lloyd’s surprisingly steady grip, being cradled in his knight’s arms was so comfortable... Lloyd dozed off a little.
To the stunned and intrigued gazes of villagers and various races in the estate, Javier finally arrived at their destination. Gently, he slipped through the wide-open window of Lloyd’s bedroom. He didn’t want to wake his Master.
Javier laid Lloyd down onto the bed, removed his boots, and carefully pulled the blanket over him.
"Good night, Young Master."
Whether it’s twenty-four hours, one day, one month, one year, a hundred years, a million, a whole decade, or even another lifetime, I want to spend every day by your side, Lord Suho.