Chapter 399: Good Vision.

Chapter 399: Chapter 399: Good Vision.

It’s long since past sundown by the time Binny makes it back to his room that night.

At this hour he’s thankful for how silently he can comb the halls, and since it’s not unusual for servants to be out at this hour, if anyone should see them there’s no reason for them to question it.

But no one sees him. He wouldn’t be a very good servant now, if they did.

It’s some relief though, to finally make it back to his quarters, and even more of a relief to find that the candles have already been snuffed.

That’s good; it means that his sister has already gone to bed.

​"You’re back late."

​Or, so he thought.

​Binny jumps at being addressed out of the darkness, and the door that he’d been taking such pains to close quietly behind him accidentally swings shut with a clang.

"Oh," he remarks belatedly, "You’re up."

​"...Where have you been?" His sister inquires blearily, rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes as she moves out from the doorway of her bedroom.

He hadn’t heard her door open; had she been up waiting for him? He hopes not.

He was meant to be back hours ago.

Knowing this, Binny makes a solid attempt at his most innocent of looks. Hopefully in the dim lighting it looks convincing enough.

​"Would you believe I was working?" he offers, and a t first she doesn’t dignify that with a response; just settles him a look that leaves him both proud, judged, and a little offended. He taught her that look.

How dare she use it on him.

​It was worth a shot, though.

​"You’ve been working an awful lot," she remarks, somewhat reproachfully, and the implication that that’s really not like him is unnecessarily loud.

Binny’s not too surprised that she’s onto him; she’s always been perceptive, especially when it comes to him.

​"Oh, you know me~" he chimes dismissively, waving away her concern and making to duck past her towards his room.

She’s not quite as quick on her feet as him, but servants in this castle are all nimble and he’s not feeling quite up to his usual pace right now, so she has no problem barring his way.

That alone is enough to have her staring at him obstinately, like she wants him to admit to her what he’s really been out doing.

​"I do know you," she insists, and her expression softens into a frown as she adds, "...And I don’t want to see you hurting over him again."

​Ah .

​So she knew.

​This whole time she knew. Not just what’s been going on recently, but back then and ever since.

And here he was thinking he was so good at keeping it from her.

​"Those are some sad words for someone your age," Binny says, deflating a little as he reaches out to tap her lightly on the nose.

​"I’m not a child, Sun," she huffs, nose scrunching but not recoiling, "I worry about you."

​" Don’t ," Binny assures her, giving her an affectionate pat on the head as he passes her by. Just when did she get so big? Sometimes he forgets that she’s really not that much younger that him.

Servant or not, she should be the one out late with her friends, not worrying after him. "Your big brother knows what he’s doing."

​Now she’s look skeptical. Ah, she’s gotten so good at seeing through his lies, too. " Do you ?"

​Not at all.

​"...Mostly."

​He has no idea what he’s doing. After Vector kissed him that night, things had kind of just...happened.

He’d kissed him on a second night, for one thing. And then a third. And despite how few people went that way, Binny knew that if that kept happening then sooner or later someone was going to pass by and see, and that could land them both in trouble.

The exact kind of trouble Binny had always hoped to avoid, in fact.

Servants weren’t meant to be involved with noblemen like that.

And if they were they certainly weren’t meant to be openly kissing them out where anyone could see.

That sort of thing was for behind closed doors; to be whispered about and passed around in rumor.

​So one night he’d come by Vector’s room under the pretenses of bringing him dinner.

Vector obviously hadn’t understood, because he hadn’t sent for any, and then had taken a while to cotton on when Binny had admitted that actually, he hadn’t brought any with him either.

​("Are you really gonna make me say it, Vector?" he’d said, "...I wanted to see you." It had been worth it to see Vector blush like that.)

​And while through the years Binny hadn’t fooled around as much as some princes, say, he knew how things worked and where things went.

​Vector had no such experience, b ut that was fine; their babysitters back in the day would often laugh about the little shadow the young Vogrid lordling had acquired, but what they didn’t realise is that Binny would drag as much as follow.

There hadn’t been quite as much dragging required as Binny had been anticipating. Hand on his heart he hadn’t gone there looking for anything more than the chance to just spend an evening with Vector away from wandering eyes.

But despite his honourable intentions they’d wound up getting a little carried away. And then a little more carried away the next time, too.

​Those who think Vector is full of ice don’t know him at all.

Binny knows better.

Vogrid Vector isn’t warm and fuzzy in the conventional sense, but there’s desire in the way he touches him and fondness in the way he kisses him.

Behind closed doors Binny can chatter away all he likes about the training grounds and Vector will pretend to read instead of listening.

But he keeps up, Binny knows he does, because every now and then he’ll slip up; drop a little remark that shows he’s been paying attention all along.

Sometimes he’ll read to him, which can be immensely boring because Vector likes history more than fantasy, but Binny listens anyways because Vector likes it, and he likes how flustered he gets when he catches Binny watching him closely.

​Behind closed doors, Vector smiles more, and pretends less that he’s not. They aren’t the same as they once were; they’re not kids anymore after all, but after all these years Vector is still Vector, and things feel good when he’s with him.

What they’re doing exactly, and what comes next hardly seems to matter.

Which makes it so much harder to leave each night. Leave he does, because if he doesn’t then sooner or later someone will figure it out, but he wishes that he didn’t have to.

​His sister sighs, and Binny recognises it as one of resignation. Hopefully that means she’ll drop it, for now.

She doesn’t need to know how deep he’s gotten this time around; she’d only worry more if she knew, because she knows how things go with servants and noblemen.

It never lasts, and when it reaches its inevitable end, it’s never pretty. At least not for the servant.

​"You have nothing to worry about," he assures her, and while she doesn’t appear to believe him, she makes no further move to bar his way, which he is most grateful for. He means it; he really does.

He’s no child either. He’ll be careful.

​"...Sun," she adds as he passes her by.

​"Hmm?"

​"...Your shirt’s inside out."

​Ah.

​Binny forgets sometimes that his sister has the same eyes as his.