Chapter 477: A Night Best Left Unspoken

Reiner carefully pulled the grand doors of the master suite shut, making sure the brass latch caught with the quietest possible click. He stood in the dimly lit hallway for a brief second, letting out a long, exhausted sigh that made his shoulders slump.

Inside, Cherion and Zarius were finally settling in for the night, and Reiner, having spent his entire life learning the intricate unwritten rules of serving noble lords, knew far better than to linger outside that door or interrupt them at such an hour.

Adjusting the cuffs of his dark attendant’s tunic, Reiner turned and made his way toward his own quarters.

He had barely taken three steps when a towering, dark figure stepped smoothly out from the shadows near the stone archway, falling into step right beside him. Reiner didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. The massive build, the quiet tread, and the heavy, metallic scent of polished leather armor gave Ezek away instantly.

Reiner sped up his pace slightly, keeping his eyes glued straight ahead to the flickering wall sconces.

Ezek didn’t say anything, his long legs matching Reiner’s hurried stride with completely effortless grace. They walked side by side down the long, empty hallway, the quiet tap of Reiner’s boots rhythmically echoing alongside the heavier, solid thud of Ezek’s boots.

After twenty agonizing seconds of tense, suffocating silence, Reiner snapped.

"Why are you following me?" Reiner demanded, keeping his voice down to a harsh whisper so it wouldn’t carry through the quiet wing.

Ezek didn’t even flinch. He kept his broad gaze fixed straight ahead, his stoic, stone-carved jaw line completely rigid in the warm torchlight. "What do you mean, following you? I am walking down the hallway. I am allowed to use the hallway."

"You don’t sleep here, Ezek!" Reiner hissed, throwing him a quick, frustrated glance. "Your quarters are on the other side of the eastern courtyard!"

"I am taking a late patrol route," Ezek replied smoothly, his deep, gravelly voice sounding infuriatingly calm. "It is my duty to ensure the perimeter is secure around Lord Cherion and His Grace."

Reiner let out a dramatic, muffled groan, rolling his bright eyes up toward the vaulted ceiling. "Right. A late patrol route that magically happens to match my exact footstep for footstep."

"It is a very efficient route," Ezek said without a single trace of humor in his tone.

"Fine. Whatever. Walk wherever you want," Reiner huffed, clutching his wooden task clipboard tightly against his chest like a shield.

He intentionally sped up, practically jogging down the carpeted gallery, but no matter how fast his feet moved, Ezek’s massive shadow remained draped right over his shoulder. The absurdity of it made Reiner’s stomach twist into tight, flustered knots. Ever since two nights ago, every single interaction with this stone-faced guard had felt like walking through a landmine field wrapped in velvet.

Reiner tried his absolute best to ignore the presence looming beside him, concentrating intensely on counting the brass torch sconces lining the wall.

One, two, three, four...

A warm, heavy hand suddenly shot out and wrapped firmly around Reiner’s right wrist.

Reiner froze instantly, his breath hitching sharp in his throat as the gentle yet unyielding grip brought his forward momentum to a complete standstill. The heat of Ezek’s broad palm seeping through Reiner’s sleeve sent a sudden, startling jolt straight up his arm.

"Let go," Reiner whispered hurriedly, yanking his arm back with a sharp tug.

Ezek let his hand slip away without resistance, but he stepped directly into Reiner’s path, blocking the narrow corridor completely with his massive frame. He looked down at the younger attendant, his dark eyes solemn and intense under his heavy brow.

Reiner immediately looked away, turning his chin sharply toward the dark velvet curtains covering the garden window, refusing to make eye contact.

"What do you need, Ezek?" Reiner grumbled to the glass, his cheeks burning a furious, bright crimson that he prayed the dim torchlight would hide. "I have chores to finish before dawn."

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me, Reiner?" Ezek asked softly.

"Don’t say nonsense," Reiner shot back immediately, his voice rising an octave higher than normal as he waved a dismissive hand through the air. "I’m not avoiding you! Why would I avoid you? I’m extremely busy! I have Lord Cherion’s schedules, I have the tea inventories, I have..."

"You won’t even look me in the eye," Ezek interrupted gently, stepping half an inch closer.

Reiner’s jaw snapped shut. He whipped his head around, snapping his neck so fast it nearly clicked, and stared directly up into Ezek’s dark eyes. Reiner widened his eyes as humanly possible, straining his eyelids until his irises looked like huge, terrified saucers staring up at the guard.

"There!" Reiner blurted out dramatically, his voice strained. "Look! I am looking at you! I am staring right into your face! Are you happy now?!"

Ezek stared down at him for a long, quiet second, a faint, barely perceptible twitch touching the corner of his lips. "Now you are glaring at me."

"Gods in heaven above, what do you actually want from me?!" Reiner threw his hands up in total, utter defeat.

Ezek lowered his head slightly, his broad shoulders dropping into a softer, less guarded posture.

"You have been acting weird ever since that night," Ezek said softly.

Reiner locked up instantly, a cold sweat breaking out across the back of his neck as pure, unadulterated panic surged through his veins.

"W...Weird?!" Reiner squeaked out, his words tumbling over each other in a frantic, incoherent jumble. "Who is weird? Nobody is weird! Nothing weird happened when night... I mean, when night happened nothing weird! There was no night where weird things were done by anyone!"

Ezek didn’t blink at the gibberish. He simply took one more slow step forward, closing the remaining distance between them until Reiner’s back was pressed flat against the cool stone wall of the corridor.

"Reiner," Ezek began in a low, steady rumble, his gaze holding Reiner completely captive. "Well, you know... the night we..."

"Stop!"

Before Ezek could utter another single syllable, Reiner snapped forward and slammed both of his flat palms straight over Ezek’s mouth, sealing the guard’s lips shut with a frantic, desperate smack.

Ezek stood entirely still, looking down at Reiner through dark, calm eyes while Reiner’s small hands completely covered the lower half of his broad face. Reiner’s chest was heaving, his face burning like a lit furnace as he stared up at the man in sheer, mortified terror.

"Stop right there," Reiner begged in a frantic, strained whisper, his fingers trembling slightly against Ezek’s skin. "Do not say it out loud. Stop right there. Right now."

Ezek didn’t push him away. Instead, he reached up with one slow, deliberate movement, taking hold of Reiner’s wrists in his large hands and gently, firmly pulling Reiner’s palms away from his mouth. He held Reiner’s wrists loosely near their chests, his thumb lightly brushing across the pulse point on Reiner’s skin.

"You can try to stop me from saying it out loud, Reiner," Ezek murmured quietly, his deep voice carrying an undeniable, heavy weight, "but it won’t change the fact that it happened."

Reiner stared at him, his throat completely dry, his entire body feeling impossibly hot under the weight of Ezek’s steady, unshrinking gaze. He felt as if his heart was going to burst right through his ribcage and land on the floor between them.

"Ugh!" Reiner suddenly gasped out, wrenching his hands free from Ezek’s grip with a sudden burst of panicked energy. "Please just... just leave me alone, okay?!"

Without waiting for a response, Reiner turned on his heel and took off down the hallway, his leather boots squeaking frantically against the stone floor as he practically sprinted toward the corner.

"Reiner, wait," Ezek called out after him, his deep voice echoing down the corridor.

"I can’t hear you! I am deeply asleep!" Reiner yelled back over his shoulder without slowing down for a fraction of a second, disappearing around the bend of the corridor in a flurry of dark robes and rushing footsteps.

Silence settled over the hallway once again.

Ezek remained alone in the dark passage, the warm light of the wall sconce falling across his tall frame. He lowered his hand to his side and glanced down at his empty palm, as though he could still feel the warmth of Reiner’s pulse beneath his fingers.