Chapter 483: A Very Long Morning

Reiner stood in front of the tall mirror in his quarter, staring blankly at his own reflection.

He adjusted the high linen collar, smoothing down the front fabric with both hands for what felt like the fifth time in ten minutes. His eyes had faint, shadows beneath them, the clear result of tossing and turning on his bed until the sky outside his window had begun to bleed into a pale, watery gray.

Get a grip on yourself, Reiner, he told his reflection sternly, pointing a accusatory index finger at the glass. Just pull it together.

It was just another morning in the capital. Another day organizing schedules, making sure the tea was brewed at the precise temperature Cherion liked, and other things. Another day doing his job.

And, of course, another day working right alongside Ezek.

Reiner let out a long, pathetic groan, slumping forward until his forehead knocked softly against the mirror.

Why couldn’t that stubborn alpha just drop it? Why did he have to keep bringing up what happened at the palace that night? Reiner had spent every waking hour since then pretending his mind hadn’t retained every single detail of it, yet Ezek kept lurking around corners, making heavy-eyed eye contact, and backing him against stone walls as if they were supposed to sit down and have a delicate heart-to-heart about it.

"Ugh," Reiner muttered, straightening up and slapping his own cheeks twice with both palms to bring some color back into his face. "Work. Think about work. You are a professional attendant. You do not have time for this."

Reiner threw open his door, and hurried down the grand hallway toward the master wing of the estate.

As he passed the stairs, he changed direction and headed for the kitchen first. He needed to fetch Cherion’s morning tea before going to his quarters.

Soft morning light came through the tall arched windows of Cherion’s private quarters. Reiner stepped inside to find Cherion sitting by the window.

"Good morning, My Lord," Reiner said as he entered. Cherion greeted him back, just as he always did.

His eyes fell on the small brass inkwell on the desk, and suddenly, he remembered Ezek’s broad hands wrapped tightly around his wrists in the dark corridor. He remembered the heat radiating off the man’s chest, the gravelly rumble of his voice when he said it won’t change the fact that it happened, and the utter, mortifying panic that had driven Reiner to slam his flat palms straight over the guard’s mouth...

Reiner froze completely, his eyes fixed on the inkwell as if it held the secrets of the universe.

One minute passed in total, dead silence.

"...ner?"

"Reiner?"

"Cherion to Reiner?"

Reiner jumped nearly an inch off the floor. "Ah! My apologies, My Lord!" His hand jerked, and the tea spilled over the rim of the cup. Reiner’s eyes widened as he quickly set the teapot down and grabbed a cloth, wiping the spilled tea from the table before it could spread any farther. "I’m so sorry! I... I don’t know what came over me. I was just thinking about the journey to the south. That’s all. The journey. To the south."

Reiner wanted to groan. He hardly ever made mistakes like this, especially over something as simple as pouring tea. And yet, of all mornings, he had managed to make such an embarrassing mistake now? What an irritating record to add to his otherwise spotless service.

Cherion rested his chin in his palm as he looked up at his attendant. One eyebrow lifted slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes as he studied Reiner’s flustered face.

Then he rose from his seat and walked over. "You don’t have to panic over a little spilled tea," Cherion said, reaching for the cloth in Reiner’s hand.

Before Reiner could protest, Cherion crouched slightly and helped him wipe the tea from the table. Once the mess was cleaned up, Cherion took the teacup from him and took a seat.

"It’s not every day I see you daze off like that, Reiner. You’re usually so sharp in the mornings you put my own schedule to shame. Did something happen?"

"No! Absolutely not! Nothing happened!" Reiner shot back far too quickly, his voice hitting a sharp, defensive high note. "Everything is completely normal! Completely fine! Nothing of any interest has occurred whatsoever!"

Cherion set the cup back down, his smile fading into a look of quiet, genuine curiosity. He shifted in his armchair, leaning forward slightly. "Are you sure? Because if it’s not the journey, I couldn’t help but notice something else."

Reiner held his breath, his stomach dropping straight into his boots. "N-Notice what, My Lord?"

"You and Ezek," Cherion said smoothly, folding his hands over his knee. "Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but the two of you have been acting rather peculiar around each other since we returned from the palace. There’s a strange, tense energy whenever you’re in the same room. Are the two of you fighting?"

Reiner let out an awkward, high-pitched laugh that sounded like a dying bird, waving both of his hands back and forth in front of his face in a wild, frantic motion.

"Fighting?! Us?! Oh, goodness, no, My Lord!" Reiner gushed, his words tumbling out in a desperate, unstoppable torrent. "Why would we be fighting? We are wonderful! We are great! We are exemplary, highly devoted servants who work under your noble leadership together! We have the most harmonious professional dynamic in the entire Valtrane estate! There is zero fighting! None at all!"

Cherion stared at him for three long, agonizing seconds, watching the way Reiner’s eyes darted frantically around the ceiling moldings as if looking for an emergency exit.

"Hmm," Cherion hummed softly, a low, knowing sound that made Reiner’s skin crawl. "If you say so."

Cherion picked up his stack of reports again, tapping the edges neatly against the armrest. "Just remember, Reiner... if there’s ever something bothering you, you can tell me. It doesn’t have to be something related to your duties, either. If something is weighing on your mind, you don’t have to keep it to yourself just because you’re worried about troubling me."

He glanced at him, his expression softening. "You’ve been serving at my side for quite some time now. I trust you, and I don’t want you thinking you have to deal with everything on your own. Whatever it is, you can always come to me and talk about it."

Reiner swallowed hard, his throat feeling completely dry. The warmth and sincerity in Cherion’s voice made a sharp pang of guilt ripple through his chest.

"I know, My Lord," Reiner said quietly, lowering his hands and bowing his head respectfully. "Thank you. I truly appreciate it."

Inside his own head, however, Reiner was screaming.

Tell him? How could he possibly tell Cherion about such a thing? What was he supposed to say, that he could scarcely keep his thoughts upon his lord’s morning duties because Cherion’s personal guard had pressed him against a wall in a dark corridor after what had passed between them the other night? ℯℯ𝑙.

No. Absolutely not. Whatever strange and troublesome matter had begun between him and Ezek, Reiner would keep it firmly to himself and let no word of it escape his lips.

At least for now. He was nowhere near ready to speak of it, not when his own heart still refused to settle whenever the memory returned. Perhaps, with enough time, he might be able to make sense of what had happened between them, but for the moment, even thinking about it was more than he could bear.