Chapter 521: A Quiet Night In

After everything that had happened that afternoon, Reiner was just glad to be back in his room. His bed was right where he’d left it, his clothes were comfortable, and the room smelled of clean laundry and cedarwood instead of dusty old curtains and whatever they used to clean the theater washroom. Honestly, he couldn’t have asked for more.

Reiner sat on the edge of his neatly made bed, swinging his legs back and forth with a light, energetic rhythm. He had already changed out of his clothes, swapping the stiff high collar for a loose, comfortable linen shirt and dark trousers.

Across the room, Flio was practically pacing a trench into the woven rug.

“I still think we should have the physician double-check your vitals,” Flio insisted for the fifth time in ten minutes, holding a small silver spoon and a fresh cup of steeping herbal tea. He hovered over Reiner, his eyebrows knitted together in a tight knot of anxious energy. “Knockout powders in the lower district are often laced with unrefined nightshade or cheap sleeping root. Just because Lord Cherion’s healing magic flushed out the immediate stupor doesn’t mean there aren’t lingering toxins in your liver or kidney!”

“Flio, broad daylight, look at me!” Reiner chirped, throwing his arms out wide with a bright, beaming smile that practically radiated energy. “Do I look like a man with a damaged liver to you? My eyes are clear, my skin is glowing, and I feel like I could go run three laps around the courtyard right now!”

“You were unconscious, Reiner,” Flio scolded softly, though his tense shoulders dropped an inch as he looked down at his younger brother’s cheerful face. “When Ezek told me what happened… when I heard you were completely non-responsive…”

“I was just taking an unexpected afternoon nap!” Reiner laughed, his golden-retriever enthusiasm bubbling over as he patted the empty spot on the mattress next to him. “A bit sudden, sure, and the location was awful, but Lord Cherion fixed me right up before we even made it past the theater gates. I woke up feeling completely refreshed! Honestly, it’s the best sleep I’ve had all week.”

Flio let out an exhausted sigh, setting the teacup down onto the wooden nightstand with a quiet click. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking down at Reiner with a mix of profound affection and sheer head-attendant stress.

“You are far too casual about being drugged by a disgraced nobleman,” Flio muttered, though he couldn’t hide the faint twitch of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Because everything worked out fine!” Reiner declared, bouncing slightly on the mattress as he reached up to gently tug at Flio’s sleeve. “Lord Cherion handled that Heinrich guy like an absolute champion! You should have seen his hand-to-hand moves, Flio! He didn’t even need us! He basically smashed the guy’s face into the floor tile before Ezek even kicked the door down. It was amazing! Or, well, that’s what I was told.”

“Lord Cherion shouldn’t have had to fight for his life in a theater washroom in the first place,” Flio countered, his tone turning serious again. “That was a failure on our part. On my part, for not tracking Heinrich’s movements in the capital.”

Reiner’s cheerful expression softened into something warm and genuinely earnest. He reached out, taking Flio’s hand and giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze.

“Nobody blames you, Flio. Not Lord Cherion, not His Grace, and definitely not me,” Reiner said softly, his bright blue eyes locking onto his brother’s. “You work yourself to the bone every single day managing this entire estate and keeping track of court rumors. You can’t predict every crazy lunatic who decides to hide in a public bathroom.”

Flio looked at their joined hands, the tight line of his jaw finally relaxing. “Still…”

“No ‘stills’!” Reiner cut in quickly, hopping up onto his feet and pushing Flio gently toward the bedroom door with both hands against his back. “Now, off you go! Go back to your office! I know you have a mountain of security reports sitting on your desk that you were reading when we walked through the front doors.”

“Reiner, I can stay a little longer…”

“Nope! Out!” Reiner laughed, ushering his older brother into the hallway. “You’ve checked my eyes, you’ve checked my pulse, and you’ve fussed over me enough for three lifetimes. You need to finish your work so you can go to bed too, you big worrier!”

Flio paused at the threshold, turning around with a reluctant, gentle smile. He reached out, his hand lingering on Reiner’s shoulder for a brief, protective second.

“Alright, fine,” Flio conceded softly, letting out a long, quiet breath. “I’ll go finish organizing the night watch shifts. But promise me you’ll actually sleep, Reiner. No staying up late reading those romance serials.”

“Promised!” Reiner grinned, crossing his heart with a dramatic flourish.

“And…” Flio added, his tone dropping into a warm, earnest hum as he looked at his brother one last time. “Call for me if you feel even slightly dizzy, alright? Or if your stomach feels upset, or if anything happens at all. Just send a servant, and I’ll be here instantly.”

“I will, Flio. I promise,” Reiner purred, offering him one last bright, energetic nod. “Goodnight!”

“Goodnight, Reiner,” Flio whispered.

Reiner waited until Flio’s footsteps faded down the long wooden corridor before he finally pulled his bedroom door shut with a soft latching sound.

The silence of the room settled around him like a cozy blanket. Reiner let out a long, happy sigh, stretch his arms high above his head until his back popped softly, and walked back over to his bed. He unzipped his leather boots, tossing them neatly into the corner, and untied the ribbon holding his bright blonde hair back, letting it fall loosely around his shoulders.

He climbed onto the plush mattress, pulling the soft linen sheets up to his waist, and reached for the bedside candle snuffer.

Knock. Knock.

Reiner paused, his hand hovering an inch above the flickering yellow flame.

The sound was faint, a low, heavy, hesitant double-tap against the dark wood of his door. It was far too slow and deep to be Flio coming back for another round of medical fussing, and none of the house servants would be knocking on an attendant’s door this late into the night.

Reiner blinked, his eyebrows pulling together in mild curiosity.

“Flio?” Reiner called out, slipping his legs back over the edge of the bed and sliding his boots back on without tying the laces. “Did you forget your things?”

Silence answered him from the hallway.

Reiner stood up, smoothing down his loose linen shirt as he padded across the soft rug toward the entrance. He reached out, turning the brass door handle, and pulled the door open into the dimly lit corridor.

Standing in the shadows of the hallway was Ezek.