Chapter 522: The Late Night Check

Ezek stood framed by the faint light of the silent corridor. He was still wearing his dark leather chestpiece over his high-collared tunic, though he had unbuckled his heavy broadsword and left it below. His broad shoulders almost filled the doorframe, his posture straight and rigid as always, but his intense eyes looked unusually hesitant as they met Reiner’s.

For a second, the stoic guard didn’t say a word. He just stood there, his jaw setting tight as his eyes scanned Reiner from head to toe, taking in his loose linen nightshirt, his unbound blonde hair falling messily over his shoulders, and his bare, relaxed face.

Reiner blinked, his golden-retriever energy lighting up instantly as a warm, bright grin spread across his lips.

"Ezek!" Reiner chirped softly, stepping back from the threshold and gesturing into the room. "What are you doing up here so late? Don’t tell me Flio sent you up here to take my pulse a sixth time!"

"No," Ezek replied, his deep, gravelly voice keeping low so as not to disturb the quiet hallway. "Flio is back in the security office filing reports. I came... on my own."

"Oh!" Reiner’s smile widened, his eyes twinkling with genuine delight as he pulled the door wider. "Well, don’t just stand out there in the cold corridor. Come in!"

Ezek hesitated for a fraction of a second before stepping over the threshold. The contrast was immediate, Ezek’s broad, imposing frame and formal guard leather made Reiner’s small, warm, cedar-scented bedroom feel almost intimate. Ezek kept his hands loosely behind his back, taking two measured steps inside while keeping a polite distance from the bed.

Reiner shut the door with a soft click, leaning his back against it as he looked up at the tall guard.

"So," Reiner hummed, tilting his head with playful curiosity. "To what do I owe the honor of a late-night visit from one of His Grace’s finest guard?"

Ezek looked straight down into Reiner’s face, his dark brow furrowing slightly with a quiet, lingering shadow. "I wanted to see for myself that you were truly fine. You... woke up quickly in the carriage, but sleeping toxins from the lower district can linger in the muscles."

"Ezek, I am completely fine!" Reiner laughed softly, taking a step forward and gently slapping his own chest with a palm to prove his point. "I swear, you and Flio are acting like I got run through with a sword! It was just a little sleeping powder. Lord Cherion cleared it out with his healing power. I feel totally energized."

Ezek didn’t smile. His eyes remained locked on Reiner’s face, a heavy, quiet weight settling in his expression. "It shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

Reiner paused, his playful smile easing into something softer, more attentive. "Ezek?"

"I was supposed to be watching the corridor outside the washroom," Ezek spoke, his tone dropping into a low, harsh rumble of self-reproach. "I allowed a disgraced ex-noble to linger near the entrance disguised in a cloak. I let him slip past my awareness long enough to drug both you and Lord Avery. If Lord Cherion hadn’t known how to defend himself with his bare hands..." ℯ

Ezek’s fist clenched tightly at his side, his knuckles popping in the quiet room. He didn’t finish the sentence, but the dark, dangerous guilt in his eyes laid everything bare.

Reiner let out a soft, sympathetic sigh, stepping right up to Ezek’s side. Without a single thread of hesitation, Reiner reached out, placing his warm hand directly over Ezek’s tensed forearm, feeling the rigid, rock-hard muscle beneath the fabric.

"Hey," Reiner murmured gently, his golden brightness turning into a grounding, steady warmth. "Stop that right now. Look at me, Ezek."

Ezek’s eyes shifted downward, meeting Reiner’s bright, earnest gaze.

"You didn’t fail anyone," Reiner said clearly, his voice soft but firm. "That guy was waiting like a rat in a sewer, hiding in a crowded public theater. Nobody expected a ruined noble to pull out a hollow pipe with sleeping powder! You came bursting through that washroom door the second you heard a commotion, sword drawn and ready to tear the room apart."

Reiner gave Ezek’s arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze before letting his hand fall back to his side. "Lord Cherion is fine, I’m fine, and Derrick is fine. You protected us, Ezek. So don’t you dare stand in my room carrying guilt for something that lunatic did."

Ezek stared down at him, the tight muscle in his jaw slowly relaxing under Reiner’s genuine, unwavering warmth. A slow, heavy breath escaped the guard’s lungs, the stiff, military tension in his shoulders finally melting away just an inch.

"You are far too forgiving, Reiner," Ezek said quietly, though the harsh edge in his voice was completely gone.

"I’m not forgiving, I’m just realistic!" Reiner grinned, his bouncy, energetic demeanor instantly returning. He turned on his heel, walking back toward his bed and hopping onto the edge, letting his legs dangle over the side as he looked up at Ezek with a mischievous spark in his eyes.

"Besides," Reiner added, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper, his lips curling into a teasing smirk, "I’m actually very grateful to you."

Ezek blinked, his dark eyebrows pulling together in confusion. "Grateful? For what?"

"For how you brought me out to the carriage, of course!" Reiner giggled, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his blonde hair spilling over his shoulders. "I might have been completely out cold, but when I woke up, Lord Cherion told me everything."

Ezek’s chest went rigid. A subtle, rare flush of dark warmth crept up the back of his neck, though his face remained as deadpan as marble. "I merely transported you to the transport vehicle."

"You carried me like I weighed nothing!" Reiner squeaked in delight, burying his face in his hands as a bright blush rushed to his cheeks, though he couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. "While poor Lord Derrick was slung over a guard’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes!"

Ezek cleared his throat, adjusting his posture slightly, though he couldn’t hide the faint, stiff hesitation in his stance. "It was... the most efficient way to carry an incapacitated person without risking injury to your neck or spine. The guard carrying Lord Avery was inefficient."

"Efficiency! Right, right, efficiency!" Reiner laughed softly, his bright blue eyes crinkling with pure affection as he looked up at the tall, stoic man standing in his quiet bedroom. "Well, Mr. Efficient, my neck and spine feel fantastic. So thank you."

Ezek looked down at Reiner sitting on the edge of the bed, so light, so bright, radiating a genuine, warm comfort that seemed to banish every ounce of lingering darkness from the day’s events.

"You should rest now," Ezek said quietly, his voice softening in a way he reserved only for moments like this. "You’ve had a long day."

"I am about to," Reiner promised warmly, shuffling his feet under the soft sheets and pulling the blanket up toward his chest. He looked up at Ezek, his smile glowing softly in the dark. "Will you be on watch downstairs tonight?"

"I am taking the midnight courtyard shift," Ezek nodded, stepping back toward the door with slow, quiet footsteps.

"Don’t push yourself too hard, Ezek," Reiner called out gently, resting his chin on the top of his blanket. "And... thank you for coming up to check on me. It was really sweet."

Ezek paused at the doorway, one hand resting on the brass handle. He glanced back at Reiner, his eyes lingering on the younger man’s warm smile. For a moment, the stern look on his face eased, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

"Goodnight, Reiner," Ezek said softly.

"Goodnight, Ezek!"