Chapter 525: A Moment Interrupted

The silence left in Ezek’s wake was almost deafening.

Cherion stood in the open doorway, his hand lingering on the brass latch, watching the tall, broad-shouldered guard practically march down the carpeted corridor with a speed usually reserved for military drills. The tips of Ezek’s broad ears had been so fiercely red they looked nearly sunburnt.

Beside Cherion, Marielle crossed her arms over her dark leather chestpiece, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe as a slow, wicked grin spread across her face.

"Well," Marielle began, her eyebrow arching high. "I didn’t know the guards were giving personal, bed-side security reports so early in the morning."

Inside the room, Reiner looked as though he might spontaneously combust.

He remained sitting on the edge of his mattress, his knees pulled tightly together, clutching the linen sheet up to his collarbone with white-knuckled intensity. The usual golden, bubbly energy that practically radiated off him was completely gone, replaced by a flustered, shy silence. His face was flushed a deep, violent shade of pink that extended all the way down his neck to the collar of his loose nightshirt.

Cherion chuckled softly, stepping inside and pulling the heavy oak door partially shut behind them. "Good morning, Reiner. I really hope Marielle and I didn’t just break up whatever... moment... you two were having."

"I-It wasn’t a moment!" Reiner squeaked out instantly, his voice cracking on the highest note. He buried his face into his hands for three second before peeking through his fingers with wide, desperate blue eyes. "I swear, Lord Cherion! Ezek was literally just... he was just checking if my forehead felt hot! He thought I might have a fever from the sleep powder!"

"Right, right," Cherion smirked, walking over with unhurried, graceful steps and sitting down on the edge of the mattress beside him. "And his face just happened to be three inches away from yours because he has terrible eyesight?"

"Lord Cherion, please!" Reiner groaned, dropping his head down until his forehead bumped against his own knees. "Don’t say anything anymore... I’m already dying of embarrassment."

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop," Cherion laughed softly, though his dark eyes sparkled with playful amusement. He reached out, gently patting Reiner’s tousled blonde hair. "Though for what it’s worth, I genuinely hope we didn’t ruin anything. Both of you were claiming it was absolutely nothing, but it sure looked like something to me."

Reiner stayed quiet for a long moment, his shoulders slumping slightly as he slowly lifted his head. The bright, cheerful mask he usually wore was completely shed, leaving him looking unusually vulnerable, his cheeks still burning with a soft, warm flush. He didn’t offer another quick joke or a playful protest. He just stared down at his own lap, his fingers nervously twisting the edge of the cotton sheet.

Cherion’s expression softened, the teasing warmth in his eyes shifting into something deeply affectionate and grounded. He raised his right hand, resting his palm flat against Reiner’s shoulder, and focused his inner energy.

A soft light began to glow gently beneath Cherion’s skin. The soothing aura flared softly, flowing smoothly from his palm into Reiner’s shoulder, washing over his body like a warm, restorative breeze.

Reiner let out a quiet breath as Cherion’s gentle magic washed over him. He was already feeling considerably better, and the lingering fatigue from the theater washroom’s sleep powder had nearly disappeared on its own. Still, he certainly wasn’t going to turn down a little extra healing when Cherion was kind enough to offer it. The warm energy flowed through his limbs, leaving him feeling even more refreshed than before.

"There," Cherion murmured softly, withdrawing his hand as the light faded back beneath his skin. "That should clear out every last microscopic trace of that foul stuff. You’re completely good as new."

Reiner looked up, his blue eyes blinking as he flexed his fingers, feeling the crisp, clean energy flowing through his veins.

"Thank you, Lord Cherion..." Reiner whispered warmly, his voice sincere and full of quiet appreciation. "You didn’t have to keep using your power on me for something as minor as a sleeping drug. You already healed me yesterday."

"Oh, please," Cherion scoffed gently, waving his hand in dismissal. "You don’t need to thank me for that. I’m the one who dragged you and Derrick out to the theater district in the first place! Aside from the fact that I care about you, keeping you safe and healthy is my responsibility. Besides..." Cherion grinned, nudging Reiner’s knee with his own. "...Flio was practically pacing a hole this morning worrying about you. I had to come up here so he wouldn’t drag the ducal physician in by his collar."

Reiner let out a tiny, soft laugh at the mention of his older brother, though a flicker of quiet frustration crossed his brow. He looked down at his unblemished, fully healed hands.

"I still feel awful about how easily I got taken down," Reiner admitted quietly, his tone dropping into a rare beat of solemn self-reflection. "I was far too careless. I just stood near the washroom doorway waiting for you, and before I even realized what was happening, that guy was blowing powder in my face. It was... surprisingly good stuff. High quality. I didn’t even have time to yell for Ezek."

Marielle stepped closer to the foot of the bed, resting one hand on the hilt of her side dagger as she looked down at Reiner.

"If it was refined lower-district sleep root, it acts on contact with the mucous membranes," Marielle explained, her tone practical and matter-of-fact. "Even trained mercenaries get caught off guard by that trick if they aren’t expecting it. But..." She tilted her head, her sharp eyes studying the blonde attendant. "...if you’re worried about it happening again, you ought to start building up a physical resistance to those kinds of foul toxins."

Reiner looked up at her, blinking. "Resistance?"

"Sure," Marielle shrugged casually. "You can condition your body through small, controlled exposures to common sedatives, combined with physical reaction drills. That way, if some lunatic tries to pull a cheap trick on you again in the future, your nervous system won’t instantly shut down. You’ll have at least three or four seconds of consciousness to react."

Reiner’s eyes lit up with a sudden, resolute spark. The timid, flustered posture melted away, replaced by a steady, determined set of his jaw.

"I want to do that," Reiner declared firmly, nodding his head. "I want to train for that. I know we all hope nothing bad like yesterday ever happens again, but... as a precaution, I want to be able to hit whoever tries to do something to us! If someone comes near Lord Cherion or tries to trap us in an alley, I don’t want to be the guy who faints on the floor while everyone else is fighting."

Cherion looked at Reiner with a mix of surprise and genuine pride. "Are you sure? Marielle takes her training seriously, Reiner. Once she decides to help you build up your resistance, I doubt she’ll let you off easily."

"I don’t care!" Reiner grinned, some of his usual golden energy returning to his face. "I’ll take whatever she throws at me. Next time someone tries to sneak up on me with a pipe and sleeping powder, I want to make sure the powder is the only thing that gives me trouble!"

Marielle let out a sharp, delighted laugh, slapping a hand against her leather belt. "Now that is the spirit! I’ll put together a proper resistance training schedule with Flio starting tomorrow morning. I have just the right things in my collection to get us started."

"Please don’t tell Flio you’re feeding me toxins, he’ll faint," Reiner squeaked quickly, making both Cherion and Marielle burst out laughing.

Cherion stood up from the bed, smoothing down the front of his loose shirt. He looked down at Reiner, offering him a warm, affectionate smile.

"Get dressed and come down to the dining room whenever you’re ready," Cherion said softly. "Zarius had breakfast set out, and I’m pretty sure Flio won’t breathe properly until he sees you walking around on your own two feet."

"I will, Lord Cherion," Reiner smiled warmly, his cheeks returning to a healthy, natural pink. "Thank you again. For the healing... and for everything."

"Anytime, Reiner," Cherion purred, turning toward the entrance.

As Cherion and Marielle stepped back out into the quiet hallway, pulling the heavy oak door shut behind them, Marielle leaned over toward Cherion with a mischievous wink.

"So..." Marielle whispered, keeping her voice low as they strolled down the carpeted corridor toward the main staircase. "Are we going to talk about the fact that Ezek looked ready to pass out from sheer panic when we opened that door?"

Cherion let out a quiet, wicked laugh, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Oh, absolutely. But I’ll save the real teasing for later. Right now, I want to see the look on Flio’s face when I tell him Ezek was giving Reiner his ’morning medical check.’"

Marielle snorted, trying and failing to suppress a loud laugh as they made their way down to the sunlit dining hall.