8. Always Xavier

Quietly, he observed Claude's changes. The curly-haired blond looked like someone who rarely bathed, with a pale face, numerous acne on his cheeks, painful-looking red pimples, a thin body, wet pants, and human dirt in plastic bags—seemingly belonging to Claude. His body was unkempt, with lice in his long, thigh-length hair, which he never cut.

There were also many spoiled foods, a damaged bed, broken sheets, support wooden planks for the bed, and no wardrobe. Claude had turned everything into dolls.

He even transformed a broomstick into a cursed doll.

"What's this? A voodoo doll? Did you make it?" Kane touched the doll, but Claude quickly snatched it away. He then grabbed a hammer and nails, unapologetically pulled Kane's hair, and stabbed the doll's chest filled with hair.

"Ugh!" Kane touched his chest. It felt like being stabbed.

"What's this?! You've become an expert in dolls, huh?!" Kane angrily questioned.

"Accusations."

Kane's body felt more and more stabbed until he finally managed to kick the doll out of Claude's hands and...

Snap.

"Come with me for a moment." Kane hugged Claude, moving them to a different location.

****

The young man had taken Claude to the palace's bathroom, promptly placing him in a large bathtub. About ten servants were waiting.

"Cleanse his body," Kane ordered, slightly disgusted.

Claude, frightened, began exerting his control powers.

Seeing this, Kane immediately touched Claude's stomach, temporarily suppressing his Mana so that Claude couldn't use his powers.

"What is this?! You can just suppress my Mana that easily?!" Claude protested.

"I'm surprised you can speak. Is your neck better?" Instead of answering, Kane redirected the conversation.

"Kane, Father told us to go to the hall," someone outside the room said.

Claude heard the soft and fragile voice, and when he peeked out, he saw Xavier with two guards. Xavier, with a book in hand, had a gentle gaze. He was as white as snow, with short and neatly cut hair, bangs, and blue eyes—truly living up to his name.

"Tell him I'm cleaning my dolls first. Tomorrow is fine because I have to polish them," Kane lazily replied.

'Is this really Xavier?' Claude wondered. He didn't expect the main character, who was furious over a cake, to be such a soft boy. He thought Xavier would be cruel.

"Oh my! The charm of the main character, it's real!" Claude admired Xavier. He didn't expect his novel's character to be this good, with a well-built body.

"Kane! Him, him!"

"Very handsome?" Kane continued, looking at Claude with a disgusted expression.

"Don't praise others in front of me, understand?" Kane ordered, not liking it.

Kane then told Xavier to leave quickly. Xavier left without knowing that the doll Kane referred to was Claude.

He then instructed his servants to clean Claude's body.

****

After dressing Claude, the servants started cutting his blond hair. They first combed Claude's hair and cleaned the lice.

"Don't cut it too short, and just use lice medicine," Kane advised, showing concern.

After taking care of the hair, they proceeded to tend to Claude's face, treating his acne and using a touch of healing magic.

****

"Is this me?" Claude looked in the mirror, seeing his now shorter hair reaching his back. The servants had braided his hair, giving the young man a neater appearance. His new clothes resembled those often worn by characters in Chinese animation, a long white outfit covering his arms and legs with lotus patterns.

Claude touched his face, now free of acne, smooth, and without any scars. His lips were slightly tinted with lip balm, and a circular bandage adorned his neck, resembling a choker.

He also touched the corners of his eyes with long eyeliner.

"Kane, why do I look like someone else?" Claude asked, confused. This scene wasn't part of his novel.

Kane didn't answer; he was busy talking to his subordinates.

'Make the tower look like it's burning, don't forget to insert a body that looks like the youngest Rosel. Make it look like he is burned to death,' Kane whispered, audible only to his subordinate.

Far from his previous condition, Claude now felt better in Kane's company. The Prince took responsibility after bringing him to the palace and instructed him to disguise himself as a girl. Whatever Prince Kane did, it prevented Claude from revealing his true identity as Claude Rosel, the youngest son of Duke Iceroyaland.

Claude felt happier, however, especially this morning when Kane woke him abruptly and invited him to sail on the vast palace lake.

Claude couldn't stop smiling as he stepped onto the boat for the first time, with Kane as the rower. As the boat had reach the center of the lake, Claude touch the lake's cold water, breathing in the fresh morning air. It relaxed him a bit relaxed as the wind gently caressed the lake's surface.

Claude closed his eyes, imagining himself as a character from a certain romance story where a young couple do the exact same activity as they do on the lake.

"Hihihi." Unconsciously, he laughed when feeling the wind on his neck. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find Kane in front of him, laughing and blowing on Claude's face.

"Do you like the wind?" Kane asked curiously.

"I love the wind!" Claude replied enthusiastically.

As Kane resumed rowing, he found himself captivated by Claude's voice, developing a peculiar fondness for the young blonde.

But...

"Oh, by the way, what about Xavier? Did he enter the academy and become a mage?" Claude asked.

Kane remain silent, unwilling to give his remark.

"Xavier must be the top-rank student, right?"

"Is Xavier still good to you? Or are you still enemies? Who is Xavier close to now? Oh, Xavier's hair is beautiful, I like his eyes, his voice too."

"I like Xavier's changes, he's much gentler."

"Xavier..."

"Xavier-"

Crack

Kane snapped his oar.

"It seems you really like Xavier, huh?" Kane asked irritably, feeling uncomfortable with Claude constantly mentioning Xavier.

Claude fell silent. He almost forgot that Kane disliked him talking about others nearby. The boat stopped. Kane refused to row, deliberately stopping in the middle of the lake.