Chapter X : The Apathetic Lord's Knight is a Sly Fox

A room filled with mountain piles of documents and luxurious ancient things from a foreign land covers the atmosphere with a sweet, almond-like fragrance in the air. 

A young boy who was sitting in the middle of the room had covered himself with tons of paper writing and reviewing it from one after the other.

Khalid's face has become much paler and thin, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.

He was busily signing up and writing on the papers when a familiar scent walked towards him holding a teapot with snacks and sweets, wearing a luciform smile on his face.

"Milord, this tea suits today's perfect weather."

He gently poured Khalid a cup of tea as he looked at him with a serious gaze in his eyes before Reinhardt and Erwin hurriedly ran towards him drenched from the rain.

"For whatever misguided motive brings you here, you're foolishly barking up the wrong tree."

He affirmed bluntly as they wrapped Dal in their arms, forcefully dragging him outside the room.

It left Khalid with a deep sigh as he rolled his eyes before he continued to work on the papers without even daring to take a sip and bite on the snacks that were offered by him.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay? Your complexion didn't look good." 

The girl worriedly stated as she was talking with his fellow maid, who was preparing a snack and chamomile tea in the kitchen palace.

"No. It's okay. I'm fine." 

She replied leaving a faint smile on her face before heading towards the room with a gigantic door standing in front of her.

She walks inside with her two feet slightly swaying from one foot to another.

The tea and the piece of cake that was left untouched were said to be taken away from the table, far from him, as he suggested.

'It's already been 3 months since I've possessed this body. I don't know, but I guess I need a way to escape! "

'I can't continue living in this body, I must find a way to die somehow.-

"Ahhhhh!"

His running thoughts were disturbed as he was startled by the maid's scream.

The teapot she was holding was left broken in pieces on the floor as she spilled the burning hot tea on his hand, and all the snacks and sweets she brought were scattered all over.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!"

She pleaded as she bowed down on her knees, trembling in fear.

'The tea must be hot, but I couldn't feel a thing.'

He thought as he watched the burn on his hand slowly disappear.

He then looked at the maid, who was sweating like a candle, as the two knights barged in on the door with a worried expression written on their faces.

"What's going on here?!"

Reinhardt shouted as he scanned Khalid's body to make sure he was alright.

The two looked at the maid with a confused and serious gaze. 

When Khalid asked her to stand, she stumbled, and before she was about to faint, Erwin quickly caught her with both arms.

"Take him to the clinic."

He insists as he watches them leave the door...

A week passed and Khalid appeared to be worn out after being bothered by Dal, who kept pestering and popping out of nowhere.

"YOU."

He glared.

"Stop getting on my nerves!" 

Khalid had reached its limit and shouted right straight on his face in surprise. He can't seem to understand his baffling actions, which left him annoyed and restless for days. 

He gave a death glare to Dal before he returned to the imperial office after a stroll.

"No, I can't go down in flames just because of some acerbic words."

As he watched him walk away from him, his expression suddenly dropped and he felt as if a thorn was piercing his chest and digging a hole in his heart. 

"It kinda hurts..."

He added but continued to smile.

When Khalid's condition worsened to the point where even his two knights advised him to rest, a shadow continued to follow and watch him from afar, acting like a hawk on the hunt. 

Dal is so persistent and follows him everywhere as if he had been sirenized by him.

He was always there at the imperial meeting, working in the office, taking a stroll, and even in his sleep. Dal was always there to watch him outside the window, behind the bushes, and even behind the trees, but he always made sure to keep his distance from Khalid, which made him more uncomfortable.

"Milord, your complexion didn't look good."

Reinhardt gazed upon Khalid, looking like a walking corpse that came out of his graveyard.

It was already midnight when Khalid decided to stop by his room. He looked at the night sky, which was picturesque; it was so clear that you could see the blanket of stars and the ethereal glow of the moon from afar.

'It would be better if I will never wake up.' 

He absorbently thought as he gazed at the twinkling stars from above, as if he were wishing for the comet to pass by, and make it all fine.

"Milord, does something matter? You should have taken a rest." 

Erwin insisted as they stood in front of his room.

"Yeah. So, leave me alone; I'm going to get forty winks, and that should be enough." 

He covered his eyes with his arms as he embraced the darkness that filled his room. He didn't let anyone put a fire to the fireplace, as he didn't feel cold at all, and it was as if the one staying inside was a ghost rather than a human being or a cursed soul that was waiting for the day that his existence would soon vanish like a breeze of the air that just passed by and disappeared without anyone's knowing.

It was a cold, chilly night where only a light from the moonlight helped Khalid to sleep, when he suddenly felt the warmth of comfort he had felt before.

He was left horrified when he saw his death pop out of his dream. It was so hot and a hellish night as if his skin was melting on the fire, and in that dream he screamed until his voice wouldn't come out, and when he opened his eyes, he was sweating like a broken faucet, holding his chest with a surprise expression as he was staring at the tall guy that looked like an angel from above, looking at him with a distressed expression on his eyes while holding a blanket in his hands.

Khalid hardly slapped his hands as he looked at him with a scornful eye; his face was all worn out as he was looking at him furiously, gritting in anger.

"You again?! Are you daff or simply a bimbo that you couldn't understand the words I say?!"

"Even if you begged a million times, it would not change!"

He shouted so firmly that the two knights barged in, both holding their weapons.

"Milord! What's going on?!?

Erwin froze.

"You again! " 

He frowned, leaving them all in shock after seeing Khalid burst into anger.

Right now, they were standing behind the cold, blunt, and icy person who was looking in front of a man with his face facing the floor, as he couldn't seem to look at Dal, who was left unspoken in shock.

"Stop it! Stop being so dense that keep following me! Don't you know how f*cking annoying you are?!" 

He blurted out as he caught his breath before he lifted his head. 

Seeing Dal with a teary eye left him shocked as it glimmered in the dark.

'I did not do anything wrong.' 

He thought. 

"I just wanted to make sure that you are in a parastinous situation." 

He spoke in a melancholic tone as if his eyes were about to burst into tears.

Khalid's face turned bleak as he saw Dal's eyes let out water in front of him, fidgeting like a child.

'I didn't mean to leave a fracture on his heart. I just wanted to-

"I'm sorry it's my fault that my actions annoyed you, considering that it's also my fault for caring for someone who did not consider me to exist in his world." 

Dal added that made Khalid let go of the grip of his hand leaving a deep sigh.

"Damn it! Do what you want."

He spoke harmoniously and avoided his eyes quickly.

"This is ridiculous!" 

Erwin opposed them, catching their attention.

"Erwin…" 

Khalid called, looking into his eyes full of worry.

"But Milord!-

"ERWIN, LISTEN TO HIS MAJESTY!" 

Reinhardt had shouted, leaving him unspoken.

'Even if he was a cunning man with ill intention, especially to me, it's alright. I don't want to care. It's not like I have something to lose.' 

He carelessly thought.

Dal's face lightens up as he kneels.

"Dal Valene, do you swear to put your loyalty to your master and risk your life to protect him?" 

Khalid stated as he gave a blessing to Dal with the sword of Erwin.

"I swear." 

His face lightened with a look that was as happy as a clam, while his imaginary tail wagged like a puppy, making him look like a dog instead of a knight.

Well,.............. things were supposed to end like that, as Khalid thought, but his actions have gotten worse than before, and instead of following and watching him from afar, Dal has taken his admiration too far and clung to him like a leach.

'I had enough with all of this.' 

Khalid looked at Dal, who was gently stroking his head.

"Let's play hide and seek. I'll be the seeker."

He insisted. 

Dal froze and looked at him with innocent eyes before he hurriedly ran out of the office that Khalid didn't even know and didn't even care where he was hiding. 

He just let out a sigh and sat down as he continued to work, leaving Dal hiding in nowhere.

Meanwhile, Erwin appears troubled as he calls for Reinhardt at the market, where they were requested to make a report on the state of the land.

'Dal Valene, just how fond are you of our Lord that made you leave your tribe? ' 

He suspiciously thought as he saw Erwin running rushed towards him, looking distressed.

He then comes close to him, whispering in his ear as he reports everything he has heard and finds out so far about Dal that made the big-built Reinhardt boil in rage.

"Dal Valene, you sly fox! No wonder a vad noble like you suddenly peregrinates everywhere and has to stay in this land!"

His forehead wrinkled.

"I'll make you come clean myself!"

Reinhardt forewarned as he hurriedly ran straight to the palace to see Khalid sitting all by himself, feeling relieved to find out that Dal was already gone and that even his shadow was nowhere to be found, which continued even in the following weeks.