Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 229: ’Calm Down’

"Hmm."

Aden sat back against the couch, fingers idly drumming against the armrest as he skimmed through Kaz’s latest draft. His eyes traced the familiar rhythm of her writing—the flow, the pacing, the characters.

It was, as usual, mediocre.

Not bad exactly. She was still young, still learning. But there was something about it that made him want to cringe.

Beside him, Kaz leaned in, practically vibrating with anticipation. "Well?" she pressed, peeking over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of his reaction. "Well? Come on, bro. Say something!"

Aden exhaled through his nose, tilting the tablet slightly as he looked at her. "Isn’t this overused at this point?"

Kaz blinked. "Overused?"

"Florian almost gets harassed again." Aden sighed, rubbing his temple. "Heinz doesn’t do anything, Florian gets comforted by Lucius and Lancelot, the two fight. Isn’t it getting repetitive?"

"That’s the point though!" Kaz huffed, crossing her arms. "Florian’s life is repetitive. His mental health slowly deteriorates because he keeps going through the same things."

Aden frowned. "That doesn’t feel like it does anything positive for his character." He glanced at her. "I’ve read your comments. Aren’t your readers getting tired of this? They just want Florian to have some development."

Kaz let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "Florian doesn’t want that, though. Not yet, at least."

Aden’s brow furrowed. "What does that even mean?"

Kaz only grinned, an infuriating little smirk that told him she was done explaining.

Aden sighed. Whatever. He wasn’t in the mood to keep pushing. "Your grammar and pacing improved," he muttered, handing the tablet back. "Maybe add more of Heinz? Some kind of reaction? It doesn’t have to be positive, but at least something."

Kaz nodded, already scribbling notes onto her iPad. "Alright. Thanks!"

Aden rolled his eyes, watching her work in silence. The soft glow of the screen reflected in her eyes, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard, completely absorbed in her thoughts.

A moment passed before something nagged at the back of his mind. He shifted. "Oh, by the way, Kaz."

"Hm?" She turned her head slightly, enough to show she was listening while still typing.

"In almost every scene where Florian clings to Heinz, everyone keeps warning him how dangerous Heinz is..."

"Mhm? Yeah?"

"But Heinz doesn’t actually do anything that bad, does he?" Aden tilted his head. "Aside from asking kingdoms for princesses for political reasons and ignoring Florian, he doesn’t seem all that dangerous."

Kaz suddenly snorted. A small, amused laugh.

Aden narrowed his eyes. "What’s so funny?"

Kaz lifted her gaze, a glint of something unreadable in her eyes. "Keep in mind, this story is from Florian’s perspective."

"...Yeah?"

"In Florian’s mind, Heinz is the greatest person alive—despite everything." She leaned forward slightly, her voice quieter now, softer. "But in reality..."

Aden felt a chill creep up his spine.

"He’s practically the devil."

Silence.

Aden stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

Kaz’s usual playful expression faltered. The amusement in her eyes drained away, replaced by something distant. Cold.

She continued, her voice slower now. "Heinz is good at keeping calm, at concealing his emotions—because he thinks being emotional is pointless." She exhaled. "But if he didn’t have that mindset..."

Kaz stopped.

Her words just—cut off.

Aden frowned. "Kaz?"

She didn’t move.

Her face, which had been laughing and grinning just moments ago, shifted. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Her expression darkened, brows pinching together.

Aden opened his mouth to say something, but before he could—

Kaz dropped her iPad.

The thud of it hitting the floor sent a sharp jolt through his chest.

"Kaz?"

Before he could react, Kaz suddenly grabbed him.

"What the—hey!" Aden recoiled, startled by the force of her grip. "What the fuck—"

Her hands clutched his arms tightly, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. There was something wrong—her breathing had turned shallow, her entire body tense, rigid.

"Kaz, what the hell is wrong with you?" Aden asked, his voice uneven, trying to pull away.

Kaz’s grip only tightened.

Her next words were barely above a whisper.

"You don’t know what he’s capable of."

Florian’s eyes snapped open, a sharp gasp choking in his throat. His chest heaved, rising and falling in frantic succession as he sucked in air, his body trembling from the lingering haze of his dreams.

His skin felt clammy, the faint sheen of sweat clinging to him like a second layer. His fingers twitched against the fabric beneath him, gripping instinctively as though anchoring himself to reality.

’What—?’

Strange dreams weren’t unusual for him. He had them often—visions that blurred the lines between memory and nightmare. But this—this violent sensation of being ripped from unconsciousness, like a drowning man forced to the surface—this was different.

The moment his awareness sharpened, a blinding, searing white light flooded his vision. Pain shot through his skull like a jagged bolt, forcing a strained moan from his lips.

Too bright. Too much.

Florian winced, his breath shuddering as he squeezed his eyes shut again, but then—

"Don’t move."

His body stiffened.

Huh?

The voice was unmistakable—calm, measured, yet laced with something Florian couldn’t quite place. Something that sent an involuntary chill down his spine.

"Heinz?" His voice came out hoarse, his throat dry, the name slipping from his lips before he could stop it. He wasn’t sure if he was still trapped in the remnants of his dream or if he had fully returned to reality.

A quiet hum followed, one of disapproval.

"Dropping the formalities again, are we?"

That tone. That presence.

Florian’s pulse stuttered.

The haze clouding his thoughts began to clear at an agonizingly slow pace, and with it came the sharp awareness that this wasn’t a dream. His instincts screamed at him to sit up, to move—

But the moment he tried, a firm hand pressed against his chest, unyielding, keeping him in place.

"Stay down."

Heinz’s voice was steady—too steady. But beneath that calm, Florian caught something else. Something unfamiliar. Unreadable.

’What happened?’

Then—

"I’m not well-versed in healing magic, but I managed to close it... barely."

A cold spike of realization shot through Florian.

’Injury?’

His breath hitched. His fingers flexed slightly, brushing against the material beneath him as if searching for proof. Slowly, cautiously, he forced his eyes open again, allowing himself to adjust to the blinding light.

And then—

A dull, relentless pain throbbed at the back of his head.

His chest constricted. His vision blurred for a moment before sharpening, and the first thing he saw was Heinz—

Watching him.

Red eyes, sharp as ever, bore into him with a quiet intensity he couldn’t decipher. Usually unreadable, calculating—but now, something was different.

"Y-Your Majesty..." Florian’s voice was barely above a whisper, uncertainty creeping into his tone.

Nothing made sense.

Why was Heinz here?

Why was he the one tending to him?

And why did his voice sound so—so strained?

Florian squeezed his eyes shut, his breath shuddering as he clawed through the scattered fragments of memory, desperate for answers.

A dull pounding echoed in his skull, each beat dragging him deeper into the abyss of recollection—

’The fire.’

Flames danced behind his eyelids, flickering embers curling into the night sky. The air had been thick with smoke, burning, choking, suffocating.

He and Heinz had needed a distraction.

Azure had set one of the village houses ablaze. The wooden frame had gone up instantly, flames consuming it with a hunger that sent the townspeople into chaos. The panicked screams. The frantic rush of bodies scrambling for water. It had been the perfect opening.

’The storage unit.’

Florian’s stomach twisted.

He had slipped inside, weaving through the dim, dust-laden space, his steps quick but careful. Shelves lined the walls, stocked with sacks of grain, barrels of dried goods.

And then—

His breath hitched.

’The meat.’

His heart slammed against his ribs.

The metallic scent clung to the air, thick and suffocating. It had curled in his nostrils, invaded his senses, stuck to the back of his throat like rot.

His hands had shaken when he lifted the cloth.

And beneath it—

Pale. Raw. Carved.

Flesh too soft. Too human.

’Leila.’

She had been—

Florian’s eyes flew open, horror lancing through him like a blade. His stomach twisted violently, a sharp, sickening churn that sent bile surging up his throat.

’No. No, no, no—’

He jerked forward, his body revolting against the memory, desperate to purge the nausea clawing its way up his chest—

Only to falter.

Because he wasn’t on the ground.

His weight shifted, and suddenly, he felt it beneath him—

Smooth, solid scales. Large. Unmoving. Familiar.

’Azure.’

A breath caught in his throat. His fingers twitched, his mind sluggishly piecing together the reality of his situation, but before he could fully grasp it, his balance tipped.

"Fuck—"

The dragon stirred beneath him. The momentary shift was enough to send his body lurching—

But Heinz moved faster.

A hand shot out, fingers locking around Florian’s wrist with a grip that was firm—unyielding. And in one swift motion, Florian was pulled forward—

Straight into Heinz’s chest.

The impact jolted through him, knocking the air from his lungs.

His hands instinctively fisted into the fabric of Heinz’s coat, his fingers curling into the thick material, his body pressed against the solid warmth of the other man.

But he barely registered it.

The nausea surged again, violent and unforgiving. His chest heaved, his breath ragged, panic surging white-hot in his veins—

He was going to be sick—

A hand clamped over his mouth.

"Calm down," Heinz whispered, his voice low. Steady. Unshaken.