Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!-Chapter 275: ’The King’s Sudden Demand’

As soon as they stepped into Florian’s room, he felt a brief wave of relief wash over him at the sight of the empty space. No Cashew. But that relief faded just as quickly as it came.

Cashew should’ve been here.

The boy was practically always waiting, either with tea, a shy smile, or a flustered apology. Yet now... silence. Emptiness. It unsettled him.

’Maybe he just had something to do... something came up...’ Florian tried to reason with himself, but his chest felt tight. ’Still... he’s been acting strange lately. And now that strange man has gotten close again. That can’t be a coincidence.’

Florian didn’t give Heinz a chance to settle. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, he turned sharply, voice tight with urgency.

"Your Majesty, I saw the strange man again."

Heinz, who had just begun lowering himself into the couch, froze halfway through the motion.

The entire atmosphere shifted—like the room itself had swallowed all warmth. Even Azure, hidden beneath Florian’s clothes, let out a low growl, his tiny body shaking.

Heinz slowly straightened and turned toward Florian, his gaze sharper than a blade. "Pardon?"

The word was soft, but the weight behind it was crushing.

Florian hesitated—taken aback by the change in Heinz’s demeanor—but pushed through the anxiety. "When I was looking for Azure earlier... I was on my way back to my room to check if he’d returned. I—I bumped into a man. That man." freewēbnoveℓ.com

He tried to keep his voice steady, but the memory made his heart race.

"He suddenly grabbed me. Pulled me into his arms. He used magic... some kind of spell. I couldn’t move—I couldn’t even look up to see his face. But I heard him. I know it was the same voice. And..."

He trailed off when Heinz took a step closer.

"What else did he do?" Heinz asked, and this time the question had an edge—quiet, but urgent. Almost demanding.

Florian looked down, ashamed by how his hands trembled.

"He... triggered a memory," he whispered. "One that belonged to the original Florian. The night before his execution."

There was a silence that pressed in hard.

Florian kept that one detail to himself—the way the man had kissed his forehead right before the memory ignited. That moment had felt too... intimate. Too strange.

Heinz’s face, usually unreadable, cracked for a split second. His crimson eyes flared, his jaw clenched tight.

"That’s not possible," he muttered. "How could that be possible?"

"I thought the same," Florian said softly. "But that’s what happened. That’s why I was crying... when Alexandria saw me. Those weren’t my emotions. They were his."

He met Heinz’s eyes, letting the truth sink in.

"When the memory ended... he was gone. Vanished. It didn’t seem like Lady Alexandria saw him at all."

Heinz ran a hand through his long, raven hair, his fingers tangling for a moment as if grounding himself. His crimson gaze flickered.

’He’s shaken...’ Florian realized, surprised. ’More than I thought he’d be. But this is the third time. That man’s gotten into the palace three times—without being caught.’

Heinz turned abruptly and slumped onto the couch with a frustrated thud. He leaned back, legs spread, one arm draped along the couch’s back, the other hand running across his mouth.

"Fucking slimy bastard," he muttered, barely audible.

Florian moved quietly to sit across from him, settling onto the other couch. He didn’t speak—just observed. Heinz looked deep in thought, eyes narrowed, jaw tight.

’He’s probably calculating everything... whoever this man is, he must be strong. Maybe not as strong as Heinz, but strong enough to breach the Diamond Palace unnoticed.’

And then there was the part Florian hadn’t shared.

’The way he spoke... his voice was so warm. Gentle, almost affectionate. Why? Why trigger that memory?’

Azure poked his tiny head out from the folds of Florian’s clothes, climbing upward until his little face pressed against Florian’s cheek, his eyes filled with worry.

’Mhm? Is he... worried about me?’ Florian blinked, startled. Azure flicked his tongue and licked Florian’s cheek in a soft gesture of comfort.

A small, bittersweet smile tugged at Florian’s lips.

"I’m alright," he murmured.

Heinz, however, didn’t look convinced. "Are you?" he asked, tone low, eyes narrowing slightly.

Florian blinked. "Yes? Besides the memory being triggered, I feel fine."

Heinz didn’t respond right away. Instead, his gaze slid slowly down Florian’s frame, then back up again—like he was scanning for injuries. Or something else.

"With a man like that, who’s obviously cunning, I doubt it..." he muttered. There was something strange in his voice now—something guarded. Suspicious.

He kept looking at Florian. Not just at his face, but at his arms, his chest, his legs—like searching for something out of place.

Florian shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware of how exposed he felt under that scrutiny.

’Why is he looking at me like that?’ he thought, cheeks heating up. ’I should say something about this...right?’

Florian should.

Florian opened his mouth, intending to say something—anything—to snap Heinz out of whatever strange trance he’d fallen into. Maybe call his name. Maybe ask why he was staring like that. Maybe joke—awkwardly—about calling security.

But before a single syllable could escape, Heinz stood.

The motion was smooth. Controlled. But there was something beneath it—coiled. Deliberate, dangerous, like a beast rising after being too long still.

Florian’s breath hitched. His body moved on instinct, following Heinz’s motion, pulse beginning to pound. The air, once heavy with tension, twisted now into something sharper—thicker. Suffocating.

’What... what is he doing?’

Heinz said nothing.

Didn’t explain.

He moved.

Each step was slow, steady, but with the weight of intent. He was closing the distance between them, and he wasn’t rushing—but that somehow made it worse.

Florian’s body tensed. He tried to pull back, to disappear into the couch cushions, but they betrayed him. They didn’t swallow him whole. They didn’t offer safety.

They only pinned him there, spine against the backrest, cornered.

And then Heinz stopped. Right in front of him.

Florian’s heart beat against his ribs like it was trying to break out.

Heinz leaned forward.

His arms caged Florian in, hands planted firmly on either side of his head, gripping the back of the couch. The space between them disappeared—until all Florian could see was black silk and crimson eyes, all he could feel was the heat radiating from Heinz’s body.

He smelled like cold wine and winter winds. Like something elegant—and dangerous.

Florian’s breathing grew shallow.

His fingers twitched against the cushions.

He couldn’t look away.

He couldn’t move.

’Why is he this close—why is he—’

Suddenly, without warning, a memory slammed into him.

No.

Not a memory—a nightmare.

A cursed fragment from the depths of his mind, unbidden and unwelcome.

Fingers sinking inside him. Breath at his ear. Pain and heat, humiliation, confusion. His body pinned, helpless. Heinz’s voice, Heinz’s weight, Heinz’s hands—everywhere.

That nightmare.

The one he’d buried.

The one he hated.

Florian’s skin flushed hot. Shame clawed up his throat. His stomach churned, and a cold sweat clung to the back of his neck. He felt dizzy.

His voice cracked as it slipped from his lips, barely audible.

"Y-Your Majesty...?"

Heinz didn’t answer.

His crimson gaze scanned Florian’s face slowly—methodically. As if he were analyzing him, measuring him, dissecting him.

Looking for something Florian couldn’t name.

Then, finally—his voice dropped. Low. Firm. And terrifyingly controlled.

"Strip."

Everything inside Florian stopped.

His brain couldn’t register the word. The meaning didn’t connect.

He blinked. Once. Twice.

"...What?" His voice cracked again, higher this time, filled with disbelief and panic. His hands gripped the couch tighter, nails biting into the fabric.

Heinz’s expression didn’t change.

"I said strip."