Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 229

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?"

"Stay down."

’What happened?’

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

’Injury?’

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

Why was he the one tending to him?

And why did his voice sound so—so strained?

’The fire.’

’The storage unit.’