Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 300

Chapter 300: ’See You As A Friend’

Florian found Lucius surprisingly quickly.

He had expected a search. Perhaps a short chase. But there he was—standing still, arms folded neatly behind his back, watching as servants darted from one open room to the next, their hands full of linens, fresh flowers, and ornate guest decor.

For a moment, Florian simply watched him.

Lucius looked composed as always. Controlled. Aloof. Distant.

Like nothing had changed.

’Tch. He really is pretending nothing happened, huh.’

This was also the first time Florian had laid eyes on the palace’s guest wing—and he had to admit, it was... overwhelming. Tall arched ceilings stretched toward the heavens, with carved pillars decorated in gold leaf. Expensive chandeliers glittered overhead, catching the light like captured stars. The rooms, each with their own theme and color palette, spilled open like secrets waiting to be discovered.

It was more opulent than even his own wing. Larger, too.

’Of course it is. It’s where the real power sleeps.’

The dukes were more than nobles—they were institutions. Pillars that supported Concordia’s monarchy. Each one held the power to sway the court with a single word. Generations of kings had built this wing to accommodate them, to honor them.

Heinz was the only one who dared not to.

And yet... here Florian stood, unnoticed and ignored. Just another out-of-place ornament in the background of the palace.

Perfect.

Everyone was far too busy running around in a frenzied effort to prepare. No one noticed Florian as he crept closer to Lucius—quiet and furious.

He stopped just behind him, close enough to smell the familiar scent of fresh linen and faint cologne. His eyes narrowed.

’You’re really going to pretend I don’t exist?’

Without a second thought, Florian reached out and grabbed the back of Lucius’s coattail.

Lucius jolted. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as he spun around, hand halfway raised to shove off the unknown intruder—until his eyes landed on Florian.

"What in the name of—Your Highness?" Lucius blinked, startled.

Florian didn’t say a word.

He simply tugged the man along, weaving through the corridor like a storm on a mission. Lucius stumbled for a moment but quickly matched his pace, confusion painted across his usually impassive face.

"Your Highness, what are you doing here? Where are you taking me?" Lucius asked, voice low and tense.

Still, Florian remained silent. His grip was firm. Purposeful.

’This is what you get for being an asshole.’

Finally, once he found a secluded alcove tucked between two towering bookshelves and a curtained archway, Florian came to a halt. He released Lucius’s coat with a flourish, turning on his heel to glare up at the man who refused to meet his gaze.

Lucius avoided his eyes like they were poison.

’I’m sure he knows I’m annoyed. He can feel it. He can see it.’

Lucius opened his mouth, likely about to ask why Florian had pulled him away so dramatically.

Florian beat him to it. He raised a hand, fingers slicing through the air.

"Why have you been avoiding me, hm?" Florian asked, his voice deceptively calm—but laced with sharpness.

Lucius froze. His eyes widened slightly before he masked the reaction and cleared his throat.

"I have not been avoiding you, Your Highness. I’ve simply been—"

"Bullshit. Cut it out," Florian snapped, arms crossing tightly over his chest. "This conversation will go a lot faster if you’re just honest with me. You’ve been avoiding me ever since the announcement, and I don’t need any goddamn powers to know it. You’re lying. Right to my face."

Silence.

Lucius was clearly taken aback.

’You didn’t think I had it in me, did you?’

The hesitation returned. His lips parted, but no words came. He looked at Florian—and maybe, just maybe, at the intensity in his expression, or the way his magic rippled faintly with emotion—Lucius finally stopped pretending.

His shoulders sagged slightly.

Then, with a small sigh, Lucius reached up and removed his glasses. His face looked tired. Raw.

"Why do you care, Your Highness?" he asked softly.

The question hit Florian like a slap.

"...Excuse me?" he breathed, genuinely stunned.

Lucius straightened and crossed his arms in return, mirroring Florian’s stance—but his expression had hardened into something unreadable.

"Why do you care?" Lucius repeated, his tone colder now. "Isn’t this what you wanted? You push me away every chance you get. You lie. You evade. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?"

’What... the fuck is he talking about?’

Lucius took a step forward. "Have you even heard the rumors about you lately?"

Florian blinked. ’Rumors? There are more rumors?’

As if reading his mind, Lucius continued, voice laced with bitterness. "They’re saying you bewitched His Majesty. That your sudden ’change’ is just a performance—that you seduced the King to get closer to power. That’s why you keep getting summoned."

He almost laughed. "Ha..."

That’s what people were saying? That’s what Lucius was bringing up now?

’Don’t tell me...’

And that silence burned.

He wanted to scream. To curse. To throw something. To tell Lucius exactly how stupid and wrong he was.

Lucius turned his head, and this time, he really looked at Florian. Wide-eyed. Disarmed. As if those words had struck something in him that he didn’t expect to feel.