"And I thought I couldn't like you any more than I already do, Your Highness," Drizelous said with a chuckle.
The reaction made Florian blink, genuinely confused.
'…That's not what I was expecting.'
Florian trusted Drizelous.
So he told him everything.
Well—almost everything. The polished version. The version that didn't sound completely unhinged, didn't expose every raw edge he was still trying to keep together.
Even so, he'd braced himself for judgment.
For shock. For someone instinctively taking Heinz's side, like everyone else always did.
Instead, Drizelous listened with bright eyes and an amused hum, fully engaged, as if Florian had just told him the most fascinating story in the world.
That alone was unsettling.
But also relieving.
Drizelous stepped closer and rested his hands on either side of Florian's shoulders, steady and warm.
