From the corners of his eyes, Len watched Grand Duke Ethos's heavy silhouette turn back toward that mysterious man. The moment Ethos's back was toward them, Len's artificial lethality transformed into sudden agility in a flash.
He instantly removed his hand, which had been stroking his 'injured' leg, and with full force, grabbed Eric's wrist, pulling him closer.
Eric, who was standing a short distance away staring at the dust of the grounds, faltered slightly, caught off guard by this sudden tug. His crimson eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Len's face.
Before Eric could regain his balance or ask a single question, Len took a deep breath and let his entire body go limp. He rested his head quite naturally in Eric's lap and closed his eyes.
Lines of sunlight filtering through the branches danced across their faces. Eric looked down at the calm face resting in his lap, its eyelids now completely still. "You aren't hurt at all... are you?" Eric asked in a very low, almost whispering voice. There was a strange mix of suspicion and curiosity in his tone.
Hearing Eric's question, Len's closed eyelids fluttered open. He straightened his head and, while still lying down, looked upward.
Before his eyes was Eric's face, and directly above it, the dense expanse of the massive tree where birds were chirping. A dry leaf from that tree was caught in Eric's hair, swaying gently with the breeze.
A slow, mischievous smile drifted onto Len's lips. He raised his hand and tenderly brushed away the leaf stuck in Eric's hair. Looking straight into Eric's eyes, Len gave just a short reply, "Yes."
That "Yes" echoed like a secret in the cold shade, turning all of Eric's confusion into reality in a single moment.
Eric's gaze remained fixed on Len's face, as if he were trying to read the shadows hidden within him. "Do you... fear him?" Eric asked under his breath, gesturing toward the distant Grand Duke.
No trace of fear surfaced on Len's face. He replied in a very calm and flat tone, "No, I do not fear him."
"Then what was all that?" Eric knitted his brows, an unspoken frustration in his voice. "Why were you putting on a performance like that?"
Len didn't speak immediately. He kept his lips pressed together and, while looking into Eric's eyes, simply nodded his head in a rhythmic motion, as if a silent "hmm" were vibrating from his throat.
A long silence floated in the air. "I don't like training," Len finally said, his voice blending with the rustling of the tree leaves. "Nor do I like following his orders."
He diverted his gaze for a moment and then fixed it back on Eric. "But, the one I like... she likes him. That's why I don't say anything to him."
A flash of understanding appeared on Eric's face. "Are you talking about the Queen?" he asked softly.
Len simply nodded his head in affirmation without a word. Eric watched him with silent eyes for a while, as if trying to grasp the unspoken affection hidden within Len. After a few moments of silence, Eric broke the peace again. "Is that girl... actually quite good?"
Upon hearing this question, Len's face suddenly changed. A strange confusion began to swim in his golden eyes, and creases formed on his forehead. His face looked like a puzzle to which he himself didn't know the solution.
When Eric saw that no answer was forthcoming, he prodded again, "Is she not good?"
Len tried to weave his confusion into words. "I don't know..." he said, pausing. "Sometimes she behaves very well, and sometimes her behavior is so strange that it's hard to understand. Everyone in the palace... is afraid of her."
Len lifted his head from Eric's lap and sat up swiftly, positioning himself firmly right in front of him. His golden eyes locked directly onto the circles of Eric's deep crimson eyes, causing a sudden, strange gravity to settle in the air. "Can you do one thing for me?" Len asked in a very measured tone.
Eric narrowed his eyes and, reading the expressions on Len's face, asked in a low voice, "What kind of thing?"
"Never clash with Grand Duke Ethos," there was a warning in Len's words that struck Eric like a gust of cold wind.
A challenging smile emerged on Eric's lips. He straightened his back and asked bluntly, "And for what reason should I listen to you?"
Len didn't reply; instead, a peculiar glint filled his eyes. He began to lean slowly toward Eric.
Eric, not expecting such a sudden proximity, grew flustered. He tried to push himself back, but in his haste, his hands didn't find proper purchase on the sand. With a jolt, Eric lost his balance and fell flat onto the ground.
Seeing Eric lying there like that, Len didn't stop. He braced both hands on the ground on either side of Eric's head and leaned over him. "Why did you get so scared?" Len asked from very close, a hint of laughter dissolved in his voice.
Eric tried to control his quickening breath. His face had flushed, and he felt unsettled by Len's proximity. "Because you... you suddenly came so close to me," Eric said, gesturing for him to move back. "Can you get off me?"
Len saw the panic hidden in Eric's eyes, and a mischievous smile spread across his face. He tightened his stance even more. "I won't move," he said defiantly.
Suddenly, a heavy and sharp scent wafted through the air. The smell was so intense that Len's nostrils flared, and a strange restlessness raced through his mind. Len's hands, braced on either side of Eric's head, began to tremble violently.
The veins in his body seemed desperate to burst under some invisible pressure, as if a dormant part of him had suddenly awakened.
Then, a sharp wave of pain surged through Len's brain, numbing his consciousness. The balance of his left hand completely gave way, and he collapsed uncontrollably directly onto Eric.
"What happened?" Eric asked in alarm, trying to steady Len's suddenly collapsing body.
Len struggled to lift himself, but then his gaze locked onto Eric's wrist. Because of the fall to the ground, a very fine scratch had appeared on Eric's wrist. The wound was so small that perhaps no one would have noticed, but a tiny bead of blood seeping from it glistened in the sunlight.
The moment he saw that red hue, the color of Len's golden eyes began to shift. The gold slowly faded away, replaced by a menacing crimson. His pupils dilated, and his gaze fixed on the wound as if it were the only thing left in the entire world.
Before Eric could grasp what was happening, Len snatched his wrist with his hands. His grip was so tight and merciless that Eric's skin began to turn white. Len's face was bowed down, his breath was heavy, and his entire focus was on that seeping blood.
Eric couldn't see the terrifying transformation in his eyes, but he could feel the steely pressure of Len's fingers on his wrist—a grip akin to that of a predator.