How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again

“Haa…… Pardon?”

Immersed in the afterglow of the kiss, Renato blinked in surprise at the unexpected request. Sleep here? He looked at Khalid with a puzzled expression, wondering if he had heard it correctly. Despite knowing that Khalid didn’t mean it that way, his ears were burning.

“I’ve seen your wound, so I can’t send you back to the Imperial Palace.”

Khalid slid down his hand and clasped the back of Renato’s hand. Renato’s shoulders twitched as the man gently stroked the back of his hand with his thumb.

“Please sleep here for just one day, hmm?”

Smooch, smooch. Khalid kissed Renato’s lips softly, made eye contact with him, and bent his eyes seductively. The light purple eyes where excitement remained shook finely at the man’s mysterious yet tender gaze.

Is this what it feels to be bewitched?

Having almost nodded his head unconsciously for a moment, Renato managed to come to his senses and closed his eyes tightly before reopening them. Then, from a distance close enough for their eyelashes to touch, he saw red eyes shining brightly. Renato gulped when those eyes asked for an answer.

“But, the etiquette……”

Renato barely spoke up and slurred his words instead of rejecting Khalid’s suggestion. He didn’t want to return to the palace, either. But he didn’t want to make any mistakes.

“If anyone says something about it, please say that I persisted and stubbornly held you back from returning to the palace.”

Knowing what Renato was worried about, Khalid caressed the back of his hand. He definitely would not send Renato back today.

It is difficult the first time, but once a person has used violence, they are likely to raise their hand again. Renato dealt with Blanche properly this time, but one never knew what would happen next. The intensity of the violence would only get worse and never diminish.

Khalid recalled the Blanche he had met yesterday. He seemed to be obviously dissatisfied with this marriage. He didn’t even try to hide that. So he attacked Renato today probably due to that malice.

That meant he would doubtlessly continue to bother Renato in the future. Today’s incident may have dampened his spirit, but conversely, his hostility could have grown stronger. Either way, as there was a physical conflict, it was better not to bump into Blanche again at least for today.

“Then you will be in trouble, your highness……”

“I won’t be in trouble. It’s best to follow the Empire’s custom as much as possible since our marriage takes place in the Empire, but there is an international treaty saying couples should respect each other’s culture in international marriages, right?”

“Ah.”

Renato let out a small exclamation at Khalid’s explanation. Just like the man’s words, unions between people of noble blood have an overwhelming number of arranged marriages than love marriages, so various rules were enacted to prevent problems related to those. It was to prevent marriages from falling apart and causing international conflicts.

“His Majesty the Emperor’s order to live our newlywed life at the official residence of the Khan Kingdom’s diplomatic office until completion of the Archduke mansion’s interior construction also took advantage of international marriages’ characteristics, right? We can use that excuse, too. There are plenty of holes to get out of.”

“Will that work? Others might be different, but His Majesty the Empress would unconditionally argue about that……”

“If the Empress finds fault with us, you can just say you couldn’t refuse the request from your financé, who doesn’t know much about the Empire’s culture.”

Khalid reassured him. Then, as Renato wavered, he added.

“And technically speaking, we can’t live together before the wedding ceremony, but staying out overnight together isn’t prohibited, is it? After all, we just shouldn’t sleep together in the same bed, right?”

“Uh……”

Is that so? Hearing Khalid’s words, Renato fell into thoughts. The main reason why the Empire did not allow betrothed to live together until the wedding ceremony was to break off the engagement deftly when something unfavorable, such as political changes, occurred in the meantime.

“As far as I know, that custom was established to prevent mishaps of having a child before marriage. When a person gets pregnant before marriage, it will be difficult to break off the engagement and there will be problems with the family register.”

“That’s right.”

Renato nodded in affirmation. When energetic young people spent time together, that kind of occurrence usually happened, leading to unexpected accidents. Therefore, an implicit promise was made to be careful toward each other, and as time passed, it became a custom.

“Then we don’t have any problems, do we?”

“Y, yes……”

An Alpha male and a Beta male would never have children. Renato, realizing the meaning of Khalid’s question, answered awkwardly. Certainly, as he said, even if Blanche or others argued about his staying out, there was a way to refute and escape. He should be at ease knowing so, but on the contrary, his mood subsided.

“So please don’t go back, just sleep here.”

Khalid, unable to detect Renato’s mood sinking, suggested in a quiet voice. The hand that had been stroking the back of Renato’s scratched hand climbed up his slender wrist.

“Hmm.”

Renato, halfway falling for Khalid’s persuasion, murmured with a hesitant face. Despite Khalid offering a solution, he couldn’t readily agree.

“If you are still worried, should we enter the palace together tomorrow morning?”

Staring at Renato who couldn’t easily decide, Khalid cautiously began to speak. Before Renato could notice, the man’s hand had reached his face, caressing his still wet lips.

“Together?”

“Yes, I will ask His Majesty the Emperor to permit you to freely sleep in the official residence before the wedding ceremony.”

Judging from Tristan’s personality that he had grasped, the man wouldn’t oppose much. Khalid was convinced of his thoughts. Rather, Tristan might welcome it with open arms. Even if he tried to oppose it, he would immediately allow it as soon as he heard Blanche had raised his hand against Renato. Perhaps he had already heard the news and was looking for a way.

“If necessary, I will also meet the Empress and Marquis Medus. The Marquis wants us to be closer than now, so he will probably agree. When he agrees, the Empress can’t help it either.”

Khalid said, gently tickling the soft lips that reached his fingertips. Enjoying the soft touch with his hand, he pressed down on Renato’s lower lip before parting his fingers.

“If you’re still worried, let’s just spread a rumor that you can’t return because I like you so much that I don’t want to be separated from you for even a second, well.”

“Pardon?”

Renato looked at Khalid with startled rabbit eyes as the man added some mischievous words.

“Why are you so surprised? Everyone in the Empire thinks that the Khan Kingdom’s grand prince is head over heels for the Empire’s 1st Prince, right? I don’t think it will be a big deal if we say it happened as I’m not good at the Empire’s culture and can’t control my emotions……”

Puzzled by Renato’s reaction, Khalid tilted his head slightly to the side.

“T, that’s true but, uhm, right, it should be so.”

Renato quickly stuttered a reply before giving strength to his lips so that his expression would not turn strange. To outsiders, it was known that Khalid fell in love with him at first sight and fervently courted him. He was just saying they should make use of that without any ulterior motives.

Despite knowing so, hearing from Khalid that he liked him and didn’t want to be separated from him for even a second still momentarily shook him.

Come to your senses.

Renato pushed himself internally and struggled to control his tumultuous mind. He felt an urge to slap his cheeks with both hands. Huu, he took a short deep breath and moved his lips after making up his mind.

“Okay, I’m going to sleep here today as you said, your highness.”

“Really?”

Khalid’s face glowed when he got the answer he desperately wanted. Then, conscious of something that weighed on his heart, he began to speak again.

“If you don’t feel like it, you can just go back. It’s all my greed that I don’t want to let you go. I shouldn’t be saying this after constantly telling you to sleep here until just now, but……”

“……No, I don’t want to go back either.”

Renato, frozen for a short while, answered half a beat later. His heart reacted again when Khalid said he didn’t want to let him go. He didn’t want to get shaken by every word Khalid said but couldn’t help it. The man called it purely his greed, but Renato knew Khalid invited him to stay overnight for his sake. So he was grateful and happy.

“Then I’m glad. Please let me know whenever you feel uncomfortable with my actions. I don’t want to burden you or force you to do something that you don’t want to do.”

Khalid smiled in relief. His beautifully curled lips seemed to tell how delighted he was now.

“Ah, please feel free to say it if there is something you want from me or want to do. Anything is fine, even small things.”

Khalid, who was smiling, quickly said after realizing he had almost forgotten about it. As he recalled, just like what happened a moment ago, he always seemed to be the one demanding and Renato would be the one accepting, so he was inwardly worried.

“Something I want to do……”

Renato quietly recited the words Khalid just added. His gaze turned toward Khalid who was still smiling. To be exact, toward the lips refreshingly curving up.

“Can I really…… say anything?”

“Of course. I will do whatever I can.”

Renato gulped when Khalid answered without hesitation. The moment he saw the smile still remaining on those lips, he suddenly had a thirst full of desire.

Can I be greedy for this much?

Plucking up his little courage, he cautiously reached out to the beautiful lips that had attracted his gaze for a while. Right away, his smooth thumb without a single callus touched the man’s soft lips.

“……Rena, to?”

Looking up at the swaying red eyes startled by his unexpected action, Renato moved his lips. Then, in a faint and trembling voice, he said what he wanted aloud.

“I…… want to kiss, right now.”