The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 35: “Seems you slept well,”

After several more attempts at convincing him, Soren finally relented and allowed himself to rest, slumping sideways across the seat beside Alaric as dawn slowly crept over the horizon. The pale light filtering through the carriage curtains did little to hide how exhausted he looked with his gaunt complexion and dark shadows lingering beneath his eyes.

It was obvious that he had been forcing himself awake for far too long.

In the end, it was Alaric himself who curtly ordered him to sleep, reminding him that the journey ahead was still far from over.

At the front of the procession rode the knights of Davenmore, led by their vice-captain, accompanied by a contingent of elite guards tasked with securing the entourage’s passage to the temple. Their formation was tight and disciplined, with steel and banners moving in practiced rhythm along the road.

Cael, as expected, positioned himself at the forefront as well, flanked closely by his personal guards, along with his presence unmistakable even from a distance.

Inside Alaric’s carriage, the ride was less composed as he noticed how Soren’s head occasionally knocked against the cushioned wall as the wheels jolted over uneven ground, yet he made no move to assist him.

It was not his concern or so he told himself.

However, when Soren’s sleeping body suddenly tipped forward, his balance slipping dangerously toward the carriage floor, Alaric reacted without thinking.

His hand shot out, catching Soren mid-fall and that realization struck him a heartbeat later.

He stiffened, jaw tightening as he registered the warmth beneath his grip and the undeniable fact that he had just touched a commoner, one he had no intention of growing accustomed to.

He had always despised unnecessary physical contact, and this was no exception especially knowing Soren’s identity and status. Yet Soren remained asleep, his breathing steady and his earlier stubborn insistence on staying awake rendered meaningless.

Alaric held him there for a moment with Soren’s shoulders tucked beneath his arm and his head lolling to the side in unguarded peace. Within just a few seconds, a wave of irritation rose in Alaric’s chest or disgust even but it was abruptly dulled by something else.

Subtle, almost imperceptible, Soren’s healing aura began to seep out unconsciously along with a gentle warmth threading through the air. At that time, Alaric felt the tension in his body ease with his thoughts slowing despite himself.

Scowling, he attempted to set Soren back upright, but the movement only caused the limp body to slide again. With the carriage still swaying and no stable way to keep him seated, Alaric found himself left with little choice.

He pulled Soren closer and laid him carefully across his own lap.

"How strange... I feel calm," Alaric muttered under his breath, his eyelids growing heavy as he fought the unfamiliar drowsiness creeping in.

He then shifted slightly, then abruptly withdrew the hand that had settled at Soren’s hip, as though burned by the realization of where it had been.

Still, he remained where he was, rigid and conflicted, staring ahead while sleep threatened to claim him alongside the very person he least expected to be affected by.

On the other hand, despite riding in a separate carriage and keeping his gaze fixed on the man seated across from him, Cael’s thoughts kept drifting to the carriage behind them—

more precisely, to the person within it.

Soren.

When Cael shifted his attention back, he caught the faint tension in Caelius’s posture. It was subtle and almost imperceptible like the way his shoulders were just a touch too stiff, the way his hands rested together a little too neatly on his lap.

He didn’t flinch outright, but there was a carefulness to him, as though he were constantly measuring his reactions.

Cael’s lips curved faintly. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Caelius paused for half a second before answering. His fingers tightened together briefly, then relaxed. "No, Your Highness," he said, meeting Cael’s eyes with practiced composure.

"Hm. How odd." Cael leaned back slightly. "That’s usually the appropriate reaction when facing someone of my status. Yet strangely enough, a colleague of yours didn’t appear uncomfortable at all even despite falling asleep on my bed."

Caelius’s expression remained composed, but the tips of his ears reddened faintly. His gaze flickered downward for a moment before returning. Whatever he wanted to say, he swallowed it. "I... I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, Your Highness."

"Of course," Cael replied, tilting his head with an amused hum. "Perhaps he was simply born without much expression. Or perhaps," he added, his smile sharpening just slightly, "he doesn’t feel the need to fear me."

Caelius held his silence with confusion tightening subtly around his eyes. Then he sat straighter, choosing caution over curiosity while Cael continued to smile far too entertained for such an early hour.

"Well then," Cael continued lightly, as though merely making conversation, "what do you think of him? As a healer, I mean."

Caelius’s response came a fraction too quickly. "I wouldn’t know, Your Highness."

The prince’s smile widened, slow and knowing. "Is that so?" He let the words linger before chuckling softly. "Come now. You know precisely who I’m referring to." His gaze sharpened just a touch. "Surely even someone with your... admirably quiet demeanor has heard those insignificant fools flapping their tongues whispering about my supposed favoritism."

Caelius inhaled, measured and controlled as his fingers pressed together once more before he spoke. "Rumors travel easily among the ranks, Your Highness," he said carefully. "That doesn’t make them worth listening to."

Cael hummed in apparent agreement, still watching him far too closely. "And yet," he murmured, amused, "you listened enough to know exactly which rumors I meant."

This time, Caelius still did not respond. He simply lowered his gaze in respectful silence.

"Tch, fine. I’ll humor you instead," Cael said at last, waving the matter away with feigned impatience. "So, what do you think of Soren? Surely you have some idea about him, yes? Considering he’s spent far more time with you than with me."

Caelius hesitated but as his gaze shifted aside, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, instinct urging him to avoid the question altogether. But turning away now would only invite suspicion, and he had no desire to place himself on poor terms with the prince.

"Would you prefer an honest answer, Your Highness?" he asked carefully.

Cael’s expression brightened with interest. "Mm, now we’re talking. Go on, then."

At that moment, memories surfaced unbidden with such scenes where Caelius had long tried to ignore. He thought of Soren moving tirelessly among the wounded with his hands steady even as words meant to humiliate him were thrown his way.

Insults, groping hands, constant harassment, verbal and otherwise but none of it ever changed the way Soren worked.

If someone was wounded, Soren would tend to them and it did not matter how cruel they were to him in return.

"Soren is kind," Caelius said slowly, choosing each word with care. "Gentle or perhaps... too kind." He exhaled softly. "So kind that he doesn’t always realize when others are taking advantage of him, Your Highness. Even I struggle to understand his principles at times."

His eyes closed briefly as one memory sharpened above the rest especially that time when the hilt of a sword crack against Soren’s forehead that made the blood immediately spilled down his skin. The reason was that the knight was feeling disgusted upon knowing that he’s being treated by a commoner, yet Soren had not protested.

Not even a word.

He had merely wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and continued his work.

Everyone around them had been watching where some people looked genuinely concerned while others seemed oddly entertained. A few even laughed under their breath, as if what was happening to Soren was something he deserved.

Then, Caelius opened his eyes again with carefully composed expression. "That is the kind of man he is," he finished quietly.

"What an interesting person," Cael said with a sigh, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Don’t you agree?"

"I... wouldn’t know what to say, Your Highness," Caelius replied as he lifted his gaze and met Cael’s eyes directly this time, which only earned a soft chuckle from the prince.

"Hah." Cael laughed lightly. "That’s exactly why I’m drawn to that commoner. He’s entertaining." His smile widened, eyes glinting. "I can’t seem to get enough of him. Mm... I do wonder how long he’ll be able to keep amusing me. It’s rather exciting."

Hearing that, Caelius felt a quiet weight settle in his chest.

’How unfortunate,’ he thought grimly, watching as Cael leaned back and closed his eyes, the smirk still firmly in place. ’Of all people, you had to catch the attention of someone like him, Soren. I even barely said anything,’ Caelius continued inwardly, unease tightening his stomach, ’yet His Highness looks delighted. Just what did you do to draw the interest of someone so cunning?’

When morning light finally filtered into the carriage, Soren jolted awake with a sharp breath. He froze, eyes widening as he realized where he was, then hastily and quietly shifted away from Alaric, nearly stumbling as he removed himself from the man’s lap.

"H-How shameless of me... to fall asleep on his noble lap," Soren whispered, panic creeping into his voice.

He retreated to the opposite bench, sitting rigidly as he quickly checked himself, as if expecting to find some further offense he had committed. When he dared to look up again, he found Alaric already awake, watching him.

"Seems like you slept well," Alaric remarked.

His tone carried a hint of teasing, though his expression remained unreadable. Even as he spoke, part of him intended to ease Soren’s guilt yet his thoughts stubbornly clung to his ingrained disdain for commoners.

"I-I didn’t realize how it happened, Your Grace," Soren said hastily, bowing his head. "My apologies. I will accept any punishment for sleeping on your noble lap... and for making physical contact with someone as lowly as myself."

The words struck harder than Alaric expected along with a sudden, unfamiliar ache throbbed in his chest at how naturally Soren demeaned himself, as though such thoughts were second nature. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Haa..." Alaric let out a slow sigh, turning his gaze away, uncertain of how to respond for the first time in a long while.

On the other hand, Thalric was speaking to one of his aides.

"Good," he said firmly. "Make sure everything is fully prepared before they arrive."