Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 563

"Lucius, why did you pull me like—"

Florian's words caught in his throat. His eyes widened in shock when he realized who it was that had grabbed him.

"Lucius?" he whispered, but the butler's hand was already over his mouth, firm yet trembling.

"Shh." Lucius's voice was low, urgent, almost pleading. "Your Highness, please don't make a sound. There's…" He hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the end of the corridor.

Florian saw it immediately in his expression—fear.

"…people who aren't supposed to be here," Lucius finished, his voice barely audible.

Florian's heartbeat quickened. Lucius peered around the corner toward the entrance of the safe room. His jaw clenched.

"…are here."

The words sank into Florian's chest like ice.

'The princesses… Cashew—!'

His thoughts were cut off by a voice that did not belong in the palace.

"I know you're there, glasses."

It was deep, rough, and cruelly amused. The kind of voice that reeked of confidence—the kind that knew blood was coming.

Lucius's entire body went rigid. The hand that covered Florian's mouth trembled slightly, his breathing uneven. Florian's eyes met his, and for the first time, he saw the butler—his calm, unshakable Lucius—look afraid.

'These… are the rogues. But how? How did they get in? How—'

"And the little prince," the voice continued, sing-song and mocking, "the one and only—you're there too, ain't ya?"

Florian's blood ran cold.

'They know. They know we're here.'

"You can pretend all you like. Stay hidden if you want," the man said, the sound of his boots echoing closer, "but…"

There was a rustle. The creak of a door. Then gasps—female voices.

The princesses.

Florian's stomach dropped.

"Here, take this one." A new voice, sharp and unfamiliar, followed.

Then came a sound that tore at him—a squeak of fear, then a choked sob.

And a scream.

"Athena!"

It was Scarlett's voice—shaken but filled with fury.

"Let her go! Let… let her go!"

"Shut up!" one of the men barked. "Or I'll hurt ya."

Florian moved instinctively, his body jerking forward, but Lucius's grip tightened on his arm.

"Please! Just take me!" Scarlett shouted again, voice breaking.

"No, Scarlett!" Athena cried out, sobbing. "No, please, just let… just let it be me! Don't hurt her!"

Florian's chest constricted. His pulse pounded in his ears.

"Lucius, we… we have to help. We have to—" he whispered urgently.

"No, Your Highness," Lucius whispered back, shaking his head, eyes darting between the shadows. "We have to get out of—"

A scream cut through his words.

A scream so sharp and terrified it silenced everything else.

"AH!"

"Athena!"

Florian moved before he could reason—he shoved Lucius aside and lunged toward the sound.

Athena dangled like a cruel puppet, her hair twisted in a thug's fist, boots kicking uselessly against the air.

Her face was white, tears streaking through the grime on her cheeks, and the smell of sweat and something metallic—blood?—hung heavy in the corridor.

"Let her go!" Florian shouted, voice raw, every instinct burning hotter than fear. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Four men filled the doorway: broad-shouldered, rough-faced, the kind of hands that did things and never asked permission. One of them laughed, the sound ugly in the quiet room.

The others held knives like casual ornaments. Their boots thudded against marble with the confidence of predators.

Florian felt the cold press of panic across his ribs.

'I can't— I won't—' The thought felt like a plea that wouldn't reach past the ringing in his ears.

"I'm who you want, right? I—" he began, but another voice cut in.

"No, Your Highness!" Cashew's small, high voice flew between them. The servant barreled forward on a reckless run, butterflies trailing him like a dozen trembling lanterns.

'What is he—' Florian barely had time to think before the boy threw himself at one of the rogues and was knocked down, sobbing and scrambling.

"Go! Go, Your Highness! Please!" Cashew cried, clutching at Florian's sleeve even as he fought the men. Tears streaked his face, but there was steel under the fear.

"Cashew—" Florian's protest died in his throat.

"No! You cannot get kidnapped again! Sir Lucius and I will handle this, please." The little servant's words were urgent, desperate—brave in a way that made Florian's chest ache.

Athena's voice cracked. "Please listen to Cashew, Your Highness!"

But the rogues only jeered. One waved a knife and spat, "Are you all forgetting we're here? We ain't letting that prince go. You either come here, or we kill this little bitch."

"Don't—just go!" Cashew shoved at Florian, hands shaking as he pushed.

Lucius stood frozen, eyes wide, his composure shattered into thin, stunned pieces.

He looked from the princesses to Florian, to the intruders—helpless, like an actor who'd missed his cue.

Florian's legs trembled as he stepped back, heart hammering. This was a hostage situation—clear, cold, and brutal. Athena's frantic sobs cut into him; Cashew's pleading was a physical weight on his shoulders.

'Why aren't there any knights? Weren't they… supposed to be here…?' The thought slipped into his mind like an accusation, and with it came a new, sharper dread—this wasn't a random raid.

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