Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 573

There was only the faintest pause after Florian said, "Come in."

A heartbeat.Two.

Florian used those precious seconds to breathe—to force the tremor out of his hands, to smooth the edge of panic from his voice. He straightened, brushing invisible creases from his clothes as if that would steady the storm inside him.

Then the door opened.

Heinz stepped inside.

Florian's breath caught before he could stop it.

It hadn't even been half a day since he'd seen Heinz in the royal office, yet the man before him now looked… different. Worse.

The imposing aura that usually clung to him—cold, sharp, unshakable—was gone. In its place stood someone hollowed out.

Heinz's eyes looked darker than usual, the skin beneath them shadowed with exhaustion. The faint lines near his mouth were deeper now, and his once perfectly composed posture had lost its iron stiffness.

His black hair, normally immaculate, was tied back messily, a few strands falling over his temples. He wasn't even wearing his formal robes—only a dark tunic and trousers, the kind of thing Florian never thought he'd see the king wear outside his private chambers.

He looked… human.

And that scared Florian more than anything.

He bowed as soon as their eyes met, the motion instinctive, automatic. His heart hammered painfully against his ribs, loud enough he swore Heinz could hear it.

'Stop it. Stop acting like this.'

His hands clenched at his sides, shaking despite himself.

"Your Majesty," Florian greeted, his voice quiet but even. When he lifted his head, he made sure to meet Heinz's gaze—because looking away would only make it worse.

Heinz studied him for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, his expression softened.

"You seem to look better than you did earlier," he said gently, his tone so careful it almost didn't sound like him. "Your face has more color now."

Florian blinked, caught off guard.

He hadn't expected that.

For once, it seemed Heinz had listened—had honored Florian's request from earlier.

"I need my own room," Florian said suddenly, his voice quiet but unyielding. He didn't turn around to look at Heinz. He didn't want to.

Serapion had only just left, his cryptic words still hanging like smoke in the air, and the moment the priest was gone, Florian wanted nothing more than to leave too.

He didn't want to linger—not in this office, not with Heinz, not in the silence that followed every time they were left alone.

He was tired. His body ached for rest. But he couldn't go back to the infirmary either.

Not with Lucius there.

Not with the smell of blood and disinfectant that brought everything back—the screams, the rogues, the moment Lucius fell.

He needed distance.

He needed to breathe.

"Your room is just as it was left," Heinz said after a beat. "Cashew keeps it clean. You can rest there."

Florian heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching—the faint shuffle of boots against the marble.

He could feel the weight of Heinz's presence drawing closer, could almost feel the warmth of his hand reaching out, hesitating midair.

"Please don't." Florian's voice came out sharper than intended, cutting through the space between them.

"Florian, I—"

"You've already said everything you needed to say," Florian interrupted, his tone calm but heavy, "and I've said what I needed to say."

He turned his head slightly, just enough for his gaze to meet Heinz's—cold, tired, and distant. "Please stop… whatever this is. You can force me if you want—you're the king—but know that I'll still be unhappy with it."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify