The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 1153

Chapter 1153: Protocol

Okay, clearly, the eldest Nox wasn’t going to get through to him that way, so he figured he’d pivot a bit.

"Well, do you even realize what you just said out there? They’ll think..." Killian started, only to realize that despite spending years learning diplomacy and carefully choosing the right words for every conceivable political situation, his vocabulary had apparently abandoned him at the exact moment he needed it most.

He opened his mouth once more, hoping something coherent would emerge. "They’ll think—"

"They’ll think whatever they want to think," Jax replied with surprising ease. "Though they’ll probably think the right thing." He shrugged lightly before adding, "After all, wasn’t I pretty clear?"

Killian couldn’t help but stare.

There wasn’t even a trace of embarrassment on the redhead’s face.

No awkwardness.

No hesitation.

Jax simply stood there with his entire attention fixed on him, not even seeming inclined to blink, and somehow the weight of that unwavering gaze felt heavier than any interrogation the young official had ever endured.

"And besides..." Jax tilted his head ever so slightly. "Shouldn’t what you think matter more? I only figured I’d tell them because wasn’t that the usual protocol?"

USUAL PROTOCOL?!

Where?!

It was admittedly a long shot, but the official, who’d had to practically absorb protocol through his pores from a very young age, couldn’t help but wonder whether there existed any precedent whatsoever for this sort of thing.

Since when had anyone possessed the audacity to announce something like that so openly?

How could such a life-threatening course of action ever become protocol?

And had it really been so, then how many would’ve failed to make it to this day and age?

Unfortunately, none of that seemed to matter, or even apply to the wall before him.

Killian was just about to conjure an answer when Jax seemed to remember something.

"Yep, your thoughts, definitely."

The redhead grew oddly thoughtful.

"But maybe not your words."

His voice lowered just a little as though arriving at a rather curious observation.

"Surprisingly, your words aren’t nearly as honest as your thoughts."

Killian felt his heartbeat skip.

"Then again..." Jax continued, studying him with genuine fascination rather than accusation. "Even your thoughts don’t seem as honest as your body."

Before Killian could even begin deciphering what that was supposed to mean, Jax casually took another step forward.

Instinctively, Killian took one back.

Then another.

His heel struck the wall behind him.

Only then did he realize he’d run out of places to retreat.

Jax stopped directly in front of him.

The difference in height between them had never been particularly significant, amounting to no more than a measly two inches that still made them both formidable in stature. But with the redhead leaning down ever so slightly until they were nearly eye level, Killian suddenly became acutely aware of just how formidable those two short inches really were, and of how little distance now remained between them.

"So..." Jax murmured, sounding genuinely contemplative. "How should we go about this...?"

"What?"

Killian finally found his voice again.

It came out somewhere between disbelief and outright outrage.

"What are you even saying?"

Yet the words lost much of their force almost immediately.

Perhaps it was because Jax was standing much too close.

Perhaps it was because he could feel the warmth radiating from the redhead after everything that had happened.

Or perhaps it was simply because looking directly into those eyes made it strangely difficult to remember every carefully prepared argument he’d intended to make.

Still...

He forced himself to think rationally.

"You listen here," Killian said, drawing in a steadying breath. "I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but saying things like that makes it sound as though you actually like someone." He frowned. "Not only that, but it sounds like you want something permanent with said someone."

"Huh?"

Jax blinked.

"Someone?"

The single word sounded almost puzzled.

He leaned in just a little more, unknowingly crowding even further into Killian’s already nonexistent personal space.

"I thought I specifically asked for you?"

His tone remained completely matter-of-fact.

"You couldn’t possibly have misunderstood who I was pointing at earlier, could you?"

Killian could only suck in a sharp breath.

Reasoning with this guy was becoming increasingly impossible.

"Jackson Taylor."

"All right. Let’s just assume you were talking about me." Killian rubbed at his temple before continuing.

"So you do remember my full name."

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