Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 107

Chapter 107: ’Too Close’

"Do I need to do something?" Florian asked, his voice tinged with confusion. "I was only planning on giving him a piece of my mind."

"As in... you’re going to scold him?" Heinz asked, raising a single brow, his tone laced with curiosity.

"Yes? I’m annoyed, but I hardly think it’s worth punishing him over," Florian replied, his voice firm yet casual.

"Mhm. You’re quite mature, no?" Heinz remarked, sitting up straighter as he placed his quill down with deliberate care. His piercing gaze seemed to study Florian anew. "How old are you, really? And do you remember your actual name?"

’Sometimes, I still think it’s weird how he just casually accepted that I’m not Florian, without a trace of doubt,’ Florian thought, feeling a small knot of unease form in his stomach. "I’m twenty-five, and yes... I remember my name."

"Twenty-five? So, you’re older than I am." Heinz leaned back slightly, tilting his head as if recalculating something. "Do you remember where you’re from?"

"Not exactly," Florian lied, resting his palms flat against his thighs, grounding himself. "But I do know that where I come from, magic doesn’t exist."

Heinz’s expression shifted ever so slightly, though it was hard to tell whether it was amusement or understanding. "Concordia is the only kingdom with magic, so that’s not surprising," Heinz said. He paused, his gaze briefly flickering to the quill he’d abandoned. "And... where do you think—"

He stopped himself mid-sentence, hesitation flickering in his eyes. Florian tilted his head slightly, waiting for him to continue, curiosity piqued.

"Never mind," Heinz muttered, shaking his head as if dismissing an irrelevant thought. "Come here. Check what I’ve written and see if it fits with the plan you made."

Florian blinked at the sudden change in topic but stepped closer without questioning it. He stood beside Heinz’s chair, leaning down to peer at the document sprawled across the desk. The faint scent of parchment and ink mingled with the faint trace of Heinz’s cologne. It was strangely grounding.

’Mhm,’ Florian thought as his eyes skimmed the neat script.

And then his eyes stopped.

’Eh?’

His chest tightened as he processed the words before him, the meaning sinking in like a heavy stone dropped into still water.

"What do you think?" Heinz asked, his voice calm but expectant.

"I—" Florian stammered, his thoughts racing. His mind offered a plethora of responses—’Are you out of your mind?’ or ’Have you completely lost it?’—but none of them seemed appropriate.

"Isn’t this... a bit much?" he finally managed, trying to sound neutral despite the disbelief threatening to color his tone.

"How so?" Heinz asked, his expression unchanging as he glanced at the paper.

’Is he seriously asking me this?’

Florian pointed to a particularly alarming section of the plan. "Your Majesty, creating scenes like this to test the princesses... isn’t it a bit excessive?" he asked slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"Being a queen of Concordia—my queen—requires not only the skill to be a mother to the kingdom, but it also demands mental strength," Heinz explained, his tone resolute.

Florian sighed inwardly. ’I mean, yeah. Having Heinz as a partner? Terrifying. But...’

He hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. The tests outlined in the document felt almost cruel, but Florian could sense that Heinz wasn’t someone who entertained second-guessing once his mind was set. And Florian wasn’t in a position to test the limits of Heinz’s patience.

They were leaning over the same paper, their faces close—too close.

’No shit,’ Florian thought bitterly, trying to gather his dignity as he scrambled to his feet. "I—I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I realized I was too close and jumped," he mumbled, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes.

’Overreaction? You’ve almost killed me multiple times and pulled my hair the first time we met,’ Florian thought, forcing a strained smile. "Right. Sorry."