Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168: ’Acting Weird...er?’

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Lucius was the first to speak, his voice steady despite the weight behind his words. Of course, he would be the one bold enough to ask.

Heinz’s gaze flickered toward him, then shifted to Lancelot, then to Lysander—but never to Florian. Not even once.

’Hm?’

Florian frowned slightly.

’Is it just me... or is he avoiding looking at me?’

That was... strange. Heinz had never done that before. But for some reason, Florian wasn’t as unsettled by it as he should have been.

"Everyone except Florian, leave the infirmary. I want to speak with him alone."

The command was smooth, decisive—delivered in a tone that usually left no room for argument.

Lucius and Lancelot exchanged brief glances.

"Your Majesty?" Lancelot asked, his brows furrowing. "Why can’t we be here?"

Heinz’s expression remained impassive. "I have to speak with Florian alone. For now, all of you—yes, even you, Lysander—wait outside."

His voice was calm, but beneath the composure was a weight that demanded obedience.

Yet—no one moved.

Lucius’s gaze sharpened. "May we know why?"

A flicker of something passed through Heinz’s expression, but it was gone before Florian could place it.

"It is something I need to discuss with Florian first before addressing you both. Now, why are you hesitating?"

His tone had cooled—not exactly sharp, but edged with warning.

’It must be important if he’s openly dismissing them just to talk to me, but...’

Florian glanced at Lancelot and Lucius. They weren’t just hesitating—they were resisting.

Unusual.

Lucius and Lancelot were sharp. Disciplined. They followed orders without question. But now? Now, they stood there like statues, unmoving.

’Did something happen while I was under the aphrodisiac?’

It didn’t seem like it. Lancelot and Lucius looked calm—too calm. But their refusal to obey immediately was telling.

Lucius’s fists clenched, his knuckles pale with tension. Lancelot’s expression was unreadable, but his stance was rigid, his weight subtly shifted as if readying himself for something.

And Heinz—

Heinz was getting impatient.

Florian took his chance.

"Lucius, Lancelot... can you please leave for a bit so His Majesty and I can talk?"

The moment he spoke, the two flinched.

They turned to him almost too quickly, worry flashing in their eyes.

’Why are they even worried?’

It didn’t make sense.

Again, very unusual.

It was as if they wanted to say something—something important—but in the end, they knew they had no choice.

Lucius moved first. "As you wish." His voice was composed, but there was an edge to it. He bowed, first to Florian, then to Heinz, his gaze lingering longer than necessary.

Lancelot sighed under his breath. "Fine." His muttered response was reluctant, but resigned. He did the same as Lucius, though his bow was quicker, sharper—lacking his usual ease.

Lysander had already left the moment Heinz gave the order.

And then—

Silence.

The infirmary felt emptier. Quieter. The absence of the others left a strange tension in the air.

Heinz exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Hah. This is the first time they weren’t willing to obey my orders. That’s something, isn’t it?"

Florian blinked. "...I..."

’What was I supposed to say to that?’

It almost felt like Heinz had done something—something that made Lucius and Lancelot hesitate to leave him alone with Florian.

But why?

Lucius and Lancelot had always respected Heinz. The only thing they had ever done that could be seen as disobedience was—

’Ah. Right.’

The only thing they had ever done to go against him was falling for a member of Heinz’s harem.

Falling for Florian.

But they had been lucky. Heinz had never cared about Florian in that way.

So why...

Why did it feel different now?

"I think Your Majesty’s words worried them," Florian finally said, watching Heinz closely.

Heinz raised an eyebrow. "To the point that they would blatantly ignore my words and follow yours?"

His arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. Then—finally—he met Florian’s gaze.

And Florian immediately regretted speaking.

’Shit.’

Heinz’s eyes held something weighty. Something unreadable.

Florian refused to look away. For some reason, he felt like he could be honest with Heinz today—more so than before.

His instincts were right.

Because instead of irritation, Heinz merely ran a hand through his hair, exhaling.

"Do you remember anything?" He asked.

Florian frowned. "I remember up until Lancelot and Lucius pulled me out of the ball. It’s hazy after that... but I do remember who gave me the drink."

For a moment—

Something indistinct.

’Did I do something weird, after all?’

’He’s really acting weirder than usual.’

Pride.

’Why...? Why would he look proud?’

’A theory?’

’It was actually Levi who told me.’