World's Best Protagonist [BL]

The room fell into a deafening silence. Both Noir and Eugene just stared at each other; one was astonished, the other was displeased.

Eugene loomed over Noir, there was no ounce of shame in his face after calling Noir his intended. He was not jesting, and it was something that Noir dreaded the most. On top of it, Eugene said it with the kind of solemn, unwavering tone that sounded more like an oath than flirtation.

Noir blinked, the words caught in his throat. Then, at last, he found his voice.

"I’m a man," he said flatly, leaning back in the chair to put some space between them, though there was hardly any left.

"Whatever engagement you had with Eleanor—that’s not happening. Because Eleanor doesn’t exist. She never did. It was just a name, and you said you knew it already."

Eugene stared down at him in silence, then tilted his head slightly, his expression softened. He nodded his head and answered at last, "Indeed."

Noir’s breath caught. "Then, why does it seem like you are still hoping for it to happen, Your Grace? Or were you just jesting?"

"Yes, and no, Your Highness."

That quiet, assured confession made the air still. Noir’s pupils shook. Eugene’s answer was clear and direct, that even if he wanted to fool himself, there was no getting away from it.

Eugene’s eyes did not waver. "I have known that deadly secret of yours for years already. If I am opposed to this engagement, I would have declined it—"

"Then, why did you accept it? Was it because it was the emperor’s order? The Duke of Lewellyn can refuse, and the emperor won’t be able to touch them even if it displeases him so. I don’t believe that your father was threatened, or you."

"You are right, Your Highness." Eugene inched closer. "So, what do you think? Why is it that I kept the princess’s secret for so long, stayed clueless, and continued this engagement?"

"You’re insane," Noir muttered, rising from the chair, but Eugene followed him with his gaze. He looked away from the man because he couldn’t look at those intense eyes that seemingly dug through his soul.

"No," Eugene said calmly, "I simply never understood why your gender should matter in the first place."

Noir finally looked at him like he’d grown a second head. "Then you’re saying—you’re still bound to this engagement? You have no desire to break it even after knowing the truth?"

Eugene gave a slow nod. "Yes. And I have no reason to break it."

"You do! I’m not—" Noir was flustered, angry, cornered. "I’m not someone who can offer you anything. I can’t be your duchess. I’m not a lady to warm your bed and bear you heirs. I’m the opposite of everything you need as a duke—"

"Why should you be the one adjusting to me, Your Highness?" Eugene interrupted, his voice was firm yet gentle. "I am your loyal servant. Use me. Tell me what you want, and I will make it happen with the best of my ability. You don’t have to shoulder everything alone, Your Highness."

Noir stumbled back, lips parting in disbelief. The Lewellyns have been loyal to the throne, as one of the founding families of the empire alongside the Rozentine—the imperials, and the Hedgens—the other duke’s family.

"If you’re doing this because you want the throne—"

"I have absolutely no desire to sit in that place." Eugene’s face darkened. "On the contrary, that seat is rightfully yours. If you want to get revenge, use me as your sword. I am willing to—"

"Please, don’t speak of such things so casually, Duke Lewellyn," Noir cut him off. He couldn’t step away because the duke’s towering figure was before him, blocking his path, and by the looks of it, he had no intention of moving out of his way.

"Forgive me, Your Highness." Eugene sighed. "But if you intend to continue to hide your identity, keeping our engagement will be of great help to you."

Noir massaged his temple, expressing how troubled he was with all these situations. "Still, this isn’t right."

Silence reigned between them. Noir finally pushed Eugene away. Eugene took a step backward, but as Noir’s hand pulled away from him, he grabbed it tightly and brought it to his chest. Noir’s back shuddered from the touch.

He contemplated. If he looked up, he would surely meet those purple eyes staring at him like he was the only one that mattered. He bit his lower lip, and his head remained lowered.

"Is it because of Etienne?" Eugene asked suddenly, and there was something dangerous in the way he said the name. His eyes, usually cold and sharp, glinted with jealousy and fear. "Or is there someone else, Your Highness?"

Noir stiffened. He suddenly recalled that person’s cold, indifferent face, which always broke into annoyance upon seeing him or just hearing his voice. Then, the image of their reflection on the water, lips accidentally touching, resurfaced in his mind again.

He shook his head once, trying to erase that accident of him with the vice captain. He answered the duke with a dismissive tone, "He’s just a friend."

Eugene’s gaze bore into him. Noir felt him squeeze his hand, before he let it go gently. He thought he was freed, but then his chin was tilted up by the duke’s finger instead.

Noir expected Eugene to probe further, forcing him to tell more about Etienne’s origin, which he was certain the duke had someone look into already, but he only met his eyes tenderly gazing at him.

It was so soft and sincere that he was at a loss for words.

Then, Eugene stated, his pained voice betrayed the tenderness in his eyes. "What else shall I do for you to trust me completely, Prince Ilya?"

Noir froze. This was it. This is what he was waiting for—for Eugene to prove his loyalty. He couldn’t just blindly trust his words, so he wanted to test him without expressing it directly.

After arranging his schemes in his head, he began acting.

"...Etienne is someone I met in the forest," he finally said, his voice softer than before. "When I escaped from the slave traders. He nursed me back to health, but then we got caught again and were brought back together in the auction house."

Eugene didn’t interrupt. His expression only turned darker as he listened to his tale of survival.

"And I brought him with me because... I need him to heal someone."

Eugene’s eyes narrowed slightly, but not with suspicion—only curiosity. Noir confirmed that no one was aware of his mother’s condition. His heart was filled with contempt and deep hatred toward the people who forced her existence to be erased.

"My mother," Noir said.

Eugene’s eyes widened a bit. He searched for answers in Noir’s eyes, and he found honesty in them. His jaw clenched. Why did no one ever mention anything about the royal consort? And why couldn’t he remember her?

"She’s sick. Dying. He’s the only one I know who might be able to cure her," Noir added.

"Do you want my help?" Eugene asked quietly.

Noir looked up at him again, his eyes were no longer guarded. For once, he was not putting on a front.

"Yes," he said. "Help me get her back."

Eugene didn’t hesitate, to Noir’s surprise. "Then it will be done." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

So, at that moment, Noir saw it clearly. There was no trace of doubt or hesitation on the duke’s face. No clever lies, not even political ambition. Yet, Noir still held his walls up. Emotions can be masked, words can be filled with lies, and actions can be faked and rehearsed.

Even if he could see devotion and loyalty in Eugene’s eyes—a loyalty so deep it frightened him, Noir still couldn’t bring himself to put his complete trust in him. No one ever stood by his side in this world before, and that belief still remained.

"It won’t be easy," Noir warned.

Eugene smirked. "I’m prepared."

"...You’re a fool," Noir muttered, looking away. He stopped pulling his hand away from Eugene and let him hold onto it.

"Then let me be a fool who stands by your side," Eugene replied. He started playing with his fingers while wearing a satisfied smile on his face.

Noir suddenly felt guilty. His mother was locked up in the East Tower, dying from an incurable disease. His half-brother, the current emperor, merciless and a tyrant, kept her alive to prolong her suffering, and used her to force Noir to do everything he wanted.

Noir had already accepted his mother’s fate, given that she contracted a disease that no one can cure, but then he met Etienne, and ever since then, all he wanted was to bring him back to his world to heal his beloved mother.

He spent the whole day with Eugene. Dinner was served, and thankfully, Etienne was allowed to eat with them. As they burned their food by walking in the garden under the starry night, Noir finally had the chance to confess everything to Etienne.