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

Seeing would be great. But Luca was certain it wouldn’t be enough, so he barrelled toward him at top speed, feet pounding against the ground with reckless determination.

”Oof—!”

Xavier barely had time to register the blur of movement before instinct kicked in. His arms came up on their own, catching his sprinting wife mid-impact and pulling him securely against his chest. The sudden force made him stagger a step back, surprise flashing across his face even as his hold tightened automatically.

”Luca? Is something wrong?” the Prince asked at once.

He had only been stationed at the Arcade Redemption Booth temporarily, filling in while Princess Kira was given a short break. This was not exactly a place where one expected to be tackled by one’s spouse.

Concern settled in quickly. Xavier shifted his grip and did a quick preliminary assessment, checking for injuries or any signs of pain. It was unusual for Luca to stray from his schedule like this, so he couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong. But when he finally looked down to find his face, the husband saw only shining eyes staring back at him.

It was as beautiful as it was alarming.

Yes. Such beautiful gems that always shone without a care in the world. But eyes like those rarely sparkled without reason.

They had triggers.

Unspeakable triggers that usually demanded a strong heart and an even stronger imagination.

So just what could it be this time?

Then, to his surprise, his little wife blurted out, ”Thank you!”

The words came out bright and earnest.

”Thank you so much!” Luca repeated, voice full of cute sincerity as he clutched at Xavier’s shoulders.

”For what?” Xavier asked, genuinely puzzled.

”I heard about what you did! And I can’t thank you enough!”

”So you ran all the way here just to tell me that?” Xavier said, a small smile forming as he adjusted his hold. Luca had already wrapped his legs around the Prince’s waist, and Xavier simply carried him without comment.

”Yes!” Luca nodded eagerly. ”I wanted to see you and wanted to thank you properly!”

”It was a small matter,” Xavier replied calmly. ”Between us, there’s no need to thank me for what I ought to do.”

He said it easily, but his words slowed when he noticed Luca’s gaze. Those golden eyes were growing increasingly expectant, leaning closer and closer as if waiting for something important. Something specific.

With a gaze like that, how could the devoted husband not know what his little wife wanted?

”...But you’re very welcome,” Xavier added.

Those golden orbs widened immediately, bright enough that it felt like they might swallow him whole if he failed to say the usual magic words.

However, before Xavier could continue into his customary thoughts about rewards and gratitude, Luca suddenly declared, ”I want to be just like you!”

”Huh?”

”Princess Kira said she wanted to be just like you,” Luca continued earnestly. ”And I feel the same way!”

”...You want to be like me?” Xavier repeated.

Somewhere deep inside, a sense of impending calamity stirred. For reasons he could not fully explain, the Imperial Crown Prince thought it sounded like a terrible idea. One of himself was already more than enough. Two would just be torture.

In fact, he was pretty certain one particular adjutant would be against the idea from its very inception.

”Yes!” Luca said without hesitation. ”I want to be the best like you! Someone reliable and dependable! Someone who could share your burdens!”

His hands rested firmly on Xavier’s shoulders as he spoke, eyes steady and sincere.

The Crown Prince fell quiet.

He looked at Luca and realized that he was completely serious. But of all people, it was his wife who should never have to worry about being reliable or dependable.

”But you’re already like that,” Xavier said gently.

Luca blinked, then frowned.

”No,” he said, shaking his head in confusion. ”That can’t be right. I rarely hear about concerns. And when I do, it’s usually after they’ve already been solved. How could I be dependable like that?”

Xavier chuckled softly. ”Those are small matters. Things I can most definitely solve.”

He adjusted his grip slightly, keeping Luca comfortably supported. ”In truth, you’re usually solving problems I have no way of solving at all.”

Luca froze.

”Oh.”

He stared at the handsome face of his husband, clearly processing that.

”Really?” Luca asked, tilting his head with genuine surprise. He truly had not thought so.

”Yes,” Xavier said. Then, after a brief pause, his tone shifted just slightly. ”But if you could do your husband a small and selfish favor, I hope you’d listen to a request.”

”!!!”

Luca stiffened instantly, eyes widening as his full attention snapped into place.

__

Finally! A request!

Luca visibly braced himself, excitement lighting him up from head to toe. It was incredibly rare for his husband to ask for anything, and the moment had finally come. He was ready. Completely ready.

He half-expected a crisis. Or maybe being asked to fetch some rare, shiny pearl from somewhere absurdly exciting. Perhaps even something dramatic and heroic. The same way his husband dealt with all the problems that had come his way, without him even knowing.

Instead, Xavier said calmly, ”When possible, especially for unfamiliar places, I would appreciate it if you could please tell me where you’re going.”

The little chipmunk blinked.

Once.

Twice.

”Huh?”

Xavier hesitated, then continued, clearly choosing his words with care. ”I... no. We were deeply worried earlier. We probably had nothing to worry about, but it was something that couldn’t be helped.”

His voice stayed steady, but there was a quiet weight behind it as he recalled how the rest of them turned deathly pale just this morning.

”While we all trust and believe in you and your capabilities, it’s only natural to worry about our loved ones. And I especially worry about you.”

Luca stilled, listening.

”I have no intention of stopping you from doing what you enjoy,” Xavier went on. ”Nor would I ever want you to slow down your progress so I could catch up. But all I ask is that you leave me with a general direction. So I can follow.”

His arms tightened just a little, a tiny show of how he desperately wanted to follow.

”I’ll likely be slow,” Xavier admitted. ”And sometimes it might not work right away. But I would follow. However, to do that as fast as possible, it would be best to have a general direction.”

For Xavier, that was truly all.

He had no qualms about anything else. In fact, it wasn’t even Luca’s fault in the first place, so he already felt unfair about having to ask him to do such a thing. Luca had never chosen to abandon his loved ones. He didn’t run away with the intent to leave others behind.

But they couldn’t change the fact that it had happened before.

And they couldn’t risk it happening again.

Because of the nature of their bond, they usually knew where the other was. Not always precisely, but definitely more than enough to feel a certain level of calmness.

So imagine suddenly feeling nothing.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly nothing, but compared to how it felt when they were both having that out-of-body experience, it was as if he suddenly found it difficult to pinpoint his wife’s exact presence.

The sudden shift was deeply unsettling. A quiet panic that lingered in the chest long after reason insisted everything should be fine.

Xavier would never wish that feeling on anyone.

Least of all on his beloved.