Dear Knight Commander

Born into poverty, Karl despised the royal family of Tanaki more than anything before he enlisted, especially Prince Julius, with his beautiful black hair.

But during a martial arts sparring match, that very refined prince knocked him flat.

With his back to everyone else, Julius bent down slightly, bringing himself close to Karl. His teasing words were only audible to the two of them. "Still think I'm girly?"

The tip of his braid lightly brushed Karl's cheek, carrying a faint lemon scent, like shampoo.

///

Karl couldn't accept losing to Julius like that. He pestered the instructor to let him train extra in secret, and his skills steadily improved until he became Julius's personal sparring partner.

After countless bouts and countless scuffles, their rough physical contact began to change.

Julius noticed something was off almost at once, then smiled.

The prince didn't pull away. Instead, the hand that had been clenched into a fist now gripped Karl's chin. With a teasing smile, he said, "How did I not know you had feelings like that for a prince?"

His rosy, thin lips curled upward, mischief lurking in his deep, charming eyes.

Absurd.

///

Their love and relationship had no one's blessing. Yet before the great battle, Julius made a show of lowering his head and kissing Karl on the forehead in front of everyone. "Go, my captain of the guard. I'll be waiting for you at home."

# A handsome prince with a soft heart and a sharp tongue X a loyal, devoted captain of the guard

# The complete novel is already written and finished. Feel free to dive in and bookmark it.

# I don't worry about logic. I write for fun, so you can have a good time reading before bed.

Theme: You have a home to return to. I'll always be waiting here for you.