The moonlight filtered through the thin tent fabric, casting soft shadows over the dimly lit space. Lucian was deep in sleep, exhausted from the relentless training the Duke had put them through.
His body ached, his muscles burned, and his mind swam with fatigue.
But something felt… off.
A presence.
No—several.
Lucian’s instincts screamed at him to wake up, but his body was too sore to move. He forced himself to stay still, pretending to sleep, his mind racing.
Then—a whisper.
“Hey, are you sure this is the right thing to do?”
Lucian’s heart pounded.
“Yes. What are you waiting for? Do it now.”
A second voice—hushed but firm.
Lucian’s breathing quickened.
"Hold his legs and hands. I''ll do it."
WHAT?!
NOPE. NOPE. NOPE.
Before he could think, sheer panic overtook him.
“HELP! HELP!!”
In an instant, the tent exploded into chaos.
“AAAH—WHAT THE HELL, LUCIA—?!”
CRASH! Someone tripped over a stool.
BAM! Another knocked over a pile of wooden crates.
Lucian kicked blindly, scrambling backwards, ready to fight for his life.
Then—a familiar voice.
“L-LUCIAN, IT’S ME! IT’S ME, JAMES—STOP SCREAMING!!”
Lucian froze.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw James, Kane, Joe… and two others standing there, wide-eyed and completely bewildered.
Lucian’s face burned with embarrassment.
James, still recovering from the shock, sighed and rubbed his temples.
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“Okay. Now that my eardrums are shattered… care to explain WHY YOU JUST SCREAMED LIKE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS?!”
Lucian shifted awkwardly. “I—I thought you guys were trying to… um…”
The five of them leaned in, waiting.
Lucian gulped. “…do something to me.”
Silence.
Then—
Kane SNORTED.
Then Joe.
Then Lucy.
Then, all five of them BURST into laughter.
Lucian felt like disappearing into the earth.
James, wiping away tears, gasped, “Wait, wait—YOU THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA WHAT?!”
Lucy, still laughing, clapped his shoulder. "Lucian, my friend, I hate to break it to you, but you are not my type."
Del, grinning, added, “And even if you were, I prefer someone who doesn’t wake up swinging.”
Lucian groaned and covered his face.
“I’M NEVER GOING TO LIVE THIS DOWN, AM I?”
Kane grinned. “Nope.”
Lucian sighed. “…So what are you guys even doing here?”
James grinned again and held up a small jar.
“We brought medicine for you, dumbass.”
Lucian blinked.
James continued, “Your training was brutal today, and we figured you’d be sore. But you were sleeping so peacefully, so we thought we’d just apply it without waking you up.”
Lucian stared at them, completely stunned.
They… cared?
For a moment, his throat tightened.
No one had ever done something like this for him before.
Then, Kane ruined the moment.
"And then SOMEONE had to ruin it by screaming bloody murder."
More laughter.
Lucian rolled his eyes, still trying to fight back a smile.
James smirked. “Now, shut up and lie down so we can fix you.”
Lucian hesitated. “…Thank you.”
Kane gave him a playful shove. “Rule of friendship, idiot—no ‘thank yous’ or ‘sorries.’”
Lucian’s heart clenched.
Friendship.
For the first time… he had friends.
His eyes burned, but he quickly wiped away the tears before anyone noticed.
James did.
But instead of saying anything, he just smiled.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” James muttered, rolling up Lucian’s sleeves.
Lucian yelped. “WAIT—THE MEDICINE STINGS—”
“Too late.”
And with one quick slap of the ointment,
Lucian screamed.
After Lucian finished suffering under their “care,” James finally introduced the two new faces.
James gestured toward the cheerful, red-haired noble. “This is Lucy Decardo. His father’s a Baron in the Decardo Estate, somewhere in the countryside.”
Lucy grinned and waved. “I have four older brothers who are all knights, and my dad sent me here because he thinks I’ll be useless if I don’t ‘toughen up.’”
Lucian nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Then James motioned to the quiet, sharp-eyed boy with dark hair. “And this is Del Neiro. His dad’s a merchant, and he and Lucy have been best friends since childhood.”
Del gave a polite nod. “Pleasure.”
Lucian smiled. “I’m Lucian.”
Kane snickered. “Yeah, we kinda figured.”
Everyone laughed again.
For the first time in his life, Lucian felt something warm spread through his chest.
He had always been alone.
He had always been forgotten.
But now…
For the first time—
He felt like he belonged.
As the night went on, they talked and laughed, sharing stories and jokes.
Eventually, the others headed back to their tents, leaving Lucian alone with his thoughts.
He lay back, staring at the ceiling, smiling.
"Maybe…"
"Just maybe… things are finally changing."
And for the first time in years—
Lucian slept peacefully.
They all stay together for some time, and then they all go to their tent to sleep.