Chương 153: Watchdog

June leaned over an ornate flat-topped stone railing on a balcony terrace. In his hand, he swirled a full-bodied red wine in a Bordeaux glass, taking care not to spill it onto the partygoers below him. The event was a dragged-out mess; a plethora of political riffraff went and left often under June's nose, despite his ability to sniff out emotions. Several people had tried to sell their sons and daughters to him as consorts, but he had no interest in any of them.

Fortunately, Lilia was better off than June at the moment; while she was unfortunately stuck fraternizing with her royal peers, June's appearance had killed off most attempts by suitors trying to sweep Lilia off her feet, which was the partial purpose that Harth himself and Mortimer were so eager to have June come along.

Even so, as royalty, Lilia, as well as the family, had a duty to fraternize, more often than not, to hold the fragile bonds with unstable kingdoms and strengthen alliances with up-and-coming kingdoms. The function hall was massive; it was comparable to a college town. However, every building was overly ornate and premium; a bubble was even erected around the function hall to protect the converging royalty from external troubles.

The bubble took the breathtaking visage of a starry night, one that was increasingly difficult to find in the mundane realm. June simply leaned against the railing and basked in the starlight, not taking a sip of the wine he had held in his hand for the last hour; the peace of the moment could only have been bettered if Lilia were here to play with his hair, or vice versa.

June had reluctantly separated himself from Lilia after the toil of a social gathering began to affect him; Mortimer and Lilia both urged him to take a step away to momentarily recuperate. And so he did; the balcony terrace he currently stood on was part of an old building, a decommissioned party hall that was undergoing remodeling, apparently due to safety concerns; he had simply waltzed past a few servants and climbed up the stairs to the place he now stood.

Though he begrudgingly separated himself from Lilia, he used his elevated position and superhuman eyes infused with Will to watch over her and the Harths. While Mortimer was a Swiss Army man, June had learned the hard way in the past to never rely on anyone to the degree of helplessness. People of different species, heights, statures, colors, number of limbs, eyes, ears, and shapes crowded the garden party.

June's eyes parsed through all of the Harths rapidly, ensuring their safety before momentarily allowing his eyes to settle on Lilia before repeating the cycle of playing the watchdog. His suit by now had folds and hints of dirt marring the expensive fabrics; he wasn't used to wearing prim clothes after all. However, despite the messiness of his garb, even without his Dreamer aura, he still looked prim enough to put the silver-birthed partygoing nobles and diamond-encrusted royals to breathless shame.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. June's eyes darted back and forth, and back once more, always taking care to watch over everyone without a modicum of spared attention. His mishap with Marcel may have deeply shaken him, to the point where he even had nightmares during his night of rest; his wish to live a passive and peaceful life was outweighed by his selfless wish to protect those he loved, regardless of circumstance.

He vowed to be a scarecrow if he needed to; he was ready to be a butcher if he had to. As long as he had people to keep him present, to keep him grounded, he was willing to sacrifice life, limb, and even his soul if it meant his people… his family, were kept safe, satiated, and satisfied.

'Their happiness will take precedence over mine…' He swished the glass around once more before lifting it to his nose for a scent; it had hints of a rich, earthy aroma, with a slight tinge of oak. He whiffed the glass once more and looked at it with a raised eyebrow and an amused look.

'Is that blackberry?' After a few more moments of playing with his senses, he placed the wine glass down on the flat-topped railing; he didn't take a sip of it. Wine, alcohol, liquor, was for moments of celebration… moments he cared for; this was not one of them. He scanned the parterre and settled his eyes on Lilia once more. He looked at her surroundings and looked at her from a long distance away, with a dull smile.

She seemed to have her people; however, the people she currently conversed with didn't seem to be any of them. Even from a long distance, and even without his ability to smell emotion, he could tell she was tired of putting on a face and chatting with people she didn't click with. Putting up a false image was something that they both dealt with. Lilia pretended to be one homogeneous person in the presence of others, and June never ceased conforming to societal norms despite his internal struggles.

Maybe that was one of the reasons they clicked so incredibly well; their defining struggles aligned with one another enough to understand instead of simply knowing of each other's pains.

'She looks tired…' June patted some stray dirt off his rear and adjusted his disorderly cuffs. He shut his eyes and used the nameless vision technique that the Voice had taught him as an impromptu mirror; it was a disquieting, yet amusing feeling for him to witness himself without a mirror or a picture. His hair was a mess, his clothes were in slight disarray, and his eyes had bags under them; though when he looked at himself, he felt… satisfied!?

Before awakening as a Dreamer, his complexion was visibly paler; his slight gut had disappeared, and his arms, despite already being fairly built for someone who spent their days indoors, had become fuller. He looked unrecognizable now, less like a ragged kid and more like a healthy adult.

'So this is the face that Lilia lik… loves? People do really look different when you're not looking at them through a mirror!?' June put a smile on his face, with a slight boost in confidence, and began to adjust his mantle before setting off to see Lilia. Bang Distant screaming was heard, and June's eyes widened; his heart dropped.

"Where's Lilia!?"