In Another World, the Boy Was Spoiled by the Iron Knight!
Chapter 39: One and Only

Chapter 39: One and Only

If he did, he might not be able to stop himself from pulling him into his arms. He might take him right then and there.

But no... he couldn’t do that—not like this.

If he touched Shiao Yi now, it would just be as a commanding officer giving an unspoken order, and Shiao Yi obeying out of duty. That wasn’t what Dominic wanted.

Then what kind of Shiao Yi did he want?

His one and only.

Someone who should be by his side for life.

Yes... that was it.

Dominic realized it clearly now—he wanted Shiao Yi as his partner.

He loved Shiao Yi.

So this... this was love.

If that was the case, then Dominic had to be willing to work for it. If it was for love, he shouldn’t hold back. If he wanted Shiao Yi’s love in return, he would wait patiently, no matter how hard it was. He would endure whatever came.

Because Shiao Yi was his one and only.

Behind him, he heard the soft rustling of fabric. Shiao Yi was putting his coat back on—the one Dominic had removed earlier. A quiet smile slipped onto Dominic’s face. He wouldn’t lie; part of him had wanted to see the red mark on Shiao Yi’s chest one more time—the mark he’d left there.

Dominic sat down in a chair by the table. When he gave a small nod, motioning for Shiao Yi to take the seat across from him, Shiao Yi followed without hesitation. Then he looked up at Dominic with clear, trusting eyes.

Those honest eyes, full of quiet trust, filled Dominic’s chest with warmth. How precious that gaze was to him. How deeply he cherished it.

"Why won’t you come with me to the royal capital?" Dominic asked. "If you did, I wouldn’t have to worry about sending messages back and forth. You could teleport to the fortress anytime."

Shiao Yi shook his head. "Time is too important. I’ve been thinking—on my own. I can’t say anything about it yet because I don’t know if it’ll work. But if there’s even the smallest chance something might help, I want to try it."

"I see. You do realize I could order you to come with me, don’t you?"

Shiao Yi gave a quiet smile. "When a subordinate knows that an order is a mistake, he’s supposed to raise an objection. That’s the official rule, at least. In reality, hardly anyone ever speaks up. We couldn’t. Even showing a rebellious attitude could be punished. You’d be labeled as disobedient—or even a traitor or a threat to the system."

He spoke with a bitter look on his face, then glanced up at Dominic.

"Would you punish me too, Dominic?"

Those eyes—playful and knowing—looked like they already understood the answer. And they laughed, light and cheerful, as if sure Dominic would never be so harsh. Shiao Yi had started showing so many different expressions lately, and Dominic found himself deeply moved by it.

"Is that so? Well then," Dominic said with a teasing tone, "if you want to be punished, I suppose I could do that for you. In my way, of course."

He let the words hang there, a little mischievous on purpose. Shiao Yi’s eyes went wide, then his cheeks quickly turned pink. It seemed he understood exactly what kind of punishment Dominic meant.

What an adorable boy, Dominic thought. He wanted to take everything from him right now. All of him.

"I don’t know how long I’ll be tied up with things in the capital," Dominic said. "But I’ll try to finish as soon as I can. Just make sure you hear my call—and come to meet me. No matter what."

Shiao Yi stood straight and tall, his posture firm and disciplined. Then he made a sharp salute.

He had once told Dominic that it made him happy to salute him. After hearing that, Dominic couldn’t bring himself to tell him not to do it anymore.

"Understood! Sir!"

"I’ll be waiting," Dominic said.

...

After seeing Dominic off as he left for the royal capital, Shiao Yi turned around and headed toward the east wing, where the mages usually gathered. The situation was serious and urgent, and yet, his steps were light—as if he were floating.

Dominic had become his superior. Of course, it wasn’t anything official. It was just between the two of them. If he were being honest, even his own words and actions wouldn’t really be considered proper behavior toward a superior. But still—Dominic had accepted it. He had said it was okay to think of him as a superior. What could be more joyful than that?

As soon as Shiao Yi stepped into the east wing, the whole atmosphere shifted. Unlike the west wing, which was filled with a sweaty, energetic, sports-like mood that spilled into the hallways, this side was quiet and dark. It almost felt like even speaking loudly would be frowned upon. There was a strange, secretive feeling in the air, like people were always whispering about something behind closed doors.

Even though most of the people who had gone out to the forest should have returned by now, the place felt nearly empty. So this was the mages’ nest, huh? Though, to be clear, he wasn’t saying mages were creepy or anything. It was just that magic still felt completely mysterious and hard to understand to him. Though, to be fair, his own strange power probably seemed just as confusing to them.

He wondered if Mr. Segoy was around. That was the only person he had actually spoken with before. Wanting to see a familiar face, Shiao Yi gently knocked on the door of the first room.

"Yes?"

As soon as he heard a voice and opened the door, something suddenly slapped against his face with a wet splat.

"Ah!"

A high-pitched voice shouted out, but Shiao Yi didn’t have time to pay attention. Whatever had hit him felt like jelly and was now stuck to his face, making it hard to breathe.