I'm a Little Nervous

Sean Hayes was thinking about this as he walked home with Leonard Li. As soon as they entered the courtyard, he saw Alexander Hayes standing under the veranda, deep in thought. Sean’s heart skipped a beat: Oh no!

Leonard Li had also noticed Alexander Hayes’s strange mood these past few days. Whenever Alexander was beside Lily Evans as Lucky, he kept up his clueless, silly act—so much so that even Leonard couldn’t stand it.

But when Lily wasn’t around and no one else was present, he’d revert to his cold, intimidating general persona. And that was truly frightening.

Leonard patted Sean sympathetically on the shoulder. "Brother, go on!"

Sean swallowed nervously, clutching Leonard’s arm even tighter. "I—I’m a little scared. Young Lord, come with me!"

"Go, go, go! What am I doing here, eavesdropping on your secret talk? If I accidentally overhear some military secrets or court intrigue, and your boss decides to silence me…" Leonard made a mock throat-slitting gesture and kicked Sean away. "I’m not looking for trouble!"

Humming a little tune, Leonard headed back to his own room, while Sean nervously swallowed again.

Just then, Alexander Hayes turned and spotted Sean. Instantly, Sean felt a chill run from his head to his toes.

The wind and snow outside were fierce, but Sean didn’t feel cold at all—until Alexander looked at him. That stare was icier than the coldest winter, freezing him to the core.

Sean’s neck stiffened. He braced himself and walked over, lowering his voice, "General Hayes, I just took Young Lord out for a walk, as you instructed."

Alexander Hayes said nothing, lifting his head to gaze at the sky, his expression grave.

Sean Hayes didn’t dare leave. He kept his head down, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles—so nervous he could hardly breathe.

After a long silence, Alexander finally spoke, his voice heavy: "Sean, if someone did the thing you hate most, what would you do?"

Sean blinked in surprise, scratched his head, and thought hard. Then he replied, "If it’s something I really, really hate, and someone does it, of course I’d dislike them. But it depends—whether they did it on purpose or by accident."

"Oh? How so?" Alexander’s interest was piqued.

Sean answered seriously, "If they didn’t know it was my taboo and made a mistake, I wouldn’t really blame them. But if they knew exactly what I hate most and did it anyway, just to spite me, then I’d really, really hate them."

Alexander’s lips twitched. He pressed further, "What if the person knew your taboo and was very close to you—what then?"

Sean thought of his own brothers, clenching his fists in anger. "It’s even worse if they’re close! People who are close should protect and trust each other. If someone close to me breaks my taboo and does something I hate, that’s unforgivable! I’d probably break ties and never want to see them again!"

When Sean finished, he looked up at his master, only to find Alexander’s face darker than the bottom of a pot. Startled, Sean instinctively jumped back a few steps, stammering, "Master, why—why are you looking at me like that… I—I didn’t do anything wrong, did I…"

Alexander’s expression turned fierce, his teeth clenched. "Get out!"

Sean was so frightened his legs nearly gave out. He turned and bolted.

"Wait! Come back!" Alexander’s voice rang out behind him. Sean scrambled back, obedient as a quail.

Alexander looked at Sean, took a deep breath, and stood with his hands behind his back. He asked in a low voice, "Are there any laws in this dynasty that allow a wife to divorce her husband?"