Julian watched the golden hair of the siblings disappear behind the hedge, leaving him in a silence that felt heavier than the one he had arrived with.
"That's a nice joke, Your Highness."
The words felt like a physical weight in his stomach. He hadn't meant to be cruel; he was just trying to survive. Being the tutor of the Prince and Princess was no different from putting a collar around his neck and handing the leash to the Emperor.
It would ruin him.
But to a child who had finally found a 'secret' ally, those words must have felt like a stab to the heart.
"I think it's time to go back," he whispered to himself, his voice sounding a bit raspy. "I have to get back before the Emperor decides my 'absence' is suspicious enough to lead me to an interrogation cell."
The mere thought of it made him shudder.
When returning, he didn't run this time. Running made him look like a thief.
