Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 189: A Noble’s Routine

Once the job was done, he dried Caius’s legs and stepped back.

"All right, you’re done," Damien announced.

"Good job. Now it’s your turn," Caius said, grinning mischievously.

As Damien had suspected, Caius insisted on drying him, just as he had when it came to washing earlier. Resigned to his fate, Damien let Caius dry him off, the boy’s excitement evident as he worked.

Although Damien’s body had already mostly dried while he was busy drying Caius, it didn’t deter Caius in the slightest. He scrubbed at Damien’s skin with a towel, his enthusiasm almost making Damien wince. It stung a little, but Damien endured it for the sake of Caius’s obvious enjoyment.

"Young Master, I’ve brought your change of clothes," came the voice of the servant from outside the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of the door opening slightly.

"Did you also bring the knight’s uniform I requested?" Caius asked.

"Y-yes, as per your instructions," the servant confirmed hesitantly.

"Good. Then you can leave now," Caius ordered without missing a beat.

"L-leave, sir? But I... I don’t—"

The servant sounded flustered. Clearly, the situation—a stranger in Caius’s company, plus the presence of Caius’s entourage waiting elsewhere—was unnerving. Damien could understand their apprehension.

For a moment, he wondered why no one had coordinated with Caius’s guards. But considering how protective they likely were, it was probably better for Damien that no one had alerted them.

"What are you doing?" Caius demanded, his voice sharp. "I told you to leave."

"Y-yes, of course! If you need anything, please call for me immediately!" the servant stammered before hurriedly retreating.

"Boss, you’re really hard on people," Damien commented.

"Well... I mean, it’d just be a pain if they stuck around for too long," Caius replied, a bit defensively.

That was a fair point, Damien thought. He let the matter drop, and Caius, apparently relieved, resumed drying Damien’s body. Kneeling down, he thoroughly dried Damien’s waist and legs, all the way to his toes.

Damien found himself reflecting that they’d switched roles—Caius now acting as if he were the underling. But Caius seemed to be enjoying himself, so Damien didn’t mind.

"Alright, all done," Caius declared proudly. "Now let’s get dressed."

He led Damien out of the bathroom, with Damien and a third figure—Arba’a—following.

Wait, Damien thought. Since when did Arba’a get here?

...

Once out of the bathroom, Caius immediately struck a starfish pose again, signaling that he wanted Damien to help him dress.

Caius’s outfit was a decorative one, with many embellishments, so Damien followed Caius’s instructions as he worked. Still, it was clear that Caius could easily dress himself if he wanted to.

After Damien finished dressing Caius, the roles reversed once again. This time, Caius took charge of helping Damien change into the knight’s uniform that had been prepared.

The new outfit wasn’t as ornate as the formal attire, so Damien could probably have managed to put it on by himself. However, Caius looked eager to help, so Damien let him handle it.

Just like in the bath, it seemed Caius delighted in fussing over someone or being fussed over. Damien couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life Caius typically led. Perhaps he’d ask Theo about it later.

"For now, we’ll just relax until someone comes to get us for the meeting with my brother," Caius said as he sprawled onto a sofa.

Damien winced internally, worried that Caius’s careful attire would wrinkle, but decided to let it go. He was about to join Caius and wait leisurely when a troubling thought struck him.

Was it really okay for him to attend this meeting?

On Theo’s side, Damien figured he could explain things later, so it probably wasn’t an issue. But Caius’s side might see it differently. Theo had told Damien he was willing to let Caius take over as heir under the right circumstances, but Caius didn’t know that.

If Theo’s lover—Damien—was seen lingering among Caius’s people, it could spark serious problems.

Damien hesitated but eventually decided to voice his concerns to Caius, carefully omitting the part about Theo’s willingness to pass on the position. Caius listened, then chuckled bitterly, still lounging on the sofa.

"Don’t worry about it," Caius said. "I’m used to getting scolded anyway."

Damien sighed. Caius might have resigned himself to facing trouble later, but Damien wasn’t so cavalier. That said, it was clear that if Damien suddenly refused to join the meeting, Caius would be upset.

When Damien found himself stuck, he usually turned to Sebas. However, summoning Sebas in this situation seemed impossible. As he mulled over alternatives, an idea struck him: a reliable and unexpectedly resourceful elf.

"Hey, Boss," Damien said hesitantly, "would it be okay if I called in someone I know?"

Caius sat up, looking curious, then nodded.

"Come forth, Elyon!" Damien raised his hand dramatically, as if casting a summoning spell.

Caius:...

Of course, nothing happened.

Caius gave Damien a look that clearly asked, What is this guy doing?

"Sorry," Damien muttered. "Just my inner child acting up."

Turning to Ithnan, Damien continued, "Ithnan, do you have a way to summon Elyon?"

"Did someone call?"

A gust of wind swept through the room, and Elyon appeared out of nowhere.

"Wha—?!" Damien yelped.

"What’s this? Don’t act surprised after summoning me," Elyon replied, mildly exasperated.

Damien blinked in shock. Even Ithnan and the other guards had instinctively reached for their weapons before lowering them again upon recognizing Elyon. The younger members of the group, however, still stared at him in disbelief.

"Wait, how did you know? Did you sense I was calling you?" Damien asked.

"Hmph. You used my magic name, didn’t you? I taught it to you, so of course I’d know if you summoned me," Elyon replied matter-of-factly.

"What? It works like that?" Damien asked, surprised.

"You really didn’t know?" Elyon looked mildly exasperated.

"The idea that someone who knows a magic name can control its owner is a myth," Elyon explained. "But teaching someone your magic name does create a special bond. It’s not much—just enough to sense something like, ’Oh, they’re calling me.’"