The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 389: Awareness

It really started off as curiosity.

A very simple, innocent curiosity and a never-ending thirst for knowledge.

After all, his brother said that it was important to understand what love was for the sake of cultivation.

So Luca bit the bullet and read.

Just a bit.

But now the guide had turned into a guilty one. One who felt like he’d committed a crime after reading a book.

It was just a little silly story with silly little words, but he read it.

And he didn’t even ask for permission, which especially horrified him after realizing that he kept reading.

It was just supposed to be for research. But now sentences from that material kept ringing in his brain, and if people from ancient times could tell him what was wrong, they’d tell him he’s got something, someone living there rent-free.

Worse, unbeknownst to him, that said someone was catching on.

The first time Xavier caught him, Luca was tucked into the corner of the lab, half-hidden behind an open crate of bolts, pretending to inspect them. But then those eyes, glued to what was likely his terminal projection, said otherwise.

But the prince didn’t say a word and merely passed by after ensuring he was alright.

The second time, Luca was under the overhead shelf.

Yes, under.

He said it was to "check for any assembly issues," but his fingers had frozen over like he was hovering over a projection.

Xavier looked at him for a long second before gently tapping the table.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

Luca yelped and hit his head on the shelf’s underside as he tried waving him off and said something about "loose screws," which made the prince raise a brow, but still ultimately chose to let it go.

Until the guy almost fell down the stairs, and Xavier felt the need to figure out what’s got Luca so distracted.

Only he probably wouldn’t expect the source.

Because how would anyone foresee how a mere book could cause this much chaos?

The little guide was actually having issues because reading was no longer just reading.

For some reason, the words that would normally just stay in his brain until called upon were leaking into his everyday thoughts and actions as the descriptions from the Chapters echoed in his head like a voiceover.

And now, after Chapter six, he was having difficulty looking at the man without remembering things like "chiseled jawline" and "towering, imposing presence softened only by the curve of his lips."

What lips?

Why did he have lips?

Luca almost choked on his own breath as the lines kept haunting him as if forcing him to turn to the side to look.

And now he couldn’t stop looking at Xavier’s face.

Obviously, he knew that the prince looked really handsome.

But he never really had the urge to stare at him like that—like he needed to see those eyes framed by those lashes, nor did he feel the need to double-check someone’s chiseled jaw.

Especially not when said person was trying to confirm if he still needed help expanding their new dedicated herb garden.

And here he was thinking of jaws, lips, and eyes.

Every now and then, he’d catch himself staring and would quickly look away, only to peek again out of curiosity.

It was a vicious cycle, one that he needed to stop because it felt like he was doing something bad.

So he tried refocusing, but that was apparently just the first of many moments.

When the face didn’t work, the poor guide tried to go lower this time. Maybe the neck? Safe zone, right?

But then he saw Xavier’s throat bob as he swallowed.

The collar of his uniform had shifted, revealing the clean, pale line of his neck—strong, elegant, powerful.

And the book had that thing, about the curve of the neck and how you leave marks because...

Poof!

It was another failed attempt to keep it together after Xavier spoke about the results of the mecha improvement survey they were conducting to determine the pilots’ priorities.

By now, Luca had already started panicking because even those hands didn’t escape his uncooperative mind.

Hands!

Big hands.

Gloved, yes, but he’d seen them without gloves, too. Calloused, steady, cool. The kind of hands that didn’t shake even in battle. The kind that had once pressed against his lower back, and-and elsewhere with terrifying tenderness.

’...’

So now, whenever Xavier picked up a cup, or typed, or even tucked his gloves into his pocket, Luca’s eyes would drift.

He must be sick, right?

And the symptoms were coming in waves, and sometimes he would feel like he wasn’t in control.

Then, when it’s really bad, it’s as if he’s got arrhythmia or maybe asthma? Or both.

And he really wanted to ask his brother, but he’s been out there trying to piece together the Energy panels for the Aquaponics dome, and Luca didn’t think it was that urgent of a problem. After all, healing pills should be able to solve this!

But it’s been three days in the space, and for some reason, his symptoms have become more severe.

See, one morning, Xavier walked past him after his usual session at the training hall. Hair damp. Shirt clinging faintly to his frame as cold air radiated off him like fresh mist after snow.

And Luca, heavens bless his heart, had to physically hold onto the counter’s edge to stop his knees from wobbling.

"Are you alright?" Xavier asked, taking a step forward, only to stop because the little chipmunk squeaked a "Yes."

Which, frankly, he was proud of already, because now his brain wouldn’t stop replaying all the adjectives used to describe a man’s scent. One that was so different from him, who smelled like milk and cheese curds after working in the creamery.

Xavier smelled like pine—fresh, and very male.

Overwhelmingly like what was described in a book written by die-hard fans who, unbeknownst to him, would be willing to buy bagged air that touched Xavier’s body.

But that would be the least of his problems as he tried figuring out if whatever he had was terminal.

So again, Luca did what any overwhelmed student would do.

He studied more.

Every break, every quiet moment, he’d hide behind tools, crates, under tables, or even outside on the grass, pretending to sketch a new part design, just to scroll another few paragraphs until someone would be free enough to diagnose him.

So that they could tell him why his stomach was doing flips even when he had avoided drinking too much milk.

Or why his chest would tighten when Xavier came by to make sure he had already eaten.

Or why his bones were back to clanking together when the prince got closer to help him reach a part.

All of which were slowly but surely noticed by Xavier, who had been walking on eggshells as he tried not to spook the little chipmunk.

Of course he did.

Because he’s never had Luca running like his behind was on fire like this, even after learning he had gotten married by accident.

So the husband just had to know what could’ve caused his wife’s sudden unease.

But it didn’t take too long to find out, as one system had started talking to Sid about an interesting book it was trying to process.

"?"

D-29 had been wondering why its host had uploaded a history book filled with events that hadn’t happened, and was trying to ask Sid if his records needed to be updated since its host did the upload himself.

But thankfully, the little system asked and avoided having to rewrite history by learning about fiction, specifically fan fiction—only this didn’t escape the senses of one curious prince.

And so a book title had been stated, and one husband found the culprit for all this avoidance.

It’s just that, what was he supposed to do with this?