[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go-Chapter 43: Ch : Long Hair

The sanctuary used a lot of blessings and divine magic. That was why the plumbing system at the sanctuary was one of the best in the world.

It was a place where hot water ran the whole day, and Shuu relaxed his muscles as he sank into the warmth.

He felt a little guilty using warm water to help him relax. After all, it had been a luxury to him until now. But it truly felt too good...

But every good thing must come to an end, and Shuu knew he had been in the bath for too long. It was time for him to get out now.

"Hey, are you alright? You have been in there for a while. Did you drown yourself? I am coming in-"

"Wait-! Don’t come in..."

He quickly yelled, pulling himself out of the now cooling water and wrapped his towel around himself. He managed to do it in time to save himself the humiliation of standing naked in front of Nero.

"Ah, so you have not drowned yourself yet. I almost got worried because you were taking so long here. Here, I brought you some clothes to wear."

Nero handed Shuu some clothes that he took... only to spread them and look at them. Nero might be a kid and not notice the problem, but Shuu did notice something obvious.

"These are... female clothes. I cannot wear them."

Shuu pointed out, but Nero just scoffed.

"That is the only thing in your size. Besides, what’s the problem? Doesn’t it cover all the necessary parts? I went through your clothes, and most of them are no better."

Shuu fell quiet.

Of course, most of his clothes were not any better. It was because that wardrobe was not even his own. It had been made for Lady Sera or perhaps Lady Kana, who was to accompany Prince Kaiden.

It had been adapted to fit Shuu in a hurry, and he was thankful for it. At least, he did not have to wear dresses.

And truthfully, the female garbs were not that bad. The dress came below his knees, and it fit fine against his waist. Only the top part was a little loose, but that could be overlooked since it covered his neck...

"I feel so awkward."

Shuu complained as he looked at himself. He did not look any different, and his reflection did not suddenly turn into a female.

But he had to admit that he did not look as bad as he thought he would look.

"Your features are soft and youthful. Simple clothes are fine... though I am sure you can pull off being a female if you really put your mind into it. Especially if you have long hair..."

Nero snapped his fingers, and Shuu suddenly felt something crawling down his arm. He looked in the mirror, only to see himself with long hair staring back.

It framed his face in a way that made him look even softer. He... could not say that he was a fan.

Something about seeing himself with long hair brought back... a dark feeling.

"I don’t think I am fond of such long hair. They look like a hassle to look after..."

Shuu complained to mask the feeling of emptiness he felt when he looked at himself. Wearing all white, with his hair long and his eyes shining... he felt like he could recall something unpleasant.

Sigh

"Alright, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to keep it. Let me get rid of it all for you-"

Before Nero could snap his fingers, the door opened and Prince Kaiden walked in. He paused as soon as his eyes landed on Shuu, and something unpleasant passed through his eyes.

Nero noticed as well and quickly returned Shuu back to his original self.

"What is going on here?"

Prince Kaiden’s voice was just a little sharper than expected, and Shuu unintentionally shivered.

"We were playing dress-up."

Nero replied in a stiff and monotonous voice. The easiness from before was gone, and Shuu had a feeling he had done something he was not supposed to.

Prince Kaiden looked almost in pain before he walked over to Shuu. His hand reached for Shuu’s face, and Shuu lowered his eyes, wondering what would happen next.

But Prince Kaiden just cupped his face with a pout on his lips.

"Shuu looks the best as he currently is and feels the most comfortable in. I don’t think he should change anything about himself if he does not want to."

Prince Kaiden spoke those words, and Shuu shivered. The prince was making it out to be Shuu’s choice, but he got the message: the prince preferred him like this and did not want him to change anything about himself.

Liam and Reina’s expressions were also pinched as they looked at Shuu, and he had a feeling he had messed up big time.

He did not dare say anything, and the awkwardness just got even worse.

Finally, the atmosphere was broken by Shuu’s hungry stomach growling. It caused Prince Kaiden to blink and smile at him.

"Looks like you did not have much to eat today. I asked Liam to arrange for breakfast, but he must have forgotten because we have been so busy lately. Let’s go and get something to eat."

Shuu felt thankful for the sudden change in the mood. He was not sure how much more of the suffocating feeling he could have taken.

The look on Liam’s face told him that the retainer was thankful as well.

"Alright. Can you give me a minute to get changed? I think my own clothes will be much more comfortable for me..."

"There is no need for that. Your stomach is telling me that you are hungry. Let’s get something in there before you end up even weaker."

Prince Kaiden’s smile did not falter, and Shuu had a feeling he should do as he was asked to do. So he followed the crown prince out, and Nero followed behind them.

Reina did not wait around for long either, leaving Liam to deal with his conflicting thoughts.