Chapter Text 章节正文
Ichika had been living in this world for ten years now. Ever since he woke up there, he was subjected to etiquette lessons of all kinds. As the ‘niece’ of a lower level viscount, there were many people he had to show his respect to without expecting respect in return. Even though he was friends with the princes, when alone with those of a higher status, he could see them sneering at him, remaining cordial at best. However, in recent years, his Uncle Issei’s takeover of his father’s company had been doing well, and he was actually gaining profit so they were able to afford nicer things and gain the respect of others that looked down at them before. However, even when their status got higher, he still had to be polite.
Ichika 在这个世界已经生活了十年。自从他在那里醒来，就被迫接受各种礼仪课程。作为一位低级子爵的‘侄女’，他必须对许多人表示敬意，而不指望得到同样的尊重。尽管他与王子们是朋友，但在与地位更高的人独处时，他能看到他们对他嗤之以鼻，最多保持客气。然而，近年来，他的叔叔伊塞西接管了他父亲的公司，经营得很好，实际上获得了利润，因此他们能够负担更好的东西，并赢得了那些曾经看不起他们的人的尊重。然而，即使他们的地位提高了，他仍然必须保持礼貌。
Very rarely did he get a chance to meet royals from different countries. He knew he could be casual with Rin and Sae, and Ambrosia and him have been drinking coffee on occasion (because it was so unpopular in Orentia, Ambrosia seemed to be the only one with it in stock so Ichika had to take advantage of that) so his interactions with royals have been quite informal.
他很少有机会见到来自不同国家的皇室成员。他知道可以与 Rin 和 Sae 随意相处，而他和安布罗西亚偶尔会一起喝咖啡（因为在奥伦提亚咖啡非常不受欢迎，安布罗西亚似乎是唯一有库存的人，所以 Ichika 不得不利用这一点），因此他与皇室的互动相当非正式。
But at that moment, with his face being grabbed by another royal he had just met, he was debating whether or not to punch his face.
但就在那一刻，当他的脸被一个刚认识的皇室成员抓住时，他正在考虑是否要揍对方一拳。
Prince Michael wasn’t letting go, his eyes exceedingly amused at…what? Ichika had no clue. They never even held a proper conversation with each other and now he just, out of nowhere, grabs him?
王子Michael并没有松手，他的眼神异常有趣……在看什么？Ichika完全摸不着头脑。他们甚至从未进行过一次正式的对话，而现在他却突然毫无预兆地抓住了他？
He had to calm down and pushed down the desire to knee him in the gut, remembering that he was the prince of another country, one in which royals rarely come out of, and so it would be important for Rin and Sae to build a good connection with.
他必须冷静下来，压下想要用膝盖顶他腹部的冲动，记起对方是另一个国家的王子，一个皇室成员很少露面的国家，因此与Rin和Sae建立良好的关系显得尤为重要。
For them. 为了他们。
“Prince Michael,” Ichika began, trying to be polite yet cold to indicate he didn’t like this situation. It was difficult as the prince was still squeezing his cheeks, making his words muffled. He lifted his hand up and pushed Prince Michael’s own away from his face, the pressure leaving slowly. “I do not believe this is appropriate so I must request for you to stop.”
“王子Michael，”Ichika开始说道，试图表现得礼貌但冷淡，以表明他不喜欢这种情况。这很难，因为王子仍在捏他的脸颊，使他的话变得含糊不清。他举起手，将王子Michael的手从脸上推开，压力慢慢消失。“我认为这不合适，所以我必须请求您停止。”
“Hmm? What isn’t?” Prince Michael asked and his hand was immediately on Ichika’s face again. He got closer, eyes seeming to take pleasure at his discomfort.
“嗯？什么不合适？”王子Michael问道，他的手立即又放在了Ichika的脸上。他靠得更近了，眼睛似乎对他的不适感到愉悦。
Once could’ve just been a cultural difference, Ichika tried to reason. For all he knew, Alterie might be a touchy country, but he was hoping that after rejecting such a gesture, Prince Michael would be able to take the hint.
或许这只是文化差异，Ichika试图这样说服自己。据他所知，Alterie 可能是一个比较亲密的国家，但他希望在拒绝了这样的举动后，王子Michael能够领会到他的意思。
But clearly, even after Ichika tried to be polite, he
still
got in his personal space.
但显然，即使Ichika试图表现得礼貌，他仍然侵入了他的私人空间。
“Touching me.” Ichika grimaced and pushed his hand away more harshly, at the same time, stepping back. “I don’t understand what you’re doing but please keep in mind your manners when dealing with citizens of another country. Many people are not comfortable with such familiar touches, especially when they don’t know the other well.”
“碰我。”Ichika皱起眉头，更粗暴地推开了他的手，同时后退了一步。“我不明白你在做什么，但请在与他国公民打交道时注意礼仪。许多人对这种过于亲密的接触感到不适，尤其是当他们彼此不太熟悉时。”
He wondered if he sounded condescending to the prince. He tried to explain things as clearly as possible, a habit picked up when he had to explain things to the spoiled Rin. It had been a while since he had to use that kind of tone as Rin had surprisingly done well to keep the peace (as much as he could) the past few years.
他不知道自己对王子说话时是否显得居高临下。他尽力解释得尽可能清楚，这是他不得不向被宠坏的Rin解释事情时养成的习惯。自从Rin出人意料地在过去几年里维持了和平（尽管他尽力了），他已经很久没有用过那种语气了。
“Oh, I do apologize for that,” Prince Michael said lightly to the point that he didn’t believe he was apologetic at all. “It seems you have misinterpreted my actions. I merely wanted to speak with you.”
“哦，对此我深表歉意，”王子Michael轻描淡写地说道，以至于他根本不觉得自己有任何歉意。“看来你误解了我的行为。我只是想和你谈谈。”
Ichika’s eyebrow twitched, not believing that for a second.
Ichika的眉毛微微抽动，根本不相信这种说法。
“I’m not sure what kind of person is capable of speaking when their cheeks are in that position so Alterienese must be very talented.” Ichika pointed out while trying to lay out a thin compliment just like how Aunt Iyo taught him. “But in Orentia, we merely speak to the person instead of using force like that. As you are going to be here for your stay, may I suggest reviewing the proper etiquette? I’m sure Prince Sae and Prince Rin would be pleased that you are trying so hard.”
“我不确定什么样的人能在脸颊处于那种状态时还能说话，所以阿尔特里恩人一定非常有才华。” Ichika 指出，同时试图像伊约阿姨教他的那样，摆出一副微薄的恭维。“但在奥伦提亚，我们只是与对方交谈，而不是像那样使用武力。既然你将在这里停留，我建议你复习一下适当的礼仪？我相信王子 Sae 和王子 Rin 会很高兴看到你如此努力。”
A suggestion from someone of a lower class was often risky to gamble on. Some took offense, while others would act jovial, trying to hide their shame. However, Ichika made sure to finish it off by talking about Sae and Rin as if to convince him that that’s what they want.
来自较低阶层的人提出的建议往往是一场冒险的赌博。有些人会感到冒犯，而另一些人则会表现得愉快，试图掩盖他们的羞愧。然而，Ichika 确保以谈论 Sae 和 Rin 的方式结束，仿佛在说服他那是他们想要的。
He thought he was applying Aunt Iyo’s lessons quite well.
他认为自己很好地应用了伊约阿姨的教导。
“You have a sharper tongue than I expected.” Prince Michael replied with a mere shrug as if completely dismissing Ichika’s words. “I had thought you would be more demure and frail. I wonder what happened.”
“你的言辞比我想象中更为犀利。”王子Michael只是耸了耸肩，仿佛完全无视了Ichika的话语。“我原以为你会更加温顺柔弱。真好奇发生了什么。”
Ichika furrowed his eyebrows. It almost sounded like Prince Michael was familiar with him even though this was the first time they met. Ichika had never been to Alterie and he didn’t know if Prince Michael ever came to Orentia but based on the clues, most likely he hasn’t. Even if he did come to Orentia before, he would never meet with Ichika.
Ichika皱起了眉头。王子Michael的语气几乎像是认识他，尽管这是他们第一次见面。Ichika从未去过阿尔特里，也不确定王子Michael是否曾到过奥伦提亚，但根据线索，很可能没有。即便他曾来过奥伦提亚，也绝不可能与Ichika会面。
“Do I know you from somewhere?” Ichika had to ask just in case. Based on his words, it sounded like he
was
familiar with Ichika. Could it be something from before he came into this world? But that was when they were children! And Ichika had been recovering at his aunt and uncle’s house after his family died in a fire, so he didn’t go out in public. There was no way they met then, so the only answer was
before.
But Prince Michael couldn’t possibly expect him to remember when he was only two at the time?! And it’s not like he had any actual memories of Ichika’s life before coming here.
“我是不是在哪里见过你？”Ichika不得不问，以防万一。从他的话中听来，他似乎对Ichika很熟悉。难道是来到这个世界之前的事？但那时他们还是孩子！而且Ichika在家人死于火灾后，一直在姑姑和姑父家休养，没有外出过。他们不可能在那时相遇，所以唯一的答案是更早之前。但王子Michael总不至于指望他记得两岁时的情景吧？！而且他也没有关于Ichika来到这里之前的实际记忆。
“Hm, perhaps you don’t know me, but I’ve seen you before, Lady Isagi.” Prince Michael said with a smile. “I’m sure you understand.”
“嗯，或许你不认识我，但我曾见过你，Isagi小姐。”Michael王子微笑着说，“我相信你能明白。”
Ichika blinked. Ichika眨了眨眼。
He did
not
understand.
他并不明白。
“I could feel it, even from a distance away.” Prince Michael said, opening his palm in front of him before squeezing it into a fist. “The divine power of Alterie. How blessed you must be to inherit our power despite not being from Alterie. I’ve always wanted to meet the one Archbishop Noa entrusted his powers to.”
““即便相隔甚远，我也能感受到。”王子Michael说道，伸出手掌在前方，随后紧握成拳。“这是阿尔特里亚的神圣之力。你虽非出身阿尔特里亚，却能继承这份力量，真是何等幸运。我一直渴望见到那位大主教诺亚所托付力量之人。””
Noa?
Entrusted his powers to
him?
But how—
诺亚？将自己的力量托付给了他？但怎么可能——
A Divinity Vessel.
He had just used one not long ago so transferring divinity was completely possible. However, the amount that was transferred was only enough to refill his mana. It didn’t give him Bishop Snuffy’s supreme healing yet Prince Michael said that Noel Noa gave him his powers.
神性容器。他不久前刚用过一个，因此转移神性是完全可能的。然而，转移的量仅够补充他的魔力。这并未赋予他主教斯纳菲的至高治愈能力，但王子Michael却说诺埃尔·诺亚将力量赐予了他。
Was there something stronger that could do that?
有没有更强大的力量能做到这一点？
“I don’t know if Priest Noa gave me his powers or not. I do not have memories of meeting him before he died.” Ichika spoke honestly because it was true.
“我不知道诺亚祭司是否将他的力量传给了我。我没有在他去世前见过他的记忆。”Ichika诚实地回答，因为这是事实。
His interactions with Noa, as far as he knew, were limited to after the fire and before he came into this world. He had been one of the first priests on the site, trying to save his aunt and him. He also did a check-up afterwards when he was still recovering from what he was told. He had died months before Ichika had come into this world.
据他所知，他与诺亚的互动仅限于火灾之后和他来到这个世界之前。他曾是现场最早的祭司之一，试图救出他的阿姨和他自己。事后，当他还处于恢复期时，诺亚也进行了一次检查。诺亚在他来到这个世界前几个月就去世了。
“Huh. So are you not aware of the true extent of the power you hold?” Prince Michael’s expression changed. His relaxed smirk became a frown, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Priest Noa gave up his powers to someone like
you?”
““哈。这么说，你并不知道自己所掌握的真正力量有多强大？”王子Michael的表情变了。他原本轻松的微笑变成了皱眉，眼神中充满了怀疑。“祭司诺亚将自己的力量交给了你这样的人？””
“That can’t be proven!” Ichika said with a shake of his head. Although he was told that it felt like his divinity was from Alterie, there was no way to prove that
Noa
had given them to him. He couldn’t even figure out if there was something that could transfer divine
powers.
Priests die with their powers only for their role to be replaced by future generations.
““这无法证明！”Ichika摇着头说。虽然有人告诉他，他的神性感觉来自阿尔特里，但没有任何办法证明诺亚将它们交给了他。他甚至无法弄清楚是否有某种东西可以转移神力。祭司们死后，他们的力量也随之消逝，只有他们的角色会被后代所取代。””
“It already has in Alterie.” Prince Michael said as he walked up to Ichika. “We all know. We’ve already seen it happen before it actually did. Priest Noa gave you his powers and it’s obvious you have nothing to show for it.”
““这在阿尔特里已经发生了。”王子Michael说着走向Ichika。“我们都知道。我们已经在实际发生之前看到了它的发生。祭司诺亚将他的力量交给了你，而你显然没有任何证据来证明这一点。””
“Wait, wait, wait.” Ichika had to pause, trying to make sense of his words.
“等等，等等，等等。” Ichika 不得不停下来，试图理解他的话。
It’s been proven in Alterie? But how could it be when Noa has been dead for years? How would Prince Michael know specifically that Noa gave him his powers? Why would Noa choose
him?
He must have given it to him during the time when he was recovering. Was his life in that much danger that somehow, Noa tried to heal him and overshared? But he was a great priest – an
archbishop
of all things – and that seemed like an amateur mistake.
这在阿尔特里亚已经被证实了吗？但诺亚已经去世多年，这怎么可能？王子 Michael 怎么会特别知道是诺亚赋予了他力量？为什么诺亚会选择他？他一定是在康复期间得到了这份力量。他的生命是否曾处于如此危险的境地，以至于诺亚试图治愈他，却过度分享了力量？但他是一位伟大的祭司——甚至是大主教——这看起来像是一个业余的错误。
The one thing that was bothering Ichika was Prince Michael’s words. He wasn’t sure if it was because Orentian was not his first language that the wording seemed strange, but he had to pursue that line of thought.
困扰 Ichika 的一件事是王子 Michael 的话。他不确定这是否是因为奥伦提安不是他的母语，导致措辞显得奇怪，但他不得不继续追寻这个思路。
We’ve already seen it happen before it actually did.
我们已经在它实际发生之前目睹了这一切。
He couldn’t think of another way that it would be a mistake.
他想不出还有其他方式会是一个错误。
“Can those who have divinity from Alterie’s god…” Ichika began hesitantly. “…can they see into the future?”
"“那些从阿尔特里亚神那里获得神性的人……” Ichika 犹豫地开始说道。“……他们能看到未来吗？”
“Huh.” Prince Michael huffed, raising his eyebrows. “At least Archbishop Noa didn’t choose someone too daft.”
““哼。”王子Michael哼了一声，挑起眉毛。“至少诺亚大主教没选个太蠢的人。””
Ichika tried to ignore his words but felt irritated regardless.
Ichika试图忽略他的话，但仍感到恼火。
“But I can’t see the future.” Ichika pointed out. If Noa had been a priest of Alterie, a nation whose divinity could see in the future, and he passed on his powers to Ichika, then wouldn’t he have seen something? Although he could not deny the divinity inside him and how Bishop Snuffy had mentioned it felt similar to Noa, he didn’t have proof that he gained the powers.
““但我看不到未来。”Ichika指出。如果诺亚是阿尔特里亚国的祭司，一个能预见未来的神明，而他将力量传给了Ichika，那他难道没看到什么吗？尽管他无法否认自己体内的神性，以及斯纳菲主教提到的感觉与诺亚相似，但他没有证据表明自己获得了那种力量。”
“That’s preposterous. All those born with divinity are able to wield its powers.” Prince Michael stated with a frown. “Archbishop Noa really knows how to pick them.”
““这太荒谬了。所有天生拥有神性的人都能运用其力量。”王子Michael皱着眉头说道。“诺亚大主教真是会挑人。””
“I’m not born with divinity though.” Ichika replied. As soon as he saw Prince Michael’s eyes widen, he covered his mouth.
“我虽未生而神圣。”Ichika答道。见Michael王子瞪大眼睛，他赶紧捂住嘴。
He was not born with divinity. He was born with the core for magic.
他并非天生神性。他生来便拥有魔法的内核。
Magic and divinity may never mix.
魔法与神性绝不可混淆。
Everyone knew that. 人尽皆知。
“So Archbishop Noa was a bit of a risk-taker.” Prince Michael said, pursing his lips.
"“所以诺亚大主教是个有点冒险精神的人。”Michael王子说道，抿了抿嘴唇。
Ichika didn’t respond. It had been a secret between him, Ego, and Bishop Snuffy. If others found out about this unusual phenomenon, they were unsure of what could happen. From what they knew, there had been no one able to use magic and divinity at the same time without Corrosion. The biggest thing that they feared was that Ichika would be kidnapped by others to make use of his dual powers.
Ichika没有回应。这是他和 Ego、Bishop Snuffy 之间的秘密。如果其他人发现了这个不寻常的现象，他们不确定会发生什么。据他们所知，没有人能在不遭受腐蚀的情况下同时使用魔法和神力。他们最担心的是Ichika会被其他人绑架，以利用他的双重力量。
“Then, with his powers, he must’ve seen your future and what you were meant to do.” Prince Michael announced. He grabbed Ichika’s hand and dragged him forward, making him crash into his chest. Icihka yelped in surprise and then Prince Michael lifted his face up with his chin so he would look at him. “You are meant to come back to Alterie with me.”
“那么，凭借他的力量，他一定看到了你的未来和你注定要做的事情。”王子Michael宣布道。他抓住Ichika的手，拉着他向前，让他撞进自己的胸膛。Icihka 惊呼出声，然后王子Michael用下巴抬起他的脸，让他看着自己。“你注定要和我一起回到 Alterie。”
“Hah?” Ichika uttered in the most undignified way he had in the last ten years.
“哈？”Ichika以十年来最不体面的方式发出了声音。
“Obviously, if you have the powers of Alterie bestowed by one of the greatest priests in history and he chose you, someone who is able to hold both magic and divinity, he must have meant for you to come to Alterie to learn more about your powers.” Prince Michael reasoned though Ichika completely ignored his logic, his confusion and distress palpable.
“显然，如果你拥有历史上最伟大祭司之一赋予的 Alterie 之力，而他选择了你，一个能同时掌握魔法与神性的人，他必定是希望你前往 Alterie，深入了解你的力量。”王子Michael推理道，然而Ichika完全无视了他的逻辑，困惑与痛苦显而易见。
This was the
exact
reason why Ichika, Ego, and Bishop Snuffy didn’t want anyone to find out. He tried to push Prince Michael away but he grabbed his waist, holding him tighter.
这正是Ichika、Ego 和主教 Snuffy 不希望任何人发现的原因。他试图推开王子Michael，但对方却抓住了他的腰，抱得更紧。
“In Alterie, we would be able to make great use of your powers.” Prince Michael said with a smile. Even though it seemed friendly on the outside, Ichika didn’t like it. “I’m sure you would be very useful—”
“在 Alterie，我们能充分利用你的力量。”王子Michael微笑着说。尽管表面上看似友好，Ichika却对此感到不悦。“我相信你会非常有用——”
“LET GO OF HER!”
“放开她！”
Ichika felt himself yanked back, crashing into something else. Arms wrapped around him, the familiar scent of Orentia pine entering his nose. His distress and nerves calmed down, realizing he was in Rin’s arms.
Ichika感到自己被猛地拽回，撞上了什么东西。双臂环绕着他，熟悉的 Orentia 松香味钻入鼻腔。意识到自己正被Rin拥抱着，他的焦虑和紧张平息了下来。
“Rin—” “Rin——”
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on her.”
Rin’s voice was dangerous, veins pulsing through his neck in anger. Ichika turned to hold onto him just in case he decided to attack. “How dare you. After you were warned already.”
““你敢碰她试试。”Rin的声音危险至极，脖颈上的青筋因愤怒而跳动。Ichika转身抓住他，以防他决定动手。“你怎么敢。已经被警告过了。””
Prince Michael gave a dismissive shrug but his eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance. However, it quickly changed, returning back to a smirk.
“王子Michael不屑地耸了耸肩，但他的眉头因恼怒而皱起。然而，这表情很快转变，恢复了那抹讥笑。”
“What? Is Orentia so backwards that you won’t allow a woman to decide what she wants to do herself?” Prince Michael replied with a click of his tongue. “And although she is your companion, that does not excuse your behaviour.”
““什么？奥伦提亚如此落后，以至于不允许一个女人决定自己想做什么吗？”王子Michael咂舌回应。“尽管她是你的同伴，但这并不能为你的行为开脱。””
“Are you stupid?” Rin had dropped all formalities, glaring at Prince Michael. “She clearly didn’t want you to touch her!”
“你是不是傻？” Rin 已经完全不顾礼节，瞪着王子 Michael。“她明明就不想让你碰她！”
“We were merely having a serious conversation.” Prince Michael excused with a small bow. “I apologize if I seemed too friendly. The citizens of Alterie understand what is meant to be a friendly gesture. I was so enraptured by our conversation, I could not help it and forgot about the manners of Orentia.”
“我们只是在进行一场严肃的对话。”王子 Michael 微微鞠躬解释道。“如果我显得过于亲近，我为此道歉。Alterie 的公民明白什么是友好的表示。我被我们的对话深深吸引，情不自禁，忘记了 Orentia 的礼仪。”
“Well, then, fuck off.” Rin replied harshly despite Ichika scolding from behind him. “Don’t touch her, don’t talk to her, don’t go in the same building as her. She is off-limits.”
“那好，滚开。” Rin 尽管身后 Ichika 在责备，仍严厉地回应。“别碰她，别跟她说话，别跟她在同一栋楼里。她是不容侵犯的。”
“Under whose command?” Prince Michael argued. “I am the prince of Alterie, here to build good relations with the people of Orentia. Is Lady Isagi not a citizen of Orentia? Would it not be proper for me to hold friendly conversations to learn about people from other countries? She may be a citizen of your country, but Orentia has their own laws on what citizens can freely do and cannot do – one of them is showing respect to a royal, which is what she was doing. And I, in return, am enchanted by her.
““在谁的指挥下？”王子Michael争辩道。“我是阿尔特里亚的王子，来此与奥伦提亚人民建立良好关系。难道女士Isagi不是奥伦提亚的公民吗？与来自其他国家的人进行友好交谈，了解他们，难道不合适吗？她可能是贵国的公民，但奥伦提亚有自己的法律，规定公民可以自由做什么，不能做什么——其中之一就是对王室表示尊重，这就是她在做的事情。而我，也因此被她迷住了。”
“I would like to pursue her.”
““我想追求她。””
‘What the—’ Ichika flinched in shock. In what way would Prince Michael say he is
enchanted
by
him?
Was this his way of trying to bring him to Alterie? If it was, Ichika refused!
“‘什么鬼——’Ichika震惊地退缩了。王子Michael怎么会说他被他迷住了？这是不是他想把他带到阿尔特里亚的手段？如果是这样，Ichika拒绝！”
“You can’t.” “你不能。”
“And why not?” “为什么不能？”
“Because she’s my best friend.”
“因为她是我的好朋友。”
At that, Prince Michael scoffed.
闻言，王子Michael嗤之以鼻。
“A
friend?
So what? You cannot control your friends in such a way. They can make friends with others, and also can have lovers separated from each other. This will be the case for Lady Isagi and I.”
“朋友？那又如何？你无法以这种方式控制你的朋友。他们可以与其他人交朋友，也可以彼此分离去寻找爱人。这将是Isagi小姐和我的情况。”
At this, Rin said nothing. Ichika could see the pure hatred on his face as he glared at Prince Michael, teeth gritted together and shoulders shaking. He looked down at Rin’s fists, so tight together, he was sure his nails would dig through his skin and make him bleed.
此时，Rin一言不发。Ichika能看见他脸上纯粹的仇恨，他紧盯着王子Michael，牙齿紧咬，肩膀颤抖。他低头看着Rin紧握的拳头，如此用力，他确信指甲会刺穿皮肤，让他流血。
“Rin.” Ichika took one of the fists and lifted it up. Rin turned back to him, his expression melting when Ichika placed the first against his lips. “I’m okay. Let’s go get dinner. I’m hungry.”
““Rin.” Ichika 握住其中一只拳头，将其举起。Rin 转过身来，当 Ichika 将拳头贴在唇边时，他的表情柔和了下来。“我没事。我们去吃晚饭吧。我饿了。””
Although Rin’s gaze softened, there was a sense of conflict on it. He kept glancing at Prince Michael then Ichika then back again. He exhaled before finally looking at Ichika again.
尽管Rin的目光柔和下来，但其中仍带着一丝矛盾。他不停地瞥向王子Michael，又转向Ichika，如此反复。他深吸一口气，最终再次看向Ichika。
“Right. It’s getting late. Let’s go.” He agreed.
““好。天色已晚。我们走吧。”他同意道。”
Ichika released his hand and Rin placed it on his back instead as they walked away. Even though he could see the displeasure on Rin’s face, he didn’t say anymore or look back at Prince Michael.
Ichika松开了手，Rin则将手搭在他的背上，两人一同离去。尽管他能看到Rin脸上的不悦，但他没有再多说什么，也没有回头看王子Michael。
Rin had always been protective, perhaps a little
too
protective. He knew he had trouble letting Ichika do his own things and leading his own life without him sometimes, but to completely disregard his manners to another royal even seemed a bit extreme for him, even though Ichika was thankful for Rin’s interruption.
Rin一直都很保护Ichika，或许有些过度保护了。他知道自己有时难以让Ichika独立行事，过自己的生活，但完全不顾及对另一位王室成员的礼节，对他来说似乎也有些过分，尽管Ichika对Rin的介入心存感激。
He grabbed the hand on his back and placed it around his shoulder. Rin looked startled at the action, especially when Ichika leaned into his side.
他抓住搭在背上的手，将其环在自己的肩上。Rin对这一举动显得有些惊讶，尤其是当Ichika靠在他身旁时。
“Thank you.” Ichika said quietly and he did mean it. He was stunned with Prince Michael’s actions and was conflicted between letting him continue or kicking him in the balls but felt guilt if he did the latter since he was a guy as well.
“谢谢。”Ichika轻声说道，他是真心实意的。他对王子Michael的行为感到震惊，内心纠结于是否让他继续还是踢他下体，但想到自己也是男人，若选择后者会感到内疚。
“Yeah…” Rin replied, squeezing him closer to him. “What…what are friends for.”
““是啊……”Rin回答道，将他搂得更紧。“朋友……朋友不就是为了这个吗。””
Ichika smiled but something weighed heavily in his chest. It was natural for him to help him. They were best friends after all.
Ichika 微笑着，但心中却沉甸甸的。帮助他是理所当然的，毕竟他们是最好的朋友。
And yet… 然而……
When Rin said something so normal, especially since they’ve been best friends for years already, there was a tinge of disappointment throbbing inside.
当Rin说出如此平常的话时，尤其是他们已经是多年的挚友，心中却涌起一丝失望的悸动。