One morning, as I was leaving Lord Lloyd behind at the estate to head to work, he held out his palm as if demanding something.

"Leave that there."

Huh? Just as I was scratching my head, wondering what on earth he meant by "that," he pulled my favorite cushion out of my bag.

"It's to take your place while you're gone."

I felt a scorching gaze and looked up to find Lord Lloyd, who should have been focused on his paperwork, staring intently at me.

"Wh-what are you looking at?"

"Huh? What?"

"...You haven't noticed?"

"So what..."

(Oh no...)

A story in which the Iron-Blooded Knight, who has only drawn the scenes he wanted to depict, arrives in the timeline where Lloyd and Javier are.

I want Javier, the Iron Knight, to know what happiness is and to smile.

Why am I being held by Javier?

Why is Javier holding me? Why...

(...Why???)

The sound of my heartbeat echoing through the room felt as if it were conveying my very feelings to Javier, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.

"W-why, Javie..."

That was all I could manage to say.

Why am I holding Lord Lloyd in my arms…?

(I have to let go…)

Even though my mind understood, my body wouldn’t listen, and I held him even tighter.

It felt as if the pounding of my heart from within was the answer…

(Ah… I can’t hide it anymore…)

I confessed my feelings to the tips of his blushing ears—

"Lord Lloyd, your hands... oh, they're in quite poor condition."

The one who respectfully took his hands and began trimming his nails kissed the tip of each finger after trimming just one.

"Hmph..."

Was it last year? Or the year before?

“Why are you running away?”

The other day, I told him exactly how I felt.

He said he needed time, but every time we meet, he runs away.

So I caught him and held him tight.

“Lord Lloyd… If the answer is ‘NO,’ then right here, right now…”

“Huh?”

My hopes swelled as I saw his ears turn red.

“No way…”

I heard a voice so soft I could barely make it out, and I hugged him even tighter.