LUCIAN LANGUIDLY RAISED HIS GAZE at the sound of Raphael’s call. When he looked at him, his emerald irises shook. He felt better knowing that Raphael reacted to him in this way.
He’d been feeling horrible since he met those eyesores—the prince, Noah and the two shapeshifters. But he felt better now. As he folded his long legs onto the sofa, he turned around and saw his stomach rising and falling steadily as he breathed.
He put his arms around his slender waist just as Raphael did to him earlier. Hugging him tightly, he rubbed his face on his lower abdomen.
“B-Brother?” There was a tug on the corners of his lips when he heard the jolt in his voice. It was so good to see him be flustered by him. It was lovely.
So lovely that he wanted to eat him up.
At some point, he became more curious about the taste of his fingers rather than the taste of the grapes that he would feed him. If he put his fingers in his mouth to taste him, they would likely be much sweeter than the grapes.
Raphael might avoid him in embarrassment or shock, but just his fingers weren’t enough for him.
His pale fingers, his thin wrists, his forearms.
He had always wanted to trace every part of his skin, leaving red patches as he sucked on his white flesh, until he would reach his soft, supple nape.
He wanted to bite it and leave his mark.
Raphael was like warm water.
When a bathtub is filled with warm water, it was only warm for a certain period, then it would cool down after a while.
But he hoped that he would think of him like lava that was boiling, its temperature far higher than the degree needed to be scorching.
Rather than that proud expression he reserved for him, he wished he could change this to a look of abashment. Don’t make eye contact naturally. Be more embarrassed because you don’t know what to do when you make eye contact.
If his cheeks would bloom red due to tension, if he were to be left hot and panting. That would be ideal…
“Brother, do you feel sick?” Raphael became worried about Lucian’s unusual behavior.
Lucian’s heart fluttered as though he were a child, but what he was worried about was more than that.
“No.” The short answer was firm, and Raphael looked down at Lucian with a curious stare, Raphael’s hand carefully stroking his soft black hair.
Lucian’s face was so close to his stomach that he couldn’t breathe, but he was happy that he was stroking his hair like this. As his hair grew more ruffled as he combed his fingers through, it felt like the clouds in his night sky were slowly being cleared up.
Concentrating on the feel of Raphael’s touch, Lucian drew a drowsy breath. Just his touch eased all the tension he felt.
He took his other hand. As he stared at his pale wrist, he soon closed his eyes and gently brought it to his lips.
Raphael’s pulse could be felt as his lips touched his skin. He brushed his lips over his wrist left and right, feeling the pulse that revealed his heart beats.
“Heup—Bro, ther…?” His flustered voice that was far from the usual calm, gentle tone gave him satisfaction.
He gently pressed his palm with his fingertips, his lips still lightly clinging to his wrist.
But as he moved away for just a moment, Lucian stared at the wrist, not liking how pale it was. Soon, he gathered his lips together and suckled his skin, making it red.
“Ah, it tickles!” As he exclaimed in surprise, red petals became engraved on his wrist. Lucian smiled satisfactorily as he looked at it. Then, pretending not to know, he hugged his waist again and closed his eyes.
“Brother, are you going to sleep? What’s wrong with you today? Are you tired?” Lucian didn’t answer his questions.
There’s no way he could fall asleep here.
How could he fall asleep when in his arms was his soft body, his sweet scent permeating his senses fully?
That would be a waste…
Right then, in the middle of these dangerous thoughts, Enzo piped up.
—Goodness, like a fox… Keke, well, I don’t hate it…
Hearing Enzo’s words, Lucian opened his previously closed eyes.
Come to think of it, amongRaphael’s servants, the fox shapeshifter had glared fiercely at the prince. He had always been arrogant, but even more so today, he was behaving unusually.
On top of that, Raphael wasn’t someone who would stay still. Lucian often witnessed him scolding the fox. But throughout teatime earlier, he allowed the fox to show such a rude attitude.
There must be a reason. Lucian buried his face into his waist, which he embraced tighter as he thought to secretly visit Raphael’s shapeshifters.
Right then, he heard a sharp breath of surprise. Lucian felt that this was because he was nervous, finally taking notice of him. He was happy.
“Oh my. If you fall asleep like this… How will I breathe… Huu…”
He was happy just hearing his soft murmurs falling over his ears.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───
Ah…
SOMEONE ONCE SAID THAT the wait was bitter, but the fruits of your labor will be sweet.
“Huu, but what do I do if all I can do is wait?” I muttered as I looked down at Lucian, who fell asleep on my lap.
I didn’t know why he was suddenly acting like a kid. What’s wrong with him today? I was worried that he would wake up because of me, so I stroked his hair slowly.
Now that I’m looking down at him like this, it reminded me of when we were young. He was bigger and taller now, but back then, I was sad that he was so skinny.
At his child-like appearance, my heart was touched.
“How can I get married like this?”
Even if it wasn’t the trash booger king, I had no intention of getting married yet.
I was going to live happily with my bias for just a little while longer. Then, when my bias brings in his lover, I’d congratulate them both, then move out and live somewhere else.
In the first place, could I even get married?
I wasn’t someone who knew what a family was, so I don’t even know how I could meet a lover and start loving him.
Just as I studied theories by reading textbooks, I only learned about love through books or movies.
Lucian was the only person I was devoted to. This place where he was in was the best world for me, so I would like it if I could stay at the Duchy.
Wherever he was is like heaven to me.
Forgetting the burdensome situation earlier, I hummed a lullaby and continued to stroke his hair.
I repeated only short verses.
“Good night, our Lucian. In the front yard, in the rear garden, the birds and sheep have slept. Good night, Lucian.”
It was awkward to my ears because I had never heard a lullaby sung to me, nor have I ever tried singing one, but this phrase was all I could think of, and so I sang, hoping that he’d get a good night’s sleep.
I could feel my back aching already, but I kept singing the lullaby like that.
Before I knew it, I also fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, it was already morning, and I was lying on my bed.
“Young Master, are you up?”
“Huh? When did I fall asleep?”
“You fell asleep without even having dinner. Were you very tired…?”
I thought she would nag at me because of yesterday’s incident, but Amber was busy just looking at my complexion.
“Really?” But as I listened to Amber, I felt that it was still the same. I got up and stretched.
“I want meat for breakfast today. And I’ll take Doggy and Damian to the mountain out back later.”
“I did wonder why you weren’t doing what you used to do everyday in the south…”
Amber scolded me, but even so, she prepared some water for me to wash comfortably.
This is why I like Amber.
I’m sure she knew that I acted very differently compared to other aristocrats, but it’s still good not to show my emotions.
I washed quickly and changed my clothes. Then, I got up from my seat after only eating four sausages.
After changing into horseback riding clothes, I went to the place where Doggy and Damian resided.
“Doggy, Damian, are you guys still sleeping?”
These two were usually up before I did. Perhaps because they’re shapeshifters, but their physical conditions were amazing.
After I knocked on the door, I opened it to see that Doggy and Damian were already up.
Um, what should I say?
They’re up, but it seems like they’re kind of exhausted.
Sitting on the bed, it seemed as if they had trained their swordsmanship at the training grounds or something.
“What’s wrong?”
Only then did the two raise their heads.
“Master, you’re here?” Damian rose from his seat and greeted me. And as soon as Doggy saw me, he teared up.
“Master! I hate your brother so much!”
“Doggy!”
Damian tried to stop him, but I already heard everything. Doggy got into trouble yet again.
“Hm, you can say that you don’t like him, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s my brother.”
“…Master really hates me.”
“When did I feel that way? If someone really hates you, don’t you know they would?” At what I said, Doggy lifted his head, which he had previously bowed timidly.
“If humans hate me, what will they do?”
“Humans bully others when they hate someone. But if the level of hatred goes beyond the surface level, there would be no reaction. They won’t pay attention to you.”
He tilted his head to the side as though he couldn’t understand what I was saying. His white hair cascaded down gently.
After carefully sweeping up Doggy’s hair as he was still seated, I continued explaining.
“It takes a lot of energy to hate someone. That’s why if it goes beyond hatred, they wouldn’t pay attention anymore. They would ignore it as if it never even existed.”
As he nuzzled his cheek into my hand, Doggy muttered.
“Humans are more complex than I thought. Master, is it complicated for you, too?”
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