Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Again. 

One of his pillow covers was gone again.

“Ron, have you washed the pillow cover from my room?”

The butler of the house stared at the young man in front of him for a bit before resuming his house chores. Despite his benign smile, the old man’s words were vicious.

“Why would I lose my time taking care of your things you punk.”

“Um… Yeah right. Nevermind.”

Choi Han scratched his head and returned to his room. He looked around and opened his drawers. One, two, three… Without surprise, another pair of socks went missing too… He let out a long sigh. This perpetual little game had been going on for several weeks. His stuff has been disappearing randomly from left to right without warning. At first, of course, he thought that he was the one who had moved or thrown the objects and that he probably forgot about it. For example, a towel from the training grounds that vanished from time to time was not surprising. Truth to be told he had a few secret admirers in the knights brigade from Henituse State and the Royal Palace. Apparently his sweat was oddly considered as a trophy by some people. Well… Everyone had their own fetishes. He won’t judge. Hum… Anyway what intrigued him was the fact that his stuff from Super Rock’s villa could be stolen under his nose. A great mystery that remained unsolved to this day. He had tried to talk about it to his friends, but his situation was taken more as a joke than anything else.

“There’s a thief? Here at Super Rock’s Villa?”

Skeptical eyes. Stifled laugh.

“Pfft — You really think that someone will be brave enough to rob this place? We have the West and East continent’s hero, two dragons, Molan’s household successors, a sword master, the best magician of the kingdom, the heir of the Wolf King so on!”

To be honest, he barely had anything to refute the arguments. You had to be crazy or a masochist to try to do something malicious here.

“Only people close to us know the real entrance of the villa. I think you can sleep soundly without any worries.”

One more point for his comrades’ side.

“Are you sure it’s not a prankster animal, a bird or something else?”

Maybe yes it was a bird or even a squirrel. It didn’t matter. Maybe he was sleepwalking from the start and was the culprit all along! Ha… He hoped so. It must be an incredible animal, no signs of breaking in, discreet as a shrew, even with his nose sharpened by many years of survival in the Forest of Darkness, he hadn’t been able to pick up any scent as a clue. In any case, he had to move on. He didn’t want to rack his brains over this bizarre situation any further. He hoped that whoever was collecting his things was taking good care of it…

Choi Han spent the necessary time to mourn the loss of his socks and went downstairs to eat his lunch with a more tranquil mind. After finishing, he polished his sword skills in the outside courtyard. Once his routine was complete, he returned to the villa to shower.

...

Why was the door of his room slightly opened?…

Rustle, rustle. 

Even if he was two meters away from the front door, his keen hearing allowed him to confirm quickly that someone was inside. The young man with ebony hair gripped the scabbard of his sword, ready to draw the weapon at any moment. He approached slowly, one step, two steps…

CLAK

!... 

He rushed to the source of the noise and pushed the wooden door so strongly that it almost slammed against the wall and shattered into pieces. The window was wide open. The few leaves that laid on the rug indicated that the “thief” had ran away hastily. Choi han leaned over the windowsill. No landing mark on the grass. It was the fourth floor, one had to be incredibly agile to disappear in such a short time without leaving a trace.

“Or it was simply a bird…” He muttered to himself and let out a sigh.

This time he didn’t have to look far to find out what had been stolen. His dresser drawer was still open. He peeked inside, expecting another pair of vanished socks, before realizing…

Damn it.

Really?

He passed his hand through his hair with a huffed breath.

“My @%&! $ underwear!”

Alright, forget being lenient. Starting today it will be his ultimate goal to catch the culprit and make him wish he wasn’t born! Enough was enough! What about privacy huh?! Can Mr. Crow or whoever it was show him some respect? Before he could get any further lost in his indignation, a noise was heard in the corridor. The knight turned around and sprinted outside.

“Hey!”

A shadow disappeared around the corner. Choi han chased after it.

Wait a second, this way wasn’t it where was the staircase that led to Cale-nim’s bedroom?

Oh no, don’t tell him that the thief dared to steal things from his liege’s wardrobe as well?

Under his watch?

Never, they had to fight him first!

The raven-haired man arrived upstairs with short breath. Darn, his hunch was right. The bedroom’s door was wide open. He hoped deep down that the young master wasn’t inside. He pushed the door (this time gently since it was Cale-nim’s room) and entered the room ready to throw hands.

Silence. 

No one in sight.

However nothing escaped the sword master’s hawk eye. Ha. They really thought he was an idiot. He moved toward the “hiding place” with a vicious glare. Just as he was about to finally discover who was at the root of all his problems, hands reached out from the closet and grabbed him abruptly by the collar of his shirt. Before he could even blink, he was pulled inside. 

Darkness filled his field of vision. It was as if he had been thrown into the middle of the ocean. A familiar, serene and tranquil odor embraced him gently. It was the scent of nature, morning dew with a subtle hint of sweetness. His shoulders relaxed and a purr almost escaped his throat.

“Sshh…”

A finger was placed on his lips and something snuggled in closer. Well, more like a “person”. His eyes had time to adjust themselves to the lack of light and details began to appear in the darkness. Pearly red eyes similar to a sunset watched him an instant before smiling sweetly.

Badump badump badump

E-Eh… Eh ?!

Wait, that svelte silhouette with flaming red hair. He would recognize it in a crowd!

“C-Ca-Cale-nim ?!” He stammered with rosy cheeks.

A vermillion lock tickled his nose and Choi Han stepped back by reflex, nevertheless his back hit the closet’s wall behind him.

“I… You…”

W-what was happening…

Why was Cale-nim inside the closet of his bedroom?

Where was the thief he was chasing earlier?

Was he dreaming?

The poor man pinched his wrist lightly. Nada, no effect. He blinked several times as if that would make the beautiful and ethereal person with vermillion hair before him disappear. No, it was indeed reality. Cale-nim was LAYING on his chest for unknown reasons. He nervously avoided his gaze. Calm down Choi Han! There must be some logical explanation to this turn of events. Maybe he was playing hide-and-seek with the children? And he didn’t want him to reveal his hiding place. Yes! That must be it. Otherwise why would two perfectly healthy adults be inside a closet in the middle of the afternoon!

... 

Ah, he remembered suddenly that he didn’t have time to shower and change yet after his training. He was probably stepping on his liege’s belongings with his boots full of dirt. Rah, he was a moron-

… 

Wait… H-Hey wasn’t it the pair of socks that was stolen the other day?

The raven-haired man noticed with stupefaction that he was sitting on what really looked like the things he thought he had lost a few weeks ago. Each object seemed carefully arranged to respect a certain aesthetic. Even his pillow cover was here!

Badump Badump Badump

His heart pumped blood as if it were running a marathon. The sudden bursts of information he ingested mingled together to form a cacophony that caused his brain to short-circuit.

W-Was Cale-nim the underwear’s thief?

Oh my god, he never thought in his life that one day he would utter such a sentence. He wanted to bury himself three feet under the ground.

No, no the question was did Cale-nim made a “nest” with his belongings?…

B-But, he wasn’t an omega. It didn’t make sense! Yes truth to be told his liege was someone extremely beautiful compared to the average beta. However he had been never in heat since their first meeting and…

AaAH !!?

Before he could finish his thoughts, the young master with vermillion hair decided that the ten centimeters of space between them were too much and closed the distance by half.

For heavens’ sake Cale-nim!! Stop it.

He was close, way too close for his mental health and his poor little heart. He had to find a way to move away from the pretty redhead before he gets intoxicated even more by his beauty. Unfortunately the heartbreaker in question didn’t care about his inner turmoil and nuzzled, furthermore, against his neck near his scent glands. And as if he was proud of his initiative, he let out a satisfied sigh close to an adorable purr. It was an intimate gesture only for mates, something that an alpha and an omega would do to mark each other: <You belong to me.>

Choi Han gulped nervously at the realization. Even though he was an alpha, he had never done this kind of t-thing with anyone before. Besides, everyone knew that Cale was a beta, so it was surprising that he behaved in such a way. The young man felt like crying out for help and having Eruhaben or Ron’s wisdom on the subject. He didn’t understand anything anymore. Every breath of air he inhaled possessed the sweet and precious floral-like scent of Cale-nim, at this rate he was going to lose his mind soon.

He caught with trembling hands the shoulders of his liege and tried to push him slightly away. However, a small whimper stopped him right on his tracks. Instead his instinct told him to do the exact opposite: hold the person in his arms even closer.

Badump Badump Badump 

Were gods testing his patience? His face surely looked like gochujang and let’s not even mention the lower part of his body. To keep his sanity, the knight with jet-black hair began to recite in his head all the sword techniques of Choi family with absolute concentration.

“Stop thinking.”

W-What? H-How come he knew he was —

“Too noisy.”

Choi Han kept quiet.

“Let’s sleep mh?”

On those simple words, the beating of the young knight’s heart calmed down little by little. It followed a more regular and normal rhythm mirroring the purring of the redhead which also fell to the decibel of a whisper.

A curious feeling blossomed in the sword master’s stomach. A peculiar dance, intriguing and warm at the same time. His tense shoulders gradually relaxed and he finally laid his head softly on the silky vermilion hair of his liege. As if under a spell, his eyelids became heavy. He yawned and tried to resist the temptation to fall in the arms of Morpheus.

No… He had to stay awake and vigilant. Cale-nim wasn’t in his normal state, he had to protect him: it was his duty. Nonetheless, a little voice inside him whispered sweetly to him the opposite. There was no danger anywhere and he could let his guard down.

Ah, perhaps he could go and get the others to talk about the situation later… It didn’t hurt anyone to just take a short nap. The hero of West and East continent was sleeping way too peacefully in his arms for anyone to disturb him, right?

･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Cale opened his eyes slowly, still somewhat sleepy. Ah, he had fallen asleep again in his “secret place”. Not that surprising though since he was plagued with insomnia lately. However, today it was strangely comfier than usual. He rubbed his eyes and got up a bit to check what was so firm and nice underneath him. 

 ?... 

He was startled to see that it was the muscular chest of his knight with jet-black hair. Well, he didn’t even have to think twice to realize it was a dream. After all, it made no sense that he had fallen asleep in Choi han’s arms. Still, a bed made from trinkets was definitely no substitute for the person in flesh. It was a thousand times better. He was curiously disappointed that it was only a figment of his imagination.

<Mmh, I can’t believe it. What the hell I am thinking. > He noticed, a bit embarrassed by his own thoughts.

Although he took advantage of this “lucid dream” to contemplate the innocent sleeping face of the korean. His skill “Record” had definitely done a good job at reproducing his facial features with such precision. He poked at the young man’s nose. The victim who seemed to be in a deep sleep, winced. Ha, someone is not happy to be disturbed in his sleep. Cute. The reaction amused Cale. He wondered if he would really make that kind of face in reality.

<Do you know that because of you lately I haven’t been able to concentrate at all?>

Ha … to be honest the past month had been a real headache. He was often irritated for nothing and he constantly felt like someone was playing bowling inside his stomach. But there was one thing that bothered him even more: it was the fact that Choi han seemed to be the solution to his problem. He didn’t know what magic it was, but there was a kind of very soothing scent surrounding him to the point that one day he asked him what perfume he used, but the latter just replied with a big smile that he had never tried to wear one. What a liar. 

Don’t tell him that it was the korean's natural scent because he was a beta alright? He had never smelt any pheromone in his whole life (as Kim Rok Soo or Cale Henituse) therefore he was convinced that it was surely some sort of cologne he used.  Everyone else’s scent didn’t change except for this punk that liked to trouble him so much. He was definitely too shy to admit the truth! It wasn’t like he was going to make fun of him. He just wanted to buy the same perfume or incense to put in his room to sleep better. That was all. Tsk, what a gatekeeper.

Thanks to this, he ended up … um … how to say it … “borrowing” things from Choi Han to compensate. Yes BOR-ROW-ING alright! He was going to give it back, really. It’s just that he didn’t think that a simple pen would turn into Alibaba’s cavern. It was only temporary, everything would return to normal. There was no reason it wouldn’t. As soon as he gets his hands on that mysterious “perfume,” the miracle solution to his insomnia. He wouldn’t need to do all of this anymore. He shouldn’t act that clingy to his dear friend. It was shameful at his old age. Fortunately, he had been discreet and no one noticed his more than “questionable” behavior lately.

Meanwhile nothing stopped him from enjoying his dream and snuggling closer to the chest of the charming knight. It was honestly the perfect pillow. Why didn’t they sell similar ones in Roan?

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The next day, at the doorstep of his room was standing his korean friend with rosy cheeks. What the hell was he doing here so early in the morning? The latter scratched shyly the back of his neck and asked while stumbling on his words:

“U-Um… Ca-Cale-nim, do you have time to talk about yesterday?”

“Yesterday?…”

Cale tilted his head sideways, trying to understand what he meant and crossed his arms. 

“Ah … erm… I…”

The person in front of him became redder and muttered under his breath. The redhead furrowed his brows.

“Don’t beat around the bush. Spit it out.”

Choi Han straightened up and mustered his courage.

“T-The closet… I… You… I mean my underwear!…”

BAM

The door was slammed shut in his face.

Fuck it wasn’t a dream.

Shit.

How did he get into this mess?

And what was this story about some random freaking SHORTS?!

Chapter Text

... 

Whoops. Reflex.

Should he open the door again?

Ugh… No, he didn’t want to rack his brains with the discussion that will follow. 

“Um, I’m busy come back later.” He ended up spouting in a perfectly normal tone. 

No. He wasn’t running away from his responsibilities. Not at all. It was just that there was a much simpler solution to this whole situation. Why complicate things?

"...Understood, Cale-nim.”

He waited until the man with ebony hair left before opening wide his closet aka his “secret place”. He stayed a moment pensive in front of it as if the floor was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world, then finally decided to clean the “Alibaba’s cavern”. 

“I don’t need this… Or this…”

He put the stuff one by one into a box he had previously found under his bed. And if his heart ached every time he threw something away, well… It must be because the Vitality of the Heart didn’t work efficiently enough so early in the morning. 

“...”

He looked at the gray shirt in his hands and remained quiet. 

<Maybe he could keep this one… >

He liked the texture, it was soft and pleasant to the touch. Besides it’s not like the punk would notice if one thing was missing right? He was already willingly going to give him back everything else, he frankly had nothing to complain about.

… 

No, no, no, no. If he did that, he would probably go back to his old habits without even realizing it. He had to let go of it once and for all. It was like a break, a fresh start to move on. That way there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.

… 

W-Well… He could put this away later, it wouldn’t change anything. The redhead placed the cloth carefully on his bed and continued to sort out his jumble diligently. After a good half-hour, the closet was emptied perfectly and he may or may not have encountered a “savage underwear”. Perhaps he is blind because he didn’t s-see anything remotely similar to one. Ahem. 

“Only this one left.”

Cale turned back and took the shirt in his hands. He chewed on his lower lip in a sulky manner and furrowed his brows, deep in thoughts. No one will know if-

“Human, what are you doing?”

BAM

The blouse flew through the whole room to land on the wall near the entrance. The little black dragon who had just opened the door, watched him with big eyes, surprised by the odd reaction of his adoptive father.  

“There… There was a cockroach on the wall behind you, but rest assured I’ve killed it.”

Yeah he wasn’t planning AT ALL to sniff like a weirdo the outfit he used as a weapon to save Raon from this cursed insect. 

“Ah thank you Human! But I could have taken care of it myself. I’m a great and mighty dragon after all!”

The child just shrugged off the strange behavior and flapped his wings joyfully. He got near Cale with a proud smile. 

“Why is there such a big carton? Are you going to move into another room?”

“No… Um I was just tidying up some stuff.”

The young master with vermillion hair closed the card box quickly with whatever he grabbed nearby and kept his stoic face. 

“Oh what a shame! If you ever change your mind because you're too scared to sleep alone, there is enough space for two people in my room you know!”

“Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll remember it.”

He sketched a smile and patted the round scaly head of the little dragon. 

The same evening, Choi Han found a box full of the belongings he thought he had lost in front of his room with a small message written on a tiny paper:

<No hard feelings alright?>

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 

“Did you guys fight?”

As he was about to eat his piece of pancakes, Cale froze on the spot for a millisecond and put down his fork on the table. He took a napkin and removed the bread crumb that was stuck on Raon’s cheek. 

“No, we didn’t. Why would you ask such a thing?”

The siblings of the little dragon seeing how he was being pampered, tried to eat messily on purpose too so that their paternal figure could pay attention to them. 

“Then why did you sit so far from the strong Choi Han?”

The redhead kept quiet and wiped the leftover honey near the twins’ mouth before continuing to eat his breakfast. 

“Since earlier you’ve been giving him that death glare!”

“Not at all.”

Cale pretended not to understand the accusations and lifted his head to see Choi Han. Pearly red eyes met onyx eyes. The knight blushed up to the ears and avoided his gaze. He frowned. The scene didn’t escape the people who were present at the table including the little black dragon who talked suddenly inside the mind of his adoptive father:

<Why are you lying Human? >

The young master with vermillion hair ignored the question. On the other hand, his friends didn't show it openly, but they also had a question to ask. What the heck did Choi Han do for Cale to not allow him to even get close? 

The West and East Continent's hero was mostly surrounded by alphas. Inside their large group, the betas and omega could be counted on the fingers of two hands. It was therefore normal for the members of the pack to instinctively leave their scent on the redhead to show to the world that even if he was a beta, he was still protected as well as a fortress. < Try something funny and you'll regret it. > was the message they declared aloud. And Choi Han was the most diligent about it. He never forgot to do it. Usually Cale was often surrounded by the scent of the young man with jet-black hair since his dominant alpha traits would easily cover anyone else’s scents. Hence it was odd that there wasn’t even a trace of the knight’s scent on his liege for almost a whole week. 

Besides the korean was a very bad liar, whenever they asked him what happened, the words would come out of his mouth mechanically like a robot <Everything. Is. Alright. We. Are. Fine. With. Cale-nim. > Yeah right, If they were so much in harmony then they should stop circling around each other playing cat and mouse! Everyone was aware that the sword master had a crush on the pretty redhead, he was definitely rejected and was in complete denial. Poor guy.

“I don’t care about what happened between you two but you should talk it over. It is making everyone uncomfortable especially the children.”

Ha… What a pain to be the oldest in their big family. It seemed that he was the only one who could make these two idiots reconcile. The golden dragon sighed deeply as he cornered the knight on his return from the training ground and slapped him in the face with the truth.

“... Ah… Um… I… Yes Eruhaben.”

The young man with ebony hair looked like he wanted to add something but he reluctlantly withdrew. After this discussion, he tried his best to meet his liege whenever he was alone in order to talk face to face about what happened, but unfortunately the latter avoided him like the plague. There were only simple greetings (with two meters of distance between them...) and even those were sprinkled with long moments of silence where both looked at their feet and it was a competition to see who could find the best excuse to slip away first.

“Today didn’t work either…”

Choi Han closed the door behind him with a sad, somber expression. He laid down on his bed with a heavy heart. Why was Cale-nim behaving in such an odd way… He didn’t understand. The man could be warm one second and the following minute he could be as cold as ice. He recalled the “closet incident” and hid his face behind his hands. Aaaaah… Maybe he should have pretended that nothing had happened at all. If he hadn’t gone to see him the next morning to talk about it, their relationship would have remained “normal.” 

But… 

What was “normal” in the end? It was basically impossible for him after all of “this”. Because the truth was that his feelings for the pretty redhead were never platonic. And perhaps deep down, he hoped, just a tiny bit, that his ridiculous feelings could be reciprocated. In any case, he was damn wrong. It was obvious when you saw the actual behavior of the young master. He had suspected that Cale-nim wouldn’t have done that with his head clear. Perhaps he was sleepwalking and suffered from kleptomania in his nocturnal wanderings… This theory kinda made sense. Maybe after him, he already caught another victim to terrorize haha. 

Ugh… He really didn’t want to think about it anymore. This made him more frustrated than anything else. The korean closed his eyes and tried to go to the land of dreams in order to find some peace of mind.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 

It was in the middle of the night when Choi Han felt an additional weight on his bed. He opened his eyes and got up swiftly. He searched for the scabbard of his sword lying near his bedside in the dark before realizing that… The mysterious intruder looked familiar. 

Damn it… Of course.

He let out the breath he had been holding and ran his hand through his hair. Anyone else would have woken him up. The years spent in the Forest of Darkness had made him a light sleeper and he could be alerted by the slightest snapping of twigs. Thinking back, it was perhaps for the same reason that he had not noticed right away that it was “him” the culprit of the thefts. His guard was naturally down around that person.

…

Darn, he was incredibly adorable.

Choi Han gave himself an imaginary slap to regain his senses.

No, no the question was:

WHY DID CALE-NIM SNEAK INTO HIS BED????

The same person who had been avoiding him so eagerly lately! The knight buried the urge to deny the whole bizarre situation and tried to remain calm. This was surely another one of his sleepwalking episodes. For both their sakes, it was better if he went to sleep on the sofa in the living room downstairs. He stood up carefully, paying attention not to wake his liege and tip toed towards the door.

 
“Where are you going?”

“!...”

The raven-haired man stopped on his tracks. He turned around and saw the outlines of the young master’s silhouette illuminated by the reflections of the moon. The latter had gotten up and was staring at him intensely with his beautiful pearly red eyes that reminded him of the sunset. 

“Stay here.” He formulated it as a gentle plea. 

Fireworks exploded inside the korean’s chest. He took a deep breath and replied:

“No I can’t.”

The answer made the pretty redhead tilt his head. He asked innocently:

“Why?”

Ugh… Because he didn’t trust himself enough to repress his alpha instincts properly when his precious liege was in front of him and acting in such an adorable way. It was similar and at the same time somewhat “different” from his usual self and this gap would result in his death one day, literally.

“Because… It’s not okay.”

Cale-nim, please spare me. I’m trying to keep my sanity in check here. 

“What is not okay?”

Choi Han clenched his fists. 

“T-This!”

Silence. The young master with vermillion hair stayed a moment pensive as if he didn’t understand the words of his friend. He insisted again:

“Why we can’t sleep together?”

… The korean became as red as a tomato at the hidden “meaning” of such an outrageous sentence. He wanted to beat to a pulp his alpha side for even being able to think that far. 

“Am I bothering you?”

Damn it. 

Haaa… Come on. Even if we offered to him the person he was deeply in love with on a silver plate, he wasn’t a bastard with no morals who would take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state who couldn’t think straight. He would blame himself for the rest of his life if he did something that might hurt him just because he let himself be carried away.

“N-No, never. That’s not the problem. I…”

But he was cut short before he could even finish his sentence. 

“Liar.”

The redhead murmured the word and lowered his head. He seemed so fragile and lost that the knight couldn’t help but want to comfort him. However before he could do more than three steps, a wave of pheromones spread through the room. It was a mix of sadness, anxiety and loneliness multiplied by ten.

“First you take away my precious things, then you forbid me to stay close to you.”

H-Huh? What was he talking about? Wasn’t him the one who started to avoid him after giving him back his belongings willingly? No most importantly, w-was it Cale-nim who emitted such a powerful distress signal?! At this rate the whole villa was going to be alerted! 

“C-Cale-nim!”

The knight with jet-black hair tried his best to close the distance between them, but the unknown pheromones seemed to have more effect on him than expected. He was feeling weak, it was as if he had been seized by a heavy affliction. Each step took him a tremendous effort to make. 

“You must hate me.”

No! Don’t say such a thing, you know that far from hate I… 

“I just want to stay by your side. Am I not allowed?…”

Choi Han drew all his strength to finally reach his liege and fell on his knees. He took delicately the frail pale hands similar to snow in his hands and wiped the tears that were escaping from the precious pearly red eyes as deep as ruby. He whispered to him like a secret:

“Far from hating you I...”

Nevertheless the world was against him, the bed room’s door opened with a loud crash and two individuals appeared near the threshold: the grandfather with his golden mane and the butler of the family. Both were still in their pajamas and for once the elders seemed far from calm, worry was evident on their respective faces.

“What the hell is happening here?!” The thousand-year-old dragon exclaimed. 

The young man with ebony hair patted gently the back of his liege that had sought refuge in his arms. The latter was wetting quietly his shoulder with more tiny snowflakes. He turned around, a bit embarrassed by the situation.

“Eruhaben… Ron…”

“Ha… I knew that something was wrong with you two but not to this extent.”

The elegant dragon with the appearance of an elf tried to smooth out the wrinkles of his forehead. He opened the windows in order to ventilate the room with a flick of his finger. On the other hand, the old man approached the duo that was sitted on the ground and reached out:

“Hand me the young master.” He said coldly. 

Choi Han hesitated a bit before agreeing. He instinctively released the most calming pheromones he knew in order to reassure the redhead before slowly stepping back.

“No!”

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), the latter didn’t move an inch and in a childish way refused to be separated from his knight. Despite the words of the young man, Cale seemed determined to stay glued to him like a koala.

“Mmh… This is quite problematic.” Ron observed while scratching his chin with a benign smile that sent chills down the spine.

Eruhaben let out a long sigh and glared at Choi Han suspiciously.

“Well, I think you have some explanations to do.”

The sword master chuckled awkwardly and wondered from where he could start telling the whole story.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 

“It seems like your dormant omega traits have emerged.”

Cale was speechless at the sudden declaration.

“Ha?”

It was way too early in the morning for this kind of bullshit.

“More precisely, your examination showed that you are a recessive omega. It is a very rare case, only one person in a million manifests such traits, especially in adulthood.”

Nevertheless, the doctor didn’t pay attention to the West and East Continent’s hero baffled mental state and calmly continued to explain under the stiff gaze of his parents Deruth and Violan Henituse.

“The most logical conclusion that we can reach is that you finally felt safe enough to start a family. That’s why your dormant omega traits manifested only after the end of the war.”

H-Him an omega?… The young master with vermillion hair wished to faint and pretend that everything was merely just a dream. It’s true that after the war against the White Star he had all the time in the world to be the rich slacker he always wanted to be, what the heck with “ready to start a family” ?! He already had three kids under his arms and a vegetable garden to cultivate, he was busy enough as it was! Did this whack job of a doctor even hear himself talking?! Mentioning that he was qualified to produce children like it was nothing! He didn’t even have time to digest one piece of information before another was thrown at his face.

“Now that your omega traits are here, they will surely take over your beta constitution. You will start to become more aware of other people's pheromones. And, of course, even though they will be weak, you will start to release your own pheromones too. It will be a long learning process to know how to manage all these new things.”

Cale passed his hand over his face and looked away. Ah. Did it mean that Choi Han didn’t use any perfume and that he found that he smelt ‘nice’ thanks to all of this nonsense?… His ears became as red as tulips. He was a complete fool.

“I would advise you to stay close to an alpha or omega with whom you feel comfortable so that you get used to pheromones little by little. You will probably suffer less from dizziness and nausea this way.”

An alpha with whom he felt comfortable huh… Of course his stupid thoughts went automatically to the knight with jet-black hair. He shook his head and peeked at his father and stepmother. They both nodded calmly to tell him that, needless to say, he could stay at Henituse Duchy while he gets used to his new condition. Cale sketched a timid smile, grateful. With them by his side, it probably won’t be so bad. In the end, omega or beta it was the same thing. Especially since it was recessive traits, that meant almost no big change right?

“As soon as you have early symptoms of heat, please don’t hesitate to come and see me again so that I can prescribe what you need to make sure it goes well.”

... Screw it. He almost forgot this point. Finally, it was great to be a beta. Please give him back his freedom you bunch of cheap useless gods! What were the symptoms again? He quickly remembered his middle school days lessons on that subject as Kim Rok Soo: hot flashes, nausea, upset stomach, easily irritated and sometimes the omega in distress could go seek comfort by building a “nest” with the objects that gave him a sense of security…

… 

Damn it.

Shit.

No way in hell!!

“Just kill me…”

He rolled his eyes and let out a grunt that was far from worthy of a respectable noble.

“Young master?…”

Chapter Text

“Human!! We are here.”

The young man with flaming red hair put down his book and turned around to peek at the children averaging ten years old. They skipped over to his bed with big smiles.

“Do you feel better? Goldie Gramps said that you accidentally ate a hamster, and then you couldn’t see anyone but us because you’re an ogre now.”

Cale wondered how in the world the little dragon managed to misunderstand so much Eruhaben’s words. However, it was too much effort to rectify everything so he just nodded and added:

“Mh, yes you can say that. I’m an omega now so it was a bit of an adjustment period for me.”

It had been over a month since he had returned to Henituse Duchy after his “diagnosis”. In the meantime, he had been able to get a little more accustomed to this new world of pheromones and went through his first heat (that was let's be honest DREADFUL despite the suppressants prescribed by the family doctor). He sincerely didn’t wish to experience it again. Fortunately, these cycles would be irregular due to his recessive traits, at least one positive thing in the scale. 

The children were finally allowed to see him since they had not yet developed their secondary gender traits, except for On who had manifested as an alpha recently. Nonetheless her pheromones were still not noticeable and since there had been no problems with Lily and Basen, his stepmother had concluded that a little visit wouldn’t pose a threat for his fragile health. 

“An omega? Does it mean you’re even weaker than before?” Raon asked, a tad worried. 

The young master thought for a moment before replying nonchalantly:

“Not really.”

There were cons, of course, but he will get used to them. Besides, he already had a weak constitution to begin with. It was hard to do worse. He was in great shape thanks to the help of the Vitality of Heart.

“Big brother Lock said that we have to protect omegas because people are mean to them. But don’t worry we will protect you nya!”

“She’s right, you can count on us nya!”

Their adoptive parent sketched a tender smile and thanked them wholeheartedly by petting their heads.

“Everyone misses you! I hope you get well soon. You’re not too bored by yourself?”

The redhead looked at the pile of papers his father had brought him a few days ago and answered:

“It’s alright, right now I’m sorting the letters of people who want to become my mate.”

“Mate?”

“Apparently, research showed that an omega would live longer with a mate than without one.”

Well, this would especially reassure the Duke and the Duchess who had seen how much he had suffered during his first heat. To be honest, he wasn’t that interested in finding a mate. But it’s true that rather than endure this ordeal several times a year by injecting himself with suppressants without any apparent real effects, if being with someone would easily help him get through this… There was no harm in trying. He hated being in pain after all. 

“What is a mate?”

Raon approached with big curious eyes. Ah. How to explain this concept to a child? Cale racked his brains to find the right words.

“A mate is someone who makes you smile and happy. Someone who is there when you need it so that you can have a shoulder to cry on during difficult times. How can I put this? You know how it’s easier to walk with two slippers in the right size? It’s like finding a shoe that fits your feet, something like that. The kimchi to your fridge of kimchi… Ah erm… Forget the last example.”

The young man coughed a bit to hide his embarrassment. It was a pretty lame example. The kimchi to your fridge of kimchi, what the hell. He bets that if Choi Jung Soo were here, he would get a good laugh out of it. 

“Then I can be your mate Human! So that you can stay healthy and live a long long long life.” The short dragon with blue eyes declared with enthusiasm. 

The young master with vermillion hair showed an amused smile. Ah, he would definitely never win against the innocence of a child.

“Mh, it doesn’t work like that Raon. It’s a little bit more complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

Did he really have to do the talk about cranes bringing babies to cabbages or bees pollinating flowers? Ugh… He should leave that complex work to Ron. Let’s find a simple, short and effective way to convey it. 

“Commonly, the ideal mate for an omega would be an alpha.”

There, end of the story. His explanation was flawless—

“An alpha like Choi Han?”

Cale almost spitted out the tea he drank. 

“Kof kof… Ah hum… You can say that.”

Well the raven-haired knight was indeed … an alpha. It was an example like any other.

“Then couldn’t Choi Han be your mate?”

“True, our Choi Han would know how to protect you!”

“He is very strong, very kind and with a lot lot of other qualities!”

Ugh… Too much enthusiasm and sparkly eyes for an old man like him. He had nothing to refute the points they listed because … it was true. Choi Han was a very … charming alpha. However, he was his friend, so it was impossible for him to ever think of the man as a- 

“I’ll ask when I get home if he wanna become your mate!”

Raon proudly said by flapping his wings joyfully to the applause of his siblings. Fortunately, their father figure was there to immediately stop them in their nonsensical project. He grabbed all three of them in a big “forced” hug.

“Hey there, let’s all calm down.”

Good lord, what was he going to do with this bunch of little rascals?

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

In the outside courtyard of Super Rock’s Villa, the knight with jet-black hair joined the children in their games before snack time. The little group was right in the middle of a flower weaving workshop. Everyone was focused on their crown until an announcement disrupted the sweet tranquility of the picturesque scene.

“This thursday Cale is going on a blind date.”

Choi Han dropped the daisy he was adding to his pathetic wreath of flowers that was begging to be freed from its suffering and looked at On with wide eyes. 

“He’s doing that to find a mate.”

However the teenager didn’t pay attention to his reaction and continued with a nonchalant attitude mirroring a certain young master with vermillion hair. 

“Are you really okay with that nya?”

She lifted her head and locked eyes with his guardian with the utmost seriousness despite the nya that she would add at the end of her sentences due to her feline origins. The alpha before her stayed speechless. He still couldn’t process the information he had just been given.

Pardon, his liege was going to find a mate? He didn’t even have time to see him again since he left for the Henituse Duchy and now he was being told he was getting married?! Haha… Very good joke. Very very good joke. The funniest joke he had heard in all times, really. The young girl with silver hair let out a sigh and stood up, then she pointed at him with her chest puffed out:

“You have to fight for yourself Choi Han or your happiness will slip through your fingers.”

With a dramatic gesture worthy of the greatest films she shouted:

“Be a man!”

Eruhaben who was watching them from afar on a deck chair stifled a small laugh, amused. He took the opportunity to add a light breeze of wind from a low angle to accentuate the little girl’s words. What a beautiful performance, it was wonderful that they had stretched his lifespan so that he could witness this romantic comedy. The sword master with messy hair looked like a sad lost puppy. It was hilarious. 

“It’s true strong Choi Han, the human said that now that he was an ogr—ahem I mean omega he has to find a mate in order to live a long healthy life!”

The little black dragon got closer to the duo and put his work of wild herbs on the head of the young man. The kitten with red fur sat on his lap and proudly added:

“He said that an alpha was an ideal mate for an omega!”

The knight's heart did a backflip inside his chest. Oh. Did that mean he could perhaps?... 

As if the children had read his mind, they quickly added:

“And you’re an alpha.

—So it’s perfect!” 

Choi Han choked and coughed frantically at the bold statement. His ears blossomed into plum flowers. 

“Listen… I think this is up to Cale-nim. It doesn’t matter who he ends up choosing as his mate, as long as he’s happy that’s the most important thing.”

The dull answer of the young man didn’t seem to please his audience. The three kids all showed sad expressions. Raon flew up suddenly, revolted by the situation.

“But you like him and … and… The human likes you too!”

The korean sketched a small melancholic smile. 

“Ah, well about that… Of course, we do like each other but not in the same manner. The affection I hold for him is way too … different.”

He wished to stay by his side as their wrinkles increase with the seasons and protect his precious smile so that it will never fade away. Naturally, it was what he wanted for all the members of his large family. He was convinced that Cale-nim thought the same. He tended to put other people’s happiness before his own after all. Nevertheless, his feelings for "that person" went beyond the simple platonic affection. He was aware that his friend with vermillion hair didn’t yearn his kisses, hugs or bouquets of flowers from him every day. But it was his case. He wished to start a family with this beautiful person and to whisper to him sweet words whenever he had the opportunity.

However all of this was just merely one of his silly dreams, because the young master had never shown the slightest interest for romantic relationships. Love letters written carefully with golden ink or even people who had come specially in front of the gates of the Henituse Duchy to declare their love to the famous hero of West and East Continents… He had received loads of them since the end of the war. Yet the recipient of their ardent confession remained unmoved and ignored all their poor attempts, supposedly because it was far too annoying to put up with all the inconveniences that resulted from dating someone. 

Choi Han let out a small sigh as he recalled the harsh reality and buried a little deeper in the abyss of his heart the sweet-bitter affection he felt for his liege.

“How can you know if you don’t try!

Do you want to regret not having said anything later?”

The teenager with silver hair glared at him with furrowed brows. There was no one else who deserved more to be his adoptive father’s mate than the idiot in front of him! He just had to tell Cale how he felt! It was that simple, but for some reason he was convinced he was going to be rejected without trying. It was so irritating argh! Even if he were an oaf who hadn’t showered in days, he had a much better chance of getting his declaration of love accepted than anyone else, so...!

“That’s it, we’re going to give you a proper makeover and your goal will be to steal the spotlight from the person Cale will see on Thursday!”

Their Choi Han was quite a good-looking young man, they just had to highlight his assets so that he would notice how many hearts he could break with just a smile!

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“Sshh… I can’t hear what they are saying!”

Three little shadows hidden behind a large pot of plants poked their heads out slightly to observe a couple in the distance sitting at a table near the windows overlooking the terrace.

“Can you guys please sit down…”

Their guardian passed his hand over his face with a sigh. Good grief, what had he gotten himself into? He should never have agreed to go along with their plan. The children in question looked like a skewer of dangos piled on top of each other. It was a bad idea, it was a very bad idea to sneak into this café, which is reserved for the high society in order to spy on his liege! He was sincerely ashamed of their behavior.

"... So I was saying that our ancient family with centuries of history would be honored to welcome you the hero of West and East Continents. My grandfather can’t wait to witness the birth of our glorious offspring.”

Crack. 

The handle of the cup Choi Han was holding crackled slightly.

O-Offspring?…

He bit back a growl that ached in his throat. The simple idea of a stranger becoming intimate with “his” Cale-nim in the future right under his nose made him infuriated.

!...

W-What’s wrong with him, “his Cale-nim”?

D-Did he even hear himself?

The young master wasn’t an object!

Oh my god, he needed more coffee, something very strong in order to digest his outrageous thoughts. He tried his best not to pay attention to the conversation of the table three meters away from them and gulped down the contents of his glass. Despite the brouhaha of the large reception room, it was hard not to notice his liege politely acquiescing to whatever his date had to say. It was pretty much an one-sided conversation. The man in front of him seemed to love flattering himself to the point where Choi Han wanted to silence him with a hit from the back of his sword. He was lucky that he didn’t have his sheath on him.

“You know, not a lot of people are willing to make allowances and accept to take as spouse a recessive omega, furthermore, male. However I am a man full of virtues and many other qualities I am ready to make the sacrifice—”

CLAK

The raven-haired knight lifted himself from his seat suddenly, seething with rage at what he had just heard. But before he could do anything, a mortifying silence surrounded their table.

“Could you keep your pathetic mouth shut?”

Words pronounced in an indifferent voice, but the air around them changed in the blink of an eye into something heavy and suffocating.

“Uh?…”

The man before the redhead was covered in cold sweat without knowing why.

“Do you have any other words coming out from your dirty mouth than omega here and there? Couldn’t you think of any topics better to talk about than offspring and that sort of bullshit?”

The former commander spoke with severity.

“I… C-Cale!”

Their eyes met.

“It would be Sir for you. I don’t recall us being close enough for you to skip formalities and call me directly by my name Mr. Vince?”

The noble whose hands were shaking against his will, ended up automatically replying with the title that made the young master known throughout Roan during the war.

“M-My apologies commandant.”

The hero of West and East Continent clicked his tongue and furrowed his brows.

“You’re boring me to death. To the point where my tea became insipid thanks to your stupidities. You better get out of my sight before I take care of it myself.”

“Y-Yes, right away!"

And he didn’t need to repeat himself twice before his mediocre “date” ran for his life without even paying the bill. Not really gallant and a feather-brained moron until the end. Cale let out a sigh and calmed down his Dominant Aura that had manifested slightly earlier in the heat of the moment. He took a sip of tea and glanced around. The curious onlookers who had witnessed the whole scene reflexively lowered their heads.

<The charisma of the Silver Shield Young Master is definitely different up close! > They all secretly thought.

Rumors were bound to fill the streets in a few days, and unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. It was one of the reasons he didn’t want to meet in public, but the other idiot had insisted, and he had agreed to move on. If only the maids from the Henituse Duchy had kept their mouth shut, no one would have known the truth and he could have pretended to be a beta for the rest of his life. Anyway what’s done is done. Now he had to find a mate to be able to live quietly in peace again, what a pain. His dream to become a rich slacker was getting further and further away.

Truth to be told, he didn’t need someone extraordinary. Someone kind and caring would be enough. A pretty face would be a bonus. Like this handsome man over there with jet-black hair as deep as the starry night sky, lightly brushed and slicked back, with locks falling in front of his eyes on the left side… His carefully ironed white shirt decorated with gold embroidery suited him. It showcased his Adonis physique.

...

Mh? Why was he getting closer?

Did he stare at him for too long?

The redhead was about to look away until the cogs in his brain settled back into place. That familiar gait was reminding him of someone… A fragrance of old bark and rusty sword sprinkled with a subtle scent of leftover apple pie tickled his nose. A discreet purr tried to escape from his throat. 

"...Choi Han?”

Ah now that he was closer, there was no doubt. It was indeed him. He didn’t know that it was possible for someone to become even more handsome within one month. It was definitely the incredible power of the Birth of Hero’s protagonist… He looked him up and down, intrigued by the makeover. His roving eye made the person in question blush. The man said timidly :

“Ah, C-Cale-nim. What. A. Coincidence. I. Didn’t. Think. I. Would. Meet. You. Here.”

…

Suspicious.

Really suspicious.

Why was he talking like a robot? Did he have something to hide? What was he doing here, anyway? Did he also have a date with someone? It would explain his unusual “appearance”. Mh, he didn’t like the sudden tingling sensation inside his stomach. Maybe he had eaten something that went down the wrong way earlier. 

“It suits you.”

“Uh?…”

“Your new haircut.” The young master with vermillion hair noted calmly as he drank his tea.

The knight scratched his cheek, a bit taken aback by the compliment and stayed quiet. He didn’t know what to say to continue the conversation, it’s been so long since the last time they had seen each other. His heart skipped innocently with joy. After all, they had parted under rather “special” circumstances. Perhaps he was the only one who was still a little embarrassed about what had happened. The young master remained true to himself, stoic face sprinkled with a nonchalant attitude.

Actually the truth was that Ron and Eruhaben had never gone into detail concerning the events of that night with Cale. They had omitted the fact that he had sneaked into Choi han’s room to sleep in his bed. And let’s not even talk about the part where he had given a categorical refusal to be separated from him. His dear knight had to calm him down and hold him in his arms until the fatigue would carry him off to dreamland. He was just told that he had fainted in a corridor of Super Rock Villa with a heavy fever and that they had taken him urgently to the Henituse family’s doctor.

In summary, there was no reason for the redhead to be ashamed of something right now. If he ever learns the truth one day, he would move to another country overnight to avoid the korean with all his might. But well, who knows it’ll be a story for the distant future. Meanwhile, the two lovebirds were staring at each other likes idiots without saying anything to On’s greatest dismay. She hid herself with her mist ability and discreetly approached their guardian with ebony hair to nudge him. The gesture had the intended effect, he came out of his reverie and instinctively stammered:

“U-Um, thank you. It’s On and Rosalyn who did all the work this morning. They said that I needed to be elegant for…”

Cale cut him and said with indifferent eyes:

“For the young lady you came with today, right? Don’t worry you look very charming dressed like this. You should return to your table, it’s rude to make her wait just because you're here to greet me.”

Choi Han froze on the spot. W-What lady? Oh no, did his liege think that… It was a misunderstanding! He had to get this cleared up! Unfortunately, contrary to his thoughts, all he could manage was to make sheepish gestures and utter incomprehensible piece of sentences.

“A-Ah, I… No … it’s…”

“Choi Han kindly accompanied us because we wanted to come to this café nya!”

The teenager with silver hair and his brother hidden behind the back of the sword master shyly revealed themselves before their father figure.

On, his savior! 

What would he do without her...

“I see.”

So that was it. No secret late afternoon rendezvous with a pretty stranger. Cale sketched a smile and released without knowing a little wave of happy pheromones. A small invisible being sat in his lap. He softly petted the smooth, scaly head of the last kid from the trio.

“Since you are all already here and that there are still plenty of delicious desserts left… Let’s enjoy them together shall we?”

The redhead showed the sofa as white as the marble floor across him. His guests didn’t need to be asked twice and eagerly plopped down.

“Yay! They look so tasty nya.”

“I was starving!”

The knight with jet-black hair followed the children and sat down as well. The kids began to enjoy the pastries under the benevolent gaze of the two adults.

“When can you return to Super Rock Villa?”

Cale hummed thoughtfully and put down his cup of tea.

“Mh… Soon. Maybe in a week or so.” He replied by lightly tapping the table.

“Understood. I’m happy to see that you’re feeling better. We all miss you very much.”

The young raven-haired man sketched such a lovely smile that it made butterflies fly inside Cale’s stomach. What a curious feeling. Now that his korean friend was by his side, His heart was surprisingly lighter. He felt calm and peaceful just with his presence. He hadn’t noticed how tense his shoulders were until he arrived. His condition was stable now, it wouldn’t change anything if he went back home tomorrow. His family will surely agree with his decision. Besides… He missed hi—AHEM He wanted to say that he missed the people left at Super Rock Villa too.

“Ah, but maybe I need to find a mate before… My father is very dedicated about this lately.” The young master muttered to himself, a bit distracted.

The person seated in front of him clenched his fists and lowered his head. It was as if thousands of tiny needles were mercilessly piercing his entire being. He had always believed that staying by his side as a simple “friend” was the right choice even when he was a beta, but… it was unbearable to imagine his liege being treated as harshly as he had been before by another alpha in his search of a mate. He couldn’t believe he had let it happen, even though he… He could have cherished him like the apple of his eye, but he didn't, because he was hiding his true feelings like a coward. It was time to muster his courage and be brave. Of course, he obviously lacked qualifications. He wasn’t someone as perfect as Roan's crown prince. However he was certain that he was more than capable of making the beautiful person in front of him happy and that was the most important thing.

Wasn’t he good enough for him? 

“Cale-nim, couldn’t I be the one?”

“Uh?”

The strange question startled the redhead out of his thoughts. Be … what? Why was this punk staring at him so viciously?… Did he do something wrong or was the cake he tasted not to his liking? Cale pushed by reflex the dessert he was eating in front of his friend, hoping to calm down his anger a bit. The innocuous gesture made Choi Han smile. He shook his head fondly. Sometimes the young master really was in the clouds. He was truly missing the main point on certain subjects. Without a doubt, he hadn’t managed to clearly express his thoughts with this formulation. He mustered his courage again and continued with rosy cheeks:

“You don’t need to force yourself to find a mate. I-I… I’m an alpha too, I believe I can protect you better than anyone else and … and… I can help you to get used to your newly emerged omega traits. I will do my best to make you happy, you don’t have to do anything. You simply can be the rich slacker you always wanted to be!”

... 

The duo looked at each other quietly for a few seconds before Cale decided to stop the staring contest.

"... Choi Han.”

The knight’s heart did an Olympic jump inside his chest and his hands became sweaty. He couldn’t read his liege’s indifferent eyes. That’s it, he was going to be rejected. Damn it, he didn’t even manage to confess his love properly without stuttering like an idiot.

“Y-Yes?…”

Nonetheless, contrary to his fears, the answer of the young master was unexpected.

“You know that’s an amazing idea?”

“H-huh?…”

He stood up and took him by the shoulders with a big, beaming smile.

“It’s perfect, really perfect. We should start as soon as possible! No, right now.”

"???"

But, of course, why he hadn’t thought of it earlier! Instead of bearing the agony of finding a mate to stabilize his omega side, he could have just asked Choi Han. After all, even if he possessed dominant traits, he was the alpha with whom he had never felt uncomfortable even during the symptoms of his first heat last time. He just had to tell him to let him “borrow” some of his belongings for his nest when the time comes and to release a bit of his pheromones whenever it was necessary to calm down his inner-omega. So much time saved, no more headaches: the miracle solution. And if the person in question so kindly offered to help, it would be too stupid to refuse! 

Ah, their friendship was beautiful. 

Long live the friendship between korean comrades!

Quite frankly, what a great guy Choi Han is. 

Chapter Text

He wondered how in the world did he manage to find himself in this predicament; hidden in the darkness of a narrow alley with his liege snuggling against his chest. 

Ah, even after all this time, he would definitely never get used to it. He closed his eyes tightly, trying not to look directly at his crush.

Breathe Choi Han. 

… 

Damn it, why was he the only one nervous every time? Contrary to the redhead, his heart was running a marathon inside his chest, determined to win first place for an imaginary contest. He had practiced for “this” plenty of times and yet he still was this restless. The thing is after he realized that Cale-nim had completely misunderstood his love confession. They had become “partners”, yes. But, unfortunately, not at all in the way that he would have liked them to be.

He remembered that early afternoon when the shadow of the leaves danced lightly on the young master’s face. He had brought him to a quiet corner of Super Rock’s Villa far away from the children’s bedlam in order to discuss about what had happened in the café. The knight had already noticed that they were not on the same page for some reason, but this meeting had confirmed his suspicions. 

 
 “Thank you again for offering to help me with my newly emerged omega traits. But I want to make sure that none of us feels uncomfortable. That’s why we have to define the limits that must not be crossed.”

Cale sketched a smile and patted the korean’s shoulder warmly. After all in order for their beautiful friendship to last, it was necessary to set rules. He wasn’t someone shameless enough to take advantage of Choi Han’s kindness without asking his opinion first. 

“I’ve read somewhere that omegas needed to receive and show more physical affection than the average person… But as you know, I’m not very fond of that kind of thing.”

He remained pensive a bit before looking back at the young man standing in front of him. Red pearly eyes met onyx eyes. 

“Let’s begin with something simple.”

He got closer to his friend and said with an impassive face. 

“Choi Han open your arms.”

Although he was confused by the unexpected request, the loyal knight quickly obeyed. To his surprise, his liege gently took him in his arms and laid his head on his shoulder. The sudden gesture froze him, and he stupidly maintained his arms in a T-shape like a scarecrow.

“Mh… Not like this.”

Cale grabbed the arms of his comrade and placed them correctly around his waist. Once the job was done, he hummed proudly. 

“This is better, what do you think?”

The young man with ebony hair nodded shyly, doing as best he could to relearn how to breathe properly and get oxygen back into his lungs. 

 
“Alright, let’s try to stay like this for minimum ten seconds and see how it goes.”

Mh… Strange, why was Choi Han’s heart beating so fast? Perhaps he was one of those who, even when resting, tended to have a rather rapid pulse. Cale didn’t pay any more attention to this detail and lost himself in the sweet odor of his knight. Ah … his scent would definitely win its spot on the podium of his favorite smells. It was indeed a good decision to have accepted his help. He already could see that his future heats would be much easier to bear if he was there. Hurray for Choi Han! He was really the best friend he could ask for right now. 

As the young master with vermillion hair was happily praising his comrade in his mind, the friend in question was … how to say? Gone. Logged out. His soul had left his body because the truth was that the pretty redhead did not seem to want to put an end to their “friendly hug” and even with all the goodwill in the world… It was… Impossible for him to keep up any longer. He had to (unfortunately) raise the white flag. He pushed slightly his lovely liege and put his hand in front of his mouth shyly. 

“Time-out.” He muttered with burning ears. 

The person before him nodded quietly. 

“So ten seconds was indeed the limit. I’ll remember it for next time.”

Cale-nim… I believe you forgot to multiply by sixty your seconds…

He let out a small inner sigh and grabbed the scabbard of his sword to calm down. However his move was understood a different way by his liege who instinctively stepped back, worried that he might have pushed his buttons too much with the earlier request.

"... Maybe it’s enough for today. We should continue next time.” He announced prudently. 

The knight promptly raised his head. 

“No, no. Don’t worry Cale-nim.”

Although they were in the middle of a huge misunderstanding, the crush he had on his beautiful liege pushed him not to say anything. It was shameful, but deep down he wanted to take advantage of the situation in order to stay close to him. To be more than an “ordinary friend” without feeling guilty even if everything was a lie. 

“Mh… Well, what if we simply hold hands? It’s less tedious.”

The pretty redhead took his hand and closed his eyes thoughtfully. Although it was pleasant and approved by his inner omega… Something was missing but he couldn’t tell what. Maybe they had to intertwine their fingers? No, that wasn’t it. What was certain, however, was that he didn’t particularly like the lumpy texture of the leather glove against his palm.

“Why not remove your gloves? Direct contact with the skin is better.” He concluded bluntly. 

“Ah… I…”

The korean scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. He gulped nervously and looked hesitantly at the immaculate white hand similar to snowflakes.

“My hands are way too rough and ugly to hold yours directly Cale-nim.” He explained with his head bowed. 

The sordid comment made the young master furrow his brows. The latter caught promptly the gloves of his stubborn knight. 

“Quit this nonsense. Take it off.”

"!..."

After a tad of trouble freeing the man’s hands, he threw the leather cages behind him with a satisfied smile. 

“See? Everything’s fine.”

Cale gently took his friend’s hands in his own and delicately touched with his thumb the war medals that he was so ashamed of. What a moron. These beautiful dune valleys represented an admirable part of him and he would be the last person to claim otherwise.

“These scars and blisters show the tireless work you’ve done to protect the things dear to you and it’s the proof that you have persevered to survive this far thanks to your own strength.”

Pearly red eyes similar to the sunset met pupils as deep as the starry night sky. 

“Got it?”

A simple smile. One of the most ordinary ones. And yet, Choi Han found in it a comforting signification that went beyond any words. If the world asked him why he liked this man, the reason was just as naive. Despite the cold and indifferent attitude he could show at first glance, the person in front of him was someone incredibly gentle. His kindness and simplicity had charmed him since their first meeting and the ardent flame that burned in his heart had only been rekindled even more with the passing seasons.

He squeezed his liege's hand timidly and brought it close to his cheek, then he acquiesced softly:

“Yes, Cale-nim.”

How could he refuse the pretty redhead’s whims after this? Impossible for him. Hence if he had to repress his primitive instincts as an alpha to mark his beloved then be it. He didn’t mind being just “someone” he could rely on. It was more than enough for him.

Truly enough.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“Sorry, I’m still not used to crowds.”

Choi Han was suddenly pulled from his memories and returned his attention to the “present” Cale-nim. The latter had finally decided to end their little daily cuddle routine and had moved away from him with an adorable grumpy face. 

“If only everyone possessed a smell as soft and pleasant as yours… It would be much easier.” He mentioned naturally with a sigh.

During his stay in Henituse Territory, they had arrived right around the time of the festival to celebrate the beginning of spring. And where there’s a festival, there would always be a gargantuan crowd. For the young omega that was the Hero with Silver Shield… How to say? Being accosted by admirers on every street corner made him regret a tiny bit he had agreed to accompany the children to join the festivities. The diverse and disparate smells in the air made him dizzy. It took all the willpower in the world not to vomit his guts out into the next sewer drain he would encounter. Thankfully Choi Han was there, it was really what kept him alive: his own little safe haven against this brutal world.

   
“Cale-nim…”

The redhead lifted his head with a questioning look. 

 
“Mh?”

Deep onyx eyes scrutinized him carefully from head to toes. The young master of Henituse duchy gulped nervously as his hands became sweaty. E-Eh? Had he done something to offend him in any way? His voice sounded a bit different than usual. He felt like a prey facing a predator ready to eat him alive.

“You can’t say those kinds of things so lightly, or I will…”

The knight with ebony hair brushed with his thumb the rosy pink lips of his liege. If only he were aware of the emotions, he would ignite in him by acting this way… 

Cale-nim, you are the one at fault this time. 

Followed with a little infatuated sigh, he leaned down slowly to capture th—

“Here you are! We were looking for you everywhere.”

THUD

The little dragon stopped on his tracks. 

“What are you doing?”

He looked doubtfully at his two guardians in the narrow alley. One had his head pressed against the wall, muttering something under his breath, and the other was kneeling, completely at the opposite side, staring at the ground.

“There was … a rat running around, we were surprised.”

The redhead coughed and went back to his stoic self as if nothing happened.

“Oh, okay.”

The kid with blue pupils raised an eyebrow, not really convinced and got closer. After all the human was weak so that a rat could have startled him, fine, but the strong Choi Han too? It must have been a rat with the size of a tyrannosaurus. What a shame, he would have liked to bump into it too!

“Why are you still holding hands?” Raon asked, curious.

Ah, right… Earlier the raven-haired man had helped his liege to stand up. Both of them, however, had remained silent, staring at nothingness like two awkward teenagers on their first date. To the comment of the toddler that reached barely eight years old, the hero of West and East Continents promptly removed his hand to hide it behind his back. Nonetheless it didn’t seem to please the sword master. He instinctively caught the running hand under the intrigued gaze of their little spectator.

“Is it a game? I want to hold your hands too!” He exclaimed by taking the hand of his paternal figure with a big smile.

The two adults barely had time to sort out the misunderstanding that familiar silhouettes appeared at the entrance of the alley to join the party. A kid with red hair ran happily towards them.

“What are you doing?”

“A contest of the one who holds the other’s hand the longest.” The youngest of the family replied enthusiastically.

“Ooh! I want to play too.”

Hop, in no time the left hand of Choi Han was taken hostage by Hong. The teenager with silver hair that remained quiet facing the comical scene, threw a glance, albeit discreetly, at the intertwined fingers with a hint of desire to participate. The lively dragon noticed his older sister’s wish and kindly gave up his seat.

“I’m tired, I’m going to rest on the Human’s shoulder. On can you be my substitute so I don’t lose the game?”

“… Sure.”

The young girl showed a timid elated smile and took the hand of his adoptive father. Seeing the children so happy for nothing much, Cale naturally suggested that they continue exploring the festival like this. Nobody raised any objections.

That’s how everyone found themselves in the main square, visiting the various stalls and collecting bric-a-brac. Their arms were quickly filled with gifts from the stands’ owners, delighted to see their young master back home again.

“Hehe, I’m having so much fun Human! We should have festivals every day.”

Cale furrowed his brows slightly at the little dragon’s comment. If it were the case, he would have to increase their pocket money. Would five gold coins a day be enough? Besides, he would be very embarrassed if he had to accept so many gifts all the time from Henituse Territory’s people when he was already filthy rich.

“Look, look Human. Don’t they look like us?”

Torn from his thoughts, the young man turned his head to see an innocent, idyllic portrait of something he never had as a kid: loving parents accompanying their two children to the festival.

“Hehe, it’s great. It’s as if we were a … uh how do we call it again?”

Raon thought for a long time with full concentration before flying up and spinning around.

“Oh right, I think it was family! Are we a family too Human?”

The silhouette of a former team leader covered with scars named Kim Rok Soo reflected itself in the sparkling blue eyes as deep as the ocean of the young dragon.

A family huh…

It was a word he never thought he would hear again since that “incident” but who would have guessed that the whims of fate would grant him the opportunity to find one in a whole new world straight out of a fantasy novel.

... 

He sketched unconsciously a fond smile.

“Yes Raon, you, On, Hong and of course Choi Han as well as all the people precious to you are part of a big family.”

He tenderly stroked the smooth and scaly head of the toddler.

“We are each other’s protectors, even if one day we are physically apart, our hearts will remain one.”

The bonds they had forged were too intertwined to be untied now after all. The little magical creature snuggled against his adoptive father and flapped his wings joyfully.

“Does it mean that if one day strong Choi Han and you have a baby together, he can call me hyung like you and the crown prince? I’ll be his big brother!”

To the bold statement, the young master with red flaming hair lost himself in a coughing frenzy and the potential “partner” by his side almost tripped on the cobbled street. Yeah well, the kids had indeed not given up on their cupid mission even after Cale had stopped looking for a mate.

“We are not dating Raon.” The redhead justified himself with the tips of his ears not burning at all.

“Mh, is that so? You are always stuck together and Big Brother Lock assured that you were surely already mates but you were waiting for the right moment to tell us!”

What a headache to find a way to resolve this misunderstanding that many people had for an unknown reason. Choi Han and him were only friends alright! Simple, ordinary friends.

“Mates … do things much more intimate together that children shouldn’t know … or see”. He ended replying with utmost seriousness.

“Like what?”

My goodness, would this barricade of questions ever stop? Before he could change the subject, a small voice spoke up.

“Do you remember the ending of the fairytale we read last time? It’s almost the same.”

On said in a nonchalant manner as she tried to enlighten his little brother.

“Ah.”

Silence, then suddenly the eyes of the tiny dragon lit up.

“Does it mean you guys are all chummy together, kisses and stuff? No, the important thing is why did you get married without telling us?! Do you have any hidden children anywhere??? Eeeh, am I already a big brother without knowing it?!”

After all in the fairytales, it is always written that <they lived happily ever after with their many children.> So if it was the same, that meant it was also their case, right?!

“Pfft—Hahahahahaha!!”

The chubby kid’s innocence made the guardian with jet-black hair burst into laughter. Cale frowned and nudged the knight. This idiot wasn’t helping him at all to deescalate the situation.

“Calm down Raon, for the umpteenth time we are not mates. And I don’t plan to have one anytime soon.” He insisted and let out a deep sigh.

Being single is the best.

The joy of the redhead wasn’t shared with the child. The latter showed a sad pouting face.

“So … when Choi Han finds a mate, we won’t be able to be as close as now? No holding hands and everything else?” He added with a small voice.

Cale halted and remained quiet. He turned his head towards the man by his side. The multi-colored confetti dancing in the air framed his charming soft facial features which made the inside of his chest flutter easily as if he were on a ship. The flame in his innocent, onyx eyes seemed intent on telling him something, but his heart had decided to lock itself up and turn a deaf ear to it. 

It’s true that Choi Han would surely one day in the future find someone he would cherish and start his own family. When the time comes, he shouldn’t forget to congratulate him. He hoped he would still remember to invite him to his wedding after all the adventures they had shared together.

… 

The young master turned his attention back to the little dragon.

“I guess.” He replied calmly, with the same impassive expression on his face that never changed.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Cale watched the children skip inside the Henituse Mansion accompanied by his butler. A brief exchange of glances was enough for Ron to understand that he needed some time alone with Choi han. Once the group disappeared behind the front door, he turned around to face his loyal knight.

“Is everything alright? You’ve been really quiet towards the end of the festival.”

His friend showed a small “forced” smile and shook his head.

“...Don’t worry Cale-nim. I am just a bit tired that’s all.”

Even though he seemed to say the truth, it was obvious that he hadn’t told him everything that was troubling him. The redhead got closer but surprisingly, the latter just stepped back by reflex. One step forward, one step back. The duo continued the little game until the korean’s back hit a wall. Cale furrowed his brows, what was this punk problem?

“I need… I need to go to the Forest of Darkness soon.”

The cloaked man avoided his gaze, hands pressed against the wall with a reserved demeanor. The young master with vermillion hair racked his brains a bit before realizing what he was talking about.

“Ah… Is it already this time of the year?”

Choi Han nodded.

“That’s why, please avoid getting too close to me over the next few days Cale-nim.”

He took a deep breath and continued:

“If you ever need pheromones in the meantime to stabilize your omega side, don’t hesitate to ask others to help you. They will know what to do and manage better than me.”

And if an unpleasant feeling was creeping inside Cale’s stomach at the thought that it was the first thing he mentioned before leaving… He pretended to be fine.

Who cared about all of this when he…

“... Be careful. I will ask Ron to prepare a bag of provisions for you.” He answered nonchalantly and stepped back to give him more space.

“Thank you.”

The next morning, the sword master was already ready to leave the Henituse Domain to reach the Forest of Darkness. The sun had barely risen and the whole mansion was still asleep, or so he thought. A familiar silhouette with red flaming hair appeared by the old hidden gate located in the backyard.

“I knew you were going to act like this.”

The stoic young master threw him a small linen bag, which he caught without difficulty. He who liked to sleep in, why had he gotten up so early? If he kept being this caring towards him, he would misunderstand again the nature of his feelings for him. At the festival … he had clearly said…

… 

How unfair you are Cale-nim.

How unfair.

“Stay safe alright? And next time go through the front door instead of trying to slip away like a thief.”

The raven-haired knight chuckled and held the bag of provisions close to his chest like a treasure. He thanked him with a timid smile.

“I will be back in three, four days Cale-nim.”

The redhead stayed a long moment outside with crossed arms, watching the silhouette of his friend disappear in the distance, until he became a small dot in the horizon and vanished behind the morning mist.

“Should I have given him a goodbye kiss as a good luck charm?” He muttered thoughtfully. 

Perhaps he should have, because a week passed in the blink of an eye and Choi Han didn’t come back.

Chapter Text

“Hyung, can you release your pheromones in a more evenly way?”

Who would have thought that one day the charming crown prince of Roan would be condemned to listen to the extravagant demands of a dunce lying on his velvet sofa. This shameless dongsaeng of his acted like it was his own home. Should he remind him that it was HIS personal study, the future sun king of this beautiful country? 

“Wow do you think I am some kind of air purifier? If you have so much claims, you should have gotten someone else to take care of you.”

The young master with vermillion hair munched on the piece of cookie in his hand and answered with the mouth full:

“They are all busy.”

“I’m busy as well, don’t you see?”

Alberu Crossman gestured towards the mountains of documents on his table while signing another paper. He grabbed the next sheet in the stack and frowned.

“Gurmk Family requests for sponsorship again to pursue their —”

“Ignore them.”

The prince with golden hair sketched a smile and threw the paper on the ground. What was great with his annoying friend is that he didn’t need to go into details for him to understand the gist of the conversation. 

“You should take a break hyung and get some fresh air. You stink paper and ink. I’ll give you 4/10.”

Cale stood up from his comfy chair and examined a few papers from another pile before tearing them up and throwing the scraps out of the window. You would think that the heir to the throne would have stopped this insane gesture, but he didn’t do anything and just watched indifferently the confetti being carried away by the wind.

“Can you kindly enlighten me regarding what the heck you’re talking about?”

Truth to be told, when Alberu wasn’t buried under work the odour of ink and paper was often enveloped in a discreet floral scent of roses sprinkled with a hint of delicious cookies straight out from the oven. The real score would be 7/10. However, it was a detail he would never tell him. 

“Your smell.” He pointed out.

The handsome blond let out a sigh and leaned back in his armchair.

“Well, I suppose it would be quite difficult for anyone to get a good score with this kind of scale.”

After all, he was still the future king of Roan. Did he realize how many people from the court fall under his spell every day? He wasn’t a narcissist, nonetheless his dongsaeng should be grateful that he is taking the time to carefully manage the quantity of pheromones he releases. Not much so as not to suffocate him, but enough to make him comfortable. He sincerely felt sorry for the person who, according to the latest news, seemed to do it often for the sake of this rich slacker’s well-being.  

“Not really, someone already got 10/10 once.”

“Let me guess, my dear instructor?”

The redhead turned around, surprised. 

“Mh, how do you know it? Did you become a mentalist?”

His friend rolled his eyes and put down the the quill he was writing with in his inkwell. He did a good stretch and then leaned against the table. 

“Elementary, my dear Cale.” He said with his best professional smile. 

It wasn’t too difficult to guess when the two were glued together all the time like marshmallows. He was the only one who didn’t notice it. 

“Speaking of Choi Han… He still hasn’t come back, he said he would return the day before yesterday.”

The hero of West and East Continents gazed at the horizon close to Henituse Duchy, lost in his thoughts. 

“Didn’t he just mention that he would go to the Forest of Darkness? I am sure he is fine.”

His dongsaeng stayed quiet and leaned over the window sill. His vermillion hair danced to the whims of the light spring breeze. If a painter was there, he would hurry to frame the ethereal portrait of the young master daydreaming on canvas. Honestly a listless Cale Henituse could charm numerous people who happened to meet his gaze. A heartbreaker without lifting one finger and a danger to the public if he continued to behave that way. Was he aware of the number of suitors he had to “eradicate” in order to give him some peace and the time he needed to unravel the ambiguous relationship he had with his dear instructor?

<Oyé oyé big announcement, the Silver Shield Young Master is in reality an omega and he is supposedly looking for the one that would become his mate! >

Such was the rumor that had been flying around the streets. And, of course, the person in question had not been quite discreet about it either, attending blind dates in public and causing ruckus from left to right. What was the last incident he had to solve for him? Oh yeah, the time he literally overturned a restaurant table and burned his suitor’s hair in the process, just because he wanted an excuse to end his dreadful rendezvous.

If only he had just an ounce of pity for his hyung, he would have already realized long ago that the solution to his problem was literally under his nose. 

“If you are that worried you should have spent his rut with him.” He grumbled in a low voice. 

Nevertheless his little comment didn’t go unnoticed. Cale froze on the spot and stared at him with wide eyes. 

“Why would I do such a thing?”

“Because you two are mates? …” He replied as if it were obvious.

An evident fact that seemed far from being so for his friend that remained mute as a mouse before retorting calmly:

“We are not.”

Alberu blinked once, twice and let out an umpteenth sigh. At this rate, he was going to become old and decrepit real fast… He did his best to smooth out the wrinkles of his forehead. 

“Aah… You’re giving me one of those headaches.”

Cale rolled his eyes. 

What a drama queen. 

“Listen, I don’t know if you’re dense as a rock or you just like to pretend to be a freaking moron…”

Rude. 

“But do you really think someone would be willing to help you with your heat out of the goodness of their heart without asking for anything in return?”

…

Silence. 

The young master sat down on his favorite velvet sofa and fell headfirst into one of the cushions with gold embroidery. He remained still for a moment before turning his head toward his hyung with rosy pink ears similar to lilacs. In a shy voice, he said:

“Hey, I know I’m not stupid… I’m aware that our actual relationship is weird.”

He swallowed with difficulty his saliva and continued:

“It’s … complicated.”

And like a bullet straight out of a revolver, the future king of Roan responded faster than the light. 

“No, it’s not.”

Cale threw at him a pillow which he easily avoided while maintaining his dignified posture. How childish. 

“You need to make a choice.”

The hero of West and East Continents felt twinged pain in his heart. His pretty vermillion eyelashes flickered with doubt. He shut his eyes tightly. 

“What are you so afraid of Cale Henituse?”

And that sentence resonated in his mind long after he left his hyung’s study.

His throes of fear, even if he listed them one by one in a non-exhaustive list… This list would still be the size of an infinite scroll. Not that surprising since Cale Henituse was a coward. If Kim Rok Soo was one, why would it change after the possession of another body? His soul undeniably remained the same. 

Loving someone… Was something complicated. He had to face the unknown, assume to unveil a part of him and expect “that person” to welcome his qualities and most importantly his weaknesses. And to be honest, the redhead wasn’t proud of them. He was deeply aware that no one was ready to accept his unsightly flaws. After all, he was an ironically fragile being who hid behind a cocoon of “pretense.”

And Choi Han… The protagonist from Birth of A Hero was far too kind, someone who let himself be walked on far too easily by a second-rate villain like him. He was only in the right place at the right time and had taken advantage of his weakened state to grab him by the stomach. He was a trickster, a vicious fox full of mischief that had bewitched the naive wolf cub, led him to his lair and brought it up to be well-behaved next to him for his own survival. Similar to Stockholm Syndrome, the knight with ebony hair that fell under the spell of the “benevolent” liege was only the result of a deceitful trickery. He didn’t deserve his innocent affection. He had used him by pure selfishness to increase his chances of defeating the White Star and now … now it was no different for…

… 

Ah… 

Why did he even like someone like him? 

He didn’t get it. 

Was he an idiot? 

A splendid idiot then. 

Whatever, he didn’t have a say in it. He wasn’t any better. His hyung was right. It was time for him to stop behaving like a fool as well.

Let’s end this ludicrous comedy. Wasn’t he the one who stated it was essential that they respect each other?

Well, perhaps yes. He did wander possibly in the middle of the night with only slippers on looking for his brave knight with jet-black hair in this sombre forest surrounding the duchy. Perhaps he occasionally stumbled on stupid rocks following the traces of dried blood and the carcasses of monsters vanquished by familiar cuts. And eventually he may have found a frail young man completely exhausted leaning against the bark of an old tree, breathing feverishly and his body covered in the filthy remains of chimeras born from this forbidden place.

Perhaps he had held him in his arms.

Perhaps some insults were uttered. 

Perhaps it was to disguise his tears a little better. 

Perhaps in a distant dream. 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Choi Han opened his eyelids slowly to the warmth of sunlight. Despite his blurry vision, he managed to distinguish a silhouette with vermillion hair, the one who preoccupied his thoughts since the beginning of his rut and that he had tried desperately to forget for a few days.

“Cale-nim…” He muttered with difficulty, throat still dry.

His “beloved” from the idyllic dream massaged his temples delicately and, with a gentle gesture, covered his eyes with the palm of his hand.

“Ssh… Everything is fine. You can go back to sleep.”

A soft scent of morning dew sprinkled with an indescribable sense of nostalgia enveloped him like a mother’s embrace. The humming of a lullaby waltzed in the air. 

Ah… It was surely a dream. After all, he had never heard his liege speak in such an affectionate way and he would never allow anyone to rest on his knees except for the children. It was kind of ironic that his dreams came to life in this form when he was undoubtedly covered by blood and filthy monster remains in the middle of Darkness Forest. 

Did he miss Cale-nim to the point where he could see illusions? 

… 

He wanted to go home. 

But this wasn’t the right time. He didn’t wish to endanger his family. What if they were afraid to catch sight of him like “this”? It was a dark part of himself that he desired to hide. He hadn’t chosen to become so “violent” and seeking destruction whenever he entered his rut after landing in this world. The sole solution he had found to properly contain “it” was to go and exterminate the monsters from Forest of Darkness two to three times a year. This method had worked well … until now. Oddly, no matter how many lives he took and trampled on without the slightest qualm this time, the unpleasant feeling burning inside him seemed to refuse to go away.

However he was not a fool. He knew the reason of his suffering. It had a name, it was a young master with vermillion hair as beautiful as the sunset with whom he had fallen madly in love. Alas, like Icarus, he got too close to the sun and his greed knew no more bounds. Deep down, he desired more than what he already had when he was perfectly aware that his feelings would never be reciprocated. To hear his liege say that he expected him to find a “mate” one day at the festival was the last stab he needed to return to the harsh reality.

He will never be more than a friend for “him”.

It was all well and good to dream, but all fiction had an end and the gods had just reminded him that it was time to wake up.

Truth to be told, he considered himself a calm and thoughtful person, rarely carried away by his emotions except in extreme cases like the slaughter of Harris village by Arm. Nevertheless, the symptoms of the start of his rut made him realize that his love for Cale-nim was no longer that innocent and pure. His frustration had turned into something unsightly. His own thoughts sent shivers down his spine.

In fact, the shameful idea of ​​locking up the pretty redhead had crossed his mind countless times. What could a mere omega do against the pheromones of a dominant alpha? Nothing. It would be as easy as pie to make him docile and helpless. If he hid him far away from the world, he would only be able to rely on him and him alone. He won’t have any choices left but belong to him. Funnily enough, he had wondered too if his liege’s stoic mask will finally shatter in pieces if he ever loses himself in the hedonistic desire by his side and succumbs to their primitive instincts until morning. 

Thinking back, he couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. Then another thought crossed his mind. 

Right now… What if… He… 

Did he have the right to “defile” the Cale-nim of his dream? 

What he couldn’t do in the real world he… 

It was just a harmless dream after all.

… 

The raven-haired man gently removed the hand covering his eyes and left a feather light kiss on his beloved’s palm. Then, he slowly stretched out his arms above his head and softly cupped the latter’s cheeks. 

“Cale-nim, I’m going to give up on you therefore…”

He raised himself slightly and closed the distance between their respective faces until there were only a few millimeters left. 

“Pardon me for this affront.”

On those words, he allowed himself to take the precious treasure whose color was similar to cherry blossoms. Wild dandelions waltzed candidly inside his chest. He lost himself in the languid kiss that reminded him curiously of crushed ice in the stifling summer heat: meltingly soft. He pulled himself away from the pretty redhead after an eternity and licked his lips. 

“Sweet.” He whispered tenderly with a smile of a bashful lover. 

Yes. It was plenty enough. 

He will take with him what’s left in his Pandora’s box. 

… 

Farewells my candid and insignificant love for my ethereal liege. 

Farewells.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Chirp chirp… 

Ugh… I… Where am I?

Choi Han awoke to the chirping of birds with a terrible headache.

These ornaments on the ceiling, it’s familiar…

He got up slightly and removed by reflex what was weighing on his forehead. 

A towel… It was still cool. 

Close to the bedside was a basin filled with water. 

Oh… Seeing all these pieces of used bandages lying on the floor, his wounds must have been carefully treated. It was strange, he didn’t remember getting back to Henituse Duchy. Did he return here by himself without realizing it? … His rut… It seemed to have calmed down. He didn’t feel as feverish as when he was in the Forest of Darkness. The man struggled to stand up on his two feet and leaned against the wall to move towards the door, head heavy.

“Mr. Han you are awake! The young master will be delighted. I will let him know right away.”

In the corridor, he met a maid with what looked like clean laundry in her arms. Ah… Weren’t these his clothes? He bowed lightly to thank her for taking care of his belongings. 

“It’s alright, I was on my way to see him.”

He had already caused enough trouble, it’s better to ease her workload as much as possible. He hoped with all his heart that he at least had the decency to clean himself up in a pond before coming back to the duchy and that he hadn’t soiled the expensive carpets with the vile blood of the monsters he had slaughtered. He felt strangely guilty about something, but couldn’t figure out why. 

Maybe he was thinking too much…

A few minutes later, he arrived in front of a large wooden door. The study of his liege was there according to his memories. 

TOC TOC

Silence.

Then a monotonous voice was heard. 

“Come in.”

The sword master walked in quietly. His friend with vermillion hair was seriously examining one of the papers on the table and then looked up at the guest who had interrupted him. At the sight of his knight, his impassive face crumbled for a few milliseconds before turning back to his stoic expression.

“You’re awake.”

He put down the sheet of paper in his hands and asked indifferently:

“How are you feeling?”

“Perfectly fine Cale-nim.”

It wasn’t really a lie. Aside from the headache, he was in great shape.

“Good to hear.”

The redhead gave a chilly smile and placed both of his hands firmly on the table with such force that he made the furniture shake. He then stood up and walked towards the korean with a dark face.

“What were you thinking?”

“Uh?”

Choi Han felt a growing hostility from the redhead as he got closer. 

STOMP STOMP

He arrived in front of him like an earthquake. 

“Are you crazy? Was your goal to exterminate the entire population of Forest of Darkness huh?!” He lectured him, pointing with an annoyed huff at his chest.

The young man with jet-black hair gulped, filled with guilt. 

“Didn’t I tell you to stay safe?!”

The accused remained stupidly tight as a clam. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Cale clicked his tongue and glared at him so viciously that the latter wanted to run away and disappear somewhere far from here. 

“You punk.”

The respect for the elder that the redhead was so determined to keep was gone for good. 

Deserved. 

Totally deserved. 

“If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I…”

His liege aggressively grabbed his collar in anger and Choi Han held his breath, expecting the worst.

...

....

However the punch he feared never came, instead the young master just looked away and let out a long sigh, running his hand through his hair.

“Haa... Forget it. It’s not what I wanted to say.”

He fell silent. 

Ah...

The knight didn’t think that after all this time without seeing his beloved; the first thing he would face would be his wrath. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, a little embarrassed by the situation. However, oddly enough, a part of him was glad that this person was reacting like this, it was his own manner to express his concern for him. It was a really difficult task not to fall even deeper under his spell when he was acting this way.

How many hearts have you stolen like this Cale-nim? With your endearing outspokenness and your harsh but spot-on words. 

...

Haa... 

His feelings were truly puerile. What more could he do to forget and move on? The road ahead seemed full of pitfalls. To be honest, ironically surviving in the Forest of Darkness for centuries sounded simpler right now. The young man lightly bit his lower lip and bowed his head. 

“I’m sorry.”

<ᴵ’ᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ ᵗᵒ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃʸ. >

“I promise that it won’t happen again.”

<ᴵ ᵖʳᵒᵐᶦˢᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴵ’ˡˡ ᵖʳᵒᵖᵉʳˡʸ ᵇᵘʳʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠʳᶦᵛᵒˡᵒᵘˢ ᵃᶠᶠᵉᶜᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᴵ ʰᵒˡᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵒᵘ. >

And Cale wasn’t born yesterday, he knew that his friend’s words hid something much more important and significant. He wasn’t really replying to what he had said earlier. He felt a subtle melancholy tug at his heart. Was it truly the right choice?... The decision he had made a few days ago as he left his hyung’s study seemed to laugh in his face.  

... 

It was easy as pie, he just had to say without beating around the bush that their relationship will never be more than “friendship.” It was better for everyone. This way Choi Han will be able to move on, find a partner worthy of him and well... About his condition... He would manage perfectly without his help. 

His thoughts were telling him one thing. But his heart was struggling to follow.

A soft whisper came out from his mouth in spite of him:

“You... You don’t have to give up on it, you know.”

"?..."

Red pearly eyes similar to the sunset met onyx pupils as deep as the starry night sky. The inside of his chest felt funny as if he were drunk. What the heck, he thought that he had high alcohol tolerance. 

“If... If you woo me properly maybe... I’ll start developing feelings for you who knows.” He continued with cheeks blossomed into pink peonies. 

Damn it, what nonsense was he uttering right now! Shut up, shut up! 

“I don’t promise anything though.” 

He tried to make up for his mistake as best he could, but without success.

Ugh... Oh well.

He was already in a bit of bind here, might as well dive even deeper.

Slip of tongue or whatever, take it upon yourself Cale!

Come on, deep breath. 

Here we go! 

The pretty redhead looked down and shyly tucked one of his locks behind his ear before continuing:

“To be honest, I don’t understand much about this kind of thing, but…”

He gave a little punch on the alpha’s chest. 

“You better take responsibility for what you did the other day.”

He brushed his lips with his fingers and stared at the culprit with a sulky face. 

“Got it, Choi Han?”

Chapter Text

Truth to be told, Choi han didn’t recall much from the time before he ended up in the Forest of Darkness. It must be said that years spent wandering, searching for the slightest grain of edible plants and the fear of not being able to find a shelter to stay the night turned him into a wild beast whose only priority was survival. Thus, he had buried naturally his past memories deep inside him. In a world where he had to fend for himself, not thinking about his parents, whose facial features he no longer remembered, was less painful.

Nonetheless, right now, a completely random memory from middle school resurfaced. It was an ordinary morning near the lockers at the school entrance. As he was taking off his sneakers to change into indoor shoes, someone had stopped in front of him.

<You like me don’t you? >

Hearing the bold statement, Choi Han froze on spot with wide eyes. He had forgotten the appearance of his crush from high school but what he remembered very well was how he was overwhelmed by a hurricane of shame at being caught red-handed by his senior and had a terrible time denying the truth. Well yeah, he was only fourteen years old and at that age being in love was considered “lame” by his group of friends. Therefore it was out of the question that he gets bullied because of something as stupid as having a soft spot for a girl.

He had promised himself that he would never experience such a situation again. If he ever had a crush on someone in the future, he would be the one to express his feelings to his sweetheart first, rather than the other way around!

... 

That’s what he had naively decided at the time.

Yet, at the present moment the only thing he could do was stand there gaping stupidly like a fish as he listened to the words of the pretty redhead. In no time, his cheeks became as red as gochujang under the intense gaze of his crush. He felt like a locomotive, with smoke coming out of his ears from the hot flashes he was getting. His heart raced at an incredible speed. It was as if he were a teenager again, awkward and sweating profusely like a pig. He had never regretted so bitterly not having his dear disciple’s skills in remaining dignified in all circumstances. After a deafening silence, Choi Han’s wobbly legs gave up and he found himself crouching on the ground, head hidden in his arms from shame.

While he was in the middle of an existential crisis, someone patted him on the back in a friendly manner to comfort him. This gesture made him lift his head and he saw that Cale had crouched down as well to match his eyes.

Goddammit, he was so pretty with his rosy pink cheeks painted like cherry blossoms. 

He lowered his eyes by reflex to stare at the plump lips of his liege and his so-called “dream” was slapped again in his face. Did he really…

… 

There weren’t a thousand ways to confirm this. He had to ask him the question and dig a little deeper into what he should be responsible for!

Haa…

Come on Choi Han, stop being a scaredy-cat.

He took a deep breath and stuttered shyly:

“D-Did I perhaps, by the merest chance, kiss you?”

Silence. 

Thankfully, a wild magpie was passing by to fill the void created by his stupid question.

... 

For all you know, maybe it was truly a dream and right now his beloved was utterly disgusted by what he had just said. What a moron. However, contrary to his thoughts, the latter crossed his arms and retorted with a little pouting face:

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” 

Badump. 

Oh. 

Um… He… 

ADJKLHKBFLFJNZQN

Cale raised an eyebrow, well his dear Choi Han definitely needed to reboot his BIOS to function properly again. He had concluded already that what happened a few days ago wasn’t the result of something carefully planned. To be honest, he had suspected it a little. The man he knew was way too shy to be that bold in his right mind. If the knight hadn’t fallen asleep right after like Sleeping Beauty, he would have gulped him down in one go like a pudding. He didn’t have that many conquests in his little log book, but he didn’t recall someone kissing him that languorously before. And … putting aside the lack of time-out to breathe properly, it was quite “pleasant”. He wouldn’t say no to a second one. 

… 

!!... 

What the heck was he saying.

What a outrageous idea!

Was his inner omega so much in need of physical affection that he was willing to lose himself in debauchery without thinking of the consequences?!

“Fuck.”

Yeah right, fuck.

… 

?... 

For a moment he believed it was him, but oddly it wasn’t.

Wow.

He never imagined that he would hear such vocabulary come out of the gentle and innocent Choi Han’s mouth. Life was full of surprises. The latter curled up again like a snail and was avoiding his gaze as best he could. It was kind of … cute. He wanted to tease him a bit more about it. Was he that troubled because of a tiny kiss?

“So… You like me in that way?” He asked mischievously.

The korean nodded slightly his head.

“Mh.”

“For how long?”

… 

The raven-haired knight stayed quiet. Ah. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked that question, even though he was curious he felt that it was too personal and intimate for him to reply.

"... Well, you don’t have to answer.”

Cale cleared his throat and looked up at the ceiling.

“In fact, I … um… I already knew it.”

Somewhere deep inside his heart, he… He was aware that in the eyes of Choi Han at some point he had begun to be more than a “friend” for him. It was maybe his pupils that sparkled so intensely whenever he saw him, as if he were the most precious thing that existed in his field of vision … his universe. It was maybe the way he was calling his name so softly, always wearing a big smile reminding him of a labrador that greets its master when he returns home after a long day at work. Or simply because it was him. He was such a bad actor that it was difficult not to notice. Yet he couldn’t help but find this “honesty” endearing.

So different … from him.

He was… 

Ha… 

“I’m sorry … to have taken advantage of your feelings so that you could lend me a hand to get used to my newly emerged omega traits.” He mentioned with a hint of guilt despite his monotonous voice.

Hearing those sincere words, the sword master lifted his head slowly. Onyx eyes met pearly red eyes. He wondered why it ended up being his liege offering an apology, when he was the one who had made a mistake. He always tended to blame himself even though it was far from the case. In reality, he was not entirely innocent in this matter either. He gulped with difficulty and mustered his courage to say:

“It’s fine, I… I was no different.”

"?..."

The young master tilted his head slightly and Choi Han’s heart did a back flip inside his chest. He put his hand over his mouth and lowered his eyes timidly to the ground. He felt a prickling sensation in the tip of his ears at the implications of the sentence he was about to utter.

“It means that every time you showed me the slightest physical affection I was over the moon, because in reality whenever I catch a glimpse of you I want to press you against a wall and make a mess out of you Cale-nim.”

Oh. 

Hearing the bold declaration, the cheeks of the young master blossomed into red roses. 

<That’s an alpha for you huh… > He thought. 

So that wasn’t just his imagination the times he felt he was going to be eaten alive: it was really the case. He had unknowingly ventured into a dangerous area. Should he consider himself lucky that his knight possessed a good self-control despite his awful clumsiness? Being oblivious was one thing, but foolishness had its limits. Especially when he was already a respectable adult in his forties regardless of his youthful appearance. Please it should be common sense!

Damn, he deserved a punch…

“Ahem, it’s … it’s good to have a great libido.” He ended up saying, raising his thumb in the air with rosy cheeks.

The redhead tried to bury his head in the sand and deny that he was perhaps partly (very) responsible for his dear friend’s “quite great libido”. On the other hand the korean became even redder if that were possible and hid behind his hands in shame.

“C-Cale-nim… You don’t have to pass it off as a joke.”

Tsk, he just wanted to lighten the mood, he should have followed. Choi Han was way too serious sometimes. He poked his cheek playfully.

“Hey, chill. I’m not mad at you.”

If he was, he would have already kicked him a thousand skies away from here and not allow the alpha to get closer than two meters. But he didn’t. Because deep down, inside his chest shone a little star that he couldn’t describe yet. It was still far too soon to put words on it. Nevertheless… He… He wished to grasp the meaning of the young man’s dazzling feelings.

“I want to understand more the affection you hold for me.” He whispered softly like a secret.

Then, he sketched a smile that hid a hint of melancholy.

“And … if your love is sincere enough for you to wait until I fall under your spell.”

Perhaps it will take one day, two weeks, three years or even centuries. He couldn’t predict the future after all. However, it was certain that he was afraid to fall inadvertently deeper in the wild dance of Aphrodite. But what if, by the time it happens, the person who stole his heart has already grown tired of him? It was a cliché, yes. Nonetheless, in the best-selling novels he had read, it was not something odd. There was a reason why the books sold so well and appealed to the general public. Human beings were constantly drawn to tragic stories, and his life was ironically painted with tragedies. He was used that people dear to him end up one day or another leaving him behind and disappearing.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if Choi Han, he too … one day will—

“I’m an extremely stubborn man Cale-nim.”

!... 

At these words, Cale was suddenly brought out of his thoughts. His loyal knight unexpectedly caught his wrist so strongly that he stumbled and fell backward. He obviously dragged the other down like a pair of dominoes and the duo found themselves on the ground in record time.

Ugh.

Was he so rusty that he didn’t know to do the asian squat properly anymore?…

… 

Why was Choi Han making that kind of face? With his furrowed brows and his puffed cheeks, the elder of a hundred years, looked like a child who was told he couldn’t eat his afternoon snack.

“Pfft.”

He couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

Ha. 

Indeed, this punk was truly stubborn. It was a fact he had come to realize during his adventures with him. if he wasn’t, he would never have been able to create his own unique aura. How did he always manage to say words that make his heart flutter so easily? Given the confidence with which he made such a declaration, how could he not believe it and have hope?

“You might be annoyed if I court you seriously.” 

The raven-haired man, hovering above him, added shyly in a low growl.

“I won’t.”

Cale replied while shaking his head in amusement.

The young master with vermillion hair pinned to the ground, stretched out his arms and cupped delicately the cheeks of his “beau”. He caressed softly the facial features of the charming man from the eyelashes to the discreet beauty spots.

Did he like him that much?

To the point of purring just from his touch?

He wondered how he had not noticed this detail before. The person before him was adorably honest in how he expressed his feelings, and most importantly … his onyx pupils as deep as abyssal stars were already telling him everything there was to understand without him saying a word.

... If he ever spends his life by his side, bathed in his innocent affection, would he be happy?

… 

He was scared to know. 

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Seeing that his liege's attention wasn't on him anymore, his stubborn knight took the opportunity to slightly graze his fangs on his slender neck and muttered something under his breath. Nevertheless it wasn’t difficult to decipher it.

<Please be prepared Cale-nim. You'll be mine soon. >

The redhead's breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. 

Well, well, well … since when he was so brazen this punk?

“I’m looking forward to it.” He whispered back with a mischievous smile on his face.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Vicross wanted to turn around and leave. Really. That way, he wouldn’t have to look at this moron stationed in the middle of the corridor with a stupid smile plastered over his face. What the hell was he doing roaming in front the study of the young master as soon as he awakes? Didn’t he have like other priorities like take a shower? The head chef of the mansion couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance.

“Move.”

“Oh, sorry.”

If he had enough free time to act like a weirdo so early in the morning then he must be doing well. In the end, everyone was worried for no reason. The one most affected by it was surely “that person.” He had stayed up nights and days to take care of this punk that he even skipped meals if he wasn’t reminded of the time. Luckily, the children didn’t follow his bad example.

Haa… 

He still remembered the frail familiar figure appear in the middle of the night at the threshold of Henituse gates. The servants had gathered in panic, not knowing what to do and went immediately to wake up the Duke and the Duchess. After all, it was impressive to see that such a svelte and puny person had managed to carry so far on his back an individual who was almost twice his size. Needless to say that the journey was not easy; he was covered in scratches and parts of his fine clothes were in tatters: proof that he had probably fallen several times along the way. In addition, he only had one slipper left on his foot. Although the nobleman’s appearance was not very glorious, the person on his back was in even worse condition.

It was ironically similar to when the young master had brought back a certain scruffy wanderer. Without any explanation, he had told them to treat him like a guest, and now, a few years later, the scene was replaying like a broken record.

<Take care of this punk. > He grumbled before fainting, of course he didn’t forget to spit out some curse words in the process like he didn’t sign for this nonsense and other stuff that shouldn’t come out from the mouth of West and East Continents’ hero.

As soon as he woke up the next day, the young master barged into the guest room to inquire about the knight’s well-being (of course he comforted the children first who had spent the night crying torrents of tears because their two guardians were in bad shape for some unknown reasons). Then, he announced stoically to everyone’s surprise that he was going to look after the alpha himself and that no one was allowed to enter the room since he has to “take responsibility”. Needless to say, that obviously at the implications of her eldest son’s words, the Duchess fainted and the Duke became as pale as a white sheet.

Thankfully Ron Molan, his father was there to reassure them and clear the misunderstanding that they had imagined in their mind. The wrinkles on the forehead of Vicross multiplied just by recalling the scene. Could these two communicate openly without beating around the bush? It would be easier for everyone. Not that he would be thrilled to see that moron (looking no better than a dog that had rolled around on the ground) date one day the young master, but at this rate if it ever happens … at least it will give him some vacation.

“Haaa…”

“You don’t look well, you should get more sleep.”

The head chef spun around to the punk’s advice and clicked his tongue. Was he for real? If he was tired, there was obviously a reason. Because of whom, because of what, one really wonders! Well, he was a very busy man. He had other things to do than entertain him, for example feed the other idiot behind this door. Now that he was awake, he had no more excuses for not eating properly, right?

“Ah… By the way I had a question.”

The swordmaster scratched shyly the back of his neck and stared at the hallway carpet, a bit embarrassed.

… 

Okaaay. He absolutely didn’t want to hear the next part. Let’s cover his ears. Even if it meant giving his breakfast later to the young master, so be it. Vicross gripped the handle of his food trolley to turn around and-

“Um… Do you have any advice to properly court someone?”

… 

.... 

Damn. Did he look like a freaking love therapist?

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Vicross Molan

The young man with ebony hair devoured his umpteenth piece of pancakes in one bite and put the plate on the pile next to him. In the blink of an eye, the dishes vanished to reappear sparkling on the drain rack and another meal was placed in front of him: this time it was fried rice. 

NOM NOM NOM

Mmh… 

NOM NOM

He wondered why Vicross was feeding him without peppering him with insults for a good half-hour. Weren’t they supposed to continue their discussion from earlier?

<Before getting the stupid idea of courting someone you should worry more about yourself. Look at you, go take a shower and come back presentable then we will talk. >

That’s what he ordered him to do in a contemptuous tone before leaving with an angry stamp of his foot. And truly, he wasn’t wrong. Hence Choi Han as a civilized person listened to his “advice” and went to make himself look less like a patient who had just gotten out of his hospital bed (which he was, but oh well.) Surprisingly he wasn’t as “dirty” as the chef described, someone must have taken care of his hygiene while he was unconscious. The familiar image of a pretty redhead appeared in his head and the tips of his ears dyed themselves red. Idiot, it was surely not Cale-nim but a maid. He had better things to do than clean up a caveman like you. Stop letting your imagination run wild. 

He decided to brush it off and focus on something else: he was starving. So he promptly joined the mansion’s head chef in the kitchen in search of food to satisfy his stomach. And that was the whole story. Now he was quite full, but the dishes seemed to keep lining up on the table. Perhaps it was Vicross’s own way to show his care for others, pfft—it was kinda funny and unexpected. 

“Tsk. If you have time to snicker, I suppose that we can finally move on to the next step.”

The cranky guy threw swiftly at him some garment that he had taken out of a closet. The swordmaster created a path behind the bundle of clothes and grumbled with a frown. 

“Hey, I’m not a hat stand. What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I didn’t realize that even the simplest things of everyday life needed to be explained to you.”

He signaled to him that he should put them on and the korean listened (reluctantly), rolling his eyes in the process. Once the deed was done, the cook emptied some product that smelled similar to shoe polish into his hair and brutally combed it back. Then before Choi Han could understand the gist of what was actually happening, he was kicked out like a criminal and landed in a random corridor of the manor. 

“My work is done, so deal with it by yourself now.”

"????"

Damn, this guy was completely nuts. What had possessed him to ask for help? Haa… He didn’t get anything from beginning to end. Plus, with that “noble” outfit on him, he felt like he was participating in a carnival. It was atroci-

“Choi Han? Have you changed your wardrobe? Mh… It suits you.”

An answer totally opposite to his thoughts. He turned around and found himself face to face with the one who had stolen his heart: the beautiful Cale Henituse. 

“C-Cale-nim?”

The latter got closer and put his tie back on properly. Once the task was done, he dusted off the shoulders of his jacket a little and stepped back to contemplate the appearance of his loyal knight. Simple and elegant. Not bad, a real delicacy to the eyes. 

“You’re planning to ask my father for his blessing to court me right? Smart move. Following Roan’s traditions will certainly please him.”

This punk was definitely not losing time. Seeing how serious he was about the whole thing was kind of cute. He couldn’t help but admire his determination.

“Um… Fighting, I guess?…”

He ended up spouting shyly. He scratched his cheek a bit embarrassed and left with a light heart, leaving his sweet “beau” in front of the duke’s study. 

Ah… 

W-What was that? 

It was incredibly adorable what he had just done? That little raised fist there to emphasize his words. Goddamnnit. Aaah… He really really really liked him. 

<Fighting> huh…

The raven-haired man tried his best to hide his rosy cheeks behind his hand. 

Ahem, he needed a timeout before seeing the Duke. For … recharging his batteries you know. 

Guess finally he should thank the grumpy Vicross for his “help” later right? 

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Deruth Henituse

Deruth Henituse embodied a lot of things, he was the guardian of the Darkness Forest, he was also the head of the most influential family in the north of Roan: the duke of the wide territory of Henituse. However, he was before anything else a father, more precisely the father of the continent West and East’s hero. But for him, Cale was simply his first born. A child that had lost his mother way too young. As a result, their father-son relationship had crumbled over time. 

He questioned whether his approach to raising him had been overly passive. This child for whom he was ready to offer all the treasures in the world so that he would be happy and healthy… For a long time he had thought that he understood him without them exchanging words. He knew that the latter felt like he didn’t belong anywhere since the death of Jour. After all, he had selfishly imposed his will on him by bringing a new family into his life overnight. He had no duty to get along with “these strangers”. Nevertheless, Cale did not show any apparent hostility towards his choice, nor did he show any interest in it.

<You can be happy father. It’s okay. > He whispered to him softly with his gaze when he told him the news.

Then, his pupils painted in gray like a cloudy sky that would welcome rain turned away from him to contemplate the void of the horizon.

<As for me, my happiness flew away a long time ago. I won’t be able to taste it ever again. >

At that moment, Deruth wanted to take his precious eldest son in his arms and whisper to him that it wasn’t true and that the future still held many wonderful things for him, but his hands froze. He could only watch the child of the woman he had loved so deeply became even more lost in the quicksand of his grief in total silence.

A silence that marked the beginning of the crevasse between them, which soon turned into a hollow ravine.

Perhaps it was to redeem himself that he had left Cale behave like a lout as he grew up. He expected nothing from him, because deep down he knew that he was doing all this so that his half-brother would inherit the title of the count in his place. He protected his new “family” in his own way against the childish cynicism of the nobles’ words. However, at the age of eighteen, the young teenager who had just entered adulthood changed. His essence remained the same, but there was something different. It was as if the barren land that reigned inside his eyes had suddenly rekindled into a sea of ​​sparkling flames. 

<Father, please witness my ode to the thirst of living. >

One morning the wind brought him a new kind of whisper. And in the blink of an eye, his “good-for-nothing son” declared to the world that the comedy was over. Ironically, when the lives of those dear to him were at stake, he was willing to sacrifice his own well-being so that his “family” could live peacefully.

But… Cale. You don’t need to be a hero or to be recorded in history to make us happy. As long as you’re alive and in good health, it is enough. Your happiness is what matters the most. To hell with the fate of Roan, to hell with everything else. You’re still so fragile and small… In my eyes, you are still that child who never grew up, carrying that heavy loneliness on your shoulders.

 
I wish you could count on me more.

I wish you would talk to me more often about your little daily worries.

I wish I was a better father. 

… 

Nevertheless, it’s too late now right?

<I-I promise you that I will take care of your son and make him happy if you give us your blessing! >

Because you have already found the person who will cherish and protect you, haven’t you? This young man from foreign lands that you brought home one fine day out of nowhere… He is the person you decided to trust right? I’m glad you’ve finally found someone you can be vulnerable with.

“So this is what it feels like when your child leaves the nest?”

Deruth sketched a melancholic smile leaning on his desk. He watched his office door close gently behind the “suitor” of his eldest son. What a hurricane this one. What was he saying earlier? That even if he was against him courting Cale, he was only there to let him know because the person concerned had already given him permission to do so. How preposterous, really. He was aware that something was going on between the two of them for some time now, but he thought it was just youth having its flings. He would be lying if he said that the little rascal would be a perfect son-in-law. His dear Cale deserved much better.

… 

Ha… What nonsense was he uttering?

He just didn’t want to give his child to a random stranger. Was he fated to experience these steps again when Basen and Lily will get married as well? What an ordeal. Choi Han, even if he didn’t have noble blood running through his veins, He still possessed an untouchable status in the kingdom as the instructor of the future king. He was also one of the well-known heroes following the battle against the White Star. And let’s not forget the fact that he was a dominant alpha… A good match for any omega in today’s society. Furthermore, Cale had turned out to be an omega with recessive traits lately.

But, the two of them… 

Together… 

His precious sonny in the arms of… 

Under his roof… 

............. 

“Raaaaaah!!!”

—Sir?!”

The head of the family ignored his butler’s worried calls and groaned pulling his hair out in anxiety.

No, no. Out of the question. His son was way too young for this “kind of things”! Of course, he didn’t wish to involve himself in that side of his life but… 

“Hans, prepare the necessary for … you-know-what.”

“U-Uh…”

The duke let out a sigh and indicated with his chin the door where the sword master had left a few minutes ago, then he pinched his nose tiredly. It didn’t take much longer for the redhead to understand what he meant.

“Oh, y-yes sir right away!”

If he had no power over it in the future, he might as well make sure they were protected. Ha… The ardour of youth.

… 

After all, the idea of ​​grandchildren calling him “Grandpa” in a few years didn’t displease him that much deep down. 

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Ron Molan

“Young master.”

The old man entered the chamber to find his master lying on the bed still in pajamas with a book in hands. A few novels were scattered on the floor. If he squinted hard enough to focus on the covers he could read intriguing titles such as:

< I ended up reincarnated as the Duchess and married my loyal knight >

Interesting. 

“Ron.”

His attention went back to the owner of the room. 

“Your father asked me to give you this.”

The butler showed him a little box varnished with golden ornaments. Cale looked up from his book. Mh… Strange, he didn’t remember requesting anything lately. Was that another check for his pocket money? But he never put them in boxes like that. He usually handed them to him directly in person. Oh, whatever. The redhead gestured casually the bedside table next to him.

“Thank you, you can leave it here.”

Ron placed down the item and added with a benign smile:

"... I advise you to open it when you are alone.”

A chill ran down Cale’s spine. Uh why?… What an odd manner to say it. What was in that box? Now he definitely didn’t want to open it to see its contents.

“Sure.” He simply replied, trying to think of something else.

The young master returned to his book and lazily turned the pages. However, even after a dozen minutes, the vicious old man was still there. He felt like he was being watched by a vulture ready to eliminate him from this world. Besides, why was he standing behind him like that? If he was going to stay there, he preferred him to be somewhere he could see his every move. At least there wouldn’t be any bad surprises. The hero gulped before asking hesitantly:

“Do you perhaps need something Ron?”

The head of the Molan family opened one eye to check thoroughly the back of the neck of his candid young master. If Cale had taken his gaze off his book, the old man’s expression would have scared the life out him. Thankfully it wasn't the case.  

“No … I was just wondering if you were ever planning to wear a collar in the future young master.” A somber chuckle followed. 

A collar… What's up with that weird question out of nowhere? Did he mean a necklace? Ron should know that he didn’t like jewelry and all that fancy stuff. The simpler it was, the better.

“Why?”

Silence. Then as if to emphasize his words, he replied in a deep voice:

“To keep the wolves away.”

… 

.... 

… What wolf? 

Cale stayed speechless a bit before understanding the proper meaning behind the words. Ah. It’s true that he was an omega now, any alpha could bite his neck without warning if he didn’t pay attention. Like... That "time". He suddenly recalled the bold gesture of Choi Han that morning after his love confession and his cheeks blossomed into azaleas. 

 
“’I trust the people of the Henituse Duchy. Don’t worry, I will be safe.” He replied, clearing his throat. 

A-Ahem. Damn it. Coughs. Not easy every day with all this pollen … the disadvantages of spring. But a collar huh? To be honest, he had never thought about it, because he was surrounded mostly by kind and nice people… Even imagining wearing one already irritated him. Nope. He wasn’t going to order a custom-made one, too much of a hassle and a waste of time.  

“Besides how could I get hurt when you’re all watching over me?” He added with a shrug. 

The hero of West and East Continent raised his hand and made the famous silver shield appear, the one that earned him his nickname.

“And I know how to protect myself.” He finished with a confident smile.

The butler stayed quiet before laughing solemnly. 

“Of course, young master. I have no doubt about it.”

On these words, the head of the Molan family excused himself to go about his business. As soon as he stepped outside, he lost his benign smile and pulled up his gloves sternly. 

Guess it was time to do some “cleaning” and train a certain “wolf”.

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Basen Henituse

A few days later, Basen bumped into their raven-haired guest by chance on his way back from his economics class. The two men greeted each other politely. The heir of Henituse Domain had never been close to his brother’s “companion” and honestly didn’t know how to interact with him. After all, he always gave off this slightly scary and impressive aura… He could feel it from miles away. Ugh… Besides, why was he in such a bad state? He looked like he fought a great battle somewhere in the jungle. From what he remembered, Cale had given his heart and soul to take care of him a week ago. On the contrary, he should be full of health and shining brightly to honor his dear brother’s efforts! Why did the amount of bandages increased in such a short time? He lacked sensitivity and manners, what a boor. (Yes he was aware that he shouldn’t mutter this kind of insult but if it was in his mind, no one will know). Couldn’t he take care of himself properly?

“Basen.”

The teenager was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. He lifted his head at the calling of his name and his eyes lit up: it was the person he admired most in the world, his big brother Cale Henituse. 

“You’re back from your class with Mr. Hilsk right? How did it go?”

“Yes hyung-nim, I just had a little trouble understanding some things, but I will review the new notions I was taught this evening after dinner.” He replied calmly with the elegance of a nobleman. 

The young master sketched a proud smile and patted gently his head. 

“Don’t forget to spare some time to rest. You will make a wonderful duke, I have no doubts.”

Hmf, he always treated him like a child, it was a bit frustrating. Although he did like it when he ruffled his hair like that. To be honest, he was glad that their relationship had become less “strained” nowadays. It would have taken a war with the future of the world at stake for him to understand the depth of his brother’s sacrifice from the beginning just for their well-being.

I’m sorry for not noticing sooner how much you were worried about us but in your own way. 

Now, you can rest Cale. Lily and I will look after you. 

The pair of siblings chatted a little longer about the nice weather before separating, but Basen suddenly stopped in his tracks and hid himself near the end of the corridor. You must wonder why he was he hiding like a thief since it was his own home. Well, that’s because his instincts told him he wasn’t supposed to witness the scene behind him. Cale had crossed paths with his jet-black haired knight. Even at this distance he could smell, although it was subtle, their pheromones blend together naturally after locking eyes like a quiet waltz.

He couldn’t clearly distinguish the context of their conversation. However he could see that his brother (even though he wasn’t showing it openly) was worried about the poor state of the sword master. He seemed to lecture him and the concerned person laughed awkwardly. 

“Why are you… Everytime…”

Bits of sentences lost themselves in the air before ending in whispers. The young master with vermillion hair shook his head with furrowed brows. He began to undo the loose bandage around the korean’s hand in order to tighten it properly. Then he wiped something off his friend’s face with his thumb and the foreign man smiled sheepishly. 

... 

The heir of Henituse duchy was flabbergasted. The contrast in behavior was too great. There was oddly a similarity between the knight and a labrador wagging its tail. As expected of his hyung-nim, he had managed to tame that "wolf". Thinking back… He was surrounded by a lot of people with animal characteristics: the Tiger tribe, Whale tribe, Cat Tribe and many others… Let’s not forget Raon-nim (a dragon!) that practically followed him everywhere. Perhaps he possessed a talent that instilled a sense of safety in them, which ultimately led to him adopting them all. So it wasn’t that surprising if he managed to soften the heart of stone of the scary hero with onyx eyes. 

“Cale-nim… It’s because I…”

The alpha suddenly whispered something to the omega with vermillion hair. Something quite bold since the recipient of his words blushed all the way to his ears. Nonetheless, he immediately returned to his usual indifferent air and muttered under his breath.

“I know, you dummy.”

… Basen walked away to reach his original destination. He shouldn’t have spied on them. What he had witnessed was quite intimate. It was odd to see his big brother lose his temper and be so shy. He was aware that they were close, but… Not that “close”. It was almost as if they were “mates”. And that was… 

…

They weren’t mates right?…

But just now, this rude alpha just showered Cale with his stupid pheromones and he didn’t say anything about it. When it is… That kind of thing! Argh… If he recalled the words of his teacher, he mentioned that it was a way for the alpha to mark his territory when it was outside the family circle. Ha, he was really shameless this C-H-O-I H-A-N. Grrr. How dare he behave like that under the Henituse State’s roof? Perhaps his older brother hadn’t realized it yet because he wasn’t used to his omega traits, but it was as if he was proclaiming proudly with a smug face to the whole world that he belonged to him! When IT WAS NOT THE CASE AT ALL. A respectable nobleman had to court his beloved patiently and eventually, after many twists and turns, obtain the blessing of the parents. It shouldn’t be taken lightly and swept under the rug. If he truly loved him, it was his duty to face adversit—ahem, he meant go through all those steps properly.
   
If Cale was too innocent to notice the schemes of these boorish alphas, then everything depended on him. He had to protect him from these brutes and above all, from a certain sword master! 

Sighs, it was time to organize the famous meeting between brother and sister again to discuss about their favorite hyung-nim’s happiness.

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Lily Henituse

As far back as Lily could remember, she had two brothers. One of them looked like her. They were similar to two peas in a pod wearing the beautiful chesnut hair of their mom. And his second brother a little bit older possessed red flaming hair as bright as ember. She recalled finding the color pretty and had naturally concluded that only a wonderful person could don such a pigment magnificently, like a prince straight out of a fairy tale. She was happy that she was the little sister of someone so breathtaking. However, contrary to his noble image, the words that poured from his mouth were not very pretty.

“@#&€ it's disgusting! I can't believe you are daring enough to give me this kind of food.”

The delicate china plate flew through the air and shattered on the carpet of the hall where they were having dinner. Her mother calmly cleaned her mouth with her napkin, but Lily had noticed a slight frown show on her face before it disappeared. She heard her brother click his tongue in disdain, and he placed his hand on her shoulder to get her to focus on her meal.

< Ignore him. > 

That was what the gesture simply told her. Neverthless Lily, although she had been surprised at the time, she was wondering if Cale hadn't hurt himself with fragments of glass that could have landed on his clothes. It was one of the rare occasions he had agreed to come and have dinner with them and she knew how happy her dad was to see him eating with everyone.... But unfortunately, as always, the meal was likely to end as soon as it had started.

“Y-You're right Cale, unbelievable! I will tell the head chef to bring you a new dish.”

The little girl turned around to check on her father. He was trying to keep a calm expression worthy of the count of Henituse territory, but it wasn't hard to see that he was at loss for words to appease his eldest son's anger. His eyes told everything there was to know about the sorrow he felt towards this situation.

“No need. I'm going back to my room.”

“B-But you just arrived! Sit down, I promise that it will be bet—”

Cale turned his back from them and retorted curtly:

“Ron, tell Beacrox to bring me something edible for my palate.”

“... Understood, young master.”

The door slammed shut behind the man like a clap of thunder and the room fell into a deadly silence. Once again, Cale left without even looking back. Lily wondered if he loathed them, after all they had stolen his "dad" and replaced his "mom" with their own mom. She was aware that they weren't "related by blood" or something like that. She didn't get the whole thing, but one day she had seen a picture of her big brother's "real mom" and she had realized instantly that his "mom" was a completely different person. Because like the fact that she ressembled Basen and the countess, the woman of the photo was the spitting image of Cale. This lady with vermillion hair was so pretty that she lost herself admiring her beauty for dozen of minutes. She was holding a child, knee-high to a grasshopper, and behind, her father was wearing a wide grin on his face.

She had never seen the eldest child of the family so happy before. 

... 

Was it their fault that his real mom had left? Did that mean he would never see her again? Why was it so unfair? The child that was Lily naturally shed tears for that "big brother" which she ultimately know so very little. Hence, even if he was cold with them, even if he behaved like a lout, even if he did everything to make the world hate him...

She couldn't dislike him.

Because Cale was only someone plagued with loneliness. Although the person concerned did not want to be understood, she would like to be there for him when he will be ready to confide.

She was his little sister after all.

“W-Will he come back?" she stammered, mustering her courage to ask.

The members of her family around the table looked at her, then Basen put down his fork:

“I don't think so. Don't concern yourself with things like that Lily, focus on your food.”

The little girl lifted her head and glanced at her father. There were no words to describe the expression on his face. As usual, he laughed it off and urged them to finish eating. This was his way of processing everything: maintaining a joking tone and moving on. It was odd how a great wall seemed to separate two people who lived under the same roof. If even her own father couldn't start a conversation with his son, would she ever be able to?

She hoped with all her heart that the answer was yes.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“It’s delicious.”

Deruth showed a delighted smile. His good mood rubbed off on the servants who smiled back. Some were not yet accustomed to witnessing such a peaceful dinner. Their young master with vermillion hair was really a new man and lived up to his reputation of a hero. 

“Excellent eat your fill, my son! I will tell the head chef to make it again for when you leave.”

“Thank you, father.”

Cale continued to savor his meal before noticing that Raon was struggling to eat properly with his stubby paws. He took his plate, carefully cut the steak into pieces and placed it back in front of him. After a few moments, he saw that On and Hong seemed to face the same problem. Weird, the meat should be cooked to perfection, or was that just his opinion? He put that fleeting thought aside and took care of their steaks as well.

“Here, eat slowly. Don’t forget to chew properly.” He said with nonchalance.

The twins nodded eagerly with a beaming smile. Their father figure went back to his food. Then, his eyes met Lily’s. The little girl blinked quickly and avoided his gaze. She clutched the silver cutlery in her hands. The older brother did the mental math in his head and remembered that she was about the same age as Hong. She was already an outstanding knight at her young age, but perhaps it was more difficult to hold a tiny knife than a huge sword since she haven't touched her meal yet. It was natural that he took his little sister’s dish to divide the portion of meat into equal parts before giving it back to her.

“There, you’ll see it’s very tasty.”

“T-Thank you…"

The little lady shyly thanked her orabeoni before munching on her food with sparkling eyes. Cale watched with a light heart the children eat and finally returned his attention to his plate.

?... 

Since when had he chopped his entire steak?

He looked up and saw onyx pupils observing him fondly. Ah, found the culprit. He clicked his tongue reflexively and nudged him so that he would move a bit, enough for him to have the necessary space to return the favor. Voilà, done.

<Don’t watch me, eat. >

The knight with jet-black hair smelt the soothing pheromones of his liege scolding him and released in return timidly a tad of his own. It was subtle but it didn’t escape the people in the room, especially the Henituse family. Everyone reacted differently, the duke widened his eyes before sketching an amused smile, the duchess coughed slightly and looked away, Basen did his best to not throw his glass on their guest. But all of this, Cale wouldn't have known because he was too focused on enjoying his meal to care. The rest of the dinner passed peacefully, the clinking of cutlery was occasionally enlivened by snippets of conversation, and finally came dessert. Everyone was cheerfully feasting on the various fruits until the duke made an unexpected comment:

“Haha, I see that Choi Han over there has got quite the appetite. That’s good. Here that’s excellent for the libido.”

He pushed to the suitor of his son a bowl of dried plums. The latter spat out the water he had drunk and Cale choked on the apple he was eating. He was flabbergasted by his father’s words. What did that punk say during their last meeting the other day for him to declare something like that?! While he was imagining all sorts of scenarios in his mind, the little dragon lifted his head from his piece of grapefruit and asked with all the innocence in the world:

“Human’s dad, what is that libido thing?”

“Ah, about that—”

Violan sternly called out to her husband, who immediately shut up and subtly tried to change the subject.

“Ahem, whatever dried plums are good for the health Raon-nim.”

He winked at Choi Han and the man became as red as a tomato. Did his father hit his head somewhere this morning when he got up? Cale was horrified by his nonsensical behavior.

“I am expecting grandchildren by next year haha!”

CLAK

The young master with vermillion hair stood up abruptly from the table.

“I’ve finished eating. Thank you for the food.”

In no time, he slipped out of the room where the whole family was dining, leaving the poor swordmaster behind him as collateral victim. The latter stayed quiet, hands on his knees and stared at the table timidly. He was uncertain about what he was supposed to do, was he allowed to run away follow Cale-nim as well? The duchess drank a sip of tea elegantly and put down her cup.

“Choi Han.”

The raven-haired man lifted his head to the calling of his name. After the years spent in the Forest of Darkness, he was quite confident in his ability to read people only by looking at their eyes, whether they were animals or humans. However, oddly enough, he couldn’t decipher the unyielding gaze of the duchess whose hair was tied up perfectly in a bun without a single strand sticking out. She gave him a courteous smile.

“Would you like to join me for some afternoon tea tomorrow?”

Chapter Text

The art of courship (2)

The case of Violan Henituse

“What do you think of this black tea? It was imported from the southern regions of the Western Continent.”

Choi Han nervously played with the cup in his hands and smiled politely. To be honest, he didn’t quite get the differences, but it must be a special tea that had probably cost a fortune. 

“Only a couple of leaves are harvested every half century.”

The young man choked on the tea made of diluted fifty-year-old leaves.

“Drink slowly. Be careful not to burn your tongue, it is still quite hot.” She commented calmly. 

W-Why was she serving him something so rare and precious? He was clearly having a hard time understanding the intentions of the woman in front of him. She didn’t seem malicious, and at the same time, he felt like her gaze was scanning him from head to toe every second in order to assess him. It was obvious that she hadn’t “invited” him just for a simple afternoon tea. She had surely heard the rumors about him courting his son… He hadn’t planned to keep it secret, but he hadn’t expected the news to spread so quickly either. At least, um … according to what the duke had said last night during dinnertime… Did he perhaps already manage to win over one of the parents? If he wanted grandchildren, that meant he was fine for their relationship to go beyond platonic, right? Well, he and Cale-nim were (unfortunately) not yet at that “stage” but… 

“I won’t inquire more about the extent of the affection you hold for my eldest son.”

Piercing eyes hiding an unexplainable flame met onyx pupils as deep as the starry night sky. 

“If he has agreed to be wooed by you, it means that there is no doubt about the sincerity of your feelings.”

Choi Han let out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Uh… Did he pass the mother-in-law’s test hands down? It was a little too easy to be true.

The duchess lowered her eyes to look at the straight tea stem floating in the middle of her cup. An auspicious sign, huh…

“Cale … had always been a child that never spoke about what he really wanted.” She mentioned softly.

She closed her eyelids and recalled the silhouette of the little boy from her memories when she arrived at the Henituse Estate. He had simply nodded to acknowledge her presence before disappearing behind the door of his room. The child had made a choice, and she decided to respect it. Perhaps it was her fault for never trying to get to know him better, for accepting that “false harmony” that existed in their family.

“He had always acted like he didn’t belong here.”

If she had made an effort to learn more about him… He… No, what was done was done. She had failed him, and now ironically she behaved as if she had been a good mother to Cale. 

“Even though he is not my biological son, I consider him to be my own child.”

It … wasn’t a lie. Perhaps she also had been far too young back then, unable to properly show love for this “child”. She was not perfect. This was her first time living and taking on the role of a mother, after all.

“I wish for him to be happy.” She added softly. 

Violan put down the cup of tea and gently held the hands of her son’s suitor to entrust him with a secret request. She bowed with a certain painted glimmer of melancholy in her eyes and then whispered:

“Please take care of Cale.”

The raven-haired knight remained quiet an instant, touched by the sincere words of the duchess. He couldn’t help but wonder if his own mother would have acted the same way upon learning that he loved someone so deeply that he would give them his life without a second thought. Through the warmth of the hand of the usually stoic woman, he could sense the whirlwind of complex emotions that stirred within her. 

“Madam, I’m aware that I’m far from the ideal son-in-law. I probably possess more flaws than qualities. I’m awkward and maybe way too clumsy for someone as extraordinary as Cale-nim… Nevertheless, I promise you that that I would make it my duty to always protect your dear son’s smile for centuries to come.”

The corners of Violan’s lips curled up. It was enough. She was satisfied by his answer.

Cale… It seems that you have found quite a charming young man with whom to spend the rest of your life. I’m not surprised, you always had a keen eye to surround yourself with good people.

“Do you like sculpture?” she asked, stepping away and going back to her elegant, dignified posture worthy of a duchess. 

The young man was taken aback by the sudden question. He scratched his head thoughtfully before nodding. When he was stuck in the Forest of Darkness, he used to pass the time by carving pieces of wood he found lying around. Not sure if that was what she was referring to though. It wasn’t exactly “art” compared to her craftsmanship. Despite his vague answer, the mother of his beloved seemed filled with happiness that he was also interested in this form of art.

“Did you know that the art of sculpture is a way of engraving feelings that you cannot properly express with words?”

And as if she had read his thoughts, she signaled to a maid to bring her a small box containing a piece of wood about ten centimeters high. Surely of better quality than anything he had ever touched. It had a fine texture and was decorated with a light color. Its smooth surface gleamed in the shimmering rays of the afternoon sun.

“If one day you happen to quarrel with Cale, and that words fail you. You know what to do.”

Choi Han accepted the gift from the duchess hoping to never have the opportunity to use it, not that the present wasn’t wonderful it’s just that … he definitely didn’t want to argue with the redhead about anything (aside from the fact that he needed to do more exercises for the sake of his health). Besides he wasn’t confident enough in his sculpting skills to produce something that could express what would weigh on his heart in the future.

“By the way, if you ever meet someone against your relationship, please don’t hesitate to knock the lights out of them.”

“’P-pardon me?”

The korean was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by the unexpected statement of his interlocutor. He stared at her with large priacanthus eyes. His candid reaction amused the madam.  

“I’m also from a fallen noble family. Poverty was part of my daily life. Marrying the count and to be accepted in the high society was a battle of titans. The road ahead will be tough and difficult Choi Han.”

Oh… Now her words made more sense. It’s true that even if he managed to obtain the blessing of his liege’s parents, nothing guaranteed that the general public would immediately accept their relationship. But… Curiously, he was not so pessimistic about the future, because he could already hear the one who had stolen his heart say with his notorious nonchalance:

<What does it got to do with them? They should go outside and touch some grass instead of sticking their noses in other people’s business. >

He chuckled. His imagination was definitely spot on. The duchess saw that the suitor of her son didn’t seem to be the least anxious about her warning. She sketched a smile with a light heart.

“But if it’s you… I think you’ll be fine.”

The stranger from faraway lands returned her smile.

He unexpectedly made a new friend that day. 

Chapter Text

“And that’s the summary of the actual situation according to my investigation. Are you listening Lily? It’s important!”

The young girl from Henituse Domain sat bolt upright in her chair and nodded. Her older brother smiled proudly and continued to explain his thesis on the love life of the eldest of the family particularly with a certain knight with ebony hair. Lily sighed deep inside, it had already been more than a week that Basen had set himself his own mission of separating at all costs Cale and Choi Han because apparently the alpha was an awful manipulator that was taking advantage of the fact that their big brother was not used to his omega traits yet. 

But as for her… She liked their guest. He was kind and cheerful. Besides he always helped her to improve her sword skills whenever he came over to visit. If her orabeoni was in love with him and wanted to get married, she was not against it. She found that they suited each other quite well. When Cale was with him, he looked so serene. It was a love so innocent, gentle, and shimmering that one day Lily wished to like someone in a similar way.

If she remembered correctly, it was about the same time that this stranger from a distant land had arrived to the Henituse Territory that “he” had started to change. They barely spoke to each other like always, but he had begun to participate in their family meals. And little by little, with subtle words and gestures, he showed them a new kind of affection. For example, during his trip to the capital, despite the fact that he was at the center of the terrorist attack on the plaza, he still remembered the futile objects they had asked him to bring back. When the most important thing was that … he was safe and sound.

She guessed that Cale was a bit awkward as well in his way of expressing his fondness for his family. Maybe it was the raven-haired knight that managed to melt his cold heart with his smile and taught him how to love. She will never know the truth but there was one thing she was sure is that similar to the moon decorating the night sky, at last he had found the star that would watch over him.

What if she convinces her brother that Choi Han was the prince charming on his white horse that her orabeoni needed? Perhaps she should ask for Raon-nim, On and Hong’s help…

“What are you guys doing young Basen and little Lily?”

“Nyaa~”

Speaking of which, the trio appeared on the doorstep and barged inside the room happily. The dragon checked curiously what was written on the blackboard. There were plenty of notes with scribbles all over the place. One doodle looked a lot like his father figure and a young lad with jet-black hair with a red heart in the middle caught his attention. His eyes sparkled. 

“Aah! So you’re trying as well to marry the human and strong Choi Han? You should have told us! We need to join forces. Nothing from what we did worked until now… But with the bright mind of the future duke there’s no doubt we will finally reach our goal!”

“They are so dense that we might require an entire army to succeed nya!”

Hearing the children’s innocent words, Basen turned as red as a tomato and tried to hide his thesis behind him. They were completely wrong!! How by looking at his “noble” handwriting, could they have come to this conclusion?! He should have double locked the room. He had forgotten that the sword master wasn’t the only guest in the Henituse State. Since everyone had the habit of knocking and never entered without permission, he thought asking the maids to leave them alone was enough. Ugh… That was careless of him.

“R-Raon-nim, could you tell us the purpose of your visit?”

“Oh it’s nothing, we were bored since the human said that he was busy and to not bother him for a while.”

Mh, of course. Although he did his best to ease his older brother’s responsibilities, there were things that only he could handle, such as discussions with the crown prince and the neighboring countries. Sometimes, just sometimes, he was jealous of the fact that the children got to spend more time with him than he did. If only he was stronger, more useful maybe he…

… 

“Young Basen, why do you look so sad? I’m sure you’re working too much like the human said!”

“You should rest nya~”

“Yes, yes resting is important Cale takes at least a four-hour nap every day whenever he can.”

The kind words of the twins and the dragon went in one ear. He stared at the ground with furrowed brows and replied curtly:

"... No, I still have plenty things to do. I don’t have the leisure to indulge in this kind of idleness.”

The teenager with chestnut hair shook his head vigorously to wake up. Ha… Too many stuff to worry about, it was giving him a headache. What would it be like when he takes over the estate if it was like this now? It was essential that he pull himself together for the sake of his family and those who trusted the current duke. Yes… Let’s go back studying. He will continue to develop the plan for his hyung’s happiness later. 

And it was with these wise words in mind that he excused himself to fulfill his duty as the future duke. 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Scratch, scratch the blank sheet of paper in front of his eyes was filling up by the minute with lines of words he didn’t pay attention to anymore. His gaze wandered tirelessly towards his bedroom window. He could hear the laughter of the children and his younger sister who seemed to be playing tag in the garden. Hmm… It sounded fun. He wanted to join them, but he was too old now for that kind of nonsense. To become a person remarkable like his brother, sacrifices were necessary. He returned to his dissertation with the utmost seriousness until someone knocked at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and a familiar young master with vermillion hair leaned back against the doorframe. Arms crossed, he said nonchalantly:

“You’re not going outside to play Basen?”

The noble clutched his pen.

"...No, I still have to finish this.”

Scratch scratch, the fountain pen in his fingers kept moving. He hadn’t heard the door close, but Cale must have left. He hoped his studious appearance lived up to his expectations. He had promised himself that he would not bring shame to their family’s honor. He would work hard to ensure that the famous Silver Shield Young Master will be able to rest properly. As he was lost in the labyrinth of his thoughts, a pale hand of immaculate whiteness suddenly appeared on his desk.

“It’s enough.”

Basen raised his head and met his big brother’s impassive gaze. Ah, he was still there. He tried to force a smile to show that he was fine and not tired. The hero of West and East Continents stayed quiet, with a observant eye. As for the teenager, he returned to his thesis with the diligence of a marmot building a dam. After a few minutes, an authoritative but curiously gentle voice was heard.

“Enough is enough.”

Suddenly, a shiver ran down the young man's spine. He automatically dropped the fountain pen in his hands. Pearly red pupils as deep as ruby stared at him stoically.

Badump, Badump. 

His heart pounded with apprehension. He wondered whether he had done something wrong or made a mistake on his paper.

“It’s my fault.”

And as if it were all a dream, he was immediately enveloped by a calm spring breeze. The redhead who caused the room’s atmosphere to change, closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair with a complicated expression.

“I shouldn’t have said so often that you would make a good duke.”

E-Eh… How so? 

What did he mean by that…

It was as if someone pierced Basen’s chest with a big dagger. Those words sounded like a death sentence to him. Would he never be good enough to succeed his father? Ha… Yes it made sense, since the beginning the title belonged to his older brother. The duke had trusted him with the role since the latter had hidden his talents to accomplish a destiny much more transcendent. Now that everything returned to normal, no war and foes to vanquish, it was the natural flow of things that he takes over the Henituse Estate. He was always ready to give up his position. It was just that … it had happened sooner than he expected, that’s all. However, contrary to his inner turmoil, the response from the person he admired most in the world was quite different:

“That must have been a lot of pressure to carry on your shoulders, wasn’t it?”

Kind words, a gentle hand tenderly caressing his head.

“At your age, you should go outside, play and have fun, not stay holed up in your room, glued to your desk.”

The chestnut-haired young man bite his lower lip and shut his eyelids tightly in order to not bruise his pride. Being emotional over such trivialities was shameful.

“H-Hyung-nim, I’m already an adult. I’ll be eighteen this year.” He stammered, his voice tinged with bitter sadness.

Cale remained silent, a bit surprised. Ah… Time passed so quickly. When he arrived in this world, Basen was still a teenager. He hadn’t noticed how mature his eyes had become while he was busy teaching that White Star bastard a lesson. He realized that he was treating him like a child because of his team leader’s past. Was he being too polite to tell him to stop petting his head? He pulled his hand away, a bit guilty.

“No matter what you become once you’re an adult Basen, in our eyes you will stay a precious member of our family.” He continued, trying to fix his earlier mistake.

His interlocutor lowered his head and clutched his fists. 

But I… I want to make you proud, to thank you for sacrificing so much solely for our happiness. Unfortunately I don’t know how to show it except studying. Since always, my only quality was to be smarter than the average person. I wish I was more gifted, stronger, brave, I..

“I wish I was more like you hyung-nim.”

The little brother wiped quickly with the sleeve of his jacket the tears that threatened to escape his pupils. The candid gesture shook the redhead. He put his hand on his shoulder and replied with a heavy heart:

"...What kind of nonsense are you uttering.”

Who would want to be like him, honestly? He was a trash full of flaws, and most importantly, he felt like he was racking up problems similar to a game of bingo. There was no one more miserable and unlucky than him. Basen would be much better off without resembling him. He was already a superb young man ready to enter adulthood. There was no doubt about that.

“You know how some flowers only blossom in winter and some in spring? Everyone has their own pace for walking the path of life. You don’t need to run. When you find the right moment to blossom, it will come by itself.”

… It was a beautiful way to try to comfort his troubled mind. The boy smiled at the metaphor, but immediately plunged again into the depths of his uncertainties.

“What if I remain a bud forever?” He muttered with anxiety.

Cale crossed his arms and responded nonchalantly:

“Well, it’s perfectly fine too. Who said that you had to change?”

The noble with brown hair finally crossed gazes with his older brother. It was strange how his heart suddenly felt lighter. There was no evidence to prove his words, but he oddly wanted to believe it: that simply being “him” was enough.

“Look, I behaved like a trash during all those years… Nonetheless mother and father still cared for me the same. I wasn’t disowned and thrown outside right?”

His sibling timidly nodded his head.

“There, you have your answer.”

The redhead sketched a mischievous smile.

“Live your life the way you want to, Basen.”

The hero of West and East continent secretly confided that their love for him would not change, no matter what path he took in the future. And the recipient of these words understood it well. He realized that if one fine morning he felt like throwing everything away and deciding not to inherit the duke title, then be it. He was free to choose his own destiny. All this time, he was not walking in his brother’s shadow, but the latter was just protecting him from the burning rays of the sun until he was ready to take flight.

“Don’t you agree Lily?”

A small, familiar figure that resembled him appeared timidly behind the opening of the door.

“Lately… You always look tired. We don’t see each other anymore except for dinner. You… You should rest!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.

The redhead motioned for her to enter the room and Lily listened to the advice. She got closer to her stubborn older brother and added:

“I-I would like you to play more often with us. I’m sure Raon-nim, noona and Hong are thinking the same. It’s not fun without you… Please?”

Cale nodded in agreement. His little sister’s innocent display of affection made Basen very shy. He reached out his hand, a bit embarrassed:

“Fine, I get it. Let’s go.”

The young lady promptly grabbed the hand with a big smile. And the trio set off on an adventure to greet the children in the garden. Once there, Cale let the littles ones get together and start to play. He found a patch of shade and sat down on a bench in the corner, watching them fondly as they enjoyed themselves. After a while, the laughter faded, and the whole gang of kids collapsed out of a sheer exhaustion on the grass. The young master with vermillion hair got up and layed down beside them. He gestured to Ron to bring back a plaid so that they don’t catch a cold, even though it was quite warm outside, you never know. The old butler came back with the blanket and their guardian wrapped the whole group up like a burrito.

Mh. Perfect, it was exactly how children should act: eat until their stomachs burst, play, and take naps. He smiled contently and gently lifted a lock of hair from the face of his little brother. He wasn’t so little anymore, but not quite grown up yet. He seemed more peaceful than he had been at the beginning of the week. It was reassuring to see.

“Choi … zzz… Han… I will never accept that … zzz… You have to go through me if you want to ask my hyung’s hand in marriage…”

!... 

Pffft— 

Cale chuckled. He wondered what he could possibly be dreaming about to mumble such stuff in his sleep. He didn’t know that his little brother cared this much about the whole courtship thing. How cute.

Well, Choi Han it seems like you have won yourself an adorable tiny rival to fight in order to obtain his heart.

Chapter Text

Cale was quite fond of spring, it was neither too hot nor too cold: the ideal temperature to bask in the sun outside without moving an inch. Which is why he was obviously lying on a chair listening to the birds singing and the leaves rustling like an impeccable larva. Everything would be perfect if Ron hadn’t brought a cup lemonade a few minutes ago… Now he was forced to finish it and have a lingering sour taste inside his mouth for hours. What a vicious old man. Was it so difficult to give him a normal oolong tea with some ice cubes? Even though he was complaining, he was still sipping the drink without fuss to quench his thirst.

His gaze was lost in contemplating the training of the knights from Henituse Domain that took place on the grand outdoor field. How did they manage to have so much energy under the blazing sun? Hats off to them. Of course Choi Han was part of the group, he looked more focused than anyone else on polishing his sword skills. The troops around him were motivated by his determination, and they redoubled their efforts, shouting in unison to surpass themselves (in reality, it was a honor that the young master would assist to their practices therefore everyone wanted to leave a good impression).

“Aah… I will never be bored looking at Mr. Choi Han’s handsomeness.”

“Truly, he can’t hide much under this black shirt. When they said he possessed a body worthy of a warrior from Whipper kingdom it wasn’t an exaggeration.”

“That’s what I call a real delicacy for the eyes.”

The whispers of a few passing maids reached the redhead’s ears. He nodded reflexively in agreement. Well well, the alpha had a lot of fans. Not that surprising since he was a sword master and a hero from the last war. He had long wondered why his fan club was bigger, it didn’t make any sense. At least now, it seemed that the gods finally granted him the recognition he deserved. And as if the recipient of his compliments had heard his thoughts, the latter suddenly lifted his head and turned around. Onyx eyes met pearly red eyes and the charming young man gave him a sweet smile of a bashful lover. Cale’s heart did a back flip in his chest. 

... 

His brain used his well-known emergency escape route: focus on something else than the stupid stunning face of the korean. And unfortunately his gaze landed on the raven-haired man’s abs. Was it better? No. Was he going to stop looking at it? No. It was a pretty normal thing to admire the result of his hard work. When he was a team leader, he had some muscles too so he was aware of how difficult it was to sculpt those six-pack. What a shame that they couldn’t be transferred with his soul to this world as well. Now he was way too lazy to train in order to gain the muscle weight again. With the ancient powers in hand, he could protect himself without having an impressive build. Why bother? It was inefficient when he could just roll in his bed and take naps instead. By the way, who cleaned their sweat with the hem of their shirt? Was he aware that he was doing fan-service for free? He wondered how much he would earn by charging each person who took advantage of his training sessions to eye him up. He would be rich in no time. Anyway, apart from this detail he had another question. Was it smart to wipe sweat with sweat? Don’t tell him that there wasn’t any towel in the guest room? Tsk, he should let him borrow one from his bathroom for when he finishes his practice. 

The maids standing in the outdoor passageway started gossiping again, while he was in a state of internal conflict about the towel brand he should buy for his friend. 

“Do you think I’ll have a chance if I talk to him?”

“Hey give up, didn’t you hear the latest news? Mr. Choi Han is apparently deeply in love with the young master and asked for the Duchess and the Duke’s blessing in order to court him.”

“But, someone told me it was an one-sided love! Doesn’t it mean that I have a chance to seduce him? You know, mend his broken heart and all… I will give him a good massage and —”

… 

The culprit responsible of stealing the heart of the brave knight in question shut off his ears and went back to his book. Hmf, there was no need to make a scene about insignificant tittle-tattle. It wasn’t like there was a label glued on his forehead saying that he “belonged” to him or something. Everyone could make sheep’s eyes at him because he was undeniably a very very charming man. It’s just that… These kind of “conversations” shouldn’t be heard in a public place. It was uncouth. Utterly, absolutely indecent. He… 

 
“Cale-nim! Is everything fine?”

The young master with vermillion hair was pulled from his thoughts and noticed that his suitor had let go of his sword to join him under his lace umbrella. Why was he staring at him with such a worried look? 

“Yes, why?” He answered nonchalantly. 

Choi Han scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. 

“U-Um… It’s just earlier, your scent… It was telling me that something was wrong so I…”

… How did he even manage to smell his pheromones from this far? At least eight meters separated them. The redhead gulped, hoping that he didn’t do anything weird unconsciously. What a pain it was way too easy to know his mood swings despite his impassive face now because he was no longer a beta. 

"... I am a recessive omega, how did you perceive such a thing from so far?”

“It’s because your scent is special Cale-nim.”

The spontaneous answer of Choi Han left his beloved speechless by his innocent honesty. The hero from West and East Continent felt like butterflies dancing inside his stomach and mischievous fire elementals playing on the tips of his ears. 

“How to say it um… When you’re stressed out, it reminds me of the soil's odor on a rainy day.”

Ah. 

Thinking back, he had never asked others what his pheromones smelt like. It was surprising to learn that his scent was reminding them of swamps. Not fabulous, but could be worse. 

“You mean I smell like mud?” He wondered, curious.

The knight with jet-black hair was taken aback by the question and apologized profusely. 

“’N-nO, not at all! You smell really good Cale-nim. L-Like the morning dew on the newly blossomed flower buds.”

… What a beautiful manner to describe his scent in order to comfort him. He sketched a smile. 

“I didn’t know you were a poet.”

“Ah? W-what I…” He stuttered with rosy cheeks.

Pfft. It was quite amusing to tease Choi Han. His reactions were always so candid and cute. Was it his way of courting him by overwhelming him with compliments even if he had to lie? Not that he found it unpleasant. He delicately tucked a vermillion strand behind his ear and whispered softly:

“Well… You kinda smell nice too you know.” 

The korean widened his eyes before putting his hand in front of his mouth. 

“C-Cale-nim. I am covered in sweat right now.”

“Doesn’t change the truth though?” He continued and shrugged off the comment of his friend. 

The sweat was just adding some “spices” to his usual scent? Something like that. He didn’t know how to describe it either. However, the fact that he felt safe around him never wavered, and that was the most important thing. The two men stared into each other’s eyes for a while, not noticing the curious gazes of the people surrounding them. There was no doubt that the sword master was under the spell of the young master. He was the only one able to turn the cold man usually hard to approach, meek as a lamb. There they go, retreating into their own little world again.

Thankfully after a few minutes the redhead snapped out of his daydream and cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed by the lack of response from his “friend”. He then subtly tried to change the subject:

“Did you finish your afternoon training?”

“Ah, yes. I was planning to go take a shower.” The raven-haired man replied shyly, wiping again the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt. 

The innocuous gesture made Cale click his tongue. He took out his handkerchief and started to rub the face of the idiot in front of him. It was decided, he definitely needed a new towel, or even ten, a dozen new ones. Otherwise he would never stop doing this stupid thing that strictly had no utility except making him angry.

“Do you have a change of clothes ready?” He asked with furrowed brows. 

The man with ebony hair tried his best to answer between two slaps of the powerful handkerchief on his nose:

“O-On the bench behind.”

“I’ll fetch them for you, just go.”

Choi Han listened to his liege and promptly went to shower with the face as red as a ripe watermelon. He didn’t forget to snatch the used handkerchief with the promise to wash it properly before giving it back. Tsk, tsk why he was so stubborn. He still had a ton of hankies in his desk drawer, it wasn’t necessary to concern himself with it. Whatever, if that tiny thing made him happy… It would take too much energy to stop him. The redhead nonchalantly walked to the training grounds, not forgetting to praise the members of the knight brigade for their diligence. 

Protect the Henituse Territory well during my leave alright? It was always worth it to make people know that you appreciated their efforts, which made them work harder than ever, unconsciously heh. 

Cale hummed, satisfied with his little harmless scheme. He then grabbed the stuff of his korean comrade before heading to the guest room. Once there, he could hear the water running in the bathroom. 

“Mh, where should I leave it…”

His gaze landed on the bed. If it was well folded and all, it should be fine here. He will find it more easily. He shook a bit the shirt in his hands and —

...? 

Oh, wasn’t it the piece of clothing he wanted to keep last time when he was sorting out his “Alibaba cavern”? It was still soft and pleasant to the touch. Maybe he should ask him where he hit upon this wonder. But enough talk, a fold here, a fold there and … perfect. The redhead stepped closer to put the shirt on the edge of the bed. As he was about to reach it he unfortunately stumbled on the scabbard left on the floor and fell head first. Needless to say, that he landed on the guest bed like a dumb starfish lying face down on the mattress. 

... 

@#€%, couldn’t he put away his stuff properly?! It was so annoyi—

Before he could curse more the whole world, a quiet purr was heard. 

… 

...What the heck was that?

It sounded like a purring.

Was it from him?… No, no, impossible.

There was no way that he could make t-that kind of noise just because he was on the bed of his “friend”. 

On the one hand, his mind was in turmoil from all this nonsense and, on the other hand, his inner omega automatically snuggled against the white sheets to make himself more comfortable. And before he realized it, he was purring contently holding his little “treasure” in his arms. After all, since the love confession, they had stopped their “collaboration” (the daily hugs and all) and he was beginning to miss the alpha’s touch. He understood that he wanted to do everything properly since he had decided to court him, that’s why he didn’t say anything about it however … deep inside he was pretty grumpy with the whole situation. Alas, the poor redhead wasn’t even aware of that fact. So there was nothing to do but wait for a miracle. Who knows, maybe someone will drill some sense into his thick brain soon, until then fighting Cale! 

Then suddenly he heard the shower faucet turn off and as if seized by a surge of common sense, he quickly got up from the bed before pressing himself against the windowsill. The bathroom door creaked and opened. At the doorstep appeared the alpha, bare-chested, wearing only a towel around his hips, his hair still wet. 

“C-Cale-nim? You should have told me you were here. I would have come out sooner to greet you. I’m sorry it’s a bit of a mess, I didn’t have time to clean up…”

The young master with red flaming hair completely forgot the fact that he had tripped over his sword sheath moments earlier. He cleared his throat and replied stoically:

“You should put away anything lying around on the floor; the maids could stumble over something and hurt themselves.”

“Sorry, I’ll be careful…”

Choi Han quickly picked up the few things on the carpet and threw it on his desk to clear the way for his liege. He occasionally glanced at his crush, the latter seemed to scrutinize every corner of the room for an unknown reason. He really should have ventilated his bedroom before showering. It must smell close to a cellar in here, what an idiot.

You won't succeed in seducing him by acting like a scattered-brain moron, damn it!! Why do you only show him your flaws and not your qualities?

“Oh, mother must have changed this lamp right? I don’t remember seeing it last time we came. It’s pretty.”

“Yes, it is."

<But you’re even prettier Cale-nim. > 

He restrained himself to utter those words, because they sounded a little, just a tad cheesy. He honestly had no idea how to court properly his beloved now that he had the blessing of his parents. And rather die than ask Vicross for some advice again. He should do some research on Roan’s courtship traditions later…

“You know…”

“Mh?”

His liege stared at him up and down before letting out a sigh.

“Is there a shortage of towels in your room?”

Huh?… Although he was more than confused, the sword master shook his head vigorously. Well, it’s true that he did have the tendency to ask for new towels, as the ones he took to the training grounds with him often disappeared in a blink of an eye, but other than that, the people at the manor always treated him very kindly and made sure he lacked nothing.

“Then, stop walking around with your hair still wet, go dry it. You’re going to regret it when you will catch a cold later. Even Raon takes care of himself better than you.” The young master pointed at him and left the room with a huff. 

“Y-yes, Cale-nim!”

The korean quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom shelf and meticulously followed the orders of the redhead. Once it was done, he went back to his room and picked up the folded gray shirt from the bed before stopping in his tracks.

… 

He couldn’t wear that.

  
“Damn it.”

The blouse smelt from miles away like his beloved’s sweet pheromones as if he marked it with his scent. Knowing him, he must have done it unconsciously. He smiled fondly at how endearing his lovely liege was. Nevertheless, deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was nothing special. There was a possibility that he might be doing this with everyone's belongings without realizing it. He couldn't even imagine the numbers of people who fall in love with him everyday because of that, what a heartbreaker.
 
You are so unfair Cale-nim.

Would you be so kind as to refrain from behaving in such a manner that might cause confusion? Or I’ll have way too many rivals to fight before being able to ask for your hand in marriage! 
 

Chapter Text

“Welcome!”

Choi Han greeted politely the chubby owner of the tea house. It was the first time he was here alone, usually he accompanied his liege since he liked to flip through the vast collection of books. Billos promptly asked him if he was not there on an errand for the young master.

“Yes. Um… You could say that. Cale-nim always praises the books here so I wanted to know if you…”

“Aah! It’s pleasure to hear it. We certainly have everything you could dream of here. Mr. Choi Han just has to utter the word and we will bring you what you need!”

The young man scratched his head, he didn’t have any specific titles in mind. He tried to remember the covers of what his friend with red flaming hair would browse through. It always seemed to be about Roan’s history, its geography or the different dynasties, something like that. In any case, they were books that looked quite serious and objective. He just needed something on the traditions of the kingdom, and if there was a paragraph concerning the art of courtship it will be even better (he didn’t want to shout from the rooftops that he was a country bumpkin on this subject).

“Maybe a book similar to what Cale-nim usually read, but more focused on um … how to say … high society?”

The bastard from Flynn’s family thought for a moment. Mmh, the young master tended to read a lot of novels and lately he was eating romance novels one after the other. Maybe once he finishes reading that genre, he’ll move on to horror stories, who knows. He was such an avid reader that he had to make sure he never lacked new arrivals, otherwise he would soon lose interest in their establishment. Right now he was into love stories such as how a commoner manages to climb the social ladder in order to win the heart of a noble from an influential family. It was the kind of story popular with ladies these days, as it was rare and original. As expected from the young master, always ready to follow the literary trends and to expand his personal library! He had nothing but admiration for his misunderstood genius mind. If he wanted to renew his readings and glance through something between two nobles, he should have a thing or two upstairs.

“I’ll be right back!”

The guest from the teashop waited patiently downstairs. He checked the shelves curiously, when suddenly the binding of a book caught his eye:

<100 ways to court your beloved>

And according to the little sticker on the corner, this publication apparently won an award last year. Wasn’t that what he needed?

“Did this book gain your interest Mr. Choi Han? It also fits the theme of what you’re looking for. It’s in high demand! I recommend getting it before someone else snatches it up.”

Billos reappeared with two to three books in the arms and handed them to him with a big smile. The young man sneaked a quick glance to the titles:

<The count that I fell in love with is actually the crown prince?! >

<The master of the Magic Tower is my childhood friend>

<If I’m locking you up it’s for your own good! >

Um… It didn’t quite seem like what he was looking for (especially the last one … let’s pretend he didn’t see anything). Those were novels right? Not sure that it is very appropriate to use fiction as a basis for courting someone seriously.

“I think… I’ll take this one thank you.”

He promptly handed over the money for the book lending and wrote his name and the date on the slip at the reception desk.

“Glad you were able to find your happiness. See you soon!”

Choi Han bowed slightly to say goodbye to the owner of the tea house. Once he was outside, he let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. It was kind of stressful… He felt like he was buying something compromising, when it wasn’t the case. Well, at least it’s done.

Time to bury his nose in a book again!

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

That’s how our favorite swordmaster started to skim over the book he had borrowed for several days with diligence. There were some slightly strange parts, but the author spoke with such confidence that he decided not to ask too many questions. Perhaps it was just Roan’s traditions which were far too different from his native land.

Unfortunately without Choi han’s knowledge, in reality he had taken one of those romance novels which he wanted to avoid at all costs. If he had read until the end of the book, he would have noticed that the author was in fact the protagonist: an arrogant duke that believed that he was entitled to everything. It is only after he was rejected by his dulcinée that his life took a turn for the better and he changed, that all happened in volume two, though. And for the moment the one he had in his hands just explained to the general public everything that absolutely should not be done if one day you wished to court someone.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 8

🔹 Block the path of your beloved and stare at them for one whole minute before leaving like nothing happened.

Choi han closed the book who had become almost his mentor since they had returned to Super Rock Villa. He took a deep breath and spotted a silhouette with vermillion hair at the end of the corridor.

Alright, you can do it, ready … go!

“C-Cale-nim!”

“Mh?”

The swordmaster quickly stopped in front of the redhead and stayed unmoving like a pole with rosy cheeks. He started the countdown in his mind.

1 … 2 … 3… 

Ah, blast! He shouldn’t have been staring at the ceiling, but at the person in front of him. Before he could correct himself, the young master glanced at him with a puzzled look and moved to the side to continue walking. He had forgotten that the problem with the corridors of the Super Rock Villa was that they were very large and spacious. It would have taken at least a herd of buffalos to properly block the path. However, the knight remained motivated and quickly caught up with his liege before standing in his way.

“W-Wait Cale-nim!”

The pretty redhead stopped in his tracks. Once again, his comrade seemed determined to make sure he couldn't get past for some unknown reason. He crossed his arms and asked nonchalantly:

“Do you need something Choi Han? If not, could you move? I want to go over there.”

Contrary to the expected answer, the korean remained mute as a carp. Onyx eyes as deep as abyssal stars lost themselves in the precious pearly red eyes as beautiful as the sunset. The poundings of his heart slowly merged with the numbers in his mind to create a soft symphony.

36… Badump … 37… Badump … 38…

Cale was the first to look away. He passed his hand through his red flaming hair and let out a sigh.

“Step aside, you punk.”

On those words he pushed the chest of his friend in order to get through.

… 

Forty seconds, there was still room for improvement… He didn’t even have time to finish his mission. Did the lack of concrete results stem from the fact that he didn’t reach the one-minute mark? He thought he saw for a moment the ears of his liege turn red, but it was surely his imagination…

Rah, next page! 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 13

🔹 Hand them a gift that you were planning to give to someone else in order to make them jealous.

“U-Um, I bought this for Lock but it’s too small since he is still growing. Do you want it Cale-nim?”

The young master took the garment in his hands and examined it quietly. It wasn’t really his taste and not at all his size, but he knew someone who might like it.

“I believe it will fit Alberu. You should give it to him, I’m sure he will be over the moon to hear that we are thinking of him. He’s been overworking without breaks lately.”

“A-Ah… Yeah you’re right.”

It wasn’t as if he had bought the clothes specifically for Cale, not at all. He suppressed the noise of his heart shattering into tiny pieces and did his best to muster a smile.

… Maybe he made a mistake somewhere. There would be plenty of other opportunities, it will be fine! He recalled the adorable little “fighting” from his liege and tried to remain positive.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 24

🔹 When their attention is not on you when you speak, grab their chin to make them look at you (and if the mood is right, why not kiss them?)

Choi Han had the opportunity to try this method from the book one fine day during afternoon tea. While everyone was eating the pastries carefully made by Vicross, the young master with vermillion hair began to doze slowly. However it didn’t stop him from enjoying the sweets. He brought the fork garnished with cream to his mouth in a lazy gesture and savored the dessert with a nod of approval. The chatter of the little rascals around him faded into the surrounding hubbub. It was not difficult to see that the attention of Cale was long gone except for the food… The korean gulped nervously and jumped on the opportunity to follow the book’s advices. With a quick and precise movement he grabbed his beloved’s chin and made him look his way.

"?..."

His hands stiffened a bit. Okay… W-Was he supposed to kiss him right now? But their relationship hadn’t reached that stage yet, it would be a tad too presumptuous of him, wouldn’t it? Ah… It was really hard to resist leaving a trail of kisses on those eyelids that struggled to stay open. He could feel that the ruby pupils were doing their best not to travel to dreamland.

Adorable.

“There was … something on your cheek.”

The knight with jet-black hair let go of the redhead’s chin and gently wiped the leftover cream near his lips with his thumb. It’s not that he chickened out… It’s just that… If he had to kiss Cale-nim again… He would like to do it in a much more romantic and intimate moment, not surrounded by everyone and ahem … particularly the children. He let out a little infatuated sigh. And as he was getting distracted by the intoxicating beauty of his liege, the latter took his hand and rested his head on it. Then he whispered softly:

“Mh… Thanks.”

… 

.... 

......

Note: Technique very dangerous for his heart, never try again.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 31

🔹 Show your wealth by paying for their meal. 

“What are you doing? I’ve already paid. Come on, let’s go.”

There was no competition. Haha… Of course that Cale-nim would never allow him to pay for anything, on the contrary he would give him pocket money like the children. No one could beat the hidden wealth of Henituse family’s safe.

Note: Skip the methods using money…

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 39

🔹 Compliment everyone in front of your beloved and not mention their name even once. 

“Rosalyn is amazing. She’s noticeably improving at an incredible speed. I wouldn’t be surprised if her mana control reaches the level of a dragon one day.”

Cale looked away from the spectacular fight between the mage and the golden dragon which took place in the outer courtyard of Super Rock Villa. He gazed at the person who joined him on the bench and automatically grabbed his handkerchief to delicately wipe the sweat from his knight’s forehead. They had just finished their morning practice with Lock.

“Yes I have no doubts, it’s Rosalyn after all.”

Choi Han allowed himself to be pampered, his heart timidly skipping with joy inside his chest. However he didn’t forget his primary goal. He continued to recite the text he had learned last night diligently (and for once, he didn’t sound like a robot because everything he said was sincere, he had a lot of admiration for his precious friends so it wasn’t difficult to find the right words to compliment them).

“And Eruhaben, he is spoiling us so much that I often forget that he is an ancient dragon. I’m glad that he agreed to stretch his lifespan and he is still here with us.”

“He likes to pretend to be indifferent, but he is cherishing all of us a lot. He is undoubtedly always the first to jump at the opportunity to teach and pass on his knowledge.” The redhead added with an amused smile.

The korean smiled back and brought up another friend:

“By the way Lock is finally starting to accept his title of Wolf King. He is taking care so well of the wolf children despite being so young.”

“Yes, he is all grown up now. He has learned to look into people's eyes when he is talking to them.”

The duo started to mention the members of their big family with nostalgia. Everything went so smoothly that the young man with jet-black hair almost forgot why he began that conversation. He just liked listening to his liege talking serenely with a smile on his face. He could spend hours contemplating his long red flaming hair twirling with the whims of the wind, count every sliver of ruby that his pretty eyelashes were made of and bathe in his kind soothing presence. Then, suddenly, as he was about to throw flowers at someone else, he was cut off in his sentence. His beloved turned to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“You know Choi Han…”

Words whispered in such a soft voice that his heart could melt like a bingsu under the stifling heat of summer.

“You always tend to see the qualities in other people, but what about you?”

Cale leaned on the side and said affectionately:

“Don’t forget that you have many qualities too.”

… The sword master was troubled by the priceless words of praises from his liege. Now he wanted to list all the qualities that the redhead possessed in order to tell him that… He was a much more extraordinary person in his eyes. Compared to him, he was someone so insignificant.

“You’re kind and caring. Courageous and brave. Ah, but there may still be room for improvement in your acting skills.”

Choi Han sulked a bit to the comment. It was not his fault if he was bad at lying…

“Cale-nim…”

The mischievous young master showed a teasing smile before standing up. He dusted off his clothes a little and lifted his hair nonchalantly:

“By the way, I don’t know what you are scheming lately, but you have to try harder if you want to get an interesting reaction from me.”

“I-I…”

The raven-haired knight felt the pretty redhead’s pheromones skimming the back of his neck and tickling his nose.

… 

His breath hitched.

S-Since when Cale-nim had learnt to control his pheromones so playfully?

He realized that if one day his liege decided to seduce him, he had no chance of resisting his charm.

Cale 3, Choi Han 0. 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 47

🔹 Don’t miss the opportunity to show off your adonis body. Remind them that you’re THE man they’ll only see once in centuries. 

… Choi Han slammed shut the book. Adonis body? He wasn’t meeting the requirements at all. He was covered by scars from his torso to his hands. He let out a sigh and looked at his “pathetic” reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. How could he make Cale-nim fall in love with “that” … He had said last time that he should consider his scars as medals of war, but… It was still difficult to cherish them sincerely. 

After an umpteenth sigh, he stepped out onto the balcony of the room to get some fresh air and enjoy the coolness of the night. His eyes lost themselves in contemplating the stars. The more he tried to follow the advices of the book to court his sweetheart, the more he felt ridiculous. Maybe he was on the wrong track and… This wasn’t for him. Showing his feelings in broad daylight and making the person in front of him understand them in all their forms was … extremely difficult. He was more skilled in secretly loving his precious liege like an extra on stage admiring the charisma of the one playing the main role. 

In hope that he would fall in love with him, the redhead had told him that he was allowed to woo him. Nonetheless thinking back he couldn’t understand how such a splendid person like Cale-nim could one day feel that way towards him even a tiny bit. He was smart, caring, a bit too self-sacrificing and… Occasionally, he found himself longing to see him revealing his vulnerabilities, so that he could offer the support of a shoulder to lean on. In reality, he wished for his beloved to feel more comfortable in his presence like the crown prince. They had a “special” relationship that he could certainly never experience. Besides Alberu was “perfect”, the portrait of the prince charming in fairy tales. He suited his friend with vermillion hair. He was sure that everyone would conclude the same if they ever see them next to each other. 

“What did I say last time Choi Han? You’re going to catch a cold at this rate if you keep walking around shirtless.”

The korean turned around and found himself face to face with the one who was troubling his heart. The young master joined him on the balcony with a shirt in his hands. He threw the cloth at him, which he managed to catch just in time. Then he leaned on the edge of the balustrade:

“I needed to ask you something so I came to see you but you weren’t in your room.”

Choi Han put his surprise aside and chuckled. How awesome would it be if he came just because he “missed” him right? 

“Sorry, my mind was somewhere else, what did you want to ask me?” He replied, as he put on the shirt he had been given.

The one who had stolen his heart stared at him with an impassive face before looking away. 

"... I forgot.”

… 

Forgot huh? 

The raven-haired knight was ready to accept this answer until he realized that…

Wait, with his <Record> ability it shouldn't be possible to —

“What? It happens to everyone.”

The redhead shut off his thoughts as he was used to doing whenever he didn’t want to dwell on a subject any longer than necessary. And if their shoulders grazed each other as the peacefulness of the night enveloped them, well the two pretended not to notice it. It was like an innocent secret that just belonged to them and only the moon held the key.

He could hear a lonely cicada singing amidst the stars. 

Ah, summer was arriving slowly.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Page 42

🔹 Act like you don’t hear them when they talk to you. 

To be honest, for this one he didn’t do it on purpose. He didn’t even know it was a page from the book! It was early in the morning when he went to retrieve the sword he had entrusted to the local blacksmith to restore its former glory. Even though almost all his savings had been spent on it, he was pleased with the result. He had done an excellent job, the gift of Cale-nim was as good as new. However, a few streets away on his way back home he was accosted (or rather taken hostage) by some ladies from the neighborhood. Polite as he was, the man stayed to chat with them for quite a while. Enough time for the young master with vermillion hair that went to fetch some viennoiserie for the children’s breakfast to cross his path. The latter called his name to help him. Except that… To his surprise, his loyal knight didn’t hear him. 

One time, two times, three times… 

No reaction.

Cale furrowed his brows. Was the conversation with these women so pleasant that he ignored him? Although there were two meters separating them, normally with his keen hearing Choi Han should have heard him without problems. Ha, if he had so much fun then he should just stay there. Idiot. Let’s see how you manage to go home! 

… 

As the redhead was ready to leave, he looked back, a tad upset and tried to call out to him again:

“Han-ah."

And it only took the magic word for the knight with jet-black hair to turn around and lock gazes with him. He politely excused himself and ran towards him with a beaming smile. Before he could say anything, Cale stated in a monotone voice:

“Let’s go home.”

“Cale-nim… Earlier…”

“Earlier what?”

“Could you… Could you repeat what you said?”

"... No. You just had to listen and not ignore me.”

The young master with vermillion hair quickened his pace and remained silent for a good part of the walk until his korean friend shyly called out to him:

“Cale-nim…” 

“...”

“Cale-nim are you perhaps sulking?”

“Ha?”

What, him sulking? Nonsense. This word didn’t belong to his vocabulary. Why would he even sulk. There was nothing to sulk about. Nothing! It’s not like a certain man had confessed his love to him and affirmed boldly that he would woo him so that a few weeks later he finds him flirting with every lady he encounters! Must be so nice to be popular huh.

“Cale-nim I—

“Stop calling me Cale-nim that, Cale-nim this, are you a parrot?”

It was not difficult to see that his dry comment had hurt the man who gradually slowed down and halted his steps. The hero of West and East continent felt a bit guilty for being so blunt in his words and turned around to apologize, but as soon as he came closer the sword master pulled him by the wrist. He fell in his arms and Choi Han whispered in his ear something that made fireworks explode in his chest. 

“... Rok Soo-ah.”

Cale promptly pushed him away with his face burning, he sent him a death glare:

“I said that you could woo me, not be cheeky.” He retorted curtly. 

“... But your pheromones are telling me that you like that I call you this way.”

“Not at all.”

T-this stupid alpha how did he dare to use his pheromones against him!… He was still new to all of this so it was n-normal if he couldn’t control properly that “stuff”. Who knows maybe he had pressed the button to release some happy pheromones instead of annoyed ones!! 

“Rok Soo-ah.”

“...”

“Rok Soo —” 

“Shut up!”

The omega with red flaming hair reflexively clapped his hand over the mouth of his suitor. He couldn’t see his expression anymore, but he could feel that he was wearing a smug smile, proud of having troubled him with his shenanigans.

“Han-ah you're so annoying.”

He accidentally said it in the heat of the moment but the sword master went bright red up to the ears at the simple calling of his name. Huh… Interesting. Cale took the opportunity to repeat it about ten times in a row. He watched mischievously the alpha before him bite back a growl and look at him with possessive eyes.

“Seems like you’re rather the one who loves that I call you like that huh?”

The redhead showed a satisfied smile now that he had the upper hand. He slowly removed his hand and flicked his forehead:

“Don’t ignore me ever again and maybe you will have the opportunity to hear it one more time.”

And what could Choi Han do but nod timidly at the order of his adorable liege? It was so easy for him to wrap him around his little finger. It was unfair that he always managed to trouble his heart without a manual, he wished he could do the same. 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Ending words

🔹 Now that you have followed my advice properly it’s evident that the young lady you set your sights on is madly in love with you since you’ve shown her how cool and mysterious you are!! 

The raven-haired man threw the book on his bed with a defeated sigh. After all, he was 97% sure he didn’t succeed in seducing anyone with those techniques and especially not the young master he was infatuated with. 

Haa… 

Let’s give up. It was a bad idea from the start to follow a book to woo his liege. Maybe he just needed to be patient… And with time he would fall under his spell or he would develop a crush on someone else, as long as Cale-nim is happy, that’s all that mattered. 

Even though he said that, he still found himself in the middle of a nearby field of flowers, plucking daisy petals at dawn like a unemployed man (what love could make you do…)

He likes me a little … a lot … passionately … madly so… Not at all. He likes me a little … a lot … passionately … madly so… Not at all.

Ha… Always the same result huh…

It wasn’t exactly lucrative. What on earth was he doing except making himself feel even worse? The sword master lied down in the wild grass and lost himself in the labyrinth of his thoughts. Who had invented flower divination anyway? It was ridiculous. He was confident that going outside, far from the person who troubled his heart so much, would clear his head, but he would have been better off not doing so. Honestly, it would be simpler if their relationship played out like in fairytales.

<I like you, alright let’s get married! >

You know settings like that. Unfortunately, the reality was much more complicated. There was no fairy godmother who waved a magic wand to sort everything out, no love at first sight, and of course, no “happily ever after”. Only him and his clumsiness. He was afraid that if he looked away for even one second, someone smarter and more charismatic than him would steal his beloved. After all, before he told him how he felt, the young master already had a bunch of suitors. He was just lucky that none of them had succeeded in seducing him. He was in no position to wait any longer, it wouldn’t be surprising if an opportunist came along tomorrow to melt the icy heart of the Silver Shield Young Master. 
 
It would be much simpler if he marked Cale-nim. At least no one would dare to approach him and it would keep his rivals at bay.

... 

Raaah! What was he even saying. Ron had clearly told him last time after kicking his ass that he had to hide his fangs and that he was far from being the perfect son-in-law.

<Try again to mark the young master and I’ll put a muzzle on you. > He had warned him with his fake benign smile. 

How was that his business? It was between Cale-nim and him and no one else. It was infuriating that everyone had a say in their relationship. He wasn’t an idiot. Of course he would never mark the pretty redhead without his permission even if the latter was pushing his buttons a little too far sometimes. That would be despicable. Right now, above all, he was in desperate need of a sign from a lucky star to tell him that up until now he hadn’t been messing up like a moron. 

Then, as if the universe had answered him, he saw out of the corner of his eye a little hare eating a clover. Of course, it ran off as soon as it noticed that the ground it had been trampling on a few minutes earlier was in fact a living being. Choi Han watched the figure disappear in the distance and a thought suddenly struck him.

…

Alright if he manages to find a four-leaf clover, that would mean that his luck hasn't run out yet.

He stood up and began to carefully examine the field of clovers beside him. No… No… That’s not it either… Only three-leaf clovers. He peeled them one by one as if caught in a sudden frenzy of jenesaisquoi. Then after a few hours he finally obtained what he was looking for. Well … almost. There was maybe just one extra leaf, but that didn’t change anything, did it? He forgot why he was so dedicated to find one, nevertheless he wanted to give it to someone. Choi han proudly harvested his discovery and kept it preciously in his hands before returning to the Super Rock Villa. He spotted in the outdoor garden the pretty redhead on a bench reading a book and approached him with long strides, excited to show him the lucky charm.

“Cale-nim! This is for you.”

He handed him the little plant with a big smile and the young master with vermillion hair looked at the present with an impassive face. His gaze shifted upwards, meeting his friend’s eyes. Then returned his attention to that “particular” clover and repeated the same action before grabbing the gift carefully.

“Did you roll around on the ground in order to find me this?…” He asked in a monotonous voice and a raised eyebrow.

Ah. 

Choi Han looked at his clothes covered in dirt and couldn’t imagine the state of his hair. He nodded slowly, a little embarrassed. He hadn’t thought of the outcome when he was exploring the field earlier. Ugh… Was he an idiot or what? A bouquet of flowers would have been a thousand times better! However Cale didn’t look disgusted by his pathetic state. He just lowered his eyes to contemplate calmly the five-leaf clover and muttered:

“I see.”

Then he gently brought the gift close to his nose and sketched a timid smile.

“Thank you Han-ah.”

Badump. 

E-Eh?… It was the first time that his beloved granted him such a lovely smile since he started to “court him”. It was a smile candidly sincere. How to say… It was as if he was witnessing the blooming of a plum flower on a snowy day. It was soft, quiet and unbelievably ethereal. If he ever manages to make Cale-nim smile every day like this, then he would have achieved his life goal. Maybe from the beginning he was looking for the south pole at the north pole and he just had to be himself. Maybe his slightly clumsy and awkward side was part of his charm. Maybe he made things more challenging for himself by trying to fit in Roan’s traditions when the answer was already in his hands. 

… 

He took a deep breath and said:

“I like you Cale-nim.”

ᴹᵃᵈˡʸ ˢᵒ.

His lovely liege with vermillion hair closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

“How many times a day are you going to tell me that?”

A smile of pride graced the loyal knight’s face.

“Enough for you to never forget.”

Even if one day, I don’t have the right to stay by your side anymore, I would like you to know that my love for you will remain immutable.

Chapter Text

“So care to tell me why you’re here again?”

The future sun king of Roan watched the dunce lying on his velvet sofa, nibbling on cookies from the jar as usual. He was the only one who had been eating the biscuits from the container that had been prepared for the children over the last few days. Maybe he should create one specially for him. At this rate, the kids won’t have anything to snack on when they will come to visit him. The redhead remained quiet, his gaze elsewhere before crunching on another cookie. Well, there weren’t many things left to do anyway. Alberu decided he could entertain him a little and consider it as a break. 

“You know Choi Han asked for my parents’ blessings to court me.”

“Yeah.”

…

The prince had agreed without thinking before understanding the meaning of the sentence. He widened his eyes and stood up straight from his armchair. 

“Wait, did I miss an episode?! He what — ”

Cale ignored his friend’s surprise and continued with nonchalance. 

“He told me that he liked me.”

“Oh my goodness, should I send a congratulations gift to my dear instructor?”

The blond passed his hand through his hair with a proud and joyous smile. He had been watching them circle around each other for so long! It was as if he was witnessing his children leaving the family nest. He almost wanted to shed a tear from all the emotions. Good job Choi Han! He thought that they would be stuck at the departure point for ages knowing how stubborn his donsaeng was. 

“Although I’m glad to hear this piece of news, it doesn’t give me any clue about why you’re here.”

Shouldn’t he be running in the meadows hand in hand with his little lover now? The young master with vermillion hair grabbed another cookie and clicked his tongue. 

“... It’s his fault.”

“What do you mean?”

Because of this punk's nonsense, he was on the verge of a heart attack more than once lately. His heart beat wildly, as if it wanted to escape his chest and travel around the world, every time he got too close. The worst part was that all it took was a brief glance for his breath to hitch. So either he had caught pneumonia or some rare disease and was going to die soon or… The culprit was this damn alpha that had been shining too brightly lately, to the point where he began to wonder if he needed sunglasses to look at him. 

“I can’t go anywhere without him following me behind like a puppy.”

He bit on the cookie with furrowed brows. 

“Calling me Cale-nim that, Cale-nim this.” He grumbled. 

His friend with golden hair rolled his eyes and replied, amused:

“Why do I feel like you actually love it?”

“NOT AT ALL.”

Geez, he didn’t think that teasing him a bit on the subject would make him raise his voice so quickly. His little brother really liked to complain even when all was well. It had almost become a national sport. He let out a sigh as he got closer and leaned on the sofa’s armrest:

“Of course you’re seeing him everywhere, do I have to remind you that he’s supposed to woo you?”

Actually, even if it wasn’t the case, they would be still attached at the hip anyway. Things couldn’t have changed much for him, right? 

“He isn’t really courting me. I mean, I don’t feel any change except from the fact that he is treating me even more like a sheet of paper ready to fly away at the slightest gust of wind.”

“Perhaps he was afraid to show you his protective side because … you know. And now that your relationship has reached another stage, he finally feels comfortable to be more … how to say? Demonstrative.”

Choi Han was always the one who was most worried about Cale. After all, he must have seen the latter almost cross the banks of Sanzu River countless times, to the point that the idea of sacrificing his life expectancy to save his liege by making a deal with the God of Death came naturally to him. To be honest, it would be difficult to find someone as devoted as that man. It was ironic that the object of this unconditional love didn’t realize it. Well, he was a “special case” too, he had never met someone as dense as his donsaeng. They both made a great pair together, may they reach their happy ending soon.

“It’s different from the novels.” He muttered.

“The novels?…”

Red pearly eyes met blue pupils and the redhead went back to his cookie with an impassive face.

“Nothing.”

Cale changed his sitting position to lie down on the velvet sofa. As he melted into the soft cushions with golden ornaments, he stared at the ceiling for a moment, arms crossed.

“I don’t quite get how courtship is supposed to work here in Roan.”

“Well, it depends on your social status. People usually don’t want to bother with it too much and just prefer to show off their wealth to the lady they’re proposing to. Most of them unfortunately lack imagination.” He noted, shrugging his shoulders with a disappointed face.

… The young master stayed quiet. The problem was that “he” was the one well-off, therefore it was impossible for Choi Han to compete with Henituse’s wealth. Thinking back, if they were from here, the poor man would have practically no chance of obtaining his heart through the traditions of this kingdom. He was a noble and him a commoner, the gap between their status was way too deep. But he didn’t care about all that stuff. It was trivial. The most important thing was that he falls in love with him that’s all. And for this to happen Choi Han has to stop being so … argh! Did this punk even know how to properly use his assets to seduce someone? He passed his hand through his hair with an irritated face and declared with a monotonous voice:

“... Is skinship allowed before marriage?”

“Uh… Yes to a certain degree.” The prince answered, a bit confused by this sudden, out-of-the-blue question.

“Then why does he avoid me like the ground is lava except the lava is me.”

His interlocutor stared at him with big eyes and let out an exasperated sigh:

“You… Is your heat coming soon?”

“What, no!”

“You’re aware that a perfectly healthy omega wouldn’t want to be touched randomly by anyone, even if it’s an alpha courting them.”

The young master came to a halt on the sentence previously mentioned, and then it dawned on him. He finally understood what his hyung meant and his ears blossomed into plum flowers.

“You like him, just admit it.”

"... No.” He retorted, avoiding the gaze of the crown prince.

Alberu stifled a laugh. Ha… He thought he had already moved past this stage, but it was as if he had jumped over a bush and found himself facing another obstacle and simply decided not to cross it, preferring to stay planted in front of it for unknown reasons. Well, at least he had made some progress. It was better than nothing.

“Why are you laughing.”

“I just find your ability to deny reality quite amusing.” He replied with a smile worthy of the heir of the throne.

His know-it-all attitude annoyed the young master of Henituse Domain. The latter instinctively let loose a stream of insults, much like a rebellious teenager.

“@#€&%.”

“Watch your language my dear donsaeng, you’re still in the study of the future king.”

But Cale brushed off the warnings of his hyung and kept expanding his more than reprehensible vocabulary in the office of the proclaimed “future king”. The Sky Eating Water was very proud of her little protégé. 

“XXX XXX!!”

“Brat.”

The young master with vermillion hair stuck out his tongue and curled up on his couch like a sulking kid. His hyung let out the umpteenth sigh of the day and was ready to return to his desk when something grabbed the hem of his shirt. 

“There’s no cookie left anymore.”

“Yes, yes.”

What wouldn’t he do for his little brother… Even if he was childish and insufferable it was impossible for him to refuse his whims. He opened his cookie cabinet (luckily he had made some new ones last night) and took out a jar filled to the brim. He brought it to the dunce and handed him the biscuits. The redhead was about to grab them, but he reflexively pulled away when their hands accidentally touched.

“See, my hand barely grazed yours and you’re reacting like this.”

"... I was surprised that’s all. You have sweaty hands.”

“No, your hands are just too cold.”

Sometimes, just sometimes, he wanted to send that pain in the neck bastard home and forbid him from coming back ever again. He was the only one calling him names in broad daylight and get away with it. Maybe that was why he was behaving like a spoiled brat. Shouldn't he pay him back a little mh?

“Cale.”

He reached out his hands towards his friend in a threatening manner, ready to strike. The redhead woke up suddenly and climbed onto the top of the sofa. You could almost hear a cat hissing telling him to go away.

“Stop it hyung, how old are you? Don’t you dare—”

“Do what? I don’t understand my precious donsaeng.” The prince replied innocently closing the distance between them.

“You—”

Cale threw a cushion at him before escaping. He hid behind his desk armchair and gave him a death stare. 

“I warn you, don’t get any closer!”

“Seeing you acting like this is breaking my heart Cale. Yet we’re so accustomed to demonstrating to the public how close we are, and now you won’t even stand being around your hyung?”

He pretended to wipe away an invisible tear while easily avoiding another random object that the rascal threw at his face.

“You know damn well why.” The hero of West and East Continent retorted, rolling his eyes.

The monster with sweaty hands took off his crown. Right now, he was just Alberu Crossman, no simply Alberu. And his ultimate goal was to annoy his adorable little brother until he decides to get the hell out of his study. The duo began to run around and climb on the furniture scattered in the room as if they were playing cat and mouse. No one would believe that one was the commander from the last war and the other was the future king of Roan. The young man with golden hair laughed out loud as his friend showered him with insults of all kinds. It had been so long since he had laughed so innocently with someone since his mother died. It was sort of nostalgic.

“Rah, fine. Do whatever you want!”

After a dozen minutes, Cale gave up. He was tired of running, that was enough exercise for today. He fell onto his favorite velvet sofa and let himself be caught without fuss by his stupid hyung. The latter cupped his face with a radiant, satisfied smile. As expected, his hands were sweaty and he sincerely didn’t appreciate much the feeling on his skin, but well he was going to forgive him since his friend looked like he had a blast playing tag in his study like a kid. 

“You see, it wasn’t so terrible after all.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“You shouldn’t be so shy with your hyung. Even if I do understand that your heart might be racing for a handsome and attractive man such as me.”

The young master with vermillion hair rolled his eyes and answered with sarcasm:

“Ah my magnificent king, the sun of our kingdom. Your shimmering radiance blesses us with so much grace every day that I am afraid to look at you longer than necessary. Unfortunately my poor heart can’t bear your assertiveness. Should I report you to the authorities for sexual harassment?”

“Haha you can. However I’m uncertain that it will lead to anything given that I almost have the full authority throughout Roan.” He added with an amused smile.

The redhead grumbled and called him a tyrant. The blond scoffed as he freed his prisoner. He gently placed his hand on his chest, lost in thought. Then, he slowly brought his arms forward to lift him a tiny bit. Cale remained listless like a mollusk. Why was this idiot hugging him suddenly? 

“What are we doing now? Wrestling?” He muttered, looking at the ceiling. 

Alberu laid his head casually on his shoulder and stayed silent for a moment.

“No, I’m just checking if my charisma is working on my dear donsaeng.”

However Cale wasn’t born yesterday, he could feel even without words that his hyung was quietly telling him:

<I’m tired.>

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he patted him on the back a few times in a friendly manner. 

<You’ve worked hard.> 

Then he ruffled his hair like he used to do for the children back home. The future heir to the throne let himself be spoiled by his little brother and closed his eyelids. He was the only one with whom he could act like a child, because he knew that he would never judge him, no matter how “imperfect” he might be. It was... comforting. He could feel the tiredness leaving his shoulders. He disliked showing his weaknesses to anyone but somehow with the redhead if was okay, he didn't feel ashamed or anything.

“At least blush or something. You’re way too inscrutable sometimes.”

“Kya~ W-What are you doing hyung.” He acted with a high-pitched voice worthy of a damsel in distress. 

“Pfft.”

“You really want me to do that?” He replied curtly, back to his stoic normal voice. 

“Well, at least it would have been a rather funny sight to witness.”

“Wow I didn’t know you had that kind of fetish.”

“You’re the worst donsaeng.”

The prince slightly got up with a sigh. He ran his hand through his golden hair and pinched his friend’s cheek in exasperation.

“What I wanted to say was that I’m literally all over you but you’re not reacting at all.”

Cale raised an eyebrow to ask what he was getting at. 

“Do I have to remind you that I’m also an alpha? But when it’s Choi Han, as soon as he is nearby, you always release those merry, jolly pheromones and all. So it’s not about finding an alpha to help you with your newly emerged traits. It’s just about him and you. You guys should see how you look at each other every time, it’s annoying to watch.”

Hey, wake up Cale Henituse. 

He sincerely felt bad for his dear instructor to have fallen in love with such a blockhead. If it were him, he would have become bald from all the stress he would have caused him. But the person in question only clicked his tongue before saying:

"... I’m laughing too here. Haha I love you hyung. You’re the best.”

Good grief, this moron was a lost cause. 

“At least, act better. You know like haha hyung you’re the best I will become the prime minister —”

"... You!”

Cale was flabbergasted to hear such a statement even as a joke. What a bastard, he knew damn well that his dream had always been to become a rich slacker and now he wanted to steal his hard-earned freedom from him? Out of the question! The time for revenge had come. He suddenly stood up and attacked him under the armpits by surprise. Beware of the tickle monster! (He had happily learned the trick thanks to the kids). His victim abruptly collapsed and tried his best not to burst out laughing, without success.

“Pffft—hahaha! Hey stop —” 

“No, you’ve brought this on yourself! Don’t run, take your responsibility dear future king!”

Next time, he would be better off thinking before he speaks! The mischievous young master continued to tease him until the prince decided to launch a counterattack. He grabbed his wrists, his eyes watering from laughing so much. He was far from his usual neat appearance, with his hair completely unkempt thanks to this brat.

“I don’t think I can lose if it’s about physical strength. You should exercise more my dear donsaeng.” He mentioned proudly as a warning.

The hero from West and East Continent attempted to break free by pulling his arms and delivering a few small kicks to the blond.

“Hey, rolling on the bed consistently every day is exercise too!” He retorted with puffed cheeks. 

Alberu shook his head in disbelief. One day his little brother would have to learn that staying in bed all day wasn’t exercise. He was already an incredible larva, but if he kept this up he would turn into a twig. His instructor was definitely right to treat him like a leaf ready to fly away at the slightest gust of wind.

“Lazybones, haven’t you gained weight lately? Look at all that fat.” He grabbed the bit of belly that was sticking out of his shirt. 

The redhead pinched in return the right cheek of the arrogant prince. He answered in the same sarcastic energy:

“Weren’t you the one who constantly said that I should eat more, look at your face your cheeks are so hollow that I’m worried about your health your highness —”

His hyung didn’t let him finish his sentence, already annoyed by his glib tongue. He jumped at the opportunity to return the favor for what he had done to him earlier: the tickle torture.

“Worry more about yourself, if you keep being so dense I’m going to make you prime minister in order to wake you up!” He said confidently, while tickling his neck and stomach.

It was utter chaos, like kids making a racket, the two morons were pulling each other’s hair and throwing kicks with the sole aim of triumphing over the other to prove who was right. Right about what? They had completely forgotten, but whatever! Cale definitely didn’t want to become prime minister. Unfortunately, he had always been weak, very weak against tickles so victory was really not far away for our Alberu. 

“You—Hahaha e-enough!!”

Ah. 

The young master with vermillion may have raised his voice a little too much in the heat of the moment as he demanded his friend with golden hair to stop his shenanigans. And… Of course a certain person’s ears perked up at the “distress call”. 

BAM

The door of the study opened with a loud crash and at the threshold appeared a familiar face: it was the raven-haired sword master. The man looked as though he had run from the garden straight here without stopping, having sensed that something was wrong with his liege (he may or may not have illegally climbed a few balconies and broken down a window lock as collateral damage in the process). 

 
“Cale-nim! Is everything alright? I heard a loud noise coming from here so I — ”

However, of all the things he had imagined, he had not expected to find his beloved pressed against the sofa by his disciple. His usual black ribbon tying up his long red vermillion hair had fallen on the carpet and his white shirt slipped over his shoulder, revealing his pale clavicles. But apart from his disheveled state what irked Choi Han the most was the fact that his precious liege had tears adorning his beautiful red pearly eyes. He didn’t need any more explanation to grab the hilt of his sword and remove it from the scabbard in order to execute the culprit, until he… He noticed that Cale-nim’s hands were around the prince’s neck and the latter was almost in the same unkempt state as the redhead, like they were in the middle of… 

… 

And as if the missing piece of the puzzle had fallen back into place, a light bulb lit up in his mind as he thought about the situation. He timidly lowered his head and whispered:

"... Apologies for disturbing you I… I am nearby if you ever need me.”

And in the space of a second, the knight with ebony hair vanished into thin air behind the door. The prince looked towards the direction where his instructor had left with an awkward, embarrassed smile:

“Do you think he…”

The omega glanced at the not very glorious appearance of his hyung as he pulled up his shirt collar to properly cover his shoulder. He passed his hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. Knowing Choi Han he.... 

“He definitely got the wrong idea.”

Fuck, damn it. 

Chapter Text

Truth to be told, Choi was aware that he wouldn’t be the sole person courting “officially” the young master with vermillion hair. It would be odd if someone so beautiful only had a hopeless suitor like him. That’s why when he saw the crown prince and his precious liege together … he swallowed his pride and stepped aside. Who was he to stand in the way of their happiness out of pure selfishness? He was just the one who had gotten too lost in the illusions of an impossible love. Cale-nim had been simply too kind to tell him that his heart was already taken, moreover by the most charismatic man of Roan: Alberu Crossman. Next to him, he was nobody. A stranger in the lands of this world, with no real identity. Ah, perhaps sometimes labeled as a guardian, a hero … or simply the instructor of the future sun king. 

… 

Yes, that’s all.

This is why, if he ever happened to “abuse” this authority, he preferred to say that it was the ineluctability of things. After all, where could he express his anger if not here? 

“Dear instructor, don’t you think you’re going too hard on me?”

The knight threw a cold glance to his disciple sprawled on the floor and pointed his sword at him.

“Stand up.”

The young man with golden hair sketched an awkward smile. He had lost count of the number of times he had rolled in the sand thanks to the wonderful teachings of his master. At this rate, he would acquire the rights to dispute the first place with a tumbleweed. Joke aside… His insufferable little brother definitely didn’t clear the misunderstanding from last time right? Otherwise why would he be treated so harshly by his mentor when they barely met each other? Damn it Cale, it’s been ONE WHOLE WEEK. What did you FREAKING DO during all this time?? Was he going to have to deal with it for him again? Good grief, he seriously needed a vacation.

“Haa… About the other day with Cale, it isn’t what you th—”

!... 

Before he could finish his sentence, Alberu felt his head fall off from his body as he was engulfed by the intense aura of the sword man standing before him. Is it only his imagination or was that sharp weapon even closer to his neck haha?… He literally got the jitters right now. Donsaeng why are you doing this to me?! You’re living with him, you just had to get him alone and talk to him. It was a matter of two minutes! He couldn’t believe he had to face the consequences of his wrath during his lesson thanks to that. 

“Goodness, it would be wiser to let my donsaeng explain the situation but at this point I think it would be better if I just take care of it myself…”

The disciple sighed and put his arms up in the air to claim his innocence before continuing.

“Yes, I have a soft spot for Cale.”

Could the onyx eyes that were staring at him become any more vicious?… Had he known it would end like this, he would never have tried to tease the redhead in the first place. He had forgotten that idiot had a ferocious guard dog at his side. He gulped with apprehensiveness. Oddly enough, delivering a speech in front of thousands of people was much easier than seeking forgiveness from his instructor.

"... Let me finish, in a wholly platonic manner.” He added, trying to come across as friendly and harmless. 

Alright… Good. The raven-haired man seemed open to discussion. The grip on his sword scabbard slowly relaxed. Alberu jumped on the chance to use his gift for oratory. Turn on the spotlights, 1 … 2 … 3… And action!

“I’m married to my motherland. I intend to follow in the steps of my ancestors. As of today, something ephemeral and tangible like love does not spark my interest. I don’t want to be tied down by a relationship, I still have so much to accomplish!”

And once he has completed his duty, he will quietly withdraw from political life and pass his crown to one of his nephews. This was the path he had chosen a long time ago, so if he wished Choi Han could keep to himself his insufferable donsaeng. It would be even better if they fell madly in love to the point that Cale forgets to cause problems everywhere he goes. He has no idea how much it would lessen his workload… Get married, have a lot of children I sincerely beg you!…

“The other day, we were… Hum … messing around like siblings.” He explained, lifting his index finger and wearing his most gentle smile. 

Right, they were just bickering like kids. Although it was a little shameful to admit it, it was the absolute truth.

“Messing around… As stripping Cale-nim of his clothes? Are you kidding me?”

His instructor stifled a dry laugh at the laid-back response. Did he regard him as a fool? He clenched his fist, remembering the disheveled state in which he had found his beloved. It made his stomach turn just thinking about it. Seeing the omega in the arms of another alpha disgusted him deeply. Moreover, in the embrace of someone he knew, someone he admired. However, the irony of fate was that the one making him sick the most was himself. More specifically the burst of jealousy mixed with possessiveness that had overwhelmed him at the time. He was ready to rip the prince apart to get back the young master. If he hadn’t bitten his lip until it bled to restrain himself, he would have done the irreparable. Aah… He hated “that part” of himself: he was worse than a starving wolf in a cage when it was about the pretty redhead. He didn’t deserve to love him. His affection towards him was way too … dark … impure … wretched and despicable. 

 
“Listen, I feel like no explanation will satisfy you, but why would I make up such an excuse?”

Choi Han stared for a moment at his pupil with golden hair and his phlegmatic lapis lazuli eyes. 

… 

He wanted to believe him, really. Nonetheless, if it were the case why Cale-nim didn’t come to see him in order to clear the misunderstanding? He should have known that witnessing such a thing would make him misinterpret the whole situation since he was in love with him. Perhaps in reality, he had taken advantage of that fact to convey to him indirectly that his love was suffocating him and that he had found better elsewhere. 

Alberu Crossman. 

He never thought he would feel jealous of anyone like that. It was probably due to his lack of self-confidence, but he had slowly started to create an invisible rivalry between them with the young master in the middle. It was odd, he didn’t have this discomfort when the pretty redhead spent time with Lock, Eruhaben or Vicross when they were all alphas as well. It was only when he said he was going to visit his “hyung” with a hint of mischief inside his bewitching pearly red pupils that his heart would sink from anxiety. 

<Can I come with you? > He asked every time.

And his liege would always answer in the same way.

<… If you want. But wait for me outside, I have to discuss something important with him. >

It didn’t bother him that much, after all he didn’t understand the whole content of the heavy political discussions the duo had even during the last war. There was a lot to rebuild throughout West and East Continents and Roan was in the center of everything. Therefore it was normal that they would meet each other frequently in private. He had never questioned it until … today. Now he knew what they were “doing” in secret behind the doors of the crown prince’s study. But maybe they were only having a carnal relationship. It was undeniable that alphas and omegas naturally responded to their primitive instinct to meet their needs. He wasn’t making any judgment about it. Nevertheless… Cale-nim was a beta only a few months ago, therefore the theory that they were in a relationship for that “purpose” made no sense. Haa… Why was he trying to come up with excuses to justify what he had seen? Choi Han it was time to wake up. Give up on these futile feelings, it was not worth torturing yourself like this. 

Cale-nim had already found his “mate”. 

He doesn’t need you anymore. 

Besides Alberu was the perfect candidate. Contrary to him, he was someone bathed in light, a person as radiant as the sun and not a hideous monster stained by despair. They suited each other wonderfully. It was better this way. It was the best outcome to his candid love. He was lucky enough to see two people close to him become happy.

Right? 

… 

The knight with jet-black hair swallowed the bitter taste that had been lingering in his mouth and retrieved his disciple’s wooden sword.

“Let’s cut the chit-chat, didn’t you say that you wanted to train?” He bit back curtly throwing his weapon at him with his foot.

The prince caught his gear and got up with difficulty. He dusted the sand off his clothes and replied:

“Haha, do I really have the choice to decline the offer?”

He felt that a hellish lesson was waiting for him under the excuse of practice again. Cale, get your ass back here pronto! He didn’t sign for this, why was he in the middle of their lovebirds quarrel?? His stupid little brother ultimately needed to have a long talk with his instructor or there would be a dead person soon (hint: him). It was decided once this was all over he was definitely planning to take some time off and go on a well-deserved vacation far away from here…

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

There was something that was bothering Rosalyn for the past few days. It was this hangdog look on his friend’s face every time she saw him at the Super Rock Villa. Something was off. The most obvious clue was that she couldn’t find the young master with vermillion hair next to the knight. The two were usually inseparable. She had a feeling of déjà vu, if she remembered correctly something similar had happened just before the redhead had announced to them that he was an omega out of nowhere. 

So one perfectly normal afternoon, after he had helped her with some experiments in her workshop, the archmage used the pretext of a break to have a serious discussion with him.

“Tell me, did something happened with Cale? Do you want to talk about it?”

The young man with ebony hair lowered his eyes to gaze at the ice cream she had given to him with a gloomy expression. He wasn’t really hungry, but he bit into the snack anyway to be polite.

“It’s nothing. I…”

“You?”

Choi Han stayed silent and continued to nibble on the block of ice, listless. It must be something pretty severe. Usually he would have swallowed it in one bite… Rosalyn let out a sigh and tried her best to unravel the reason that had made him so depressed. Unfortunately, her questions kept hitting a wall.

“You know, I may be a magnificent archmage but I still haven’t discovered the secret to read people’s thoughts, so you need to tell what’s wrong for me to understand.”

The korean met the kind gaze of his friend and gulped with difficulty. Talk about what was bothering him… Was it even necessary, if he mentioned what he had seen, wasn’t that revealing the private life of the crown prince and Cale-nim?

“I’m worried about you.”

The words of the young maiden with red flaming hair hit him right in the heart. He felt as if all the emotions he had bottled up somewhere in his Pandora’s box since the incident suddenly came flooding back. He took a deep breath and bit his lower lip.

"... I saw them.”

Rosalyn gently placed her hand on his. The young man tried to find the strength to get out the words stuck in his throat.

“The crown prince and Cale-nim.”

He shut his eyes tightly. It was kind of foolish, but he didn’t think that the sadness that had been gnawing at him for some time was so intense and complex. There was no longer so much anger left in him, just a deep sorrow. He hoped, however, that he was strong enough to keep these transparent pearls of affliction within himself. After all, it would be hard to understand him if he suddenly started bawling his eyes out, wouldn’t it? Thus, he slowly untangled his thoughts and explained what had happened the day he had accompanied Cale-nim to the royal palace. 

The more his monologue went on, the more the face of the mage became pale as a sheet. She couldn’t believe her ears. It sounded so nonsensical that it was hard to imagine that such a thing could have occured. She let out a nervous chuckle and said jokingly to lighten the mood:

“Haha… You’re sure it’s not a misunderstanding? Maybe — ”

However, before she could finish her sentence the korean stated calmly:

“Rosalyn, stop it’s enough.”

He briefly mentioned that “one person” had not come to see him since to clarify his doubts and that if the case was that simple he would know it by now. The knight turned around to face her and showed her a weak smile. 

“I’m fine.”

And what more could she say witnessing such vulnerability in the man who had helped her to wreck havoc throughout Breck Kingdom, except hugging him in order to give him a little comfort? He looked more fragile than she had ever seen him since they had become acquainted. Her heart could not bear to watch him like this.

Oh, my poor Choi Han. 

Rosalyn was angry. 

Extremely angry. 

How could Cale play with the pure feelings of her precious friend like this? She was ready to beat the culprit to a pulp. The next morning, she grabbed the redhead on his stroll around the garden in order to tell him a few home truths.

“How could you do that to Choi Han?!”

The young master with vermillion hair widened his eyes, confused by the sudden outburst of his companion. It was a good thing he had asked the children to leave them alone, it smelt like trouble. What happened to make her so upset? And what did it have to do with Choi Han? It was true that he needed to talk to him about something, but he hadn’t found the opportunity to do it yet. He disappeared in the blink of an eye every time he tried to start a conversation, and before he knew it, he had been dragging it out for a week.

“At least, be clear if you’re already going out with someone. Don’t play with his feelings!” She barked, almost with tears in her eyes 

Cale remained frozen on the spot. The young lady before him kept scolding him, it was incomprehensible. He reflexively took a handkerchief out of his pocket to help his friend blow her nose. He checked after a few minutes that she had calmed down a little before speaking:

“I don’t know where you’ve heard that but I can assure you that I am not dating anyone at the moment.”

However his answer went through into one ear and out the other. 

“Don’t lie, you’re dating Alberu!” She retorted promptly with clenched fists. 

Cale was flabbergasted, he was so flustered by the sudden declaration that if it were possible his jaw would drop down to the floor.

“W-What…”

His hands shook at the very thought of having a romantic relationship with his hyung. Imagining exchanging sweet words every day without the usual sarcasm that accompanied them made his hair curl. Besides if he ever ended up with Alberu, didn’t that mean he would become a concubine of the future king? So more work and responsibilities. What about his dream of being a rich slacker?! My goodness it would be terrible. Get that idea out of his head, quickly!! 

“Why in the world would I date him?!”

“I should be the one asking this, you know that Choi Han is courting you. You should have at least told him from the beginning that he had no chance to win your heart!!”

Honestly, how had this sordid idea entered his friend’s head? He was completely taken aback by her words. Why was she telling him this? Of course he-

“In fact if I had to date someone, I would rather date Choi Han!” He ended up shouting at the top of his lungs as if it were obvious.

Silence. 

The young man with vermillion hair met the stunned gaze of his friend. Then, slowly, the weight of his words hit him back like a huge whiplash. His ears turned bright red as if fire elementals were playfully dancing on them. 

“Oh.”

Rosalyn put her hand in front of her mouth and her eyes narrowed into a crescent moon shape, full of mischief. 

“Oooh ~”

“S-Stop doing that, did you become a owl or what?” Cale stammered and crossed his arms.

The lady approached the redhead, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“So if you had to date someone, you’d rather date Choi Han huh?”

“Nevermind.” He retorted curtly, turning his back on her.

“Why, tell me everything. What makes your heart flutter? His natural charisma, his handsome face, his kindness or the fact that he smells sooo goood according to what you said last tim —”

“Shut up!”

The hero of West and East continents ran away to a dark corner of the villa’s outdoor garden and crouched down, trying to hide his rosy cheeks. Why was it so hot? It wasn’t even supposed to be summer yet! Unfortunately for him, his friend hadn’t finished teasing him about his slip of the tongue.

“You like him.” She stated proudly as if she had never been angry just a few minutes ago.

“No!”

Ruby pupils met eyes similar to his and Cale lowered his head. He contemplated for a moment the wild grass beneath his feet dancing in the wind and murmured like a secret:

“... I don’t know.”

He clenched his fists and accidentally dug his nails into the palm of his hand.

“I don’t understand myself my own feelings.” 

The redhead curled up even more and hid his head in his knees. With a lump in his throat, he ended up uttering :

“I don’t know how to properly like someone Rosalyn.”

Let’s say that the “innocent love” depicted in the novels he had read was not the kind of love he knew. He had been taught only the repulsive forms of “loving someone” since his early childhood.

<I’m doing that for your own good. You will understand when you grow up. >

<Why don’t you see all the sacrifices I do for you?! Ungrateful brat! >

<If you don’t bring home money, are you even worth something? >

They always used words of “love” under the pretense of cherishing him, in order to make him feel guilty for not returning their “pure devotion”. Aah… There was a time when he thought he was the problem, believing that he was not “good enough” for them. If he worked harder, if he wasn’t like “this”, maybe, maybe one day his efforts would be rewarded and “they” would be proud of him right? When that happened, would he finally have the right to belong to their “family”? He had hoped with all his heart that the answer was yes. However this stupid wish of his was never granted, instead he was hit by the harsh reality like a violent storm. How, you ask? Well, the day before his eighteenth birthday, he was thrown outside with only a backpack on his shoulder. He realized that day that since the beginning he was only a replaceable item, similar to a well-wrung old mop, they had simply exchanged him with a new one. That’s all. 

Why bother chasing after other people’s affection? It was not worth it, he was the only one left with scars in the end. 

That’s what Kim Rok Soo had learnt and now “Cale Henituse” had it rooted in his heart decades later. Like a deep cut engraved in him.

“I’m afraid… To hurt him. If I ever accept his feelings without being entirely sincere.”

Who would guarantee him that his manner of loving someone hadn’t been twisted in the worst possible way after that? That he hadn’t become like “these people” without realizing it?

“We could date yes … but what if he starts to hate me once he finds out that I’m not at all the sort of person he thought I’d be?”

He didn’t understand why Choi Han had such an innocent love for him. Someone “undesirable” like him wasn’t worthy of his tender and candid affection. What if he ended up using him just to fill the void inside his heart?… That would be unfair for his companion. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way. It wasn’t his duty to heal his throes of fears. And yet, ironically, somewhere deep down he still wanted to bathe in his overwhelming kindness and to be spoiled by the comforting words of his loyal knight; full of warmth, full of things he couldn’t describe and that made wild dandelions flutter in his stomach every time he called his name. 

  
“I’m scared Rosalyn … to love him.” He whispered in a trembling voice.

The young maiden with red flaming hair was surprised by this fragility he showed her. She didn’t know how to react. She had never been good at comforting people. With a little hesitation, she placed her hand on the top of his head and gave it a few strokes. So such complex feelings had been running through his mind all this time huh… To be honest, it made her happy that he was finally opening up to her after all these years. 

“Cale… You’re aware that these are all just fictional scenarios in your head. If you don’t give a chance to Choi Han, how could you even know the outcome of what might happen if you ever become mates?”

She looked up at the sky and contemplated the infinite azure blue that stretched into the distance and closed her eyelids, pensive.

“Of course you guys will fight, it is undeniable that there will surely be some things on which you will not agree and thanks god. It proves that you both have your own personalities and that no one lets the other walk over them, which is a good thing.”

The mage turned to her friend and lifted the few loose strands of hair hanging over his face to tuck them behind his ear.

“But I’m sure that there will be more moments of joy and laughter to share than what scares you.” She added, pulling up the hem of her dress to sit beside him.”

You guys have done so much for me without asking anything in return. It was about time I paid back the favor. 

Although she probably wouldn’t find the right words to comfort him, she still wanted to offer him a stick, however pathetic it might be, to help him get up and walk forward.

“Look, I know it’s not the same but for a long time I thought that my family would never understand me. In their eyes, I was just the perfect princess that would succeed to the throne. I felt like I was chained down in an invisible golden birdcage similar to a mere decoration. Nonetheless, surprisingly although there were some setbacks in the middle, in the end they finally heard my voice and accepted my choice to live as a mage.”

She took a deep breath and noted softly:

“Have you ever told Choi Han those things that you shared with me earlier? I’m sure he will understand.”

Cale recalled suddenly the discussion they had in his study some time ago and something warm and cozy fluttered inside his chest. 

“I… I didn’t exactly tell him that, but he said that he was very stubborn and would wait until I was ready to…”

Love him. 

Ready to reveal his vulnerability that he was so determined to bury in the depths of his heart.

The raven-haired man had confided with a certain gleam in his eyes that he would wait. That his love for him wouldn’t change regardless of the passing seasons. He hadn’t promised him that with words, he had understood it with his gestures, with how his onyx eyes as deep as abyssal stars looked at him. 

“See? You already have your answer.”

Rosalyn sketched a smile and whispered to him in the ear:

“If you guys ever go out together in the future and that he ends up not treating you well… Count on me to give him a good beating!”

The redhead widened his eyes before chuckling. 

“Pfft—haha thanks Rosalyn. That’s … very reassuring.”

The two friends stayed for a while talking about everything and nothing under the dancing leaves of late spring until the lady came across an important point. She didn’t want to dwell on the subject, but it was necessary for the sake of their family that they resolve this as soon as possible.

“Tell him clearly that there’s nothing going on between you and Alberu.  You should see his face, he looks like a striated frogfish struck by lightning.”

“Mh.” 

He wondered what a striated frogfish struck by lightning would look like, not terrible he guessed. According to Rosalyn, he had indeed misunderstood everything and was convinced that he … argh! That punk was sometimes over thinking too much. He let out a sigh on the inside and was about to give the latter a few more imaginary punches before his friend interrupted him with an unexpected comment:

“Why not sneak in a little kiss at the same time? I think he definitely needs it.”

Cale blinked once, twice. Then he put his hand in front of his mouth, a bit embarrassed by her bold request. He looked away and muttered something under his breath that immediately cheered up his companion. 

“... I’ll think about it.”

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“Choi Han.”

Today Cale had decided to put an end once for all to the misunderstanding between them. He was quite confident, it was as easy as pie to solve the problem. After all nothing had happened between him and Alberu. However, the person concerned had to cooperate with his plan first. This punk… He had been calling his name in the hallway for at least one whole minute, was he ignoring him again on purpose?

“Choi Han…”

A new attempt without response.

“Hey Choi Han.”

Still no reaction. The blockhead continued to walk as if all was well in the world. Huh… So he wanted to play that game. Alright. He had a trick or two under his sleeve too. With a swift kick, he closed the distance between them in barely the blink of an eye. To think that he used the Sound of Wind for that… Geez. 

“We need to talk.”

The young master stated with a monotonous voice, pinning the knight against the wall of the corridor. Cherry eyes met onyx eyes. The korean who usually would have become nervous and as red as a tomato, remained oddly calm. It intrigued Cale a little but he brushed it off. He had bigger fish to fry right now. 

“About the other day, it’s —”

“It’s fine Cale-nim, I understand.”

He was cut off in his sentence by the young man with jet-black hair, the latter showed him a timid smile. Something was off but the redhead couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was just him dwelling too much on the details. The important thing was that Choi Han seemed to have moved on. The misunderstanding was resolved without him saying anything.

“You understand?”

His friend nodded his head and his shoulders relaxed. Well, there was no reason for him to remain fixated on a silly misunderstanding. It was too ridiculous that thing with Alberu and him being together. Let’s sweep it under the rug.

“Then…”

Cale peeked unconsciously at the lips of the charming alpha and suddenly recalled what Rosalyn had said. He blushed slightly at his intrusive thoughts.

Bad influence, bad influence.

… Well maybe a tiny kiss on the cheek was enough to comfort him right? And after that he will tell him that there was no one else courting him. He was the only one he allowed to woo him officially. It should give him some confidence. He slowly closed the distance between him and his knight, his heart softly pounding at the idea of what he was going to do. 

Just a few more centimeters…

No regrets!

...

Except that to his great astonishment, when he was finally about to reach his goal, he was suddenly pushed away. The person in front of him looked as surprised as him and apologized profusely. 

“I-I’m sorry Cale-nim! This isn’t what I intended to do. I…” The young man said stumbling over his words.

The redhead was pulled from his reverie. Oh… He was surely shy about it. It’s true that he forgot to reassure him on that subject. In Roan a bit of “physical contact” was fine even if he was courting him. He could rest easy and have peace of mind. He scratched slightly his cheek and mumbled:

“You know —”

“I can’t do it anymore…”

?... 

What was he talking about? 

Why was he lowering his head and hunching his back like that?

Something churned inside Cale’s stomach. 

“I… It’s too hard to keep it up.”

Choi Han gulped with difficulty. He tried his best not to let his gaze linger on the recipient of his words. He wouldn’t have the courage to say what was on his mind otherwise. 

“If you’re not going to put boundaries between us. I will.”

The redhead felt his breathing quicken against his will.

Too “hard”… 

What was too “hard”? 

Why was he looking at him with so much sadness in his eyes? 

Was loving him too tedious? 

… 

Had he … grown tired of waiting for him, not knowing when he would get an answer? 

Ah…

What did you expect Cale? 

People don’t change and … neither do you.

"...You’re right.”

It’s your fault.

Because you’re so indecisive, you hurt him in the end.

“It would have been much simpler if you hadn’t fallen in love with me.”

The young master with vermillion hair gently pulled away from the alpha. He gripped his upper arm weakly, holding onto it to stop himself from staggering. Was his voice trembling? He no more knew. He didn’t feel that well. The hallway carpet seemed to be swaying strangely and mock his naivety. 

<Please quickly fall out of love with me. Your love is suffocating me Han-ah. >

… For your own good. 

Yes, it was better this way. 

He should never have ventured into it and opened his heart to someone.

People were all liars after all, and he was no exception. 

Į̶̌̓̾̈͝ ̷̧͕̳͍͖̓̎̐͝͝t̷̡͈̻̪͆h̸̯͋̉͜ḯ̵̱̠̥͒͜͝ņ̴̲͕̱̲͐̈́͑͐̓k̷̡̩̲͘ ̵̡́͑͐̓I̷̛̻̺̲̘͋̏ ̷̪̣̺͓̈́̌̃̄ḷ̵̟̘͚͎̽̂́͛ǐ̷̻̏̂̚k̵̨̨̘̔́͐̕e̶̚͝ͅ ̵̮̙̼̗̱̊ỹ̵̥̟͚̑ỏ̸͈͆u̷̜͕̠̘̙͆̄̓͝.̷̝̈ ̷̲̺̿

Chapter Text

“Mh? Where’s the young master.”

The dragon with golden mane had barely sat down in his usual place when he noticed that not everyone was present at dinner that evening.

“The human said that he wasn’t hungry. Can you believe it?”

Raon slammed his chubby paws on the table and made the whole furniture shake. The little one wasn’t happy with the fact that his father figure wasn’t joining them to eat together. He began to viciously put almost his entire plate into a tray next to him in order to save some food to feed his human later. However he was stopped quickly by the butler of the house. 

“Raon-nim, please don’t worry I’ve already prepared enough for the young master if he ever gets hungry at night. You can eat serenely without starving yourself.” He smiled at him. 

“Mh… Alright. But the human is very weak, if he skips more than two meals in the row he is going to die from hunger!”

“I agree with you. I’ll make sure it won’t happen Raon-nim.”

The little dragon nodded his head sadly and chewed without energy on his piece of steak. The scene did not please Eruhaben, he turned around to face the twins and continued his questioning:

“What about Choi Han?”

“He said that he had to take care of something and will eat out today.” On replied. 

Their grandfather didn’t want to bother them any further and settled for the answer even though he wasn’t convinced by the excuses given. On the other hand, Rosalyn was quite optimistic about the whole situation. If everything went well both of them should be on a secret date right now, how cute! She was excited to hear the spicy details soon. 

Nonetheless the next day, contrary to what she had imagined, the duo hadn’t resolved their misunderstanding at all. Worse, they were avoiding each other like the plague. She had asked many times Cale not to keep her in the dark, but he remained as silent as a wall. 

<Nothing happened. > He persisted in saying, always wearing his impassive face.

Then, what about Choi Han? Impossible to find. The weeks went by and no one knew what had gotten into the knight with jet-black hair. He would come time to time to the villa and disappear again under ridiculous pretexts like hunting a giant lizard in the nearby town… Seeing that nothing was working and that the dialogue was broken down, the archmage had no choice but to leave the heavy task of reconciling the two lovebirds to her mentor. Obviously she did not mince her words about the details of the unfolding of the events. The ancient dragon was furious that this tiny thing could have triggered such a disaster! He immediately went to the young master’s bedroom to put an end to this circus. 

“Come in.”

Eruhaben opened the wooden door and entered the room with a determined step. The redhead had his back to him, looking listlessly out of the window. His figure appeared lonely and melancholic. He turned his head slightly to see who it was before resuming his posture.

“Eruhaben, do you need something?”

The dragon with golden mane let out a sigh. 

“Tsk, tsk, unlucky bastard… In my whole life, I have never seen humans complicate simple things so much. It makes one wonders if you don't have a bit of a masochistic streak.”

Cale clicked his tongue and furrowed his brows. Of course everyone knew about what was happening between him and Choi Han, as if they were idols at the center of the latest gossip with titles such as: “Big scandal, the Silver Shield Young Master acted like an a**hole with his poor knight?! Go to page 8 for more info on the scoop!!” or something like that. It was truly unbearable. Was it impossible to have some privacy?! He was definitely here to lecture him as if he didn’t already know that he had messed up and it was all his fault if Choi Han was almost not coming back anymore to Super Rock Villa.

“You’re right, it’s simple.” He retorted, mustering his best smile. 

He put his hand “proudly” on his chest. 

“The problem is me. He just fell in love with the wrong person.”

After all, he was aware that he was at the root of all this mess, like always. He had never managed to do things properly. Over the years, he hadn’t changed. Once again, he had “disappointed” the expectations of someone dear to him. 

“In fact, I’m perfectly fine alone. All those things about choosing an alpha as a mate, it’s bound to bring trouble.”

 
Human relationships were far too complex for him to grasp. Yet he had tried, he had … really tried. Unfortunately, it was as if he were breathlessly chasing a train he would never be able to catch. What if it was time to stop pursuing the illusion of his pipe dreams? He will never be fully understood, not by his friends, not by his family, not by … “him”. It was simply the inevitable order of things. 

“Being single is the best.”

Who said that he needed an alpha to live well? It was only nonsense invented by cheap researchers locked in their office all day. He was doing fine as a beta, he will be perfectly fine as an omega as well. End of the story. However, of course, that grumpy old fool of ancient dragon had to break his resolution again. 

“Cale, you don’t believe yourself what you had just said.” He noted calmly. 

Ah… He hated that gaze with which he had been staring at him since earlier. A gaze full of jenesaisquoi that made his stomach heave in protest. Was it compassion or worse pity? Ha… He frankly didn’t need his condolences. Who did he think he was? 

“I do.” He replied dryly, still with a smile laminated on his face.

You could see that he was fine.

Perfectly fine. 

“Then, tell me why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

He was fin-

… 

..... 

……

Cale bite his lower lip and turned his back to the dragon.

“Leave me alone, Eruhaben.”

The eldest of the family approached the redhead slowly. He put his hand delicately on his shoulder. 

Don’t close the doors of your heart like this… Listen to me.

He called his name, trying as best he could to make his way through the brambles that the man had planted between them. 

“Cale.”

However, his gesture, although with all the good will in the world, had the complete opposite effect. 

 “I told you to leave me alone!” He yelled, exasperated. 

The young master with vermillion hair instinctively flinched like a wounded beast. He was fed up with people pretending that they understood him and that everyone knew what was “best” for him. Sick of being a circus’ animal. Sick of being…

Himself. 

He just wanted to disappear. 

Silence the voices in his mind. 

Was it too much to ask?…

Then… As he slowly raised his head, he saw out of the corner of his eye Eruhaben was struggling to hold onto the edge of his dresser. Hand on his neck, he looked as if he was having trouble breathing properly. 

!... 

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he had used by reflex the full power of Dominant Aura in order to “protect” himself. 

In addition to Choi Han did he finally hurt someone else when he was just here because he was worried about him?… 

… 

He was the worse. 

“I-I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to. ”

The young man with vermillion hair shut his eyes tightly to not look at the consequences of his perpetual blunders and ran away from his room, leaving his friend behind without turning back.

He didn’t belong anywhere. 

Í̴͎̾̀͐ ̷̯̜͔̀͗̋̎ḩ̵̮̱̤̓a̴̰͐́͊̌ͅt̸̮͎̥̒e̴̦͇̭̰̒͐ ̷̘̿̔̈́͘i̵̠̰͊̓͠t̸̡̅ ̷̩͍͑͝h̷̺͒ͅe̴̯̗͛͋̾r̴̻͔̉͐̕e̵̤͌̾̋.̸̤͖̘̓̀́͘ ̵̹̫͚͎̿̌̏͗

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Cale didn’t remember for how long he had been covered in cold sweats and staring at the ceiling like a rag doll lying on this bed. It wasn’t as if anything extraordinary would occur if he kept doing this. He had already memorized all the small cracks and paint defects on the walls and even remembered the patterns of the bas-reliefs that decorated the corners of the room.

He was sincerely bored. 

But he didn’t want to be anywhere else. 

He didn’t have the strength either. 

He could hear Raon laugh in the next room. He must have been discussing joyful things with his mother. He was pleased that he was so happy and that they had made up for lost time.

“It was a good idea to lock myself in here…” He muttered, staring into space.

At least in the Black Castle no one could enter without Sheritt’s permission. She had accepted his request without question and contrary to a certain ancient dragon… She was leaving him in peace. He didn’t see anyone except the children. And when he needed time alone, the old Dragon Lord would take care of the kids with a smile. He could never thank her enough for going along with his selfish wish. The little one was lucky to have a mom like her. The meals were left at the doorstep of his room, and he only had to put the tray with the dirty dishes at the same spot for them to disappear in the blink of an eye and to be replaced by something else in the evening when he opened the door again.

He didn’t have to do anything. 

He was housed, fed and milled. 

He was living his dream as a rich slacker like never before.

It was paradise, nonetheless he felt like a hollow hole existed inside his chest.

… 

Whatever, if he closed his eyes and fell asleep everything would be gone anyway. It was only a fleeting feeling. 

I̴'̵m̷ ̷f̶i̶n̷e̵.̴ ̸

His eyelids slowly grew heavier and he naturally turned to Morpheus’ arms, hoping that he would be merciful enough this time not to bestow him with useless dreams. 

That night, the young master with vermillion hair tirelessly explored a pristine white space in search of something he had lost, without remembering what it was.

I̵̖͚̼̜̽́͐̔̈́̾̎̉͂̔͆͐͌͝͠'̶̡̡̨̙̦̫̼̖͉̼̖̗͇̌̈́̐̄̎̂͋́̂̽͝m̶̡̥̟͉̱̪͇͎̣̳̳̤͖̝̿͂̅͋̂̌̓̿̕͘͝͠ ̵̧̧̳̥̰̟̹̞͖̲̠̭̯͍̈́̅́̈́̊̃̈́̆̈́͊͋̄̉̕͝l̵͖͙͖̠̥̮̹͇̲͉͔̬̼̭͍̒̔̈́̓̋͒̒̐̄̊̌̕̕̕͠ơ̴̡̡̨̝̳͖̫̥͇̣̫̻͓͚̪̅̌̓̇̔͂̏̔̓̏̽͘n̴̲̤̼̝͙̠̅̎̂͌̃͑͋ẻ̶͉͈̱̣͇̱̍͑́͊̎́͝ͅl̴̛̥͉̎͊͗̋̃̋͐͐̊̾̕ÿ̶̠̳̩̥̻̣̩̰̗̩̟̗́͒̂̓́̍̎̅̀͘͜͠ͅ.̷̫̖̭̖̺͖̪̖̐͌̇ ̵̮͈͍̼͚̮͐͌̉̓͑͑̀̑͐̏̒͐͘̚

Chapter Text

"Young master, you're awake."

The redhead slowly opened his eyes to the voice that was tickling his ears. Little by little, the figure of a familiar man appeared in front of him.

Ron...

Did Sheritt allowed him to enter?

He got up carefully and took the cup that he handed to him, still wearing his usual benign smile. Guess it was the lemon tea again huh. Truly this old man would always find a way to bother him even when he was at his lowest. And yet, he couldn't push him away unlike the others. Maybe because "Cale" was comfortable with his presence and it brought him unknowingly a sense of peace to have him by his side. He took a sip and to his surprise it was a sweet and gentle drink for the palate unlike the one that made him grimace first thing in the morning.

... 

Perhaps he wasn't that sardonic and actually felt some pity for his poor state as well.

"How are you feeling today?"

The young master with vermillion hair looked at the obsidian pupils that seemed to read him like an open book. The butler... appeared tired, maybe it was because of the wrinkles that adorned his face or just his aura. Had Ron always looked that old? He had the impression that when he had first met him, the vicious old man had seemed much more vigorous than this. And yet, he still found the strength to take care of an adult like him. He could feel the pheromones of the alpha gently envelop him like the embrace of a parent. It was comforting. Was it really fair to thank him for his dedication by throwing a tantrum like a three-year-old similar to what be did to the golden dragon?... 

He had enough of lying. 

"Like shit."

His truthful and spontaneous declaration made the servant smile. 

"I can see it."

In return, the corners of Cale's lips lifted up at the old man's honest answer.

It was kind of calming to have Ron by his side. He never questioned him about things he didn't want to mention and didn't interfere in his love life with a certain raven-haired knight. He was simply "there" and it was enough. They both stayed silent for a while, letting the quietness of dawn speak for them. The birds were singing, the sun was slowly rising in the sky and the redhead was peacefully drinking his tea while contemplating the horizon through the window. On the other side of the room, the loyal butler was doing some cleaning, dusting off a few pieces of furniture here and there. And then, a question came out of the servant's mouth:

"Young master, do you have some time to spare to listen to the tales of an old man like me?"

Ron's gaze met the one of the "child" he had raised and the latter nodded his head to tell him to do as he wished. He cleared his throat ready to narrate his story. It had been a long time since he had talked about himself, it was kind of amusing to do it again just to appease the fight between these two youngsters. Ah, what was he saying "they" were kids back then too. 

"Although it may be difficult to believe, but when I was young, I was quite arrogant and wild." He continued, passing his feather duster over the book bindings on the shelf.

Cale sketched a smile. What the hell was he talking about? He hadn't changed a bit since then. He was still just as vicious despite his age.

"Then one day, I fell in love." He stopped for a moment and lost himself in the meanders of his past memories.

... The redhead lowered his eyes and stared at the beverage between his hands waltz melancholically in his cup, reminding him of the sunset. He already knew where this kind of story will go, but oddly enough, for once, even though his stomach was churning against his will, he decided to stay and hear the rest.

"Because of my selfishness and my pride I have hurt many times the one who has stolen my heart. It's unpleasant to admit, but in this regard this punk and I are rather similar."

He didn't need to mention any names that he immediately understood that he was talking about Choi Han. But he was wrong, he was the one who had hurt him, not the other way around. There was no one in this room more arrogant and insolent than him. The korean was someone much softer and kinder — his complete opposite. This was why they had been incompatible from the start. Like a raging fire that burns everything in its path, a lake would eventually dry up upon contact with it. Thus, it was the immutable nature of things.

"We will drown ourselves in misunderstandings, denigrating at the same time the depth of the feelings we had for each other."

The butler chuckled, a bit nostalgic. 

"Nobody likes to be wrong, you see young master."

The hero of West and East continents curled up and hid his head in his knees. He felt like he was talking about him, when it wasn't the case. He was the first to insist that he was wrong about so many things that it had almost become a talent.

"However, we had our own way to reconcile. Everytime we were on a mission together, it was perhaps the sense of danger that pushed us to watch over the other, but we always ended up sharing little by little what weighed on our hearts with each head that fell." 

Cale had a little shiver down his spine. What did he just said?... The story was almost touching until he finished his sentence. He mustn't forget that he was still the head of Molan family, a long line of assassins from generation to generation. The standards of the common people were surely not their own. It reminded him that he should never offend Ron if he wanted to keep his head on his neck... Thanks god he didn't throw a tantrum earlier. Anyway, apart from that, was he subtly telling him that he should have looted a bandits' den with Choi Han in order to strengthen their bonds and understand each other better? (Why he felt like they had already done this as a family activity with the children before) It was... Um... An unique way of looking at things.

"What seemed like the end of the world in our head was actually not so profound. "

The redhead remained silent. The end of the world huh?... Choi Han wasn't his universe. Therefore it was not the same for him. The alpha was just... a friend. A friendship he had abruptly destroyed by being too vague and indecisive about what to do with the feelings that the charming man had entrusted to him. They were like stardust, far too bright, too fragile and volatile that a simple gust of wind could easily blow them far away. It had reassured him that he had told him that he would wait for him, he had told himself that with time perhaps he would manage to build a small shelter to protect it so that none of them would be hurt. It was a safe and stable solution, much more than jumping into the unknown.

Nonetheless, last time... the man with jet-black hair had expressed that he found it too "hard" and wasn't willing to wait for him any longer. He understood. Who would want to wait for someone they weren't even sure would one day reciprocate their love. Waiting for someone to return their affection was an arduous task, and Cale was the first one to know that harsh truth. Therefore he had accepted his decision to put distance between them. After all, it was the most logical way for the alpha to forget him and move on. And it would be even better if he found a young lady, kind, soft and caring with whom he could start a family... But to be honest, it won't be too difficult to find someone who didn't have his faults. He was a special case (much to his regret).

The hero of West and East Continents let out a sigh and looked up at his butler. He mumbled nonchalantly:

"Stop beating around the bush Ron, if you have a point, I wish you'd get to it."

The old man smiled, he definitely couldn't hide anything from his adorable young master. 

"You two, did you take time to have a heart-to-heart honest and open discussion?"

Pfft. What was that question?

Of course they did. 

Otherwise why would he be in such a depressed shrimp state.

< About the other day, it’s —

– It’s fine Cale-nim, I understand.

– You understand ? > 

... 

.... 

.... 

Or... Not. 

Cale realized with dread as he replayed the conversation in his head with < Record > that they hadn't actually said much. In fact, when he concluded that Choi Han had understood, he didn't get shit damn it! Since he hadn't explained anything at all!! He must still think that he was going out with Alberu or that kind of bullshit. Fuck that's why he had said all those things... Since when had he started to fall into the spiral of his throes of fears, putting rationality aside?... He was a fool. Truly, utterly a stupid moron. 

"Do you know where he is right now?... " He muttered with rosy cheeks, ashamed of what he had just caught on. 

Ron acted like he didn't notice the change in his young master and gently replied :

"I believe he is in my son's care."

With Vicross?... It was an unexpected combination. Ha, how funny that they were both being spoiled by the Molan family when they were under the weather. Maybe it was destiny. What would they do without their "family" seriously... Two adults racking their brains over a story of tickles. How silly.

Stupid alpha. 

Stupid Choi Han. 

... And he was an idiot too. 

"I see... How is he doing?"

< He's as good as a mutt who's been put on time-out. > Although he wanted to answer that, the old man kept it to himself. His role was already over, now it was up to them to work their magic. That punk better not miss the opportunity he was offering him to court properly his young master. 

"Well, why not see for yourself?"

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

“Hey, the loyal knight of my best friend, are you feeling happier now?”

Choi Han looked at the blue-haired bloke in front of him with unfocused eyes.

Ugh… What was he doing here again?

He couldn’t remember anymore. If he recalled correctly, he had come to the East Continent to take refuge in order not to encounter the pretty redhead to stick to his resolution. And by chance, he was embarked on a mercenary mission of Bud against his will and now they were drinking like rats in Hope and Adventure Inn that Cale-nim had founded. 

It had begun with a sip to quench his thirst, then two, then three, and so on. Now he couldn’t tell the exact number anymore, and the ever-growing pile of glasses on the counter was not at all reassuring. He had never drunk so much in his life, in Korea the legal drinking age was nineteen so imagine landing in the Forest of Darkness one year before reaching adulthood didn’t help him to experience that side of his youth. Which meant he didn’t have a robust liver like a certain person with vermillion hair and that he was undoubtedly sloshed. 

How many fingers did he have again?

1 … 2 … 18…

Okaaay… He completely out of it haha! 

The knight with ebony hair replied with hiccups, raising his arm:

“I’m … hic … fiiiiine, super … hic … super fine…”

The mercenary looked at him with a sharp eye, cheeks rosy from the alcohol. Huh, he wasn’t doing well at all. He had never seen the sword master that pathetic. He was preoccupied with the question of what could have caused him to be in such a state. Perhaps he should order his henchmen to dig around it a bit, but his guts whispered to him that it had something to do with a pretty omega named Cale Henituse. 

 
“Still not willing to share what’s wrong with you mh?”

The korean shook his head in an exaggerated manner and Bud giggled. Oh dear, if he wasn’t afraid of getting beaten up, he would have recorded this moment with a magic crystal! You only saw this kind of thing once in a century. Too bad, too bad…

“It’s alright my buddy, let’s drink to your heart’s content so that you won’t be able to think anymore about what’s bothering you haha!!”

The man hugged him as if they were best pals and continued to fill his glass with the bottle of wine he had in his hand. Drink, drink, my friend. Alcohol fixes everything! However, he was stopped in his tracks by an employee of the inn.

“I believe it’s enough.”

The person who had just put an end to this carnage was a tall man with neatly slicked-back hair who looked far from friendly. He frowned, annoyed by the scene he was witnessing.

“Hey, are you going to keep making a spectacle of yourself?”

Choi Han lifted his head and saw a blurry silhouette standing before him dressed all in white except for their black apron. He couldn’t recognize who it was, but he absolutely didn’t want to talk to them. He fell down straight onto the table like a sloth entering its sleep cycle.

“This human waste is coming with me.”

The Mercenary King raised his hands innocently with a smile. Do as you wish, sir! He’s all yours. The heir of Molan family clicked his tongue and took under his arm the knight like a package. Haa… He didn’t think he would have to be a babysitter here too. The purpose of his visit was to assess the growth of the inn and now he was stuck with a drunkard. What the hell had he done to the Good Lord to end up like this? If his father hadn’t told him to keep an eye on this bastard, he would have kicked him outside.

“I miss … hic… Cale-nim…”

Ah, look here that idiot still knew how to talk. 

“You should go see him then.” He replied curtly, throwing him onto a bed in one of the upstairs rooms.

“I … hic … can’t.”

The larva young raven-haired man punched lightly the mattress.

“Last time I checked, you just have to go back to Super Rock Villa to see him.” He answered stoically, completely unperturbed by the absurdities that emanated from the swordsman’s mouth.

The chef took a blanket and a pillow he had prepared in advance from the closet and launched the whole thing to his face. Okay, that should do. Let’s not forget he was a healthy adult, he will manage perfectly fine alone. 

“Snif…”

As he was about to leave the room, a sound of sobbing, barely audible, reached his ears from behind.

.... 

Was he freaking crying?… Oh god, save him. Slipping away now would make him look like a real a**hole, wouldn’t it? Don’t tell him he had to do the therapist’s job too? His guts told him to abandon him and pretend he hadn’t seen anything. He already had his hand on the doorknob, all he had to do was turn it and get the hell out of there unnoticed. 

... 

After approximately sixty seconds of listening to the imbecile create his own river of tears, Vicross’ patience reached its limits. 

“Sighs, have you finished bawling your eyes out?” He commented dryly, running his hand through his hair in exasperation.

The lump under the cover manifested itself with even more sobs:

“Snif … snif… You’re such a cold-hearted guy. You remind me why … hic… I hate you.”

His interlocutor rolled his yes. Yeah? Well, that bastard should go back to the drunkard with glasses, it would give him a vacation. He didn’t really know how to show his gratitude for people’s kindness. He was literally “taking care of him” right now when he had bigger fish to fry.

“Oh don’t worry, the feeling is mutual.”

To be honest, did he even need to be nice? It wasn’t like he was a kid. If he had to comfort him, he was going to do it his way.

“You reek of alcohol from a mile away. It disgusts me.” He remarked with a small smirk.

The recipient of the insult ignored him, determined to remain a magnificent burrito. 

“At this rate you will look even more like a dirty mutt.” He continued mockingly.

Choi Han turned around under the cover, slightly irritated by the unpleasant “nickname” and growled:

“Shut up.”

He didn’t need him to tell him that compared to the blond he was just a beggar. The crown prince would never have gotten drunk like a fool. That was why “he” had chosen him after all. It was a losing battle from the start. If only he were more handsome, more charismatic, smarter maybe…

“Let me guess, the young master rejected you for that reason, right?”

“It’s none of … hic … your business.” 

Yes, he was the big loser in the story. Thank you sir parrot for repeating the facts. Was it too much to ask to be left alone so that he can drown in his stupid heartache? Nevertheless, the cook didn’t seem to want to grant his wish. On the contrary, he continued to barb him, hitting his most sensitive spots like a dartboard. And then came the words that shouldn’t have been said:

“As a mutt who only knows how to bark at every turn and showing your fangs, if you are no longer able to be obedient and wag your tail for your master, aren’t you ultimately nothing more than a stupid stray dog?”

That’s it. Enough was enough. Even though he was at rock bottom, he still had his pride to defend. The raven-haired young man jumped up and grabbed the arrogant innkeeper’s collar. His clenched fist only a few millimeters from the latter’s face, ready to give him a good beating so he’d think twice before opening his big mouth next time.

“See, you only know how to be violent. Are your ears only for decoration?”

The alpha challenged him with a smirk. He just had to hit him. That would prove he was right on all along. In a way, he was subtly telling the sword master that he was just a brainless brute that didn’t listen to what people said. And that fact infuriated the knight, because it was not true. Of course he listened. He just wasn’t one of those people he felt like making the effort to listen to since he was constantly spewing bullshit. That bastard was the only one getting on his nerves that much.

“I don’t care about the misunderstanding between you and the young master, but it’s obvious that you’re as thick as two short planks on that subject.”

As thick as two short planks? There was nothing more to understand. He wasn’t off the radar at all. Cale-nim had told him word for word that he was right and that it would have been much simpler if he had never fallen in love with him! How could he possibly interpret that as anything other than … the fact that he had rejected him? His heart sank again as he recalled of the expression on his precious liege’s face.

A distracted, faltering smile.

A stare lingering somewhere, lost in thought. 

He looked so fragile, it almost seemed like he was about to cry.

… 

He shouldn’t have forced his foolish love on the redhead. He had never meant to hurt him with those futile and grotesque feelings.

I just wanted you to be happy… Cale-nim. 

With or without me in your life.

I’m sorry for being selfish.

“I’m the worse…” He muttered under his breath. 

For his own good, it was better that he distanced himself from him. In fact, perhaps he should go to faraway lands and never return. The role of “wanderer” had always been a name that suited him like a glove.

“Well, seems like things are finally clicking into place huh?”

Choi Han remained quiet for a moment before letting go of the chef’s collar. He then walked with unsteady steps to the bedroom window. He opened it and climbed over the ledge to jump onto the lawn outside. He felt the cool spring night air gently caress his cheeks.

“Hey!”

He glanced up towards the house with the red tiles on its roof, and a figure appeared at the window where he had just been standing.

“If you’re serious about the young master, you should face your rival head-on instead of drowning yourself in alcohol like a half-wit.” Vicross stated in a stoic voice.

He let out a dry laugh. Face his “rival” head-on?… There was no rivalry or fight if the winner had already been decided. They weren’t children anymore. Did Cale-nim really need to witness a furious battle between two alphas with him in the middle as a trophy? He wasn’t an object. He was going to respect his choice, that’s all. 

“Stop being a coward!”

The knight with jet-black hair clenched his fists and turned his back to the innkeeper, ready to disappear into the darkness of the night and let the stars keep him company. He needed a moment alone with himself. At least, that’s what he was planning to do until a certain sentence reached his ears: 

“I’m not supposed to tell you that but father mentioned to me that the young master was going to spend the night at the inn today after taking care of some business in the area. I’m just leaving the information there, you do what you want with it.”

On those words, the man with perfectly slicked-back hair closed the window without waiting for a response. However, the sound of footsteps in the outdoor garden had already faded away, leaving the air still and quiet. 

Huh. Good luck, dumbass. 

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

It was in the middle of the night that Cale had started to hear some incomprehensible murmurs outside. Strange, the floor should be privatized as he had given the heads up that he would be present this evening... Had the bandits, ahem he meant employees, made a mistake in the organization? In the end, he decided to ignore it. Maybe it was a stray cat or a too drunk customer throwing up his guts in the outside courtyard. He needed to rest in order to mentally prepare himself to face Choi Han tomorrow. He had to catch him by surprise early in the morning to prevent him from running away as soon as he saw him.

TOC TOC

However, the entity lurking outside seemed determined to annoy him to the bitter end. What kind of zombie or bird of ill omen was knocking on his window at this hour?! He pretended not to hear the noise and turned around under his blanket. Nevertheless, the small knocks continued similar to stones thrown at the glass. After a few minutes, annoyed by the racket, the redhead finally got up. He headed toward the source of the commotion, ready to blacklist the inn guest who was bothering him and ban him from ever setting foot in the vicinity of the building again.

To his surprise, however, he had barely opened the window that a familiar scent mixed with a strong odor of alcohol attacked his nostrils.

“Cale-niiiim.”

The silhouette of a cloaked man with a slightly sheepish smile was squatting on one of the branches of the large olive tree near his room. He waved energetically at him as if he hadn’t seen him for ages.

“C-Choi Han?… Did you drink- ”

The alpha jumped from the tree to join him on the window sill. 

“You haven’t changed … hic… You’re still so prwetty. I love … hic… Your eyelashes… They sparkle like fragments of ruby under the moonlight hehe…”

The recipient of the compliments blushed up to the ears.

…

I-It wasn’t really fair to attack him with this kind of nonsense after midnight!!… What about the necessary time for him to mentally prepare his heart huh?!

“Are you the real … hic… Cale-nim? Because earlier I’ve already talked to fawr Cale-nim, I … hic … think. Vicross is a liar.”

The drunkard patted his beloved’s face with furrowed brows, inspecting every detail as if he were looking at an exam paper. Then he smiled meekly:

“It ish alright because the Cale-nim from my thdreams is … hic … bewtiful too.”

The young master with vermillion hair bit on his lower lip to keep himself from smiling like an idiot at the flattery of his suitor. No, no, the most important thing was why was he even at his window? (it was the second floor!) Did he think he was a squirrel or something? What was he supposed to do with a completely drunk person?… Wasn’t there a manual for this? Well, he will go along with it for now and bear with the consequences later.

“I’m as real as I can be.” He ended up answering, gently petting his head and a bit embarrassed by the situation. 

The alpha wrapped his arms around the omega and snuggled against his neck near his scent glands. 

“Cale-nim… I missed … hic … you.”

He hugged him a little tighter and purred happily. It was as if the hollow hole in his chest was gradually filling up again with something warm and precious. He wanted to stay like this forever.

“I love you.” He whispered like a secret. 

Badump. 

Cale’s heart did a back flip like every damn time his handsome friend would confess his love to him. Nonetheless he always answered in the same way like it didn’t faze at all. 

 
“I know.”

Thank you for loving someone like me Han-ah. 

“You know, I … hic… I like you really very much, very very very much…”

I’m sorry for thinking the opposite and believing that you had grown tired of me.

“very much … very … very much…”

... 

..... 

..... 

H-Hum. How many times was he going to say it? It was starting to get a little embarrassing. Even if it was just words under the influence of alcohol, that didn’t mean it had no effect on him. The fact that he was hugging him so tightly didn’t really help either. Since earlier, he’d been trying to suppress a purr from escaping his throat.

“I’m sorry for being … hic … a coward… I’ll do better.”

… The young man lifted his head, his eyes, dark as night, were adorned with pearls of tears. Cale gulped with remorse. No Choi Han… I am the coward. I should have confronted the storm of complex feelings inside me from the beginning instead of turning my back on them and running away.

“Please don’t give up on me… Even if your heart already … hic … belongs to another alpha…”

Haa… He was definitely still stuck on this misunderstanding. Seriously, what was he going to do with him? Cale gently wiped his tears and whispered softly:

“You know Choi Han —”

However before he could even say anything, he heard the absurdity of the year coming out of the korean’s mouth:

“I don’t mind being the second … hic … choice.”

… 

.... 

......

Was he serious? Good grief, that moron really needed a punch in the face to wake him up.

“Choi Ha —”

“Can I stay by your side even with my foolish love?”

The knight with jet-black hair brought the hand of his beloved near his face to graze it delicately with his lips like an oath of allegiance made by a vassal to their lord. Obsidian eyes hopelessly smitten met beautiful cherry eyes. 

“I promise I will … hic … behave… I’ll be a good mutt…”

And Cale barely had time to recover from his emotions and retort that the alpha did something completely crazy.

“Woof.”

He made a small noise, similar to a bark.

“Oh my god…”

The young master passed his hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Drunk Choi Han was really something. He was annoying, clingy and … maybe a little bit cute too… If he blinked he was sure he would see the shadow of some kind of sad puppy ears on his head.

Damn.

He will be the death of him if he kept acting this way. His cheeks were burning like he had chugged an entire jar of gochujang sauce.

… 

Anyway, let’s do one thing at a time. The man in his arms was obviously not as light as a feather, and there was no doubt his legs were going to give out soon. He didn’t even want to imagine the disaster if they both accidentally slipped over the windowsill.

“Listen Choi Han you’re just a bit heavy…”

The remark made the alpha straightened up quickly. He let go of him and apologized profusely. 

“S-Sorry Cale-nim.”

The redhead sighed again and took his hand. 

“Come.”

He pulled him inside the room and brought the cloaked man near his bed. 

“Sit down.”

The knight naturally obeyed his liege. He raised his head innocently to look at him, tilted a little to the side as if to ask him what he should do next like a good dog waiting for the orders of his master. Cale tried to keep his cool and not ruffle the hair of his friend by reflex to reward him for being so docile despite the alcohol in his blood. Instead, he crossed his arms and adopted the stern posture of a teacher ready to lecture his students.

“First of all, respect yourself more. What is this second choice nonsense or whatever. I never want to hear that kind of crap coming out of your mouth again, got it? ”

The korean lowered his head with a dejected look.

“But…”

“No buts! Besides, you have to get it into your head that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING going on between me and Alberu.” He declared and flicked him on the forehead.

Voilà! Finally, he had said it. There was no more room for the misunderstanding to continue now, was there? However, to his great dismay Choi Han didn’t seem to grasp the situation. He kept looking at him with eyes that were as sad as those of an animal abandoned in a cardboard box on a rainy day.

Ugh…

Good heavens, was he doing it on purpose or what? How many drinks did he chug to not even understand what he was saying?

“I AM ∙ NOT ∙ GOING ∙ OUT ∙ WITH ∙ ALBERU.”

The young master with vermillion hair pinched his cheek, a little sulky.

Do ∙ you ∙ understand?

“C-Cale-nim you don’t have to … hic … lie for my sake…”

The hero of West and East continents felt like banging his head against a wall at the response of the swordsman. What was unclear about what he was saying?!… Did he have to let him sleep it off and then give him the facts again in the morning? It was really annoying. Why was he completely drunk right when he was trying to sort out the misunderstanding? Rah. The universe was against him! Did he need to kiss him for him to believe it…

… 

Wait a sec, it wasn’t such a bad idea. It was what he was planning to do the other day before he interrupted him anyway. 

Without further ado, he caught the alpha by the collar and pecked him on the cheek. It was a matter of a second, then he shyly put some distance between them, ears burning. 

“You’re the only one to whom I’ll do this kind of thing…” He muttered softly, looking away.

Choi Han stood with his hand on his cheek in a daze, his eyes wide open. Did Cale-nim just do what he thought he had just done?! It must be a dream, a very, very sweet dream. He wished he never woke up if that were the case. On the other side, the redhead wondered if it wasn’t enough since there wasn’t much reaction. He racked his brains over what else he could do to prove his good faith. Why on earth don't you still understand?...

Cale was frustrated. 

Extremely so.

He put his knee on the bed to get closer to him and took the knight’s hand to place it gently on the left side of his chest. If he was going to do it, he might as well do it frankly, without filter!

“The only one making my heart beat like this.” He spoke softly. 

Badump Badump Badump Badump

He tightly shut his eyes and listened to his heart pounding wildly to the touch of the alpha. Yes… Only he could make him so… Restless.

“C-Cale-nim?…”

Unfortunately, this stupid man still didn’t seem to grasp what he was getting at, stammering his name like a broken recorder. He took a deep breath, damn it… He couldn’t believe he was going to utter that out loud.

“I’m saying that you’re the only one making me that nervous you punk!” He clarified, raising his voice.

He lifted one of his locks to tuck it behind his ear.

“Besides, you’re technically … the one who had stolen my first kiss in this world.”

Had it always been this difficult to look in his comrade’s eyes?… His eyelashes flickered with anxiety. 

Badump Badump

Aaah… He felt as if he were staggering and that the room had suddenly been transported into the Titanic after hitting the iceberg. Hey, Choi Han… Do you realize how much you’re making me lose my bearings even without lifting a finger? 

“Our relationship with Alberu might be special, but…”

Pearly red eyes close to a sunset finally met onyx eyes as deep as the starry night sky. 

“You’re special to me in your own way, get it?”

The last words of the pretty redhead tickled Choi Han’s ears like a soft melody and something awakened inside him. Forget about the obedient guard dog that he was used to be, his fangs were itching. His alpha’s instincts told him to bite into something, something like… The beautiful omega before him. Without a second thought, he pushed his liege against the bed. 

“C-Choi Han?…”

He loved how his name rolled on the tongue of the pretty redhead. He hadn’t noticed how much he missed hearing him call his name. His long vermillion hair adorned the blanket elegantly like veins of rubellite that shone in the darkness.

Ethereal.

He wondered if the fire spreading in his chest was due to the alcohol or something else entirely. In fact thanks god that he was completely drunk, otherwise he wouldn’t have had the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind for a while.

 
“Cale-nim… Can I be your second kiss as well?” he whispered close to a growl, licking his chops hungrily like a starved wolf.

The young master’s cheeks blossomed into azaleas to the bold request of his knight. 

“Next time… Don’t ask.” 

Because it was a bit embarrassing to say… That kind of thing out loud.

He cupped the alpha’s cheeks and left a tiny peck on his lips. Ah … it reminded him nostalgically of the taste of the cherry soju he used to drink before as Kim Rok Soo. And perhaps it was just his imagination, but something sparkled in the eyes of the charming man hovering above him. He showed a sheepish smile and grabbed his chin delicately:

“As you wish, Cale-nim.”

On those words, he went to seek another kiss from his beloved. A third one, a fourth one, and then… He lost count. All that was going through his mind right now was that he would like to go adrift every day in these lovely red pearly pupils and be able to enjoy the sweet taste of his liege’s lips each morning. The swordsman began to trace a delicate trail of plum flowers, on his eyelids, on his cheekbones, on his cute nose, on his pale collarbones and, of course, on his slender neck, leaving nowhere untouched.

Then, in the heat of the moment as his hand started to wander a bit too far under the shirt of the pretty redhead and perhaps his knee was also too close to the latter's crotch … he brutally crashed into an invisible wall.

"?..."

Choi Han was suddenly pulled out of his reverie. W-What the… He looked up to see what he had bumped into and a familiar shield with silver wings stood before him. His beloved was sheltered behind in a disheveled state … um … He might have gotten a little carried away with his… Ahem … display of affection. The man gulped with guilt. Overwhelmed by panic, he desperately sought to atone for his indecent behavior.

“’Y-You!…”

The omega stammered with rosy cheeks and wide eyes a few words before hiding under his blanket in record time. His heart was pounding wildly to the point where he struggled to breathe properly. Everywhere the alpha touched him was burning like his skin had been scorched by the blazing sun. It was strange, he didn’t understand well what had just happened. He recalled giving him a tiny kiss and then… Then everything else was blurry. He felt feverish like he was still in the middle of a dream. Thanks god the glutton put an end to this and protected his chastity. It was dangerous, very dangerous. 

 
“G-Go back to your room, you stink of alcohol!” He grumbled under his breath.”

The knight with jet-black hair abruptly stood up and fell on the side right onto the carpet. It was as if all the alcohol in his system had been flushed out at once and a moment of clarity washed over him.

“I-I’m sorry Cale-nim. I don’t know w-what came over me u-um…” He stuttered, ashamed.

The latter apologized profusely and walked towards the exit with the demeanor of a rusty robot.

“D-don’t stumble on your way back you drunkard.” The caterpillar shouted at him from under the blanket as he was about to leave the room.

“Y-yes Cale-nim!”

And you better not give me the cliché of the guy who forgot everything tomorrow morning!…

Chapter Text

“...What are these two doing?”

The dragon with golden mane listened to his red-haired disciple’s question and remained pensive. 

“Perhaps a scene from a romantic comedy play with them in the lead roles. But it’s been a long time since I took an interest in the idle pleasures created by humans so I won’t be able to say accurately.” He replied in a solemn tone. 

Rosalyn turned her attention back to the duo in front of her and rolled her eyes at the ridiculous courtship dance. For the past half hour, they have been acting like some teenagers on their first date. It happened every time someone bumped into the other person, even slightly for example:

“A-Ah, apologies Cale-nim.”

“Mh-mh, it’s alright.”

Their fingers barely “brushed” against each other as they passed the freshly picked strawberries to put them in the basket that the jet-black-haired knight almost fell backwards. It was no better for the young master that had reflexively hid his hand near his chest. And yet the two lovebirds had their knees glued together since the beginning but that didn’t seem to bother them that much.

“Guess the good thing is that they are not fighting anymore…”

“Yeah, great. I hope they stay foolishly in love forever.”

The mage was startled by the sudden appearance of her cook friend behind her. The latter was wearing a frown, almost gritting his teeth at being dragged into their ridiculous stories for the past few weeks.

“Tsk, tsk… You’re quite unlucky as well in this respect.”

Eruhaben gave him a friendly pat out of consideration. They were both collateral victims of their shenanigans after all. They had to stick together. At least it was the calm after the storm, there was no more tension in the villa, that was all that mattered. 
 

“Human, human the harvest this year is really great!! Can I eat one please please?”

Cale looked at the little black dragon that was hugging the basket of strawberries with sparkles in his eyes. He thought for a moment before putting one of the red fruits that he had just picked up in the kid’s mouth. 

“Only one. We have to keep the rest for the fruit salad that we are going to make this afternoon.”

“I want one too nya!”

“Is it tasty nya?”

“Super mega yummy, good job. We make a great team hehe!!”

The fruity sweets were the catalyst for the children’s excited chatter. Their father figure watched them enjoying themselves with a smile. He picked up the wicker box, ready to carry their loot back inside the villa. However, a hand stopped him in his tracks. The redhead raised his eyes and met his raven-haired companion’s gaze. 

Ah, did he want a strawberry as well? 

He had participated to the whole farming after all, he was more than qualified to deserve one. He rummaged through his harvest and picked out one that didn’t have too many imperfections before handing it to his friend.

“Ah.”

He opened slightly his mouth to tell him to do the same so that he can give him a taste of their hard work. However the knight remained still, his gaze lost in something other than the red fruit. Cale followed his line of vision before realizing what he was watching. His ears blossomed into lilacs. 

“What are you looking at…” He mumbled, puffing slightly his cheeks. 

He put his hand by reflex in front of what he was staring at so intensely and furrowed his brows.

“You’re aware that I was talking about the strawberry and nothing else right?”

Since the Hope and Adventure Inn’s incident, Cale knew that the alpha had been eyeing up him sometimes thinking he was discreet about it. He wasn’t born yesterday. However, he wasn’t ready yet for those “kinds of activities”, his heart was pounding so fast when he was only inches away that he wouldn’t be surprised if he passed out in a blink of an eye from cardiac arrest. To be honest, their relationship had gotten even stranger than before. He didn’t understand what they were supposed be to be. Lovers, friends or simply korean comrades from the same motherland? All these terms didn’t seem to apply to them. In fact, perhaps he was afraid to put a word on their bond. He felt that their status on social media in the modern world would be defined by “it’s complicated”. Quite comical. 

Nonetheless he was certain that he didn’t want their relationship to be simply “physical” (even if apparently it was quite common for an omega and an alpha without official partners to only focus on that aspect). Whilst it might appear somewhat childish, if he uttered endearing words in his ear and presented him with stupid daisies every day, it would be a rather nice sight. Maybe even being the first reflection in those charming onyx pupils as deep as the night sky in the morning when he woke up would be a bonus too. 

ᴴᵉ ʷᶦˢʰᵉᵈ ˢᵉᶜʳᵉᵗˡʸ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵉⁿᵗᵉʳ ᵒᶠ ʰᶦˢ ᵘⁿᶦᵛᵉʳˢᵉ. 

“A-Ah, I … No … I mean yes thank you!”

The late response of the swordsman put an end to the thread of his thoughts. The latter bowed at a 90-degree angle and accepted the offering with both hands and rosy cheeks. 

Kinda silly but cute.

The young master with vermillion hair turned around in a huff and his knight followed him behind obediently. It must be said that it wasn’t easy for him either. The omega became day by day more ethereal in his eyes and he didn’t know who was in charge of his wardrobe, but… Was it even appropriate to make him wear a shirt with the back wide open? He understood that the stifling heat from summer wasn’t easy, nevertheless showing to the whole world the lovely back of Cale-nim like t-this was… 

Choi Han grumbled and peeked again at his liege. His onyx eyes traced timidly the back of the omega from his shoulder blades to his tailbone. He gulped and repressed the desire to feel the skin of the pretty redhead against his, kiss him until he’s out of breath, hear him calm his name with his soft melodious voice to… 

BAM. 

He banged his head against one of the beams at the entrance of the villa to pull himself together.

“Strong Choi Han are you alright?!”

“Did you slip?”

“Did you hurt yourself nya?”

Raon and the kittens surrounded him with worried faces after witnessing the odd scene. The young man slowly lifted his head with a perfectly normal expression despite the stain of blood he had left on the column and calmly replied:

“I’m … fine, sorry if I scared you.”

Time to meditate while reciting the techniques of the Choi family’s ancestral sword art again. Haa… Get a grip. Are you out of your mind? Can you hear yourself talking?

“Are you alright Choi Han? Be careful, the stairs are a bit slippery.”

The pretty redhead approached him and brushed away a few strands of hair from his forehead to see the damage.

Badump Badump. 

Ugh… T-too close. 

If only he were still drunk, he would have captured these plump lips of the color of the roses from the garden. He definitely lacked the courage to act on his thoughts despite the fact that his beloved had given him permission.

<Next time… Don’t ask. >

He gulped nervously. What was their relationship now… Did Cale-nim finally belong to him? Was he allowed to mark him with his pheromones in order to keep his rivals away without being killed by Ron? So many questions without answers. 

“Cale-nim…”

“Mh?” 

Starry obsidian eyes contemplated an instant the sunset inside the unwavering and stoic cherry eyes. 

<What are we? >

Words that he wished weren’t stuck inside his throat. He let out a deep sigh and went to fetch delicately a long vermillion strand of hair that was sticking out from the messy bun of his liege. He brought it back to his lips and left on it a feather light kiss. 

The omega held his breath. 

What was he doing… 

His hair was bound to be dirty from working in the vegetable garden earlier. What was his problem smelling it like an idiot? Now he kind of regretted asking Raon not to shield him from summer stifling heat because he wanted to respect Lee Soo Hyuk’s wish and do it in the traditional way without magic. He was surely covered by sweats and the alpha was getting dangerously closer to him. 

…

Erm… He was in a tight spot, was he going to kiss him in front of the children? Did he hurt his head that badly to the point of losing his common sense?! It wasn’t the place nor the moment to do these “kinds of things”! What was he supposed to do? Step back, give him a kick or literally crouch down to avoid him?! 

After a few seconds of intense thinking, Cale concluded that the best solution was to close his eyes and let luck decide his fate.

… 

.... 

..... 

However to his surprise disappointment, nothing happened. He slowly opened his eyelids and saw that the sword master hadn’t moved an inch. He stayed at the exact same spot like a statue. 

“What are you two doing? Did he hurt himself very badly? You can’t die Choi Han or I’ll destroy the universe!!” The dragon declared worriedly, popping between them with his chubby face. 

The redhead cleared his throat a bit embarrassed and pushed his friend aside. 

“Everything’s fine.”

In any case, he doubted that a small scratch like that could finish off that strong punk. 

“Let’s go everyone, you can’t expect the fruit salad to be made by itself.”

The kids averaging ten years nodded their heads enthusiastically. They couldn’t wait to snack on the sweet strawberries and skipped happily to the kitchen. The hero of West and East Continent walked behind them at his own pace before stopping in his tracks. He turned back to face his knight:

“Choi Han.”

He gestured for him to come closer. The korean followed his order without question, feeling a little sheepish and lost in thought. His liege waited patiently until he was within reach and stood on tiptoes. 

How annoying that he was taller than him… Was he supposed to do that every time? 

Their lips briefly grazed against each other. It was short but nice. Cale quite liked the tingles that were left dancing inside his chest. 
 

“Shall we go?”

He grabbed the alpha’s hand and intertwined naturally their fingers together. 

Mh… Sweet. This year’s strawberries’ harvest was not so bad.

. ･:*࿔.ೃ⋆˙❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 

“Han-ah.” 

Soft rosy lips reminding him of the apples from the orchard touched his dry lips. The rough hand of the knight went to hold closer the thin waist of his beloved, unfortunately the latter slipped away from his grasp like a mischievous wind elemental.

“I’m going to take a nap, tell Ron to wake me up only if there’s an earthquake and the house is crumbling.”

The young master with vermillion hair yawned before rubbing his eyes. He waved goodbye nonchalantly and turned around to leave.

“Understood, Cale-nim.”

Onyx pearls followed the figure until it disappeared at the end of the corridor, then the man let out a sigh. There was a trial that Choi Han doubted he would ever overcome one day. It was harder than climbing Mount Everest, and compared to it his years of survival in the Forest of Darkness seemed insignificant. You might be wondering what it was. Well, it was to stop the kissing monster that had become Cale-nim. You don’t believe it? Yet you’ve just witnessed an example of what his daily life had been like these past few weeks. That adorable red-haired thief had been randomly stealing his lips when he least expected it: in the morning before breakfast, at the end of a corridor, after his sword practice, in the middle of a game with the children when their backs were turned, when he was doing the dishes of a late-night snack (no sign of Vicross in the kitchen fiou), before sleeping… 

In short, EVERYWHERE.

Not that he was complaining, no, on the contrary, he hoped it would last forever. It was just that… As soon as his sweetheart finished his business, he always acted as if nothing had happened before he had a chance to react. Don’t you think that’s unfair? He didn’t even have the time to hug him or turn the peck into something more intimate that his beloved was already far away.

At the beginning he thought that maybe it was finally the sign that they were “officially” dating. That’s why the omega was showing a greater inclination to express love and care through physical touch. However, he had started to do the same for all the members of their big family. He gave hugs and whispered to them platonic words of affection whenever the opportunity arose (and not just to the children). Apart from the surprise of the first days, everyone had rather quickly gotten used to this change and quite appreciated this sudden transformation. Cale-nim was someone who watched over his entourage even when he was a beta, therefore it was not strange that he became protective of his pack with the emergence of his omega traits.

Nonetheless for Choi Han it was … it was extremely difficult to stay calm. Because he didn’t know if he had the right to show his broad affection towards him in public as he did with others. They weren’t mates, nor dating … argh … in reality he could not comprehend what they were. Something between friends and lovers… It was very vague. If it were possible, he would like their relationship to be defined properly.

But he was aware that for the redhead it was complicated, he wanted to give him time to put things into perspective and maybe when he’s finally ready… He would be capable of establishing a label for “what they were”. He was a pretty patient person (or simply hopelessly smitten). Besides, who was he to refuse the whims of his liege when he acted in such an adorable way clinging to him like a koala?

“You guys are definitely going out! Don’t rack your brains too much over it Choi Han. I can guarantee you that everyone thinks the same!”

On the one hand, his friend Rosalyn assured him that their relationship had moved beyond platonic and that he honestly had nothing to worry about, while on the other hand…

“Did he confirm it himself verbally?”

His disciple stared at him with a serious expression, head resting on his hands as if he were facing the riddle of the century that needed solving. The young man with ebony hair remained thoughtful for a moment then innocently shook his head.

“Then you aren’t.”

Because his donsaeng was a special case. He may have been a great strategist in times of war, but when it concerned himself and particularly his love story with his instructor: you couldn’t trust him at all.

“I’m afraid that you have to see it with him directly.”

If Alberu had to get involved in order to have peace, then be it. He definitely didn’t want to be caught in the middle a quarrel between those two lovebirds again. This time he was going to make sure things were done properly and leave no room for misunderstandings. He had prepared every excuse in the world so that he could slip away as soon as the situation was no longer in his favor. They won’t pull this trick on him again.

“You know what it’s perfect, there’s a ball planned in one month. You just have to invite him to dance and take advantage of the festivities to clear up your doubts. Isn’t it the ideal setting to find out whether his feelings for you are genuine dear instructor?”

The prince used his best charming smile to emphasize his words. Judging by the way his friend suddenly sat up, he seemed to understand what he was referring to. However, after a few moments, the latter deflated and scratched his cheek, embarrassed:

“Your highness, um… I don’t know how to dance.”

The sword master looked at his disciple, his disciple looked back at him.

Silence. 

"...We’ll see what we can do to resolve this issue.”

The quarter black elf raised his thumb and thought for a long time about his future vacation.

A very long time.
 

Chapter Text

Far from the storm that was brewing in the royal palace, the great numbers of crushed feet and the beginning of his dear hyung’s baldness; in the room on the fifth floor of Super Rock Villa, Cale was turning around in bed and hugging his body-pillow with a little sulky face. Although he had intended to take a nap an hour ago, he hadn’t managed to fall asleep (again). And he knew very well what, or rather “who,” was the culprit of his insomnia lately.

<Pfft—Did he really do that? Oh my goodness I wished I was there to see this. Not surprising that Vicross was pulling a face when I asked him about that last time. >

The conversation he had with Rosalyn a few days ago was playing back in his mind on repeat. The hazards of having a good memory because of this cursed ability <Record>. 

Not this part though.

<Ah, then perhaps are you guys finally mates now? Congratulations! >

Yes, it was that sentence that was bugging him for ages like a weed difficult to pull out. Because unfortunately he may or may not have had the great idea of telling her what had happened at Hope and Adventure Inn that night ( … after all the help she had given him, he owed her that). Besides she would surely keep the juicy details secret and summarize a more “adapted” version for other people’s ears if they were ever curious.

“Mates” huh…

Was this the right word to choose to define the bond he shared with Choi Han? However, this term had a rather “strong” overtone, it sounded like “okay, now it’s serious.” But as a coward, the redhead was afraid of not living up to such a label.

What did it mean to be “mates” again?

He vaguely recalled having given a definition to Raon saying it was “the kimchi to your fridge of kimchi”. Ugh… Frankly he wanted to bury himself three feet underground for uttering this nonsense. Besides if they ever decided to become mates, did it imply that they had to spend the rest of their life together? Nevertheless one day his love for him would turn into dust without doubt. What guaranteed that they would be happy hand in hand forever? Contrary to an alpha, if an omega let himself be marked, he will be bonded to the alpha until the end of his life. The irony of fate was that the alpha could leave whenever he wanted, but the omega would stay prisoner of this “link” that he had naively agreed to create. Like a piece of rubbish thrown on the sidewalk, he will have to spend the rest of his days in sorrow and absolute solitude.

And Kim Rok Soo was scared of this possible outcome. He was even more afraid that one day his korean comrade could feel himself trapped, forced to stay by his side after his feelings for him had washed away, simply because of “duty” … as an obligation. He knew him way too well. He was capable of such a thing. And it was quite unfortunate that this sad truth could come to fruition. Ah, sometimes he would have liked that the sword master was more heartless and vicious. It would have been easier to accept the prospect of being abandoned again. Now he couldn’t help but nurture more and more expectations.

Somewhere deep down he wanted to throw himself into the unknown with him. He was willing to place his trust in him, despite the possibility of eventually being forsaken. He had noticed how unhappy he was without him by his side. If he stayed indecisive, he will surely miss a wonderful chapter. There were no coincidences in life, becoming Cale Henituse had allowed him to meet Choi Han. And the man was…

<The most logical conclusion that we can reach is that you finally felt safe enough to start a family. That’s why your dormant omega traits manifested only after the end of the war. >

He suddenly recalled the words of that whack job of a doctor and gave little kicks in the air, embarrassed.

…

N-nothing was going his way. On the one hand, his rational side favored the “vague” status that he currently had with Choi Han (less possibility of complications arising in the future and Cale obviously hated ruminating over trivialities) and on the other hand scientific research concluded for him that he actually wished unconsciously to s-start a family with the charming raven-haired man. The thought of all this made the inside of his stomach tingle in a strange way.

He didn’t want to know what it meant.

To be honest despite his great age (almost forty years of existence!) The idea of “having a family” of his own had never crossed his mind. He was convinced that he would end up alone and that suited him perfectly. Then after landing in this world, he gradually found himself surrounded by people he hadn’t intended to become attached to at first. But somehow, they had managed to easily blaze a path into his heart. The cold and stoic man that he once embodied was no more and now even love had knocked on his door.

Life was full of wonders.

It was strange that when happiness was within reach, It was so difficult for human beings to grasp it. The relentless pursuit of this particular fortune seemed like a farce. Perhaps in reality, he did not want to be happy.

< Rok Soo-ah. >

The image of his companion with ebony hair and his annoying endearing innocent smile invaded his thoughts again without warning. Cale buried his head in the body pillow and tried to silence the symphony playing in his chest. He wondered if there was still a fire elemental following him around without his awareness because he felt suddenly extremely hot.

He… He hadn’t called him like that since “last time”. Maybe he was waiting for his permission to do it. If so, he was a real moron. Because… He was using his nickname “Han-ah” from time to time. Therefore it should be obvious that he had the right to do the same as well.

…

N-Not that he wanted him to say his old name all over the place, alright! It’s just that… If they ever become mates, it was normal to have a more affectionate way to get the other person’s attention, right? And it wasn’t his fault if “his alpha” only seemed to react to this silly nickname when he was surrounded by a crowd of admirers! It was just the most effective method he had found. Why complicate things, frankly, when it’s not necessary?

…

Wait…

Did he just declare that he was “h-his alpha?”

“Arfh!”

The young master made an unintelligible noise towards his blanket to release the wave of shame that was washing over him. Goddamn it, all of this was his father’s fault. Lately he had been enjoying himself too much by insinuating that he was looking forward to meeting his “grandchildren”. The duke mentioned it so often that he was forced to hang up on him last time they saw each other through the magic crystal ball. It may appear rude yes however he had no choice: it was a matter of life or death. He was already having trouble getting used to his condition as an omega so you could imagine that the idea of producing new little human beings were too much for his heart even with the crybaby’s help. Although it was undeniable that Choi Han would make a good father. He was thoughtful and kind. He would probably spoil his child, no matter if it was a girl or a boy. He was already taking such good care of Raon, On and Hon —

AHEM.

He swatted away his absurd daydreams with the cushion. N-no … no … his mind had wandered too far again. What’s the point of talking about children and all that jazz when he wasn't even sure if they were together. He had to follow the right steps. He had learned the hard way that if he didn’t say things clearly it would inevitably lead to misunderstandings. He had no recollection of conveying him the "key words". You know the unavoidable…

“I like you…” He whispered softly to himself.

Yes that. It was direct, no shortcuts. Easy as pie, he just had to tell him that.

“I like you Ch… Choi…”

Adjkljfbgjf. Ah. Erm.

… Damn it. He hadn’t realized how arduous it was to pronounce korean names. His tongue was no longer used to saying these kinds of syllables.

“I … li… Choi… Ha…”

Argh…

Well let’s give up. It was difficult, extremely difficult. He couldn’t even imagine his fish like face trying to articulate five stupid words. He had to practice his facial expression… Impassive, stoic… As if everything was alright, to appear completely normal. He got up from his bed and walked over to the vanity table and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

“I li … like…”

Aigoo, every time he tried to finish the sentence he kept losing his focus. It was unfair that he had the looks of a protagonist and that charming smile. The gods were definitely not impartial when they created humans. He didn’t think it would be this hard. Choi Han did it so easily that he was convinced it would be a walk in the park… Now he wondered if he should get drunk in order to get the courage to do it.

…

But unfortunately the fact that Cale’s liver was quite strong didn’t help his case. How many bottles would he have to drink? He honestly wasn’t determined enough to test the limits. And it was clear that he needed training so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself when he will try to lay the cards on the table and put a label on their relationship. The redhead pondered about it for a long time, long enough for the shimmering afternoon sunlight to tickle his eyelashes. His stomach made a familiar little rumbling.

Ah.

It was snack time.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the door burst open with a loud crash.

“Human, human kind Vicross prepared for us some delicious pastries. Come downstairs to eat with us!”

“Nyaa ~”

The young master sketched a smile. The adorable kids averaging ten years old quickly surrounded him to get him out of his bed. He stood up and gently stroked their head. Mmh, should give it a go with them? It was easier to show love to children than to adults. He left a peck on their respective foreheads and whispered tenderly:

“I’m coming pumpkins.”

The three kids stayed speechless at the intriguing term of endearment. Then they quickly tossed the surprise aside to snuggle up to their father figure in a big collective hug.

“Human I’m not a pumpkin! B-But since it’s you I’ll allow it. You can call me apple pie, grape or any kind of vegetables! I don’t mind.” The little black dragon proudly said with a large smile.

The two kittens were purring contentedly in the redhead’s arms.

“Pumpkin hehe!”

“We’re okay with it too nya. We like it!”

Oh. It was a pretty good reaction. Cale’s chest slowly filled with tiny warm tingles. Maybe he should try his luck with the other members of his family, he was curious about this feeling and wanted to study it. And that’s what he did. His next guinea pig was Mary the young lady always hidden under her dark black cloak. She remained silent for a moment at her friend’s affectionate words and bowed politely:

“Young master, I’ll do my best to discover the world and properly blossom. Please don’t worry about me.”

She seemed happy… Well, not that he could accurately deduce how her facial expression was hidden under his hood. Nevertheless, he felt his omega companion’s pheromones dancing joyfully around him and Cale shared her cheerfulness. He decided to continue his experiment and crossed paths with the grandfather with his golden mane shortly after:

“What’s gotten into you?”

The latter just furrowed his brows, staring at him strangely as if what he had just said belonged to the mouth of a madman. However the hero from West and East continents had noticed Eruhaben’s lips curl up at the corners by a few millimeters. Geez, that old dragon just couldn’t be honest huh?

“A-Ah um… I’ll do my best to become someone capable of protecting everyone!”

The Wolf King despite bearing a rather glorious title was still this teenager a little shy around the edges. But who could blame him, of course Lock was stunned by what he had just heard. The man who reminded him of his late uncle had just made it clear that he valued him greatly as a member of his family. He couldn’t believe his ears. The silver wolf automatically bowed his head and let his hair be ruffled by the adult he admired with rosy cheeks.

“Young master, even if you don’t utter this nonsense, you will still get to eat your favorite steak at dinner.”

The redhead clicked his tongue, how come the head chef of the house didn’t have any speck of cuteness inside him? He had just let him know that he appreciated everything he had done for them, from preparing the meals to babysitting the children. Why reply with so much skepticism? He wasn’t concerned about tonight’s menu, whatever he cooked was bound to be delicious. Did he think he was a hungry hippo or what? One more reason to express his gratitude for everything he did more often. Perhaps, over time, he’ll get a little more used to the compliments.

“Ho ho… To think I’d live long enough to hear these kinds of things come out of your mouth.”

On the contrary, his loyal butler Ron was amused to receive his words of affection and for once, Cale didn’t sense the usual assassin aura surrounding him. Hmm, interesting. Perhaps he had found a way to coax him so that he would no longer wake up with a cup of lemonade shoved in his face. He should look into this matter further later on.

“My donsaeng, what are scheming again? Do you want me dead?”

His hyung on the other hand didn’t seem very happy to hear his praises. He even checked if there were any spy cameras or a certain sword master hidden in a corner. How fussy he was, our future king. He couldn’t understand his sincerity. He should come back another day to bother him.

“Orabeoni… U-Um I also like you very very much, mmh like this much!”

The little Lily opened her arms wide to show how much she adored her big brother.

“Hyung-nim… Did anything happen? Don’t worry about our territory. If you need to leave again for a while, I’ll take care of everything.”

As for Basen, well he stayed very mature in his response. Even if we could see that he was slightly embarrassed by his big brother’s sudden display of affection. His siblings were definitely the epitome of cuteness.

“Cale… Oh Cale… Snif… Me too, me too, of course!!”

And his father um… He was not sure that he could wear that shirt again since he wiped his tears and blew his nose over it…

“Cale… Our love for you won’t change no matter what decision you plan to make soon.”

His stepmother was… Still quite perspicacious about his every move. What a formidable woman. He definitely couldn’t hide anything from her. She reminded him why he’d been doing all this in the first place. For a certain jet-black haired man.

“Cale-nim?”

And before he could even reorganize his thoughts, he crossed paths with the final boss at the end of a corridor (well, it had been several weeks, but he wasn’t ready yet, okay!) Is there a way to turn off the spotlights aimed at him? It was difficult to distinguish anything like that.

“Do you need something?”

“Mh-mh.”

He shook his head shyly. Yes, that you stop being so handsome, you punk. However the redhead refrained from calling him names and tried to keep a stoic face. Although he was eager to get away, a part of him wondered: could this be the chance he had been waiting for to confess his love? It was early in the morning, they were highly unlikely to be interrupted. This was the perfect opportunity, plus he had practiced tons of times already. The longer he dragged it out, the more it would annoy him for no reason. It was time to say goodbye to this tedious task and move on. He… He could do this.

“I…”

Badump Badump Badump.

The crybaby, I beg you please wake up and do your job properly…

—I-I’m doing my best!

—Ah finally.

—I thought it would take another ten years to arrive at this step.

—Ooh, we have to celebrate it. Go, go Cale!

Actually no, for god’s sake everyone go back to sleep.

“I li…”

His throat tightened, he gulped nervously and tried to ignore the ruckus caused by the ancient powers in his mind. It was just three stupid words… Come on.

“I … lik—arf.”

Cale closed his eyes. Screw it. Of course that he had bitten his tongue. It was embarrassing as fuck. His ears turned bright red. No, no… He knew it was still too soon. Mayday, mayday abort the mission! Quick, find an excuse to leave! Why is his ability <Record> not working properly when he required it?! There must be something to escape this ordeal, right? He swiftly scrolled through the non-exhaustive list on the subject in his head.

< Je dois aller arroser les fleurs. >

Oh yeah there was that french idiom he had learnt in class… < I need to water the flowers. > to say politely that you had to go to the restroom. Nonetheless it was not necessary to report the state of his bladder to Choi Han.

< I have some paperwork to do. >

Who’s going to believe it… Yesterday, he had spent the whole day rolling around in his bed and becoming one with his blanket. Besides they were staying at Super Rock Villa. He didn’t need to do anything and everything was already handed to him on a silver platter. Maybe he should take refuge at Henituse State and pretend to help Basen with his homework.

< I’m actually sleepwalking. >

Great, excellent. At this rate he should just go back to sleep for real. Seriously, what's up with these silly excuses? You’d think a four-year-old had come up with them.

“Um… If you don’t need anything, I’d better be going. I’ve promised Rosalyn to do some groceries for her this morning.”

Ah awesome, an exit! Cale skipped of joy (inside). Luck was on his side. He waited patiently for his comrade to continue his way and leave, but to his surprise he didn’t move an inch. His gaze seemed rather focused on... 

Uh-oh.

Shit, he had accidentally grabbed the hem of his shirt. Okay, he just had to let go. Come on… Why was his hand stuck to that piece of fabric… Was his inner omega playing tricks again? As he tried to untangle the whirlwind of his thoughts and peel off his fingers, a sentence tickled his ears.

“Would you like a kiss, by any chance?”

U-Uh what…

Cale’s mind went blank the moment he heard “kiss”. The word rang in his head causing his brain to shut down for a few seconds. The young master with vermillion hair felt his cheeks blossom into pink peonies. He stared dumbly at his friend, a little surprised by the unexpected question. After all, it was the first time that Choi Han wanted to try something since … “the incident.” Although he had said, he was not yet ready for “these kinds of activities” sometimes his omega instincts just took over his rational side and he couldn’t help but desire the alpha’s touch. So, lately, when the urge was too great to resist … he allowed himself to steal a few kisses here and there. However it only happened two or three times, okay! He didn’t overdo it either. Besides, it was a matter of two seconds, he never stayed long by the alpha side because he was scared stiff that he would want to pursue their business further, l-like last time. To be honest, the knight’s libido was … um … he wasn’t sure he could still live up to his expectations.

"Cale-nim?..."

Choi Han approached slowly, a bit sheepish, wondering if his beloved was alright. The redhead let go of the shirt as if he had been burned and took a step back. He took a deep breath and tried to ignore the din his heart played. His knees suddenly felt weak. The raven-haired man was too close, he could feel the heat radiating off him and smell his soothing scent reminding him of old bark and rusty sword sprinkled with a subtle fragrance of leftover apple pie. Cale wanted to say something but at the same he didn’t trust his voice to not falter. The tumult of his disparate thoughts battling among themselves within him made him dizzy. And then the disaster that was bound to happen, happened. He finally uttered:

   
“You… Is my body the only thing that piques your interest?”

… Damn, that’s not what he wanted to say.

Chapter Text

Over the years Choi Han had been aware of his liege’s tendency to make even the simplest things seem more complex than they were. If two paths existed in front of him, one perfectly free of stones, so smooth that a newborn could crawl on it for miles; the other full of pitfalls and monsters… Well, he would prefer to take the second option when in reality both roads led to the same destination. One might wonder why he was so determined to do things the hard way. Perhaps it was because he wanted to present himself as a tough guy to others. After all, no matter how much Cale was struggling internally, he never let on. He was always calm and collected because he hated showing to the world his vulnerable side. When something troubled him, he would rather shut himself away behind his legendary nonchalance.

That’s why, right now, the korean tried to remain composed and think clearly. Beyond the shame that was grabbing him by the ears and that he was probably as red as a tomato thanks to his friend’s absurd statement… There was something bothering him. He stared carefully at his liege, from his beauty spots to his delicate eyelashes. Then, the answer naturally came to him.

Ah.

He was nervous.

Cale-nim was nervous.

This could explain why he asked such a random question out of the blue. He was trying to divert his attention elsewhere. But what could possibly make him like this? His presence perhaps? The young man’s heart skipped timidly with joy. It’s true that he had told him last time that…

“... Cale-nim you are insufferable.”

Choi Han caught instinctively the latter’s wrist to pull it towards him. The redhead fell against his chest before he could even say anything. If a few seconds ago his heart had been pounding, well right now it was more like a rocket taking off. Yet, ironically, despite his extraordinary inner debate, his usual stoicism still remained triumphant.

“Insufferable?” He repeated innocently.

The sword master had to use the speck of rationality left in him in order to not succumb to the candid, sincerely confused expression that adorned his beloved’s face. He shut his eyelids tightly. Please grant him the strength to overcome this ordeal. It should be forbidden to be so oblivious…

“... Let’s be honest, you are the one who has been stealing kisses from me so often lately, that’s why I… I thought that…”

The young master flushed red at the bold accusation. “Often”, what did he mean by “often”?… He pleaded guilty to stealing from him one or two kisses, but it was inconceivable that this “little thing” could make him a first-ranked criminal!

“No, it’s not true.” He grumbled under his breath and looked away shyly.

The answer drew a sigh from his suitor who retorted:

“Don’t deny it, Cale-nim.”

There was a short silence, the defendant raised his head and met the gaze of his knight. He tried to find a hint of mischief in those onyx pupils to confirm that all of these were nothing but exaggerations and nonsense. Unfortunately for him this was not the case. Shit. Did he really…

“I… I was just showing a bit of affection.” He justified himself, stumbling over his words.

Truth to be told, Cale had noticed that pampering those around him brought him a lot of satisfaction lately. That’s why he naturally became more inclined to follow his omega instincts despite the fact that he wasn’t that fond of showing physical affection at first. What was the point of refusing to act in a certain way when it only brought him beneficial effects? It was counterproductive. Maybe he went too “far” in his display of affection towards Choi Han because … because contrary to the others he…

ᵢ ₗᵢₖₑ ᵧₒᵤ.

The keywords that he wasn’t able to say resurfaced in his mind without warning. He bit his lower lip with a frown. In hindsight, it was his incompetence that got him into this situation. If only he hadn’t behaved like an awkward teenager when he tried to confess his love… He already knew perfectly well that their feelings were mutual. What was he so afraid of?

“You… You didn’t really show you were against it… So…” He continued, swallowing his saliva with apprehension.

He knew… And yet it was as if saying it out loud would cause the magic to fade. However, if he persisted in being scared, the unspoken words were bound to bring problems to their future relationship. That’s why he tried his best to weave together bits of sentences without checking whether what came out of his mouth made sense.

“Am I … perhaps mistaken?”

If he kept talking, maybe everything would somehow work out!… Communication is when two people exchange words with each other, right? He wasn’t used to it, he really wasn’t but … he wanted to change: for him. Cherry eyes slowly looked up. The almost inaudible murmur tickling his ears made Choi Han tighten reflexively his grip on the wrist of his sweetheart. He refrained from grazing with his lips the pretty eyelashes similar to ruby fragments flickering with anxiety. Instead he gently pushed a few vermillion locks with his free hand.

“No, you’re definitely not mistaken.” He answered softly.

Cale’s heart fluttered at the touch, his calloused fingers brushing against his ear sent a shiver down his spine. It was done with so much tenderness that he couldn’t help but lose himself even more in his innocent affection. Yet he couldn’t shake the unease that lingered in the pit of his stomach at the thought that he deserved better than a dunce like him who couldn’t be honest.

“In fact, I really liked it a lot.”

The knight scratched his cheek, a bit sheepish and locked gaze once more with his liege.

“But do you know what I like even more? You.”

Putting his inner turmoil aside, the redhead almost choked at the unexpected cheesy line he had just heard. He stifled a laugh:

“Pfft. Where did you learn to say that.”

How unfair, that punk always told him that he liked him as though it came as easily as breathing. He wished he could do the same.

“S-Sorry… I guess the lines from that book are still stuck in my mind.” The raven-haired man stuttered with rosy cheeks.

Book huh. Not surprising that it didn’t sound like something he would say then. Although, he didn’t remember Choi Han ever interested in reading. He would only leaf through some books when he accompanied him to Billos’ tea shop to pass time while waiting for him to finish his weekly reading session… Wait a second, did he happen to stumble upon one of his silly romance novels?! At the terrifying idea, the hero of West and East continents became as white as a sheet. He quickly inquired his friend about it:

“Mind telling me what kind of book it was?…”

God damn it, he should really stop leaving his whole collection scattered on the floor of his bedroom. Maybe the children had stolen one behind his back and had asked the sword master to read it for them thinking it was a fairy tale since the covers always looked pretty fancy. He prayed with all his heart that it wasn’t a story with a knight as the protagonist. Hopefully the little bunch of rascals didn’t connect the dots together yet. It was so embarrassing geez. (At least the positive side was that he was able to hear one of those cheesy lines coming out of the alpha’s mouth… What? Everyone was allowed to be a fanboy sometimes.) 

“... Please forget it.”

The redhead clicked his tongue. Look at that punk avoiding his eyes. Did he believe he could escape so easily? 

“Spit it out.” He said curtly. 

The knight gulped and ended up answering sheepishly:

"... 100 ways to court your beloved.”

"?..."

“T-The name of the book.”

<Wah what a crappy name> was the first thing that Cale could think of. Nevertheless, it evoked a certain memory. Something like a bird-brained protagonist full of himself so annoying that it was a torture to continue “listening” to his nonsense. In the end he had dropped the book and never finished it. He wondered how that badly written garbage managed to get an award. Now even more poor souls like Choi Han would choose to read it, thinking it was a great work, when clearly it is not. What a scam!

"... That story with the hopeless duke?” He finally murmured, a tad perplexed.

“Uh?”

Choi Han stared back at him with wide priacanthus hamrur eyes. Mh? Why did he look so bewildered by what he just said? The young master thought for a moment before something clicked inside his mind. Don’t tell him that…

“You’re aware that was a romance novel right?” He continued, tilting his head on the side.

Three seconds.

That’s all it needed for the sword master’s face to become bright red like microwaved tteokbokki as soon as he digested the information. The redhead suddenly recalled the strange behavior of his companion a few months ago. So he did follow the advices of this cursed book in order to court him…

How cute.

“I’ll praise the effort though.” Cale stated as he cleared his throat with rosy cheeks.

Since it did work a bit.

Just a tiny bit (only because it was him).

“I-I wanted to do it right by following Roan’s traditions…”

Choi Han passed his hand over his face in disbelief. So it was really a “novel” … It made a lot more sense now why he felt like a huge oaf every time he acted on the so-called “advices” to woo his beloved (and why Billos had recommended those sketchy works to him too). The jet-black haired man let out a sigh at his incurable clumsiness and lowered his head.

“Despite my shortcomings, I’m serious about you Cale-nim…” He muttered.

The sword master clenched his fist and kept going:

“At Hope and Adventure Inn… I might have said some stuff that were erm … childish. B-but I...!”

His whole body heated up from shame as he remembered his outrageous behavior. Why the hell did he do “that” … They had not mentioned it again in detail afterwards… So perhaps all this time he was the only one still awkward about it. He peeked shyly at his liege to assess his reaction.

“Ah yes … the drunken revelation.”

The young master recalled with a mixture of amusement and fondness crossing his face. He hadn’t expected Choi Han to bring it up.

“How could I forget? You were really … vocal about your feelings that night.” He noted with playful sarcasm.

It must be said that the knight’s sheepish drunk demeanor was kind of adorable. That “incident” had helped them to put an end to the misunderstanding and reconcile, thus there was nothing to be ashamed of. His honesty had always been part of his charm unlike him.

"... I don’t know why I ever thought that listening to that mercenary king’s advices was a good idea.” The alpha added, sounding like a kicked puppy.

Cale frowned. Right, he shouldn’t forget to smack Bud behind his back for making his innocent knight drink so heavily. No one should be allowed to mess with his “belongings” under his watch.

“No need to apologize.” He replied calmly.

Then, he crossed his arms and uttered with a hint of shyness:

“I never doubted the truth in your words. It was actually quite … endearing.”

In fact, he wanted to open the valve blocking the torrent of words buried deep inside his heart’s creek too. There were so many things he wished to tell him. So many that it would take a whole lifetime to convey everything.

Did you know Choi Han?

All those times I was only trying to find excuses to run away because I was scared. I don’t know how to treat you as kindly as you deserve. What if you only happened to confess your love for me at the right time? Because I needed someone to rely on, and you just happened to be here. Wouldn’t it be awful for you? I don’t want to treat you like “those people”, use you to mend my broken heart and then throw you away when you’re no longer needed. It’s scary when someone loves you unconditionally like that don’t you know? I do not trust myself to be sincere enough, that’s why I did all those incomprehensible things so you could hate me but you still stayed.

When you look at me as if I was the most important person in the universe, how could I not fall in love with someone like you?

I wonder if you’re aware of how much you had shaken up my world. I wonder if you know that I am the one who fell harder in “our story”.

Cale sketched a melancholic smile at his own thoughts. Maybe it was time for him to be honest too even without a drop of alcohol in his blood. If no one was there to teach him how to be unfiltered, then he would have to learn by himself.

“To be frank, I’m the one who needs to be more serious about this … whole thing. About us.” He murmured as he passed his hand through his hair.

Their gazes crossed paths. The flame in the familiar deep onyx eyes seemed intent on telling him something, but unlike at the festival, he decided to accept whatever came his way.

“Cal—”

“Do you mind listening to some of my rambling right now?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t agree so fast. It might be quite long.”

“I don’t mind.”

"... And boring.”

“It’s okay.”

Cale sighed.

"... Aren’t you busy?”

“I have all the time in the world for you Cale-nim.”

The corners of the young master’s lips twitched almost curling upwards slightly.

“You’re so annoying you know that?”

“Can I take it as a compliment?”

He nudged at his chest. Pfft—What a stubborn brat. It’s not as if he didn’t warn him about it. He better buy something for Rosalyn later in order to apologize. She probably won’t get her groceries today. 

“I feel like our discussions always happen in the corridors. Maybe we’re cursed.”

It was kind of ominous. The last time they fought, it was in a corridor too. The atmosphere of this place wasn’t right for what he was about to do. 

“Let’s go downstairs. I’ll prepare something light to snack on before breakfast.”

He gestured for his companion to follow him and the duo walked quietly to the kitchen. The wooden door opened in a creak. Vicross wasn’t there yet, he must have gone out to buy the ingredients he needed for breakfast this morning. There was something cooking in the oven, it smelled quite nice. Was it an apple pie? Oh, the good scent wafting through the air should not distract him. The Molan’s heir hated it when mice like them sneaked into his territory. 

“Sit down, it won’t take long.” 

“Cale-nim, do you need any help?”

“... Just sit down.”

If he lent a hand with the cooking, they might be banned from entering the kitchen ever again. He shouldn’t take the risk of saying goodbye to his late-night snacks forever… The young master went to grab a pot hanging on the wall and put it on the stove. He opened the gas and lit a small fire with a match he found in a drawer. Time to boil some water.

“I wonder where Vicross put the… Ah found it.” He mumbled to himself as he searched through the jars inside the cupboard. 

The “bluish seaweed” he had requested the Whales to fetch for him last year were still fresh and preserved with ice magic. So convenient. Magic was definitely the best.

“What is it? It has a strange glow.” Choi Han asked, a bit curious about the dish his liege was making. 

“Oh, right, it sparkles in the sunlight. Pretty, isn’t it? Don’t worry, though. It isn’t venomous, I’ve tried it.”

It had the same taste as the “normal” seaweed they would use in korean soups despite their odd appearance. Cale put half of the jar in the simmering water and sprinkled some spices here and there. Mmh… Maybe it was too simple? He should add an egg or two and some green onions. Although he hadn’t cooked much since coming to Nameless 2, his culinary skills hadn’t rusted yet. At least… He hoped so. It would be awful if Choi Han couldn’t even eat a good seaweed soup in the morning.

But there was no need to worry since in reality the sword master was glancing at him fondly. Truth to be told he didn’t care at all what he was going to be fed. He would eat anything, even rocks. He enjoyed watching the most his liege cook dishes from their motherland. The latter always looked so peaceful and he was certainly unaware of it, but he had the habit of humming songs while cooking meals. With the soft morning sunlight shining through the curtains and reflecting itself on his face, it reminded him of his mum’s silhouette preparing breakfast for him and his siblings a long time ago. 

“There, drink it while it’s still hot.” He said as he handed a spoon to the raven-haired man. 

After a few minutes, Cale turned off the stove and poured the content of the pot inside two bowls. He brought them to the wooden table and sat down. 

“Thank you Cale-nim!”

Choi Han grinned and began to chug the soup like a starved man. In a blink of an eye, the bowl was cleaned and left empty. The redhead gently poured another portion and asked casually:

“Do you enjoy moments like this, when we’re alone together?”

His friend looked at him innocently before nodding his head. Cale wiped off a piece of seaweed stuck near his lips. 

“Me too. I like it.” He replied softly in korean.

The sudden change of language stirred his companion’s attention who stopped eating and stared back at him with rosy cheeks. Kim Rok Soo just showed a small smile.

“...That’s why I’m scared.”

He felt his throat go dry and his heart racing against his will. What he was about to utter was truly foolish. But… He had to let him know that loving Cale Henituse aka Kim Rok Soo meant that he had to take the whole package with it: an insecure man with his fair share of fears to bear. 

“Scared that you… Will leave me one day. Or even worse that you will stay by my side when your love is no more.”

Ha…

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He slowly gathered the courage he needed to face the challenge head on. If only he knew how many things, he was scared of… They would have to sit down around a hot kimchi-jjigae dish in order for him to not get bored listening to his non-exhaustive list. Let’s say that a seaweed soup was enough for today and that he’ll save him from all this hassle and go straight to the important parts.

"... Scared that I won’t be able to return your innocent affection properly. Scared to hurt you because I’m so foolish.” He muttered weakly.

The sentences pouring out from his mouth were engulfing him like quicksand. There were no words spoken, it was quiet. But he knew “he” was listening. After a few moments, he slowly raised his head to look at the man who had stolen his heart. 

...

....

Uh?

“W-What’s wrong Choi Han? Is it too bland? Sorry I may have forgotten the salt. You don’t have to finish it. Vicross will surely—”

However, nothing could have prepared the former team leader from witnessing pearls of tears threatening to escape the knight’s eyes at his ludicrous confession. The stoic facade of the redhead broke out for a second to reveal that of a worried friend. He instinctively released some of his pheromones in an attempt to comfort the raven-haired alpha. At the unexpected kind gesture, the latter chuckled.

“No, it’s d-delicious Cale-nim. I’m sorry, I’m actually very happy right now.”

He wiped away his tears with a big smile.

“Because you’re finally feeling safe enough to share with me your worries.”

The onyx pupils shone with genuine glee as they glanced back at his precious liege.

“It’s not everything, is it? Go on. I’ll listen. I’m here.”

The man with jet black-hair held his sweetheart’s hands gently and bowed to kiss his knuckles. The latter blushed like a young maiden. Did he just get the green light to say everything that’s on his mind? He shouldn’t let this once-in-a-century opportunity slip away.

“W-Well… Erm…”

...

....

....... 

Eh? Why did his mind just go blank.

What was he supposed to say again.

............ 

—That you like him!

—I bet a thousand gold coins that we have to wait another year.

—Oh I have a great idea. He might be able to get his feelings across by punching him, if he can’t say them!

—S-scary.

—I’m sorry to interrupt but I’m kinda hungry... It’s been half an hour since we discussed that we were going to eat breakfast and the seaweed soup in front of you is definitely getting cold. Just kiss him already and let's eat!

Ugh... He felt like all his ancient powers went riding the merry-go-round and he was the only one left out because he was the lead actor in the play they were watching. Are you guys having fun huh? Good grief, all of this wasn’t great for his heart he definitely needed a seven-hour nap to make up for it. He should really learn that skill to faint on command. 

“Please punch me Choi Han, not too strongly though.” He ended up muttering in a daze.

“Pardon me?” 

But a punch would certainly hurt if it’s Choi Han right? He still remembered the hole he made in the wall when they had rescued Raon and that was supposed to be a “light hit”. It was a bad idea. He needed to find another way to escape from all the noise the ancient powers were making in his head.

“Cale-nim, you’re doing it again.”

“What?”

The knight stood up and kneeled in front of his liege with a glint in his eyes. 

“When you’re nervous you always end up saying things you don’t mean.” He stated in a serious tone. 

The young master with vermillion hair almost choked at the blatant accusation. 

“’N-nervous?… I’m n-not!” He retorted with bright red cheeks.

“I understand. Earlier in the corridor it was the same. You were nervous and you had to find an excuse for me not to leave that’s why you said … erm … that thing.” The alpha finished with a little cough to hide his embarrassment. 

!!... 

Cale remembered what he had blabbered with horror. He wanted to punch a hole in the wall, crawl inside it, and never come out again. Why on the earth did he even utter that stupid unbelievable sentence! It wasn’t like he was n-nervous or anything alright! It was just because the thoughts in his head were a jumbled mess at that precise moment and that his handsome face didn’t help at all! 

—This what normal people call “nervous” Cale.

Oh put a cork in it, Super Rock. I can’t think clearly with you guys chit-chat. 

He was definitely not N E R V O U S. This word didn’t belong in his dictionary. Do you even hear yourself talking? An old man like him being nervous for something like that? Pfft, hilarious. And if his heart was racing so strongly right now it was only caused by the crybaby who didn’t do his job well enough. That’s all! 

—H-Hey! 

—Don’t listen to him! 

—Stage one: denial.

—I’m hungry…

Ha, you don’t believe it? Listen carefully he’s going to reply with a perfect normal answer to refute his companion’s words.

“W-Well I spouted that nonsense about my body because I am unmistakably very attractive. As a result, many people have fallen in love with me since the end of the war so I was wondering if it was the same for you…”

— … Cale. Super Rock sighed.

—Narcissist talk. The cheapskate rolled his eyes.

—Well, it’s true that he’s good-looking. The thief just agreed with a shrug. 

Okay… It somehow turned out differently from what he had imagined. He acknowledged that it wasn’t the best possible repartee. However, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to wonder about it r-right? Deep down he wasn’t sure if Choi Han had fallen under his spell only thanks to his pretty face. What if in reality he was hopelessly smitten with an illusion of himself that he had created from scratch? After all, his mortal coil belonged to Cale Henituse, the real “Cale”. In a sense, he was an imposter. If they had met when he was still Kim Rok Soo with his body covered by scars… He…

“You truly think that? That I fell in love with you just because of your looks?” The korean cut short his trail of his thought and spoke in a voice that was unusually deep and bitter.

Cale’s heart leaped in his chest. He nodded timidly, dreading the sentence that was about to follow. This slip of the tongue will be the death of him. 

“Well, I’m quite good-looking aren’t I?” He noted, trying to lighten the mood.

Choi Han chuckled at the clumsily attempted joke by the omega.

Ha… What was he going to do with him. He was always so…

“Yes, you are handsome, ridiculously handsome, actually.” He conceded with a fond smile, shaking his head. 

The redhead rolled his eyes at the sarcastic comeback.

"... You’re not bad yourself for a protagonist.” He grumbled under his breath.

Choi Han grinned with a hint of pride and rested his head on his beloved’s lap. He hooked an arm around the latter's waist, pulling him closer. 

“Just not bad?” He teased with his signature puppy eyes. 

Cale’s heart skipped. He tried to feign indifference, but the proximity made it hard to think straight. Sometimes there were moments like that, a little more intimate when the korean left his “role” as a knight behind and reconnected with his roots. He tended to act like a mischievous child, using the fact that he was older than him to have the last word. To be honest, it didn’t bother him that much, it just meant that they were close enough to talk to each other without barriers. It was rather reassuring.

“Fine, you’re annoyingly attractive, satisfied?” He huffed.

The alpha laughed heartily and snuggled closer. He let himself be lulled for a moment by the melody of his joyful heartbeat. 

“But you know, Rok Soo-ah.” He called softly.

Words, words surely failed him. And yet similar to the current of a river, the letters tumbled out his mouth like tiny treasures:

“No matter the receptacle that shelters you, it is undeniably your soul that I fell in love with.” He declared with tenderness.

He paused for a bit and continued:

“And should our paths cross again at a later reincarnation, that wouldn’t change anything. I’ll surely fall in love with you again.”

He was certain that even after the passing of countless seasons, his feelings for him will stay immutable. And in the distant future when they meet again, he will entrust him with what was left unsaid.

<I’ve loved you for a thousand years my liege. And would love you for a thousand more years. >

The knight brought the hands of his star close to his face and gave a feather light kiss on them.

“... That’s why, you don’t have to be afraid.” He whispered affectionately to him.

The flame dancing in the sincere onyx pupils who stared at him made butterflies fly in the stomach of the old team leader. He wanted to run a thousand miles away from here, but he surely didn’t have the strength to free himself from the embrace of the charming man (or simply that he actually didn’t wish to leave). The idiot before him had the gift to utter embarrassing things without even batting an eye when he usually blushed all over the place for nothing. He really wondered who was “insufferable” in the whole story.

Ha…

Fine, he was going to let him win for this round.

“Then… Show it to me?” He purred softly like a challenge. 

The raven-haired sword master bit back a growl full of eagerness at the demand. He slowly got up and gently cupped his beloved’s cheek. The latter subconsciously leaned into the touch, tilting his head a little. Choi Han contemplated an instant the beauty of the person before him, lost in his reverie. Who could resist these slightly parted lips? It wasn’t the first time they were exchanging a token of love and yet the air around them seemed to crackle with tension. They were close enough to feel each other’s respective breathing. The young master with vermillion hair let himself drown in the alpha’s soft scent. His inner omega was buzzing loudly about closing the slim distance between them but he wanted to leave that task to his charming knight. 

“What are you waiting for?” He muttered a little upset by the stalling.

Choi Han stifled a laugh at the impatience of his liege and leaned closer to finally give him his due. When their lips separated, it was as if a flame was lit inside Cale’s chest. Short, too short. What was that ridiculous peck? Is this the extent of his love for him? He had to do better to convince him. He approached until their noses brushed against each other and whispered with craving:

“... One more time?”

The young man held his breath at the adorable way his liege asked him. No, it wasn’t a request. It was more like an order. The omega with vermillion hair was using his charms and was submerging him with his sweet pheromones in order to subdue his prey (him) to have it at his mercy. And although he could easily have broken free from his influence, he let himself be carried away by the whims of the pretty redhead. He could make him do whatever he wanted and walk him around by holding the tip of his nose, like a good mutt. It didn’t displease him at all. 

“Cale-nim…”

The sword master bent down again to close the microscopic distance between them. Except that before reaching his goal… He stopped dead in his tracks, somewhat hesitant.

“Cale-nim… What are we?”

The recipient of those words was taken aback by the abrupt question, and snapped out of his daze. His heart sank. It was strange to hear orally what that had been plaguing him all this time. He swallowed heavily and replied in a profoundly stoic voice that actually betrayed his nervousness.

“Is it really necessary to put words on what we are?”

He almost wanted to laugh at what he had just said. Who was he kidding? Of course, they had to do it, sooner or later. The redhead was never gifted with expressing his feelings openly to the world. However it was a request of his dear companion. He owed an answer to those sincere eyes that he showed only to him. Nonetheless he was beaten before he could say anything.

“... I don’t want to scare you one day by mistake just because I have crossed the invisible limits that exist between us.” 

Ha. 

He chuckled. 

Ultimately, they were the same. He wasn't the only one who was afraid of hurting the other person. 

“Pfft—I’ve seen more than my fair share in all those years. It’s not your innocent affection that will scare me off, you know that right?”

He gently took his “friend”’s hand in his and intertwined their fingers together. 

“… About your question from earlier.”

Maybe... Maybe "it" could work. 

Maybe there was something to create with the word "us" in the middle.

“What are we… I don't know… But what I do know is that I want... you. ” He confessed timidly. 

Cale put his hand against his chest, heart pounding loudly. Then, he murmured with a wavering voice:

“Choi Han, what are we according to you?…”

The korean’s expression softened, the corners of his lips turning slightly up in a quiet smile. Despite the unfinished answer, he could feel the sincerity that painted his words.

“We can be whatever you want Cale-nim.”

He took the redhead delicately in his arms and rubbed his back gently with his thumb. 

“But if possible…”

He let out an enamored sigh and confided in him like a secret:

“I want us to be in a relationship where I can look in your eyes, hold your hand and share words of affection with you everyday.”

The declaration full of raw and genuine love left the omega speechless. He pushed slightly away the alpha, troubled by what he had just heard. And forced himself to raise his head and look straight into the knight’s onyx eyes. 

“Um… You mean something similar to what we're doing right now?”

Choi Han nodded sheepishly and Cale… Cale wouldn’t be able to explain the explosion of fireworks in his chest at that moment. No, it wasn’t adequate to describe it as something so loud and grandiose. It was rather soft, silent like the flight of cherry blossom petals in the spring breeze. He longed to bathe a little more in this serenity that was slowly overwhelming him. How did he always find the right words to make his heart flutter and dispel all these doubts? It was so simple for him. In the end, he was always the one who… 

“Mh… Perhaps something is missing.”

The young master with vermillion hair’s gaze wandered on the wooden floor of the kitchen a bit and uttered:

“I’ll try to make it more like an exchange… And not that I’m the only one at the receiving end.”

Cherry eyes met onyx eyes. 

“I… Han-ah.”

It was said so discreetly that it was like a secret you had to hide from the universe. The raven-haired man leaned a little closer to his beloved in order to hear better. 

“Sorry?”

The latter whispered something in his ear. And perhaps words were said. Perhaps they weren't. But the knight sketched a broad wide smile, one that would put the sun to shame.