“There’s no need to decline. I’ve allowed you to touch, so go ahead.”
Seeing Niall’s bewildered expression all along, Duke clicked his tongue. Then, with a very arrogant and condescending attitude, he waved his hand as if to say, “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Perhaps unable to keep Duke’s hand hanging in the air any longer, Niall eventually took Duke’s hand. The efforts Niall had put in during the past hours seemed not to have been in vain, as Duke no longer flinched or avoided when his hand was taken.
It was a remarkable growth, but Niall didn’t feel the slightest bit happy. With a somewhat awkward expression, Niall interlaced his fingers with Duke’s, wondering fiercely if it would be okay not to clear up this misunderstanding.
“The only place you can touch for now is my hand. No matter how eager you are, you have to restrain yourself. Understand?”
As Niall took Duke’s hand, Duke softened a bit more. He spoke with an air of reprimanding someone who was very inadequate and lacking.
“Despite the hardships caused by your lewd nature, you must always maintain your composure. Yes, I’m glad you seem to understand. Well then, from now on, praise me.”
Niall’s mind, which had been somewhat absent-minded until then, gradually returned. With clear eyes, Niall looked up at Duke.
“Praise?”
Suddenly praise him? Why? Niall was confused again. Duke seemed to be waiting with narrowed eyes, so Niall had to comply, but he had never said such words before, so he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“Your Grace, Duke, who is brave and wise.”
With his fingers still intertwined, Duke leaned back in his chair, waiting leisurely as if to say, “What else?”
Although Niall couldn’t understand why he was being asked to praise him, there was an obligation to follow the noble’s orders even if there was no reason. So Niall spoke up.
“Your name, as the King of the North and the Duke of the Empire, is widely known beyond the North to the Central and Southern regions. Even a humble person like me has long known how just and righteous you are.”
The corners of Duke’s eyes relaxed comfortably. Niall continued to praise him, squeezing out every word.
“I have never seen a lord like you, who is loved by the people of the fiefdom wherever you go. This is because anyone can see your character.”
“Hmm.”
Duke lightly cleared his throat and slowly closed his eyes. It was an attitude as if to say, “Let’s hear more.” There was nothing more to say, but Niall somehow found more words.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“How did you command the battlefield with such bravery? Even the soldiers who were trembling with fear just at the sight of the recklessness of the Le Garçon scoundrels regained their confidence when they saw Duke from afar. I, too, who had only experienced war for the first time, was trembling with fear, but just seeing Duke from a distance dispelled my fears and gave me courage.”
Ciatbeut tf tjv klacfrrfv j yjaaifolfiv obg atf olgra alwf, Rljii tjv vbeyafv ktfatfg kjg kjr bglulcjiis rb delfa jcv bmmjrlbcjiis ybglcu.
“Ccv… Ccv…”
Rbk atfgf gfjiis kjr cbatlcu wbgf ab rjs. Rljii kjcafv ab rabq, yea Gexf, klat j qifjrfv fzqgfrrlbc, kjr kjlalcu, ilutais qijslcu klat Rljii’r tjcv. Rljii rlutfv.
“And… furthermore… Duke, you are very beautiful.”
At those words, Duke opened his eyes, which he had closed. Because this was the only perfect truth, Niall spoke fluently.
“When I first saw Duke, I couldn’t breathe for a while. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as Duke in my life.”
The contrast between the radiant silver-blue hair, as if sapphires and silver had been melted together, and the sharp black irises. The lips were as red as cherries, and the nose was high, casting deep shadows whenever light hit it.
He had been like a mythical creature slowly descending into suicide. A perfection that was now no longer visible in this world. He would never know how much his ice-like perfection tormented people’s hearts.
The two of them looked at each other without speaking. It was the first time Niall had looked into Duke’s eyes from such a close distance for such a long time. Between black and blue, Duke’s eyes, which twinkled in shades of blue depending on the angle of light, were very blue today. Niall was captivated by that light for a long time.
“You’re truly beautiful.”
Niall exclaimed sincerely.
“How can a person look like this… It’s breathtaking. If my status were similar to yours, I would have risked my life to chase after you.”
“Me?”
Duke asked back. Niall nodded fervently.
“I would have followed you. I would have begged to meet you just once. And no matter how cold you were, I wouldn’t have given up.”
“Hmm.”
Duke chuckled with great satisfaction. Arrogance was evident. Duke smiled proudly, then gestured for Niall to come closer with a snap of his fingers. As Niall obediently complied, Duke spoke in a somewhat solemn tone.
“You can kiss me now.”
Huh? Niall, who had been mesmerized by Duke’s eyes, asked back. Duke pulled Niall’s hand, which was caught, forcefully.
“I said it’s okay to kiss.”
And Duke closed his eyes.
“…?”
With his eyes closed, Duke waited for Niall’s lips in a vulnerable posture. Even though Duke was beautiful with his eyes open, waiting for a kiss with his eyes closed made Niall’s heart beat violently.
Niall relaxed his bent knees and waist. For the first time, Duke was below him. He slowly raised his hand and gently cupped Duke’s cheek. Duke frowned slightly but soon relaxed his expression.
“Is it really okay? Can I really kiss you?”
“You said so. Hold hands, praise, then kiss, and then touch the chest.”
So it was about doing as he was told.
Niall chuckled unknowingly. The frustration of being scolded and misunderstood melted away like snow.
Am I too easy? Niall thought to himself and chuckled again. All these misunderstandings were caused by Niall’s decision to try kissing Duke. And in the end, Duke allowed the kiss, so it wasn’t in vain.
Everything, holding hands, praising, was all to kiss him.
“But that’s not something you should be receiving, it’s something you should be doing to an omega. Why aren’t you listening to it?”
But Niall’s patience was too shallow to question it like that. How could he just leave a beautiful man like this, waiting with closed eyes for a kiss? Who could refuse Duke’s kiss? There might be someone in the world, but it certainly wasn’t him.
Niall closed his eyes and brought his lips to Duke’s. Duke initially resisted unknowingly, but when Niall gently caressed his hand, he relaxed.
Hmm. Niall kissed Duke’s lips in one motion. Duke stiffened in surprise. Niall continued to press his lips against Duke’s without giving him a chance to react. It was completely different from the last kiss where their lips just touched. As Niall’s lips parted, his tongue slipped through the gap and licked Duke’s lips.
Ah. Duke let out a low moan, tilting his head back. Niall leaned in as if riding on Duke, supporting the back of his neck and pulling his hand, Niall sucked on Duke’s lips. And he didn’t let go for a long time.
“This… this…”
With slightly parted lips, Duke tried to say something hesitantly.
“This is what I wanted.”
Niall inserted his tongue between Duke’s open lips without hesitation. Duke’s arms twitched. Niall’s tongue darted inside like it was fleeing, but when Niall ran his tongue along the roof of Duke’s mouth, Duke melted with a throaty groan. With a sigh, Duke dug his nails into Niall’s forearm.
“You’re adorable,” Niall whispered. “Truly adorable.”
And Niall inserted his tongue into Duke’s mouth again.
Their red tongues licked each other eagerly. Niall greedily savored Duke’s lips as if biting cherries. Their breath quickened, and overwhelmed by sensations they had never experienced before, Duke turned his face away and trembled.
Niall gently brushed Duke’s tousled hair back. He wanted to continue, but he restrained himself, fearing it might backfire. He knew he wasn’t enough for Duke, but this level of stimulation was likely unprecedented for him.
“You’re such an adorable person, Duke.”
“You can stop with the praises now,” Duke replied, still sounding somewhat absent-minded. Niall chuckled joyfully, a rare sound.
The person who had hit him in the face with a cane on their first meeting. The person who had insulted him as the filthiest scum in the world.
Despite being a fearsome military man, Niall had never once disliked Duke. Not even a bit. Once the heavy burden of being a duke was lifted, beneath it was a fresh-faced young man. Somewhere unseen. Somewhere untouched. Niall was the first person to delve into that inner sanctum.
“It’s not just flattery. It’s from my heart. I like you, Duke. I really do.”
“Um.”
A flush spread across Duke’s face. His cheeks and eyelids turned pink, looking embarrassed.
Niall once again kissed and released Duke’s lips. Now he was almost straddling Duke, who was nearly seated on the chair.
“Shall we touch the chest now?”
Continuing to hold Duke’s hand, still immersed in the sensation of the kiss, Niall placed it on his chest. Then, he whispered in Duke’s ear, “You did well, Your Grace…”
Sometimes a Guy want to be treated like a Princess
Respect for the Duke for break gender norms 🤭😂🤣😂🤣