Duke casually replied and began to carve the meat. Niall watched him with slight tension, but Duke no longer showed any interest in Niall, simply repeating the action of carving the meat and putting it in his mouth. It wasn’t until a while later that even Niall, reassured, resumed his meal, and the rest of the meal ended peacefully without further disturbance.
However, through this series of events, Niall came to realize something. Even a brief encounter and greeting with an omega, Duke didn’t even bother to glance at. Having realized that Duke was indeed paying attention to him, Niall became truly silent. Whenever he was among men, he quietly went back and forth to the mess tent, then returned to his quarters early.
It’s okay. Niall thought to himself. Whatever misconceptions Duke might have, whatever prejudices he might hold against Niall being an omega, it didn’t matter. This relationship was fake. It would melt away like snow when spring comes. So, it didn’t matter whether Duke cleared up his misunderstandings about him or not.
Not long after the New Year passed, news arrived that excited the Northerners. It was the news of Duke’s engagement. This was no longer just idle talk, as it was announced by the regent himself.
Magnus, the Duke of Shiralund, who was both the king of the North and the nephew of the Emperor of Prastos, had turned twenty-one but was still unmarried. While naturally ascending to the position of Duke, he had not fulfilled the conditions set by the Emperor of the Empire. The Northerners all hoped that Duke would marry and produce offspring.
Duke’s fifth fiancée was a twenty-five-year-old omega, the son of Count Elrem. The Elrem County was a port city adjacent to the North, absorbed into the Empire centuries ago just like Shiralund. Duke was marrying to gain control of the county’s unclaimed harbor.
They were scheduled to arrive in the North in about a fortnight. When this news spread, the castle buzzed with excitement. Servants cleaned and polished every visible surface, while aides repaired the castle. They poured water into every corner, cleared away dried ivy, tore off roofs, and re-laid floors, bustling about all day.
Soldiers’ training became even harsher for fear of appearing weak to the Imperials. Niall heard Elmiran Maedra shout, “You lazy pigs, come over here and tear down this rotten wall! The last one in will be thrown into the ice water!” as she headed to the mess tent, and “You’re not even men. Burst those useless balls between your legs and go learn how to arrange flowers!” as she returned to the barracks.
In the past, after helping with the horses and doing stable work, Niall would have lunch with the stable and kennel attendants, then take some time to teach the servant children how to fold flowers and ribbons into hats. After that, he would return to the stables or go to the kennels for chores and have dinner with Duke in the evenings.
Now Niall’s routine became simpler. He no longer wandered around the stables or kennels, engaging in trivial banter with people.
After finishing work, they no longer gathered together for drinks and light gambling. There was no longer the occasional visit to the kitchen to share amusing stories with the maids when there was free time. He didn’t even teach the young girls how to fold ribbons anymore.
To the caring individuals who worried if something was wrong, Niall simply brushed it off as a touch of nostalgia, and people believed him.
Niall’s world became simpler and narrower. As a result, Duke’s presence began to mean more and more to him.
Niall reminded himself of the fundamental purpose of his being here. It was to melt Duke’s frozen heart living in this cold North and guide him to desire and satisfy others. And to produce a son with the same light blue hair as them. To achieve this, Niall had to seduce Duke.
The clinking of utensils echoed lightly. Once again, the table was set with a sumptuous meal.
Duke, even while eating, was reading documents and letters, perhaps busy with some task.
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.
“P kjca ab ojii lc ibnf.”
Rljii rja jmgbrr, qbxlcu ja j qlmxifv gjvlrt klat tlr obgx, tlr ygbk oeggbkfv jr tf rajgfv ja Gexf, ktb kjr gfjvlcu atf ifaafg, rffwlcuis lucbglcu tlw.
“Dea P vbc’a xcbk tbk ab rajga.”
Ktf alwfr ktfc tf erfv ab afjrf ybat wfc jcv kbwfc lc remt j rbqtlralmjafv jcv ogfrt wjccfg rffwfv ilxf j vlrajca wfwbgs. Rljii uijcmfv ja Gexf jujlc jr tf rlqqfv tlr kjgw rbeq.
How do you date a person who pushes away if you push, and only comes closer if you pull? How did he start before?
In the past, when Niall wanted to show interest in someone, he would do things like picking up a pink seashell found on the beach and saying it reminded him of them, going out to eat delicious food together, or going to see a free play.
Niall imagined himself placing a pink seashell in Duke’s palm and saying, “You’re as small and cute as this, Duke.” He covered his mouth and shivered at the thought. Just imagining Duke’s reaction to that made him feel too embarrassed.
“Duke.”
“Hmm?”
Duke responded dryly to Niall’s call.
“I have something I’m curious about.”
Flutter, the letter flipped over one page. Duke hadn’t replied yet. Niall decided to just go for it.
“When do you plan to touch my nipples?”
Duke’s eyes, which had been scanning the letter from side to side, froze. He looked up at Niall. He seemed unsure if what he had just heard was real.
“I’ve been waiting, but since you keep neglecting to touch them…”
“…What did you just say?”
Niall didn’t answer; he just leaned back in his chair. There was an uncomfortable creaking sound, but Duke didn’t comment. He seemed somewhat perplexed by Niall’s sudden behavior.
“Phew, it’s hot.”
Niall said dramatically as he took off his outer coat. He even undid the bow of his doublet. Duke’s eyes widened. But it didn’t stop there. Niall grabbed the edge of his shirt and pulled it straight down.
The letter slipped from Duke’s hand, sliding down and fluttering weakly to the ground. Duke didn’t even realize he had dropped the letter. His gaze was fixated on Niall’s chest area.
“Hmm. Um.”
Niall cleared his throat and lifted his head. He had taken the plunge because he couldn’t think of any other way, but he felt so embarrassed that his body was truly heating up. Still, he couldn’t stop here. Niall exerted a bit more force and pulled his shirt tightly.
As the thin shirt hugged his chest, Niall’s nipples protruded through the fabric, making a distinct sound. Duke dropped his fork. The fork clattered against the plate before falling to the floor with even louder noise.
“Niall Giles.”
Duke called Niall’s name. Niall replied innocently, “Yes?”
“I’m warning you, don’t provoke me. I’m a dangerous person.”
“I didn’t do anything. I just took off my clothes because it’s hot. Is that a crime?”
Duke couldn’t answer. Niall had just undressed and pulled his shirt; that’s all he had done. It was Duke who had lost his composure upon seeing it. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Niall’s nipples. It was always like that. Whenever Duke looked at Niall’s nipples, he couldn’t do anything else. He couldn’t even turn away. Because omegas… Niall had thick, large nipples that alphas liked to play with.
After rubbing his face, Duke ran his hand over his forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed incessantly, and his lips chewed so hard they turned pale.
Niall approached Duke slowly. Watching Duke’s hesitation, his own chest fluttered as if it were contagious.
“Please touch me, Duke.”
Niall urged Duke on.
“I want to be touched. I’ve told you.”
Perhaps Duke was still struggling with his inner barriers. He wanted to, he had already proved to himself that he was drawn to Niall’s body, yet he hesitated to take that final step.
So, Niall had to take Duke’s hand and pull him closer. In his relationship with Duke, Niall was the one who had to pull and pull.
As Niall drew near, Duke’s fingers twitched with tension. They hovered in the air for a while, repeatedly rising and falling, before finally moving towards Niall. Niall intercepted Duke’s hand before it touched his chest, inserting his own fingers there. Duke looked at Niall with a puzzled expression.
“Before that.”
Niall firmly held Duke’s hand as he tried to retreat.
“Next time, please hold my hand first before touching my chest.”
“What?”
Duke looked bewildered. Niall continued with his request.
“Hold my hand, make eye contact, and then ask if it’s okay to touch. But first, say something nice. Like how beautiful I am today, or how much you missed me. Say something that would make me feel good.”
“Why?”
“Because it would make me feel good.”
“….”
Duke still had a perplexed expression on his face.
“I’m a dangerous person” yessa!