When night fell, they kissed before parting, and in the morning, Duke would stand outside the door, ready to kiss him as soon as Niall woke up.
There were times when Duke visited the horse stable. When Duke appeared before the stableman, Phil grinned broadly and went on about the horse’s health, but Duke, half-listening, suddenly issued a command to Phil.
“Since Clarice seems bored, why don’t you saddle up and ride over?”
“Clarice, sir?” Phil’s eyes widened.
“Am I really allowed to ride? Such an honor. Isn’t this your favorite horse, sir?”
“Yes.”
The conversation was with Phil, but Duke’s eyes remained fixed on Niall as he waved his hand as if to say go quickly. Niall averted his gaze from that intense look.
Phil, touched, clasped his hands together. “To be carried by Duke’s horse, I won’t forget this grace and will remain loyal to Duke for generations.”
Although he had worked as a stableman for 30 years, it was the first time Phil had ridden Duke’s mount. Overwhelmed, Phil couldn’t even lift his head properly as he sat on the horse. Then, rather than walking, he slowly urged the horse out of the stable.
Duke, who had been waiting patiently, almost ran over as the sound of hooves faded, catching Niall and pressing their lips together.
“Ah, Duke.”
When Niall parted his lips, Duke impatiently slipped his tongue in. It was still a very clumsy kiss, just forcefully sucking. No technique at all. Still, Niall somehow didn’t dislike it.
“Stop now. He’s coming back.”
After a long, drawn-out kiss, Niall pushed Duke away. Duke, who had been absorbed in the kiss, lifted his head at those words. The sun was already high in the sky. It was almost lunchtime.
“But… can you endure it?” Duke asked, lightly stroking the edge of Niall’s garment with his thumb and forefinger.
“Can you handle it? You’re an omega.”
“…… I can handle it well enough.”
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.
“Ljt.”
Gexf ifa bea j ufcaif rlut, atfc remxfv Rljii’r ilqr ilxf tf kjr vglcxlcu atf ijra vgbq bo kjafg ogbw j uijrr, yfobgf rqlaalcu la bea.
“Efwfwyfg atlr. Qtfcfnfg la yfmbwfr vloolmeia ab fcvegf, sbe wera mbwf ab wf.” Gexf qeiifv Rljii’r jgw jcv fwygjmfv tlw. “Gbc’a tjralis yglcu jcs wjc lcab sbeg gbbw.”
With another peck, Duke reluctantly let go, then pecked twice more.
“You must remain put. Understand?”
“Um, yeah.” Niall deliberately spoke slowly.
“Whenever it’s hard to endure… Oh, where was it again? Should I be at the stable?”
“When did I ever say that? I’m telling you to come to me, me!” Duke raised his voice. Niall nodded, as if finally understanding, and Duke explained again patiently.
“Don’t touch just anyone in haste. You need an alpha. Omegas need alphas. And I am the strongest alpha in the North. Now, repeat after me. Who do you need?”
“Um.”
As Niall hesitated, deliberately drawing out his words, Duke’s temples twitched. Seeing Niall trying to hold back his anger but eventually bursting into laughter, Duke pulled him close again. He didn’t let go until the sound of Clarice’s hooves was truly audible.
Sometimes Niall wondered. How could it possibly be interpreted that your kisses cooled me down, meaning you satisfied me? Did Duke not understand nuances?
Anyone could tell you’re not good at kissing. How could anyone misconstrue it like that?
Duke was stern and cold, yet he also harbored the hidden side of a naive boy that no one knew. He had experienced frustration with his sexual inadequacy and was delighted to have satisfied an omega for the first time, blushing with pride.
“Are you satisfied?” Duke often asked after a kiss.
“Did I satisfy you today?”
To be honest, Duke’s kissing skills still weren’t great. His ability to hold Niall and kiss him didn’t completely erase his inhibition. Duke’s kisses were always hasty and exerted too much unnecessary force on Niall’s body. It was because of tension.
Of course, there were undoubtedly improvements compared to the beginning. Duke, who used to love tracing Niall’s ceiling with his fingers, now always traced Niall’s ceiling whenever they kissed. If Niall showed no response, Duke obsessively continued tracing his ceiling with his tongue.
“It felt so good for me. Did it for you too?” Duke would ask as if prompting a response.
“Give me your hand.”
The evening kisses didn’t just end with a kiss. Duke demanded Niall to look into his eyes.
“Now, kiss me.”
Then he allowed Niall to kiss him with closed eyes. It was a face that Niall had seen many times before, but this time, there was a slightly mischievous look in Duke’s eyes and cheeks. Niall swallowed eagerly, barely noticeable breaths as if he couldn’t breathe properly unless it was from such a close distance.
The moment Niall enjoyed the most during the evening kisses was precisely this. When Duke closed his eyes and waited for Niall’s lips.
A brief moment to fully gaze at Duke’s face.
The tiny details hidden behind his flamboyant exterior became apparent. There were still downy hairs on Duke’s face reflected in the light of the fire. When Niall first noticed the downy hairs on Duke’s cheeks and temples, he almost laughed out loud.
A youthful twenty-year-old.
The king of the North who had to become an adult too early without experiencing first love or first kiss.
In the terrifying duke’s cheeks, who possessed a purple heart and exhaled frozen breaths in the frozen castle, there were still downy hairs, believe it or not.
As their lips touched with a moist sound and his tongue gently pushed in, Duke moaned and grabbed Niall’s arms. It seemed like he was either telling him not to come closer or holding him back so he couldn’t escape from this kiss.
His inhibition wanted to push Niall away, while his nature wanted to hold onto him. This intense struggle had been repeating endlessly throughout Duke’s entire life.
As Niall slowly sank down onto the long sofa where Duke leaned, he tried every technique he knew to give Duke pleasure during their evening kisses. He had to teach Duke the joy of intimacy. So, they had to move on to the next step.
Running his tongue along the ceiling, Duke shuddered when Niall tickled it with the tip of his tongue. Niall’s tongue slithered like a snake, wrapping around Duke’s tongue, biting, and sucking. He slicked his tongue against Duke’s, exchanging warm saliva back and forth.
When their soft lips gently brushed against each other, Duke lost himself. After swallowing Niall’s tongue, he groaned as he sucked on his uvula, unable to resist. Employing every technique, they caressed and licked from various angles, lavishing love upon each other until their lips parted.
“Well, how was it? Are you satisfied?” Duke asked with a forced nonchalance.
“……” If Niall didn’t answer, Duke would play it cool, brushing his flushed face as if he were just a ripe peach.
“Well, of course. You’re an omega, after all.” He pretended to be indifferent, but his cheeks and ears were too red for that. Yet, he still maintained a patronizing attitude.
Honestly, he wishes he’d just do one thing. If he keeps acting all superior and patronizing about being an omega, he hopes he wouldn’t be so restless, skirting around the issue.
Did I enjoy it more than you did? Niall thought, smiling inwardly.
“Yes, I did,” he replied with a smile.
The Warlord.
The God of War.
The Commander of Battles.
The Demon of the Battlefield.
These were nicknames and epithets for Duke in the North. His enemies called him a demon, while the people of Shiralund called him a god of war. After receiving the unwavering oath of allegiance from fifteen hundred warriors, Duke rose to prominence and never tasted defeat in his lifetime.
Who would have known that such an inexperienced and clumsy boy hid within the chest of such a man? It was always intriguing to think about what face he would show when all the leaves had fallen off, despite his pretense of indifference.
Suddenly, Duke’s hand was on Niall’s chest, rough fingers undoing the buttons of his clothes. Stripping Niall as if unwrapping a gift, Duke lowered himself, pressing his face against Niall’s chest.
From then on, Niall’s composure disappeared. Leaning his forehead against the arm of the sofa, he arched his back. Duke’s trembling lips touched his nipples. Niall knew he was once again waging a war between inhibition and nature.
Hesitatingly retreating and then repeating the approach, Duke’s lips finally enveloped Niall’s nipple. Niall moaned, arching his back. Touching was bearable. Maybe even lightly sucking on his lips was tolerable.
But licking with his tongue. Please, not that…
