"Oh…" I held out my mittened hand and caught a large snowflake that had fallen. Ronak had given me a set of mittens that matched almost identically to the red scarf he had purchased for me in the capital. They were incredibly snug from the fur lining, and the best part was that the part of the mitten that covered my four fingers could be buttoned back in case I needed to use my hands better. Maybe not so good for playing in the snow, but excellent for going to shops like we were.
"It seems nature is agreeing that now is the perfect time to get lunch." Ronak stared up at the gray skies that were starting to brew above us and grabbed my still extended hand. Hey! You squished the snowflake! "Do you like soups?"
"Yeah, most soups are good." There were a few I didn't like, but as long as it was hearty and full of flavor, I didn't have any complaints.
"Good, I think you'll like the place we're going to." The restaurant wasn't that far away from the shops we had been wandering around. As we entered, there was a gentle tinkle of a bell, but it was quickly drowned out by a bustling crowd. Seemed like Ronak wasn't the only one who wanted to come here. Two women hurried about the crowded place, taking food to tables and retrieving empty plates. The atmosphere was incredibly warm and inviting, like you just showed up to a relative's house.
One of the women hurried over to us with a wide smile. "Table for two?" Ronak simply nodded, and the woman directed us over to a table in the corner. It was a bit quieter, but I was surprised that Ronak didn't request a private space. "What can I get for you?" She asked as we sat down across from each other.
"Two of your specials," Ronak responded. She nodded her head and turned to take care of other customers.
"I'm surprised you've been to somewhere like this. It seems louder than what you like…" People at the separate tables talked and chatted with those around them. It reminded me of my family home a bit. The villagers were all so nice there… I was a bit sad that I would rarely see them now…
"They don't have a private room. I like their soup enough to tolerate the noise… Why do you feel sad?" I looked at Ronak in surprise and scoffed. Of course, nothing ever got past him.
"This place just reminded me of the pub I would wander to in my hometown. They served okay food, but the atmosphere was similar." I rested my chin on my fist as I leaned on the table, watching the boisterous crowd. "Makes me feel a little nostalgic."
"Should we visit this summer when we go there?"
"Oh, absolutely not. The food is subpar at most. You would hate it." I laughed and waved my hands in front of me. The village I grew up in was relatively poor, and Ronak would absolutely hate the food they made. Part of the reason why I became obsessed with the food at the academy was that it was so amazing compared to the food I had at home. Not that our family food was bad… it was just incomparable. Now Ronak's gone and made me even more of a food snob with his private chefs! "You… really want to visit my hometown, huh?"
"I would like to visit the place that made you the way you are." The glance Ronak gave me was awfully teasing.
"It's nothing special. A handful of villagers and my parents, all living in some glades." Gosh, maybe I should try and deter Ronak from visiting my parents. He's going to hate every second of it. Nothing there was high quality or nice…
"Here are two of our specials!" A waitress set plate after plate of food down onto our table, and I was surprised at how much there was. "You two enjoy, and if you need anything, just holler!"
"Thank you!" I smiled at her as she left, then turned my attention back to the plates. I noticed Ronak staring at something in disdain, then he gently pushed it in my direction. I snickered loudly as his bowl of broccoli scooted towards me, and my snicker slowly evolved into giggles.
"Oh, hush, had I known the side was going to be that, I wouldn't have ordered it. I mostly came here for this." He took his spoon and dipped it into the soup, but the most interesting part of it was that it was served in a large loaf of bread that had been hollowed out. The soup itself was creamy with lots of corn inside and bits of meat. I had never had anything of the sort, so I mimicked Ronak and grabbed my spoon.
"It's a little sweet!" I excitedly dipped my spoon in again and retrieved a large piece of potato. I could see why Ronak liked this stuff; it was incredibly hearty and filling. "You should have the chefs make some!"
"I did once, and it just wasn't the same. This place makes it the best, so I like to sneak over here every once in a while." Ronak broke off a bit of the bread bowl's side and dipped it into the soup with a smile. "Guess this gets to be our thing now." He winked at me as he stuck the bread into his mouth.
A happy and excited feeling filled my heart. I liked the sound of that. Our thing. Hehe. Gosh, moments like this made me realize how much I liked Ronak… I-I don't know if it's love yet… but maybe… "Ack!" Ronak reached over while I was zoned out and pinched my nose.
"Hello? Are you alive over there? Not only do you have quite the look on your face, but I asked you a question." His red eyes gazed into mine, and I flinched, making my spoonful of soup plop back down into the bowl. Gah! I-I can't handle that intense of a look after thinking about something so embarrassing!
"S-sorry! I was thinking about something! What did you ask?" I said while rubbing my now sore nose.
Ronak scoffed. "I asked you to tell me about the village you grew up in."
"Oh, Wildborough is a sleepy little village on the northern edge of the empire. It's rather peaceful thanks to the giant expanse of mountains it sits up against. I would be surprised if more than a hundred people were living there."
"Does Wildborough produce anything unique?"
I giggled as I took another bite of soup. "No. It's rare if we get traveling merchants to pass by, and there's not even a shop in town. Most of the villagers live a more hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Even my parents and I would occasionally go and gather wild carrots and onions to store for winter. I became interested in herbs and their properties when I helped an older gentleman in the village gather some herbs for his arthritis one summer. That was before I manifested as an omega and discovered I had light magic. Once that happened, my mother took it upon herself to start teaching me how to be a proper noble…"
Ronak watched me as I spoke with curious eyes. He had probably never had to gather anything in his life in order to have food. "That sounds nice. My childhood was… unpleasant." Ronak had mentioned his childhood from time to time, and unpleasant was an understatement. His fake father was abusive and constantly sending assassins after him. He had to learn to be mature at a young age as the dukedom's responsibilities fell to him. It was easy to understand how Ronak became so harsh without knowing every detail. He probably had a hard time trusting people. I know I would struggle if I were him.
I reached across the table and snagged Ronak's free hand that was resting on it. "He's gone now, so everything from here on out should be pleasant, right? You've even got me to annoy you now." I cheekily grinned, and Ronak rolled his eyes.
"I hardly find you annoying." He laced his fingers through mine and stared down at the ring I rarely took off. Its jewels glistened in the dinner's warm lighting, and just seeing it made me happy. I loved its golden bands that intertwined and its large teardrop-shaped ruby surrounded by tiny diamonds and bigger ones. Like two halos.
It felt like a reflection of us. "I've told you before, but maybe you weren't listening. You're like a golden ray of light that pierced through the storm clouds. I didn't know I needed the sun until I met you, and now that I have it, I would be lost if my sun disappeared."
"Y-you always say such embarrassing things unexpectedly!" My face became redder the longer he talked. All I could do was stare down at the table in embarrassment.
"They say love makes you into a fool, so I guess I'm too foolish to know that it's embarrassing." I quickly glanced up to see Ronak grinning smugly. This big meanie! He knew dang well that when he said such sweet things, I became highly embarrassed. He definitely was doing it on purpose.
"Y-you're not a fool…" I mumbled as I swirled my finger around on the table top.
Two of the waitresses stopped by, and one cleaned up our plates, and the other set a small round cake loaded to the brim with berries and cream on top. "This is to celebrate your return, and apparently, it should be celebrating something else. Hehe, we'll all be excited when the wedding is announced and we get an archduchess." The two waitresses left, and I noticed lots of smiles directed towards us around the room. Ah! My face had to be the same deep crimson as Ronak's eyes were.
Ronak snickered, "It seems that your beauty has deluded more poor souls. Whatever will we do?" I went to talk, but Ronak shoved a spoonful of cake, berries, and cream into my mouth, then twirled the spoon around his fingers. "You might actually have to receive the title archduchess, not archduke, at this rate."
"That's not funny," I mumbled as I stared out the window at the falling snow. Being confused for a woman didn't bother me, but at the end of the day, I was a man. I didn't want to receive the title archduchess. That felt wrong, like I was pretending to be something I wasn't.
"I was joking. Would you like me to correct them?" Ronak asked as he offered me another bite of the cake. He ate a little bit to be polite, but I could tell he wasn't enjoying it. The cake was extra spongy and sweet with the cream on top. The berries helped cut through the sweetness with their bursting tartness, but Ronak kept eating all the berries, leaving me with cake and cream. It was good, but far better with all three components.
"No, I'm not worried about it. They'll find out eventually, but I don't want to receive the title of archduchess. That would be odd."
Ronak snickered and rubbed his thumb against my palm he was still playing with. "It would be odd, but you have to say yes first before you worry about a title. You're making me be very patient." He set down the spoon after giving me the last bite and pulled coins from his pocket. Gah! Ronak, are you the reason this place seems to be flourishing? You're way overpaying… "Come on. There are a few other places I wanted to take you."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We walked by a shop that had luxurious-looking blankets in the window, and I stopped to stare. "Let's go inside," Ronak said as he noticed me staring.
"Oh, but you wanted to go to a different store…" I couldn't take my eyes off one of the blankets. It looked so incredibly soft that I just wanted to plunge my face into it.
"We can go into both. We have all day." He took my hand and pulled me inside the store. Their shelves were stocked to the brim with different types of fabrics, pillows, bedding sets, blankets, and throws. Everything had such vibrant patterns and colors, I was surprised they were able to achieve such an impressive offering. It was clear that the townspeople of Ebonhold were not poverty-stricken in the slightest. Everyone was so bright and cheery, making the town feel incredibly welcoming.
I walked over to the blanket I had been admiring and gently ran my hand across it. OoooOOoooh! So soft! Ronak snickered as he watched me hug it, but ugh, it was surprisingly heavy… "I see the foxlin blankets have caught your eye. Those have been incredibly popular this year with n-nobles." The shopkeeper stuttered as he realized he was talking to Ronak but managed to keep a straight face. Gosh, did everyone here know who Ronak was?
"Do you want one?" Ronak didn't even look at the guy as he approached; his eyes were on me.
"Mmhmmm! I-I want a couple. Feel!" I managed to pick it up and haul it over to Ronak, who snickered again.
He ran his hands across the fur and smiled. "They are quite nice pelts, but I worry you're going to suffocate under one. You can barely lift it."
"That is the largest size we offer, sir. We offer smaller ones in different sizes depending on what you want." I looked at the shopkeeper who was smiling politely, then back at Ronak.
"But I want this one for our bed. It will look nice at the foot of it and will keep us warm in the cold winter weather." I batted my eyes at Ronak, who sighed.
"I wasn't going to say no. I was just admiring how you're struggling to hold it." He pulled the blanket out of my hands with ease and looked it over. "What other ones do you want?" I smiled and turned towards the wall with more blankets on it. I wasn't as excited about them as the candy, but it was pretty close. Those were the softest things I think I had ever touched in my life. Honestly, I wanted them all but managed not to seem greedy. Because of Ronak's prompting, I picked out an additional three blankets and some pillows. One was for the lookout room above our bedroom, the big one obviously for our bed, another for the sofa in our room's main sitting area, and lastly one for his private office, along with pillows for his sofas. I mostly picked out gray ones because they would match anything you paired with them. There was an interesting silver one that almost had blue undertones, but it just wouldn't match anything in the castle.
"Would you like me to have these delivered to your estate?" The shopkeeper asked after being paid for the items.
"I got this!" I raised my hands and sucked the blankets and pillows into my storage. Poof! Gone! I smiled broadly at the shopkeeper who stared at me in shock.
"Are you trying to see how many residents you can startle in a day?" Ronak teased with a smirk.
"No… I was just putting our stuff into storage… Did you want to carry everything?" I held out my hand threateningly and narrowed my eyes. Don't try me. I will drop all the stuff we bought on the ground and make you carry it.
"Stop trying to cause a scene." Ronak grabbed my outstretched hand and hauled me out of the poor, shocked shopkeeper's store.
"Gosh, does everyone in Ebonhold know who you are?" I don't think we've been in one place where Ronak hasn't been identified.
He furrowed his brow and glanced at me as we walked. "It would be a bit strange if you didn't know who the nobility who lives up the hill is."
"The people seem to like you." They even gifted us a cake! They had to like him a bit to give him something like that.
"Did you think they wouldn't?" He glared over at me, and I flinched.
"Th-that's… well… you don't exactly have the best reputation at the academy…" Ronak, don't act like you're a shining beacon of perfect behavior. You literally punch people who make you mad, and lord have mercy on someone who makes you furious. I've had to scrape my fair share of bodies off the ground because of you.
"It's not my goal to be liked by fucking jackasses from other dukedoms, and I don't tolerate pissy pricks." Gosh, Ronak. If looks could kill. I rolled my eyes. Did Ebonhold have a low crime rate because of the knights or because you lurked here? If I had to take a guess, it's probably because you lurk up on the hill.
"Calm down." I rubbed his arm and gently squeezed his muscles. "I didn't mean anything by it. I think it's lovely that your people like you. I would be a bit concerned if they feared or hated you." We were stopped by a bulletin board that had fliers hung on it, and one caught my eye. "Oh, what's that?" I pointed at the board, drawing Ronak's attention.
"Seems like a traveling performance will be arriving in a few weeks. I'm surprised they travel around in snow."
"Can we go?!" I tugged excitedly on Ronak's arm. I had always heard stories of traveling performers, but I had never gotten to see any. Sometimes they did impressive tricks or had tamed beasts, but this one seemed to be a play.
"That's a bit close to the winter social, but I guess if we have time, we could." Ronak scratched the back of his head and looked a lot less enthused about the idea of attending than I did. "Ah, there's the store I wanted to take you to. You won't be as excited about it as you were at the candy store, but I thought you would find it interesting." Ronak opened the door to the shop, and we entered.
The store had quite a pungent smell as we entered. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good. Like smells fighting over each other. It wasn't super strong, but it was enough to make your nose wrinkle up. The wall was lined with jars that had a little sign next to them. Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were different tea blends ranging from black teas to green teas. From floral teas to spiced teas, they had an impressive selection.
I became distracted by reading the signs, and I heard Ronak greet the shop owner. When I turned around to say hi, I paused. Holy tamoly, those were some… big mellons. Even as an omega, I was having a hard time not staring. My eyes slowly wandered to Ronak with a suspicious gaze. Ronak… are you coming here for tea or for the eye candy?
Ronak flicked my nose harder than normal, causing me to yelp and cover my nose with both hands. "I want a tea sampler kit for this brat. He likes sweet teas, the sweeter the better. Floral, not anything minty or sour."
"Of course, would you like the large sampler pack or the small one?" She asked, completely oblivious to the silent conversation happening between me and Ronak. Gosh, now I feel like a bad guy. She seems super nice.
"The large is fine." Ronak folded his arms and glared at me while she went about getting the tea ready. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Why did you flick my nose, you meanie?!" I scurried over to the wall of teas to hide from Ronak.
"I think you know exactly why I flicked your nose." He glared at me, and I flinched. Ack! He says he can't read my mind, but sometimes it feels like he can!
"Would you like a box of your favorite teas sent to your estate as well, sir?"
"I'm sure an attendant will be by for some soon." Ronak paid for the box of tea, and he thrust it into my arms. "Put it in your storage brat." The girl smiled at me apologetically, but her eyes went wide as I shoved it into my storage alongside the other things we had purchased. "Come on before I haul you back to the estate early." Ronak dragged me from the store, and I awkwardly waved to the girl before leaving.
"Stop dragging me! You're going to pull my arm off." I childishly whined.
"Stop accusing me of looking at things I don't care about." Ronak pulled me down a deserted side road and pushed me against a wall. He braced himself with one arm and thrust his other arm under my cloak so he could grab my chest. I yelped as he squeezed me, and a wave of annoyance hit me from Ronak. "I'm aware you're not a woman, and even if you were, I wouldn't be gawking at other women's chests. I'm a bit more civil than that." I squealed as he managed to find and pinch my nipple between his two fingers. "Plus, the faces and sounds you make are my favorite."
I grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop teasing me as I gasped for air. "Y-you say that as if you've been with others…" I looked away awkwardly as the stupid thought escaped my mouth.
"Mmm, but I haven't. You've always been the only one." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him as he pulled his collar open, revealing part of his golden bond mark. "Have you forgotten that we belong to each other?"
"No…" Ronak never struck me as the type to play around with others… Just sometimes the worst thoughts come to mind…
He leaned down and grumbled into my ear. "I didn't realize you were the jealous type. That's my job." Ronak had expressed to me multiple times how easily he became jealous. Having me go train with the knights this morning must have driven him insane.
His lips met mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I get jealous too, dummy." I breathlessly said as I pulled away. Maybe not as often as Ronak, but I've had my fair share of jealous moments.
Ronak pulled away from me with a grunt as someone passed by the alley. Gosh, now the two of us look all disheveled. Why'd he have to tease me like that? I went about fixing my clothes, and Ronak watched me with rather attentive eyes. "S-stop staring and fix your collar! You look like we were doing something naughty in the alley."
"Oh, but I want to do something naughty in the alley." Eep! I don't want any unsavory rumors spreading about us because Ronak has little to no self-control.
I leaned up onto my tippy toes and started fixing his collar for him. "And you say I'm a brat?"
Ronak wrapped his arms around my waist, hoisting me up to reach a bit better. He started nibbling on my neck, though, making it awfully hard to fix his clothes. "But you are." He whispered into my ear.
"Stoooop it," I whined. He was going to get me all excited, and we had barely made it to the town square. I wanted to look around a bit more, not get hauled off to our room by him.
"Fine, I'll be patient." Ronak put me back down, but I could see how full of desire his eyes were. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, am I?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We finally made it to the town square. Ronak was right! I do like this place! There were buntings strung between the businesses, and the fountain was still flowing despite how cold it was. I noticed lots of flower beds around, which were probably gorgeous in the spring and summer. The stalls all had interesting things at them, and I couldn't wait to roam around with Ronak.
"Calm down," Ronak said as he tightened the grip on my hand.
"But look! Snacks!" Ronak let out a sigh as I desperately tugged him over to a vendor selling something sweet. "What are those?" They were pouring some sort of batter into a hot iron, and when it came out, it had all sorts of ridges and valleys in it. The best part was, they were putting a chocolate sauce on them!
Ronak sounded a bit defeated, but I didn't care. "Those are waffles. You'll like them. They're similar in taste to your sweet cakes." I gasped excitedly as Ronak paid the man and passed me my very own waffle.
"Do you want a bite?" I asked as I held it up to his mouth.
He didn't look very enthused, but Ronak took a small bite of the waffle that didn't have any chocolate on it. "Just as sweet as I remember…" His eyes were absolutely glued to me as I happily beamed. Hehe.
I took a bite and oh my gosh! It was amazing! Perfectly crisp with the perfect amount of chocolate. "They should put cream on them like that cake," I mumbled before taking another big bite.
"The last thing you need is more sugar on that thing."
"You're such a fun hater." Ronak's brow furrowed as he watched me eat.
"Should I stop you from buying any more sweets?" I paused and looked up at Ronak with big eyes.
"You're so nice and fun!" I batted my eyelashes, and he rolled his eyes.
"And you wonder why I call you a brat?" No… I knew why you called me a brat. I just knew you'd let me get away with it. It was pretty cute how Ronak was exceptionally weak to my desires.
"Oooh! Let's go see what they're selling!" I giggled as I grabbed his hand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronak
This was just as bad as our first date. My heart was beating aggressively in my chest, and I couldn't take my eyes off Micha. He was so alluring when smiling. The only thing that was pissing me off, though, was that while in the capital, little to no commoners knew who I was. Here, though… everyone did. At least most of them had a general idea as to who I was. Needless to say, I was getting quite a few glances as I followed my sunshine around like a collared dog.
"You need to slow down," I grumbled as Micha managed to sniff out another vendor selling sweets. At least this one had fruit instead of pure sugar. What was the point of working out this morning if you were going to eat your weight in food? Despite being annoyed, I still couldn't bring myself to stop as I handed the vendor a coin.
"Here, try it!" But I don't fucking want to… Micha cutely held the fruit skewer up to me, and I sampled the tart winter berry. Shit. The grin on his face made me want to abduct him to our room. Yeah, this was far better than how mopey he was this morning. "Does it taste good?"
Hmm? Oh. "They're tart, are you sure you're going to like them?" Micha took a bite, and a bit of berry juice ran down his chin. My heart jolted nervously for a second before I quickly wiped it away. Ugh, that was a foreboding feeling… It's just damn berry juice, not fucking blood. What's wrong with me?
Micha giggled and gave me a cute smile as he watched me lick the juice from my thumb. "Mmm, they are tart, but they're good. I mostly got them because I thought you'd like how tart they were." Micha pulled another berry off the stick and presented it to me.
"You're getting your fingers all sticky." Despite not wanting any more food, I still ate what Micha presented to me.
"I can wash them up in the snow." He tossed the stick away in the vendor's trash can and wandered over to some snow. I flinched slightly as he stuck his mittens-less hands down into the snow. "Tada! All clean!"
I reached out and snagged his now-flush fingers from the air and pulled them into my cloak. "You shouldn't do that. You're going to make yourself sick."
"Pft! I'd do it all the time back home, and I lived to tell the tale." Micha wiggled his fingers around until they were laced through mine under my cloak. Sound drifted our way as people around us started to get excited. Ugh. "Oh wow!" Micha pulled his hands free of mine and, like an excited puppy, wandered towards the sound.
I wish he would stop fucking taking off. I'd say that Ebonhold is safer than the capital, but that didn't mean I wanted him far away from me. I managed to snag his hood and pulled him back towards me so I could grab his hand. The little brat turned towards me with a snicker. It's not fucking funny.
"What's all this?" He asked as people started to gather.
"There's a band that likes to set up here." Why'd they have to pick today of all days?
"Fun!" Guess so… Oh…
"Let's keep looking at a few vendors." I definitely needed to go over there…
"Okay!" I admit that it was pretty cute watching Micha bob his head to the music as we looked at a few stalls. I didn't realize he even liked music that much.
"Do you know how to play an instrument?" I asked as I looked over some trinkets.
"No… but my mother would take me to a performance hall every once in a while. It was fun." I see… maybe I'll have to play for him sometime…
"Here." I turned towards Micha and held out my hands. He was completely distracted while I shopped, which worked out perfectly.
He glanced at what the vendor was selling, and his cheeks turned pink. "You got me another one?" His hands came up and curiously tried peeling my fingers away.
"How could I not? You look so beautiful with the accessories I bought for you in your hair." I slowly opened my hands to show him the large red crystal rose. It wasn't any high-quality gemstones, but the craftsman who made this did a relatively good job. I'd be happy to see Micha wearing this in his hair.
"Oh wow! It's so pretty!" Micha carefully picked it up and quickly spun around. "Put it in! Put it in!" I couldn't help but smile as he held up the flower for me. It was on a long gold-plated pin, so I could do it easily enough.
"You have another one already in your hair…. Though…" I pulled the flower from Micha's grasp and carefully positioned it next to his golden leaves. Micha had been wearing his hair in a high ponytail more often, so it wasn't difficult at all to slide in. They actually paired together incredibly well.
"Is it in?" Micha asked as he peeked up at me.
"Yeah…" Fuck. He was going to make my heart stop.
"How does it look?" He asked as he did a small spin.
"Stunning as always." Stunning in a literal sense, too. It was like everyone else disappeared in the market, and it was just me and my radiant sun, smiling without a care in the world.
Micha giggled and looked past me with wide eyes. "People are dancing." Yeah… I know it's rather popular to come dancing here.
"So they are…" I peeked over my shoulder, and sure enough, a few couples were dancing together. I looked back at Micha and froze. Those were… some rather large pleading eyes… "The sun is starting to set… we should get some dinner."
Oof. Micha's cute look instantly soured. "Rooonak." He grumbled under his breath. "How can you be so romantic and clueless at the same time?" Come again?
The vendor I bought the hair clip from snickered, but a quick glare from me shut her up. It's not that I didn't want to dance with Micha… I just didn't want to dance with Micha here.
Micha grabbed my hand and angrily tugged me over to a vendor selling some sort of meat bun. "I found dinner. Are you happy?" Not really… I didn't love the low-quality meat inside of buns.
I let out a long sigh and presented my hand to Micha with a bow. "Micha, would you care to dance?" I glanced up to see him trying his best to hide a little smile.
"I-I guess we can." Don't give me such a lackluster response after caving to your desires. It's obvious you're excited.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micha
Hehehe! Ronak's cheeks were a bit pink, and his expression was pretty sour as I basically skipped over to where people were dancing. I wasn't sure why he didn't want to, but I knew once we started dancing, he'd cheer up. He seemed to like dancing with me when we were at his birthday party, and this was way more my type of setting.
"Don't look so upset. It will be fun!" I grabbed his hand and tugged him out into the open space with me. Just like before, Ronak was far too tall for me to put my hand on his shoulder without it looking awkward, so I simply held onto his arm. For someone who didn't want to dance, he sure didn't hesitate to grab my waist and pull me closer.
The music was fun and playful as we danced, and it seemed like more people than before had wandered over to watch and clap along to the song. Ronak spun me a few times, and I couldn't help but giggle. He was taking it so seriously.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronak
"Smile." Micha giggled as I swung him down into a dip. I wasn't? Oh… I guess I was feeling rather tense.
I let out a bit of a sigh and pulled Micha back over to me. Look who's getting all distracted now? I shouldn't be caring that off-duty knights and citizens are watching. The only one here I actually care about is the one I should be focused on.
Fuck I'm stupid. Why have I been glancing at others when Micha is radiating pure joy?
"See? Much better!" Micha giggled again and pulled me down so he could give me a quick peck on the lips. He shouldn't be doing that. Otherwise, everyone will get quite the show when I really steal a kiss.
I managed to control myself and didn't steal Micha away mid-song. It was fucking difficult, though. The song finally drew to an end, and I scooped Micha up into my arms bridal style. "Ack! R-Ronak!"
"I'm afraid my patience has run out. You can't keep showing off how beautiful and alluring you are. People are going to start desiring what they can't have. You're mine, and I'm not sharing." Micha's face turned a beautiful shade of red as people watched me haul him through the crowd. I wanted to growl and make people stop looking, but I knew that it would only draw their attention more. Mine. All mine. He's my prize.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micha
Ronak kept letting out these little grumbles as he hauled me somewhere far more private. "Teleport us to our room." What? He snuggled his head against mine, and he let out a soft growl.
I mean… I knew it was coming, but I thought we'd at least get to have a few more yummy street foods beforehand… I shouldn't have rushed dancing…
I snapped my fingers before Ronak got too into squeezing my butt in public, and we became weightless. I had become pretty good at adjusting speed, direction, and orientation when teleporting, so it was no accident that I was on top of Ronak as we landed in bed. He pulled me in for a kiss, and I squirmed around until I could throw my leg over Ronak.
He pulled away from me with a big smirk. "Someone is rather turned on." Ronak ground his pelvis against mine, but I already knew Ronak was hard. I knew the moment he started abducting me that he was feeling rather excited. I leaned down to kiss Ronak again, but he grabbed my face. The grin he had was starting to give me shivers. "Are you forgetting about something?"
Huh? What was he- What?! Was he really going to make me do that?! I froze like a startled deer as fear started to grip me. Of course, Ronak wouldn't forget. That's probably all he's been thinking about since yesterday… Stupid Ronak getting stupidly turned on by stupid outfits! I let out a groan and rolled off of him.
"Now, now, now. Don't get all shy. I let you off the hook big time today. Remember the bet you lost? I'm being so generous that I'm not holding you to it. The least you could do is be a good sport." That only made me groan more. "I'll go get the outfit." Ronak swatted my bottom as he rolled out of bed. I didn't even need to look to know that he was grinning like a madman.
It didn't take long for Ronak to return, but when I peeked at him… his hands were empty. Did he lose it or something? No… that's not like him at all…
"So many emotions." He snickered. "You can take a quick bath if you want. The outfit is on the table downstairs. I'll be taking a shower." Ronak barely explained his plan before shutting the bathroom door behind himself. Huh?!
It took a moment before I became brave enough to leave the bed. H-hopefully the outfit isn't too scandalous… Ronak better not have too strange of tastes…
I peeked over at the table and saw far too little black fabric awaiting me. I cautiously picked up the outfit and stared at it in confusion. Th-this is supposed to fit me? How?!
I nervously hauled it to the bathroom and set it on the counter. Maybe a bath will help me find some bravery… Ronak better be taking a long shower because… I-I need some time to wrap my head around this…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bathing did not help ease my nerves. I was barely able to scrub up before becoming incredibly fidgety. I exited the bath and slowly wandered back over to the outfit. The stockings were by far the most fabric the outfit had… I stared at the underwear uncomfortably for a second before becoming brave enough to slide them on. Calling them underwear was almost offensive. All they were was a pouch to keep everything together and a string around my waist and through my bum. The worst part was that it was rather tight, so the string practically disappeared between my cheeks. I tried not to look at them as I pulled the garter belt and stockings on. Black was a bold choice for my pale skin, but that would probably get Ronak all excited. The top… downright confused me. When I finally managed to get it on, I was pretty shocked to see a massive cutout showing off my chest. A-at least it's obvious what Ronak likes about my body…
Seeing myself in the bathroom mirror made me feel pretty mortified. Ronak, you weirdo! You expect me to let you see me wearing something so dirty? I think I'd drop dead if anyone else saw me wearing this. I-I can't believe Ronak bought something so scandalous! Apparently, he doesn't have any shame!
I awkwardly paced back and forth in the bathroom for a moment as I hesitated to exit. There was no avoiding this… was there… If I take too long, Ronak will come looking for me…
My hand nervously reached out and grabbed the door handle. The room was… surprisingly quiet… I think I heard the sound of running water… Is he still in the shower? I managed to drag myself up the stairs and peek over at the bed. H-he really is still in the shower…
One nervous tiptoe at a time, I slowly wandered over to the bed. I wanted to bury myself in the bedding, but as if on cue, the moment I kneeled on the bed, the water in the bathroom turned off. The best I could do was nervously turn away so Ronak didn't see how red my face was.
The door to the bathroom opened, and I turned my head slightly to speak. "Did you have to buy something s-so scandalous? C-couldn't you buy something with a bit more fabric, like that sweater dress?" I whined, but it fell on deaf ears because Ronak didn't respond. If anything, Ronak was being too quiet.
I slowly turned to peek behind me and saw Ronak standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He had a towel pressed against part of his face as if he was going to dry his hair, and another one wrapped around his waist, attempting to cover the obviously rock-hard boner he had. It was like he had frozen solid, except he'd blink every once in a while.
"D-did you die or did you make me put th-this on so you could s-stare?" I turned to give him a scathing look, but the moment I moved, Ronak pounced.
"Holy fucking hell." Ronak pushed me down onto the bed and stared at me like a starved animal. A shiver ran down my spine as his towel slid off and his dick pressed against my thigh.
"This is way fucking better than I thought it would be." He pulled one of the garter straps, causing it to fling back into place and slap my hip. "God, you're already so adorable, and this… this is fucking hot. I don't even know where to start, but my instincts want to eat you right up."
Ronak leaned down and kissed my neck while he pulled his towel off and flung it back towards the bathroom. He was completely naked, which felt a little unfair. He should have to wear something embarrassing as well. Ack! Ronak flipped me over while I was lost in thought and pulled my hips up into the air.
His pheromones were like crashing waves smashing into me and sending my brain into overdrive. Ronak didn't even waste any time as he began teasing me with his tongue. It felt a little strange for him to be playing with the panties' string while going at it, but it did make me feel even more turned on.
"You taste way fucking better than those damn candies." He mumbled as he came up for air. He wasted no time plunging his fingers deep inside me, making me gasp for air. "No more making love at places where you can't cry out. I want to hear each one of the lustful sounds you make." He poked one of my favorite spots, making me moan as he talked. I-I had to agree that this was much more pleasurable than what we attempted at the inn.
"Ngh! O-okay." I moaned again, and a massive wave of pleasure hit me from Ronak.
"I want to see your face tonight." He pulled his fingers out and pushed me to my side. It only took him seconds once I rolled to my back for him to pounce and envelop me in kisses. He was like a hungry beast trying to eat me from the inside out as our tongues pressed together.
I gasped for air as he pulled away and pushed my top out of the way so he could tease my chest. I never considered myself to be sensitive until I met Ronak's and his touch drove me wild as he moved from one side to the other. I wanted to arch my back up to meet his lips, but it tickled so much that all I could do was squirm underneath him. Yelps and pleased squeals echoed through our room, and Ronak pulled away with a grin.
"Someone is excited." His eyes darted around me as if they were unsure which part was their favorite.
"Y-yeah, I… Ngh! L-like it when you… Ngh! T-touch me!" It was hard to speak as Ronak began pressing against me, but I managed to get the words out.
Ronak let out a satisfied groan as he slid inside me. "That's good because I fucking love touching you." He leaned down and kissed me as he began gently thrusting back and forth.
He pressed my thighs into my chest and gripped them as he picked up the pace. I wasn't intentionally being loud, but pleasurable moans escaped me with each slap of his hips against my bottom. We hadn't made love in a while, and it was absolutely amazing. I just wanted him to rail me as hard as possible.
As if reading my mind, Ronak pulled out of me and stared at the bedpost at the foot of the bed. "Sit up and hold onto that." He pointed at the bedpost, and I nodded my head. I rolled over and crawled towards the bedpost, but yelped as Ronak spanked my bottom. "Faster." He growled with a grin on his face.
I wasn't sure exactly how he wanted me to hold onto it, but I wrapped my hands around the midpart that looked like a giant round bead. I was only there for a second, and Ronak quickly slid back inside me. I moaned as he pressed against different places because of the new position. It felt great.
It only took him a moment before he was pounding me to the point I could hardly breathe. My thighs quaked like leaves on a tree in the fall, and my arms barely managed to hold onto the bedpost. I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge. My mind went blank as I hit my peak and my hands lost their grip, causing me to collapse into the bed in whole body shivers.
That didn't deter Ronak, though. With a feral grunt, he pressed me flat into the bed with his hips and began smashing me into our plush new mattress. As I came down from my high, I had to gasp for air between the yelps and moans that kept escaping me.
A concerning feeling started to build in my chest as Ronak let out a feral growl. "R-Ronak?!" I gasped, but there was no response. I forced myself up onto my arms so I could twist and try to look at Ronak, but I almost wished I hadn't. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused, and he moved with a familiar urgency I had experienced before.
His rut didn't appear as often as regular alphas, which experienced it once every other month. Ronak's rut only happens every six months, and I've experienced it once during the dungeon. This one was early… was it induced? I wasn't trying to induce one for him, but it was far too late to worry about it. I just had to focus on not going into heat myself.
Ronak pressed my shoulders down, causing me to collapse back down against the bed. The harder he pounded me, the more the flames built up in my chest. It was too much. How was I supposed to resist something like this?!
I gasped loudly as I was taken over by the heat. My gasp turned into desperate pants as my body began desperately craving Ronak. It was like my golden bond mark was on fire as well, and only Ronak's cold touch could calm it down. I grabbed fistfuls of the bedding and pulled them towards me while panting. I kept putting my hips up in the air for Ronak to smash back down against the bed. The harder he drilled me, the more satisfied I felt.
He paused, pulling out of me, and let out a feral growl as he backed up on the bed. I managed to roll to my side to look down at him and saw that his mana was swirling about him. He had transformed into his demonic form. His tail whipped back and forth as he stretched his wings out. I could tell he was a bit disgruntled by the clothes, but he kicked off the pants, leaving only his top which mostly exposed his entire chest. He stared at me with his striking eyes that were now black instead of white, and a shiver ran down my spine as he grabbed my leg and pulled me towards him.
I was already loose from him pounding me, and because of the swelling heat in my chest, he had no problem sliding inside me with his slightly larger shaft. I gasped loudly, but Ronak silenced me with a messy kiss. His eyes seemed a bit clearer now, but mine sure weren't. The flames in my chest were engulfing me like a monsoon.
I enjoyed the sound of his beaded collar making a gentle rattling sound as his body moved against mine. Heh, he was now wearing clothes too, but his were hardly embarrassing like mine were.
His tail came up and wrapped around my thigh, and his wings dipped down to both sides of us like a tent as he pushed in as far as he could go. I inhaled sharply as my body convulsed underneath his, and a warmth started to fill me. Ronak growled almost defensively as he cradled my body against his. Even his breathing was ragged, but that didn't stop him from going for another round once he had calmed down.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I lost count of how many times he made me orgasm. By the time the flames were extinguished for both of us, the sky had started turning a pale yellow.
I lay in an exhausted heap on the bed, absolutely covered in sweat and an uncomfortable stickiness. Ronak lay next to me, trying to catch his breath. I don't know how he had so much energy. It was far too much for me to handle. I thought I was going to pass out any second, but I became distracted as Ronak got out of bed and carefully pulled me up into his arms. I gasped as he forced an all too familiar liquid into my mouth. Ugh, I don't want to drink that stuff! I'm tired.
He was still transformed, but his black and red eyes stared down at me with a tender love. "Don't fall asleep yet. We're going to go take a bath while Olivia changes the bedding out for something clean." I didn't have the energy to respond, so I just rested my head against his chest and let him haul me down the stairs.
Ronak carefully removed my lingerie, clearly trying not to damage it. He had reverted to his normal self, so he didn't have claws trying to remove delicate strings and straps. Then he cradled me in his arms again and pulled me down into the warm water with him. He gently washed me off while I sat in his lap, not attempting to do anything. I was just too exhausted. It was a miracle that I hadn't passed out.
I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder, causing him to laugh. "Is someone tired from making sweet, sweet love with me all night?" I nodded my head slightly and let out a little groan. "Mmm, but we have to get you all clean first. Then you can go to sleep."
I furrowed my brow and managed to find my voice. "Join?" The way he phrased it sounded like he wasn't going to go to sleep.
"Nope, I'm going to go train with the knights, and I have work that I avoided doing yesterday. There are letters to send, reports to look over, arguments to settle, and I have to finish my list of nobles who are only loyal to the previous duke. I've almost sorted through them all, but there are a lot of nobles in my dukedom." I felt bad that I distracted him from his work yesterday. He didn't need to spend the entire day with me, even though it was fun. "Stop feeling guilty. I'm not going to ignore you just because there are things to be done. Paperwork can always be looked at later. Come, the bed should be changed by now."
Ronak lifted me out of the water and wrapped me in a large ultra-plush towel. My legs felt like they were made of jelly, and I had to lean against the wall while Ronak threw a robe on. He scooped me back up into his arms and thankfully carried me up the stairs to the bed because I couldn't have made it on my own. I would have had to sleep on the sofa if it were up to me.
"Alright, I'll be back later. Call Olivia if you need anything. I don't want you leaving this bed until I return. Not that I think you can." He smirked as he tucked me into the fresh linens. He was lucky I was tired; otherwise, I would have smacked him upside the head with a pillow. You're the reason I'm like this, you meanie!
Ronak went back downstairs, probably to change, and I snuggled down into the bedding. The moment my eyes shut, I was gone, exhaustion had won the war, and I left for dreamland.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronak
I was in a pretty good mood until I thought about where I was headed. A vein in my forehead throbbed as I remembered how all the damn pathetic worms treated Micha yesterday. Did they honestly think I was oblivious to the glances they gave him? How pathetic they made him feel? He's a goddamn omega, what did they expect from him? I even warned the bastards, and yet they dared to push the boundaries.
"Are you heading out then?" Olivia asked as I faltered next to the bedroom door. She had the sheets we made a complete mess of in her arms. I wanted nothing more than to go back upstairs and snuggle up close to Micha, but I had business to take care of… Olivia continued to stare at me as I was lost in thought. I guess I am blocking the door.
"Yeah. I'm just thinking of a proper punishment for some bastards."
"Just don't make them bleed or break any of their bones. The little lord would cry if you did that." I gave Olivia an annoyed side eye as I walked down the hall with her.
"I'll just make them wish they were a bleeding heap of broken bones."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guerin
"Run faster, you bastards!" The Archduke's voice echoed out from behind us, and a savage growl could be heard as someone let out a fearful scream. Gah! I wasn't even part of the problem! Why did I have to get stuck getting punished with the rest of them?! I-I'm too young to die!
I was running along the trail as fast as I could, but it was like moving through thick mud. Because we managed to piss off the archduke yesterday, he forced us to wear those accursed enchanted rings today for training. They looked innocent enough, but upon putting it on, you realized just how awful they were as they made your body feel triple its weight. Standing still with one on was already torture; being forced to run and do exercises with one on was excruciating.
Unfortunately, since I was part of the unit that caused most of the problems, I was being punished along with all the jerks who couldn't keep their opinions to themselves. It was incredibly frustrating. If anyone had taken a moment to get to know Micha, they'd know that while he isn't a physical force, he wasn't one to mess around with. No, I wasn't referring to the Archduke who watched over him like a protective guard dog. I was talking about his magical abilities that easily could decimate a group of esquires or even some knights.
"Ah! I-I can't take it anymore! M-my lungs are on fire!' One of the fresher recruits next to me whined.
I myself felt like I was dying, but I turned to the guy with a glare. "I'll come to your funeral." I was just teasing, but as if on cue, another one of our newer squadron members let out a horrified yell. I had to look away from the greenhorn's look of horror and focus on myself as I ran. There was no chance I was going to get my kneecaps bashed in today.
Man, I was an alpha too, but the horrific sounds the Archduke managed to make were downright terrifying. I could growl, but nothing compared to how he could. It was like a savage beast was coming for us all. The most frightening part was, we were dropping like flies. Most of the seasoned knights were still standing, but even they looked exhausted.
Not only did the Archduke coming after us strike fear into our hearts, but he said whoever he managed to catch would get the opportunity to try out a new potion he had been tinkering with. That alone sent a shiver up my spine. The last set of knights he did that to had uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea for a week. They couldn't hold food down, and even drinking water made them nauseous. According to older knights, that was a tame one, too. I don't even want to think about what the Archduke brewed up just for us.
The best I could do was just keep running-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronak
I wasn't going to stop until I had captured every last bastard. Not one of them was going to be free of the purgatory I was going to put them through. I angrily leapt forward while snarling and managed to take down another esquire. He let out a pathetic scream as he tumbled into the snow with me. I wanted to reach down and pummel the shit out of him, but I was trying to behave. I didn't want Micha finding out that I hurt most of the knights, so I was doing my best to inflict minimal damage. Instead, I took another enchanted ring out of my bag and placed it on the bastard's chest. He was sniveling pathetically as I sat up and stepped away from him. Can't go running off now.
"Shut the fuck up." I snarled as I wound through the brush to make it back to the path. I sent the fucker's location to my mindless undead so they'd collect his sniveling body and carry him back to the training grounds. One down, only a handful of bastards left.
My tail whipped back and forth as I took off towards the next group of knights. Enough playing around. Time to finish this.