#121
“I missed you, Enrique.”
Anture whispered, embracing Enrique so tightly as if he might crush him. Enrique was completely overwhelmed by the strong body enveloping him, the warm body heat transmitted, and the scent that soaked his entire body.
“You, why… why are you here…?”
Enrique stammered like a fool, unable to string his words together properly. After the intense joy of reunion, worry and fear suddenly surged. What if he’s just stopping by briefly? What if he’s only here to deliver news and then leave again…? If that were the case, he would have to endure the pain of separation once more.
“I’ve finally come back to you completely. I won’t leave you again. I won’t budge from your side.”
Anture whispered affectionately. Enrique felt dizzy.
“You, you don’t mean… What have you done?”
Enrique muttered in a shocked voice. Anture nodded as if to confirm.
“I persuaded my father to crown Ruslan as the crown prince instead of me. Now I’ll never have to leave your side. I promise.”
“…You’re crazy.”
“Yes. Crazy about you.”
“You’re mad….”
“Didn’t you miss me?”
Enrique’s eyes slowly regained focus as he kept muttering about madness.
Anture had pushed Ruslan to the position of crown prince instead of himself. And he had returned to his side. He had given up the position of crown prince, the throne of the Ruben Empire!
“You…”
Enrique forcefully pushed away Anture who was embracing him. Then he grabbed his collar with both hands. His head was still ringing as if he had been hit hard. He felt like he might faint. And amidst all this, tremendous anger and bewilderment heated up his head. It was so hot that he felt like his head might explode.
“Are you insane?!”
“Enrique.”
“Have you lost your mind?! Huh?! You just threw away the position of crown prince, the future emperor’s seat?! Do you know what that position means! Do you know what that means!”
Enrique shouted at the top of his lungs, shaking Anture by the collar. His head was so hot that his vision was spinning. He wanted to tear at Anture’s face and hair that had been so dear and lovable, and beat him senseless.
“I told you. You’re the love of my life. I don’t need anything else but you.”
Anture said with a smile in his eyes. His smiling eyes were filled with sincerity.
“…Good heavens….”
The strength left his legs. Anture supported Enrique, who was almost collapsing, and held him tightly.
“You…. You….”
Enrique couldn’t say more than “you” several times. It was partly because he had too much to say, and partly because he had nothing to say.
After stumbling over his words for a while, Enrique grabbed Anture’s sleeve tightly and raised his head. Black eyes greeted Enrique. Looking into those eyes, Enrique contorted his face.
“It’s not just a small kingdom, it’s the Ruben Empire. If you become emperor, you could do great things. And you would proudly leave your name in history. But you just threw that position away? Just because of me? Just because of love?”
“No, Enrique. Not just because of love. Because of you, no less. I gave it up for you.”
Anture kindly corrected his words.
“To throw away the chance to go down in history with your own feet, how foolish….”
Enrique muttered despairingly. For Enrique, who was born and raised as royalty and had an innate ambition and desire, he couldn’t understand Anture’s actions at all.
“Don’t worry, Enrique. I’ll still have my name on a page of history. I’ll be forever recorded as a lover in history who willingly threw away the crown for love, for you no less. Isn’t that romantic?”
The words Anture continued to speak gently dripped with sweet honey. It was sweet enough to willingly consume even if it were mixed with poison.
“…Ruslan is… too young.”
Enrique muttered, trying to regain his rational state.
“No, it’s just right. My father is still young and healthy, so even if I became crown prince, I would inherit the throne when I’m already old. But with Ruslan, he can inherit the throne in his prime. It’s good for me, good for Ruslan, and good for Ruben to have a Superior Alpha as the next emperor, isn’t it?”
Whether it was really true, or whether he wanted to accept it as such, Enrique’s heart moved a little at Anture’s persuasion. Or more accurately, Enrique’s selfish desires began to stir.
“But….”
Enrique desperately searched for a reason to suppress the selfish desire rising at the fact that he could regain Anture forever.
“But that’s too much of a loss for you. Only you lose everything, only you….”
Yes. This was too much of a loss for Anture. Enrique and Shamier, Ruben and Ruslan gained a lot. But Anture had lost everything. It was too unfair. Anture shouldn’t have to go through something like that.
“This is too unfair to you.”
Enrique said in a somewhat calmer tone.
“Instead of the emperor’s seat that I’d have to wait decades for, I get to be with you for those decades and more. Instead of the crown prince position, I got the position of grand duke, vast territory, and a hefty sum of money, so I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything, do I?”
Anture said playfully.
Enrique’s heart wavered. He thought that Anture might be right. No, in fact, he just wanted to accept the words that were favorable to him.
“Really, will that be enough?”
Enrique asked with worry and fear in his eyes. Anture kissed Enrique’s forehead deeply as if to reassure him. Then, with their gazes firmly locked, he said assertively.
“It’s enough.”
“……”
His mind and heart were a mess, unsorted. But amidst it all, joy at the fact that he could continue to be with Anture was cautiously growing.
“However…”
Anture softly began.
“However, Enrique, Ruslan will leave us and grow up in Ruben. We might only have a few chances to see his face in our lifetime. I’m sorry, Enrique. If Ruslan hadn’t been born a Superior Alpha, we could have tried other plans I had in mind. But Ruben would never let go of a Superior Alpha Ruslan, so there was no other way.”
“……”
“We’re sending our baby far away. I’m sorry, Enrique.”
Guilt flickered in Anture’s eyes. Enrique’s eyes contorted.
“Why are you sorry for that? From the beginning, it was all my plan, my doing.”
“Still, I’m sorry I couldn’t bring Ruslan with us.”
Anture apologized again and hugged Enrique tightly. Instead of continuing the conversation, the two quietly savored each other’s presence, and on the other hand, mourned the separation from Ruslan.
Anture was granted a vast territory bordering Shamier and was ennobled as the Grand Duke of Stutgen. He was now both the Grand Duke of Stutgen and an envoy bringing news of Ruslan’s appointment as crown prince.
Enrique took Anture to the King of Shamier and relayed the series of events. The King of Shamier stared at Anture silently with complicated eyes, then nodded his head while heaving a deep sigh. Enrique could tell that his father was feeling both relief and sadness simultaneously.
Enrique and Anture immediately prepared for their journey to Ruben. It was to attend Ruslan’s crown prince investiture ceremony. It wasn’t strange for Enrique to attend the ceremony as the crown prince of an allied country, and also as the one who gave birth to Ruslan.
After quickly completing their preparations, the two set out together towards the imperial capital of Ruben.
On the way to Ruben, Enrique struggled to sort out his complicated feelings. Anture, who willingly threw away the throne to be by his side. Ruslan, who would soon be crowned as the crown prince and leave his hands forever…
He had thought he had sent both of them away forever anyway. But now that Anture had returned to his side, Ruslan’s existence felt painfully acute.
“If it bothers you that much, how about we kidnap our Ruslan and run far away?”
Anture joked. He had been trying to cheer Enrique up the whole time.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Enrique chided, hitting Anture’s arm. Then he let out a long sigh and continued.
“Our child will become the emperor of the Ruben Empire in the future. It’s a good thing, a proud thing. Of course, it will have a significant positive impact on our Shamier as well…. He was born a Superior Alpha. He’s too big a vessel to be confined in our Shamier. It’s better this way. In Ruben, he will undoubtedly be able to fulfill his ambitions to the fullest.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
