#39
“Wow, Your Highness. Shouldn’t we stop them?”
The person temporarily serving as head servant in place of Pol, who was on maternity leave, whispered cautiously.
CRASH!
The two men, moving from punches to body slams, completely destroyed the large wooden wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom as their bodies collided. Enrique quickly got up and shrugged his shoulders as he watched the two men grappling again.
“If you think you can stop them, go ahead and try.”
The servant watched the fierce fight for a moment before shaking his head.
Enrique, clutching the sheet wrapped around his body, began walking towards the bedroom door.
“Where are you going, Your Highness?”
The servant asked.
“To the guest bedroom. As you can see, I can’t sleep here anymore.”
Enrique said calmly as he left the bedroom, leaving the fighting men behind.
*
When Enrique opened his eyes in the morning, he listened to the servant’s report while soaking in a hot bath.
The story was very long and rambling, but in short, Enrique’s bedroom had been completely destroyed. Of course, that included the bed.
“I guess I’ll have to use the guest bedroom for a while.”
Enrique muttered, clicking his tongue. The servant glanced at him. He seemed to have something he wanted to say.
If it had been Pol, he would have just said it. But the servant wasn’t close enough to Enrique to speak so freely.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
When Enrique said this, the servant finally spoke up.
“Should I also tell you about the Prince of Ruben and Count Persi?”
“That’s what you were hesitating about, wasn’t it?”
Enrique said irritably, thinking of Pol. It was a moment when he missed Pol, who was on maternity leave.
Given permission, the servant began to speak excitedly.
“In the end, the Prince of Ruben won. They fought quite evenly at first, but it’s difficult for a beta to physically overcome an alpha. Although Count Persi lost, everyone was still impressed. They said it was amazing that he fought to that extent against an alpha, especially a prince with the blood of the Ruben Emperor.”
Enrique let out a soft sigh.
Honestly, the result was obvious if the two fought. Maybe if Anture was still a boy, but even if he was still immature, he was now an adult. It was safe to say that no ordinary person could defeat a fully grown alpha.
‘Why did he provoke Anture and pick a fight when it would obviously end like this…’
Enrique thought to himself. While Damiel’s actions in picking a fight he couldn’t win seemed foolish, on the other hand, it also felt deeply regrettable and pitiful.
Damiel had been a knight and a man by Enrique’s side for years. Now he found himself in a situation where he would inevitably be pushed aside by Anture, who had appeared after several years. Honestly, Enrique had long noticed that Damiel harbored sincere feelings for him. He had pretended not to notice because it was a relationship that he knew would end someday. He felt grateful and sorry towards Damiel. He had hoped that Damiel wouldn’t be hurt because of their relationship, but it seemed things wouldn’t go as he wished.
“In the end, Count Persi’s ribs were cracked and his left arm was broken.”
“…What?”
As Enrique’s eyes widened, the servant cautiously continued after gauging his reaction.
“According to someone who saw it directly, the Prince of Ruben stomped on Count Persi’s arm after he had fallen…”
“Ah, that fool.”
Enrique gritted his teeth at Anture’s cruelty.
Getting injured during a fight can happen. But breaking the arm of an opponent who had already fallen was going too far.
“How is his condition?”
Enrique first asked about Damiel’s state.
“A doctor came immediately to examine him, and fortunately, the bone wasn’t crushed but cleanly broken. However, I heard he needs to rest for several months.”
“…”
As Enrique’s face hardened, the servant closed his mouth and quietly began attending to the bath.
Only the quiet sound of splashing water could be heard. Enrique sighed heavily while rubbing his temples.
He had planned to cleanly end his relationship with Damiel before the wedding.
No matter how much tolerance and magnanimity an alpha was supposed to have, Anture was still a man and an alpha. It would be difficult for him to have good feelings towards Damiel, who had been Enrique’s man all this time. Of course, it would also be hard for Damiel to watch Enrique marry Anture. That’s why he had planned to send Damiel away to the estate granted by the king before the wedding. But Anture had appeared at this awkward time and ruined everything. Enrique could only sigh.
After finishing his bath and grooming, Enrique hesitated for a moment but finally decided to go see Damiel. Setting aside their personal relationship, he had been Enrique’s guard knight for years. It was right to visit and comfort him after he had suffered such a serious injury with broken bones.
It was just as he was leaving his quarters. Enrique’s face hardened when he saw a figure standing still in the corridor leading outside. Standing like a statue in the middle of the corridor was none other than Anture.
Their eyes met. Enrique frowned, not hiding his feelings. But Anture paid no attention and walked towards Enrique with large strides.
“Enrique.”
Anture called out. He had a slightly anxious look in his eyes.
Seen up close, Anture had a scab on his lip and a dark bruise on his jaw. To have done even this much against an alpha who inherited the blood of the Ruben Emperor, Damiel’s skills must have been considerable.
“Why did you break his arm?”
Enrique asked bluntly. Anture’s face immediately brightened at the casual speech, unlike last night.
“Isn’t getting injured while fighting an everyday occurrence?”
Anture said shamelessly.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I heard you stomped on Damiel’s arm and broke it after he had already fallen? What kind of cowardly act is that?”
“Ending it at that level was already being lenient, considering your feelings. Otherwise, I would have crippled him completely.”
Anture seemed determined to be brazen today. Enrique frowned. Anger was boiling up inside him. He felt the urge to slap Anture soundly, but seeing the scab on his lip, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Damiel is my guard knight. Do you know how critical it is for a knight to not be able to use his arm for months?”
“At least he won’t be able to lay hands on you for those months.”
“What?”
“And by the time those months have passed, you’ll be married to me.”
“You…!”
He was so flabbergasted that he was at a loss for words.
Anture had deliberately broken Damiel’s arm to prevent him from having any sexual contact with Enrique until the day of their marriage. Anture wasn’t even trying to hide his intentions and was brazenly speaking his mind.
Anture suddenly reached out his hand. He gently caressed Enrique’s cheek. It was a careful touch, as if afraid of breaking him. But Enrique knew very well how violent and destructive Anture’s large, firm hands could become.
“I’m here now. So he’s no longer necessary for you. I alone am enough to be your man. Call for me if you need anything, Enrique.”
Anture said in a low voice. As he continued speaking in almost a whisper, his eyes were very happy and pleased.
SLAP!
Enrique roughly knocked away Anture’s hand. Then he brushed past him with a cold expression. But before he could take more than a couple of steps, his wrist was grabbed.
“Let go.”
Instead of wasting energy trying to pull his wrist free, Enrique spoke briefly.
“No. You’re trying to go to him now, aren’t you?”
Anture said, pulling Enrique’s wrist towards himself. Enrique ended up being pulled into Anture’s arms. Strong arms wrapped around his waist.
“Don’t go. What’s the point of going to him now?”
“He’s my guard knight. Of course I should go see him when my knight was injured because of me.”
Anture and Enrique’s gazes clashed in midair. Enrique glared fiercely at Anture, the root cause of this incident. From breaking into the second-floor bedroom window to breaking Damiel’s arm. It was absurd how shamelessly he was acting after doing so many wrong things.
In the black eyes staring at Enrique, there wasn’t a trace of guilt or apology. He simply gazed with deep eyes as if his sole purpose was to take in Enrique.
“I told you to let go.”
“And I said no. Give up on the idea of going to see him. If you go, it will only deepen his lingering attachment and hurt. Put yourself in his shoes. Would you want to meet the person who’s about to become mine, looking defeated by me? He must have some pride too.”
“Who are you to say that after putting Damiel in that state?”
“I’ll do the same to anyone who touches you in front of me.”
Anture declared, pulling Enrique’s waist even closer. Their bodies pressed together as if in an embrace. The sensation of his strong physique was too clearly felt through their clothes.
“In the past, I had no choice but to endure because I was still young. But now it’s different. Look at me closely, Enrique. Your man is right here in front of you. You no longer need any substitutes.”
