#41
Having thought that far, Enrique drained the half-full glass of alcohol.
There was a way to confirm which side it was. He could try having sex with an alpha other than Anture. However, that came with its own risks. If the other alpha couldn’t control their excitement and went into rut, or if they knotted, it could only lead to a major incident. Of course… Anture wouldn’t just stand by and watch that happen either.
‘Let’s send him back for now.’
Enrique reaffirmed to himself.
There were still a couple of months left until spring when the wedding would take place. It would be best to send him back to Ruben and then do whatever needed to be done.
Having reached a conclusion, Enrique put down his glass and stood up. He stumbled slightly, perhaps from having had too much to drink. Enrique entered his bedroom, supported by a servant who had quickly come to his aid. He let the servant undress him while he took deep breaths heavy with the smell of alcohol.
A comfortable sigh escaped him as he lay on the bed, dressed in thin, soft pajamas. Enrique closed his eyes and recalled one by one the tasks he needed to do tomorrow. After various duties, one last task stuck to the end: persuading Anture to return to Ruben. But would he really…
“…listen to me…”
Enrique muttered softly.
The image of Anture from the past, when he was pretty, suddenly came to mind.
‘Lord Enrique.’
The boy who used to call him that and speak like an old man despite his youth was quite adorable.
But the grown-up version was no longer cute. Despite being several years younger, he would casually mix informal speech while saying “Enrique, Enrique.” As if to show off his strength, he would often grab Enrique’s wrist.
‘That string… connect it to my room. So when you pull it, I can run to you.’
Saying such cheeky things.
“Hmph.”
Enrique snorted softly and pulled the sheet up to his chin. Then he cleared his mind and tried to fall asleep.
Just as sleep was starting to creep in…
Tap tap-.
There was a small knocking sound.
Enrique, who had been drifting off to sleep, frowned. Thinking he might have misheard something in his drowsy state, he tried to go back to sleep, but the tapping sound came again.
“…What is it.”
Enrique raised his upper body groggily. He looked around the room but couldn’t find anything that could be making the sound.
It definitely wasn’t someone knocking on the door. It was a bit more…
Tap tap-.
Enrique finally pinpointed the direction of the sound. It was coming from the window.
He had a suspicion. Enrique stared at the window for a moment before getting out of bed. Then he slowly walked towards the window.
The window was covered with curtains.
Tap tap-.
The sound came again, as if urging him on. It was certain now. It was the sound of someone knocking on the window.
Enrique considered calling someone but decided to open the curtains first. The window was securely locked from the inside anyway, so it couldn’t be opened from outside. If someone tried to break the glass to get in, the knights would rush in at the sound.
When he pulled back the curtain, the large window fully revealed itself.
Against the backdrop of the pitch-black night sky, white powdery snow was falling gently. Enrique frowned as he saw Anture crouching by the window, smiling broadly. It was unclear how long he had been there, but Enrique noticed a thin layer of white snow accumulated on Anture’s black hair and shoulders.
“Enrique.”
Anture called out happily, his breath forming white puffs in the cold air. It was an incredibly foolish act to have endured sitting there long enough for snow to pile up on his head on this cold winter night.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Enrique asked with an incredulous look on his face.
“I came because I missed you.”
Anture said with a smile, his eyes curving. Then he tapped the glass window with his fingertips as if asking for it to be opened. Enrique grabbed the curtain and quickly covered the window again.
“Enrique?”
A confused voice seeped in from outside. But Enrique just turned around, climbed back onto the bed, and pulled the sheet up to his shoulders.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and try to sleep again.
Tap tap-.
“……”
Tap tap tap-.
“……”
Tap tap tap tap-.
“……”
Tap tap tap tap tap-.
“…This… bastard.”
Enrique finally jumped out of bed, irritated by the small, persistent knocking that was cleverly getting on his nerves.
Sensing that he had gotten up, the tapping stopped. Enrique walked to the window with angry steps. When he yanked the curtain open, Anture was still there, wearing a thin white cap of snow on his head, smiling happily with welcoming eyes.
“What are you trying to do?”
Enrique spoke in a low voice, just loud enough not to be heard outside the room. He didn’t want the knights or servants to discover this ridiculous situation.
“I’m cold, Enrique.”
Anture said, his breath forming white puffs. He tried to look pitiful, but crouching there with his huge build, he didn’t look pitiful at all.
“Don’t disturb other people’s sleep and get lost.”
Enrique said coldly and closed the curtain again. Just as he was about to turn around…
Tap tap tap-.
Anture knocked on the window again softly.
Anger was starting to build up. Enrique gritted his teeth. Trying hard to control himself, he started walking towards the bed, but the tapping sound came from behind again. It was even matching the rhythm of Enrique’s footsteps.
Tap-. Tap-. Tap-. Tap-.
Enrique finally stopped in his tracks, hearing the tapping sound matching his footsteps.
“This guy…”
As Enrique muttered through gritted teeth, the tapping sound continued in quick succession, as if celebrating that he had stopped walking. Enrique finally turned around and walked back to the window. He yanked the curtain open. Anture pressed his palm against the window, smiling with his eyes.
“I’m cold, Enrique. Please open the window.”
“I told you to go back.”
“No. Open the window.”
Anture showed no signs of leaving. He seemed prepared to crouch there and knock on the window all night if necessary.
It was clear. If Enrique opened this window, Anture would happily enter the room. Then he would make excuses about being cold and crawl into his bed. What would happen next was… obvious.
There were two options.
One was to try to sleep while ignoring the knocking on the window. The other was to call a knight to drive him away.
The first was impossible given Enrique’s sensitive nature, and the second could damage not only Enrique’s dignity but Anture’s as well.
“Enrique.”
Anture called out pleadingly. Enrique glared at him, biting his lip.
“I’ll just hold your hand while we sleep. Really. Okay?”
Anture kept begging.
“If you don’t let me in, I’ll sleep here all night. Then when morning comes, I’ll be discovered by the patrolling soldiers. Can you imagine the uproar when they find me frozen outside your window, buried in snow?”
Anture calmly threatened. When Enrique still didn’t move, he started pleading again.
“I’ve been like this for hours already. My legs hurt and I feel frozen to the bone. Just let me in. I really will just hold your hand while we sleep. I just want to sleep while looking at your face and smelling your scent. Is that not allowed? I’m your fiancé, after all.”
Enrique couldn’t help but sigh. He had no idea what to do with this overgrown brat.
“Enrique.”
Anture called softly, sending a deep gaze. It was almost a seductive look.
It definitely wasn’t because he fell for that. But in the end, Enrique unlocked the window.
As the window opened slightly, Anture’s large body slipped into the room. After closing and securely locking the window again, Anture hugged Enrique tightly.
“You’re cold.”
Enrique said irritably. It wasn’t a lie when Anture said he had been outside for hours; his body was frozen solid.
“That’s why you need to warm me up.”
Anture demanded shamelessly.
‘Troublesome brat.’
Enrique cursed Anture inwardly.
*
Waking from sleep, Enrique shifted slightly. He felt pleasantly languid and relaxed. Enrique hugged his warm pillow tightly. The sensation of skin clinging to him and the warm temperature felt blissful.
Gradually, his consciousness became clearer. Enrique yawned lazily and lifted his eyelids. With each blink of his hazy eyes, his vision became sharper.
“…What’s this.”
Enrique mumbled in a husky voice. Instead of white sheets and pillows, a muscular chest was spread out before his eyes. The muscular chest heaved slightly with a faint chuckle. Glancing up, he saw dark eyes filled with amusement. Enrique finally realized that the warm pillow clinging to his skin was actually Anture’s body.
Blinking once, instead of jumping up from his spot, Enrique let out a languid sigh.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
