#53
“I will soon become your first husband, your first love, and your only love. And I will be the only husband in your life, Enrique. I will make it so. So you don’t need to be afraid of falling in love with me. We won’t part.”
“That’s impossible. I won’t allow it, even for Shamier’s sake.”
“That’s fine. Think that way. Feel free to struggle all you want. I’ll win anyway.”
Anture said with a faint smile. His eyes were confident of victory.
Enrique quietly gazed into Anture’s dark eyes, still youthful and somewhat immature. And he thought:
No, I won’t lose. I will surely realize my plan to the end and revive Shamier.
And he thought again:
But I won’t be afraid of falling in love with you anymore. Even if it’s just a few years of love with a set ending, it will have its own value. And maybe, as you say, you might become the only man I ever loved in my life.
Finishing his thoughts, Enrique raised his hand and grabbed Anture’s collar, pulling him down.
“Kiss me, Anture.”
At Enrique’s command, delivered with his chin raised arrogantly, Anture smiled a breathtakingly attractive smile. Enrique closed his eyes as he felt their lips meet. Anture’s breath, his lips, his hot body, his scent, his pheromones enveloped Enrique completely. That tight confinement sweetly melted Enrique’s heart.
“I love you, Enrique.”
Anture whispered. Enrique wrapped his arms around Anture’s neck without answering. And he responded with a passionate kiss instead.
*
“I’m telling you, it’s all thanks to my advice.”
Kisha proudly shrugged her shoulders.
“What did you say to convince Enrique?”
Julian asked curiously. But Kisha just winked at Enrique instead of answering.
Kisha’s child crawled around at their feet, alternating between toddling and walking. Enrique occasionally stole glances at the scene while enjoying the cozy time with his friends.
Both of them clearly wanted to ask about the details of his relationship with Anture. But when Enrique remained tight-lipped on the subject and just smiled slightly, they soon gave up and returned to everyday topics.
“To think Enrique would end up being the last one to get married.”
Julian said, reminiscing about the past with a nostalgic look.
“It can’t be helped since he chose a kid for a groom. I still can’t forget my surprise when Enrique chose that little prince as his first husband.”
“That’s right. If he had chosen another partner then, he would have already been married, had a child, divorced, and remarried by now. He might even be pregnant with his second child already.”
At those words, Kisha poked Julian’s side while checking Enrique’s reaction. But Julian swatted Kisha’s hand away instead of closing his mouth.
“What, did I say something untrue? Kisha, you’ve become a complete old fogy after having one child. Where did the carefree you from the past disappear to?”
“I haven’t become an old fogy, I’ve just matured, you idiot. You should grow up too instead of always drinking and gallivanting about while leaving your husband behind!”
“My husband doesn’t mind, so why are you making such a fuss?”
Kisha and Julian started bickering. Even this scene felt like a return to the past, making Enrique feel cheerful.
“It would have been nice if all the other guys could gather for this occasion too.”
Kisha, who had been squabbling with Julian for a while, said in a regretful voice.
“That would be nice, but they’re just too far away.”
Julian said with a slight sigh.
The other two friends, apart from Kisha and Julian, had married foreigners. Both had made quite good marriages, but they were quite far from Shamier, making it unlikely to see them again soon. Judging from their letters, they seemed to be living well enough, which was somewhat reassuring.
“I understand the Ruben prince since the Emperor is still in his prime, but what about the King of Monta later? Can a king really leave his country and live in Shamier for two years?”
“Who said that? That the King of Monta would live here for two years?”
“My husband said that according to the agreement, the married life is supposed to take place here in Shamier.”
Kisha and Julian continued their conversation back and forth. Once again, the topic had returned to Enrique. Both of their gazes fixed on Enrique. They wanted him to explain how it would work.
“The wedding will be in Shamier and we’ll have a child right away. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, he’ll return to his country. It’s just a formal marriage to prevent the child from being illegitimate anyway. Once I have the child, what does it matter where the father is? Having him around would just be troublesome.”
At Enrique’s words, Kisha shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Even after becoming close with the Ruben prince, your cold plans haven’t changed at all. He’s the King of Monta, but you’re treating him like a stud who just needs to provide his seed and then get lost.”
“Because that’s what it is.”
Enrique shrugged as if to say ‘What’s wrong with that?’
Knock knock-
A servant entered with a knock.
“Your Highness. The Prince of Ruben has arrived. What shall we do?”
The servant asked.
It was a rare gathering with his friends. He didn’t want to be disturbed, but he also didn’t want to turn away Anture, with whom he had just started getting along well.
“Let him in! I want to see that handsome face properly too.”
“Yes, let him in. I’m dying to see how that little groom has grown up.”
Julian and Kisha insisted on letting Anture in, their eyes shining. Knowing his friends always became mischievous when together, Enrique hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded.
A moment later, the door opened and Anture entered. He seemed to already know that Enrique was with his friends, as he stopped at the doorway and gave a small bow in greeting.
“Oh!”
Kisha, seeing the grown-up Anture in person for the first time, immediately exclaimed in admiration. Then she jumped up from her seat and approached Anture.
“Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Kisha Dubain, Enrique’s friend. You can just call me Kisha.”
Kisha said with a bright smile, extending her hand. Anture shook Kisha’s hand lightly without any sign of discomfort. Just as he was about to let go, Kisha grabbed his hand with both of hers, lifting it up and examining it closely.
“Oh. Your hand is bigger than my husband’s? Ooh, looking at these calluses, you must be quite skilled with a sword. Your fingers are long and beautiful even with all these calluses.”
It was excessively impolite behavior towards someone she was meeting for the first time, especially the Prince of Ruben. But Anture just smiled faintly and quietly withdrew his hand.
“Come on. What’s wrong with taking a look at your hand? Are you afraid our Enrique might get jealous?”
Kisha said, pouting.
“That’s enough, sit down.”
Enrique clicked his tongue and told Kisha. Kisha, who always listened to Enrique, quickly returned to her seat. But her eyes remained fixed on Anture.
“I’m sorry, Anture. They grew up being spoiled, so they’re a bit ill-mannered. Please, sit down.”
Enrique said to Anture. Kisha pouted. But she didn’t argue back because it wasn’t untrue.
Instead of sitting in the place Enrique had indicated with a nod, Anture strode over and sat down right next to him. They ended up sitting side by side closely, but Enrique decided to let it pass without comment.
Julian and Kisha’s gazes wouldn’t leave Anture. It wasn’t just them. Interested in the new arrival, Kisha’s child toddled over to Anture.
“Waaah-”
The child babbled, staring at Anture intently. The size difference between the small child and the large Anture was particularly striking.
“It’s Kisha’s child. I’m thinking of inviting them to the royal palace as a friend when our child is born and grows a bit.”
Enrique introduced the child in a low voice. Anture, who had only glanced at the child without much interest, looked at Enrique and smiled a sweet smile as if he was about to melt.
“Our child will take after you completely, Enrique.”
Only then did Enrique understand why Anture had smiled such a sweet smile.
‘Our child.’
It seemed he really liked hearing those words.
‘Acting like such a dotard.’
Enrique inwardly clicked his tongue, but he felt his own lips loosening into a smile without realizing it.
Julian and Kisha were busy looking back and forth between Anture and Enrique. Both looked like they were dying to say something. In the end, it was Kisha who spoke first.
“Your Highness, what do you like so much about our Enrique? Of course, he’s beautiful, pretty, a superior omega, and has good lineage, but his personality is so nasty. Do you know how nasty Enrique’s personality is? Do you know he’s selfish, arrogant, and prickly?”
“Hey.”
Enrique shot her a fierce look, but Kisha, used to it, didn’t budge. Instead, she looked at Anture with sparkling eyes, waiting for his answer.
“Enrique is…”
Anture’s lips moved. Enrique sensed it. He knew that if he heard Anture’s answer now, his hands and feet would not just itch, but curl inwards. Men in love tend to become foolish. Enrique didn’t want to see Anture’s foolish side, nor did he want to show it.
