Side Story #1
“Are you awake?”
A gentle voice echoed in his ear. His voice was slightly husky, as if he had just woken up too. Soon after, light kisses rained down on his forehead and cheeks.
“Mmm…”
Enrique made a pleasant sound and relaxed his lips. The sunlight tickling his eyelids and Anture’s kisses made his heart soft from the morning.
Instead of opening his eyes, Enrique wrapped his arms around Anture’s waist, pulling their bodies close. The sensation of the muscular body that had passionately explored him the night before felt incredibly good. As his slightly erect morning arousal touched Anture’s body, a tingling sensation spread throughout his body. Enrique gently rubbed against Anture, enjoying the waves of lazy pleasure.
“Naughty from the morning. Wasn’t last night enough?”
Anture whispered, firmly grasping Enrique’s buttocks.
“Of course it was.”
Enrique quickly denied.
Even though considerable time had passed, they still maintained a passionate relationship. But last night was exceptionally hot. Anture had almost lost his self-control to the point of nearly knotting. Enrique, half out of his mind, had clung so desperately that the two nearly created a third child last night.
“It would have been nice if we had made a third child just like that yesterday.”
Anture said with a regretful voice. Enrique finally opened his eyes. He saw Anture’s handsome face, now exuding a mature aura. Enrique lightly pinched Anture’s cheek.
“Not yet.”
Enrique said firmly.
“Why not? Bayan would love to have a younger sibling.”
Anture whispered, nuzzling Enrique’s neck. Lately, Anture had been particularly eager to have a third child.
“We should consider it after Bayan grows a bit more and firmly establishes his position as crown prince.”
At Enrique’s words, Anture’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was the first time Enrique had voiced his reason for strongly refusing a third child.
“Are you worried that a third child might threaten Bayan’s position?”
Anture asked. Enrique silently nodded.
It’s a good thing when an omega is born. But if an alpha or a dominant is born, nothing could be more troublesome.
Originally, alphas are inherently competitive and combative. Even without issues of property or successor positions, bloody fights were common. Especially in a royal family. Although Bayan had been invested as crown prince, he was still young. If they carelessly had a child at this time and an alpha or dominant was born, there was a possibility of conflict over the crown prince position. Enrique didn’t want such a tragedy to occur between his children.
“Think about it. Why do you think your father emperor didn’t have any more children after you?”
Enrique explained with a specific example. Anture nodded with a regretful expression. Enrique gently stroked Anture’s hair, as if consoling him.
“Let’s think about it after Bayan turns eleven. We’re still young and healthy, so we can have a child anytime.”
“Alright, Enrique. This time, I’d like to have a child that looks half like you and half like me.”
Anture said with joyful eyes, as if imagining the third child that might or might not come years later. Seeing him look forward to it so much, Enrique seriously began to consider having one more in a few years.
“We should get up now. It’s the day we’ve been eagerly waiting for.”
Anture said, glancing at the brightly lit window. Enrique nodded with a pleased expression. Then he pulled the cord at the head of the bed.
Pol, who had now become the head chamberlain, entered leading the servants.
“Did you sleep well, Your Highness? Your Grace?”
Pol greeted Enrique and Anture respectfully. Then he began directing the servants to assist with their morning preparations. Pol, fully adapted to his position as head chamberlain, had become like an excellent conductor. With just a glance, a nod, or a gesture, he perfectly commanded the servants.
For the past few years, Enrique and Anture had been living together constantly. Thanks to this, the servants were very accustomed to serving them simultaneously. While the servants prepared breakfast, Enrique and Anture washed with assistance and then ate a simple breakfast before grooming themselves. Pol paid even more attention than usual to their clothes and hair.
“They should arrive in about an hour.”
Pol said with a somewhat excited voice.
Enrique and Anture exchanged glances. Anticipation flickered in their eyes and their expressions became slightly flushed.
Yes, today was the day they would see Ruslan after a very long time. This was the second visit since his brief visit to Shamier when Enrique’s father emperor passed away.
After finishing their grooming, the two immediately moved to the reception room. On the table in the reception room, gifts that the two had prepared one by one whenever they had time since hearing the news of Ruslan’s visit were piled high. The two carefully checked each gift and had them moved to Ruslan’s temporary quarters that had been prepared in advance.
Just as all the gifts had been carried out, Bayan arrived, leading servants and knights with a clamorous sound of footsteps.
“Father! Papa!”
Bayan called out to Enrique and Anture, almost running up to them.
Bayan’s black eyes were noticeably excited. It was clearly visible how much he was looking forward to Ruslan’s arrival. Enrique felt inwardly relieved seeing this. He had always been worried that there might be no affection at all between the brothers who lived apart.
Of course, Enrique always made sure to involve Bayan when writing letters to Ruslan to try to strengthen the bond between them even a little. He had them exchange portraits and remember each other’s birthdays. In this way, he had constantly reminded them that they were blood relatives. Fortunately, judging by Bayan’s expression today, those efforts seemed to have been effective.
“Ruslan will arrive soon. Let’s go out quickly.”
Bayan said, pulling on Enrique and Anture’s hands. Seeing the excited Bayan, Enrique and Anture exchanged smiles.
The impatient Bayan led the way, with the two following behind. As the three family members went outside, a carriage could be seen approaching in the distance. Knights were escorting the carriage, fluttering the flags of the Ruben Empire. The sight of the knights escorting the crown prince of Ruben was incredibly majestic. Enrique felt inexplicably proud at the sight.
Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the three. Bayan fidgeted, clearly wanting to rush forward but not knowing what to do. Enrique placed a hand on Bayan’s shoulder to calm him. Although he was still young, he should maintain his dignity as the crown prince of Shamier and as an older brother, shouldn’t he?
A servant opened the carriage door. As the footstep was placed, a silver head popped out from inside the carriage. Golden eyes spotted the people standing in front of the carriage. The handsome face immediately brightened visibly.
His heart pounded as if it would burst. It had been nearly two years since he had seen that face. Ruslan, who had just turned seven, was starting to show signs of boyhood. The crown prince’s uniform that fit his still small frame perfectly was so cute and handsome that it dazzled the eyes.
Although his expression suggested he might rush over immediately, his actions were different, perhaps because he had indeed grown up as a crown prince. After being helped down from the carriage, he took a few steps forward and politely bowed.
“Prince Enrique, Grand Duke Anture. It’s been a long time.”
Seeing a mere seven-year-old paying such proper respects, Enrique’s lips unconsciously curved into a smile. He slightly bowed his head in return.
“It’s been a long time, Crown Prince. You’ve grown so splendidly in the meantime.”
At Enrique’s words, pride filled Ruslan’s golden eyes. After greeting the two, Ruslan then slightly bowed his head towards Bayan.
“Crown Prince. It’s been a long time.”
As Ruslan greeted him, instead of returning the greeting, Bayan stared at his younger brother for a moment before suddenly closing the distance between them. Before anyone could stop him, he wrapped his arms around Ruslan’s neck and started vigorously messing up his silver hair.
“What’s with this ‘Crown Prince’ nonsense? You should call me ‘big brother’ when talking to your older brother. You little old man.”
As Bayan roughly messed up his hair, Ruslan’s body stiffened.
“Come on, say ‘big brother’! Big. Brother.”
Bayan continued to demand, strangling Ruslan’s neck and messing up his hair regardless of how Ruslan reacted. The faces of the Ruben knights standing behind them hardened. Instead of stopping Bayan, Enrique just smiled and watched the scene.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
