The Original Work Got Ruined After I Quit Being the Sub Male 87

So would we have to go on another long journey? Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

When such large events were held, the Imperial Palace’s direct mages would open portals leading to the Imperial Palace, but only for influential nobles.

It was the same magic the spirits had used when they transported us to a nearby village last time, but with several conditions added and coordinates specified from the beginning to create a portal with systematic structure and stabilization.

The Lumentia Festival provided portals because there were many tribute items to be brought to the festival, but it was such an expensive operation that they wouldn’t use it for just any occasion.

“This time you’re also going up to the Imperial Palace. While you’re at it, His Majesty said he’d like to meet you once. Would that be alright?”

Come to think of it, I think Father had also mentioned that the Emperor wanted to meet me. Since it wasn’t something I could refuse anyway, I nodded.

“That’s fine.”

“Good, I’ll send that reply then.”

“Yes. Then I’ll go up now…”

Just as I was about to get up from my seat.

“Come to think of it, son. Are you studying well?”

Father’s nagging suddenly flew at me and stuck in my ears. Why does nagging always come at unexpected timing? When I just smiled awkwardly while cold sweat trickled down my spine, Father shot me a sharp look.

“If you keep slacking off, I’ll inspect you without warning.”

“I haven’t been slacking off…”

I even read business management books recently. When I grumbled sullenly feeling wronged, Father soon relaxed his expression and smiled.

“Alright. Go on up.”

With permission granted, I quickly escaped the office and hurried up to my room, worried Father might call me back again.

Feeling guilty, I couldn’t just laze around, so today I opened a foreign language book. Since I would eventually inherit all the businesses with branches in various places and the Lowell trading company, I thought I’d need it when dealing with foreigners, so I was also studying languages recently.

But concentrating on flipping through the book didn’t last long either. How long had it been since I parted with Cedric that I was already missing him?

“Sigh.”

I let out a small sigh while resting my chin on my hand. Looking toward the window, I could see the roses still being maintained in fresh condition.

‘…I used to like being alone.’

I was really good at playing by myself too.

And yet… now I feel empty when Cedric isn’t by my side. Now that we know everything about each other, if we were together all day, we probably wouldn’t have much to talk about and would just quietly look at each other’s faces, but I still missed him.

…Had Cedric felt this way too?

Then, for the first time, I felt Cedric’s desire to stick with me all day as if it were my own.

“……”

I quietly took out a piece of letter paper from the drawer. Then I scribbled down really trivial things. About missing him, about studying being boring, things like that.

That was all, but a few days after sending the letter, this guy didn’t even reply to the letter and just came directly to the Lowell mansion. It was absurd.

“You… why did you come?”

“You said you missed me. So I came to show myself to you.”

Such a shameless yet endearing answer.

I ended up bursting into laughter like a sigh. And since he had gone through the trouble of coming, I couldn’t tell him to go back after just seeing his face, so I let him inside.

I suggested we study together if that was okay, so today we decided to use the study together with Father’s permission.

“What are you studying these days?”

“I’m always doing economics and business management, and recently I’ve been doing foreign languages. Do you happen to know foreign languages well? I’d like to ask if there’s anything I don’t know.”

“Which country’s language?”

“Shinki. You know, the Shinkaer small nation. The country that doesn’t use the continental common language.”

“Ah, the one that has a lot of exchanges with Nemad?”

“Yeah.”

“I learned some of it too. If there’s anything you don’t know, ask me. I’ll do my best to help within what I can do.”

Since he said that, I made good use of the living dictionary that had rolled in.

He has cute weaknesses like not being close with books and not being able to sing, but I know he’s basically smart.

Sure enough, Cedric was excellent not only in languages but also in knowledge about economics and business management.

In the past, I had never received help with studies because of my inferiority complex… I thought I should have received a lot of help when I was attending the academy.

I did sometimes receive help from Riette, who was good at studying, but I was too embarrassed to ask her questions comfortably since I had a crush on her at the time…

“Hmm. Shinki is difficult. How did you learn it?”

“I think I learned it by speaking it out loud often. It’s good for pronunciation correction too. Um, it might be a little easier if we use games.”

“Games?”

“Yeah. Want to try saying words with me?”

Cedric, who was sitting close beside me, stroked my hair. Receiving his touch obediently, I thought about it and nodded since it seemed like a good method.

Cedric, who was lying on the desk looking at me, wore a handsome smile and said.

“Then let’s try saying only words that start with R.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll start first. Renthir (window).”

“Ravane (whisper).”

“Raleth (mirror).”

“Um… Ah. Rivelle (stream).”

While Cedric came up with words smoothly, I stumbled along trying to think of words. This was harder than I thought.

Still, thanks to being given enough time, I was able to think hard and say them one by one. After R, we moved on to words starting with A, and after A, we were moving on to words starting with S.

“Sivora (dawn).”

“Sareth (blessing).”

“……”

Cedric, who had been spitting out words without getting stuck even once, suddenly became quiet, so I stopped pondering the next word and looked to the side. He recited with a beat’s delay.

“Sóelle’len (my love).”

His extended hand lightly cupped my chin, then pressed my lower lip gently with his thumb.

“Mirelan valen ty (I want to kiss you).”

His quietly seething blue gaze stared at me intently and clung persistently. The atmosphere that had been somewhat boring and static from concentrating on studying suddenly changed.

My face grew hot.

Even though there was no one in the study but us, I looked around pointlessly before placing my lips on his first. As our faces drew closer, Cedric’s long, dense eyelashes fluttered and naturally closed.

I was secretly stealing glances at that beautiful sight when his blunt tongue entered between my lips. From when our tongues tangled and fought in our mouths, my mind went blank and I had no time to pay attention to anything else.

After sucking on my tongue and finally biting my lip weakly before letting go, Cedric was the first to pull away from me.

Our facing eyes were deep like the ocean floor.

“Eddie. Can I… pheromone mark you?”

Then Cedric whispered as if telling a secret. His voice, lower and more deeply settled and languid than before, made my stomach feel ticklish just from listening.

After briefly thinking it over, I soon nodded in affirmation.

Going to gatherings like banquets with many Alphas and Omegas while covered in pheromones was no different from publicly showing off a relationship, so while it was still embarrassing, it didn’t matter in daily life.

Moreover, since my parents were Betas, they wouldn’t notice even if Cedric openly pheromone marked me.

Pheromone marking was also good to do frequently to induce trait changes.

Cedric, who had gotten up from his seat, went behind me as I sat in the chair, then hugged me with some weight behind it.

He rubbed his cheek against my ear and kissed my nape while acting cute.

A pleasant excitement seemed to generate residual heat, making my body feel warm. If I wasn’t careful, even my lower body might react. So I was trying to change the subject and direct my attention elsewhere when…

Knock knock, someone knocked on the study door. Looking back, the person who entered the room was head butler Redward.

“……!”

He hesitated as if surprised to see us embracing. He probably never imagined that two people who had gone to the study to study would be doing this.

I was just as flustered.

“…Dinner is being prepared, so please come down.”

“Ah, I-I’ll come.”

I stammered without realizing it.

Actually, since I had told my parents everything and figured the servants would naturally find out as we spent time together, being caught wasn’t the problem. It was just that the atmosphere was too thick, so I was feeling guilty by myself.

The door quickly closed.

My heart was beating like it would burst.

“…Hey, do the marking later and let go.”

“Just a little more and I’ll be done. Wait.”

Cedric, who had just been hugging me blankly from Redward’s entrance to exit, muttered mischievously.

I hummed quietly and closed the book first.

After fidgeting a little more like that, Cedric, perhaps finished with the marking, loosely released his arms and kissed my cheek.

“Are you going to study tomorrow too?”

“Uh, yeah. Right before the Lumentia Festival, everyone’s busy preparing. There aren’t any gatherings or anything… I should study at times like this.”

“Then can I come and study together again?”

“…I’m fine with it.”

“Yeah, if you’re good with it, I’m good with it too.”

Feeling shy for no reason, I just blinked my eyes, then slyly pulled the nape of Cedric behind me and left a light kiss.

After that, we often met at the mansion to study together and enjoyed dates wandering around here and there, spending time just the two of us.

Some time later, the Lumentia Festival approached.

That morning, a letter from the Imperial Palace arrived right on time.

An invitation containing content about being invited to the Imperial Palace for the Lumentia Festival. Looking at just that, it was very ordinary.

But this letter was itself the key that would open a portal leading to the Imperial Palace.

Shinki Language Examples: