Glare, glare, glare. H-how dare he? He looks so smug and pleased with himself! Ronak sat at his desk, working on stuff with a smug smile on his face. I had never seen him look so pleased, but all it did was successfully irritate me. Even the attendants who came and went looked creeped out. Stop smiling, you weirdo!
I, on the other hand, wasn't feeling pleased at all. I let out a little groan and rolled my sore body over to stare at the back of the sofa. I don't want to stare at his dumb face anymore! I wanted to lie in bed, but Ronak said I had to come with him to his office. Apparently, he has to deal with the aftermath of yesterday. Not even brunch lifted my spirits.
The door clicked closed, and we must have been alone because Ronak asked, "Does your ass still hurt?" Th-this jerk!
I quickly rolled back to face him, despite it causing pain to arc through my back, and made sure the room was empty. "Wh-what if someone hears you?!"
He raised an eyebrow and stared at me. "Does it?"
"Wh-why are you asking such a lewd question when you probably know the answer?!" What was wrong with him?! Wasn't it bad enough that I willingly had intercourse with him and was left in this state? Now I had to have him asking such embarrassing things?!
"I might know the answer, but," He stood from his desk chair and approached me on the sofa. I moved my legs for him to sit down, but instead, his knee pressed into the sofa next to my thigh, making the leather squeak. He leaned over me and pulled the blanket down from my face since I was trying to hide from him. "I like hearing you talk." He leaned down closer like he was about to kiss me, and my heart started racing in my chest. "Mmm, despite everything I did to you, you're feeling a bit turned on just because I'm near. You're quite naughty, Micha." Ronak opened his mouth, and I clenched my eyes closed. I-I'm not turned on! Lies! All lies! I flinched as Ronak licked the bridge of my nose. "Maybe I'll keep teasing you until you come to me." He snickered as he sat up.
I nervously opened my eyes and peered up at Ronak's smirk. Come to him?! Wh-what did he mean by that? Wh-why did his grin give me the creeps? I have a bad feeling about this…
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"Are you listening to me?" Ronak asked. Was he talking? I definitely wasn't listening, if he was. I poked my head out of the blanket and stared at him. "I was saying that you shouldn't have a reason to feel stressed anymore. The noble family was targeting me because I had taken over the potion market, and they were trying to seek vengeance for losing their family business. It had nothing to do with you in the first place." He waved the document in his hand through the air. "The emperor sent word that their family has been arrested. They will be charged with treason and ownership of illegal goods," Ronak mentioned it last night, but it must be official now. I'm surprised they resolved such a thing so quickly, but…
"Wh-why was the nightwalker after me?" If it had nothing to do with me, then that made no sense.
Ronak frowned. "Poor timing and stupid attendants. I had taken you to buy new clothes, and their attendant collected your old ones for the nightwalker to get a scent off of." Oooh… they thought my clothes belonged to Ronak… How do you mess that up?! He's way bigger than me! "That means that no one is targeting you. Most nobles probably don't know of your existence yet, but I expect quite a few to become angry when they do find out that I've bonded with you. Don't worry, though, very few would be brave enough to try anything." So… what he was implying is that there was a chance that other people could try going after him. That… doesn't make me feel better… H-he wasn't very good at comforting people…
"Why d-do you make it seem like so many nobles d-don't like you?" I pulled the blanket up over my face to mumble the words, but Ronak still managed to hear me. He didn't seem bothered, though if anything, he seemed amused.
"Mmm, there are many reasons. There's a group of purists who believe I should be the one sitting up on the throne. They're rather annoyed because I don't care about what they think. That doesn't include all the people who think I'm a threat to my cousin. I'm sure many people are annoyed that I expanded my mother's business into a continent-wide force. Ah, and there are many nobles associated with my father who think they can manipulate me. In other words, there are plenty of people who would prefer I disappear or become their puppet…"
His talk to try and ease my worries was not helping. "Th-that's scary…"
"Hardly. Most of the pompous bastards are all talk and no action. They fear the consequences enough not to take action. I'm not particularly worried about it." I-I guess if he wasn't worried about it, then I didn't need to worry about threats I didn't know about…
"What's y-your mother's business?" I asked, trying to get my mind off the many people who want to hurt Ronak.
"Do you know Elutra?" Did I know Elutra? How did people not know Elutra? They were only the leading brand in medical supplies and potions-
"Y-you… own Elutra?!" My eyes went as wide as saucers as Ronak nodded his head. "R-really?!" I sat up, but saw stars as my back spasmed in pain.
"Calm down." Ronak stood from his seat and quickly walked over to where I was. He was scowling as he sat down on the coffee table next to me. "Stop trying to wiggle about. You're only hurting yourself." He snapped. I mean, he wasn't wrong, but how else was I supposed to react? That was insane! He was so young, and Elutra was an insanely well-known brand. "I can't believe you didn't know. It's common knowledge. My mother started the company when she was still adventuring. Apparently, she used the name Elutra to hide her identity. When she finally settled down, she started selling potions with the name, and it got passed on to me when she died."
"That's crazy. I didn't know…"
Ronak reached over and poked my nose. "Well, now you do. I've since increased our market by going into medical supplies. I doubt you'll find a medical ward on the continent that doesn't stock Elutra supplies. We're so affordable that we've made the price of medical expenses drop by twenty percent across the continent. I guess that wouldn't matter to you, though, since you can use healing magic."
"Ah!" I held out my hand and brought my bandage scissors, a needle, and a syringe out of my storage. "I actually use Elutra stuff all the time. I had to be medically trained in order to heal people, so I've had plenty of practice healing people the natural way."
"Mmm, I noticed it when you cut that bandage off of me the other day, but that's an old pair of our scissors. We make nicer grips these days, so they don't slip in your hands. Even your needles and syringes are old versions." Ronak picked up the scissors and looked them over with a careful eye before returning them to me. "I'll have to get you a set of our most recent medical supplies."
"You don't have to do that!" I appreciated the gesture, but everything I had worked just fine.
"It wouldn't look very good if my omega used old Elutra stuff. It would make people think I don't care about you." Oh… I never thought about it like that… I didn't want him to think I was taking advantage of his money, though… I stuck the stuff back into my storage and glanced over at Ronak, who seemed rather pleased.
"So that's why you seemed so fascinated by my potions…" I thought it was weird how Ronak's eyes would light up when he sampled my potions. Not that he seemed to like the flavor.
The corner of Ronak's lips curled up into a smile. "I am indeed rather curious how my little potion brewer makes such high-quality potions without the aid of monster parts." Gah! Why did he have to refer to me as little? I wasn't that little. He was just stupid tall. He was taller than your average alpha.
"Is that why you're so busy?" I poked my finger out of the blanket and wagged it at Ronak's desk.
"Yes and no. While I do manage all of Elutra's functions, I also run a dukedom. Did you forget about that?" A dukedom?
"But your father-"
"My father hasn't done anything, but attempted to raise taxes in order to fund his vacations and expenses. I've been running the dukedom since I was ten. Of course, I didn't run it alone when I was young. Wipe that concerned look off your face. I had margraves that stepped up to assist me, and while he wasn't a ton of help, Commander Hemonnet helped too. Though these days I run it by myself. My father is nothing but an empty vessel who holds the title. He hasn't run anything in many, many years."
"That's crazy… Y-you make me seem pathetic in comparison." I couldn't help but shrink into the blanket. I was still braiding flower crowns and playing with the village kids at the age of ten. My magic didn't manifest until I was twelve, and that's when my life started changing.
Ronak scoffed. "And here I was all excited because you stopped stuttering." I ducked slightly under the blanket as my face turned pink. I… stopped stuttering? I guess it was true that Ronak was making me less nervous than usual… He stood and stretched before glancing back at his desk. "Micha, my upbringing was nothing but hell. It's not something you should compare yours to." My mind wandered to his multiple scars, and a knot formed in my chest. I bet most of them had a gruesome story. One doesn't just casually get scars like that…
Ronak wandered back to his desk, and I fell into thought. He said it wasn't impressive, but his running a company and a dukedom all while attending the academy was more than impressive. I wouldn't even know where to begin…
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I was starting to feel a little better, so I sat up on the sofa for lunch and ended up staying that way. I kept my feet tucked in and was all snuggled in the blanket, which was a delight. I'm so glad Olivia brought this for me.
Things were rather busy in the office. I… thought things would settle down after the incident, but attendants kept coming in and out. Was something going on?
Shouting in the hall drew mine and Ronak's attention, but before Ronak could stand from his desk, the doors burst open. "Just what the hell are you trying to pull?!" A greasy-looking guy with dirty dark brown hair and a strong pungent odor stormed into the room. That isn't the scent of pheromones… is that just alcohol? Oh gosh, and when was the last time he bathed? I had to cover my nose; it was so strong.
"I don't remember inviting you to my office, Father. Is there something you need? I'm busy." Ronak's words weren't rude, but the tone he used even sent shivers down my spine. Wh-what?!? That man is Ronak's father?! No way! They didn't even look similar! Ronak was exceptionally muscular and tall, while this man was slender and short. Not even their faces seemed to share similarities. Not that I had a great view of his face since he didn't look my way, but there was no way he was related.
"Why the hell are you snooping around where you don't belong?! I'll have you-"
"Where I don't belong? That's rather ripe coming from you. If that's all you have to say, then get out." Ronak waved him off, and a vessel in the man's head throbbed.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING-" He started to shout, but stopped. His hand darted across the desk, grabbing Ronak's collar, but Ronak quickly smacked his hand away. "What? What is that mark on your skin?!"
"It's exactly what it seems. I have taken an omega." Ronak's eyes darted over to me for a split second, but his father noticed and whipped towards me.
H-he looked horrid as he stared at me with eyes of shock. His skin was pale and clammy. Under his eyes were large dark circles from lack of sleep, and his eyes themselves were bloodshot. Uck, and his teeth were yellowing from all the tannins in the alcohol he consumes. Gross. He really needs to stop staring with an open mouth; his breath is so alcoholic it's making my head feel light. Besides the luxurious clothes he wore, I would have thought he was a drunkard from the slums. I refuse to believe that man is Ronak's father…
"That?! That thing is the omega you chose?!" I flinched in fear, thinking he was going to approach me, but Ronak stood and grabbed his father by the scruff.
"Don't you dare lay your eyes on my omega." Ronak's voice was low and gravely as a growl echoed out from his throat. He stared down at his father with hatred in his eyes and pulled him back over to the desk. "Get out of my office." He snarled into his father's face. Ronak shoved him back with enough force that his father tumbled onto the floor.
As Ronak walked around his desk, his father scrambled towards the door. "Stay away from me, you vile bastard!" His father screeched as he darted out the door.
"Gerard." Ronak snapped as he stepped into the doorway.
"I apologize for the disturbance, my lord. He purposely timed his visit while I was away." I couldn't see very well, but it was clear that Gerard was deeply bowing.
"Enough. Our plans have moved forward. It's time to remove the mold that's been left to grow freely. Start weeding." Huh? M-mold? Weeding? Why was Ronak always so cryptic?
"Yes, of course, my lord. I will see to it that all the weeds are removed from the garden." Gerard's response only succeeded in confusing me more.
Ronak closed the door to his office and approached me. "Micha, I know you're sore, but I need you to come with me." I gasped as he lifted me up into his arms with little warning.
Gah! H-he didn't need to carry me princess style! It's embarrassing. Before I knew it Ronak dipped down into his travel spell with me. "Where are we going?" I nervously asked as I clung to his shirt. He even brought the blanket I was cuddled up in, but I could sense an overwhelming tension coming from him.
"We'll be there in a moment." Okay…
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Ronak
I was trying to keep my irritation and worry locked inside myself so Micha wouldn't become concerned. It pisses me off that things had to be moved up, but I was prepared. I had been planning for years now to overthrow my father. I admit that he hid his tracks well, but there was only so much he could hide from me. I didn't want there to be a question of doubt if he should be removed as Duke, so I bid my time, keeping track of each of his slip-ups.
Just him looking at Micha made me infuriated. How dare he lay his disgusting eyes on him? I wanted to haul Micha off to the bath to wash that revolting man's gaze from his skin. I refuse to tolerate his existence coinciding with Micha's.
Though I'd better watch my actions this time… I don't think my uncle will look past me slaughtering people too many times… I thought for sure he was going to send knights after me for some discipline, but he didn't. Maybe Micha's presence has made him ease up on his shitty fake parenting.
We arrived at our destination, and I exited my travel spell. "My dorm?" Micha looked around before turning to look up at me with his big gold eyes. He looked terrified. Can't we go back to him, cutely glaring at me like an angry kitten? Why'd that bastard have to barge in and scare him?
"You need to stay here for the rest of the day. Don't leave your dorm unless it's an emergency. Eat food from your storage and don't open the door. Not even for Terra." He looked a little confused, and I don't blame him. He had no idea what I had been planning. "I'll explain after everything is done." Worry started engulfing me, and I couldn't help but pull Micha in for a kiss. "You don't need to worry. That man holds no power over me anymore. I'll drop by in the morning before you head to breakfast or attend class."
"A-are you sure everything is going to be okay?" Mmm, Micha was so pure and innocent. The complete opposite of me. Part of me really liked Micha worrying about me, while the other half didn't like him being worried at all. How peculiar.
Micha's hair was so soft, like a baby animal's. I couldn't help but pet him. "Such little faith. I'll have to prove how reliable your alpha is to you." I stole another kiss before turning to leave, but Micha grabbed hold of my shirt as I went to melt down into my travel spell.
"No more scars! I-if you do happen to get hurt, let me heal you!" The warmth of his hug on my back was satisfying. I could stand here forever. How does he have such power over me? All I want is to scoop him up and haul him to the bed.
"No more scars, huh? I guess I can oblige." I didn't plan to give the bastard the satisfaction, but I guess things could always go wrong.
Micha slowly peeled himself off me. "Please be safe." He whispered as I disappeared into the ground.
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Hmmm, the documents should have just made their way to the palace… I looked up from my stopwatch as the doors to the dining room opened. I should have known he was going to bring the sluts with him.
The two women were just that, sluts. They wore garish dresses that exposed far too much cleavage and accentuated their bodies in the worst ways possible. The alcohol my father downs must really aid his vision because they were nothing but old hags looking to use him for his 'money'. The most annoying part was, he referred to them as my mothers.
"Why the fuck are you sitting at the head of the table, and where did your new little toy go? Your mothers were interested in meeting her." I was grateful that marking Micha made me unable to smell the horrendous scent of these sluts pheromones. The moment they walked in and saw me sitting at the head of the table, their vile eyes lit up like they had just seen their next victim. Disgusting. I wouldn't lie with vermin like you.
"Don't you dare fucking refer to my omega with that disgusting tongue." I took a sip of wine and glared down the table set for one at my sham of a father, who was still standing like a fool. "Can't you see?" I waved my hand across the empty table. "Tonight's a night of celebration! To mark my first night as the new duke."
"N-new-?!" He stuttered before slamming his hands down onto the table and glaring at me. "Stop playing your games, boy!" The two sluts shared nervous glances and slowly backed up as my father started releasing pheromones to try and intimidate me. That might have worked when I was a small child or when I first manifested, but things have changed. I'm a dominant alpha while he's on the brink of recessive.
"There are no games being played. Why, you see, you're the one looking like a goddamn fool for not remembering your son's birthday, but I guess it fucking makes sense because I'm not your damn son. I was always confused by how you treated me, but of course, you wouldn't care for my well-being. I didn't belong to you." I drove my steak knife down into the intentionally rare steak so hard that I shattered the plate and ended up driving it into the wood. "Was it funny? All these years, having me call you father while you beat and abused me? Did it make you feel powerful knowing that people turned a blind eye to what was happening behind closed doors?" I stood and slowly walked the length of the table towards him while producing my own pheromones. The sluts rushed from the room out of fear, leaving only me and my dear old abuser.
His eyes darted back and forth, desperate for an escape from my pheromones that were essentially holding him in place. "You damn-!" He coughed.
"Do I need to buy you a calendar to go along with your bottom-shelf alcohol? Don't tell me my fake father forgot my birthday. That might make me cry." The ground shook slightly as he tried to retaliate, but as a chunk of dirt flew through the air, I simply had to raise my hand to block it. "Me, be related to you? Ha! All the signs were there, but it took me a shamefully long time to admit it. I was so desperate to cling to the idea of family, but don't worry. You beat that idea right out of me. I thought about many ways to enact my revenge." I reached over and closed my hand around his throat. His obnoxious eyes bulged out of his head and darted around. Maybe if I squeeze him hard enough, they'll pop out. "I thought about giving you all the scars that you inflicted upon me, or maybe even feeding you all the poisons and toxins you fed me as a small child. That would be fun, but too simple. Too easy. I want you to really know how much I genuinely fucking hate you."
"The e-emperor will-!" He managed to wheeze out before I tightened the grip on his throat.
"The emperor should be reading through all sorts of things at this moment. My childhood diary, documents of your money laundering, and embezzlement. Oh, and I found plenty of evidence that you intentionally poisoned my mother. If you're going to kill someone, at least cover your tracks a bit more. You did a damn sloppy job." I was trying to keep it under control, but I'm sure Micha was fully aware of all the hatred and anger swirling around inside of me like a storm.
I threw him into the table as hard as I dared, but I still managed to break the table and probably quite a few of his bones in the process. Besides the steak that was stabbed into the table, the rest of the table setting came sliding down onto him, adding insult to injury.
The cold splash of wine must have knocked a bit of sense into him. "Y-you fucking monster! Y-you're not going to get away with-!" He let out a loud, violent scream as I tapped my foot on the ground and hundreds of needle-thin spikes pierced through his legs. It was a little satisfying seeing him jolt in pain. I made sure not to cause any vital damage, but I sure hope that the feeling haunts him for the days to come.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you live a nice, long time in the palace prison. You're not getting a quick and painful release. Oh, no, no!" His eyes widened in horror as I reached down and covered his face with a hand. "See, I learned a new spell recently, and I haven't been able to try it out. I just haven't found the right bastard." My pulse raced with excitement. I hope the spell is as vile as its name.
"Get away from me!" He tried to screech.
"Shhh, don't worry. One day I'll personally drag you down to the fiery pits of hell, but today's just not that day. See, I have this cute omega all worried about me, and I need to get back to him." I gave his face a good squeeze, but the sound he made just wasn't as pleasurable as the sound Micha makes when I squeeze his ass.
"Yoo baturd!" He complained into my palm.
"Who me? Why, I'm just the result of your goddamn stellar parenting. You should be fucking proud! You raised a damn monster far worse than you!" I wanted to beat him to a pulp and take my anger out on his corpse, but that was far too nice. I needed to show restraint. "I tire of listening to you-"
"Ronak, wait!" The door to the dining room opened, and General Hemonnet burst in along with some of the special ops knights. I wasn't in the mood for waiting. My bastard uncles knew damn well about the shit I went through, and neither stepped in to help! I wasn't going to let them step in now!
"Curse of Agony." I spat as my mana started swirling around. My fake father began violently convulsing and even slumped over to the ground, where he continued to twitch. I knew that the spell inflicted the mind, but that was about it. I hadn't cast it enough to know anything else. "Who said you could enter my estate?" I snapped as I stood above the twitching body of my abuser. I thought I'd feel satisfied, but I didn't. Maybe I should have redecorated the walls with his blood instead.
"By order of the emperor, we were asked to take Duke Balumn into custody…. Ronak…" His eyes drifted around the scene for a moment as the words died in his throat.
"I have no desire to hear what you have to say after all these goddamn years. Collect him and fucking leave. This estate now belongs to Duke Abraxos, and you are not welcome onto the premises." I stormed past my uncle, completely unwilling to listen to what he had to say.
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Nothing was helping to quench the anger inside of me. Why?! Why the fuck don't I feel anything?! Shouldn't I feel satisfied or relieved?! After all these relentless years, I won. I claimed victory, and yet, I still feel annoyed.
"I understand your desire to redecorate, but this seems like a bit much…" Gerard stood in the remains of the doorway to the master bedroom, where I was actively destroying with my claws like a feral beast. He wasn't giving me one of his judgmental stares, but I could tell he was perturbed with my actions. "Everything has been taken care of at all the estates. The imperial knights collected what they needed to and left. Everything should be in order, my lord."
My chest was rising and falling like crazy as I glared at the ground. "What about those two sluts?"
"Tongues removed so they don't spread word of what happened, achilles discreetly cut so they can't run off, and delivered to a whore house so they can service the type of men they love so much. Everything was carried out just as you ordered. I'm surprised you showed so much mercy. Has marking an omega made you soft?"
My eyes instantly darted over to Gerard. "Say that again, I fucking dare you."
"Since when do you pay mind to my idle chatter? I have no desire to end up like this room, thank you." Gerard brushed his shoulder off and straightened his tie as he downplayed what he said. "Speaking of your omega, I'm surprised you haven't gone to him."
"In this state?!" I snapped. I was hardly in a form that Micha would be comfortable around. He probably wouldn't appreciate seeing the type of monster that actually marked him.
"If I may be so bold, I think he has a better chance of calming you down. I don't think this is achieving anything but property damage. We barely got the window replaced. Are you trying to bolster the working class?" Micha will… calm me down?...
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Micha
How did Ronak expect me to get any sleep like this?! His feelings were overwhelming. The best I could do was sit in my bed and cradle my stuffed animals for comfort. I've never experienced emotions as strong as this. It was like he was being consumed with hatred.
The weird part was, I wasn't even there, and I had a rough idea of how things played out. First, he was really annoyed, then it progressed to bubbling irritation, then, like a storm that had finally arrived, anger and absolute loathing took over. At one point, a bit of panic shot through him, but overall, it was anger. Seething hot anger. Recently, there had been a dash of confusion mixed in, but the anger was still prevalent. It honestly made me sad. I didn't like that Ronak faced his father in that sort of mental state.
I let out a little gasp as Ronak's gross, red, bubbly pile of viscera slid under my door. Ew, how do people not notice that? He slid over next to the bed, but didn't exit the spell, which I found strange. "Ronak?" He wasn't hurt, was he? I leaned forward to peek over the side of the bed at his goo pile.
"I need a moment to calm down." His voice quietly echoed around the room like he was submerged in water. Oh, so he can talk like that. He had mentioned that you can hear voices outside of it, but I hadn't fully understood.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"No."
I let out a relieved sigh and lay down on the bed so I could peer down at him. It was a bit gross to me, but I hoped that Ronak could see me. "I'm glad… I-I was pretty worried about you."
"Why?" His tone was rather curt with me, which I found odd. He was normally the one being so gentle and sweet with me.
"I-I don't exactly know what happened, but you stood up to your father, didn't you… I'm sorry you had to face him alone; that must have been difficult…"
"That man is not my biological father." Ronak snapped. Ah, h-he sounded so hurt and upset. I wanted to burst into tears on his behalf. I couldn't imagine how much it hurt to find that out.
"Oh… Isn't that sorta a good thing? Wh-when I saw him earlier today, I thought that there was no way such a man was related to you…" I reached an arm down and gently poked the red puddle. It was really weird, like it was wet, but it didn't get my hand wet. "Y-you're far better looking…" Ronak didn't respond, so I gently swirled my finger around in the goo. "Are you not going to come out of there?"
"I'm still transformed." Huh? Was he talking about his spell?
"You mean how you can transform your feet into hooves, hands into claws, and you get wings?"
"Yes…"
"But I've already seen you like that…" Did the spell transform more of him when he was angry?
"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Ronak's goo puddle slid to the middle of the room, and I sat up on my bed. As Ronak emerged from the puddle, I let out a little gasp. He was Ronak, but at the same time, it's like he was a completely different being. He was far more muscular and taller. Though looking at his legs, he seemed to have an additional joint under his knees. He was wearing a strange black robe, but I could see that far more of his body was covered in the swarthy red that consumed his hands. W-was that a tail a-and his wings looked far more corporeal… Ronak looked… like a full-blown demon standing in my room. Despite being angry, it was clear from his body language how upset he was. His wings were drooped low, and his tail whipped back and forth in annoyance.
I didn't want to make him more upset and uncomfortable, so I tried to ignore his transformation. I sat with my back against the wall and my legs extended across my bed. "Come lie down," I said while patting the bed.
Ronak's eyes were framed with an interesting red and black scale pattern, but that didn't distract me from his confused look. I patted the bed again and my lap while giving him a kind look in return. His emotions were still all over the place and incredibly strong, but I knew what he needed right now was someone to just be with him.
Ever so slowly, Ronak wandered over and sat on the bed. I wanted to curiously run my hands over his wings and use my God's eyes on them, but I had to resist. Now wasn't the time. He pulled his wings in and lay down on the bed with his head in my lap like I requested. He let out an annoyed huff, but didn't say anything. I had a feeling he wouldn't speak, and that's okay.
He was facing away from me, so I carefully brought my hand up and ran it through his hair while I put out a bit of pheromones. He flinched, but didn't swat me away. Ooh, his hair is rather soft. My other hand came up, and I played with his hair while we sat there. No words were shared, but they didn't need to be. Ronak would tell me what happened when he was ready.
After a while, his wings and tail disappeared with a swirl of his red mana. Ronak slowly rolled to his back and stared up at me. I couldn't help but run my finger over his furrowed brow. I gave in to my curiosity and ran my finger up the bumpy texture of his horn and down its swoop. Huh, it almost felt like a goat's horn, but it was inky black.
"How are you not scared?" Ronak snapped. His pupils were elongated and cat-like, but honestly, I thought they were sorta pretty.
"It's just a spell." What was there to be afraid of? Ronak made a bit of a face, but didn't say anything else. "If you want to talk, I'm more than happy to listen… I-I don't know much and am not a very high-standing noble, but despite your teasing, my ears do indeed work."
"They do, do they?" Ronak reached up with his clawed hand and pushed my hair out of the way of my ear. "He's not my father…" Ronak mumbled. "Yet that bastard held the fact that he was over my head for many years. I should have just let him kill me like he killed my mother."
Oh Ronak… The knot in my stomach twisted as I heard the words he muttered. Tears welled in the corners of my eyes, and one accidentally dripped down onto his cheek. "S-sorry!" I went to wipe it away, but Ronak's hand stopped me.
"I don't think I've ever cried… Even when my mother passed away, I never shed a tear, and yet you shed them so easily…"
"I-I'm sorry!" I was a bit of a crybaby. Maybe it was the omega in me, but it was an emotion that came to me so easily.
"You don't need to apologize…" Ronak's hand came up, and using the backside of his claw, he wiped a tear from my eye. "I just find it peculiar." He said while gazing at the tear on his claw. I let out a bit of a hiccup, and Ronak snickered. "It's like you're trying to make up for all the sorrow and worry I never had. Even now, I don't even feel satisfied with him removed from my life. I'm sure you're aware of how angry I am."
"D-did you…" Did he kill the imposter he called father? I couldn't even bring myself to say the words, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.
"No, he lives. Though you'll probably find what I did far worse than killing him." Ronak's eyes drifted away as he paused. "I put a curse of agony on him so that he can suffer as much as I have. Even if he tries to take his own life, the palace guards will stop him. He will live in torment until he takes his last breath."
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Ronak
I glanced back up at Micha, expecting him to give me a dirty look. "Ronak…." Is he going to tell me how disgusting I am? How he wished he hadn't been marked by someone as vile as I am? "I can't believe you had to live with such a heavy burden. I-I'd crumble under the weight…" What? He… didn't find what I did disgusting? He wasn't going to yell or chastise my actions? Why?
"Micha, I staged a coup-"
"I guessed as much from the way you talked." Big tears continued to spill down his face, but my anger was getting replaced by confusion. Micha picked up my hand and nuzzled his wet face against my palm. "Everything will be okay now. You don't have to have someone like him in your life anymore." My hand slowly turned back into normal fingers and Micha let out a little giggle as he looked at my hand. "I'm glad you're calming down." He laced his fingers through mine and pulled my hand over to him.
My heart was rapidly beating in my chest. Wh-what was this feeling? How could Micha seem so relieved while holding my hand? Doesn't he know what sort of terrible person I am? "I don't understand…"
"Don't understand what?" The tears in Micha's eyes had stopped dripping, but his eyes still sparkled from the additional moisture.
"You."
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Micha
He didn't understand me? I let out another soft giggle and peered down into his eyes. "We've only known each other a short while, so I can't say it's too surprising…" Ronak looked a bit annoyed to have his own words thrown back at him. I have to imagine it is going to take quite a while before the two of us completely understand one another. Guess we had plenty of time for that. Ah, Ronak's horn disappeared. Guess I wasn't paying too close attention. Hmm, his body seems back to normal, too. "Do you want to go to sleep? It's rather late."
Ronak glanced around my room for a moment before turning back to me with a furrowed brow. "Do you not have a clock in here?"
"N-no… They're rather expensive…"
"How do you- never mind, I'll give you one to put in here."
"That's not necessary!" He didn't need to go out of his way to buy me things! I really was fine, functioning without one.
"Just get ready for bed," Ronak grumbled as he sat up and started pulling his shirt off. My eyes lingered on his many scars, and sadness overwhelmed me. To think that many of those were caused by that man… Ronak let out a grunt and glanced over at me and my teary eyes. "Why are you crying now?" Ronak grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me down to lie beside him. I still had on the clothes he loaned me, but he started unbuttoning my top.
I reached my hand over and brushed my fingers against one of his scars. "C-can I ask how you got some of these, or do you not want to talk?"
Ronak let out a sigh and grabbed my head. His wide tongue pressed against the side of my eye, removing the tear that had just about fallen. Gah! Whenever he does that, it feels like I'm being groomed by a big dog, and it sends shivers down my spine. "The rule is no crying." He grumbled as he pulled the blanket up and over us.
"O-okay." I-I can manage that! I-I think. I reached my hand forward and traced along a particularly jagged one that was on his right pec. "H-how did you get this one?"
"Mmm, if I remember right, that one was actually from a stag horn. I thought it was dead, but when I grabbed its antler, it lurched and got me rather well. Since I was far away from civilization at the time, I didn't have many bandages, and it healed poorly." Oh, so they weren't all from his supposed father. That made me feel a little relieved.
"There's a weird round one on your side…" I slid my hand to where I thought it was, but Ronak grabbed my hand and pulled it down to his waist.
"It's here." He took my finger and traced around the patchy circle. It felt a little strange; his skin was really smooth where it healed. "He broke a wine bottle and stabbed me with it because I told him no for the first time." A-a wine bottle?! Th-that explains why it's so thick and uneven. Depending on how it shattered, the wound would have had deeper parts and far shallower parts. "I said no crying." Ronak snapped as he grabbed my head again and licked the side of my face.
"Th-that's just so sad! I-I want to make them all go away, but I can't!" I sniffled and buried my head against his chest.
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Ronak
"I never asked you to make them go away." Why was he so concerned about making my scars go away? It's not like they hurt or anything.
"B-but I don't w-want you to feel sad anymore…"
"I don't feel sad." There wasn't an ounce of sadness inside me. Just anger.
"Y-you mask it pretty well with anger b-but it was there with your anger. Tangled in." Micha looked up from my chest with big, wide eyes. "I-I don't like you feeling angry either, but y-you're not alone anymore a-and it's not like I'm going to hurt you. I-I think everything is going to be okay now." I had to hide my scoff. What did this little golden pipsqueak know?
"Go to sleep," I grumbled as I stole a kiss. He might be talking nonsense, but at least his lips are plenty soft.
"O-okay…" He nuzzled down into my arms and made himself comfortable. Hmm, he really has gotten used to being around me. He struggled so much to get out of my arms in the dungeon, and now look at how pleased he is.
Not alone, huh? Guess I'm not. Not anymore, at least.
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I wasn't able to fall asleep. All I could do was watch Micha as he gently snoozed in my arms. He looked so incredibly peaceful. Every time I looked at him for a long time my heart would start racing, and I'd have to divert my attention elsewhere. Hmm, maybe I'll have to see an imperial doctor. This is indeed a strange phenomenon… Do omegas always have such an effect on their alpha?
Troublesome. Completely troublesome. That's all this golden pipsqueak was. He doesn't want me to feel sadness or anger, huh? While I didn't believe him at all about me feeling sad, asking me not to be angry was like asking me not to breathe. I constantly felt anger…
I guess… I didn't feel anger when I was with him… My eyes wandered back to his pleased sleeping smile, and I had to look away. How could a fellow man be so cute and dainty? He was incredibly odd. Yes, oh so odd.
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Micha
Oh… I opened my eyes and saw that Ronak was fast asleep. I don't want to wake him. He's had two rough days in a row. He's probably exhausted.
He looks rather handsome when he's asleep. No emotions, just a peaceful expression. N-not that he doesn't look good when he's grumpy, but it's hard not to focus on how grumpy he looks. I wish he didn't have to have so many struggles. Can't life give him a break?
The bell tower rang, and I glanced over at the sun streaming through the curtains. W-we totally skipped classes today… didn't we… That was what… the midday bell? Ronak has been such a bad influence! M-my poor grades are going to drop because of him!
Ronak shifted, and one of his eyes peeked open to look at me. "S-sorry! Did I wake you?"
He let out a big yawn and smacked his mouth a couple of times. "No, it's not you. The emperor is demanding my presence." Ronak's expression instantly soured.
"Huh? H-how would you know that?"
"I can talk with Gerard and Olivia in my head." Wh-what?! What sort of spell was that?! All I could do was give him a puzzled look. I had never heard of such a spell in my life. "I told Gerard to tell the emperor to fuck off."
"Sh-shouldn't you go if he's asking for you?" Ronak could get in some serious trouble for declining a summons from the emperor.
"I'll go eventually, but I'm so tired and I don't want to leave your bed." Ronak teasingly grabbed my chest and gave me a good squeeze, which made me yelp. "Why would I want to see his ugly face when I have such a cute omega to play with?"
"Ronak!" His teasing hands squeezed and fondled me, which only made me squeal more. I-if he doesn't stop m-my body is going to get all worked up!
I didn't have to worry too much because a knock on my door made both of us freeze. "Micha? Are you in there?"
"Wh-what do I do?!" I nervously whispered. She didn't hear us, did she?!
"Respond back to her," Ronak whispered into my ear. "Tell her you're not feeling well, you ate something weird over the weekend."
I nodded my head, but my voice was so shaky as I responded to her. "Terra?"
"Micha! Are you okay? Can I come in?"
"NO! N-no! You won't want to come in. I-I don't feel so well."
"You don't?! What happened? Do you need me to contact an academy doctor for you?"
"No, I'm starting to feel better… I-I just ate a strange herb and got sick-"
"Micha! What have I told you about sampling herbs to see what they do?! You can't keep doing that! One day, you're going to eat something toxic! You might have healing magic, but you're not omnipotent!" Terra kept nagging me through the door, and Ronak was finding it to be a hoot. First, he started snickering, and now he was struggling to hold in his laughter. I-it's not funny! My friend is all mad at me!
"T-Terra! I-I won't do it again! I-I promise!" I sat up and stared at the door.
I didn't need to see her to know that her hands were on her hips. "That's what you said last time, and look who's missing classes! You'd better get feeling better because I'm going to nag your ear off when I see you again!"
"O-okay." I whimpered as Ronak snorted into the pillow. Y-you jerk! This is all your fault, you know!
"Get feeling better, Micha." With that, Ronak completely burst into laughter. It was rather pleasant to listen to after the gloomy day we had yesterday.
"What is she, your mother?"
"N-no! She's my friend who cares about me!" I whined as I brought my fist down on Ronak's side. "I-it's all your fault! I'm having to lie to her!" Tears started welling in my eyes, and Ronak let out a sigh.
"Then tell her the truth. People are going to find out eventually." He made it sound so easy! I wouldn't even know where to start! Ronak let out an annoyed grunt while looking into the distance. "As much as I want to lie around, it seems the emperor isn't taking no for an answer. Come on, let's go take a bath." Ronak sat up and strolled over to the bathroom door. "Don't make me force you like last time. I'm sure the dorm will love hearing you squeal." H-he wanted me to bathe with him again?! Was he obsessed or something?!
"M-my tub is so small!" We couldn't possibly fit"
"Even better." Ronak snickered as he entered the bathroom.
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Ronak
Heh, tormenting Micha was the funnest thing I've done in years. I thought for sure he was going to pass out when I told him to wash my chest. I did feel a little guilty getting him all wound up and then leaving, but if I delayed my uncle any further, there would be actual consequences.
"Is sleeping against the fucking law or something?" I snarled as I burst into the throne room. Gods, I was just here with Micha. I shouldn't have to come here this often. I hated this place.
This time it wasn't just the emperor and his attendants; the entire assembly hall was stuffed to the brim with advisors and nobles. Oh, goody, an audience. "So you do come when called."
"I don't think sending guards to my estate when I'm not there is very noble of you." My uncle narrowed his eyes at me in annoyance.
"If not there, where were you?"
"Did you forget that you forced me to attend the magic academy? Because if you don't care, I'll gladly drop out-" I decided to divert his attention instead of bringing Micha into the picture. He'd probably get in trouble if anyone found out I was sneaking into his dorm.
"No, no. Calm down. I'm simply surprised you'd go there after what you pulled. First you mutilated Margrave Bardol and now you coup your father-"
"Bardol got what he deserved for attacking something that's mine, and that man is not my father. I believe I gave you plenty of evidence."
"Right, right. It was all just a lot to take in. I'm still feeling a bit confused." What the fuck was there to be confused about? I literally provided him with a timeline and evidence of all the corrupt things that had been taking place under his nose. My lip curled slightly as I watched the emperor's expression change. Disgusting. Take your guilty look elsewhere. "I apologize for referring to him in that manner. I'm sure you're still rather upset, but I must say, did you need to take things that far? We just had him in here, and it's like no one's home. He's a mindless tortured shell-"
"You're lucky I didn't do worse. I left him alive to avoid breaking the imperial law."
"So you did… and yet I'm struggling to look past what you did…" My uncle looked genuinely troubled, but I didn't care. He chose to look the other way plenty of times before when I needed help, and he never intervened. He could look the other way this time as well.
"Is the only reason you called me here to question my damn actions? I have plenty that needs to be done now that I've removed a small portion of the corruption you let fester."
My uncle's gaze sharpened at my words, but he didn't ask any further questions. There were too many ears in the room. "Very well, for now it is best that things of the past be left to the past. It would be better for all of us to move forward into the future." In other words, you want to brush my mother's death and her out-of-wedlock pregnancy under the rug. "While you're still not quite old enough to take the title of duke, your birthday is right around the corner. I think it's only proper for you to not only receive the title of duke, but archduke." That sent a murmur through the crowd.
It would make more sense for him to distance me from the throne for his son's sake, but my uncle was a purist through and through. He thought that because I wielded stronger magic and blood that I should be the one to take the throne. I can't say I'm too surprised that he's making me an archduke. "If you insist," I grumbled. Essentially, I'd be holding a title greater than Prince Elyas. What a bother.
"You should look a little pleased, no?" My uncle was all smiles, but I was only annoyed.
"I would have been happier had I not been fucking woken up." I could have gotten Micha all riled up and seen what he would have done. I'm curious to know if he's brave enough to initiate anything.
"Don't tell me you're going to be this grumpy at your party. It's a time to celebrate and have fun!" I just murdered a margrave and removed the abuser from my life, yet you want to discuss that fucking party?
"You should just cancel the damn thing."
"No, I will not. Invites have been sent out and arrangements have been made. Besides, I'm sure your adorable omega would like to share a dance or two with you." That got the annoying crowd going again. Surely news of my bond mark has traveled all through the capital by now. Why were the old geezers getting worked up about it now?
"We are currently keeping our relationship a secret. I doubt either of us will want that." I snapped while making sure I didn't use any pronouns to give us away. There were only two male omegas attending the academy, that was unless there were more weird ones like Micha that were keeping it a secret. Anyways, no one knew of Micha's existence, so if I said 'he' or 'him', they'd all instantly think it was that other male omega.
My uncle must have picked up on my intentional avoidance because he did the same. "Hmmm, if you and your omega are keeping things secret, then why don't we have a masquerade?! Then your omega can keep their identity hidden!"
"That's not-"
"Oooh! Have someone send out notices! The change will be made at once! How exciting!" The bastard didn't even listen to what I had to say! Fucking hell, he was annoying!
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"Hehe, here's your picnic basket, my lord," Olivia said as she handed me the food I asked her to prepare. "I made sure to add the little lord's favorite chocolate cake." Mmm, Olivia was being obnoxiously smug. "Who would have thought that our Lord would be smitten enough to take food to someone?" Ah, she was back on the whole, I'm in love thing.
"I'll be back tomorrow before classes to change," I grumbled as I held the basket in my hand.
"Yes, my lord," Gerard responded with a bow.
"Bye-bye!" Olivia giggled.
Ugh, she needs to calm down. Me in love? Ridiculous. I don't… I paused traveling and stared down at the basket containing not only dinner, but plenty of sweets for Micha. My heart started racing and I thought I was going to be sick. M-me?! Love that little pipsqueak?! Perposterous!
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Micha
Do I go to dinner? If Terra sees me, she's going to nag my ear off, and besides, if I load up on sweets after claiming to be ill, she'll get suspicious… Gah! What to do?!
I froze as a bubbling puddle of viscera slid under my door. Ronak! I moved to get off the bed and froze. W-was I excited to see him? I know we've grown rather close physically… I-I can't believe he made me wash him this morning! Th-that was taking things too far!
"I'm surprised you haven't left. You didn't need to stay in here." Ronak exited his spell, but his face was rather pink. Huh? What was up with him?
He approached where I was sitting, and I curiously reached up to feel his forehead, but when I touched him, he slightly jumped. "Is everything okay? You're rather flush. It doesn't feel like a fever."
"I'm fine." Ronak waved my hand away and set a large basket on the bed. My interest was instantly piqued. I smell… chocolate!! "I brought dinner-"
"And cake?!"
"There is cake, but you need to eat real food first. You haven't been eating well the last few days because of the chaos." He was teasing Terra about being my naggy mother, but he was being a naggy alpha.
Ronak unpacked some of the stuff, and I couldn't believe how much food there was. "This is too much! You can't honestly expect me to eat this all!"
Ronak picked up a fork and waved it at me. "Try your hardest if you want cake." S-so mean! I sadly jabbed my fork into the salad and peeked over at Ronak's flushed face. He was still acting a bit odd. Our hands accidentally brushed while setting up food, and he almost jumped out of his skin.
"How did things go with the emperor?" He was annoyed almost the entire time, but it didn't get worse than that, so maybe that was a good thing?
Ronak let out a long sigh. "He wants you to attend my birthday party with me. I told him no, but he ran and changed it to a masquerade party." Oh… That's what they talked about? I was a bit torn. The idea of going to a party with Ronak sounded fun, but stressful. "He wouldn't shut up about you and me sharing a dance."
"I-I don't know if my dance skills are up to par…" I knew how, but Ronak was probably far more skilled than I was.
"You actually want to attend?" I looked up at Ronak in confusion.
"Didn't you want me to attend social events and parties with you? I-I don't have to go if you don't want me to."
"That's not what I said." Ronak snapped as his face turned even pinker. "If you want to attend, I'll let Kas know. He'll need to get proper measurements for you so he can make something custom." My cheeks turned a bit warm, too. I-I get to attend Ronak's birthday party with him?!
"O-okay." Butterflies consumed my stomach, but they were a mix of nervous and excited.
"We'll go tomorrow after classes, so he has plenty of time to make our outfits."
"Sounds good." I trusted Kas to come up with something beautiful. I sort of hoped it had elements that matched Ronak's outfit. Maybe I'll have to mention it to him…
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Getting ready for classes felt oddly mundane after the wild weekend we just had. Ronak had left to go put his uniform on while I got ready alone. I felt weirdly lonely without him. I didn't like it…
I barely made it out of my dorm when I got assaulted by a hug. "I'm so mad at you! You just disappeared over the weekend, and then to hear that you made yourself sick, bah! Makes me want to shake some sense into you!" Terra released me, but tugged on my cheeks with a scowl. The moment I saw her, my stomach dropped.
"Y-yeah… s-sorry about that…" I couldn't even make eye contact. I hated lying to her.
"Oh, you don't have to look so down. Come on, let's get some actual food into your stomach instead of unidentified herbs." I-I still felt stuffed from dinner. I ate so much food just so I could eat chocolate cake, but it was worth it. That stuff was so good!
"Yeah, okay…" I was almost relieved when we ran into a chattering group of omegas. Then I didn't have to continue lying to Terra…
"Did you all hear the news?!"
"That Lord Ronak's birthday has been changed to a masquerade?!"
"Yes! I'm so excited!" The girls let out all sorts of excited squeals, but the swarm of butterflies returned to my stomach.
"I already purchased my mask!"
"What?! So soon?!"
"I would hate for the shops not to have it completed in a week." Was his birthday really approaching so quickly?!
"Do you think his mate is going to be there!?!?"
"Do you think we will get a chance to meet her?!" She's not a she. She's a he, and he's standing right here dying on the inside while listening to you.
"I bet she's gorgeous!"
"I wonder if it's someone attending the academy!" Yep, he does. He also feels like puking right now.
"Is everything okay, Micha?" Terra whispered to me. I almost jumped out of my skin. I was so focused on remaining calm that I didn't notice Terra lean in.
"Y-yep!" Gah! I-I can't take this! "I-I'm actually not feeling all that hungry… I'll see you in class later!"
"Okay…" Terra looked incredibly concerned, but didn't stop me as I ran off.
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"You keep missing all the targets. Are you distracted again? The professor is getting annoyed with you…" Jade snuggled in close to me and looked up at me with her dark green eyes. "Is he bothering you again? You and Lord Ronak keep giving each other quick glances." I flinched in surprise. She noticed? Gah! How embarrassing! I was hoping that no one would notice! I-I just felt weird being far away from him all day, and then when I do get to see him, he's all the way over there! N-no fair!
I wanted to burst into tears, but that would only draw more attention to me. I had to keep it bundled up inside. "N-no, everything is fine." Everything was not fine. I wanted to be nestled against Ronak just like Jade was nestled against me. I wanted to smell his pheromones and have him make all my worries go away.
"Oh, okay… is it because you like him?" My spell flew off, almost hitting the professor, causing him to yell at me. "Oh, I see…"
"No! You don't see!" My voice climbed several octaves as I began to panic. "Nothing is going on! You're reading into it too much!" I thought you were the dense kind that didn't realize that I was an omega, and now you think you're a love guru?!
"Mmm, you reacted pretty strongly when I said that… I've been trying to pay better attention to things after… my mistake. It just seems to me that you like him. There's nothing wrong with having a crush, but he is a taken alpha." No! No, no! Not even remotely the same!
"I-I don't like him, so stop saying that!" I covered her mouth and scooted further away from the other students so they didn't hear us.
She managed to wiggle free of my hand and gave me a suspicious look. "You're acting sort of weird for someone who doesn't have a crush, but he has a mate mark. You can't like him, dummy." Oh, Jade, it isn't I that's the dummy, but you. I have the corresponding mate mark.
"E-enough already! I-I don't like him! I'm in a panic because someone is going to overhear you and get the wrong idea!" Then they're going to spread the gossip around, and I'll be doomed.
"Fine. I'll stop saying that you like him. You're no fun." She grumbled under her breath as we walked back to join the other students. F-fun?! That wasn't something fun to go spreading around. Not that it was a lie, but still.
Ronak shot me a concerned glance, and I had to let out an exasperated sigh. H-he was just as bad at hiding it as I was!
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"You're terrible at pretending!" Ronak smashed his fist into a dire wolf that had charged in our direction.
"Y-you're one to talk! You kept glancing my way as well!" I launched two disks toward another incoming direwolf that had joined the fray, cutting its head clean off.
"Why have you been stressed out all day?" Ronak stomped the ground and caused multiple spikes to shoot up out of the ground, piercing another group of poisonous mushrooms that were approaching. His knowing my emotions all the time was completely unfair!
"Th-they just didn't have my favorite breakfast food this morning." Ronak whipped around and kicked the dire wolf that had gotten close enough to bite me.
"You're also terrible at lying. You didn't even eat breakfast because you ran off." He glared at me before returning his attention to the incoming monsters. Our professor said there was no reason for the two of us to continue going into the low-level dungeons, so he sent us into the third-year forest to practice monster combat while he monitored the other students on the first level of the dungeon. I couldn't believe he'd send two students here unmonitored. He didn't care about our safety one bit, did he?
"F-fine!" There was no lying to Ronak, and it's not like he didn't already know. "Terra noticed that I've been acting strange all morning, so she's asking too many questions, and I don't know how to respond!"
"Then just tell her the truth. Who cares?" You make it sound so easy! I was so upset that I ended up standing there while Ronak kept the monsters at bay. It's not like he couldn't handle it.
"I care! What if the entire academy finds out that I'm the one you bonded with?!" My social life would be over! All the girls would be angry with me, and I'd probably attract even more ire than I already do!
"So? Won't they find out eventually, or were you planning to keep it a secret for the next two and a half years?" He casually crushed the throat of a wolf and tossed it aside while giving me a dull look.
"I-I don't know?! I'm just worried they're going to treat me differently after they find out…"
"I doubt that Terra will. She seems like a real friend. If the others treat you differently, were they ever your friends to begin with?" N-no… admitting it hurt though… I didn't want to find out that the people I had been spending so much time with were fake… "Ugh, it's too hard to hold a conversation with this amount of stupid small fry coming after us." Ronak snapped as he kicked a mushroom monster away. He charged towards me and grabbed my waist before taking off running. It felt far too similar to us running from the nightwalker, so I let out a loud yelp of surprise. He must have transformed his feet into hooves because he kicked off a nearby tree's base and started to propel upwards into the branches. He made it to a large, thick branch and hopped on top of it.
"Y-you need to give me a warning before you just run off with me!" I squealed angrily. Was he trying to make my heart stop working?! Ronak plopped down onto the branch, straddling it like a horse's saddle, and sat me down in front of him.
"We're here to discuss your problem." The spell wore off his feet, and they turned back into his normal shoes. That was so odd to me. Where did his shoes even go when transformed? "I know I wanted to hold off on telling people we bonded, but that was mostly because I didn't want him to interfere or try anything to hurt you. It was too much of a risk with your lack of self-preservation." I-I have a sense of self-preservation! "But he's out of the picture. So, why are you so concerned about others knowing that we've bonded? Is it because I did it before marriage?"
I fiddled with my fingers nervously and couldn't bring myself to respond. At first, it was because I didn't want people thinking that I l-liked him… "That doesn't help, but… I've already heard a lot of what they have to say about the 'mystery girl'..." Most of the girls I hung around with didn't say anything too bad, but I had heard snippets of other conversations. "I just don't want them to say nasty things about me…"
Ronak scowled. "Then why do you want people who say nasty things as friends? You complained about my swearing to the point that I mostly stopped for you. Why would you allow them to say such things? Are you that desperate to fit in?"
Oof. It felt like he hit the nail on the head. I-I've never felt like I fit in anywhere. I'm a male, but not an alpha. I'm an omega, but not a female. Alphas despise me because I hang out with omegas, while omegas treat me a little differently because I'm male. "I-it's complicated…" I wrapped my arms around myself and used every ounce of my focus not to cry.
"Why not worry about your real friend who's concerned about you? I saw the look she was giving you. She seemed pretty upset." W-when did he see us? I guess he knew about me not eating breakfast as well…
"Wh-what if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore, or she treats me differently?" I didn't even want to think about losing her. I cared so much about Terra. She was the only one who didn't treat me differently, and she even stood up for me repeatedly. I'd be devastated if she looked at me with eyes of disgust.
"She was the only omega who sat next to you when I chased the rest away. I doubt she will change. She's pretty headstrong for an earl's daughter. Her father raised her well."
A small laugh escaped me. "Yeah, she's highly opinionated." I smiled. "F-fine. I'll tell her..." my stomach was a ball of nerves and butterflies, but I couldn't keep up these charades. It was killing me worse than avoiding Ronak was.
"Good, now stop worrying about stupid things or I'll just tell everyone the truth and be done with it." Ronak quickly grabbed me as I flinched to prevent me from falling.
"D-don't do that!" I squealed, causing Ronak to smirk.
"Now, please focus on your classes. For the person who wants to keep our relationship a secre,t you're doing a terrible job." Ronak cupped the side of my face and stared at me. His crimson eyes felt oddly comforting, like I could get lost within them. Maybe it was because I had been feeling stressed out all morning. I let out a sigh and rested my head against his chest as I mentally reset. Mmm, his pheromones are always so nice.
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"T-Terra… would you like to have dinner with me outside? I'd like to t-talk." I thought my heart was going to explode. "I-I have a picnic blanket packed. W-we just need to grab food." I wasn't sure how she would react, but I couldn't keep lying to her. She was my best friend, and I needed to put some faith in her.
"I thought you were never going to ask." She smiled warmly at me, and I hoped that even after our conversation, she would still share that bright smile with me. "You were acting all fidgety during herbology. It was driving me crazy."
"Y-yeah. I've had a lot on my mind today…" I scratched the back of my head as we both selected a few sandwiches and sides to take with us from the dining hall.
"Where do you want to eat?" She asked as we left the dining hall.
"Oh, a t-tree over there would be g-good." I pointed to a grassy hill that students rarely traversed.
"Are you going to tell me your secret? That's an awfully isolated place you're making me hike to." She giggled, but I didn't respond. That's exactly what I wanted.
Our walk was silent once Terra realized that I planned to tell her my secret, or maybe it was just clear that I had no desire to say anything until we were completely alone. Either way, we were quiet until I laid out the blanket and we sat down. I pulled the food from my storage, but I was hardly hungry.
"Alright, you hauled me all the way up here. What's been bothering you so badly that you couldn't tell me down there?" She pointed at the mostly empty outdoor common area where students studied or hung out.
Where to start… "A-as you know… Ronak had been b-bothering me…"
"Did he hurt you again?!" She stared at me with bi,g concerned eyes.
"T-technically no…" Her face instantly became puzzled. He hadn't hurt me recently, though he did like skewering my bottom…
"Technically?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. Gah! My face was definitely pink now!
"Th-things got complicated in the d-dungeon… He found out that I was an o-omega…" My voice was terribly shaky as I tried to calm my nerves.
She gasped, "Has he been giving you a hard time because of that?"
"N-no! Terra, I need you to listen. It's a c-complicated situation…" I didn't mean to snap, but her interjecting every few seconds wasn't helping my confidence.
"S-sorry! I'll stop interrupting." I scoffed; it wasn't like she was doing it to be annoying. She just cared, which was cute.
"Where to begin…" I told her a little about the dungeon and how we fought. I decided to leave out the um… more lewd parts of the story. That seemed a bit too personal to share. However, I did tell her that we started learning how to work together, but I planned to never see him again afterwards. Except that's not how it went, did it… he kept seeking me out. At the time, I was confused and annoyed. Why did he want to be around me? Didn't we hate each other?
"So, is he still hanging around?" Terra asked with a confused expression. I picked up a sandwich and slowly crimped the side while thinking about how to respond.
I let out a heavy sigh. "Y-yes, but maybe not in the way you're thinking." I took off my jacket and undid the top few buttons of my shirt. I pulled it back, revealing the golden swirls that mostly occupied my back, but a few were visible on my shoulders and collarbone.
"Y-you're the one he marked?!" Her voice climbed several octaves as she peered at my mark.
"Shhh! I didn't bring you up here to shout at the entire academy!" I get that it's shocking, but you don't need to yell! I quickly buttoned my shirt and put my jacket back on.
"W-why though?! I thought the two of you didn't get along! You aren't even married! Do you even like each other?!" Her questions were rapid-fire and a lot to take in. Each one was completely valid, though I'd have lots of questions too in her shoes.
"You know I've had a hard time wrapping my head around that one as well…" I mumbled while resuming the mutilation of my poor sandwich. "He likes to use the phrase, 'I'm sand that kept slipping through his fingers, so he had to find a way to put me in a jar, so he could keep me.' I think I said it right…" I stared off into the distance, but Terra's gasp drew my attention back to her.
"That's so cute! I-I didn't know he could say such cute things!" Oh, was it cute? I thought it was a bit dorky…
"I-I guess it's rather cute… The emperor did get mad at him for bonding with me before marriage… Not that I had much of a choice in the matter…"
"Hold on. The emperor said something?!?" Terra's eyes were as big as saucers, but I feel like she focused on the wrong part… Pft, she almost dropped her sandwich; she was so shocked.
"Oh, that in itself is a long story that I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share, but the emperor is Ronak's uncle… He seems nice…" Even though he likes to bug Ronak… Terra was staring at me with an open mouth like I had started talking gibberish. It took her a moment to process the information, but eventually she spoke back up.
"You said you didn't have a choice… Did he mark you by force?"
"Y-yeah… I still feel a bit of resentment about it…" A bit? Who am I joking? I'm rather bothered by it. He couldn't have tried talking to me like a normal human? Gah, who am I kidding? I wouldn't have given him the time of day…
"So… it sounds like he likes you enough to do that… Do you… like him?" Terra's eyes didn't even leave me as she ate. It was a bit nerve-wracking.
I nervously nibbled on the sandwich that was a mess in my hands. "I-I don't know. It's hard; he put me through a lot in a short amount of time. We've faced challenges and have had to overcome them together. He can make me feel so mad, but at the same time, I feel safe with him. I don't know if it's the bond or me… I feel fidgety without him. Even now, I wish he were here…" Gah! My face was definitely pink after admitting such an embarrassing thing. Terra just smiled, though.
"I gotta say, you two are a weird duo. You're polar opposites, but maybe that's why you get along. I think it's wrong how he went about it, though. He should have tried to win your heart and do it with consent…" She let out a little sigh. "He isn't hurting you, is he?"
"No…" My butt begs to differ…
"Is he being kind?"
"Mostly, except he likes to limit my sugar intake, which is incredibly evil! H-how dare he make me eat vegetables!" Terra burst into laughter as I complained.
"Someone needs to control you. You even eat dessert for breakfast! How you're not fat, I will never understand!"
"Ugh, you sound like him." I angrily grumbled, which only made Terra laugh more. He says the same annoying thing. Can't I just have my sugar without the judgment?
Once she calmed down, she asked more questions. "I mean, is he kind to you, as in does he do nice things for you? Is he taking care of you? He's not using you, is he?" Gah! Question overload, Terra!
"He's going to take me to the guild eventually; life's just been chaotic. Oh, and he's been putting in effort to stop swearing." I snickered as I remembered how much he swore as we were running away from the nightwalker. "Well, he still swears when he becomes panicked, but that might be ingrained into him because of his Uncle Hemonnet. His attendants are all super nice, and I like them. They even make me sweets." I smiled as I thought back to that delicious chocolate cake. "He's not using me, at least I don't think he is. It's only been a few weeks, so it's hard to tell…"
"He might have done things out of order, but at least it sounds like you managed to snag a pretty good alpha. He's rough around the edges, but I know he takes his duties extremely seriously. The dukedom has benefited greatly from his taking over." Terra gave me a little smile.
"Y-you think so?" My heart fluttered anxiously in my chest.
"I guess time will tell…" She smirked at me. "So, are you going to his party?"
"Y-yeah, I'm supposed to go get measured after we get done talking," Ronak said to take my time, but I knew I couldn't be too long with Terra.
"How exciting! I bet anything you wear will look amazing on you!" Her eyes excitedly sparkled as she glanced at me. "Everyone is going to be so jealous!"
"A-about that… I'm not sure I want everyone to know…" I really didn't want people to know.
"You never have been one for attention… plus now that I think about it, you might attract the ire of a few…" You think? Gah! I know of multiple omegas that have been dying to make him theirs, and they've been furious that he has a mark on him. If they found out that I'm his mate, they might straight up attack me.
"Can we keep this between the two of us for now?" I awkwardly smiled and scratched my head. She probably was going to think I was crazy for wanting to keep my relationship secret, but there was just too much that I was trying to personally figure out.
"Of course, I'll keep your secret, Micha, but I doubt you'll be able to keep it a secret long. I think at first people will act a bit crazy, but they'll calm down over time." She was probably right, but I've been dealing with enough as it is. I don't need an army of omegas swarming me right now.
"Thanks, Terra. Ronak was right about you." I snickered as I stuck a truffle in my mouth.
"Oh? Lord Ronak mentioned me?" Terra tilted her head to the side and pointed at herself.
"He said that you were my only real friend…"
"Psh! You have other friends. I'm probably just the only one brave enough to stand up to Lord Ronak. It helps that I know him a little…" Mmm, I might have other friends, but they were definitely not as amazing as Terra was.
We chatted a bit more, but the food was gone, and I knew Ronak was waiting for me. "Shall we head back down?" I asked as I put all the dishes back into my storage.
"Yes, we can." Terra scooted a bit closer to me and pulled me into a hug. "You're so cute, Micha! I'm so glad that you think of me as a friend!" No, it was me who was glad. Glad that Terra was so accepting and understanding. I don't know what I would do without a friend like her.
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"How did talking to Terra go?" I should have known that he would be hiding in my dorm, but my heart almost gave out when I saw him lounging on my bed amongst my stuffed animals.
"It went well. Terra was surprised, but very nice about it. She even agreed to keep it a secret."
"I told you that you were worrying about nothing." Ronak stood from my bed and waltzed over to me. "Let's go get you measured."
"Shouldn't I change?"
"You'll have to change into a robe there, so it doesn't matter." Ronak picked me up like I was a big toddler and melted down into his travel spell. I couldn't help but snuggle my head against him. I missed the smell of his pheromones.
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"First, you request my immediate attention and I politely close down my store for you, and now you're late! Not just a little! You're two hours late!" Kas was only glaring at Ronak, which didn't seem fair. It was my fault. Kas took the fuzzy-looking scarf that was draped around his neck and tossed part of it over his shoulder in a huff.
"We had something important to take care of. I can take my business elsewhere, you know." Kas gave Ronak an annoyed look and turned towards me with his hands on his hips.
"Come, darling, let's get you changed so we can get you properly fitted. Last time was just a general fitting, so we knew what size of mass-produced clothes you fit into."
"I-it's my fault we're late… I-I needed to talk to my friend…"
"Oh, honey, I'm not concerned about you." Kas leaned in a bit closer as he led me to the dressing rooms. "I just like giving him a hard time.", but you seemed upset… "Now go change into this." Kas threw a silk robe at me and shut the curtain. Okay…
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I-I can't leave the dressing room in this! I managed to pull it on and oh my gosh! It barely covers anything! "I-I can't possibly wear only this." I nervously called through the dressing room curtain.
"Are you changed? Hurry up and come out here, darling. I have my notebook and tape measure ready." Kas totally didn't listen to me. I-I can't! The robe was nothing but sultry. It had long sleeves with fur lining the cuffs, but the thing barely covered my butt. I'm pretty sure I could feel a breeze where no breeze should be felt. It hugged every curve of my body, and the sash only accentuated my hips. If I go out there in this, R-Ronak is going to stare! I nervously slid my underwear on and slowly stepped out from the curtain.
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Ronak
I don't know why Micha was taking so long to change into a robe. All he had to do was take his clothes off and slide the robe on. It wasn't complicated. The curtain to the changing room finally started to open, and the moment I laid eyes on Micha, I think my vital organs stopped functioning.
I'm going to fucking kill Kas. He can't let Micha traipse around in something so indecent! The sash only accentuated the fact that he had a thin waist and a plush ass. He may not be a girl, but he indeed had some curves to him. Fucking hell, my eyes don't know where to look. The best I could do was cross my legs and look away while biting my thumb. Shit, shit, shit. I should have known that Kas would fucking try something.
I'm not sure whose face was redder, mine or Micha's. "Oh, to be young." Kas cackled.
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Micha
"Come stand here so I can get your measurements," Kas said. I-I barely registered what he said. I didn't know what was more embarrassing, wearing this outfit or knowing that Ronak was feeling turned on. Between his burst of emotions that were like an arrow to my skull and his clear withdrawal from the situation, I'd have to be rather stupid not to put two and two together. P-please get your measurements quickly so I can put my normal clothes on!
Despite torturing me with this robe, Kas did take his job seriously. He went straight to work getting all sorts of measurements. D-did he really need to know the circumference of my neck and my leg-to-torso ratio? I-I guess I'll trust his knowledge and expertise because I didn't have a clue what he was doing.
Every once in a while, he'd make comments. "Oh my, your waist is skinnier than most girls. I bet I'm not the only one who appreciates that." "Do you even have a flaw on your skin? It's so smooth and supple." "Why couldn't I have been blessed with such perfect ratios?! It's like you were designed by a goddess!" It was like every time my face calmed down, Kas would make another comment to make me blush again. C-can't he just be quiet?!
"Okay, I'm all done. You can go put your clothes back on, or I guess you don't have to. Seems your stud is still all worked up." I let out a loud yelp and ducked into the dressing room. Why Kas, why?! You had the option to keep your mouth closed, and you didn't!
I took my sweet time changing back into my uniform to give everyone a chance to calm down. I even peeked out of the curtain before stepping out, but Ronak was… missing? "Where did-"
"Here, honey. I prepared a little gift for you." Kas put a large box into my hand,s which I moved to open, but his hands grabbed mine. "You can open it when you get back to your place, sweety. Don't worry about it now."
"O-okay…" I wasn't sure why I was receiving such a gift, but I put it into my storage for later.
"What fascinating magic. I wish my suppliers had such a nifty spell. Then they'd be able to travel far more safely across the empire." I guess a storage spell would be rather valuable to traders…
"Wh-where did Ronak go?" Kas didn't even need to respond; the moment he got an unpleasant look on his face and pointed at the floor, I instantly knew where Ronak was. I looked down at the ground, and my gross puddle of viscera wandered over to swirl slowly around my feet. "Thanks-"
"You don't need to thank me. Here, you can keep the robe. It was incredibly flattering on you, darling." Kas's smile was uncomfortably smug. Wh-why was I scared of the contents of the box now?
Before I could open my mouth, I was dragged down into the spell with Ronak. Being in his arms after everything that just happened made me blush. "That fucking jackass. He has a goddamn death wish." I thought Ronak was overreacting a bit. Kas was just teasing both of us a-and I admit that knowing Ronak found the robe a turn on was interesting. Ronak grumbled a bit more, but eventually addressed me. "I'll be rather late to your dorm tonight. I have things I need to take care of at my estate." He was going to continue staying at my dorm even though he had an entire estate? "You don't need to stay up if you fall asleep, then I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay…" We exited his travel spell, and Ronak sat me down. He looked a little uncomfortable, but quickly turned to give me a kiss. "Did something happen?"
"No, I just have some documents that need to be signed for Elutra, and a request came in from a margrave… I'll probably be busy for the next few days while the dust settles from my takeover." Oh, so that's what it was.
I grabbed his hand and fiddled with his fingers. "I-if it would be easier for us to just stay there…"
"I don't even want to be there myself until every ounce of him has been erased. It will take some time for things to be redecorated and changed at the estates." A wave of anger washed over me, and I gave his hand a good squeeze.
"I guess I can keep my stuffed animals in storage for you." I teased in an attempt to ease his anger.
"This weekend, do you want to come with me? I have to make some rounds at the capital Elutra branch. You, um, haven't had a chance to stock your storage. You could pick some herbs from our fields… We could also stop by the guild, guess we never had the chance last weekend, did we…"
I puffed up my cheeks angrily. "Yeah, you're still making me carry around bugs a-and the nightwalker…"
A little bit of a snarky grin started to form in the corners of Ronak's lips. "Maybe you should keep those as a memento."
My eye twitched. H-he wanted me to keep them?! H-he was joking, right?! "If they stay in my storage much longer, I'll hide one in your bed."
"My bed is your bed. I doubt you'd put something like that where you'd be sleeping." Gah! H-he had me there. "I'll make sure nothing interrupts our plans this time around."
"Y-yeah, I think I'd prefer a less eventful weekend as well…" I snickered. I had my eyes slightly closed, and Ronak didn't waste the opportunity to steal another kiss. Gah! I wasn't going to want him to leave at this rate.
"Don't wear this around others. I'll let Kas live for now, but no one else better see you wearing it. I'll pluck out their eyes." I froze for a second, feeling a little intimidated, as Ronak talked about the robe in my hands. H-he'll do what? Not that I had plans to walk around wearing something so scandalous, but still… "I'll be back."
"O-okay…" Ronak quickly disappeared in his travel spell, and I couldn't help but let out a little sigh. Did he have to add that threat? He should know that I'm not the type of person to show off like that… I-I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep the robe…
I nervously brought the box Kas gave me out of storage and stared at it. Do I want to know what's in here? I-it better not be anything worse than the robe… I grabbed the top of it and slowly pulled it off. I-I'm so glad I opened this when Ronak wasn't here! I-I would have fainted. I appreciate the gesture, but some of these were too much!
I slowly pulled a pair of the underwear out and looked at it. H-he totally designed it for a male omega in mind, didn't he… B-but did they have to look so feminine?! Th-this pair was even lacy! Oh, my. There's even women's socks in here… I-I know all my undergarments could be replaced, but… this was all a bit too much!
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Ronak
I take it Micha opened the box of undergarments… He was overwhelming me with embarrassment to the point that I was feeling second-hand embarrassment. I didn't want him to know about my request, so I had Kas give it to him as a 'gift'. I also figured he'd be more likely to keep it had they not directly come from me. I might offend him if I tell him that all his undergarments need to be thrown away, so I thought this was a good alternative. Kas better not have put anything else in the box, though. I really will consider disposing of him if he did.
I let out an annoyed sigh and flipped to the next document. "Is something on your mind, my lord?" Gerard asked as he set a cup of tea on my desk. Just the image of Micha wearing his new underwear… fuck. I wonder if he'll be wearing a pair tonight.
"Did you contact the jeweler?" I asked as my eyes skimmed the marketing proposal. Hmm, I guess Eltura could market their new potion line like that. I need to have a serious conversation with Micha about his potions and his future with Elutra…
"Yes, one will be by tomorrow." Maybe I should just make him a business partner, then I wouldn't have to make deals with him…
"Good. What about the eradication?" What if he declines? Not that he'd have a reason to…
"Things seem to be coming along nicely. The documents of sale for the additional estates should be arriving soon, then you can sign them and rid yourself of them."
"Excellent. Have some furniture catalogs brought by, or contact a designer. I wish to have everything replaced at all locations." I… wanted to start over with Micha without ghosts of the past haunting me.
"Yes, of course, my lord." Gerard bowed and left me to continue looking over documents. Ugh, so much to do and so little time.