Micha
Packing up all my stuff from the dorm felt incredibly weird. It's not like I had much stuff, but this place had been my home away from home for the past year and a half. "Is that everything?" Ronak asked as I put the contents of my nightstand drawer into my inventory.
"It should be…"
Ronak stood from the linen-striped bed and walked over to me. He gently patted my head and pulled me a bit closer. "You don't need to feel sad. You've been to the estate many times. It's not a scary place, is it?" I-I don't know. You've told me things about it, which makes me a bit nervous… but I guess your fake father is gone, so that helps…
"I guess not…, but I'm still rather nervous. I've never lived anywhere but here or at home." Ronak pulled my chin up and gazed down into my eyes. He probably thought I was being silly…
"It will be okay. I'm sure you'll adjust quickly. The head chef will be very excited to have someone to make goodies for." Goodies?!?
My eyes widened excitedly, but I quickly narrowed them. "You won't let me eat any sweets," I grumbled. Ronak kept me and my sweets addiction on a tight leash. He probably wouldn't even let me eat anything tasty.
"If you eat healthy, balanced meals every day, I'll let you have a treat after lunch or dinner." Ronak reached down and ran his thumb across my bottom lip with a grin.
"Lunch, and dinner?!"
"I said or." It was worth a try. Gosh, he's such a meanie. "You need to eat a balanced diet." Nag, nag, nag. He acts like I'm going to fall over dead at any second. I ate all the sweets my heart desired for the past year, and I haven't died.
"You're no fun," I grumbled.
"And you're a sugar void." Ronak pinched both of my cheeks, and I let out a little squeal as he tugged on them. Ouch! Such a meanie!
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Ronak exited his travel spell, and the estate was buzzing with activity. When people saw us, they'd pause and bow as we passed. "Where are we going?" Ronak started guiding me into a part of the estate that I didn't recognize, not that I was that familiar with any part of the estate, but this area was really new.
"To our room. We're staying in the master suite now, remember? Not that room for children." His other room was just a room for… children? It was so big, and extravagant… "Not all the furniture is done because of the short notice, but it will be soon." Oh… so nothing will be left from his fake father, that's good. I didn't feel comfortable using anything he had touched.
"I-I'm never going to remember where this is…" He kept turning this way and that. What, was this place a maze or something?
"You'll learn. Same with the other estates, but unless you're with me, you'll have an attendant with you to guide you." I will? Why? Won't that be annoying to have someone follow me around all day?
"Okay." Despite having questions, I agreed to the situation. I was in no position to voice concerns, and it wasn't like I could navigate the halls by myself.
"Here it is." We stopped before a grand set of doors, and Ronak produced two keys from his pocket. "There are only four keys to this room. I'll have one, you'll have one, and of course, the head attendants have the others. No one else is allowed in." I nodded my head as he handed me the key. It seemed he was going to use his, so I put mine into my storage. "The doors are always locked, so you don't need to worry about locking them when they close. They'll do it automatically."
"That's neat." Must be an enchantment.
My stomach clenched nervously as the door was opened, but when I saw what was inside, it dropped. I thought his other room was lavish. This was opulent. There was a grand bed with red silk bedding that sat in the middle of the far wall, but this thing had to be double the size of Ronak's last bed. Wh-why was it so big? We're just two people! The marble flooring was a beautiful white with silvery gray veins running through it. The windows were all beautifully adorned with red and sheer white curtains to give us privacy, which was good because there were so many windows. I think the southern wall was made of ninety percent windows. The other ten percent was a grand white marble fireplace that was gently crackling like the attendants knew we were coming. In front of it, there was a rug and a coffee table, but I assume this was the furniture that was missing because there was nowhere to sit. The opposite wall had two doors and two long dressers, barren of personality. The craziest part was that the room wasn't small, and cozy. It was massive. My attention finally drifted up to the ceiling, and my mouth fell open. Whaaaat?! The ceiling is mostly a skylight! I-I mean, it's beautiful, but it seemed like a bit much…
"Pull your jaw off the ground." Ronak snickered as he leaned over and closed my mouth for me. "I have a feeling your favorite part will be the bathroom."
I-I didn't even know how to respond. This room was so fancy that I felt out of place in it. Like a pauper stepping foot into the palace. My parents would fall over dead if they knew I was staying somewhere like this…
Ronak pulled me over to the first door on the wall and opened it. Inside was a rather long room adorned with shelves, racks, and drawers. Ronak's side was fully stocked with clothes and shoes, but my side was barren. "Olivia will put your clothes away for you once you're ready." My clothes should just stay in my inventory… They would seem out of place in such a room…
Ronak closed the door and pulled me over to the next door. When he opened it, I was a little confused. I thought he said I would feel impressed… Granted, there were two doors, one obviously led to the toilet while the other the bath, but the room we entered was impressive, but not what I was expecting when he said it would be my favorite. The mirror was just as big as everything else in this room, with shelves on either side, and a stool positioned in the middle of the two sinks. It was once again clear to me that Ronak had moved into half while the other half sat empty. I-I don't even have that much to put in here…
Ronak still wore a mischievous grin as he hauled me over to the far door. "Try not to faint." He snickered as he pushed the door open.
H-holy cow… I wasn't sure what my body was doing. It was like my mind went blank. All I could do was stare. Th-this isn't a bath… this is a spa for the gods…
The room was massive, with columns every so often along the edges. Not only was there another skylight, but along the edges of the false second floor were plants upon plants. Some were large enough to arc forward and cover bits of the skylight, while others draped down like they were desperate to touch the bath water. From not only the left, but also the right, two literal waterfalls poured down the walls to channels, and into the steaming bath. The bath water must flow somewhere else because it wasn't overflowing onto the white tile that ran around the edges. Th-this looks more like a pool for swimming instead of a bath… a-and here I was thinking that his previous tub was big. This was stupid-sized… W-were those chairs for lounging on the far side?!
"Impressive, right? You seemed to enjoy bobbing around the last tub, so I figured you'd like this one. There's a shallow sitting area towards the back, but most of it is around waist level, or I guess for you it'll be around chest level." Instead of responding, the best my brain could manage was pointing towards the stupid tub and muttering something incoherent. Ronak's brows knitted together, and he looked down at me with a slightly amused look. "What was that?"
"I-it's so b-big!"
Ronak snickered and pulled me back into the main part of the bedroom. "I probably should have asked your opinion on the furniture, but there wasn't time. I wanted it replaced quickly because I figured the academy would kick you out. They just did it faster than I thought." He waved towards the obviously missing furniture.
"You knew they were going to kick me out?"
"You were harboring an alpha in your dorm. You're lucky all they did was kick you out, you little rule breaker." Hey! Y-you're the one who constantly broke into my dorm! I might have permitted you to enter quite a few times, b-but you started it! "You can have the rest of the evening to put your stuff away. I'll have Olivia help you. I have some things that need my attention, so I'll let you explore the room further on your own. I'll come check up on you in a bit." He was leaving? I guess he has been spending more time with me than in his office as of late.
"Okay…" I glanced around the big room while feeling rather intimidated. I-I almost don't even want to touch anything.
I flinched when Ronak lightly blew air into my face. "Stop stressing. This room is now just as much yours as it is mine."
"I-I just feel out of place…"
"Mmm… That's odd. I feel the complete opposite. It feels right having you here with me." It… feels right to him? I guess alphas are rather protective. He probably prefers me being around fewer people.
"If I get done, can I come to your office?" There wasn't a point in me sitting around here.
"You may, or you could even explore the estate with Olivia. I can give you an official tour later, but I don't care if you pop your head into rooms. It would probably help you feel more comfortable if you learn the lay of the land."
He was giving me free rein? "A-aren't there rooms I shouldn't enter?"
"Hmm, I guess there is one room you can't enter, but it's locked, and you're not going to find it. Other than that, I don't care. This estate is yours just as much as it is mine."
"Wh-what?! No, it's not!" Has he lost his mind? I didn't own any of this stuff.
Ronak gave me a bit of a confused look. "You're my omega. Of course it is." Ronak patted my head and opened the bedroom door to reveal a very excited-looking Olivia, and another maid I had never seen before. "No weird conversations," Ronak grumbled as he stared down at Olivia.
"I would never consider such a thing, my lord." Olivia smiled. Ronak grunted as he stepped out, and Olivia and the maid stepped in. "Greetings, little lord! We are here to help you unpack. This is Tisha, she's the head maid of the capital estate." She was surprisingly youthful for being the head maid. I thought for sure that it would be an older woman. She couldn't have been older than thirty. Her pretty hair was kept up in a bun, so it was hard to tell how long it was. It was dark brown, darker brown than even Olivia's. I'd almost say it was black, but when the light caught it, it was clearly brown. She kept her eyes low to the ground, but glanced up at me curiously.
"It's good to meet you, Tisha. I'm sure getting all this in order for Ronak and me was difficult work, thank you." I smiled at her, but her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly bowed to me.
"I do not deserve your thanks, my lord!"
"D-did you not help or something?" Why didn't she want my thanks?
"I did oversee the cleanup and preparation of your arrival."
I squatted down so I could look at her as she bowed. I flashed her a polite smile as I spoke. "Then you and the other maids deserve thanks for your work. Also, you really don't need to bow to me."
"I couldn't possibly!" She became startled again, but Olivia pulled her up from her bow.
"Enough. We have a job to do, and that's just the type of person the little lord is." I was pretty glad that Olivia brought a stop to Tisha's silly behavior. I mean, I get that Ronak's not the type of person to say thanks for anything, but to reject my thanks is pretty weird. It's normal to be thanked when you work hard.
"You are correct. I apologize for my foolish behavior." Thankfully, Tisha only bowed her head this time, which I was glad about. I didn't want a repeat of what just happened.
"I ugh… don't really have much to unpack. Honestly, I can take care of it myself-"
"Absolutely not." Olivia cut me off with a slightly annoyed look. I didn't even know she could make such an expression. She always looked happy. "I, nor my lord, will tolerate that. You will have us do the unpacking, even if it isn't very much. You are only to watch, and to make sure it is to your liking."
"O-okay…" I didn't like the idea of only watching. That felt awkward. Like I was looking down upon them.
"Shall we start with the closet?" Olivia asked as she waved to the door. I nervously nodded my head and followed the two into the closet. I guess we should get this done.
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"Is that really everything?" Olivia asked as we finished taking everything out of my storage. They had quickly put away my few clothes, simple bathroom supplies, and personal possessions around the room in under thirty minutes. I told them that I could handle it by myself…
"I was only staying in a little dorm by myself. I didn't have many personal possessions…" My dorm was only a quarter the size of the closet. Even if I had money to blow, there just wasn't space for a ton of stuff.
"Then I will update my lord on all the necessary stuff you will need."
"I-I don't really need anything-"
Olivia turned toward me with that same cold, annoyed look, and the words died in my mouth. "It's hardly proper for you to continue living as you did when you will soon take the title of archduke. I couldn't live with myself if you were treated poorly while my lord lived lavishly. It will be an adjustment for you, but I will not tolerate anything else."
"O-okay." Her words sounded harsh, but I think it's because she cared. I mean, she did seem rather emotionally invested in mine and Ronak's relationship. Maybe her seeing Ronak happy made her happy? I'm not sure, though, I haven't gotten to know her well enough.
"Tisha, you may resume your duties. I will oversee the little lord." Why did you have to phrase it like that? It makes it sound like you're babysitting me…
"Yes, of course. If you need me, please call."
"Thank you," I called after Tisha as she left. It wasn't a lot of work, but I appreciated her doing it for me. Olivia also told me that when she wasn't available, Tisha would be seeing to my needs at the capital estate, so it was best that we started on the right foot. I didn't want her to hate me or anything. "And thank you too, Olivia."
"You're welcome!" She beamed proudly, and I couldn't help but smile. I liked Olivia a lot. She might not be an omega, but I felt a similar closeness to her as I did with omegas. "Did you want to explore the estate a bit?" Did Ronak tell her that, or was the door to our room that thin?
"I guess I can poke my nose around a bit as we head towards Ronak's office," Ronak said I could, and I guess I was a bit curious about where I would be living, so it should be fine.
Olivia directed me when I came to intersections, but overall, she stayed out of my way as I peeked about. There were so many rooms, many of which were empty, but Olivia said that they were meant to be rooms for the lady of the house, aka me. Those were her words, not mine. She said that it's common for them to be converted into sitting rooms, or tea party parlors for close guests. They could even become hobby rooms. It felt a little weird hearing that, but I guess she knew more than I did. My family estate is teeny-tiny compared to this place. Actually, comparing it to this place was rude. They were worlds apart.
I opened one of the many doors and let out a little gasp. Oooh, this one's not empty. It seemed to be an old art gallery. It made sense since we were nearing the main hall. I wandered into the room, but Olivia stayed in the hall, waiting for me. Huh, this place is dusty. Like really dusty. Such a shame, too. The view of the back gardens from this room is breathtaking.
I turned my attention back to the stuff covered in dusty sheets and curiously lifted one. Woah! So pretty! I'm sure my father could tell me all about the painting I was looking at. He really loved art, which was a shame because my family couldn't even dream of affording any. Gosh, he'd probably love seeing these…
I moved to another painting to look at it, and let out a little gasp. It was of the night sky, and the stars almost twinkled against the cobalt blue background. I stood there admiring it for a moment longer before moving on.
Oh, there are even sculptures. Gah! I'm getting covered in dust. Olivia will probably be annoyed when I emerge. I wonder why Ronak has this place all covered… Maybe his fake father did it?
As I turned towards the next item, I paused. I don't even need to lift the sheet to know what this is. I stared at the piano curiously and moved a bit closer. I pulled its cover slightly off, and sure enough, it was a grand piano. Huh, I wonder why Ronak has such a thing. Maybe his mother played it? Maybe that's why this place is hidden away…
My curiosity got the best of me, and I pulled the key cover up, but the moment I peeked at the keys, I let go and let out a loud squeal of terror. My heart leapt into my throat faster than I could leap away, and the sound of it pounding in my ears was all I could hear. I ended up tumbling onto the ground as I scurried further away from the piano, and I think I scuffed my knee, but I was so scared that I didn't even stop to investigate.
The door burst open as tears began to spill from my eyes, and I thought it would be Olivia, but the large figure that rushed over to me was not her. "MICHA?!" Ronak quickly pulled me into his arms and looked around on high alert. "What happened?!" He brushed my bangs out of my face and stared down at me with worried eyes.
"Th-th-there's a-!" I had tears running down my face, and I was shaking so hard that it was hard to speak. I ended up just pointing at the piano as I let out a sad wail.
Ronak stood, leaving me on the floor. I didn't like it at all, but I wasn't in a state to ask him to stay. He cautiously approached the piano and lifted the key cover, but when he saw what was inside, he slowly closed it and turned to give me a pitiful look. "Seriously? What the hell am I going to do with you?" He grumbled as he turned back towards the piano and opened the key cover once again.
I flinched in fear as the large spider lunged towards Ronak. I wanted to turn and run, but before I could, Ronak held out his hand, and his inky black flames consumed the spider and its nest. It let out a gross squeal as it died, but thanks to his creepy flames, not even a spider's hair remained. Even more impressive, the piano looked fine. I thought for sure that it would get burnt.
Ronak returned to me and scooped me up into his arms. "You made me think there was an assassin after you. Not some dumb spiders." I didn't care in the slightest. In my opinion, bugs were assassins.
"Th-they lunged at me wh-when I opened th-the-" Ronak cut my blubbering short with a gentle hush. As I clung to him, he gently rubbed my back, and Olivia opened the doors for him as we moved across the hall to a sitting room.
"Mhmm, they were sorta hairy. Made for good kindling." Was he trying to lighten the mood or something? Not that I minded, but I didn't even want to think about the spiders. The sitting room he brought me to didn't seem to be used either because it too had sheets over the furniture. While it wasn't dusty, it still had been vacant for a while. Ronak sat down on the covered sofa with me in his lap, and he looked down at my knee with careful eyes. "Look what you've done to your knee." I glanced down at the bleeding mess that was my knee and let out a little hiccup. "Shall I have someone bandage it for you?"
I shook my head and sadly held out a hand. Within seconds, the only thing left was a bit of blood and the rip in my pants. I might have been upset, but that wasn't going to stop me from healing myself. That would just be plain silly. "Thanks." I whimpered into his chest. I was incredibly grateful that he killed the big spider and its nest of hairy offspring. There was no way I was going to be capable of sleeping in this estate while it still lived.
Ronak continued to rub my back, but paused so he could pull my head up and lick the tears from my face. "You don't need to thank me. I simply took care of the problem. You're lucky I had wandered out of my office to see what you were up to." Ronak gently pinched my cheek and pulled me a little closer to him. "I could see why you didn't like the bugs in the dungeon, but I didn't realize that you also hated little ones." That wasn't little! That was a little smaller than a cat!
"I-I fell through some rotted wood once as a child, and was stuck in a dusty cellar for hours before my parents found me. Th-there were… s-so many…" I shuddered and buried my face against Ronak as the memory returned to me. He gave me a little squeeze and nuzzled his nose down into my hair. He even released a few calming pheromones, which helped me feel less tense.
"It's okay, you don't need to finish the story. I'll have the attendants at all estates do a thorough evaluation of all out-of-use rooms for pests. If they find anything, I'll make sure to tell them that it needs to be eradicated." That seemed like a bit much, but I did appreciate the lengths he was going just for me. It did make me feel a bit more comfortable, but maybe it was just his pheromones that were doing a bit too good a job. I felt a little drowsy, and after the crazy day I had, I didn't even want to resist. I just wanted to pretend that everything to do with the gross spiders was nothing more than a bad dream.
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Ronak
Shit. People are going to think I've gone fucking soft. I glared down at Micha sleeping soundly for a moment before my gaze shifted. Even glaring at him bothers me. No wonder I let him eat two specially made desserts tonight. Fuck. Just seeing him bleed today made my chest ache. Was it simply our bond? I still feel tense just thinking about it. I can't- No, I won't let anything happen to him. That will be the last time I have to witness him bleed.
I made sure the room was thick with pheromones before rising and grabbing my robe that I had left at the foot of the bed. I told him that I would make sure all vermin were eradicated, so I'd best stay true to my word because there were a couple of large rats in the basement that I haven't had a chance to deal with. "Gerard."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Is Blade still keeping an eye on our rats?"
"Rats? Oh, yes. He is keeping a watchful eye on them." Good. He fucking better be.
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"Oh my. Coming down here dressed like that? You're going to make the lass swoon." Despite wearing a mask to cover his mouth, I could tell that Blade had a cheeky grin on his annoying face. Swoon? If she even dares to lay a lustful eye on me, I'll make sure to pluck it out.
"Shut the fuck up." The pheromones in the room would eventually fade, and Micha would wake up. I'd prefer being back before he wakes up; he gets rather panicked when I'm gone. I'm not sure why he wakes up so easily when I leave, but it was rather cute, so I couldn't complain too much. It did mean that I couldn't draw things out, though.
I walked down the hall to the hidden room amongst the estate's archives. As I threw the door open, two muffled voices cried out in shock. Mmm, good. Looking as miserable as I hoped. "Shall I remove their gags for you?"
"Guess so." I didn't really want to hear their bellyaching, but I wanted them to know exactly why they were meeting their maker.
Blade walked over and cut the thick rope binding Viscount Edmond's mouth. He wasn't being careful either because his blade ended up slicing into the viscount's cheek, and making him bleed. Hmm. Micha's blood bothered me tremendously, but I feel pleased about seeing his. Blade even gleefully licked his knife before walking over to the biggest irritation in the room. I couldn't help but glare daggers at the disgusting thing called a girl as Blade cut the gag on her mouth. It seemed he intentionally cut her cheek just so he could lean down and lick the blood dribbling down her face.
Viscount Edmond must have finally come to his senses because he started bellyaching. "P-please, Archduke Abraxos! R-release us! I-I'll do anything! Anything you want! Please just let my little girl go! She doesn't deserve this treatment!"
I scoffed so hard that spit flew from my mouth. "Doesn't deserve? I see nothing but a bitch that you failed to properly collar. I should make you watch as Blade fucks the bitch you raised." Blade got a disgustingly excited look on his face, which grossed me out. How the fuck could he get excited over such a disgusting omega? Before Micha, I didn't even consider laying a hand on anyone for pleasure. The idea wasn't even remotely interesting to me. He's the only omega that's ever drawn my attention, and the only omega I want.
"P-please! She's young and dumb! Just punish me-!" I gave Blade an annoyed look, and he brought his heel down hard into the viscount's stomach.
"I tire of listening to you, shut up." I snarled. "You don't need to worry too much. You get the privilege of being the first rats I eradicate from my dukedom." It was a bit funny seeing their eyes go wide. Did they think they were going to get away with shit? Especially Viscount Edmond. He sang like a canary down here, telling us all sorts of sick twisted things he's done. I can't believe he thought we'd let him free after such a thing. If anything, eradicating him was doing my uncle the favor of not having to listen to the bastard. He would be sentenced to death no matter what. There was no saving his vile soul.
"Stop it, please!" I whipped my head over to glare at Ivette. This fucking bitch thinks she has a plea to make? Don't make me laugh.
"You're the last bitch I want to listen to. You're the reason your family is in this mess. Had you kept your goddamn trap closed, I might have let your family live, but no. You just had to go and upset the only person I care about." Instead of flinching in fear, the bitch's face scrunched up in disgust.
"Why?! Why him?! Y-you could have had anyone! Why let him delude you?! He's nothing but a disgusting-" I let out a snarl so loud that she stopped talking. This bitch. How dare she say such things about Micha! Did she think I would be fucking interested in her if I hadn't marked Micha? Disgusting. I'd rather make love to a literal cow than touch her.
I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh as I sharpened my gaze. "Delude? Disgusting?! Do you even have eyes?! The only one who deluded someone was me. I tricked Micha into coming to my estate so I could mark him and make him mine. You?! You foolishly upset my omega. The only disgusting piece of filth I see is you!" I slammed my hand down on the table filled with Blade's sick toys that he liked to use to get answers out of hostages. "You made him feel like he couldn't confide in me! Like he couldn't even trust his own alpha!!" My hand slightly transformed in my irritation, and my claws dug into the metal of the table. "You dared bully my future spouse, and I will not tolerate that!!" As I snarled at her, rage coursed through me, and based on her horrified expression, my demonic features had started showing. Shit. I'm going to wake up Micha. I need to get out of here. I tried to control my breathing, but it wasn't helping with such annoying people within my sight. Gods, why did Micha think that breathing exercises were going to help me calm my irritation?!
"Hehehe! You sure made the master mad now!" Blade chirped in excitement.
My gaze slowly wandered to the ceiling, and I let out an annoyed huff. "I need to return to Micha before he wakes. I don't care what you do, but the rats better be disposed of by morning. Keep your men posted at their estate so incoming and outgoing mail continues to flow. I wouldn't want any of the other rats to catch wind and flee."
"Aww, I thought you were going to take care of them." Blade rested his elbow on the viscount's head as he slumped over disappointedly.
"I don't want to get blood on my clothes. I can only come up with so many excuses." He was going to start asking questions if I didn't cover my tracks better.
"You're no damn fun now that you've gotten a little omega to love." He angrily grumbled while pinching the viscount's face.
"Y-you think he's going to accept a freak like you?! W-wait until he finds out about what you did! I hope you have a loveless-!" Blade whipped over and rammed the edge of his hand into her neck so hard that she let out a little gurgled yelp and slumped over. She wasn't dead, or at least I don't think Blade would give her that quick a death.
"That's not a nice thing to say. Master has only ever dealt with disgusting vermin like you who run around making life hard for others. Don't tell me you think your father's preference for little girls is normal. I even think it's taking things too far." Blade tugged on her hair and talked to her even though she was unconscious, which I found slightly odd. What's the point of wasting oxygen? I glanced over to the viscount, or I guess he's a viscount no longer, and rolled my eyes. Pray to the gods all you want. The only thing you'll find here is a demon's embrace.
"Have it done by morning," I grumbled as I turned and left. I couldn't tolerate these three any longer.
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When I arrived back in the room, I had to pause. Sitting up in bed, staring at the moon through the skylight, was Micha. Fuck, I'll take out all the vermin in the world just to spend a bit longer with you… Ah, he finally noticed me and looked over with concern. "You were gone when I woke up."
"Yes, sorry. Running a dukedom and a business, all while having to deal with an obnoxious uncle who happens to be the emperor, is nothing but a hassle." I walked over to the bed as I tried to weave a realistic lie. I didn't like lying to him, but someone as bright and cheerful as he didn't need to know about the dark side of the empire we lived in. It was a weight I was more than willing to carry on my own. "Did I make you worry?"
"Well… I guess had I been awake longer, I might have, but I only just woke up. Then I became distracted by how pretty the moon is." Micha looked up at the moon once again as I crawled over to sit beside him in bed. I glanced up at the moon and nodded my head. It did look nice tonight. I liked it when it was a sliver like this. "It reminds me of when I would go camping with my family. Sometimes we'd take a break from the village and hike up the mountain to a rather peaceful outlook that has a beautiful view of the valley below. You could find the best carrots in the fall or onions in the spring up there! Heh, my family would make a pretty tasty stew- oh. Sorry, you probably want to go to sleep, and here I am rambling in the middle of the night." Micha covered his mouth and looked at me with wide eyes.
I couldn't help but snuggle up against him and sniff the faint scent of lingering pheromones on his skin. I wish he'd release them more often than he does, but only for me. Only I'm allowed to smell how good he smells. "I'm not bothered." I didn't hate it at all. He simply overwhelmed me while in the dungeon. I had never been around someone who talks so much, and I actually want to listen to them. I didn't know how to react.
"Heh, well. I'll save the stories for later. You look pretty tired." I do? Micha leaned over and gently rubbed the corner of my eye. Ah, his finger is so soft. Nothing at all like my rather rough hands. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him down into the bed with me.
I pulled his hand up and gently kissed his knuckles. "We need to go to sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us."
"We do? I wanted to go to the orphanage…"
"Mmm, we could probably fit it in the schedule in the morning, but we can't stay long, and we definitely don't have time to wander around healing anyone," I grumbled into Micha's shoulder. Fuck, I just want to nibble on his skin until I fall asleep.
"That's fine! I just never gave them the steamed buns I purchased for them. Life got a bit busy…"
"You can say that again," I grumbled as my eyes started to shut. I guess I was rather tired.
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Micha
A delectable scent tickled my nose, and I sniffed the air. Is that… what I think it is? I opened my eyes and instantly popped up in bed. "Oh, so the dead do rise when hungry."
I blinked a few times and glanced over to Ronak, who was sitting at a small table and chairs set that definitely wasn't there yesterday. I rubbed my eyes just to be sure, but yep, there was a small table with two chairs. "Would you like anything else, my lord?" Gerard asked as he poured Ronak a cup of tea.
"No, that will be everything. We will be leaving the estate for a moment, but I plan to be back by lunch." Ronak waved to Gerard, who bowed and wheeled his now-empty cart away. Gah! Ronak was only wearing a thin robe and boxers. How was I supposed to handle such a sight in the mornings? I know that's how he usually dresses, but we've never had breakfast in our nightclothes before. "Are you joining me for breakfast, or are you going to let your gross sweetcakes get cold?" Sweet cakes?! I knew I smelled something amazing!
I quickly scrambled out of bed and grabbed the robe I had sat on the foot of the bed last night. Sweet cakes, sweet cakes, sweet cakes! Woah! Ronak was really spoiling me after last night! "You said we have a busy day, right?" Gah! Ronak was being straight-up eye candy this morning with his chest on display. A view, and sweet cakes? Have I died and gone to heaven? Hehehe!
"Yes, sleepyhead," Ronak grumbled as he bit into a slice of toast topped with white cream and raw salmon. Eww, for breakfast? Y-you make fun of my eating habits, fish boy? I swear you'd eat fish for every meal if you could!
"The bed was really soft. I don't think I've ever slept in one so comfy." Honestly, if it wasn't for the food, I wouldn't want to be awake right now. I'd want to spend the day curled up in such a soft, luxurious bed.
"I'm glad you like it." Ronak motioned towards the blank wall we were sitting near. "I think while we're gone over the winter, I'm going to have the neighboring room joined with ours. I prefer having casual breakfasts in our room instead of rushing to get ready in the morning. I'll have the door in the hall sealed off, and a new one put here." That seemed a bit extreme.
"Why not just walk over to the door? It's not that far-"
"You." Ronak waggled his finger at me. "Are not permitted to leave these chambers in such a state." I peeked down at myself. I was wearing one of Ronak's sweaters, a pair of women's socks, and some undies. Plus, I had a robe on. I was more dressed than Ronak was. "I'll be forced to gouge out the eyes of anyone who sees you dressed so indecently. Staff included." I gulped nervously. That wasn't an idle threat, was it…
"Wh-what about Olivia and Tisha? They said that they'd be in to dress me, which means they'll see me like this. Plus, Gerard just saw me."
"That's different. Gerard and Olivia are loyal, and Tisha came from the maid academy. She wouldn't dare try anything." A maid academy? I didn't know such a thing existed. I was about to open my mouth to ask a question, but Ronak gave me a stern glare. "This rule applies to all of the estates, understand?" I nervously nodded my head. Don't wear pajamas out of the room. Got it.
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"Why did you want to come to the trade district before going to the orphanage?" I asked as we stepped out of the alley I teleported us to.
"Tell me the truth, are these steamed buns in your possession sweet?" Oh, so he did hear what I had said. He was half asleep while talking to me, so I didn't know if he would remember.
"No! They're pork buns!" A-and there were a few sweet ones, but mostly pork!
"Oh, good. I didn't want you making an entire orphanage addicted to something they can hardly dream of affording." Ronak held out his arm for me and led me down the bustling morning street. I loved visiting the trade district; it was so full of life. We walked around a bit, but stopped in front of a stall selling skewers with some sort of battered ball. I tilted my head to the side curiously, and Ronak grumbled under his breath, "Of course you don't know what these are." Hey! Just because they were a street vendor didn't mean I knew what they were selling! "They're a mixed root vegetable that's been shaped and fried. While not the healthiest, it should pair well with your buns. How many kids are there?"
"There's around thirty plus, I always bring stuff for the five staff members."
"I want forty of these," Ronak said to the man running the stall.
"Okay…, but it's going to take me a moment. I usually only have five cooked at a time." He seemed a bit surprised at the bulk order, but held out his hand. "That'll be two silver."
Ronak went to open the pouch at his waist, but I stopped him as I produced two pieces of silver from my inventory. "This money was given to me for the orphanage, so let's spend it."
"Who gave you money for the orphanage?" Ronak asked with a scowl. Was he annoyed that I prevented him from paying?
"Remember how I healed Layla's leg?" Ronak looked confused, so I expanded my explanation. "She's in our monster hunting class. You accused me of healing her leg to get paid." Ronak quickly looked away uncomfortably, but that didn't stop me from talking. "I tried telling her no, but she forced the money into my hand and ran away. I investigated further, and it turns out, she's the only child of a margrave. Her father is hoping to marry her to the duke's son in the east, so when he found out I prevented her from having a nasty scar, he was incredibly grateful. She said if I didn't want the money, I could give it to the orphanage, so I've been buying them tasty food with it."
"Why not just give the money to them?" Ronak peeked back at me, but it was clear that his face was a tiny bit pink. Embarrassed by your past actions, huh?
"Miss June gets mad when I try giving them money outright, but she's more accepting when I show up with food. I may have lied and told her that the food in my storage goes bad. That way, she has no other option than to accept the food."
"I'm surprised she believed you," Ronak mumbled under her breath.
"Hey! I'm not that bad at lying!" I angrily puffed up my cheeks and stared at Ronak.
"You're dreadful." I was not!
"I convinced most of the academy that I was an alpha!" How could I be bad at lying after doing that?!
"That doesn't count," Ronak grumbled. What?! Why?!
I went to open my mouth, but the vendor cleared his throat. "Here are forty of them. I threw in an extra five as a bonus since you're taking them to the orphanage." The man held out a paper sack filled to the brim with sticks of freshly fried delights. I know I just had breakfast, but just looking at them made my mouth water.
"Thanks! I'm sure the kids will appreciate it!" I accepted the heavy bag and stuck it into my storage before any oil got on me. The man running the stall stared at me in surprise, but I ignored him and grabbed Ronak's hand. "Should we get a bit more food so the kids can really fill their bellies?"
"Just how much money did she give you?"
"Ten gold. I've spent about one…" Ronak simply grunted in response and walked me over to another stand. W-was he intentionally pinpointing the vegetable ones? The kids are going to hate that…
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"Micha!" Many of the kids cried as we walked into the orphanage. Some ran over, but were a bit hesitant with Ronak around.
"Good morning, Lord Micha. It's always a pleasure when you visit. Lord Ronak, right?" June gave Ronak a hesitant smile.
"It's Archduke, but yes," Ronak responded, causing June to freeze. The little doll she was working on repairing ended up falling to the ground from her hands.
"Y-you're an archduke?!" June looked rather horrified as she looked between Ronak and me.
"He is." I bent down and grabbed the doll before one of the kids grabbed it. It had a needle and thread sticking out of it, and I sure didn't want someone to get poked. "I ugh… didn't do a very good job introducing him last time." My face turned a bit red as I passed the doll back to her. "He's my alpha…"
June's eyes caught sight of my engagement ring as she accepted the doll back, and her eyes went wide once again. "Y-you got engaged?!"
"I-I guess we did." Gah! Even my ears felt warm from embarrassment! Is it that shocking?!
"You only guess?" Ronak grumbled under his breath.
"I apologize for the state of the place! H-had I known you were coming, I would have had the kids clean up!" June went to bow, but Ronak stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"That is not necessary. I am simply here to accompany Micha. My title matters little right now." Ronak's gaze dropped low as one of the kids approached.
"Engaged? What's that, Miss June?" I guess we had drawn the kids' attention because many of them were watching us with curious eyes.
"It means they're going to get married one day," June said with a flustered face. Th-this was my fault for doing a bad job at explaining last time.
"But they're both guys." Tucker, who had been sitting at a table whittling a stick, glanced up with a furrowed brow. He still looked a bit sheepish being around Ronak, but to be fair, Ronak wasn't exactly nice last time we were here.
"Yes, but Micha is an omega. Do you not remember what I taught you about alphas and omegas?" June gave Tucker a bit of an annoyed look, and his face turned pink.
"I-I remember most of it-"
"Enough of this," Ronak grumbled, making June and Tucker fall silent. "Why is there no fire? It's chilly in here." I guess I didn't notice because Ronak had me wear a jacket and my red scarf, but it definitely wasn't warm enough that I wanted to take my jacket off. "No one is even wearing warm clothes."
June's face turned red, and her gaze dropped to the floor. "The amount of money we get from the empire only covers the purchase of wood for the winter. If we waste it during the fall, the kids will freeze during the colder months, and we just don't have many warm clothes for the children…"
Ronak's brow knit together as he scowled down at June. Hey, they were doing the best they could- "The empire doesn't provide you with additional funding when you need it?"
"No, sir… It's a set amount per kid per year… It's supposed to cover food, clothes, and housing expenses…"
"But it's not?"
"R-Ronak…"
Ronak turned to me with a frown. "The orphanages in my dukedom are managed better than this." June flinched, but I don't think it was her he was criticizing. "I need the full picture before I can say something to my Uncle. If it turns out that it's just fraud or embezzlement of funds, then that's a totally different problem." Oh… so Ronak was trying to fix the problem… "Get a fire started in here so people can be comfortable, and bring me the yearly records."
June gave me a startled look, but I simply smiled. "You can trust that he'll find a solution. Also, we brought lunch for everyone!" That got the kids all excited and helped ease the tension in the room.
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Ronak sat at one of the tables with June as the duo discussed the information in the yearly records. It was more so that Ronak would occasionally ask for further details, and June would nervously respond. I, on the other hand, sat on the ground making light bubbles for the kids to play with. The littles loved it the most, while the older kids mostly just watched with curious eyes.
"Micha, other spell?" One of the little kids asked.
"Something other than bubbles? Umm… I really don't have other spells that can be played with. The other ones are dangerous. I mean, this one can be dangerous, but I'm not using enough mana to make them dangerous."
"How so?" Tucker asked as he poked one of the bubbles with the stick he was sharpening.
"If I add more mana to the center of the spell, they explode when they come into contact with things, or once I harden just the outside layer, and rapidly shrink them, making them explode." It was a pretty versatile spell if you had a good imagination.
"They're damn annoying." Ronak loudly grumbled from the table behind me. Hey! Don't swear around the kids!
"But you can cut through them with ease." I turned and crawled over to the table so my eyes were peeking over the top at Ronak.
"True, but anyone less practiced at cutting through spells would have a hard time. If I even slightly miss the core, the spell would end up blowing up in my face." Ronak looked up from the documents for a moment to look at me, but rolled his eyes and resumed looking at the papers.
"Did you two fight or somethin'?" Tucker looked a bit apprehensive about asking, but I guess it would seem like we had a fight.
"No. We have a combat class that we share." I said as I sat up.
"Is that the one you whine about all the time?"
"I don't whine!!" I whipped towards Tucker with an annoyed look on my face. Just because I've talked to you in the past about things doesn't mean that you can go spouting stuff like that!
"You're totally whiny."
"I-I'm going to take back that knife I gifted you!" This brat! He's totally ungrateful!
"Tucker! Stop being rude to Lord Micha!" June wasn't being very secretive as she motioned to Ronak, who looked annoyed.
"I wasn't aware you hated that class," Ronak grumbled as he raised an eyebrow. Eep!
"I… don't hate it," I said as I peeked back over the table. "I was basically forced to enroll in it, and monster hunting. I just don't think I make very good combat material." My comment only made Ronak furrow his brow further.
"I'm not sure what your definition of combat material is, but you're the first student at the academy who has lasted longer than thirty seconds while sparring with me. Granted, you have areas that need to be improved, but I don't think you're that bad. Put these away." Ronak passed the stack of documents back to June and stood from the seat. I didn't know Ronak actually had a positive opinion about my poor combat abilities. I always viewed it as an elaborate game of cat and mouse since I didn't stand a chance against him. "Shall we set up lunch? We have places to be."
I glanced over at the clock on the orphanage wall and gasped. Gosh! It was already noon! Time just flies when you're entertaining so many kids! "Right. Let me go wash up, and I'll be right back." I had been sitting on the floor after all.
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Ronak
"What did you find out about the orphanage?" Micha peered up at me with his large golden eyes. We had left the orphanage after giving them their food, and I forced the head caretaker to take five gold pieces until I could talk to my uncle.
"Either my uncle hasn't increased funding to go along with the rising prices of goods, or there's a margrave keeping a portion of the money for themselves. I'll leave it to my uncle to figure out since it's his territory, but I'm surprised that the orphanage has been able to function with how little funding they've been receiving." That June woman was excellent at financing. I almost wish she would come to work at one of my orphanages.
"I know in the warm months, Miss June takes the older kids out to harvest wild plants that they process together into goods that can be kept through the winter. I've gone with them a few times." That explains why he's so casual with those kids.
"While that isn't a bad thing to teach the kids, they shouldn't have to do that to survive." Micha's eyes widened, and they almost got a sparkle to them. The fuck? "Why are you giving me a weird look?"
"Thanks for looking into it… You didn't have to…"
"You're right, I didn't, but you like visiting them, and it reminded me of the orphanages in my dukedom before I started providing them funding. Well, they were in worse shape, but if something doesn't change, that orphanage would end up in the same state." I glanced back over to Micha and had to pause. "Why the hell do you have tears in your eyes?" I grabbed his head and scowled at him.
"That's so nice!" Micha gave me a beaming smile as a tear slowly slid down his face, and I let out a soft growl as I licked it away. He's being silly.
"Sorry to pop your bubble, but I wasn't exactly doing it to be nice." Micha opened his eyes and looked a little puzzled. Did he think I was being charitable? I wasn't… I released his head from my grasp and let out a sigh. His gaze was too much. "I don't know how my uncle has it set up in his territory, but in mine, the moment a child is turned over to an orphanage, they become property of the duchy. They're not up for adoption. Instead, when they become of age, they are required to get a job that benefits the duchy."
"What does that mean?" Ugh, I should have held onto his head so I could squeeze his cheeks. They were a bit pink from the cold air and were just begging to be bothered.
"They can choose which job they want, but they're offered jobs like becoming a caretaker at an orphanage, teacher, gardener, maid, or butler. There are other jobs too, but those are the basic ones."
"Oh, well, that's nice." It wasn't particularly nice. There were other far less favorable jobs on the list. Like working for Blade. I only listed off the ones I knew he'd like.
"I just figure, if I'm paying for their living requirements until they're adults, then I should benefit in some way too." I wasn't doing it to be kind, I was doing it for myself.
"I guess that's not too bad… I know some of the kids here who make it to adulthood without getting adopted really struggle making it outside of the orphanage. I think that's why Tucker is snappy like a turtle. He's feeling a bit stressed about his future." Is that why Micha tolerated that punk giving him a hard time? I wanted nothing more than to punch him, but resisted the urge for Micha's sake.
"That's a complete waste of resources." Micha giggled at my comment, which confused me. "What's so funny?"
"Of course, you look at it from a business standpoint. I didn't realize you were such a businessman until now." Micha straightened my scarf and snuggled up against me. I literally run a business, and a dukedom... I can't run around being charitable. "Shall we teleport back to the estate?"
"Yes, let's go." I wanted to pinch his fucking cheeks until he squealed. Of course, I look at everything from a business standpoint. Everything wasn't all sunshine and rainbows like it is for Micha…
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Micha
"Which scent do you prefer?" I cautiously sniffed one jar, and then another.
"I don't know… They're both nice." I just didn't feel particularly drawn to one over another. Olivia pulled the two jars away and set them on the coffee table.
"These aren't good enough. What other scents do you have available?" Th-that's not what I said! Gah! Olivia! You're making this harder than it needs to be! The vendor, however, must have been used to this sort of thing because they didn't even bat an eye as they handed the two samples back to their assistants and procured new items for me to look at.
"This is a luxurious hand cream, perfect for application before bed. What do you think of its scent?" Why was picking out a lotion so hard? I wanted to break down in tears, but I'm pretty sure Olivia would snap at me if I did. This wasn't her usual bubbly self. She was in full-on professional mode and was making sure that the vendors didn't push their wares onto me. Like my own personal attack dog. What was crazy was that this was the sixth vendor I've seen in the past two hours. Olivia got them in, helped me pick out things I supposedly needed, and sent them on their way. I guess you could say she was efficient… or a bit scary.
"Oh…" I took one sniff, and then another. "Is this cherry scented?"
"Why, yes, it is." The vendor looked slightly relieved as I took another sniff.
"I like this one a lot." Olivia grinned and plucked the jar from my hands.
"Oh, good. We'll take two of these then, and we need to look at shampoo varieties." The vendor nodded her head, and her assistants got to work bringing out shampoo bottles for us to look at. Gah! There are so many of them! Why were there so many options just for shampoo?! S-someone save me!
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"I've never felt so few emotions from you. Are you alive?" Ronak entered the room where I was lying collapsed on the sofa, staring off into the distance.
"I think he's feeling a little overstimulated, so I'm giving him a break before Kas and the furniture vendor show up."
"Did he get the things he needs?" Ronak asked as he scooted my feet over and sat down.
"Yes, he now has a properly stocked bathroom." Olivia grinned proudly and even flashed Ronak a thumbs-up.
"Was there anything he wanted?"
Olivia's thumb faltered in the air for a second before disappearing behind her back. "He did not request anything in particular…"
"Wh-why?" I quietly whispered.
Ronak grabbed my foot and pulled my shoe off just so he could squeeze my toe. "What was that?"
I let out a squeal and jolted to get him to let go of my toe. "Why did you buy all that stuff?! I-I don't need it!" I sat up and gave Ronak a frustrated glare. "Lotion doesn't need to cost four gold!" I flopped back down onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. I tried saying no, I tried telling Olivia that I didn't need it, but she didn't listen! She just bought whatever she wanted! All that money could have gone somewhere else! "Th-there doesn't need to be crushed pink salt in my bath…"
Ronak snickered and rubbed my foot. "Is there a particular reason why you think you can't have nice stuff?"
"No…, but does nice stuff have to cost so much?!" Just doing a rough estimate of everything Olivia purchased for me made my head hurt.
"Yes, because it has ingredients in it that are better, and cost more. Thus, a higher price tag." I gave Ronak a confused look as he continued to massage my foot. "I knew you would have a hard time after how you behaved the other day, but you're taking this worse than I thought."
"I… just feel uncomfortable seeing you spend exorbitant amounts of money on me…" Couldn't he spend that money on a charity or something? I didn't need all that stuff!
Ronak snickered and really rammed his thumb into the bottom of my foot. Hey! That hurts! "Who would have thought that having an omega who doesn't want to spend my money would be more annoying than one that wants to blow my money?" Ronak gave me a stern look. "As consequences for your actions, I'll be garnishing your future wages for Elutra. You can pay for half of this stuff on your own." My eyes turned wide in surprise. He was doing what? "Oh, right, I should have Gerard ready the documents we have to submit to the imperial business bureau. Since you're not officially married to me, you have to sign some documents to become the co-owner. Stupid legal hoops my uncle makes us jump through."
"Y-you really want me to co-own Elutra with you?" I didn't bring anything valuable to the table… I don't see why he was so interested in it…
Ronak's brow furrowed, and he gave my toe another squeeze. "Do you not have ears? I already said that it's something I wanted. Now sit up so we can get these accursed vendor visits done." I watched Ronak play with my foot for a moment longer. He was crazy, wasn't he? I guess there was no telling him no, though. I let out a defeated groan and sat up. He wasn't planning on filling my closet to the brim, was he?
"Hello, hello! Long time no see! I can't believe you're making me come to you, instead of you coming to me this time, sweeties!" Olivia held the door open, and Gerard guided the all too bubbly Kas into the room. Pft, he was as flamboyant as ever with his large fur jacket. His pale blue hair was tied up today, and was looking a bit spiky. Huh, I wonder how he got it to stick up like that…
"Hello, Kas." I smiled, and he reached across the coffee table to squish my cheeks.
"Ah, you're just as cute as ever." Kas grinned as he sat down across from us. He had an assistant with him who seemed to have the exact opposite personality from his. She was dressed in rather formal attire with a strict business face and glasses. Huh, they seemed like an odd duo. "Still don't understand why you like this grumpy alpha so much. He must be really wild in bed-"
"Shut the fuck up, Kas," Ronak grumbled. "You're not here to talk." Wah! My poor face! Why does Kas always have to say such awkward things?!
"Oh, calm yourself. I'm just having a bit of fun! Besides, it's not like your cutie denied it." He gave Ronak an annoying wink, and Ronak growled in response. "I brought you my newest winter catalogs to look through. Here's the men, and women's catalog. Remember that anything that catches your eye can be altered to fit your measurements and frame. So if you want to shop out of either book, you can. Just say the word, and my attendant will make note of which designs you like or which ones you want altered."
Ronak picked up the men's catalog and started flipping through it, so I nervously picked up the one for women. Olivia came over and looked over my shoulder at the book as I slowly flipped from one page to another. "Little lord, do remember that you need plenty of warm clothes. The dukedom gets rather cold during the winter."
I gulped nervously and flipped to the next page. This was almost worse than picking out all the bathroom supplies. At least there were fewer options when it came to those. Why was this book so big?! Did Kas just sit around drawing all the time?! H-how am I supposed to know if something will look good on me by just looking at a picture? This was hard…
Ronak would mumble a number here and there, and Kas's assistant would scribble down notes. "Oh my, that would be a wonderful option for you. Would you be willing to swap out the undershirt for something more floral?"
"No." Ronak snapped. Pft, did Kas really think he could get Ronak to wear something floral? That would be odd.
"Fine, fine. It was worth a try. Why are you so silent over here?" Kas leaned over to me, and I nervously flipped the page.
"I um… e-everything is really pretty! I-" I didn't even know where to start. I was so intimidated. What was I supposed to buy? How much was too much? Was I getting a few outfits or just one? I don't know!
Ronak leaned over and plucked the catalog from my hands. "Find me something that I'd look good in." Huh? W-was he going to pick out clothes for me? Olivia moved over to his side of the sofa, and together she and Ronak started flipping through the catalog without me. Apparently, he wasn't struggling because soon he was calling out page numbers like crazy. J-just how much was he buying?! I don't need that much stuff! I nervously peeked at what they were doing, but Ronak paused and poked my nose. "You're supposed to be finding me an outfit."
"Ah! O-okay…" I nervously opened the book and tried to distract myself, but it was nerve-racking listening to them buy so much.
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"Wh-what about this outfit?" I showed Ronak the picture of the outfit that I thought he would look good in. It wasn't anything too complicated. It was a dark pair of pants and a cable knit sweater. Honestly, it looked rather cozy. I could see myself snuggling up to Ronak while he wore it.
"Are you just trying to get me to wear something so you can steal the sweater down the road?" Oh… I didn't think about that… This would be a comfy sweater to steal.
"No…, but now that you mention it…" Ronak snorted and flipped the page of the women's catalog. Gosh, they had almost gone through the whole thing.
"Here, look at some shoes. Make sure to think about something practical, something comfortable, and something for deep snow." Ronak handed me the additional catalog on the coffee table and plucked the men's from me. I-I guess I didn't do a good job picking an outfit out for him… I just didn't know much about fashion. I just sorta wore whatever… I glanced at Kas, and he seemed to have an odd twinkle in his eye. Wonder what that's about…
I started looking at the shoes, but noticed that I was actually holding two catalogs… I flipped to the second one, and with a loud squeal, ended up dropping both. My hands instantly whipped over, and I stole the sofa pillow so I could hide behind it. Kas! What is wrong with you?! Why would you bring something like that here?!
"Micha?" Ronak reached over to grab the catalog from my lap, but I swatted at his hand.
"Don't look!" I squealed.
That must have only gotten Ronak's attention more because he quickly stole the catalog before I could stop him. I peeked over the cushion and saw Ronak's cheeks turn a bit pink at the tops. "I didn't ask you to bring this sort of shit to my estate." Ronak snapped, but didn't move to put the catalog down. H-he didn't honestly think I was going to be willing to wear any of that, did he?
"Whaaat? Did I accidentally let that get mixed in with my regular catalogs? Silly me!" He totally did it on purpose! Gah! Kas! Why are you like this?! "But if anything catches your eye, do let me know. I will warn you, the book gets saucier towards the back, and is far more tame towards the front." W-what?! Y-you're telling me that those scandalous clothes only get more scandalous the further back in the book you go?!
"Don't put shit like this in front of Micha, he's going to be hidden behind that cushion all day because of you." Ronak snapped. He wasn't saying not to bring those sorts of books to the estate anymore… I nervously peeked out of my hiding spot and saw that Ronak had set the naughty book under the men's catalog… H-he wasn't going to keep it, was he?! My brain felt fried just thinking about putting something so saucy on. I didn't have it in me to strut around wearing something like those outfits!
In my overwhelmed stupor, Gerard cleared his throat, and Ronak glanced up at the clock. "Time has gotten away from us. For now, start working on those outfits I've requested, and I'll get back to you with a list of others. Micha's wardrobe is starting from scratch, so he needs a bit of everything. Make sure to send spring catalogs to my estate over the winter." E-everything didn't include one of those outfits, did it?! He totally didn't return that catalog… R-Ronak! Don't stress me out like this!
"Of course, darling. It's always a pleasure doing business with you. I'll be excitedly awaiting that additional list." Kas winked and blew us a kiss as he exited, followed by his assistant, who was still scribbling down information on her board. "Toodaloo!"
Even though Kas was gone, it still felt like steam was pouring from my ears. "Put these in my office," Ronak said casually as he waved at the stack of catalogs. My eyes nervously peeked at the stack, but Olivia was too quick to take them away. "One vendor left. Are you going to hide the entire time?" I simply shrugged in response. I-I don't know if I can handle being wealthy. It's too much for me!
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"Greetings, Archduke Abraxos. I'm beyond honored that you have selected my vendors to purchase from. I hope that you find their offerings to be to your liking." The last vendor entered, and this guy was dressed far more extravagantly than any of the others. Well, I guess Kas was dressed pretty fancy, but his taste in clothes was a bit… exotic compared to most other people.
Ronak waved the vendor over to the sofa, and he presented his catalogs to us. I was still peeking out from behind a pillow, but Ronak leaned forward and grabbed the first catalog. He appeared bored as he flipped through it, but at least this time he wasn't hiding the catalog from me. Instead, Ronak had leaned towards me and even angled it so I could see from my hiding spot. Whoa, there were so many styles of furniture. I wouldn't even know how to pick something out…
He made it to the end of the catalog, and I thought for sure Ronak was going to toss the catalog onto the coffee table and declare that nothing within was worthy of him. Instead, Ronak surprised me by flipping back to a page towards the middle. "You might be used to cold winters at your family home, Micha, but my estate stays rather cold inside because of all the stone. Would you prefer the bed to have drapes so it stays warmer or something a little more modern without drapes?" Ronak flipped from a bed with tall four posts and long drapes to another one without the four posts. The styles were honestly similar to me, but once again, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. They both had dark wood and intricate carvings along the head and footboards.
I tilted my head to the side and pointed to a different bed on the shared page. "What about a partial sheer drape like this one over here? It at least makes the bed feel a bit more inviting instead of being so closed off." It had thin-looking drapes that were pulled back next to the head and footboard. It seemed whimsical, and I liked it, but maybe Ronak isn't into that sort of thing. He fell oddly silent.
"Which frame did you like the most?" Ummm… I-I guess if I had to make a choice, then it would be the one he referred to as looking more modern… "Then that's what we want." Ronak sat up and showed the vendor our decision. "We want this frame with this style of drapes." Ronak… was okay with my silly idea? He didn't even question it in the slightest.
"My, what a marvelous idea! It will have to be altered slightly, but that will not be a problem." The vendor brought out a notebook from his bag and began excitedly writing down things as Ronak pointed them out. He kept including me as he looked and made decisions, which I appreciated. It was like I was getting to help design his bedroom… I-I guess now that I'm really thinking about it, it will be our bedroom. Something we worked together to design.
As we went through catalog after catalog, I eventually abandoned my cushion and ended up leaning against Ronak. Gosh, there were so many things to pick out. I thought we would be done after the furniture, but we had to look at fabrics, leathers, the type of wood, wood stain, wood varnish, carpets, wallpapers, ceiling details, chandeliers, drapes, additional furniture, wardrobes, beddings, and even pillows. By the time we got done, I was starting to feel overwhelmed again. Most of the decisions Ronak made since I didn't have a clue what I was looking at, but he did make me pick out the overall color scheme of our room. Talk about intimidating… Do I go with a cozy dark green or a neutral color like gray? Should I select crimson? At this point, that color felt like our color…
"That should be everything for now. Please let me know if you have a change of heart or realize that something else is needed." The vendor collected his stuff and bowed on his way out. He left us the furniture catalogs to flip through in case anything else caught our eyes.
"I-is all that stuff for the dukedom estate?" I asked as the door closed. I figured it wasn't for here, since he just got new furniture. So it had to be for the dukedom. Why he had me help out was a bit of a mystery, but I couldn't complain.
"Yes, it is. While I already picked things out for the eastern, southern, and this estate, I figured it would be best to have your input on the dukedom estate." I couldn't help but think about all the things we picked out as ours instead of Ronak's stuff. Reality was starting to hit me… I was going to be spending the rest of my life with him, wasn't I… What an odd feeling… "Is everything okay? You seem a little freaked out." Ronak leaned over and placed his hand on my cheek as he gave me a concerned look.
"Y-yeah… everything is fine… I just realized that this stuff is ours…"
Ronak's brow furrowed slightly. "Of course it will be ours after it's built and delivered." He wasn't understanding what I was implying at all.
"That's not what I meant… I mean, it's going to be ours, ours. Like… a mixture of our two personalities in one room… It's not just your stuff, it's our stuff."
Ronak snickered slightly, and a smirk formed on his lips. "I should have involved you in picking out all the other furniture if I knew you were going to be this cute. Yes, from here on out, everything is ours, not mine. Except for you. You'll always be mine." I let out a little squeal as Ronak leaned over and nibbled my neck. I-I guess I could handle living with Ronak if this was how cute he was going to behave. I didn't hate this at all. It was pretty nice.
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