"Rooooonaaaaaak!" I take it back! He's not cute at all! We sat in the grass under a shade tree that lost all its leaves to autumn in the estate's back gardens. We ended up going on a walk after all that sitting, and Ronak attacked me with a surprise hug. He had his arms wrapped around me as I sat between his legs. I was indeed cozy, but I didn't want to stay here all day. "Aren't we going to finish the tour? You didn't even take me around inside!"
"I guess we could, or we could…" Ronak's naughty hand wandered down and tried slithering into the back of my pants, but I let out quite the squeal while thrashing about.
"N-no! None of that!" His hand was cold, and I definitely didn't want it touching my bare skin at the moment. "Is that all you think about all the time?!"
"Not all the time, but you admittedly occupy a lot of my brain these days." Ronak teasingly slid his nose into my scarf and ran it along my neck. C-cold! Before I could complain about his frigid nose, it popped out of my scarf and pointed down the walk like a bloodhound. He grumbled something under his breath, but I couldn't make out what it was.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, my lord, but a reply has been received for the little lord." Gerard approached where we were sitting and held out a letter to us. The moment my eyes saw it, I let out an excited gasp. I recognized that familiar green envelope with a wax seal of a raven!
"Thanks for bringing this to me, Gerard!" He nodded his head with a small smile and departed now that the letter had been delivered. I wanted to open it right then, but I became distracted by Ronak laying his head on my shoulder.
"I noticed it before, but why's the envelope smell like that?" He asked as he sniffed the air.
"Oh, the paper mill in the town over tends to mix fern leaves into the paper my family buys. My mother requests it like that because she likes the scent of ferns." I ran my hand over the green flecks of leaves strewn about the envelope with a warm smile on my face. Each letter she sent to me made me feel like I was home again.
"Does your mother's pheromones smell like ferns?"
"I… don't know… both my parents are recessive, so they never produce pheromones, or if they do, I've never smelt them…" I furrowed my brow while feeling a little puzzled. Did children know what their relatives smell like? I was so used to never smelling my parents that the thought never occurred to me. Terra always gave me a hard time about not knowing things about omegas and alphas, but it wasn't my fault. My parents were a bit unusual, being recessive to the point that people would probably consider them to be betas.
"Don't feel sad. Obviously, I never knew what my parents' pheromones smelled like either. I was just curious if you knew." Ronak snuggled his face against my neck again, and I couldn't help but giggle. You'd think my scarf would deter him, but it hasn't. I only wish his nose wasn't so cold.
"I'm not upset. I'm surprised at how we share a similarity in the oddest of ways…"
"Guess so. Are you going to open it or do you not want me to read it over your shoulder?"
"I don't care. I doubt they wrote anything that you couldn't read." It felt oddly personal sharing a letter from my parents, but I guess I didn't mind too much. I doubt Ronak has ever had the pleasure of receiving a pleasant letter from a parent. Only upsetting ones from that fake father of his.
To Our Dearest Son Micha,
We received word of the dungeon accident only a day prior to receiving your letter, so you wouldn't believe how relieved we were when your letter arrived. It almost seemed unreal.
How could you do something so dangerous?! You need to take better care of yourself, and don't try using your magic as an excuse for your behavior. We don't care how many healing spells you use; they will not bring you back to life if you die. That could have ended far worse had that other student not accompanied you. Please give him our sincerest thanks for helping you, and remember to pull your head out of the clouds in dangerous situations! Your magic might be impressive, but you're our only child, and we don't want to lose you.
I'm glad you're focused on your studies, but remember to take time for yourself as well. You should eventually receive an early winterfest gift from your father and me before the weather gets worse. The snow arrived weeks earlier than usual, but luckily, we finished all the prep work for everyone before winter set in. There are plenty of food supplies and wood to keep us warm and full this winter, but you will be severely missed. We can't wait to see you again this summer when the academy releases for the break. I know that attending by yourself is hard, but hopefully, you've been able to make friends. Especially that alpha you mentioned. I expect more details from you, mister! You can't tease something like that and not give us any details.
What's his name? What's he like? Does he treat you nicely? Is he the one who permitted you to use this magnificent bird? Is he a noble? If he is, I hope that you haven't gotten involved with anyone too high-ranked. I would hate for you to cause a disturbance. I know too well what that's like…
If you can continue writing to us, then we will excitedly await your response. If you aren't, we completely understand and hope that this letter finds you well. Your father is nervously pacing the floor as I write, so I'd better go attend to his silly antics before he rushes off to tell all the villagers of your safe return from the dungeon without me.
All the love in the world,
Mother and Father
A tear fell from my eye as I read the familiar handwriting of my mother. Ronak gave me a tight squeeze and let out a little sigh. "I'm incredibly jealous that you get the honor of receiving such lovely letters. Do you miss them?"
"Of course I miss them. Thankfully, I have you, Terra, and now Jade, who have made my academy experience far less lonely than it could have been." I was a little embarrassed that my mother asked so many questions about Ronak, but I was glad that they didn't seem upset about him. At least, not yet. They didn't know that we had already bonded. Gah! How am I going to explain that to my parents?
"Your family seems rather close to the commoners."
"Our village is quite small, so I know most of the commoners who live there. I even grew up playing tag and other games with all the kids my age. I wasn't truly introduced to noble life until I became a teen, and my magic appeared. Had I been recessive like my parents, I doubt a noble would have taken me as their spouse, and I wouldn't have inherited my parents' title, so the best I could have done was become an esquire, or if that didn't work out, I could just become a commoner." I shrugged; fate was mysterious. I never thought I would be in the situation that I'm in.
Ronak was quiet while he listened to me, and his fingers began playing with my ponytail that was draped over the opposite shoulder his head was resting. "I'm incredibly grateful that you have light magic. Even though you're troublesome, my life would be incredibly hollow without you."
"Troublesome! You're the one constantly causing trouble!" I gave Ronak a perturbed side eye, and he let out a hearty laugh. Ah, his entire body lightly shook me from his laughter. How I wish I could experience it forever. It was so pleasant.
"You're the best kind of trouble there is." What does that mean?! Ronak continued to laugh as I sat there puzzled. The cocky brat! Ronak pulled my legs over his thigh so I could sit sideways. I puffed up my cheeks and lightly glared at him as he chuckled. You're lucky you're handsome, you big meanie! I want nothing more than to bash another pillow into your face.
Ronak pulled me in for a kiss, and my anger subsided. Talk about not playing fair. I happily wrapped my arms around his neck, and our kiss deepened as our tongues began to play together. Gah! I swear his goal was to eat me. A strong wave of happiness washed over me from Ronak as his pheromones gently enveloped me. His pheromones were rather mellow, so I guess he was trying to keep himself out of trouble a little bit. I just couldn't get enough of their woodsy scent with the notes of cherry drifting about. It was like sitting under a large cherry tree, and I couldn't agree more. I was happy too. This moment could last forever as far as I was concerned-
"There you two are- ACK! Wh-why are you two m-making out in broad daylight?!?" I wasn't even sure what had happened before Ronak pulled me in against him defensively. He let out a low grumble and locked his arms and legs around me as if prepared for anything. I glanced up and noticed his neck muscles tensed. I sorta want to poke him in the neck, but that might make him mad.
"The hell are you doing in my gardens?!" Ronak's growl slightly faded away, but his words sounded gravely from the residual growl. I peeked out from Ronak's chest to investigate and was quite shocked.
"You weren't responding to my letters! I threatened that if you didn't respond, I would stop by…" Prince Elyas's face was redder than mine as he avoided looking in our direction. He had a sword at his waist, and he seemed to be dressed in casual training clothes. They were still incredibly fancy, but it wasn't the regal formal attire I assumed he wore as a prince.
"Stop by the goddamn front door! Don't just wander around my fucking estate!" Despite Ronak's harsh words, I sort of agreed. Why would he just hunt Ronak down like this? That seemed to be taking things too far. Wh-what if we had been doing something far more scandalous than kissing?
Prince Elyas shuffled his foot around on the ground awkwardly as he got reprimanded, but he still wasn't looking our way. I-I was pretty embarrassed too, but he was acting like he'd never seen anyone kiss before… "I did go to the front door… I was asked to wait in the drawing room until you were available, but that was twenty minutes ago… I grew impatient and started exploring about… I didn't realize you were… ahem… you know…" He turned even further so we couldn't see his face, and waggled his finger around at us. He was acting like he found us in the thick of it. W-we were simply kissing! Don't turn even redder!
"Go home." Ronak snarled.
"But I came all this way!" …You live literally on the other side of the big wall over there… "Can't we spar? At least for a moment?!" Gosh… what was wrong with him? Is that all he was interested in?
Ronak started lightly growling again as he became frustrated. "Go bother Tyrone."
"He's been acting weird the past few days. I'd rather not." Ick, hearing that made my skin crawl. He wasn't acting weird because of me… was he? Eww… please no… I'm sorry, Ronak! I'll never be nice to another alpha again!
I fearfully clung to Ronak's shirt, which drew his attention. He gave me a puzzled look, but didn't address my behavior. "Neither of us wants to spar with you. We've had a damn long day." Ronak brought his arm around me protectively. Did he think I was afraid to spar with Elyas?
"Can we have tea at least?" His eyes drifted over to us, then quickly away. Stop acting like we're doing something naughty! It's freaking me out!
"What fucking lesson are you avoiding at the palace?" Ronak snapped. He seemed a bit calmer now that he started rubbing my back, but maybe it was just me enjoying it.
"I'm not avoiding anything! I completed all my lessons today! I'm going to prove to you that I can get the best grades in the class!" Elyas proudly puffed out his chest, and I lightly snickered. How childish. Wasn't he only three years younger than us? He was acting like a little kid.
Ronak let out a long, agitated sigh and glanced down at me. "What do you want to do?" Ronak whispered to me.
"He'll just come back another day if we avoid him, won't he?" Ronak let out an annoyed grunt and nodded his head. "Should we just get it over with then?" It was like we had a pesky younger brother we were trying to appease so we'd get left alone. It felt rather strange since neither of us actually had a sibling, but I didn't want to outright reject Elyas. Besides being a bit overbearing, he seemed nice.
I glanced over to Elyas, who kept giving us anxious little side eyes as we whispered back and forth. "Fine. We'll have fucking tea, but then you're leaving. You're not permitted to stay for dinner." Ronak snapped.
Elyas turned to face completely away from us as he attempted to hide his embarrassment, but his ears were clearly pink. "I wasn't going to ask that…" Ahuh, even I could read you. You definitely wanted to stay for dinner.
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I barely sat down in my chair when Ronak reached over to grab the seat of it. My eyes went wide as he tugged it over to be closer to him. Y-you could have asked to have it moved before I sat down… Gosh, talk about being protective. Gerard didn't even blink as he set my tea and plate in my new location.
"So what's your name?" Elyas asked as he glanced over at me. He didn't seem all that phased by Ronak's weird behavior, but I guess he himself was rather odd as well.
Oh, right, I guess he didn't know anything besides the fact that I'm Ronak's omega. I was still a bit embarrassed, but I managed to sit up and address him. He was far less intimidating than his father. "My name is Micha Verchiel, but you can just call me Micha." I tried not to smile too warmly at him because I didn't need another Tyrone situation on my hands.
"I see… are you a margrave or an earl's son?" I clenched my teeth. Why did that matter? Did he only care about status?
"No… I am only a lord's son." The prince's eyes curiously wandered from me to Ronak, who glared at him.
"His rank matters little to me. If I wanted someone of high rank, I could have accepted an arranged marriage." Ronak accepted a document from Gerard, clearly unconcerned by the conversation. "Is there a problem with that, Elyas?"
I took a sip of the tasty rooibos tea to fill the awkward pause. I was incredibly grateful that the staff kept it on hand for me because it was naturally sweet, and I enjoyed its nutty flavor. A-are you going to answer his question? You're making me feel uncomfortable over here… Finally, Elyas opened his mouth, but it wasn't what I was expecting. "But you're attending the academy. Your family must boast incredible abilities."
Yikes, another awkward question that didn't have a satisfying answer. I gave him an awkward smile and stirred my tea. "My parents are both extremely recessive and have no abilities. I attend the academy on scholarship because my magic is rare."
"Oh... Ummm, what kind of magic do you have?" Elyas looked away awkwardly. Did he have something against low-ranking nobles?
"I wield light magic." That got Elyas's attention. He looked at me with wide, curious eyes that seemed to hold a touch of excitement.
"What kind?! Protective, healing, or attack?" Those… aren't the three branches' names…, but at least his excitement made the conversation less awkward. I was starting to regret having tea with him. Ronak knew it was going to be like this, didn't he? That's why he was blatantly ignoring us as he worked. No fair, Ronak. No fair.
"I can use all three branches of light magic." Not all types of magic had three branches; some only had two, but it was rare to wield multiple branches. Take Terra's wind magic, for example. She could use the defense branch and wield spells that could protect her and others, but she didn't have any attack spells. She couldn't even sign up for any of the combat classes because of it.
"That's crazy! I didn't even know someone could wield all three branches! What are you going to do after graduating?"
"I thought about becoming an imperial doctor because my parents had me train under doctors before the academy, but now I'm not sure what I want to do." I glanced at Ronak, who gave me a curious look. I did enjoy the idea of working together… I quickly looked away from him before my face became flushed.
"If you become an imperial doctor, you could work for me one day!" Way to make it seem even less tempting. You'd probably come to the doctor's ward just to annoy me.
"Ah, well, thanks to Ronak, my future has a lot more options than it did before." He was pretty insistent on me being a co-owner of Elutra, and that didn't even include his duchy. I assume I'll have duties and responsibilities there. My dream of becoming a doctor seemed a little distant these days, but I wasn't feeling as devastated about it as I had been. I guess I'm a little curious about what the future holds.
"What classes are you taking at the academy?" He leaned across the table with that excited look on his face. It's not like the academy keeps its classes a secret. Why was he so obsessed?
"I wanted a wide variety of classes while also working on skills that I have, so I'm in classes like herbology, alchemy, combat training, monster hunting, and magic control."
"Your schedule is similar to Ronak's… I thought it would be different…" It is? I guess I've never asked Ronak about what other classes he's in. Elyas looked disappointed. Like he thought my classes were lame. Rude!
I turned my head to the side. What was he so curious about… Oh. "Are you referring to the omega classes? Like music, embroidery, and baking?"
"Yeah! Do you take any of those classes? You're an omega after all." Ugh, 'aren't you an omega?' This is why I didn't go about telling people that I was an omega at the academy. People like to stereotype too much. J-just because I'm an omega doesn't mean I'm like all the rest!
I furrowed my brow slightly and took a sip of tea before responding. "Those skills have never been a strong suit for me, so I never took an interest in them. Though baking sounds fun."
"You just want to eat the sweets." Ronak looked up from his paper and over to the sweets he had purposely placed on the opposite side of the table so I couldn't reach. "Elyas, not every omega is the same as the next, plus Micha is a guy. Of course, his interests are going to be different compared to other omegas. Stop asking such intrusive questions."
"I'm just curious! I didn't even know guys could be omegas. I was rather shocked at your birthday." He looked away from the table with a pink face. I know we're rare, but there are literally two of us at the academy. How did he not know? "If Micha wore dresses, I bet you wouldn't even know he was a guy," Elyas mumbled under his breath, but we were both able to hear it. I put on a pleasant smile even though I was uncomfortable. I'm a guy, why would I want to put on dresses?
"Elyas! Micha is male, and if you have a problem with that, I will personally show you to the door." Ronak raised his voice as he slammed his hand on the table, causing me to flinch.
"C-calm down." Ronak's irritation flooded my senses, making even me feel irritated. I placed my hand on his, but he continued to glare at Elyas, who had shrunk down into his chair to try and avoid Ronak's oppressive wave of pheromones.
"I didn't mean it in that way…." He yelped. "I was just trying to imply that Micha is very pretty even for a guy, but I thought if I said that you would get upset! I shouldn't have said anything!" I was surprised that the empire's prince was cowering before Ronak. I thought he would have stood his ground a bit better.
Ronak calmed down a bit as I laced my fingers through his. "Ronak, it's okay. I'm used to comments and odd questions. Male omegas are as rare as my magic. I'm quite the oddity. It's normal to be confused. Honestly, I think you're the strange one for accepting me, no questions asked." I laughed, and Ronak furrowed his brow. Is this why he hits so many people? They say dumb things, and Ronak gets upset on my behalf? Heh, he's so protective. It's a little cute if you ignore the hitting.
"Micha is mine," Ronak growled at Elias, who nodded.
"I wasn't particularly interested!" He shook his head and continued to cower from his cousin's glare. Good, you better not be. I don't think I can mentally handle another Tyrone on my hands.
I pursed my lips as an odd question came to mind. "Prince Elyas… do you want to put on dresses?"
"No! Why would I?" He stared at me with wide eyes, clearly not understanding why I asked him that question.
"Exactly, I don't either. I'm still a guy. I wear softer clothes because they fit my frame better, a-and they might be rather feminine sometimes, but I'm not going to dress in dresses just because I'm an omega." I pinched my current top's frilly neckline and looked down at my outfit. I guess it was rather girly, but I don't care. I liked it, and that's what mattered. Even Terra said I looked good dressed like this, and her opinion was all I cared about… I-I guess I care about Ronak's too, but he prefers me wearing no clothes over clothes. The big weirdo undressed me at every opportunity.
"Right… that was wrong of me to say…" Elyas uncomfortably sat back up in his chair and stared into his teacup.
At least he didn't become oddly interested in me like Tyrone. I would have to have Ronak double-check the marking job he did if another one of his relatives acted like that. I glanced at Ronak, who still seemed agitated. "Can I pleeeaaasssse have some dessert?" I rested my head on his shoulder and stared longingly at the chocolate cake that had been tempting me this entire time with its delicious smell. This is completely unfair! I have to tolerate your cousin and stare at the cake I want without tasting it?! Evil. Completely evil.
Ronak grunted and cut me a slice of cake. "Yay! Thanks, Ronak!" I snuggled up against him and gave him a slight hug before picking up my fork. Cake, cake! I love cake!
As I dug into my cake, the mood at the table mellowed out. Elyas stopped asking incredibly intrusive questions, and Ronak even let me have another slice of cake! I asked for a third, but Ronak said no. I tried risking it and asking for a different dessert, but Ronak wasn't having it.
"You'd probably eat an entire cake if I let you," Ronak grumbled while watching me. I glanced at Elyas, who was watching me with a shocked expression…
"It's not even that much. You barely let me have any sweets." I was eating way more before you entered my life.
"I'm going to have to have a serious discussion with your parents about your sweet tooth and how much they let you consume." Heh, good luck with that…
"Oh, they don't have a clue. We never have sweets at home because sugar is quite expensive." They didn't know about my little addiction.
"So your addiction started at the academy?" He grunted.
"M-maybe…" I slowly chewed on a bite of cake while staring at Ronak with wide eyes. His expression was scary. H-he wasn't going to take all my sweets away, was he?
You really like sugar, don't you?" Elyas mumbled.
"Most omegas do." I smiled and grabbed a sugar cube to add to my tea, but Ronak grabbed my wrist.
"Don't let him fool you. Omegas like sweets, but Micha has an obsession." He glared at me, then at my hand with the sugar inside it as if saying, 'drop it,' but I continued to hold on. "You don't need to add that many sugars to your tea. It's basically sugar water at this point. Can you even taste the flavor of the tea?"
"Yeah, it's a little nutty with a hint of vanilla." I struggled against his grip, trying to pull my hand back, and Ronak let go with a sigh.
"There's no winning when it comes to you and your sweets. I know Olivia gave you snacks earlier."
"I don't know what you're talking about…" I smiled sweetly and avoided eye contact. Dang you, Olivia! Why must you tell him of my activities?! At least keep the snacks as our little secret! I thought we were close!
"I didn't know that Ronak knew how to give up." Elyas watched the two of us with curious eyes as he sipped his tea. "He's quite headstrong in everything he does."
"He's a little headstrong when it comes to some things, but he's quite considerate when it comes to me. This afternoon, he's taken me on a tour of the estate, and accepted your request for tea even though he clearly has work to do." Gerard walked in and handed Ronak another document. My gaze returned to the prince who was watching Ronak. "But, he needs to be headstrong to reach his goals and achieve things he desires. For a prince who will one day rule this empire, sh-shouldn't you be headstrong in your desires?" Ack! Maybe I was overstepping my bounds, but this guy in front of me, who still acted like a child even though he would be attending the academy in almost half a year, needed something to spark a desire inside him. Clearly, he looked up to Ronak; otherwise, he wouldn't tolerate his bad attitude. If only he could take a page out of Ronak's book and take his responsibilities seriously. He didn't give me the impression that he wanted to be the emperor.
He fell silent for a moment and stared into his cup of tea. "Hmmm, my desires, eh? I guess I should try being a little more headstrong… Ronak spar with me!" He looked up at Ronak with stars in his eyes, and I put my head in my hands. That's not what I was referring to!
"That's not what Micha meant, and no, I will not fucking spar with you. It's almost dinner time. Time for you to go back to the palace." Ronak handed off his documents to Gerard and stood from the table. I couldn't blame him; I was tired of the flippant prince as well. Hopefully, this visit satisfied his desire to talk to us. "We will be preoccupied the rest of the weekend. Don't show up unannounced, goddammit. I'll kick your ass if you interrupt me again."
"Right…" Elyas gulped; apparently, Ronak wasn't even a gentle sparring partner with his cousin. I wonder how many bones Ronak's broken…
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I angrily threw another crumpled-up piece of parchment into the crackling fire as I scoffed. Ronak looked up from his desk with a furrowed brow. "What's so hard about writing your parents a response?"
I stared at him with narrowed eyes. "You make it sound so easy! H-how am I supposed to explain to my parents what you did?! Hmmmm???" After dinner, we headed to Ronak's office so he could get some work done, and I could respond to my parents. Except I was struggling to even write one line. Yeah, I had grown to like Ronak, but he did everything wrong! How was I supposed to articulate what he did to my parents? As I stared out at the setting sun, I realized that I was still pretty upset over how he did things.
"Just tell them the truth." My face scrunched up like I had eaten something sour. Was he dumb?
I picked up my quill and pretended to write on my paper. "Oh, right, silly me. Dear parents, that alpha that I mentioned not only s-slept with me before marriage multiple times, but he also forcefully bonded with me a day after getting out of the dungeon. Oh, and did I mention that he's an Archduke now? I know you've warned me multiple times not to get involved with high-ranking nobles, but he's the emperor's nephew, so he's not that high-ranked. He only sort of punches people when he's angry, but he gave me a ring, so don't worry. We might get married one day, once I decide if I l-love him or not…" I trailed off for a moment before my gaze returned to Ronak. "I'm sure that will be a wonderful first impression to give my parents." I slammed my quill down as my brow furrowed. "Are you even trying to get their approval?" His expression was a bit blank for a moment as he processed my sarcastic tirade.
"When you put it that way, it sounds bad." Ronak looked away awkwardly.
"Of course, it sounds bad! You did everything out of order! My parents are going to be furious!" I flopped down on the sofa and sadly whimpered. I didn't even want to tell them the truth, but I didn't want it to reach their ears before I had a chance to explain. I would be in serious trouble then…
"You could phrase it better."
"And how am I supposed to do that?!" I whined. "You didn't exactly sweep me off my feet at first, and if we lie, my parents will see right through it. I'm a terrible liar."
"I'm aware." I sat up so I could glare at him again. He didn't need to say that. "You could say that in an accidental heat of the moment, I marked you."
"Is that how you interpret what happened?" My glare intensified. I know that it takes two to tango, but marking me was done without consent. There was no good way of phrasing what he did.
"Mmmm, I'll just write to your parents." He pushed his documents to the side and picked up his quill.
"No!" I sat up as fast as I could and tried lunging at his desk, but he moved his quill out of the way before I could grab it.
"If you write the letter, you're going to say or phrase something the wrong way, and give your parents the wrong impression. Let me take care of my transgression."
"W-what do you think you're going to say?" I nervously stood at his desk and stared at his quill.
"The truth."
"Which is?" I nervously awaited his response as he paused to think.
"That I've fallen for their son, and I have every intention to take responsibility for my actions by ensuring that you live a comfortable life with me. While my actions were inappropriate and out of order, I plan to take the next step with you when you're ready, and I would be honored if your parents would give me the chance to redeem myself. I want nothing more than to support you in your endeavors because you are the sun that appeared in my stormy days, driving the clouds away." His pretend letter became less of a letter as he continued to talk, and more of a direct confession to me of his intentions. It had been a while since my face had been this red, and with a shocked gasp, I hid in front of Ronak's desk. He had said similar things before, but the idea of him saying them to my parents was horribly embarrassing!
"Y-you can't say that!" I squealed.
Ronak rose from his chair and came around the desk to where I was hiding. He squatted down next to me and patted my head as I hid my face in my hands. "You can still send a general response to your parents, and explain our current relationship if you would like, but I think it would be more appropriate if I explain what happened rather than you. I don't want them to think that I don't care about you."
His reasoning made sense. I would be skeptical about how well my child was being treated if I received a vague letter about them being force-bonded to a high-ranking noble. The whole situation would be fishy, and I would be concerned that my child had gotten involved in a bad situation. Had a letter come from the transgressor, then I might have slightly different feelings about what had transpired. Especially if they used such embarrassing phrasing as Ronak chose to use.
I nodded my head and peeked at Ronak through my fingers to see his warm smile. "You can read the completed letter when it's done if you would like, but focus on yours for now." He stood back up and returned to his desk while I calmed down. When I was ready, I scooted back towards the coffee table and pulled my paper and quill closer to me.
I did as Ronak recommended and wrote a basic letter. I asked how each of them was faring, how much snow had fallen, and how some of the villagers were doing. Mostly, I was trying to get my mind off the letter that Ronak was busy writing behind me. I apologized for my poor behavior and promised that I wouldn't do stupid things in the future. I had quite the naggy alpha to keep track of me now.
My quill hovered above the page as I thought about what to write. My mother asked me many questions about Ronak, but I didn't even know where to start… I managed to find some words, and once the words started flowing, they didn't stop. My letter was getting a bit long, but Ronak told me that his falcon had delivered small packages before, so a couple of letters would be no problem.
I set the quill down and looked over my letter. I was quite pleased with it. Hopefully, my parents will see that I've worked through some of the complicated feelings I have towards Ronak. We still had a ways to go before I fully gave him my heart, but he had at least improved drastically compared to how he was before the dungeon.
"Here, would you like to read my letter?" Ronak held his letter over the edge of his desk, above my head. I cautiously took the two pages and began reading. By the time I reached the end, my face was the same crimson shade of Ronak's eyes. H-he can't be serious!
"Y-you can't send that!" My eyes couldn't even properly focus on the words as I stared at them in horror.
"Why not?" Ronak sounded quite smug as he responded.
"B-because that's embarrassing! Y-you can't tell my parents that 'just being away from Micha makes my heart ache.' That's so embarrassing!" I shook his letter in front of me as if that would make the embarrassing words disappear.
"If you rip it up, I'll just write an even more romantic one."
"S-since when are you so mushy with your words?!" I squealed. This was completely unlike him! Yeah, he's said a few cute things here and there, but this letter was too much!
Ronak stood from his desk once again and walked around to me. This time, he sat down facing me. "Since it makes you so embarrassed." His smirk was huge as he gently caressed the side of my face with his hand. "Your face is so cute when you get all flustered." I quickly ducked my face behind my hands, and Ronak chuckled. "Come back, little sunshine. Don't hide behind the clouds." He used that opportunity to steal his letter back from me before prying my hands off my face. "Are you embarrassed that I like you?"
I wanted to duck my head and hide, but I had nowhere to go with my wrists trapped in Ronak's fierce grips. "N-no…" But you don't need to write such mushy things to my parents. They're going to blush when they read your letter!
"I need to rephrase that. Are you embarrassed that I've fallen in love with you?" It felt like time had stopped as my eyes slowly drifted up to meet Ronak's. L… L-love? What? D-did he just say love?! "Hello? Did I break you?" Ronak cupped my face in both hands and squeezed my cheeks. "Are you alive? Your emotions disappeared…" The tops of Ronak's cheeks were a bit pink as he tried to play off what he had just admitted. "Is your letter done? I'll have Gerard send them off." He kissed my nose before releasing me and taking my letter. He flipped through it and scoffed. "You, and those damn pillows."
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Ronak
Shit. Because of what I said, Micha spent the entire evening hiding from me. Each time our eyes met, his would go a bit wide and dart off. I shouldn't have fucking said anything.
I set the bundle of embarrassment on the bed and let out a little sigh. Really? You won't even walk to the room now? I have to carry your buried face back here? "I'm going to take a bath. You're welcome to join if you want." I knew he wouldn't join, but I figured I'd offer. I would just drag him along with me, but I fear it will make him even more jumpy than he is.
I let out a little sigh as the bathroom door clicked closed behind me. Did I fuck things up between us? He was giving me all the signs… I thought he felt the same way… Did that goddamn book Olivia loaned me lie? I waited until the moment felt right before saying anything. I even wrote down those fucking embarrassing things just to please Micha. How do I suck so much at this relationship shit?
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I gave Micha plenty of time to calm down as I took a long soak. When I emerged from the bath, though, I was rather surprised to see him burrowed under the bedding like some sort of damn rodent. This is getting goddamn ridiculous. "I didn't know that omegas burrow," I grumbled as I crawled into bed. He can't sleep like that. He needs oxygen.
It felt a little like peeling an onion as I pulled back layer after layer of bedding. When I finally reached the thin sheet, I thought I would reveal Micha, but instead, when I pulled it back, I discovered that Micha was still wound up within the office blanket I dragged him here in.
I grabbed my anxious omega burrito and hauled it over to me so I could peel down its outer shell. "Are you still upset over what I said?" As I peeled the blanket back, Micha let out a little squeal and pressed his red face into the blanket. "Even if you curl up in all the blankets in the world, it won't stop me from tracking you down. Maybe your dysfunctional ears didn't hear me earlier, but I can't change the way I feel. I should have told you when I gave you your engagement ring, but I hadn't quite figured everything out yet." More like I was struggling to admit it. For my entire life, I thought love was just something they wrote about in books, and yet… I couldn't deny how I felt about this squeamish little omega in my arms. Everything about him drove me nuts. I glanced down at him and froze. "Why are you crying now?" I swear his body is going to shrivel up and become a prune with the amount of crying he does.
"Th-that's not fair! I-I-" He squirmed a bit in his blanket, and I let out a sigh.
"I wasn't expecting an answer or response, you silly little omega." Was that his problem? Did he think I wanted him to reciprocate? I mean, I wouldn't hate it if he did, but I wasn't expecting anything from him. I'm not dumb. I've seen how he's become more cuddly and open with his feelings. I didn't need him to say it to know that he's been growing fond of me. He's even been stuttering less around me. Heh, he's so ridiculous.
I shoved my hand down his blanket and rubbed circles around his back as more tears fell from his face. I felt a little guilty that he was crying over me, but I wasn't going to take back what I said. Eventually, his swirling vortex of emotions disappeared as he settled down into a fitful sleep. Fuck, what am I going to do with him?
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Micha
I'm not sure when I passed out, but I awoke feeling rather gross. My face was covered in dried tears, I was like a butterfly stuck in its cocoon, and worst of all, I felt guilty. I peeked over to Ronak, who was still asleep but… he seemed worried. My guilt grew a bit as I realized that it was my fault he was feeling that way.
I-I shouldn't have acted so weird about his confession. I just wasn't expecting it, and I wasn't sure if I was feeling the same way. I like Ronak, and I feel a bit giddy hearing that he l-loves me, but I felt bad that I didn't feel the same way…
Couldn't he have let things settle down for a year before saying such a thing? We haven't even known each other for that long… I guess I'm just surprised that he's decided such a thing. I didn't take him to be the type… Ronak's not exactly romantic…
I-I can't imagine what he's feeling. I-it's not like I rejected him outright, but I sure didn't handle that situation well. Gah! I'm the worst! The worst of the worst.
"Enough with the rapid-fire emotions. It's making me nauseous." I flinched when Ronak whispered into my ear. When did he wake up?! He stared at me with calm eyes as he continued waking fully up.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"It's not a problem," Ronak grumbled as he shut his eyes again. But it is a problem…
"I do really like you… I-I just wasn't expecting you to say that…"
"Shh, I said I wasn't expecting an answer." Ronak brought his hand up and pressed a finger against my lips. "Go wash your face, Gerard is almost here with breakfast." No… this wasn't right. Ronak seemed disappointed… I didn't like leaving things here at all. I don't care if my face is all sorts of crusty!
I managed to wriggle free of my blanket confines just enough to pounce on Ronak before he escaped the bed. I grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled myself up so I could kiss him. "P-please don't be upset, I just need more time."
"I'm really not upset."
"But you seem down."
Ronak narrowed his eyes and grabbed my waist as he pulled me a bit further onto his lap. "Because a bratty omega ignored me all evening, and made me think I fucked up." Gah! I can explain!
"W-well, you see-" Ronak shut my blubbering up with a rough kiss of his own.
"Enough. Now go wash your crusty face." With perfect timing, there was a knock on the door, and Gerard entered with a cart of food. I nodded my head and scurried off Ronak's lap to wash my face. M-my face isn't that crusty…
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"Ah, before I forget." Gerard turned and pulled a rather elaborate-looking envelope from his cart. I thought for sure it was for Ronak because he scowled when he saw it, but Gerard passed it to me, causing Ronak to really scowl.
"The fuck do they want?" He snapped.
I nervously accepted the letter and looked at the imperial seal. "I-is this from your aunt or cousin?"
"No, the only ones permitted to use that seal are the emperor and empress." Oh… I looked back down at the envelope that didn't feel like it should belong in my hands, and nervously checked it. Yep, it says Micha Verchiel…
"Should I open it?" I glanced up at Ronak nervously, and he nodded his head. My hands were a bit fidgety as I peeled the wax seal off and slid out the fanciest piece of paper I've ever seen. "Oh…"
Ronak must not have enjoyed my response because he leaned across the table and plucked the paper from my hands. I could see his eyes drift from one side of the paper to the other. "What does he think he's trying to pull? This is more of a summons than an invitation to dinner."
"A-are we going then?" Ronak was really grinding his teeth together. He must have read the part that said that bringing my thundercloud wasn't a requirement…
"I need to talk to him about the academy anyway, so I'll make arrangements." Ronak angrily tapped the letter on the table before handing it to Gerard. "Put this on my desk."
"Yes, my lord." Gerard nodded and exited our room with the cart and letter. "I don't know if I'm… imperial family dinner quality…"
Ronak rolled his eyes and gave me a perturbed look. "As long as you don't talk with your mouth full of food, I don't think your manners are that bad." Oh? He always complains, so I didn't realize that. We had a week before the dinner, so I had time to try and correct my ways. H-hopefully it won't be too bad… "You don't need to worry. I'll make sure to keep them in line. I won't allow them to ask you intrusive questions like Elyas did."
I couldn't help but smile as I cut into my piece of ham. Heh, so protective. "Have I met all your family yet?"
"You've met all my cousins and uncles. Guess you haven't met all the aunts yet. Only Aunt Berengiere." I tilted my head to the side curiously. "Well, first off, there's the empress." Ronak's top lip curled slightly… D-did they not get along or something? "She's annoying." O-okay… "Then there's the commander's wife. I've only met her a handful of times. She married into the family from the Fayvale Empire, and she works with the envoys from there. Don't know if she'll actually be at the dinner, but she's rather boisterous." I was a little surprised that Ronak didn't talk more about the empress, but there was probably a reason for it.
"What am I going to wear?"
Ronak paused as he poked around at the gross cucumber salad on his plate. "I'll contact Kas and have him prepare something for you." He brought his fork full of food to his mouth, but paused. "Any other concerns?"
"Not right now… At least none that I can think of."
"Good, don't be nervous. They might be my relatives, but I won't tolerate them treating you poorly." My cheeks became a bit warm as I poked around at the eggs on my plate. So he really l-loves me, huh? Gah! My face is going to turn the color of a tomato if I keep thinking about it!
"Thanks." I giggled as I ate the eggs on my fork. I guess his protectiveness is pretty cute…
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Why… did it feel like people were staring at us more than usual? I thought maybe I was overreacting, but it really seemed like we were getting more glances than usual… The mark on my neck was fading, and I don't think there were any others… At least I didn't see any others this morning in the mirror… "Ronak?"
"Hmm?" He grunted as we walked to my alchemy class hand in hand.
"Hasn't it seemed like people are gawking more than usual?"
Ronak glanced around the chilly campus for a second as we entered one of the academy buildings, as if just realizing there were people around. "Don't annoying fucks always stare?" Oh… he was totally oblivious because of years of unwanted attention… I wish I could be so obtuse…
Maybe I really was just overreacting- I barely stepped foot into the herbology room when a panicked Terra grabbed my other hand and started dragging me out. "Ack! Terra? What's going on?"
"Come with me." She snapped, not even stopping as she continued to tug. I followed her, and Ronak came too. Pft, I'm sure we look silly. Ronak didn't let go of my hand, and Terra had hold of my other one as she hauled us to an empty hallway. The moment we were alone, though, she released me and started rummaging through her shoulder bag. "Do you two not buy newspapers?!"
Terra flung a newspaper into my face, and I pulled it away slightly so I could actually read it. The title read, "The Icy Archduke Actually has a Soft Side?!?" I snorted so hard that I almost dropped the newspaper. "Wh-what is this?!" My eyes drifted down to a far too personal picture of Ronak and me in the nobles' district. Th-this was when he gave me my scarf a few days ago! Gah! Ronak was giving me such a cute look as we walked down the street, and I was completely oblivious to it! H-how dare they take such a cute picture of Ronak! That was a look just for me!!!
My eyes hesitantly looked down at the article as I unfolded the paper. R-really? This thing took up the entire front page?!? I felt like I was going to pass out as I started to read.
You read that right, readers! While it has been kept hush, hush, we here at the Chronicle are here to announce that Archduke Abraxos seems to have taken an omega. Archduke Abraxos was granted the title of archduke this month for his twenty-first birthday by the emperor, but what really had the partygoers riled up was the fact that he revealed the status of his personal relationship. Guests were 'stunned speechless' seeing the Archduke fawn over his omega during his birthday party. It's not just a temporary fling, either, folks. Many people, and even our photographer, reported that the mystery omega has quite the ring on her finger. While we have little information on the mystery omega, keep your eyes peeled for more information because the Chronicle is on the scoop! For now, all we can do is speculate if it's an engagement ring, but based on the elaborate golden markings seen on the duo's skin, we can only assume that a marriage will take place in the future.
I-I had to stop reading the article, only one paragraph in, it was too much! I slowly looked up at Ronak, who was reading over my shoulder. "Talk about having a slow news week," Ronak grumbled as he returned my glance.
"Ronak!!!" That's all he had to say?! He wasn't embarrassed in the slightest?!
"You two didn't know?!" Terra asked as she gave us strange looks.
"I don't read the paper…" Never in my life had I had a reason to do so. Terra showed it to me a few times, but I didn't care. I glanced over to Ronak, who sighed.
"Eh, I occasionally glance at them, but rarely read." Ronak stood up straight and shrugged. "It's not the first time a dumb article has been written about me." H-how was he handling this so calmly?!
"This is an invasion of privacy!" I squeaked as I turned to stare up at Ronak.
"Hardly. Not only do they have little to no information on you, but they even got your gender wrong. Besides, my party was a rather public event; did you think no one was going to talk afterwards?" I let out an uncomfortable squeak and looked away from him. Th-that doesn't mean I want to be a headline…
"B-but now everyone in the capital gets to see the cute look you gave me…" I grumbled as I looked at the photo again. That was my look! Not others! I don't want to share any of the cute looks Ronak gives me with others!
"That's what you're worried about? Not to pop your bubble, Micha, but that newspaper company prints empire-wide." I nervously turned to Terra.
"What?! Nooooo!"
Ronak put his hand on my head, and I looked up at him with big, sad eyes. "I'll make sure the newspaper doesn't do a second run, and that they don't print all your personal information to the public, but I doubt I can do much about this." Ronak poked the newspaper that I had pressed against my chest, and I sadly nodded.
"O-okay."
"Come on. Your professor is coming down the hall." Ronak grabbed my hand and pulled me back over to the classroom door. I don't want to go to class and get gawked at!
I didn't have much of a choice, though. With Ronak leading and Terra following behind, there was no chance of escaping. This explains all the staring… Gah! How embarrassing!
"Stop stressing," Ronak grumbled as he patted my head and turned to leave. How did he expect me not to stress?!
I should have pulled my notebook out and focused on the herbology lesson, but my attention got drawn back to the article.
For those readers who don't know, when an alpha and omega bond with one another, usually a mark forms around the back or neck. According to our reports, though the bond marks these two share are the biggest and most elaborate our empire has seen in years. It must truly attest to the love that the duo has for one another.
Though often seen as cold and calculating, it's been causing quite the stir for people to see Archduke Abraxos treating someone gently. They say love changes someone, but who knew it could thaw through ice. What changes will this bring for the Western Dukedom, and possibly Elutra?
Not only will changes be occurring for their personal lives, but since the future emperor hasn't been officially announced, it is possible we're seeing our future empress! Of course, this is all simple speculation, but crazier things have happened!
Terra poked me rather hard, and I gasped. Oh… my face felt like it was going to melt off. "Maybe you should give that back until after class." She whispered to me.
I nodded my head and slid it back to her as I tried to calm down. P-people thought we were in love? I-I mean, I guess Ronak is… I don't know about myself, though… Calling Ronak icy was pretty mean… He's not that cold… A-and future empress?!? Th-that's insane! I-I'm not empress quality! I didn't even dare read the rest of the article. I should just have Ronak burn all the copies we can find with his scary black flames.