BR 2.6

The path to the dining hall felt slightly unfamiliar after so long. It had been nearly a week. Nike’s seat, still unoccupied, remained empty while Fedor’s usual vacant spot beside him was now filled by his twin.

“You’re here today.”
“Ah… Hello.“

He should sit down, but he couldn’t. That person was the only one seated at the table. Erons still felt uncomfortable around him. 

After committing such an outrage, he’d holed up in his room, leaving no chance to grow closer or apologize. 

Sitting face-to-face with such a person, eating alone, was unbearably awkward.

”You’re here, kid.”

Fedor appeared just then and placed his hand on Erons’s head. His fingers gently swept through the hair and brushed against his cheek.

He was glad Fedor had broken the silence, but he couldn’t help feeling slightly uncomfortable. Carefully pushing away the hand touching his skin, Erons pretended to be sulking to hide his true feelings.

“It’s not because of you, Fedor. I just felt bad asking for food to be brought to my room every day, and I didn’t want to bother anyone else.”
“I hope that’s not it. You didn’t come out because you like this?”
“This?”
“This.”

Fedor placed his hand on Erons’s wrist and drew him closer. With a slightly sinister smile, he guided Erons’s hand to his crotch.

Eek! 

Erons jumped back and quickly withdrew his hand. This wasn’t a private space; servants, Fedor’s brother, and many others were present.

To do such a dirty thing here, in front of everyone.

Already, few people looked upon him kindly. That action would only cement the rumor that he was involved with Fedor, and he feared strange gossip might spread.

He didn’t want to hear that, just because he was an Omega, he was clinging to Fedor by offering his body lightly.

“Are you crazy?!”
“Why? It felt good.”
“What are you talking about? We didn’t do anything like that!”

“Looks like you two did it,” his twin said.

“Had a wild time, didn’t we?
“We didn’t!”

Fedor answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world that they had done something they hadn’t.

It was maddening to see everyone around them shifting their gaze to believe Fedor’s words.

“Why deny it? You liked it so much. Want to do it again today?”
“When did I do it? No way. Absolutely not!”
“Geez, you really hate it.”

Fedor’s voice held disappointment. He could have just said no, but Erons kept screaming, “I didn’t do it! I hate it!”

Fedor didn’t even get a chance to kiss him, yet Erons was rejecting him so fiercely. It didn’t sit well with Fedor and was a bit infuriating.

“How can you not even give it a single try?”
“It’s my choice. I’d rather die than do that with you, Fedor.”
“Of course you would.”

Watching them argue, Erons seemed more like Fedor’s real brother than his twin. They shared no resemblance, yet for a moment, the sight brought back old memories, and his twin flashed a sly smile. 

Not that it was a bad thing.

“Sit down, both of you. You’re making too much noise.”
“Ah…, I’m sorry.”

Fedor’s twin mediated between them. They were here to eat, after all. He couldn’t just stand by watching them fight forever. 

Thanks to that, the not-quarrel finally ended. 

Only after the two sat down at their respective places did the servants hurriedly bring in the food and set the table. 

Did anyone know how much everyone watching, worried the food might get cold, had been tapping their feet in impatience?

The clatter of cutlery echoed through the awkward silence. Yet, Erons couldn’t bring himself to put a single bite in his mouth.

One person wouldn’t even glance his way, while the other stared intently, chin propped up, as if trying to pierce through his face. 

Eating with them felt like it would make him sick.

‘If only His Grace the Duke were here now…’

“Looks like you’re having a meal.”
“You’re here, Father.”

A voice full of genuine warmth cut through the stifling air, making Erons’s eyes snap open. 

Nike, dressed in his street clothes as if he’d just returned, was coming this way. 

He couldn’t have been more grateful. 

Just his presence alone was enough. He’d shattered this suffocating air in an instant.

Erons rose and threw himself into Nike’s arms.

“Your Grace!”
“Oh my. Did you miss me that much?”
“Yes. Yes, I missed you terribly.”

He hadn’t expected such an intense welcome. He’d thought he’d be the one to embrace him first, but Erons, now in Nike’s arms, was rubbing his face against him.

Erons was so adorable, he felt like he might go mad. If he could be welcomed like this every time, he thought it might be okay to stay out occasionally.

Nike lifted Erons’s face and gave him a light kiss.

“Ah…”
“Why are you like that?”
“Because we’re not alone…”
”Ah.“

Nike and Fedor’s twin locked eyes. The look in their eyes as they regarded Nike held no familial affection. 

Nike felt the same. 

Were it not for their similar features, they might as well have been complete strangers, exchanging utterly emotionless gazes.

“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“How can you say that?”
“You seem embarrassed?”
“… A little.”
“Hardly. You were the one who pounced on me first.”
“Well, I was just so happy to see you! I didn’t mean to. Did I upset you?”
“Not at all. You were so beautiful, I wanted to carry you like this straight to my room, child.”
“It, it wasn’t like that.”

It had been a while since they’d stopped eating. After Nike appeared, eating normally had become impossible. 

The twins, seeing that awkward display between the two for the first time, had their delicate faces slightly contorted. 

Calling each other siblings, calling each other family, yet engaging in affectionate acts that seemed more suited for lovers.

It didn’t look good.

A father giving a casual kiss to a child he’d picked up from outside, not even his own flesh and blood.

Who in their right mind would call them father and son? Probably no one. Even the person present at that very moment thought of the word lovers first.

“May I be excused?”
“Yes. When did you return?”

He asked that rather quickly. No, wait. Should I be grateful he even asked?

“I arrived the day you left.”
“Your return date?”
“I depart tomorrow morning. May I go now?”
“Yes. Ah, wait.”
“What is it?”

Stopping his son just as he stood to leave, he suddenly dropped a bombshell: “I plan to build a shrine in the courtyard.”

“…?”
“A shrine?”
“A shrine?! ”

The reactions split into two. Erons, who was so overjoyed he jumped up from his seat, and the two brothers, whose expressions turned grave with disbelief and unease.

Unlike foreign nations that only revered religious figures, the empire was divided into factions supporting the Emperor and the Divine. Within this, the Duke’s family stood as the most powerful force aligned with the Emperor.

For such a figure to establish a shrine within their own residence was tantamount to betraying the Emperor. It was only natural that the two wore expressions of utter disbelief.

After all, this was a man who had lived his entire life as the imperial family’s loyal hound, now attempting an act bordering on treason.

“Are you truly serious?”
“Yes. I am.”
“Do you understand the implications of what you’re saying?”
“Of course. That’s why I’m saying it in front of you. I have no intention of hiding it.”
“Father, what on earth…”

The brothers’ eyes met, and they shook their heads simultaneously. He was their father, yet he was truly pathetic. The reason Nike was attempting this madness was obvious, even without him saying it.

For Erons. 

He was willing to risk danger for Erons’s sake.

“Fedor, you’ll need to lend a hand.”
“…Me? If you seriously expect me to build the shrine myself, I refuse.”
“Well, something like that.”
“I refuse.”
“Do it.”
“I absolutely will not.”
“It’s an order.”
“…”

At the word order, Fedor grimaced but stopped protesting. Spending days and nights among laborers constructing something was incredibly tedious. 

Above all, he didn’t want to waste precious mana on such a trivial task. 

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to defy Nike, who had issued the order so bluntly.

After all, he was his father. 

And then there was Erons, standing beside him, his eyes brimming with expectation. 

That played a part too.

“Hah… How long will the construction take?”
“About a month. If you step in, the time could be cut in half. Will you do it?”
“…Yes.”
“Please schedule it to finish as quickly as possible. I absolutely hate wasting time on things like this.“
”I’ll see to it.”

Erons nearly flew with joy at his unexpected agreement, though he kept it hidden, smiling brightly inwardly. He mouthed words of thanks toward Fedor.

‘Thank you, Lord Fedor.’

Fedor found it quite amusing that he felt the need to be so discreet when he could have just said it plainly. It made him seem a bit clumsy, and in a way, kind of cute.

Fedor chuckled freely and mimicked him.

‘Fine.’

He’d been itching to get his hands on him for ages.

The eyes of those watching the two smile at each other glowed strangely.

“This is my first time alone. I wonder if it’s okay for me to be here.”

Having holed up in his room until the day before because of Fedor, Erons didn’t want to be in his own room again. 

To be honest, he was slightly fed up. 

Heading upstairs instead of downstairs, Erons now stood before the door to the room Nike had said he would keep open at all times.

Though Nike had said to come freely, it was strictly his, so Erons had never entered without permission. But today, determined to break that rule, Erons pushed the stiff door open.

The dim interior greeted him again. He flailed his outstretched arm, walking straight ahead until he barely touched the crystal ball.

Tapping the orb, he thought, ‘Brighten this place’, and all the bricks instantly transformed into glass. Fortunately, the orb seemed to accept him as part of the family.

He could have simply asked it to create a table and chairs, but Erons hadn’t thought that far ahead. Instead, he crouched down beneath the side table where the orb rested.

Thinking he wanted some fresh air, he touched the orb, and a gentle breeze began to flow in.

“Right, so I’m here. Ah, no books. Could you bring me the book of traits from the bedroom?”

Immediately, the book of traits appeared before him. Taking the book, Erons flipped straight to the table of contents. As he scanned the titles, one stood out.

“…hyper-dominant Alpha.”

He immediately turned to the page describing hyper-dominant Alphas.

“So both of them are hyper-dominant Alphas? That’s incredibly powerful.”

After reading the entire chapter on hyper-dominant Alphas because of Fedor and his twin, Erons’s hand paused on the page describing his own trait.

“Recessive types must be quite frail. Should I tell Lelis to get some medicine in advance?”

Reading the dense text quickly tired his eyes. Crouching while holding this thick book made it worse.

Rising from his stiff body, Erons turned toward the wall and looked outside.

It should be an hour when no one was around, yet in the courtyard’s training grounds, a man stood shirtless, swinging a sword. The blade glinted in the sunlight, and his black hair was dazzlingly beautiful. 

Who could he be? He didn’t seem like any of the knights. 

As he stared blankly at him, the man also looked at Erons.

“Huh?”

He hadn’t intended to make the inside visible, but it seemed the orb had cast its magic on its own. Glancing back, he saw the orb’s brightly glowing color fade, confirming it truly had acted of its own accord.

The figure outside was Fedor’s twin. He beckoned for him to come out. Though he desperately wanted to go outside, Erons couldn’t leave.

Frowning and shaking his head, Erons moved away from the wall. He touched the orb, making the glass opaque. 

So the outside couldn’t see inside.

“I want to go out too…”

He crouched down again. 

The slight mood improvement he’d felt from reading a new book after so long instantly sank.

With his face buried in his knees, trying to calm his heart, someone knocked on the door. He hadn’t even said to enter, but the door opened and plunged the interior into darkness. 

Standing with his back to the seeping light, he couldn’t see the face of the person standing by the exit, but he knew who it was by the voice and build.

“Come out.”

It was the one who had been in the courtyard just moments ago.

“… Me?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t! I can’t go out.”
“Because Father won’t give permission?”
“Yes…”

When Erons nodded, he unfolded the cloth he held and placed it over Erons’s head. The long, wide-sleeved robe, which seemed more suited to his own frame, was ample enough to cover his entire body.

“You can sneak out.”