Chapter 110

“Can’t sleep?”

Adrian opened his eyes, his voice still thick with sleep.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

His emerald green eyes, however, were clear and alert.

Carl, apologetic, started to withdraw his hand, but Adrian caught it, placing it back on his head, then tightened his arms around Carl’s waist, pulling him closer.

“No, I had a pleasant dream. I was too happy to sleep.”

“A pleasant dream? In the middle of all this chaos? You have nerves of steel.”

Carl chuckled, playfully tugging on Adrian’s hair.

Adrian nuzzled his head against Carl’s bare skin, his hair tickling Carl’s chest, as if trying to scent him.

Carl Lindbergh squirmed, and Adrian, chuckling, pulled him closer, his fingers now tracing patterns on Carl’s chest.

After a brief, playful tussle, Adrian managed to trap Carl in his arms, wrapping the blanket around them.

“‘Pain is temporary, love is eternal.’ Ever heard that saying?”

“Isn’t that self-explanatory?”

It sounded like something you’d find on a motivational poster in a rest stop bathroom.

“The priests at Nikita’s temple use it often.”

Adrian gently caressed Carl’s cheek.

He’d gained some weight, but he seemed to be losing it again. He finally understood why Carl Lindbergh had been complaining to his attendant about his weight loss.

“Humans give up easily when they believe their suffering will last forever. But if they know there’s an end, a reward waiting for them… they find the strength to endure. I always thought it was something the goddess created—a false promise of hope.”

Carl, instead of reciprocating Adrian’s caress, traced the lines of Adrian’s arm with his fingertips.

He knew how strong those hands were, how easily they could hold him captive. The thought made his mouth water.

He discreetly licked his lips, his mind wandering.

He would resume his workouts as soon as they returned to Heineken.

The difference in their size and strength made everything difficult.

“But…”

Adrian paused, and Carl, sensing the shift in his tone, asked, “But what?”

Adrian gently tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet his gaze.

“Lately, I’ve come to believe that it’s a fundamental truth.”

He nuzzled his nose against Carl’s forehead.

Carl blinked, confused.

‘Cute.’

He knew Carl disliked being called cute, so he refrained from saying it aloud. But Carl’s wide-eyed expression, his long lashes fluttering, was incredibly endearing. Adrian wanted to nibble on his eyelids, but he held back.

“All these years, all the restrictions I’ve endured as an Alpha, all the self-control… if it was to protect you, to keep you from harm… then it was a small price to pay.”

Adrian smiled, and Carl, his teeth chattering slightly, couldn’t help but think of the Adrian from the original story, the one who’d broken Belfry’s ankle.

“What would you have done without those restrictions?”

“Well…”

Adrian’s hand moved to Carl’s shoulder, pressing down gently. His skin, unblemished, felt like silk beneath Adrian’s palm.

“If I’d simply acted on my desires every time we were in bed together…”

Carl’s skin was covered in marks, a testament to their passionate nights. The places where Adrian’s lips had lingered were still swollen and sensitive.

Adrian’s eyes darkened, tracing the marks with his fingertips.

“There wouldn’t be a single unblemished spot on your body.”

“Please… be gentle…”

Carl closed his eyes, his breath hitching as Adrian’s hand explored his body.

“I shouldn’t have woken you.”

Adrian chuckled, his voice laced with amusement, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of Carl’s wrist, leaving a mark. He looked down at Carl, who was gasping for breath, a deceptively innocent smile on his face.

“Anyway, that’s what I’ve come to believe. Pain is temporary, love is eternal. That’s my truth.”

“Heugh!”

Carl’s heart ached. He wanted to push Adrian away, but he couldn’t.

“Pain is temporary, pleasure is eternal. That’s what I want to be for you.”

Pain is temporary, pleasure is… what?

“Bullshit.”

Adrian lifted Carl’s waist, pressing a lingering kiss against his furrowed brow.

“You make me lose my mind.”

“That’s a weird kink, ah!”

Carl’s mind went blank as Adrian’s voice, low and husky, vibrated against his ear.

All his worries, his anxieties, his doubts… gone.

This beautiful, slightly insane man had consumed him completely.

After his confession, and their first real night together, Adrian moved all his belongings into Carl Lindbergh’s room.

Carl, slightly unnerved by the looming threat of Parman, welcomed his presence.

Every night, they reached a point where Carl, overwhelmed by pleasure and pain, was certain he was dying. Then, he’d find himself cradled in Adrian’s arms, his body sated, his mind at peace.

Lulu might tease him, saying once you pop, you can’t stop, but he couldn’t help it. Pleasure was addictive.

Carl Lindbergh had abandoned all caution, at least where Adrian was concerned.

Adrian, whispering sweet nothings, had completely captured his heart.

The Adrian of the daytime was gentle and considerate, but the Adrian of the nighttime was a force of nature.

Lulu had once said that with good hardware, the software could be anything.

Carl had initially understood, but now… he wasn’t so sure. Even with exceptional hardware, the software might not be able to keep up.

Adrian, like a highly talented new employee, quickly learned and adapted.

But his lack of restraint made it difficult for Carl Lindbergh to keep up.

Even now…

“My hair… it’s falling out…”

Carl, gasping for breath, whined, tears streaming down his face.

“Ah, sorry.”

Adrian, who’d been kissing him, his arms wrapped tightly around Carl’s head, loosened his grip, pulling away slightly.

“You don’t look sorry.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Apologizing mid-act had become a habit.

He couldn’t hide the pleasure in his eyes.

Carl frowned, wrapping his arms around Adrian’s neck.

Physical contact seemed to be the only thing that could soothe Adrian’s enthusiasm.

“I’m going to be bald.”

“I’ll love you even if you’re bald.”

“Ugh…”

Carl Lindbergh gagged, feeling like he was about to throw up.

Did Adrian even realize what he was saying?

Adrian, his eyes gleaming, pounced on him again.

‘I don’t even care anymore,’ Carl muttered internally.

Their sweat-slicked bodies moved against each other, generating heat.

He knew what the servants, who changed the bedsheets every day, were whispering to Marco.

Even Leia had scolded him, worried about a premarital pregnancy.

A pregnancy… Was that okay?

He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything.

He held his breath, tears welling up in his eyes every time Adrian’s scent filled his lungs.

Their gazes locked, their fingers intertwined, their bodies pressed together.

Every part of him ached, yet every touch was a source of pleasure. He writhed beneath Adrian, who moaned, his voice filled with a primal satisfaction.

“My beloved Carl Lindbergh.”

As Adrian’s voice faded, a thought drifted through Carl’s mind.

Had he also endured a lifetime of pain and hardship, just to meet Adrian?

Perhaps, including his previous life. The thought made his heart flutter.

Literally.

Adrian’s face was buried in his chest.

His fluffy, adorable…

“Adrian.”

Adrian, hearing his raspy whisper, lowered his head, nuzzling against his skin.

“I might not… love you if you’re completely bald.”

“What?”

Carl, reminding him to take care of his hair, smiled faintly, then drifted off to sleep.

“…Seriously?”

Adrian, stunned, absently touched his hair.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

Leia, her face sharp and drawn after weeks of dealing with the noble purge and the looming threat of war, looked exhausted. Belfry, seeing her through the communication device, frowned.

“When will you return?”

Leia’s response was vague: Soon.

He could see the dark stains on her sleeves, bloodstains, a stark contrast against the dark wood of the chair she was leaning against, the same chair someone else had once occupied.

“The castle is in ruins. The main building is unlivable. Even with renovations, it will never be the same. Please… come back.”

—There are too many people who refuse to cooperate. I can’t just leave. You understand, Belfry.

Leia’s gentle, placating tone made Belfry pout.

He knew she wasn’t asking for sympathy, just acknowledging the difficulty of her task.

The shifting political landscape had drawn the prince and the Crown Prince closer, their bond strengthening, while Belfry felt increasingly isolated, his heart aching.

His unrequited feelings, and his own rational mind, which constantly reprimanded him for those feelings, tormented him.

Leia, ever perceptive, sensed his distress.

His abrupt, almost incoherent words, lacking both preamble and conclusion, spoke volumes about his inner turmoil.

Fiddling with the hilt of her sword, she said:

—Congratulations, Young Lord.

He knew what she was referring to. He didn’t need to ask.

He frowned, his expression souring.

“Don’t congratulate me.”

—You deserve to be congratulated.

“It’s not pleasant. I’m constantly subjected to unwanted attention, my senses are heightened, I feel irritated all the time.”

He poured out his frustrations, complaining about the scents, the knights’ lingering gazes…

He’d been avoiding Leia during their time together at the castle, but now, he was rambling like a child, and Leia listened patiently, her eyebrows twitching slightly when he mentioned Marquis Macallan’s inappropriate flirtations.

—Is the Marquis unbonded?

“No, but she’s always been rather forward.”

—Forward? Does she flirt with others, even though she has a mate?

Leia pressed for details.

Belfry, cursing himself for bringing up the Marquis, answered dutifully.

“No, it’s not like that. She adores her mate, but she’s… temperamental, shall we say.”

—I see.

Leia, who’d been leaning close to the communication device, settled back in her chair.

“The castle is in ruins, and I’m now forced to attend Omega classes. The prince should be attending as well, but the Crown Prince keeps saying it’s unnecessary.”

Belfry’s voice rose in indignation.

“The prince and I are both clueless about Omega matters. Pheromone control, contraception, preventing accidental imprinting and marking, knotting… we need to know how painful and difficult it is, and…”

He ticked off the items on his fingers, his voice rising with each word.