* * *
“Are you in a good mood?”
“Zeroth!”
The moment he stretched out his arms, Zeroth, dressed only in a light robe, effortlessly pulled him into an embrace.
For a brief moment, Sylvian worried that he was being too clingy, but Zeroth’s calm expression reassured him.
So, he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck.
A solid, muscular body supported his soft frame with ease.
“What were you thinking about?”
“…”
How could he possibly say that he had been planning his escape from the duke’s estate?
Not only that, he had to make sure he left an impression on multiple people at once—he needed allies if he wanted help.
There was a lot of work to be done.
But no matter his resolve, progress was painfully slow, while his body, on the other hand, was becoming more and more attuned to Zeroth’s presence.
Even now, Zeroth’s large hand was casually kneading his backside.
“Mnngh…”
“What were you thinking about?”
“You. I was curious about my present.”
A firm squeeze to his rear made his voice catch in his throat.
He was sure he’d be covered in bruises, but his skin was flawless, as if he had never been injured.
“Haha.”
Zeroth let out a deep laugh as Sylvian buried his face into his neck.
“Were you that curious?”
“Yes.”
Unlike their previous shopping trip, this was the first time he was receiving something directly from Zeroth as a gift.
And it was supposed to be a peace offering—he couldn’t help but wonder how much money the man had spent.
The Crown Prince had already given him a brooch fit for a royal banquet, meaning he now had two gifts.
“I’ve never received a present before.”
“Is that so? I hope you like mine.”
Zeroth’s voice remained composed, but his lips pressed into a firm line.
Even he found it unacceptable—how had Sylvian gone over twenty years without receiving a single present?
If he had known earlier, he would have prepared something even grander.
With a quiet sigh, Zeroth reached for the box Kelvin had hidden away.
As soon as he took it out, Sylvian’s gaze followed it intently.
“Go ahead. Open it.”
The sight of him hesitating with the box in hand was amusing.
Watching him shake it lightly, listening to the rattling inside with wide, expectant eyes—it was adorable.
Flushed with excitement, his cheeks were almost too lovely.
How could Zeroth ever lose interest?
Even if Sylvian cried and screamed in protest one day, he would soothe and coax him until he was his completely.
He belonged at Zeroth’s side, forever.
And if he couldn’t bear children, they could always adopt from a branch family.
Were there any promising alphas among them?
As Sylvian hesitated, unable to bring himself to open the box, Zeroth mentally sifted through suitable candidates from the collateral bloodline.
Once he took all the potions he had bought, Sylvian would regain his strength—he might even be able to bear a child.
“…Really, can I open it?”
Excited, Sylvian carefully unwrapped the gift, completely unaware of Zeroth’s thoughts.
“Wow!”
It was a delicate bracelet, long and adorned with glittering jewels.
The gems shimmered, catching the light like rippling water.
“I’ll put it on for you.”
Sylvian couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Zeroth sat on the bed and gently clasped it around his wrist.
It was a magic bracelet that automatically replenished his pheromones.
If another heat cycle occurred while Zeroth was away, this would help.
Not only that, but it also blocked other alphas’ pheromones.
In case of danger, it would release Zeroth’s scent to deter any unwanted advances.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it. The bracelet contains my pheromones—it will protect you in emergencies.”
At the word emergency, Sylvian’s cheeks turned red.
“I won’t leave you alone again like last time.”
Sylvian nodded.
On days when Zeroth was away, he would definitely have to take it off and leave it far away.
His excitement crumbled.
With a complicated expression, Sylvian examined the bracelet.
Did it have a tracking function, too?
As soon as it was secured around his wrist, the length adjusted itself to fit perfectly.
‘Magic. This world is full of it. You can’t overlook a single thing.’
“Tonight, let me serve you instead.”
While Sylvian was still turning his wrist, trying to detect any hidden tricks, Zeroth suddenly pushed him down onto the bed.
“Huh?! Ze-Zeroth?”
Before he could protest, his clothes were gone. Wasn’t this supposed to be the period where Zeroth held back for his sake?
Panicked, Sylvian tried to dive under the blanket, but he was effortlessly trapped between Zeroth’s arms.
“You’ve spent all this time learning how to be a wife. Now, it’s time for you to learn what a husband does for his wife.”
Zeroth’s deep smirk was dangerous.
For a moment, Sylvian had been relieved, thinking this wouldn’t hurt.
But now… he wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Mnngh…”
“Does it hurt?”
“No…”
It felt—
It felt amazing.
Letting out a breathy moan, Sylvian surrendered to Zeroth completely.
When his body was suddenly flipped over, and cold oil dripped down his back, he nearly screamed.
But then—
‘This is… incredible.’
An alpha of his caliber was flawless in everything.
As Zeroth’s strong hands worked over his tense shoulders, loosening every tight muscle, a satisfied sigh escaped Sylvian’s lips.
“Aahh…”
As a firm hand pressed between his shoulder blades and moved down, his body trembled.
It felt as though he were melting.
Each time those warm, oil-slicked hands touched his skin, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
The touch moved unhesitatingly from his head to his shoulders, then down to his waist.
At first, Sylvian had been tense, but it was no different from receiving a massage.
Before he knew it, he had relaxed and entrusted his body to Zeroth’ hands.
“Ah!”
“Does it hurt?”
Sylvian nodded.
As Zeroth firmly pressed into the muscles just above his buttocks, the tightly knotted tension suddenly released, sending a sharp ache through him.
Zeroth grasped the soft flesh of Sylvian’s rear, his large hand covering it easily, then began kneading the muscles around and above it with meticulous care.
If his thighs could loosen up a little more, it would allow for deeper access.
With that in mind, Zeroth carefully worked on Sylvian’s firm, supple backside, gradually loosening the tension.
As his hands moved near Sylvian’s pelvis and buttocks, the smaller man’s body twitched intermittently.
‘Damn it.’
The massage was supposed to be relaxing, but the growing heat in his body was undeniable.
If he was caught, there was no way Zeroth would let him off the hook tonight.
After all, he had been holding back for three days.
Sylvian bit his lips tightly and let out strained little whimpers, feigning pain.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“I see.”
Zeroth had already noticed the slight rise of Sylvian’s delicate waist, but for his partner’s sake, he pretended not to and moved down to his thighs.
As he massaged from Sylvian’s thighs down to his knees, the trembling gradually intensified.
“Hngh! It—It tickles!”
“I’ll be gentler.”
Sylvian’s body fidgeted restlessly, betraying his arousal, but Zeroth ignored it, continuing down his calves.
By the time he had thoroughly worked on his feet, Sylvian lay there limp, his face dazed.
When Zeroth gently grasped his ankle and rotated it, Sylvian urgently moved his hands to cover himself.
Then—
A wet sound.
“Ah!”
* * *
