A Gift and a Vow

Only after Donovan had left to prepare for his adventure did Ensi allow the servants back into the room. Resting his chin on his hand, he reached out to touch the ornate box, engraved with elaborate patterns, that a servant had brought in.

It was a delivery from Hesperon that had arrived early this morning, with word that the item was finally complete. Since his heat had just ended, Ensi was able to check the box himself, a small smile playing on his lips.

He had promised to gift a dagger made from a Harpy’s feather, but it had been a somewhat impulsive decision. Although he hadn’t set a strict deadline, he had frequently asked when it would be finished, which likely put considerable pressure on the craftsman. To think they had even designed a bespoke case for the dagger in such a short time.

Ensi traced the engraved patterns on the box, tilting his head thoughtfully.

“I wonder if he’ll come today as well.”

“Shall I send word?”

It was Emma, who had come to attend to him personally out of concern for his health, even though his heat had subsided. She didn’t miss his quiet murmur and asked immediately.

Though Ensi hadn’t specified who he was waiting for, there was really only one person her master would be expecting lately.

Emma smiled inwardly and waited for Ensi’s answer. For a moment, Ensi’s ears perked up as if he were interested in her suggestion, but he soon shook his head.

“No, it would be a nuisance.”

“Nonsense, Young Master. He was very worried about your health, so informing him that you are better is hardly a nuisance.”

Emma, having guessed he might refuse once, brought up the points she had prepared to persuade him. As she repeatedly urged him to at least send a letter, Ensi let out a soft hum of contemplation.

“Should I…?”

“I will prepare the stationery and a pen.”

Sensing that Ensi was leaning toward the idea, Emma quickly gestured to a nearby servant.

“……It’s been a long time since I wrote a letter myself.”

How exactly did one begin a letter to a nobleman? Since he usually left such tasks to his subordinates, the memory was a bit fuzzy.

Tiresomely enough, in this world, the content and vocabulary of a letter changed drastically depending on the recipient. He had written them himself in the beginning to adapt, but that had only lasted a few days. By now, it had been a long time since he’d held the pen. He wasn’t the only one; most nobles took it for granted that they would use a ghostwriter.

Just as Ensi was mentally composing the appropriate sentences, a servant entered the room and went straight to Emma to deliver some news.

Emma, who had been listening with a neutral expression, let her lips soften into a pleasant smile at the welcome news. Whispering a quick instruction back to the servant, she approached Ensi, who was still deep in thought, tapping the armrest in a steady rhythm.

“Young Master, he has arrived.”

“—Agniele?”

There was only one person Emma would refer to as ‘he.’ Not expecting him to come today of all days, Ensi couldn’t hide his surprise, his eyes widening.

“Yes, he is here. Since the bedroom is not yet in a state to receive guests, I asked for his understanding and instructed the staff to guide him to the drawing room.”

Even as she delivered the news, Emma moved quickly to check Ensi’s appearance. Knowing he would want to see the visitor as soon as possible, it was her duty as a servant to help him achieve that.

The drawing room was a cold place for Ensi, as it didn’t use the sun-grass like his bedroom did. Consequently, Emma finished his preparations by draping a cloak over his shoulders.

The moment Emma pulled her hands away, Ensi stood up and left the room. Had he known this would happen, he wouldn’t have tucked away the artifact that signaled when a visitor entered the mansion.

He had removed it because he felt he’d do nothing but stare at it until the signal rang, but now he felt a pang of regret.

Swallowing his disappointment, Ensi hurried his pace. Standing before the drawing room he rarely used, he waved back the servant who was about to announce him and smoothed his stray hair.

Just as Ensi was finishing his hurried grooming, the tightly closed door opened from the inside.

“Ah—”

He had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t even sensed the presence behind the door. Letting out a small exclamation at the rare lapse in focus, Ensi quickly dropped his arms.

Agniele stood at the threshold between the drawing room and the hallway, gazing intently at the man looking up at him.

The heavy, sweet scent of plum blossoms he had felt just a few days ago was now reduced to a mere lingering fragrance. The flush on Ensi’s cheeks had faded, leaving only a pale complexion like white porcelain.

“It truly is over.”

Agniele, who had kept his body tense just in case, slowly let the excess strength drain from his frame. Ensi responded to the murmured words with a faint, bright smile and spoke in a soft, melodic voice.

“I caused you a great deal of trouble the other day. More importantly, has your wound healed, Agniele?”

“It was no trouble at all. The wound was shallow and has already healed. So, do not give it another thought.”

To fully believe the excuse that the wound was shallow, the smell of blood from that day still seemed to linger at the tip of his nose. The scent had been that thick.

When Ensi tried to add more, Agniele gently shook his head to stop him. He was more concerned about the unusually pale complexion of his counterpart than his own wound. Taking Ensi’s hand carefully, Agniele gauged his temperature.

Though he always held a certain chill due to Utia disease, it felt more severe today to Agniele.

“Beyond that, your hands are colder than usual. Surely you shouldn’t be moving about yet?”

“I am fine. Having cold hands is something I am already well-accustomed to.”

Agniele’s brow furrowed at the nonchalant reply. Being accustomed to it didn’t mean the pain vanished, did it? Ensi remained composed, but Agniele felt a tightening in his own chest.

There were many things he wanted to say, but for now, Agniele led him to the sofa. Naturally taking the seat beside Ensi, he wrapped his hands protectively around the ice-cold ones.

If he could, he wanted to transfer all of his inner warmth directly to Ensi.

“Thank you for your help over the last three days.”

Ensi fidgeted with his hands within the other’s grasp. Recalling how he had lived through his heat wrapped in clothes and blankets carrying Agniele’s scent made him feel shy all over again.

He could make the excuse that he had no choice because of the heat. But in the end, it was a transparent revelation of who he craved when his instincts were at their strongest.

Feeling embarrassed, Ensi offered his thanks while avoiding Agniele’s gaze. It was an action born from the sheer inability to meet his eyes.

Agniele, however, seemingly disliked this and leaned his upper body forward slightly to touch his forehead against Ensi’s.

“You do not need to say such things.”

It was an action devoid of ulterior motive, performed solely to meet those blue eyes. Since both his hands were occupied sharing warmth with Ensi, he couldn’t move them freely. Thus, he had simply executed the first method that came to mind to see Ensi’s eyes without using his hands.

On the other hand, Ensi’s eyes grew wide as saucers at the face that had suddenly closed the distance without warning. After a brief moment of parting his lips in surprise, he easily accepted the gesture.

Since they had already reached the point of kissing on the cheek, touching foreheads was nothing. Of course, Agniele had never initiated it before, but many things had happened recently that had significantly closed their psychological distance.

“But it must have been difficult for you.”

“I was happy that the person you wanted was me. It wasn’t difficult at all. Even if your doctor hadn’t requested it, I would have done the same.”

At the whisper filled with apology, Agniele answered without a moment’s hesitation. It was true that imbuing pheromones into fabric so that the scent wouldn’t vanish quickly was a demanding task.

But the fact that it was for Ensius—that reason alone made it worth the endurance. Furthermore, hadn’t his counterpart been the one to seek his pheromones first?

“—Just hearing that makes me happy.”

“It isn’t empty talk. It is my absolute truth.”

Agniele looked at Ensius with intensity in his eyes, as if pleading to be believed. This caused Ensi to break into a laugh, and he pulled his forehead slightly away from Agniele’s. Slipping one of his hands free, he traced his thumb along the lips that spoke such sweet things.

“Even so, the fact remains that I inconvenienced you… Agniele, I have prepared a gift for you.”

“……A gift?”

“I won’t hear you say you don’t need it. I have done nothing but receive from you, after all.”

“But—”

He didn’t want to receive a gift for something he felt he ought to do. Just as he was about to say that, a soft sensation descended upon Agniele’s lips. It was a contact of the briefest moment, but the texture was clearly branded into Agniele’s mind. Startled by the unexpected contact, Agniele’s mouth hung open.

“I clearly said I would not hear a refusal.”

Ensi tapped his forehead gently against Agniele’s and brushed the back of his hand against the cheek of the man who looked half-dazed.

Then, pulling his other hand free from the grasp, Ensi stood up from the sofa. He gestured to a servant standing nearby in hushed silence, instructing them to bring the box from his bedroom. During this, Agniele, who had been frozen in a daze, suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Ensius, you… just now, that was…”

Ensi, who was giving orders to the servant, looked back at Agniele, who was stammering and unable to finish his sentence. Looking at those hazy golden eyes, Ensi tilted his head with a bright smile.

“Did I do something I shouldn’t have?”

“No! That’s not it.”

At the question that jolted his senses, Agniele immediately shook his head. Something he shouldn’t have? Impossible.

“It’s not that, it’s… if you are alright with it, I want to do it once more.”

The moment just now was too short. He might have been embarrassed, but thanks to Agniele honestly revealing his inner thoughts, Ensi’s eyes widened for a split second.

Blinking rapidly, Ensi eventually let out a low laugh and leaned over, resting his hands on the back of the sofa.

“Gladly.”

Having whispered his reply, he tilted his head slightly and once again took Agniele’s smooth lips into his own.