Names and Whispers

If there was one thing Agniele had overlooked, it was that Ensi was sharp enough to read his lingering regrets without much effort.

Ensi sat sideways to face Agniele, resting his arm on the back of the sofa and propping his chin on his hand.

Regret practically dripped from the way Agniele closed the box. He seemed to be trying to hide it, but since his gaze had shifted so obviously, it was impossible not to notice.

It was commendable that he prioritized spending time with Ensi. Unfortunately, Ensi wasn’t particularly fond of having a conversation with someone whose mind was partially elsewhere.

Moreover, Ensi wasn’t entirely ignorant of the desire to covet a fine weapon or the urge to test a new acquisition immediately. Showing off just because he’s held a weapon before, honestly, he thought.

Watching Agniele’s somewhat sullen expression, Ensi let out an internal sigh and tilted his head.

“Agniele.”

“I’m listening.”

As soon as he called his name, Ensi flashed a mischievous smile at the man who tore his eyes away from the box to meet his gaze.

“Will you kiss me?”

“—What?”

“If you approach me first, I’ll guide you to the training grounds. You want to try out the dagger, don’t you?”

He knew what Agniele wanted. To fulfill that wish, Ensi threw out a bait that wasn’t too difficult while simultaneously getting what he wanted.

However, the judgment that it wouldn’t be difficult was apparently only Ensi’s opinion. Upon hearing the suggestion, Agniele’s eyes filled with confusion. His lips quivered, and his fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

Ensi stared directly into those wavering eyes and gave a slight nod. It was a silent nudge, a subtle expression of disappointment.

He thought there was no reason to hesitate, but perhaps he had been too hasty? Ensi’s eyes drooped slightly at the corners.

Though it wasn’t strictly intentional, Agniele’s eyes widened the moment he caught that look while reading Ensi’s face.

He knew when the corners of Ensi’s eyes drooped. He had learned what emotions led to that specific expression.

“Even if I am clumsy… you must not laugh.”

Seeing that, Agniele could no longer hesitate and sat facing Ensi. Whatever hesitation he had held until a moment ago vanished; he leaned forward in one smooth motion, reaching out to cup Ensi’s porcelain-white cheeks.

As if being considerate of a partner taking the lead for the first time, Ensi lifted his chin slightly. Agniele, tilting his head as he approached slowly, still seemed unable to shed his awkwardness; he pulled away after only a brief press of their lips. It was a contact as light as powdered snow, disappearing the instant it landed.

Of course, this could be called a kiss, but it was nowhere near enough to satisfy Ensi.

Ensi’s eyebrows twitched with dissatisfaction. Should he praise him for not backing away completely, at least?

Agniele seemed to sense that he couldn’t get away with a kiss that felt like a child’s prank; he froze, stopping at a distance where they could still feel each other’s breath.

I suppose it’s still difficult for him. Ensi reached out with the arm that had been draped casually over the sofa and cradled the back of Agniele’s head.

“What does it matter if you’re clumsy? You can just learn from me.”

Ensi whispered, giving him a light peck as if imitating Agniele’s previous action. When Agniele nodded obediently, Ensi’s eyes curved into a smile as he toyed with the hair winding around his fingertips.

As expected, he preferred someone a bit slow and naive. Reaffirming his preference, Ensi applied pressure to the hand holding the back of Agniele’s head and pulled him in.

Agniele followed the touch submissively, parting his lips slightly in response to Ensi’s light nip.

Ensi felt a rush of pleasure at how Agniele had learned the motion after just one try, and he slipped into the opening. He tangled their tongues mid-air, then reached out with the arm he had rested on the sofa to place it on Agniele’s firm forearm.

Tracing the muscles felt even through the fabric, his hand moved down to catch Agniele’s wrist—which was hovering uncertainly—and guided it to his own waist. Only then did Agniele provide a steady support at Ensi’s back.

As Agniele’s upper body leaned into Ensi, their lips naturally met more deeply. After briefly tickling the back of the hand wrapped around his waist, Ensi threw his arms around Agniele’s neck, entrusting his entire weight to him.

Now that the floodgates were open, Agniele seemed to have gained courage; his tongue pushed through the gap in Ensi’s lips. Ensi let out a low vibration in his throat, pausing his own exploration as Agniele initiated the contact.

He had wondered if the man had forgotten how to kiss in that short interval, but apparently not. Perhaps he was just shy, Ensi guessed, letting Agniele do as he pleased.

Just as Ensi had done at first, Agniele rubbed his tongue against the flesh that possessed a starkly different temperature. Every time that icy coldness touched his own warmth, it felt a bit strange, but it made the reality of being connected to Ensi feel all the more vivid.

Agniele was not rushed. As if handling a precious artifact, he carefully traced the even teeth and swept across the roof of the mouth.

Perhaps stimulated by those slow movements, a languid groan escaped Ensi’s lips.

Emboldened by that reaction, Agniele pushed deeper and flicked his tongue against the sensitive membranes.

Agniele’s persistent teasing of the sensitive spots made Ensi’s fingertips tremble. With his eyelids fluttering, Ensi opened them slightly and seized back the initiative.

Both were getting winded, their breaths coming out ragged between their joined lips. Come to think of it, he had been interrupted while teaching him how to breathe through the nose.

Ensi rubbed the back of Agniele’s heated neck with the hand that had been on his shoulder, breathing his own air into him.

Cold breath flowed into the gap between them. Agniele’s cheeks flushed even deeper as he inhaled that sweet air. The moment his grip on Ensi’s waist tightened, Agniele suddenly pulled away from the man who was practically draped over him.

“……Agniele?”

“That—I think it’s best we stop for today.”

“—What?”

What kind of nonsense is that? Just as Ensi was about to claim as much and pull him back, he paused upon seeing Agniele’s face, which wasn’t just red—it was practically cooked.

Flushed from his ears down to his neck, Agniele couldn’t even meet Ensi’s eyes. He seemed to be drowning in shame, shyness, and a flurry of similar emotions. Staring awkwardly at the floor with his hand covering his mouth, he looked completely overwhelmed by the current stimulation.

Now that he mentioned it, his voice had sounded uncharacteristically shaky as well…

Regardless, seeing Agniele’s state, Ensi let out a somewhat hollow breath. He felt like a degenerate for trying to push things to the next level.

Ensi leaned against the wall, touching his lips, which were swollen from the long duration of their tryst. Agniele, standing in the center of the training grounds, was testing the sharpness of the dagger against a scarecrow, his face showing a hint of joy despite trying to hide it.

“Good grief.”

Seeing him so happy, the irritation that had been bubbling up in Ensi scattered like a sandcastle before a wave. If at least one of them was happy, that was enough.

And after leaving the drawing room and thinking it over, the situation wasn’t quite right for moving past a kiss anyway. Because of his illness, wasn’t his body as cold as ice?

It would be one thing if it were hot. But having an incredibly sensitive part of the body dive into a cold interior would surely make it shrivel up in an instant. No matter how much sun-grass he burned or if they did it in a greenhouse, there were bound to be limits. Ensi easily let go of his lingering desire.

I suppose I have to remain celibate until this illness is cured. As Ensi reached this depressing conclusion and sighed, Agniele, holding the blade in a reverse grip, stabbed the scarecrow in the neck. Perhaps his power control was off; the scarecrow, which had been suffering at Agniele’s hands, finally met its end.

“Oh, dear.”

Ensi, who had been watching with his arms crossed, slowly pushed off the wall at the sound of the frustrated voice.

“Shall I prepare a new scarecrow for you?”

“No. This broken one—”

“Don’t worry about it. It was time to replace it anyway.”

Approaching Agniele, Ensi tapped the lips that were about to say something unnecessary with his index finger. Although the scarecrow looked far too new to be ‘time for a replacement,’ Agniele only nodded instead of contradicting him.

“More importantly, the dagger. Are you getting the hang of it?”

“I don’t know who designed it, but it’s comfortable to hold. There’s nothing catching against the skin despite the mana stone, and the length of the blade is perfect. It’s a good dagger.”

Though it focused on practicality and lacked flamboyant decorations, Agniele had expected some discomfort while holding it due to the embedded stone.

Contrary to expectations, the dagger felt perfectly smooth in his grip. The fact that magic added to the sharp blade with such fluidity, allowing for more power than usual, also brought a thrill to Agniele.

As the sole heir to a Duchy, Agniele had used many fine swords. However, using a blade with an elemental mana stone that fit him perfectly was a first.

Feeling exactly that excited, Agniele spun the dagger in his hand. Watching that flashy handiwork, Ensi naturally thought that the next gift should be a proper sword rather than a dagger.

He had felt a bit regretful about the size limit of a mana stone that could be embedded in a dagger’s hilt. A sword with a long blade would have fewer of those limits.

Something like a bastard sword would be better than a light rapier. Agniele uses a swordsmanship that utilizes his natural build and strength, so that would suit him well.

“Ensius?”

“Hmm.”

Awakened from his thoughts by Agniele’s call, Ensi suddenly became aware of the title the other used and twitched his eyebrow.

Why had he left this unaddressed for so long? Ensi stepped closer to Agniele, who was tilting his head in confusion at his reaction.

“Agniele.”

“Yes.”

“I believe we are at the stage where we should call each other by nicknames, not just formal names—”

He let the end of the sentence trail off and reached out with both arms to wrap them around the back of Agniele’s neck. Since it was a posture he had experienced several times today, Agniele, now accustomed to it, reflexively caught Ensi’s waist to steady him.

“What do you think?”

Ensi let out a low laugh at that natural movement and tilted his head while finishing his thought.

Blink, blink. Agniele blinked slowly, as if processing the question Ensi had posed. Realizing Ensi’s meaning a beat late, his lips merely moved without sound.

If he left it like this, they would just gloss over it again, so Ensi pressed his lips close to Agniele’s ear and whispered.

“Try calling me.”

“So suddenly—”

“Hurry.”

A somewhat forceful voice struck his eardrum. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the nickname. Hadn’t he heard it countless times? Agniele felt as if the nickname for Ensius, branded into his mind, was floating right before his eyes.

He felt a bit dizzy. Even knowing the sensation was a mere illusion, he found it difficult to face Ensi’s expectant gaze and squeezed his eyes shut.

Observing Agniele’s reaction closely, a bitter smile played on Ensi’s lips. It seemed it was still too much. Ensi, who had failed several times today to gauge the proper distance with Agniele, tried to hide his disappointment and move to let him go.

“……Ensi.”

But in that moment, a voice that sounded like it might crawl away at any second called out the nickname. Ensi caught the sound without difficulty, and a deep smile bloomed on his face.

“—Well done, Iel.”

To be certain, Ensi had never experienced a day as fulfilling as today.