'Are you perhaps the artist Earl Douglass specially invited here?'
Lucian shook his head. He didn't make direct eye contact with the man.
'Are you a clothing designer?'
Lucian shook his head again.
'Let me guess.. Musician? Writer? Investors? Antique dealer? A financial expert?'
Every time this man guessed, Lucian shook his head again and again.
This went on for quite a while, to the extent that it made Lucian laugh, it had been a long time since he had laughed freely like this.
When Lucian laughed loudly, the man shut his mouth tight, Lucian glanced at him who was staring at Lucian's face with an expression like he was admiring a masterpiece. The golden pupils that shone in the moonlight seemed to shine even more, the man raised his hand, covering half of his face with his hand. Then whispered, the voice was very quiet however Lucian could hear it clearly considering they were in a deserted pavilion in the middle of the night, and there were only the two of them here.
'Damn, you're so dazzling.'
Lucian froze, feeling all the blood rush to his head, his cheeks were hot, his head was also hot. The man also did not seem to expect to have said that, he probably wanted to say it inwardly but his low whispering voice caught Lucian's ear. It was a very sincere compliment, Lucian had often heard compliments from the alphas, but somehow the words from this man made his heart beat fast.
'... Thank you.'
Lucian quietly replied. The man blinked for a moment, then his expression returned to its usual calm, though Lucian could see the tip of his ears turned red.
As if that interaction never happened, they fell into silence again. Lucian thought it was time for him to return to his room, but it would be suspicious if he walked towards the main mansion since he had already said that he was not from a noble family. So he sat calmly, waiting patiently for the man to return to his room first.
The man suddenly moved, Lucian heard the rustle of cloth then he saw a hand holding a handkerchief extended to him. Lucian looked at the handkerchief in confusion, he tilted his head, not understanding why the man wanted to give it to him.
'Your lips, stained red from traces of wine. So take this handkerchief.'
His eyes stared at Lucian's lips with a greedy gaze, even the most ignorant person in the world would notice such a gaze, but then he quickly averted his eyes to cover up his previous expression, moistening his lips, he waved his hand as if gesturing for Lucian to quickly take the handkerchief.
Lucian took it then wiped his lips with the cloth, the man seemed unable to take his eyes off Lucian, his pupils followed every movement of his hand that was cleaning his lips. Lucian cleared his throat, the man flinched slightly, fixing his posture to sit up straight, he coughed a little, scratching his cheek then turned his head forward.
'Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?'
The hoarse voice sounded nervous and embarrassed at the same time.
'Of course. You've been looking at me like someone who's never seen a human.'
'Aha, to be more precise ... It's the first time I've seen such a charming male omega like you.'
'You ... Stop saying something shameless like that.'
He laughed at the blushing Lucian, 'I'm not lying, if I may ... may I know your name?'
'...Lucian.'
'What the hell, even your name sounds beautiful ... Lucian, ... Lucian'
Haha, the man leaned back in his seat while laughing softly, he repeatedly tested the name 'Lucian' on his lips, saying his name in a low slightly hoarse voice. he was such a strange man, Lucian felt like his heart would explode every time this person complimented him.
Taking a closer look, the man though his face looked young, his big and tall stature made him look like a grown man, his hand muscles were big so every time he moved his hand, Lucian could see some protruding veins.
Maybe this man had a hobby of wrestling, archery or swordsmanship, it was obvious from the few scratches and scars on his hands, that this man, was quite active in physical activities. Lucian was a little curious, He had no idea what got into him so he directly asked.
'The scars on your hands ... How come you have those scars.'
The man straightened, he raised his hand and pulled the sleeve up further, revealing more scars, looked like scratches caused by sharp objects.
'The conflict over the mining territory a few years ago ... I joined that war.'
'Huh? You look quite young ...'
'Many say that, but there were also many other youths who joined as a place to hone their skills.'
Lucian had heard of that conflict, a small war over an island with a lot of gold resources, Rosaenia won the war and the country and its other neighbors also agreed to make peace.
The small war did not take many casualties, however as a result, the country of Rosaenia became known as strong and prosperous.
'... And this, Lucian ...'
The man again showed his wound on another hand, Lucian brought his face closer, his eyes widened to see a long scratch that had healed but still left a mark. 'I got this wound as a child after fighting with a big bear.'
'Are you serious? You are not lying?'
'I'm not lying at all ..., the bear was much bigger than me, when I went hunting with my father, I somehow got lost and met a bear, luckily I brought some weapons with me, but the bear was strong enough it managed to claw my hand, and also my chest ... Do you want to see?'
Lucian was very fascinated in the story, since he was a child he really wanted to go with his father to hunt but his father never allowed him so he could only find out about the experience from the books he often read. There were so many things he wanted to do, but even as a son he had never allowed to do anything masculine, Lucian was looking at the man who was grinning playfully at him while grabbing the hem of his shirt. He asked again.
'Do you want to see the scars on my chest?'
Somehow the tone of the man's voice annoyed him, as if teasing, so Lucian made a sullen face. The man laughed at Lucian's reaction.
'Sorry I was just kidding. But I'm honest about having bear claws scar on my chest.'
'Is hunting fun?'
Lucian's sudden question made the man momentarily stunned, but then he smiled, showing a dimple on his right cheek. Lucian just noticed that feature on his face, maybe because it was dark and the lantern they were carrying was not too bright, so Lucian now tried to pay more attention to the man's face.
'You've never hunted before?'
Lucian shook his head, 'My father never allowed me to do that. He said I would be a burden if I went hunting with him.'
'That doesn't sound like a loving father,' He commented, Lucian gave a small snort.
'He never wanted me to be strong ... You could say he's a bit of a traditionalist.'
'Oh... Is it because you're an omega? What's up with your father? if you want, you can hunt with me sometime.'
His offer was a generous and thoughtful gesture, and Lucian looked at him with disbelief. The man still had a faint smile on his lips, and his expression did not appear to be that of someone who was telling a lie. If Lucian were to say that the man's smile was adorable, people would likely think he was weird, when complimenting a man especially an alpha, you would not say they were cute or adorable. Well, to admit, this man did look intimidating without a smile; he was a large man with piercing amber eyes and auburn hair, his overall stature made it clear that he was an alpha.
'So where do you live? where are you from?'
'Why do you want to know?'
'Perhaps I will visit you again sometime.'
'What for?'
'It's been a pleasure talking to you. So maybe someday we'll see each other again ... Lucian, ... such a sweet, lovely name.'
It was impossible, there was no way they would meet again. Interacting with this man was fun, this was the first time he had good conversation with someone other than Rogan. But Lucian was one hundred percent sure this man was a noble, and he never had a desire to get close to someone from a noble family.
The wind blew again hitting Lucian's body which made him shiver slightly. Seeing that the man took off his coat and covered it onto Lucian's without saying a word.
The scent of the alpha wafting from the coat wrapped on his body made Lucian involuntarily inhale, he closed his eyes for a moment. An alpha scent that did not make him nauseous, the alpha male pheromone scent smelt soothing. The man looked up at the sky with shining stars.
'Why didn't you answer me?'
He muttered, Lucian's hand crumpling the coat, 'That's because I'm not a noble, and you seem to be one.'
'Haha, if you are not a noble, what's wrong with that?'
'I don't think it's good for you to interact with a commoner like me.'
Turning his head to look directly at Lucian, Lucian's heart which had been pounding since the first time he saw this man, beat stronger as if there were a person playing drum inside.
This feeling— he had read about it in a book, something strange welling up in your chest, sending warmth to every part of your body. Dizziness, feeling like a drunken person with warm cheeks.
Or maybe he was already drunk because of the wine he drank.
Lucian shook his head mentally. There was no way he would fall in love at first sight with a man he did not even know his name.
'That's nonsense, I want to be friends with you, so what's wrong with telling me where you live…—'
'Is that Marquess ... Gerald?!'
'????'
The light of the slowly approaching lantern and the sound of a young man calling someone's name were Ivan's.
Lucian quickly stood up from his seat, that name sounded familiar, Lucian tried to think where he had heard of that name— Marquess Gerald.