Eugene quietly opened the bedroom door. Seeing the alpha lying on his stomach by the bed, now wearing his patch, Eugene heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed as though he fell asleep after applying it.
He gently walked towards him, his footsteps light enough to avoid making a noise. He carefully sat at the edge of the bed as he stared at Lucian. Did he scare him? After all, what Eugene did back then was unlike his usual self.
This is one of the reasons why Eugene hated himself for being an alpha. Because, as much as he wants to be reasonable and calm at all times, he just can't due to his fucked-up alpha instinct. He hated how he lost control over his rational self. And now he's nervous that Lucian's idea of him will change because of what he did earlier.
'If only I held back a bit more...' He closed his eyes, his fist clenching tighter. It was the same hand that held Lucian's wrist, and it was the same hand that Lucian removed from his skin. Eugene felt regretful. Too much regret, actually.
He used his other hand to lift the blanket and cover Lucian with it. Since Lucian's hair was still slightly wet from his bath, Eugene got a towel to dry it for him. He positioned himself closer to Lucian before placing the younger man's head on his lap for better access.
"Mmh," Lucian groaned before nuzzling closer to Eugene's waist. Eugene just finished taking a bath, and so he smelled like soap and mist at the moment. He was only wearing a black bathrobe. The way Lucian nuzzled him on his lap was so dangerous.
Eugene pushed Lucian's head back to his lap. "Behave, Lucian," he reprimanded in a soft voice. He started wiping Lucian's black hair with the towel, patiently drying it.
"Eugene," Lucian murmured in a daze, his eyelids fluttered open. His golden eyes stared at Eugene's blue ones.
Eugene gently rubbed the man's hair with the towel. "Yes?"
"Don't be angry anymore..."
Eugene stiffened at Lucian's soft, nasally voice. His grip on the white towel tightened for a moment. After a few exhales, he continued drying Lucian's hair. "Okay, I won't be angry with you anymore."
Lucian's eyelashes fluttered a bit before his golden eyes turned into crescents. He smiled in relief. "Mmh. Good." He then fell asleep.
When Eugene was sure that Lucian would not wake up anymore, he leaned back on the headboard of their bed in frustration.
Lucian is just so adorable and precious to him. How could a stranger attack his heart like this? It felt unfair. Lucian hasn't even been that close to him, but he already had Eugene on a leash like a good dog.
"Hah... You're driving me crazy, Lucian," he muttered under his breath as his fingers played with the younger man's soft, black hair. "What should I do with you, hmm?" His fingers traced the man's beautiful face. His fair fingers traced the bronze skin. From the eyebrows, to the nose, to the cheeks, and to the man's plump lips.
Eugene pursed his lips as he removed his fingers from Lucian's face. He's too smitten. He should put some restraint in his actions, at the very least.
And so he slowly got out of bed, gently placing Lucian's head on the pillow. He went out of their bedroom and spent the whole afternoon sleeping on the sofa.
Sleeping with his crush is a dangerous move, after all.
...
At 6:51 p.m., Eugene woke up in a bad mood. He had a dream—perhaps a nightmare. But he can't really remember it. The icky feeling was just there, left by the nightmare. His frown subsided when he noticed a blanket covering him. His crystal-blue eyes fell on the young man sitting by the single chair, reading a bunch of papers.
It was Lucian.
Eugene slowly fixed his posture; he was now sitting properly on the sofa. "Lucian?" he called out.
"Mmm?" Lucian turned his head towards the older man. His serious face melted into a warm expression. "You're finally awake. Let's go get some dinner." Lucian placed the files back on Eugene's suitcase as he stood up. It was only then that Eugene noticed Lucian's casual wear. It was a simple white dress shirt and black slacks.
'He was probably waiting for me to wake up before heading downstairs,' Eugene thought as he stood up as well. "Then, please wait for me for a bit. I'm going to dress up first."
"Sure."
Eugene was fast enough to fix himself up. He wore a baby blue dress shirt and brown slacks. He made sure to comb his blonde hair at the very least. He inserted his pocket watch into his pocket before he went out of the room.
Lucian was patiently waiting for him by the door. When Eugene left to dress up, Lucian was standing. And now he was still standing. Eugene couldn't help but ask, "You didn't take a seat, Lucian?"
"No," he chuckled. "There's no need. Let's go."
They had to eat outside of the building because there weren't many food choices downstairs. Plus, Lucian was craving a meaty meal. They settled on dining in a three-star restaurant. After ordering, both of them fell into silence.
Eugene took a deep breath before he spoke, "I'm sorry... You know, about what happened back there. I was overrun by my instincts."
"It's fine. I also had a fault for that matter. I'll be careful about wearing suppressants next time. It was my negligence," Lucian replied politely. However, no more than 10 seconds later, a grin appeared on his pink lips. "Let's just move on and learn from it. It would be a bad thing if we'd spend a month or more here while on bad terms. Cheers?" Lucian lifted the wine glass he got from the waiter, prompting Eugene to follow him.
Eugene helplessly chuckled. "Cheers!" He was convinced that Lucian was just that kind of person who wouldn't hold grudges for too long. He's just so bright and wonderful to be with.
The 'fancy' dinner ended up well.
Lucian burped loudly as they walked on the streets of the border's capital. "Wow, their steak is so delicious! Cravings satisfied!" he praised while rubbing his slightly bulging stomach. He understood now. 'The reason why some nobles are bloated is because they keep on eating delicious foods since they have some money to spend on them.'
"Cravings satisfied?" Eugene mused at the unfamiliar phrase.
Lucian's eyes widened. 'Shit, my modern tongue slipped!' He turned to Eugene with a sheepish smile. "Oh, it's nothing. Just my personal expression."
"Your 'personal expression' is quite interesting, Lucian," Eugene said with a smile. "Very creative."
Lucian felt like he was doing piracy when Eugene said that. "Ah, ha ha. It was not mine, really. I think I picked it up somewhere and then used it on a daily basis," he denied with a forced laugh.
"Really?" Eugene knew that something was off with Lucian's fake smile, but he chose to ignore it, indulging the younger man into thinking that he believed him.
Lucian was thankful that the restaurant was just near the apartment. They only walked and talked for 10 minutes before they arrived. Lucian greeted the receptionist first before leading the way upstairs. Eugene followed after him after greeting the receptionist as well.
"Room 22, I missed you!" Lucian dramatically opened the door as he plopped his tired body on the sofa. "I really think I should start working out as soon as possible," he muttered to himself while massaging his legs.
Eugene laughed. "Indeed. You can just follow my routine. It's not really that harsh for beginners."
"Thanks, Eugene!" Lucian exclaimed before closing his eyes to relax his nerves first. After 5 minutes of breathing in and out, he finally decided to change.
Seeing Lucian leave in a hurry to change, Eugene took this opportunity to take out the files he bought from the citizens. He compiled it in a proper way, classifying it into three folders. By the time he was done, Lucian was already walking out of the bedroom wearing a white nightshirt.
Lucian strutted towards him as he scanned what was on the table. "What are you doing?" he asked out of curiosity.
"Sorting out the files. We'll discuss them tonight. We already had enough rest earlier, so I think it's fine to stay up a bit late tonight."
Lucian tutted as he took a seat in front of Eugene. "Wow, you weren't lying when you told me that you can be like this if you're obsessed with something."
"I have self-awareness, after all," replied Eugene in a deprecating chuckle.
Lucian tilted his head after remembering something. "Oh, right. You told me before that you're supposed to come here in the pretense that you're here for commerce. Are we still going to do it? Or did you do that here 5 months ago?"
"Ah, that," Eugene paused before he spoke again. "I don't really have proficiency when it comes to business, and since you weren't around, I came here telling everyone that I was only doing research for my book. I'm an author, and it sounds reliable that way."
Lucian nodded in agreement.
"But since prior investigation has been done, we don't really need to feel included here. We can just continue the role I am playing: me as the author, and you as my assistant and editor." Eugene pointed at him with his open palm.
Lucian pointed to himself. "Do I look like an editor?"
Eugene chuckled at that. "Well, if you take your role seriously, you would."
"Fine, fine. It's not like I can argue with you," Lucian surrendered with a smirk. He shifted in his seat to make himself comfortable.
However, the opposite was going on with the alpha in front of him. Because of Lucian's shifting, his loose nightshirt showed a part of his healthy chest muscles. What a beautiful view for Eugene, right?
Eugene uncomfortably cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away from Lucian's exposed skin. "Lucian, can you come here? Let's reread this file together." Eugene used an excuse to make Lucian's sexy body move out of his sight.
Lucian obediently stood up and dragged his chair next to Eugene. As he sat down, he inquired, "What is it?"
As Lucian leaned closer to read the file with him, Eugene's grip on the armrest tightened. His plans backfired after all. Lucian was out of sight now, but at what cost? He had to bear the close distance of his body to Lucian's. Isn't this much more torturous? To be close enough but not touch?
Lucian's warm hand rested on Eugene's left armrest, their shoulders brushing together. Upon noticing that Eugene still did not answer, Lucian tilted his head in confusion. "Eugene?"
Eugene snapped out of his reverie. He placed his hand holding the file near Lucian. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts a minute ago. Anyway, this is the file that we would investigate first thing in the morning."
The file was entitled "The Death of the Border's Nobles".
Lucian was already familiar with this. It was a file containing information regarding the local nobles' deaths. They were the nobles that were supposed to report to the court, but there were no records of the border instead.
"It is important to note that the border we're on right now is the place closest to the Northern Islands. If I'm recalling it right, that was where Joe Carter contracted his illness," Eugene said. "The head of the nobles managing the border is actually a descendant of a noble family from the Northern Islands. The file here states that the head noble, Alexander Hansen, was the first to show signs of illness out of all the nobles, followed by the people closest to his bloodline."
"Contracting a disease through bloodlines? Is it really a curse?" Lucian wondered out loud, his chin resting on his hand. "Then how did the commoners get the illness?"
"The other file stated that the common people started getting sick after the celebration of Lady Sofia Hansen's eighteenth birthday. Everyone was invited, so there's a possibility that they were contaminated through food." Eugene grabbed another file for Lucian to look at. "The chefs and staff, however, denied the accusations from the former investigators."
"What happened to the former investigators, then?"
Eugene shook his head in dismay. "They labeled it as 'case unsolved'. They can't find enough evidence for the matter. They also can't identify what was used to contaminate the food or whether the contamination actually started from the cups or spoons."
Lucian stared at the printed photo of the celebration in front of him. It was a lavish party. There were lots and lots of people. All of them were eating, talking, and dancing at the venue. It felt like a joke to say that someone tried to poison them that day. After all, who would have the guts to poison even the nobles?
"Where are we going tomorrow?" Lucian asked.
"To the head chef's residence. His full name is Alvheim Bakke," Eugene answered as he placed the papers back inside the suitcase.
Lucian guessed, "From the Northern Islands?"
"Yes." Eugene gave him an encouraging smile. "How did you know?"
"Sounds like a name from the Northern Islands," Lucian shrugged.
Eugene suddenly stood up. He walked towards the wide window, gently covering it with the white curtain, obscuring any outsider's view of us here inside. "I have something more important to say."
"What?"
"I'm thinking of the possibility that the conspirators used Alexander Hansen's blood to contaminate the food," Eugene said in a solemn voice.
The image of someone pouring their own blood on food caused Lucian to suddenly feel nauseous. "Good heavens... That's outright disgusting!" Imagine happily eating a steak, and then you'd discover that there was actually a sick human's blood on your plate...
'Yuck!' Lucian spat out curses inside his head.
"It's just a possibility," Eugene reminded him.
Still, Lucian felt like it was probably the reason. After all, the first person who contracted the disease was the head noble, and then anyone from his bloodline followed. If someone consumed Hansen's blood inside their body, why would it affect them? Or maybe there's something about their blood? Like—
"Parasites!" Lucian's wide eyes stared at Eugene. He stood up and grabbed both of Eugene's arms to shake him. "It's parasites, Eugene!"
Eugene was dizzy from all the shaking. He tried removing Lucian's hands from him, but to no avail. "Lucian, please, stop shaking me first," he said breathlessly.
"Oh, sorry. I got excited," Lucian apologized. He let go of Eugene, but he's still just as close as before. "Well, what do you think about my theory?"
"Explain it to me clearly. What made you think so?" Eugene took a seat as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
Lucian grinned at him. "I've heard of parasites that can be transmitted through blood transfusion. The rest of the nobles were probably parasitized through this as well. Contaminations, Eugene."
"And why aren't the military infected yet?"
Lucian placed his chin on his hand, pacing back and forth in front of Eugene. It was quite ridiculous to see a man in a nightshirt pacing like this.
"Well?" Eugene probed after seeing him fall quiet for quite some time.
Lucian raised his golden eyes to look at Eugene. "I have an idea, Eugene." He walked closer to Eugene. "It's because when the military got here, the nobles were already dead. Unless the common people feed us with their own blood, none of us outsiders will get sick," he whispered.
"You're very perceptive, Lucian. I don't regret bringing you here at all. I only gave you a small thought, but you took it to piece out a bigger picture," Eugene complimented with a fond smile. "We will question the chef with your hypothesis in mind. Did they serve foods that require animal blood? Or was it in the wine they drank? We will know about it tomorrow. Take a rest." Eugene patted the younger man's shoulder before going inside the bedroom to change his nightshirt.
Lucian was so thrilled after hearing it. If his conjecture turned out to be true, then it would be so fulfilling for him.
He can't wait for tomorrow.