Lucian forced Eugene to sleep with him on the queen-size bed. Eugene was then helplessly dragged to the bed by Lucian.
Or Eugene actually let himself be dragged because he's secretly looking forward to it.
Nonetheless, nothing out of the ordinary happened that night. Aside from Lucian's fidgeting fingers clutching the blanket out of excitement, there were no problems at all.
Their first morning at the border was bright and calm. Eugene was peacefully preparing his morning tea, while Lucian busied himself by preparing their breakfast. It was a simple combination of fried eggs, bacon, and bread rolls. It was very easy to cook and eat, so Lucian opted for this kind of meal.
Eugene had no qualms about it as he ate with Lucian in the living room. He was busy sipping his tea while reading the daily newspaper.
"How is it?" Lucian started the conversation with a vague question.
Eugene shifted his gaze from the newspaper to Lucian. "What?" he asked back. He was confused about whether Lucian was talking about the content of the newspaper, the tea that he's drinking, or the breakfast he was eating.
"I mean, how's the breakfast I made for you?" Lucian asked again, his eager gaze penetrating into Eugene's face to scrutinize his reaction.
Eugene blinked. "Oh, uhm..." He stared at the plate in front of him. "Well, it's good," he said weakly. The question was so out of the blue that he processed it quite late. Seeing Lucian lose his energy because of Eugene's response, he hurriedly decided to add another piece of proper feedback. "The egg yolk was cooked just right, not too hard and not too soft. It's not burnt either. And the bacon was of good quality!"
"I think so too!" Lucian's face brightened after hearing Eugene's careful assessment. It's actually his first time cooking since he transmigrated into this world. He was relieved that he could still cook despite being in a new body.
Eugene nodded as he took his attention back to the newspaper.
After eating a peaceful breakfast, they took a quick bath before renting a carriage heading to Alvheim Bakke's residence. The road was quite long. Lucian decided to use his free time to browse over the remining files that Eugene brought with him.
Eugene, on the other hand, was meditating with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. The carriage was quiet, but it was not awkward at all. It was a comfortable silence that let them breathe easily.
After 30 minutes of travel, they finally reached a small house. The front yard was adorned with a bunch of beautiful and colorful flowers. There were also small statues of elves and fairies. It was like a 'cottage core' house from those trending videos back on Earth.
Lucian dropped his suitcase near his feet before gently twisting the handle of the doorbell, like twisting a key. Cheng Ge, as a transmigrator, finds it amusing. It was different from the doorbells on modern Earth, where you can just press them. The doorbell of this era and world requires twisting the handle for the doorbell to actually make a ringing noise.
The rapid ringing of the doorbell startled the birds perching on the tree. The brown front door of the small house swung open as a slouching old man appeared in their sights. He had a grumpy look on his face after being disturbed by his unexpected visitors.
"What is it?!" His raspy voice sent goosebumps all over Lucian's neck. The way the old man glared and snarled at them spoke volumes of his hostility towards them.
Eugene stepped forward as he bowed with his hat on his chest. "Please excuse us, my Lord. May I ask if this is Alvheim Bakke's home?"
"No, I don't know him! Go away!" The hunched old man waved his cane at the two young alphas. "Fucking people disturbing others early in the morning!" he cursed before going inside, shutting the door with a harsh "bam".
Lucian grimaced. "Ten o'clock is not early at all, sir," he murmured with a hint of mockery.
Eugene helplessly sighed, tapping Lucian's shoulder to calm him down. "Let's go somewhere else."
"Go where?" Lucian asked in bewilderment. If Alvheim doesn't want to talk to them, then who will they talk to?
Eugene smirked at him, his blue eyes glinting with slyness. "Where else? Neighbors are good sources of gossip, aren't they?"
Lucian gasped. "You're a cunning fox, Eugene!" He excitedly picked up his suitcase lying on the ground as he walked with Eugene.
"I know." Eugene showed a rare smug look on his face as they strode the cemented road heading to Alvheim Bakke's closest neighbor.
Lucian took on the role of ringing the doorbell again. It was just fascinating to do so!
A middle-aged woman walked out of the house carrying a three-year-old child. She was wearing a brown house dress worn over an embroidered white skirt. She stared at us in surprise.
"Oh, my. To whom do I owe the presence of these handsome lords?" she hurriedly made her way to us while greeting with the utmost politeness. The child in her arms was currently sleeping, so her voice was quite low in volume.
Lucian was the first to smile. "Good morning to you, Madame." He bowed with his hand on his chest.
"Good morning." The woman curtsied.
Eugene took the lead to introduce themselves. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame. I'm Johanne, and my assistant right here is called Logan. We're here for a small-scale research. If you can be of help to us, we don't mind giving you a reward."
The madame's interest was piqued after she heard about Eugene's 'reward'. She knew by then that it was probably cash. And so she did not waste their time by introducing herself as a widow named Bella Britt.
"How long have you been living here, Lady Bella?" Eugene asked.
Bella giggled. "Oh, you! Please don't call me 'Lady'; I'm not a noblewoman at all! My deceased husband was a civil servant a year ago. We've been here for the past 5 years," she answered with enthusiasm.
Lucian soon reached the conclusion that Bella Britt was part of the 'target' of their research. 'Anyone who has lived here since two years ago is subjected to the illness,' he recounted Aiden Scott's previous words.
Eugene arrived at the same thought as Lucian's. His smile turned brighter. He looked like an angel in the warm sunlight. Bella was mesmerized by the handsome alpha in front of her. Are alphas supposed to be this beautiful? She was lost in a daze.
Seeing her reaction, Lucian proudly nodded his head. 'See? He was not alone in thinking that Eugene's face was out of this world! It's a common expression among us, commoners!'
"How about your neighbor living right next to you, that old man? Has he been here for as long as you did?" Eugene inquired about Alvheim in a subtle manner.
Bella tilted her head in thought. "Hmm," she hummed, perhaps trying to recall something buried in her mind. "Ah, right! I remember now. He lived here before I even came. Old man Bakke was also famous for his baking skills, and so he was chosen by the previous nobles to bake a cake for a lady's birthday before. I attended that too."
Lucian tried his best to keep his expressions at bay as images of blood being poured into the cake started flashing in his creative mind.
Eugene gave a meaningful tap to Lucian's shoulder, trying his best to cheer him up silently. The younger man was thankful for that. His pale lips finally regained their normal pinkish color.
The blonde alpha finally focused back on the waiting woman. "I've heard about the celebration too. Can you tell me about it? I'm curious about how people from the border celebrate joyous occasions," Eugene said, showing great interest in the topic.
"Well, it's not really that different from those from the capital. But there's also a little bit of resemblance to the celebrations of the Northern Islands," Bella said in nostalgia.
Eugene and Lucian looked at each other with tacit agreement. 'The Northern Islands!'
Bella smiled at them. "Although unlike the normal gatherings conducted in the capital, we from the border do some sort of ritual."
"Ritual? A supernatural ritual?" Lucian asked without thinking.
Bella waved her hands in defense. "Oh, no! It's not really a ritual to sacrifice something for a deity or any god. It's actually like a blood compact. To celebrate someone's birth is to drink that person's blood in order for that person to live longer," she explained with pride.
Lucian's pink lips turned pale again. 'Fuck, it's not in the cake at all! They literally drank blood with parasites inside. Ptui!' He shivered in thought, subtly hiding his figure behind Eugene's broad back to avoid Bella's gaze from Lucian's disgusted expression.
"Wow, that's interesting, Mrs. Britt! Then, you've been participating in this blood impact since you've stayed here?" Eugene asked with his blue eyes sparkling from interest. No one would've thought that his hands were actually rubbing with Lucian's own behind his back, trying to calm down Lucian's sensitive mind.
Lucian was at first surprised when Eugene took his hand, but he found it relaxing anyway, so he let him rub it gently. Eugene was just so good at comforting that Lucian almost forgot about the blood compact; his gaze focused on their tangled hands, and somehow their contrasting skin colors looked so much better together. His hold on Eugene's fingers subconsciously tightened.
When Eugene felt the younger man squeeze his own hand, he couldn't help but smile wider. He proceeded to listen to Mrs. Bella's answer.
"I've been involved in the ritual ever since we came here. At first, I was repulsed by the weirdness of it all. But after 3 times of doing it with my husband, who's a native here, I finally adjusted to the taste of blood. It was also true that their lives lasted longer!" Mrs. Bella boasted with all her heart.
When Lucian heard this, he couldn't help but scoff inside his head. 'What 'live longer'? Your lady died early; how can it be considered 'longer', ah?'
Eugene's blue eyes squinted. "They drank your blood too, Mrs. Britt?"
"Oh, yes! This is why I'm still alive now!" She twirled happily, her baby swaying with her body. "See? I'm healthy as ever!"
Lucian peeked from Eugene's back to stare at the joyful woman in front of them. Although she looked healthy on the outside, one would know from her yellowish eyes and the bruises peeking from her long sleeves that something was wrong with her internal organs. Lucian knew all of this because his cousin had the same symptoms of liver problems.
Eugene also had his doubts about Bella's statement of being 'healthy', but he didn't comment on that, nor did he show a skeptical look. He even laughed brightly. "Mrs. Britt indeed looks younger than any other widow I've seen," he praised. It was the truth. Mostly because all of the widows he met before were too old compared to Mrs. Bella.
Lucian tutted. Bella Britt was indeed a beautiful woman, if not for her sickly appearance. 'Who fooled her into thinking that she's healthy? Is there a con artist here on the border?' Lucian lamented with a dramatic sigh.
Eugene tried to ask one last question. "This ritual, madame... do you know where it came from? Specifically, from who?"
"That, I don't really know. We've been doing it for years, anyway. There's no need for deeper information about it," she answered.
Eugene nodded politely. "I see. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Britt." He bowed before discreetly placing the rolled money on the baby's clothes. "We will take our leave. We are pleased to work with you. We will use this research with the best of our minds."
"Thank you, Mrs. Britt!" Lucian immediately waved goodbye, carrying his suitcase while walking away in a hurry.
Eugene saw how fast Lucian tried to avoid the woman. "Lucian, calm down. We won't get parasitized just by talking to her," he whispered, trying to match his own pace with Lucian's.
Lucian glared at Eugene. "Eugene, we can't be sure about the transmission of the parasite. I'm seriously thinking of just buying consumables at our dukedom of Le Riche!" he exclaimed in anxiousness. "The disease they have is serious, Eugene. This is not going to be a normal investigation. We have to survive while we're at it!"
"Yes, yes, I know, Lucian." Eugene held the young man's bronze-colored wrist. "I've lived here for more than 5 months already. I have my way to keep us safe while we're here. You're my responsibility and you're under my care. Don't worry about it anymore," he coaxed the flustered Lucian with a gentle rub of his thumb on Lucian's exposed skin. "Calm down for me, hmm?" His voice was soft when he said that, his blue eyes looking at Lucian with tenderness.
Lucian's misty eyes finally found clarity. He heaved a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. I was just...scared. I promised my family I'd come back safe and sound. They're waiting for me. I can't afford to risk my life this way," he muttered under his breath weakly.
Eugene stared at the slightly red tips of the younger man's golden eyes. He raised his hand to gently press and rub on it. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for bringing you here." At that moment, Eugene wanted to just let Lucian go back. Back to his home, where he's safe. Should he just...?
"Mmm, I'm okay now. I just panicked a little bit." Cheng Ge was just so scared of dying twice, thus his reaction. He may try to hide his inner panic by mocking Mrs. Britt, but once they were away from her and Lucian couldn't find any distraction anymore, the panic hidden beneath his heart started to surface.
Eugene gazed at Lucian's pitiful face. "If you can't take it anymore, it's fine for you to just go home and send someone as a proxy," he whispered, his fingers caressing the tips of Lucian's eyes. "Just tell me."
Lucian shook his head. "I had to see this through. We need to save the victims of this conspiracy, Eugene. As much as I care for myself and my family, I also have my conscience. Let's do this together." He held Eugene's hand tightly. "I'm going to rely on your promise. Please take care of me."
Eugene nodded. "I will," he firmly stated.
'I will take care of you, Lucian... In more ways than one.'