What would you do if the most unexpected visitor suddenly knocked on the door of your apartment?
Lucian was met with such a dilemma early in the morning after preparing his morning coffee. It was a first for him to drink such a beverage, and it must've served as an omen of what would happen next.
Eugene was still fast asleep in their room. He was tired after engaging in a hot mess last night. They acted like carnivores, chomping off meat from each other.
Lucian flipped a page of the newspaper he was reading with a solemn expression. It was a newspaper from the Papirus, although the editor-in-chief of this article wasn't Peter Wright anymore. There's not much to point out, anyway. The news was eye-catching, relevant, and factual. It's just that they are adamant about not mentioning the parasites.
Crazy media.
His hateful thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a series of knocks on their wooden door. It was a brief knock.
For Lucian, it was surprisingly familiar.
His heart was abnormally rambling in his chest as he put the coffee on the table. Was it the nicotine?
Whatever it was, he decided to ignore it and proceeded to open the door for the unexpected visitor.
To his utter shock, pale yellow eyes met his golden ones.
"Father?" he muttered, completely dumbfounded at seeing the man he least expected to see in such a place.
His father actually went here? To the border? What a mind-blowing thing!
"What are you doing here?" Lucian added another question, opening the door wider to let his father in.
Theodore Montague smirked at him. "Why are you so surprised? Am I not allowed to visit my eldest son?" He patted Lucian's shoulder with a chuckle as he entered their apartment. Theodore squinted his eyes at the place. "This place is too big for just one person."
Lucian nervously laughed, scratching his nape awkwardly. "Well, I'm not living here alone, Father," he said with a sheepish smile. "Marquis Fergus and I shared this apartment."
Theodore tilted his head in deep thought. There was something in his deep gaze that made Lucian's stomach churn in anxiety. What was brewing inside his father's head—Lucian could never guess. He never dared to do so.
"Father, is there something wrong?" Lucian peeked at his reaction while dragging a chair for his father to sit on.
Theodore stared at his son. "Are alphas normally fine staying with another alpha for so long?"
Theodore's question hit the spot. Lucian choked on his own saliva, resulting in his coughing fit.
"Well?" Apparently, Theodore was waiting for Lucian's answer.
"That, uh, Eugene's fine with my presence so far. The same applies to me." Lucian poured tea for his father with the gentleness of a nobleman. If only his fingers weren't shaking while holding the tea pot, he would've looked like a calm aristocrat. Well, he is an aristocrat, after all.
Sensing Lucian's nervousness about the topic, Theodore wisely changed the subject by asking how he was doing so far. The father and son were then caught up in the world of business as they chatted about the Mont Bank.
They were in an entirely different world, to the point that they didn't notice their cups of coffee and tea were already empty. They also failed to notice the yawning blonde alpha approaching them.
Eugene was still casually stretching his arms up with a yawn, his eyes tightly closed. His blonde hair was incredibly messy, but it added a different kind of charm to his morning face. However, no matter how perfect he looked, the hickeys that littered his fair skin were extremely eye-catching. It traveled from his jaw to his neck and into his exposed collarbone. Some hickeys were even visible on his wrist and his nape.
Lucian ate him up big time last night.
Thus, imagine Eugene's shock when he saw the familiar Duke sitting down with his son. They looked alike, despite the age gap. Eugene had to blink three times to convince himself that Lucian hadn't doubled in his vision because of morning dizziness.
He has seen the Duke in one of their formal meetings before. The only remarkable thing that made them different from each other was the older man's pale yellow eyes and his wise aura. Compared to Lucian's golden orbs, Duke Theodore's pale yellow ones looked duller and calmer.
When Lucian's eyes met Eugene's, Eugene instantly got the message. He hurriedly ran back inside their bedroom and fought his way to the bathroom. After making sure that his face was squeaky clean and fresh, he put on the right clothes to present himself in front of Theodore Montague.
He made sure to wear a wool sweater that covered the span of his neck's skin. Although he wasn't used to just wearing it like this, he didn't want to go out covered in a coat, looking all 'too' formal. That would probably turn off Theodore, who was currently adorned in a simple white undershirt and brown vest.
Once he felt satisfied with his appearance, he finally went out to greet their visitor.
"Duke Montague, it's nice to finally meet you in person," Eugene spoke at the right time, as Lucian and Theodore just finished their conversation. A smile was etched on Eugene's handsome face, making him look brighter and fresher.
"Good morning, Marquis Fergus. I hope my sudden and humble presence did not bother you." Theodore replied with a curt nod, raising his empty cup of tea as a polite gesture for the young Marquis to join them.
Eugene gladly obliged. He settled himself on his usual single chair before pouring his own cup of tea, which Lucian actually prepared for him beforehand.
Much to Lucian's consciousness, his considerate gestures left a deep impression in his father's mind. Theodore knew something was up between the two, no matter how much they acted as if there wasn't anything to tell him about.
"I woke up late today and wasn't able to entertain you earlier. I have to apologize for that," Eugene said with an apologetic smile, sipping on his tea along the way. Once he was done sipping on it, he put it down before he took a quick glance at Lucian. "Is there any special reason for your sudden visit, my lord? Is there a problem at home?"
Theodore kindly returned his smile. "Not at all. I just want to check up on my son. His brothers are bugging me about it."
"Seriously, they're such a bunch of silly kids." Lucian clicked his tongue, laughing at his brothers' heartwarming gesture of wanting to be updated on his whereabouts.
"You know how persistent they are. I had to comply," Theodore uttered, followed by a helpless sigh. "Charlotte would strangle me if I didn't have good news for him."
Lucian chuckled.
Eugene simply watched both of the Montagues communicate, his crystal-blue eyes glowing brightly under the morning sun. For some reason, he liked this atmosphere.
Feels like family.
"Marquis Fergus, how has the case been so far?"
Eugene snapped out of his bubble after hearing Duke Montague's voice calling out for his attention.
He hurriedly replied, "We were able to get to the roots of the illnesses. We're still trying to get a hand on the media to inform others about it."
Eugene also wanted to tell Theodore about their discoveries at the small hut, but a part of him was hesitant to do so. Lucian never actually told him to what extent his father knew about their plans.
And so he shrewdly withheld some of the information.
Lucian was thankful for that. He hadn't really divulged anything to his father after his discovery of his mother's journal. He wanted to quietly investigate it himself. It's even better if his family does not know about this yet. Not until he can unravel all of the mysteries shrouding his mother, Elizabeth Montague.
Theodore Montague, on the other hand, nodded in understanding at Eugene's answer. "Just be careful. We'll never know what the enemies can do."
"Yes, my lord."
"Hmm," Theodore hummed as a thought crossed his mind. "I'm a beta, so I'm not really sure how this works, but I hope my son is not troubling you... I meant his alpha pheromones, of course."
Eugene's eyes widened in realization at the sudden shift from their previous topic. The Duke was clearly pointing out that both alphas shouldn't be together, right?
"My lord, Lucian was never a problem on my side," Eugene said with the utmost conviction, his grip on his tea cup subconsciously tightening.
Theodore continued to watch him, his pale yellow eyes intently scrutinizing the young man's reaction. A knowing smile escaped his lips. "I know."
"Pardon, Father?" Lucian interrupted them, his face crumpled in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Theodore shifted his gaze from Eugene back to Lucian. "Nothing." He sighed, swishing his hand nonchalantly to tell them it was really 'nothing serious'. "Just don't bother Marquis Fergus so much. You're stubborn; he would probably suffer a headache because of you from time to time."
Lucian's eyebrows furrowed in denial. "I'm not stubborn!"
The unexpected visitor only raised an eyebrow at him. "You can never fool me, kid."
'I know you're gay for the Marquis,' he playfully added in his head.