Eugene carefully slid his fingers into the tea cup's handle before gently looking up at the man sitting nonchalantly in front of him. "How did it go?"
The bronze-skinned alpha leaned his head back on the chair, his legs manly spreading apart. "Aiden's apprentice is on it. And you?" Lucian glanced at him with hooded eyes.
"I'm planning to help Peter write newspapers and articles. I'm a writer after all," Eugene answered, calmly sipping on his tea.
"As expected of you, such an all-rounder," Lucian joked, but he forgot he used a modern term again. He hissed inwardly. Why does he keep slipping up about this stuff recently? Was he 'that' comfortable with Eugene now?
Much to his surprise, Eugene did not react differently and simply laughed about it.
Cheng Ge tilted his head in silent wonder. Has the term 'all-rounder' existed at this time? He really thought it was a modern term or something.
"While the printing press is still on hold, we should probably start investigating your mother's past." Eugene brought up the topic of Elizabeth Montague's involvement in this case. The blonde noble cautiously peered at the younger man to see his reaction.
Lucian sighed softly. "The problem is... where should we start?"
"The hut."
"We don't have the means to open the door-like thing," Lucian answered with his eyebrow raised in a beautiful arched.
He looked sassily beautiful in Eugene's eyes. 'What an attractive young lad,' he subconsciously thought, staring back at the golden-eyed man.
"She must've left it behind, probably at your mansion. Just like what she did with her journal," Eugene voiced out his tentative guess, sipping again on his cup of tea. "We can try."
Lucian's eyes widened. "Are we going back to the dukedom?"
"Obviously." Eugene rolled his eyes at him. "Why, are you planning to leave that task to your brothers?"
Lucian happily punched the air with a huge grin on his handsome face. "I ain't complaining about that, bae."
He was so happy, he forgot he was supposed to act like a Victorian man.
Lucian didn't notice the way Eugene's eyes deepened when he uttered those words. The blonde alpha didn't say anything else either, so Lucian thought it was simply brushed off by the Marquis.
"When will we leave for the Grand Duchy of Le Riche?" Lucian giddily asked, his golden eyes extremely bright and beautiful.
Eugene leaned the side of his face against his fist, his elbows lazily resting on the chair's arm. "We can go as early as tomorrow morning. We can start packing up after lunch so that we can take a rest early this evening."
"Alright," Lucian beamed at him before walking his way through their room. They were supposed to prepare after lunch, but Lucian used the remaining 30 minutes before lunch to do so.
Eugene followed after the man, helplessly leaning by the doorway with crossed arms. "I said, after lunch."
"Let's not waste the time, Eugene," Lucian answered back as he opened his suitcase before stuffing it with his clothes. He turned his head towards the blue-eyed man. "You should probably prepare too."
Eugene shook his head. "I'll do it later. Just don't pack too many clothes; we won't stay at your mansion for too long."
"Sure, sure." Lucian busied himself with packing up; his back was the only thing that Eugene could see from his position.
The Marquis could tell that Lucian was truly looking forward to this. He must've missed his brothers so much. Lucian's excitement somehow transmitted to Eugene as well. A fond smile escaped his lips as he walked toward the younger man to give him a back hug.
"Ah, you're too heavy!" Lucian complained with a stiffled groan as he tried to balance their combined weight by firmly leaning his hands on the floor.
Eugene chuckled. "You're so adorable. I want to cuddle with you."
"While I'm packing?" Lucian raised an eyebrow at him, brushing Eugene's cheek with his knuckles. "Although I'm not complaining about the hug, you know I have priorities."
"You prioritize packing your suitcase more than our cuddle time?" Eugene teasingly pouted his lips to act sulky.
"Yes. We can cuddle later anyway, so don't be too greedy. Avarice is bad." Lucian lightly reprimanded him, gently pressing his lips on Eugene's pouty ones. "Behave and wait for me to finish. I'll cook our lunch."
Eugene hummed, but he never moved away from Lucian. Instead, he cozily settled his head in the crook of Lucian's neck, breathing in the familiar scent of spring. "You smell good."
"I know. Only my pheromones would make you feel uncomfortable," Lucian said, chuckling softly as he folded his clothes to fill in his suitcase.
Eugene frowned. "I'll make sure to get used to it."
"Don't rush it, Eugene. It's normal. We're both alphas, remember? Our pheromones will never be compatible," Lucian muttered softly, his eyes flickering pensively. He sighed. "If only I was an omega..."
Eugene tightened his hold on Lucian's body, his lips pursed into a scowl, and his brows drawn tight. "Please don't say that. You being an alpha will never be a disadvantage in my eyes. We'll do just fine."
"Oh, Eugene," Lucian whispered with a loving smile etched on his lips, his eyes affectionately looking at Eugene's crystal-blue ones. "It was just an expression!"
"But still..."
Lucian tilted his head to kiss Eugene's nose before kissing the man's pursed lips. "I know. I know how much you're willing to like me. Love me, even. Calm down," he whispered, his breath fanning on Eugene's pinkish-thin lips. "Thank you."
Eugene's tight eyebrows finally relaxed as he leaned closer to return Lucian's soft kisses. "I like you so much. So much that I don't want you to hate any part of you. You're my everything," he uttered slowly, sticking his tongue out to lick Lucian's lower lip.
That was enough to drive Lucian's mind haywire. The idea of preparing for their short trip was cut short as Lucian turned around, placing his hand on Eugene's lower back to carry him to the bed.
Eugene compliantly spread his legs apart, letting the younger alpha settle himself in between his legs. Lucian leaned down to take in Eugene's soft lips again, his hand cupping the blonde man's jaw to lift his face up. Their eyelashes touched due to their closeness, fluttering lightly as they shared passionate kisses.
Eugene raised his arms to hook it around Lucian's neck, breathing hard as he arched his back to let Lucian play and massage his waist.
"You're such a sly fox. You intended to distract me from packing up." Lucian voiced out his conjecture as he palmed the blonde alpha's chiseled abdomen. "Well, I guess it's not bad to play a little bit. You can be my lunch."
Eugene's dazed eyes regained their focus as he understood the underlying meaning behind Lucian's soft whispers.
Crap. He was going to be eaten up by the bronze-skinned tyrant again.
"Have mercy on me, Lucian."
"Never."
...
"You're unbelievably cruel despite looking angelic," Eugene groaned as he plopped himself on his favorite single chair. In front of him was their table, filled with newly cooked foods made by Lucian. The blonde Marquis caressed his neck before he gently cupped his sore nipples. "You're literally a beast."
Lucian laughed. "Have you learned your lesson, Eugene?"
"Oh, shut it," Eugene quipped back, glaring at the alpha with his crystal-blue eyes. "I'll pay you back for this."
"I'll be waiting then." Lucian playfully winked at him as he settled himself on his own single chair. He started munching down on their lunch before he gave Eugene a swift glance. "You actually look better with my bite marks on your skin," he suddenly commented, nodding approvingly as he scanned Eugene's fair skin covered with his hickeys.
Eugene consciously lifted up the collar of his white shirt in a futile attempt to hide the marks. His cheeks flared with a shade of red after hearing Lucian's casual remark. "I said, shut it."
Lucian simply grinned at him as he continued eating his meal.
The Marquis bit his lower lip first before he spooned a mouthful of salad into his mouth. While he was munching the leafy vegetables, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. "Should I bring gifts for your brothers too?" Eugene spoke thoughtfully.
"You don't need to, really," Lucian assured him, shaking his head. "They're just greedy if it's me who's buying them stuff, but they're actually good kids."
"But it would still be a worthy shot to get in their good graces, no?" Eugene raised an eyebrow at him with a warm smile.
"Well, it's not a bad idea. They might come to like you even more." Lucian gave him a thumbs up.
"Any suggestions?"
Lucian looked up at the ceiling with squinted eyes. "Hmm... Charlotte likes flashy things; Sebastian is a scholarly young man who loves literature; and Elijah prefers toys and artifacts." He then shifted his gaze to Eugene. "Hope that helps."
"Of course. Thank you for that, Lucian." Eugene charmingly smiled at him, his cheeks still flushed into a rosy glow from their previous, crazy make-out session.
Lucian's golden eyes curled into crescents. "You're welcome, Eugene."