Chapter Text
Deruth noticed. He noticed on how Cale started to go out more often even disappearing for weeks without any announcement or word. He saw on how his son was lighter and happier like some burden was lifted off his shoulder.
He sent someone to investigate what was happening with his son. He was relieved that his son was happier ever since his mother had died but he was sad that it wasn’t with him.
When the report from one of the knights, he found out that his son was meeting someone even staying at their place. His son was much happier with some stranger that he had never heard or seen before (based on the description of the report about him) other than his family, other than him.
Deruth was also curious. Curious about the man who saw his son better than him and made him happier than he has seen in 10 years. The count decided to invite him over to dinner to learn more about the man.
***
Cale was nervous. His father decided to invite Roksoo for dinner.
He was sitting on Roksoo’s couch restless. He couldn’t sit still moving every few minutes.
“Right, what’s wrong?”
Roksoo beside him was starting to get annoyed at the alpha’s restlessness spat out the question.
Cale being caught sheepishly smiled at him and then looked down hands on his lap opened his mouth.
“You don’t have to do this, but I would like for you to go, but I’m not pressuring yo-”
“Get to the point,”
“My family wants to meet you, and has invited you to dinner tonight,”
Cale spilled out instantly. His ears turning a flush red looking down at his lap playing with his hands. He looked like a puppy who got into trouble.
“You don’t have to go-”
“Sure”
Cale perked up looking up at Roksoo, an imaginary tail wagging behind him. The omega squinted at the scene before him. It was a funny picture.
“R-really?!”
“Yes, I will,”
Cale then wrapped his arm around Roksoo’s waist, nuzzling in the omega’s neck. He didn’t know why he did that, but it brought him comfort and he really liked his partner’s scent.
Roksoo leaning into the noble’s clinginess and enjoying the attention from him.
The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, the two were in their own little bubble without any disturbance or worries.
***
Violan was out in the garden as it was a perfect day to go outside. While she was having her tea, she heard some maids whispering to each other, they weren’t very secret about it.
“Have you heard?”
“What?”
“Young master Cale has brought someone to the mansion, and the man was so pretty that I almost thought it was a girl!”
“Wait, what? Really? THE young master Cale? The one I’m thinking of?”
“YES, him!”
“He brought someone to the estate? Who was it? Was it someone who was a noble?”
“No! It was a commoner can you believe that? He had some foreign features, so I’m guessing he came from another kingdom!”
“No way!”
“Ladies get back to work, stop chit chatting!”
The head maid scolded them and the two scattered back to work.
Violan froze. Cale brought someone to the estate? Here? She did hear from Deruth that a guest was coming tonight and was involved with Cale, but she didn’t know how close they were. But hearing what the maids whispered to each other, the two were pretty close considering that Cale personally brought him over to the estate.
She took a sip of her tea. She will meet him at dinner then.
***
Basen was quite anxious. He couldn’t focus even on his studies today.
His father just announced to the whole family that a guest was coming, and the guest is involved with his older brother.
His pen slipped out of his hand and splattered all over the work he was doing.
“Ah-!”
He looked at the ruined form and sighed. He really couldn’t focus, even his tutors questioned if he was alright since he seemed quite out of it.
He keeps thinking of the guest his brother will bring to dinner tonight. What is the relationship between the two? Were they close? His brother did seem much happier these past few days even disappearing for days than appearing at the mansion again.
He hopes that the guest was nice and hopes to have a good meeting with him if it means getting to know his older brother much better.
***
Lily was excited but nervous at the same time. Her orabuni was meeting someone out of the mansion! And she will be meeting him tonight. (Tonight!!) Father said some words that she couldn’t understand but she did understand that someone who knows her older brother is coming to have dinner with them.
She was happy for her brother since he was getting happier with the guest (She can tell, she is a smart girl), but she was upset that he wouldn’t really spend time with her even disappearing more often because of that man.
She wants to learn more about her older brother. Maybe the guest coming to dinner tonight can show her his secrets of getting close to him!
She was quite excited.
***
The pair walked into the mansion. Cale brushing his hand against Roksoo’s twitching, wanting to hold it desperately except he couldn’t because they were in public and there were eyes watching them both with curiosity and surprise.
“Stop that,”
Roksoo smacked the hand that was about to grab his hand away. The red head pouted and crossed his arms.
“Tch,”
Roksoo rolled his eyes.
He didn’t see the wide-eyed servants and surprised gasps around him, but Cale did. He huffed and glared at the servants. They flinched and rushed back to work not wanting to anger the noble.
“What happened?”
“Nothing!”
Cale smiled suspiciously.
The omega narrowed his eyes as he stared at Cale obviously not believing his lie.
“Sure, alright…”
Then a grey-haired butler appeared. His uniform having no creases and having a benign smile on his face.
“Young master, welcome back,”
Cale looked at him and nodded then looked back with Roksoo with softened eyes.
Roksoo tensed slightly. Ron Molan. The runaway assassin that is disguised as a butler for the Henituse family.
He felt those sharp eyes scanning him from head to toe, assessing and calculating if he was a threat to his young master of not.
“Oh? And who is this young master?”
The voice being sharp and questioning.
“Roksoo, my b… my friend”
Cale almost blurted out the truth but then spilling out a lie perfectly.
Ron narrowed his eyes, suspicion raised with curiosity showing in his eyes, but he let it slide.
“Roksoo, this is Ron my personal butler,”
Cale said in a softer voice to his partner that Ron raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly controlled his expression.
Roksoo nodded.
“Nice to meet you,”
Ron nodded his head and then asked.
“Young master, would you like for me to lead you two to the dining room?”
Cale nodded lazily then started to follow the butler, Roksoo walking beside him.
***
The puppy young master found a friend.
Ron was suspicious of the person beside his young master, but after assessing him in person he knew he wouldn’t hurt his young master.
He knew about Kim Roksoo.
The butler naturally investigated on the foreign man.
He was suspicious at first since the young master has been disappearing for days now. It had started small before, a few hours to full on days he wouldn’t come back to the estate.
So he investigated on why. Turns out it was someone, a foreign man with no background information. There was nothing about his past. Perhaps he ran away from something and decided to settle in the Henituse territory.
His suspicion rose as the young master started to go out hours longer and then ended up disappearing on for a couple days.
He knew that the young master could take care of himself and doesn’t need protection.
He remembered the past. On how the young master’s scrunched and disgusted face. Like he was smelling the worst thing imaginable.
He remembered on those piercing glowing eyes glaring right at him and that immense pressure radiating off him.
***
A loud crash was resonated through out the estate as shouts and screams were heard.
Servants running toward the exits scrambling and yelling to each other. Knights trying to put out the fire, escorting some servants out to safety and running towards the east wing.
“There is a fire!”
“Get the count!”
An angry fire was shining brightly in the east wing of the estate, Cale’s room.
Cale.
Ron ran towards the direction where the young master’s room was, ignoring the shouts to get away and to stay away from the fire.
“Young master!”
Ron shouted out. Hoping Cale would respond.
He arrived at the young master’s room, he saw the knights trying to clear out the area and some knights trying to get into the room, but they were acting strange.
“-y away!”
He entered the room. He felt it before he saw it. A strong pressure emitting from an area.
His eyes met reddish brown ones, and the pressure intensified. The glare from his young master sent chills down his spine and he felt some emotion he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Fear.
His skin prickled as he stared at the young master.
Ron took in the surroundings. The damaged furniture, some of the fire peaking through the cracks.
Then he looked back at Cale. He saw his scrunched and disgusted face as his glare was piercing him.
“Young mast-”
“Get away from me!”
The young boy stepped back in disgust.
“Stay away from me! You all smell!”
Smell?
He can think about that later, his first priority was to lead the young master to safety.
His voice dropped a bit.
“Young master, let’s get out of the wreckage first, okay?”
Cale’s eyes narrowed. For a beat nobody said anything.
“Fine,”
He followed Ron towards the emergency exit, slightly distancing himself from other people.
Ever since then, the young master has complained many times that everyone smells. Even though the everyone else couldn’t smell what he could and everyone washed and cleaned everything at least twice. Cale started to distance himself from other’s not letting other people get near him, the only exception being Ron.
If people get to close, he will get violent and yell at them. He became even more violent after the countess arrived. He also became picky with food and clothes.
Cale’s attitude towards his family wasn’t friendly but it wasn’t rude either. He just avoided them and has never acted out in front of them though his disgust was shown by the furrow of his brows.
***
Ron’s eyes glazed over.
This is the first time that the young master’s face was relaxed and calm ever since the incident.
“Right then, follow me,”
The butler bowed and walked ahead of the two who were following behind him.
His ears pricked, listening to the conversation between the pair trying to get anymore information about the man.
“Roksoo, can we go back to your place after this?”
“Sure, Cale”
Hm.
First name without any abbreviation. A commoner calling the young master without the abbreviation was quite intimate.
Ron narrowed his eyes slightly.
***
The two arrived at the dining hall.
The Henituse family was already seated at their preferred seats.
Deruth sitting at the end of the table, Violan sitting beside him, Basen sitting at the other side of Deruth opposite Violan and Lily was sitting beside Violan.
Their heads looked towards the entrance.
Roksoo observed the odd family.
Deruth’s face showing contempt and curiosity at the two.
Violan’s tern face showing no expression, but her eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement.
Then his eye’s drifted towards the two young siblings.
Basen was fidgeting in his seat, face showing anxiousness and nervousness, but his eyes shown with curiosity like his mother.
Lily however was the opposite of her brother. Her face openly showing excitement and curiosity.
Roksoo then bowed as he introduced himself to the Henituse family.
“Hello, I’m Kim Roksoo, it’s a pleasure to personally meet the count and countess and the two younglings,”
Deruth nodded approvingly then gestured the two with his hand to sit down.
“Greetings, Kim it’s a pleasure to meet you too, dinner will be served shortly,”
Cale strolled over, his hand dragging Roksoo toward the table and sitting down opposite of Deruth.
Roksoo sat down right beside him.
A silence washed over them for a brief moment.
“Roksoo~”
“…What?”
He made a gesture with his hand wanting to hold hands.
“No,”
“Whyyy,”
Cale was now whining. Surprising everyone in the room.
Is this Cale? Has he been replaced?
Roksoo sighed and hooked their legs together under the table without preying eyes watching them and Cale stopped whining, eyes brightened.
Deruth coughed into palm.
“It’s nice to meet you Kim, I’m Deruth Henituse the count of the territory and this is my wife Violan Henituse,”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Kim,”
Violan greeted in a calm voice silently observing.
Rok Soo politely nodded as he looked at the two children.
“I’m Lily! Nice to meet you!”
Lily declared loudly having a bright smile on her face as she stared at Roksoo.
“And I’m Basen H-Henituse, it’s nice to meet you,”
Basen stuttered out his introduction, shyly and nervously staring at the man beside his older brother.
Roksoo’s eye’s softened a fraction as he looked at them both and nodded his head.
“It’s nice to meet you too,”
“So, Kim how did you meet Cale?”
“Oh, my first name is actually Roksoo, and my Kim is my last name,”
“Apologise Roksoo,”
“It’s alright, but to answer your question,”
Roksoo smiled mischievously, his eyes turning up slightly.
“Cale ran after me and hugged me from behind when I finished my shift at my workplace, isn’t that right Cale?”
Cale’s eyes widened.
“Roksoo!”
Cale exclaimed his face and ears flushing a deep red, embarrassed. The dark-haired man teasing the red head.
The family’s eyes widened at this statement. Cale initiated contact? And grabbed him no less?
“Where are you from?”
Violan asked, quietly looking over at the two who one of them was flushed a deep red and the other prodding at the flushed face.
After Roksoo heard the question, he froze for a second but went back to normal. Those who were observing closely noticed but didn’t make a comment on it.
“Ah… My hometown is no longer I’m afraid,”
Roksoo looked at Violan with an expression which could be described as sombre.
Violan paused at the revelation and then put a sympathetic face on her face.
“Oh, my condolences,”
“It’s alright,”
A silence then washed over them as the family observed on how the eldest son of the Henituse family was actually relaxed and calm without that furrow in between his brows.
Basen felt a dull ache in his heart. Why did his hyung trust this stranger more then them? What does he have that they don’t?
As he was about to ask the question a high-pitched voice laced with curiosity and excitement beat him to it.
“Mister! How old are you?”
Roksoo looked over to Lily and his eyes softened just a bit.
“I’m 36 years old,”
“36!”
Basen blurted out in surprise and flushed at his words, still shocked at the age reveal.
“Roksoo, your 36?”
“Yes? Is there a problem?”
Cale shook his head so fast Roksoo thought his head might fall off.
Roksoo raised an eyebrow.
“There is nothing wrong, it’s just…”
Violan started the sentence, hesitating to continue.
Roksoo tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Just what?”
“You look very young!”
Lily exclaimed, her hands grabbing the edge of the table with shock.
“Oh, do I?”
“Yes!”
The whole family blurted out.
“Oh,”
Silence came over them again until a butler entered the room and announced that the dinner was ready.
The food was brought over and placed in front of them, the rich aroma of the food made Roksoo’s mouth water.
The servants in the room started to tremble a bit and tensed, ready for another tantrum.
The family started eating, still observing on how the two interacted with each other. Tensing at what reaction the Cale would give when his friend was here.
Cale was picking at his food, not wanting to eat it. Roksoo sighed.
“Cale eat your food,”
“Tch,”
“Cale don’t click your tongue at me and eat your food”
“Fine…”
Cale mumbled out, starting to actually take bites out of the food and not picking at it.
“It’s not as good as yours,”
Roksoo rolled his eyes.
“Nonsense, I can’t cook as good as this,”
“No! Yours is better!”
Roksoo then sighed, not wanting to deal with him and not wanting to argue in front of the Henituse family.
The pair started to quietly talk to each other being oblivious of the eyes staring at them.
Deruth was shocked. Cale was eating and not throwing a tantrum? What did he miss? Where did he go wrong?
Violan however was observing them both ever since they arrived at the dining room. She thought about it. Every time cale looked over at Roksoo, his eyes would soften as he looked at him and his voice becoming soft and low. As she looked more closely, she saw a glimmer of emotion passing through his eyes.
Her eyes widened in realisation but quickly schooled her expression.
Basen who was watching them saw how his hyung was being teased by the man and on how the man can get away scolding him, touching him even though his hyung hates it. As he watches more, he sees that his hyung doesn’t seem to mind and even enjoyed.
Lily was just enjoying her food looking over from time to time towards the pair. Her glances weren’t subtle.
The servants froze, quick glances towards the pair as they resumed their work though not paying attention to their work.
A few minutes went by, then Roksoo surprisingly spoke up.
“What does Lily want to do in the future?”
His voice was quite soothing and soft talking towards the 7-year-old. He seems to be fond of children.
Lily’s eyes brightened. Violan tensed slightly but relaxed beside her.
“I want to be a knight!”
The three brunettes observed Roksoo’s reaction, that was showing no expression on his stoic face for a minute then they saw Roksoo’s eyes soften more.
“That’s great Lily, your parents support you right?”
“Yes! They do!”
Lily was happily chatting with Roksoo and Roksoo calmly responded towards her. Basen even started to join in the conversation.
The atmosphere in the dining room eased and became lively.
***
Cale was watching on how Roksoo would soften toward his siblings. And on how respectful he was towards his family.
His heart swelled with love and happiness as he stared at Roksoo who was talking with his siblings with soft eyes and a slight smile on his face.
Roksoo glanced over to him and smiled slightly, tugging at their intertwined legs giving him a sense of security.