"Aren’t you busy, Your Grace?" Julian asked.

"Would you like me not to be busy?" Alaric responded, and Julian looked past him at Lucius, still standing at the door, waiting for the conclusion.

"That’s not an answer, but if you’re less busy, I think it would be fine if you joined for classes." He said, sighing in defeat, and the Duke turned to break the news to his son.

"When I am less busy, I will join your classes," he said, and Lucius’s face lit up.

He nodded and quickly rushed out after the prince and princess.

​Once the doors clicked shut and they were alone in the heavy silence of the library, Alaric didn’t pull the collar away or make a joke. He simply reached out and caught Julian’s hand, lacing their fingers together over the yellowed map. Then, he placed his other hand gently on his waist.

​"You’re magnificent when you teach," Alaric whispered, his voice thick with a raw, honest sincerity. "I knew you were brilliant, Julian, but seeing you command a room like that... I find I am even more ’enamored’ than I was this morning."

Julian felt the heat rising to his face, a different kind of flush than the one the children had provoked.

"You were... surprisingly helpful, Lucien. I didn’t expect you to be so cooperative."

​"I told you," Alaric said, his hand sliding from Julian’s waist up to the back of his neck, his thumb tracing the sensitive skin just below the ear. "I am a strategist. And a good strategist knows when to follow the lead of a superior mind."

​He leaned down, his forehead resting against Julian’s.

"Now... about that mosquito. I believe it’s time for a proper inspection. Let’s see what ’it’ did to you."

​Julian’s breath hitched as Alaric’s fingers found the top silver button of the midnight blue coat. One by one, with agonizing slowness, the Duke undid the buttons, and Julian did not resist.

As soon as the Duke shifted the collar aside, the cool air of the library hit Julian’s collarbone, but it was immediately chased away by the heat of Alaric’s gaze.

​The Duke pulled the fabric aside completely, exposing the darkened, violet mark Liora had spotted. His eyes darkened, a flash of primal satisfaction crossing his face as he stared at his own handiwork.

​"A ’big and stubborn’ mosquito," Alaric repeated softly, his lips hovering over the mark. "It seems the insect has a very refined taste. It chose the most beautiful spot to leave its claim."

​"Lucien, we’re... we’re in the library," Julian gasped, his trembling hands coming up to rest on Alaric’s broad shoulders, though he didn’t push him away. "Anyone could walk in. Sir Kaelen, the maids..."

​"Let them," Alaric growled against his skin. He didn’t kiss the mark but rather bit it—a gentle, possessive nip that made Julian’s knees buckle.

But before his knees could give out, Alaric caught him easily, pulling him flush against the edge of the table.

"Let the whole Empire know that the Royal Tutor has a pest problem he cannot seem to shake."

​Julian let out a broken sound, half-laugh and half-sob, as he tilted his head back, exposing the line of his throat to the man who had truly conquered him. The geography of the North was nothing compared to the map Alaric had drawn on his skin.

​"You’re... terrible," Julian whispered, his fingers tangling in the Duke’s golden hair.

​"I am your lover," Alaric murmured, his lips traveling up to Julian’s jawline. "And I don’t share my treasures, Julian." He leaned closer, his lips nearly touching Julian’s. "Now, about that chill. Shall I chase it away?"

"How?" Julian asked, a small smile on his lips. He knew the Duke was aware of his lie, but Alaric was playing along regardless. "How will you chase away the chill?"

He tangled his fingers softly over the Duke’s wild locks, and the Duke whispered softly,

"With the heat of my body,"

​He captured Julian’s lips then—a deep, slow kiss that tasted of tea and wine.

Julian’s sigh was lost against Alaric’s lips, his body melting into the Duke’s solid frame as the heat promised truly began to rise, chasing away the fabricated ’chill’ until only a feverish, genuine warmth remained.

Alaric’s kiss was no longer the hungry, desperate siege of the previous night; it was slow, possessive, and thick with a terrifyingly deep affection. He pulled Julian closer, his hands steady against Julian’s waist, anchoring him to the present moment.

For Julian, whose life had been a series of tactical retreats and survival instincts, this surrender felt more like a victory.

He pulled back just an inch, his breath hitching as he looked into Alaric’s eyes, which were now dark with a mix of reverence and unyielding resolve.

"You really are a dangerous man, Lucien," Julian whispered, his voice trembling as he traced the line of the Duke’s jaw. "You make me forget what I am doing with a simple kiss."

Alaric let out a low vibration of a laugh, his forehead resting against Julian’s once more.

"In this room, Julian, there is no tutor and no Duke. There is only us. And as long as you are mine, I will be the shield that ensures you never have to be worried about your actions anymore. Be free to do whatever you want." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Those words comfort me. Julian thought, and Alaric leaned in to capture Julian’s lips again.

His hands roamed over his body, disheveling Julian’s clothes even more as his calloused hand brushed against the surface of Julian’s skin.

"Ahhh—!" Julian let out an involuntary moan, a sound that was broken and jagged. "Lucien,"

"Yes, my love?" Lucien answered, his lips never leaving Julian’s skin. "What do you want me to do?"

Julian looked into his eyes and then admitted.

"Hold me. Hold me and don’t let go." Tears gathered in his eyes for various reasons. And one of them was that this might all be in his head. "Please."

The library felt smaller now, the high shelves of ancient books pressing in around them, but Julian didn’t mind. In the circle of Alaric’s arms, the rest of the world simply stopped existing.

"I have you," Alaric rasped against the hollow of his throat, his breath hot and possessive as he wrapped his arms around Julian, sinking his fears and his tears. "No one gets to you. Not while I am drawing breath."

Julian sighed into the kiss, melting into the heat, finally feeling like he could stop running.

Every touch from the Duke felt like a brand, a claim.

For the first time since waking up in this world, Julian felt... safe. Not just guarded by a sword, but truly untouchable.

With Alaric’s heart thudding against his own, Julian let his head fall back, a soft moan escaping him as he tangled his fingers in those wild, golden locks even further. He let himself believe it. He let himself think that as long as he was here, in the arms of the Duke, nothing could ever hurt him again.

But that was a thought processed too soon.

Because the next moment he wakes up, things will not be as simple as they appear anymore.