Chapter 15: This... Was the Duke insane?

Julian fell.

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact of the snow-covered floor and maybe the impact he might feel if the snow did not cushion his fall enough.

But what he felt on collision wasn’t the cold snow or the hard floor underneath it, but a pair of massive and warm arms.

The Duke, on seeing Julian fall, spread his arms wide without even thinking and broke his fall. Though the force of the impact sent them both backward into the deep, powdery snow.

For a breathless moment, the world was nothing but white silence and the frantic thrum of Julian’s heart. He was pinned against the Duke’s chest, the man’s heartbeats aligning with his own in a steady, heavy throb.

Julian was paralyzed by the weight of his sin that he could not even bring himself to lift his head. He had not only trespassed; he had tackled the Grand Duke of Alaric into a snowbank.

’If I just pretend this never happened, will it be fine?’ he thought, squeezing his eyes as he could already see the view of the guillotine set up for his head.

"I don’t know who you are," the Duke’s voice suddenly rumbled right against Julian’s ear, vibrating through his entire body. "But I can interpret this as an attempted assassination, right?"

Julian flinched, his eyes snapping open. He finally raised his head and looked into the Duke’s face, which was inches from his own. The man’s expression was unreadable, his gaze tracking the frantic pulse in Julian’s throat.

"No, no! I deeply apologize, My Lord," Julian stammered, his hands instinctively pushing against the Duke’s firm chest to get up, and subconsciously felt the hard was of them. "It... It wasn’t intended. I simply lost my footing. I’ll leave immediately—"

But he couldn’t move. The Duke’s arms, thick and warm, tightened around Julian’s slender waist, holding him firmly in place so he couldn’t even escape.

> [Target: Duke Alaric — Affection: 0%]

> [Status: ...Intrigued / Captivated]

"You haven’t answered my question," the Duke whispered, his breath a warm mist in the cold air. "Is the view up there really that good? Or were you just looking for a way into my sight?"

Julian’s face went from pale to a deep, burning crimson. He was trapped in the arms of a man who looked like he had just found his new favorite plaything to break.

This... Was the Duke insane?

Julian’s mind raced as the Duke’s grip tightened. The heat radiating from the man’s body was overwhelming, a sharp contrast to the freezing snow beneath them. Julian felt like a rabbit caught in a snare, his face burning with a shame that surely outshone the setting sun.

"It really wasn’t... I mean, I am merely the tutor, Your Grace!" Julian squeaked, squirming in the iron-clad embrace. "I was just—"

His movement caused his hand to brush against the Duke’s shoulder, and Julian suddenly remembered what he was still clutching. He looked down, and his breath caught in his throat.

’What am I even doing?’ he asked himself, shutting his eyes. "My Lord, I merely wanted to climb the tree." He whispered, fearing that his reason would put him in even more trouble.

"You just wanted to climb the tree." The Duke repeated and Julian nodded. "Then, why did you pluck the apple?"

"I..." He raised his voice a little too much. He wanted to say he did not pluck it, after all, he was interrupted before he could, but then sank back, shaking his head as his eyes landed on the apple in his hand.

He plucked it during his fall. And not just that, the apple had changed.

On the high, frozen branch, it had looked like a withered, shriveled husk of a fruit, but now, held in the palm of Julian’s hand within the circle of the Duke’s warmth, it had transformed. It was perfectly round, its skin so shiny and taut it looked like a polished ruby, or a golden apple dipped in blood. It practically glowed against the white backdrop of the snow.

An apple that would make good apple tarts or apple pie, he thought.

Julian stared at it, then slowly turned his gaze back to the Duke.

"It’s because," Julian whispered, his voice trembling as he held the impossible fruit out between them like a shield. "I thought it was dying. But look at it," his gaze softened at the apples. "...it’s beautiful."

The Duke’s gaze lingered on Julian’s softened eyes and could not tear away, but the moment Julian was about to meet his gaze, he shifted from Julian’s flushed face to the radiant apple. For a moment, the predatory intensity in his eyes vanished, replaced by a profound, heavy silence.

> [Target: Duke Alaric — Affection: 1%]

> [Status: Mesmerized]

But was he mesmerized by the apple or the warm look in the eyes of this man who was resting on top of his body?

The chime of the 1% increase was the loudest thing Julian had ever heard. It was the first point of affection he had seen from the man, and it felt more significant than a hundred points from anyone else... Especially in this situation he had found himself in.

"They call apples that bloom in the cold winter the winter Heart," the Duke murmured, his voice losing its sharp edge. He didn’t take the apple; instead, he wrapped his large hand over Julian’s, covering the fruit and Julian’s fingers at the same time. "It only blooms once every decade. They say it only reveals its true form to those who aren’t looking for power."

The Duke leaned in closer, his blond hair brushing against Julian’s forehead.

"So, who did you say you were again?" he rumbled, his eyes searching Julian’s mismatched pair.

"I... I am Julian Von Astrea, your son’s tutor." Julian finally introduced himself, but for some reason, this earned a from on the Duke’s handsome, tanned face.

"If you weren’t looking for power up in that tree... what exactly were you looking for coming here to the North?"

Julian swallowed hard, his fingers tingling where the Duke touched them. "I was looking for... something real. Everything in the capital is so fake."

Coming from his lips, even when his identity as Julian was fake, made his pulse tremble.

The Duke’s thumb traced the back of Julian’s hand, a slow, deliberate movement that made Julian’s heart skip a beat.

"Is that so?" The Duke finally let go of his waist, but he didn’t move away. He stayed in Julian’s space, the 1% affection flickering and then steadying at 2%. "Then keep it. If you can make a dead tree give you its heart, perhaps you can actually manage to survive my son. And me." The last bit sounded like a threat, his eyes sending waves of malice at Julian.

Julian gulped and nodded.

"I... I’ll do my best."