The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 10

“Grrrgle.” Keith’s stomach growled at the worst possible moment.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you? Let’s go out to eat. My carriage is still waiting.” Kaes thought of the nearest restaurant, only a few minutes away by carriage.

Keith hesitated. “No need to go through all that. I still need to water the flowers and feed Xiaolu. Besides, Vansen will be back soon.”

Kaes didn’t trust Vansen’s cooking—it was more alchemy than cuisine. Kais felt they absolutely needed a normal meal now. Keith eventually agreed.

They watered the flowers, then returned indoors to feed Xiaolu.

Keith prepared Xiaolu’s meal with care and placed it on a dish—it included fruits alongside its main feed, elegantly arranged, as if the parrot were the master and the humans were left to eat the terrifying “dark cuisine” Vansen cooks.

“Xiaolu, come out and eat,” Keith went to the cage by the window.

Xiaolu was standing on a tree branch outside the window. “No, I want to play at the inter-net.”

Did they have internet in this era? Kaes was confused. “What do you mean, ‘internet’?”

Magic households were too advanced. He thought.

“Hurry up and eat! You can go play on the inter-net after you finish,” Keith placed the dish on a small table next to the cage.

He sounded like an anxious parent whose child was addicted with playing online games.

“Caw-caw-caw! Inter-net!” Xiaolu spread its wings, attempting to fly, but it couldn’t; it hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Keith took the opportunity to grab it, pressing it down on the table to eat. Keith pointed to the ceiling: “That net.”

Kaes followed his gaze. Suspended below the ceiling was something woven from several intertwined ropes resembling a fishing net, for the bird to play on.

It was a physical net—an inter-net”…

Keith changed into a coat. And the two headed out after tidying up.

Keith sat in the carriage. Although he was still physically weak, seeing Kaes beside him made his spirits unusually high.

Not far from the house, they ran into Vansen, who was returning with a handful of several wilted plants. Kaes had the carriage stop and the two looked out the window at Vansen.

“Where are you two off to?” Vansen waved.

Keith leaned out the window. “Dinner.”

Kaes asked, “Want to join us?”

Vansen was no fool. He wasn’t about to third-wheel his best friend’s budding romance.

“I’ve got to process these ingredients,” He shook the plants in his hand, and one of the plants made an unhappy grunt and frowned.

As Vansen turned to leave, Kaes called out, “Wait, Vansen—I have a question.”

“What is it?”

No way! Is he seriously going to ask? Kith panicked, tugging awkwardly at Kais’s jacket. “You…”

“What do you want to ask?” Vansen repeated.

Keith panicked. He’s really going to ask? He tugged Kaes’s sleeve, flustered.

“What do you want to ask?” Vansen repeated.

“Can’t I ask?” Kaes turned to Keith, who looked nervous and evasive.

“You don’t need to ask him. I know the answer,” Keith said quickly. He couldn’t bear the awkwardness of all three being caught in that moment.

Vansen left.

The carriage rolled on. Kaes waited silently.

He imagined the scene where Vansen revealed the answer. All three would be mortified, and he would have to face Vansen at home afterward. That would be too awkward.

Vansen went home.

The carriage continued. Kaes remained silent, waiting for Keith to tell him.

Keith felt the awkwardness spreading. He pursed his lips, turning to meet Kaes’s gaze, but quickly looked away.

“That method is kissing. Saliva can…”

Ah, ah, ah, this is so embarrassing! Keith felt his face starting to burn.

“…” Kaes was speechless. He hadn’t expected that. He stared at Keith’s tightly pressed lips, unsure what to say.

Keith could only hear his own heartbeat and the sound of the carriage wheels. Kais’s silence made him feel a little disappointed, but he understood. Kaes has someone he liked. Being friends with him is already enough.

A few minutes later, the pair arrived at the seaside restaurant. Kaes finally broke the silence: “We’re here. Let’s go.”

The waiter led them to a window seat. The restaurant was warmly decorated with checkered tablecloths, candles, and flowers, overlooking a beautiful evening view of the sea.

Dishes were served one after another. Lanqi’s cuisine was mostly seafood, but there were other dishes and desserts as well.

A roasted suckling pig was brought out. The golden pig had its mouth wide open, seemingly mid-scream. The pig’s head was facing Kaes.

Kaes thought it looked like a distressed animal mid-experiment. Couldn’t they serve anything normal? This dish was giving him a look of agony!

“That expression is so exaggerated, like a clown,” Keith viewed it differently. He found the pig hilarious and amusing. He poked the pig’s head with his knife.

Kaes forced himself to agree, thinking it looked vaguely similar.

“Sir, this is one of our signature dishes, the Roasted Train,” the waiter announced, pushing out a dining cart.

It was a composite dish: half a chicken, half a rabbit, half a duck, and half a piglet, all stitched together. Since the dish was too large, it had to remain on the cart.

“Ah… that’s certainly a novel name,” Keith exclaimed, feeling his curiosity satisfied once again.

Novel? It’s a monstrosity. Kais was instantly reminded of The Human Centipede, where people were sewn together.

Seeing Kaes’s lack of enthusiasm, Keith asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Seeing that instantly killed his appetite. Kaes felt completely calm. He took his knife and carved the roasted suckling pig. “Go ahead and eat. You need rest. You should sleep early today; I won’t be able to visit you tomorrow or the day after.”

“Busy with what?”

“I have to manage the change of the Inspector-General and prepare to welcome the Third Prince.”

Keith acknowledged this, but he felt a little deflated. He lowered his eyes and ate the food on his plate. He tried to liven the mood: “I’ve been to so many places over the years, but never the desert.”

What was so great about the desert? Kaes said, “There’s nothing there.”

Keith looked dreamy. “The view is expansive.”

Kaes paused his fork. “…Mhm.”

Good grief, the awkwardness again. He heard that Mages and Warlocks loved nature. Kaes? He was a walking anti-element. No way he’d ever be a dual-class protagonist.

The two left the restaurant as the sky grew darker. A sliver of orange sunset was still visible on the distant horizon.

Outside, Kaes noticed a familiar person sitting by the road opposite the restaurant. The person was gnawing on a piece of bread, with several paintings spread out beside him.

Kaes looked closely. It was the young artist. Keith had already boarded the carriage but saw Kaes hadn’t followed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to talk to him,” Kaes nodded toward the young artist.

Lanqi had no night market. Shops closed by 8 PM at the latest, and street vendors packed up even earlier, around 5:30 PM. The young artist was still out at this hour. Kaes wondered if something was wrong.

He walked over and asked, “Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

Even though Lanqi had many patrols, commoners were advised not to go out after 8 PM. It would be troublesome if anything happened.

“Governor, sir, I’ve already packed up. I’m just eating dinner, and I’ll head home soon…” The young artist, a man in his early twenties, looked travel-worn and exhausted, speaking as he ate.

A single thin piece of bread was his dinner. Kaes guessed the artist wasn’t selling well. “Is this all you’re eating tonight? How long have you been sitting here?”

“I’ve been here a while. I have water, don’t worry about me,” the artist forced a smile, pulling a bottle of water from his bag to drink.

Kaes glanced over his paintings. The artist’s technique was actually quite good, but without a reputation, it was hard to sell. From where the artist sat, he could see exactly where Kaes had been eating. “Did you see me eating over there just now?”

“Cough! C-c-cough! Yes… Yes, sir,” the young artist choked on his water. He looked nervously at Kaes, afraid the Governor was angry. “I was just resting here and happened to see you…”

“Paint me a picture. Me and that gentleman, sitting there. Don’t go out selling these days. Finish it fast—I’ll pay a rush fee.” Kaes handed him a bag of gold. “This is the deposit.”

“…Huh? Ah, oh! Okay!” The artist was suddenly handed a bag of money and became incoherently excited. The Governor wants him to paint! He felt like he was dreaming. “I’ll do my best, Governor! I’ll go back and paint it right away!”

The young man quickly stuffed the rest of his bread into his mouth, nearly choking, and gathered up his unsold paintings.

Kaes got into the carriage. He saw the artist struggling to wave at him from the window, his figure getting smaller in the distance.

“What were you talking about?” Keith leaned on the window, watching the hyperactive artist.

“You can guess,” Kaes smiled. Seeing the artist’s work, he suddenly wanted a painting of himself and Keith. He had several portraits of himself and Long Shi at home, but he had no interest in them.

Keith: “Did you think the one I bought last time made you look ugly?”

Not ugly—just… goofy. Blame the original host.

The carriage was dimly lit by an oil lamp. Kaes didn’t reply. Keith took it as agreement. “You won’t scold him, right?” Keith still liked that painting and looked at it every day.

Keith liked that painting. He looked at it every day.

“If I scolded him, would he be that happy?”

“True…” Keith pondered.

Seeing him deep in thought, Kaes called out softly, “Keith.”

“Hmm?” Keith looked up, suddenly encompassed by two strong arms. Combined with the slight bump of the carriage, he leaned forward and rested against Kaes.

Keith looked confused. Kaes’s face drew closer. His right cheek was bathed in the warm yellow lamplight, while the left was lost in shadow. A pair of lips pressed strongly against his own. The Alpha’s breath enveloped him.

There was no stimulating Alpha scent released, only a careful, gentle enclosure.

Keith’s heart jumped violently. For a moment, he forgot to breathe.

Kaes held Keith’s waist. The Mage was smaller than him, and his waist felt slender. His lips were as soft as the dessert they’d just eaten. A faint scent of narcissus lingered.

Kaes looked down, while Keith was frozen, eyes wide, staring at him. Keith’s cheeks were crimson, as if he might pass out from holding his breath at any moment.

The sound of the wheels covered the sounds inside the carriage. The coachman, oblivious, slowed the horse and announced, “Sirs, we’re almost there.”

The carriage stopped. Kaes reluctantly let go of the man in his arms. “See you the day after tomorrow at the dock.”

“Mhm… See you the day after tomorrow.” Keith felt dizzy. He got out of the carriage and saw Vansen waiting for him at the door.

The night breeze cooled his burning cheeks. He waved at the carriage.

Neither mentioned Longshi.

Vansen’s first words upon seeing him were: “Do you have a fever?”

“I’m fine,” Keith said. Back inside, he still felt like he was in a dream. He didn’t know what Kaes was thinking. They had been awkward, and then Kaes had just kissed him.

Vansen closed the door. “I saw a new bottle of painkiller at home, unlabelled.”

“Kaes made it for me,” Keith replied, taking off his jacket, his voice full of delight.

“What? The Governor brewed medicine for you?” Vansen was astonished.

“Mhm. It took three exploded crucibles to make. Can you brew me one tomorrow? I don’t want to drink this one. I want to hug it while I sleep.” Keith picked up the freshly brewed painkiller from the coffee table, gave Vansen a winning smile, and went upstairs.

“Are you even speaking English? You only care about him. You pest!” Vansen chased him up the stairs.

What kind of weird behavior is hugging a painkiller bottle while sleeping? This friend needs to get married already. That way, he’ll finally have some peace. Vansen thought.

And so, a peaceful night passed.