Is My Love A Burden To You?

Eugene stood next to Kaizer.

After introducing himself to Lord Keerto, Kaizer proclaimed their official engagement, anticipating everyone's blessings.

"In regard to the rumor about my partner having a lover, it is a complete misunderstanding for both of us. This engagement serves to clarify the circulating rumors."

Eugene pursed his lips.

Following the two surprising announcements, the banquet resumed. However, the most talked-about topic was not Kaizer and Eugene's engagement but rather the return of the grand duke's male wife, who had run away after giving birth.

How did the grand duke find his missing wife, who had been gone for years?

Eugene also felt curious.

He had heard rumors about the grand duke's runaway wife, but he never expected it to be a man. This revelation made him realize that Kaizer and Khalil had been conceived using the same method as him and Casimin. It explained why Kaizer, like him, had lived through thousands of repeated cycles. Both he and Kaizer had absorbed all the negative energy, leaving only positive energy for their siblings in the same womb, saving them from [Khalil & Casimin] divine punishment.

He and Kaizer were alike.

Contemplating this fact made Eugene uneasy.

He tightly grasped Kaizer's hand, longing to ask for an immediate explanation. However, he restrained himself.

"I'll go take a breath outside."

Eugene released Kaizer's hand, turned around, and walked away without waiting for Kaizer's response.

He headed straight to the balcony to catch his breath.

Eugene held no hope for Kaizer's change, but at least Kaizer had managed to restrain himself from exerting excessive control over him. In truth, he bore no grudges against Kaizer, despite the countless times Kaizer had killed him. He was only annoyed because he didn't manage to live well to rest his soul from traveling a million lights away.

Kaizer had always been unreasonable.

That was an undeniable fact.

Kaizer's arrogance and confidence were qualities he didn't possess. He also desired to kill Kaizer and seek vengeance, but upon reflection, he realized that spending this lifetime plotting murder wasn't worth his time. While he hadn't forgotten Kaizer's deeds and schemes against him, dealing with a lunatic who lacked emotional awareness and understanding of relationships was simply exhausting.

Was this life his last?

He's been traveling in different worlds, he also wanted a rest.

If this life truly marked his final journey, why not attempt to settle down? After dying, he could seek retribution from the gods upon ascending and finally free himself from the shackles of thousands of years of memories and experiences.

Redemption was nothing more than a non-existent concept.

He doubted he could escape the abyss into which he had fallen.

But at least he would have Kaizer to accompany him in the darkness.

He was not alone.

"Daughter-in-law?"

Eugene choked and coughed, turning his head to face the person.

"Grand Duchess," Eugene greeted between his labored breaths, patting his chest, and asked, "What brings the grand duchess here? His excellency might panic if he doesn't see you around."

Keerto observed his daughter-in-law while fidgeting with his fingers.

"I-I was feeling bored, so I came here to take a breath. I didn't expect to find you."

"Understood." Eugene exhaled, "Please address me by my name."

"Ah?"

Keerto tilted his head, momentarily forgetting his daughter-in-law's name.

What to call?

"It's Eugene, your excellency."

"Ah..." Keerto's face reddened as he lowered his head, his long chestnut hair swaying with his movement, "I apologize."

A fleeting softness crossed Eugene's usually expressionless face as he smiled briefly before retracting it.

"Your excellency, there's no need to apologize. It's my fault for not properly introducing myself. Allow me to rectify that now." Eugene placed his hand over his chest and bowed. "My name is Eugene Aimer Shradinza, from the Marquis House of Shradinza. It's a pleasure to meet you, your excellency, the grand duchess. I hope you will excuse my rudeness for introducing myself late."

"N-No."

Keerto shook his head. "M-My son already introduced you. I-I just forgot due to my poor memory. It's actually me who is being rude. I apologize."

Eugene let out a smile for a moment.

"Can you stay here for long? The grand duke might come looking for you."

After all, Kaizer was a lunatic, so it made no difference if the grand duke shared similar traits.

"No, he knows I'll be here."

Eugene glanced toward the entrance and noticed a few knights standing there, discreetly observing them. Looking at the innocent grand duchess, Eugene felt an urge to scold the grand duke as a beast. It was no wonder the wife had run away; the grand duke must have been a bully.

Keerto took a step forward and stood beside Eugene.

He raised his head and gazed at the starry night, sighing.

"To be honest, I'm still surprised that I have sons and that I'm married to such a powerful man."

Eugene raised an eyebrow.

"When the Catharis found me, I was frightened."

Catharis?

Eugene's pupils dilated. Did the Catharis find the grand duchess for the grand duke? Just how much does the Catharis value the Karsten family?

"They told me to stop playing hide and seek and return to where I truly belonged. But I have no idea where I really belong, as I can't even remember anything except my name."

Eugene stared at Lord Keerto.

"The grand duchess has no memories?"

"Yes. I cannot recall my past or how I, a grand duchess, ended up in the countryside, living my life as a farmer. People there only told me that I was found floating in a river, and the village head ordered people to rescue me. From that point on, I lived under the village head's benevolence and worked hard to repay their kindness."

Eugene frowned.

Suddenly, he felt an urge to step into the Fatum Realm and read Lord Keerto's records to uncover what had transpired.

"But it's fine. The villagers treated me well, and now I have been found by my husband."

Eugene's lips twitched.

He could only hope that the grand duke would treat this man well.

Keerto let out a soft chuckle and turned to gaze at his beautiful daughter-in-law in awe. "You are my eldest son's marriage partner. My husband informed me of how much my son adores you. I'm grateful that I have returned in time to witness my son's engagement to you."

"B-But..." Keerto scrutinized his daughter-in-law from head to toe before whispering, "Since my son is marrying you, a man, does that mean you have the ability to conceive as well?"

Eugene choked for the second time.

"G-Grand Duchess, that is a rather..."

"No! Please don't misunderstand! I'm not implying that you need to give me a grandson immediately. I'm simply curious!"

But that wasn't much better!

"Your Excellency, you may be mistaken about certain things."

Eugene feigned a cough, "Men can only conceive through the use of a spell." But he didn't desire such a thing, as it went against the will of the gods to create life from a man's body. He didn't want to bring a child into the world just to subject them to the same wrath he had experienced from the heavens.

He didn't want to repeat his parents' mistakes.

"A spell? You mean magic?!"

Eugene nodded.

Keerto's jaw dropped, and he placed a trembling hand on his stomach.

Conceiving with the aid of magic—was it truly possible? No, the real question was how he had allowed himself to undergo such a method. Was his love for the grand duke so strong that he desired to bear their bloodline? Wait, was he madly in love with the grand duke?!

Keerto furrowed his brows, lost in thought.

"The practice doesn't harm the bearer's body, but it puts the fate of the child at stake," Eugene explained, lowering his gaze.

"Grand Duchess, if I were to marry Kaizer, I don't believe I would allow myself to have a child with him. At least, not in this world. I'm informing you of this so you and the grand duke won't have expectations., as I will never go through with it."

Keerto nodded in understanding.

"That's fine. Being pregnant as a man sounds dreadful. Don't force yourself."

Though he wondered why he had agreed to such a thing, Keerto set aside his thoughts and changed the topic to build a good relationship with his daughter-in-law.

After spending a few minutes on the balcony, Kaizer and the grand duke approached them, urging them to return indoors due to the cold outside.

Keerto blushed as he was led away by his husband, while Eugene simply snorted.

"Brother! Sister-in-law!"

Khalil ran towards them, followed by Euric and Casimin.

"Congratulations, sister-in-law, on your engagement with my brother!"

Eugene hummed and patted the little kid's head, then looked at his brothers, asking, "It's getting late. Are you going back or staying in the duchy?"

Casimin shook his head. "I'll be going back. Cadmus is probably waiting for me."

"Why didn't you bring Cadmus with you?" Eugene inquired.

Casimin lowered his gaze and pursed his lips. He couldn't reveal to his little brother that Cadmus had killed him [Eugene] in the past, so he wanted to prevent the two from crossing paths.

"Cadmus doesn't enjoy banquets that much."

Eugene didn't inquire further and simply said, "I see," which made Casimin breathe a sigh of relief.

"What about you, brother Euric?"

Euric shrugged. "I'll be going back too. I can't leave Eunice alone in the mansion."

Eugene widened his eyes.

"Why didn't you go with Eunice?!"

Euric hissed as his little brother hit him on the shoulder and pouted, "She doesn't want to. She said she doesn't want to witness her brother getting married. I told her it's just an engagement, but she still refused, insisting that you no longer liked her. That's why you left."

Eugene felt helpless.

"I'll write her a letter and send it tomorrow."

The banquet came to an end at midnight. Eugene bid farewell to his brothers and watched as the grand duke led the grand duchess away from his peripheral vision. Khalil followed his parents, while Kaizer walked towards him and swiftly pulled him upstairs.

Eugene was about to retract his hand and push Kaizer away, but when they reached the bedroom, Kaizer pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately.

"Ah... Mmmh..."

Eugene gasped and clutched Kaizer's clothes.

The atmosphere instantly heated up as Eugene responded to Kaizer's kisses.

Kaizer wrapped his arms around Eugene's waist, while while the other hand supported Eugene's head, allowing Kaizer to pin Eugene against himself as he ravished Eugene's lips, savoring them like a sweet delicacy.

It had been a while since the two of them had kissed each other.

Eugene breathed through his nose, attempting to push Kaizer away momentarily to catch his breath, but he wasn't released for even a moment.

"Mmmh! Ah... Mmnh..."

Kaizer delved his tongue into Eugene's mouth.

As their lips met, Kaizer felt an immense comfort and an overwhelming desire to keep Eugene within his embrace. Eugene's lips were so soft that Kaizer couldn't resist taking a bite, causing Eugene to wince in momentary pain, leaving a lingering numbness.

When Kaizer finally let go, he leaned forward. Their foreheads touched.

Eugene's mouth remained open as he gasped for air, trying to catch his breath.

A string of saliva connected them, but Kaizer placed a slow and tender kiss on Eugene's lips one final time.

"I'm so happy today, do you know that?" Kaizer said.

Eugene closed his parted lips and met Kaizer's eyes.

Their faces were so close that it felt as if they would bind their lips together for another kiss at any moment. Their breaths entwined, and the sounds of their heartbeats seemed to resonate throughout the room.

Kaizer's eyes darkened, and he lifted Eugene.

Eugene was taken aback and wrapped his legs around Kaizer's waist, exclaiming, "Hold on, Kaizer!"

Eugene's face was still red from the previous lack of oxygen.

Kaizer walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, placing Eugene on his lap.

"Can you stop thinking about it and marry me?" Kaizer asked, holding Eugene's hand and planting a kiss on it before pressing it against his cheek.

"Eugene, I love you deeply. I love you so much that I will never get tired of chasing you. For a hundred or thousand years, I will follow you until my preceded death."

Eugene's eyelashes trembled.

He moved his hand to caress Kaizer's cheeks and whispered, "Why is your love so overwhelming?" before resting his face on Kaizer's shoulder, feeling a tinge of complexity.

"Is my love becoming a burden to you?"

Kaizer made Eugene face him, his deep obsidian eyes seeming to draw in Eugene's soul.

"Tell me, is my love a burden to you?"

Eugene didn't speak. Instead, he kissed Kaizer deeply, conveying his feelings through actions.

Kaizer's eyes turned red, and as they kissed, he slowly and gently removed Eugene's clothes, wanting to feel the warmth of his lover's skin. In this moment, no words could adequately explain their complicated emotions, but knowing that Eugene didn't refuse intimate contact, Kaizer continued to hope—hope that one day Eugene would confess his feelings.

The moonlight streaming through the window enveloped their figures on the bed.

Eugene pushed Kaizer away and straddled him.

"It's not that I have no feelings for you."

Eugene removes the remaining clothes in his body and continues, "I just wanted to make sure, I'm not feeling this out of Stockholm syndrome."