Theodore POV.

I stayed by Noah's side stroking his beautiful platinum hair gently. God everything about that man is beautiful. His fairly white skin, his beautiful purple eyes, and his sweet voice. I love them all so dearly.

I left our bedroom feeling happy now I finally have closure about the incident of the letters, but something still bugs me. I am sure that my letters reached the castle safely, but how come it didn't find its way to Noah? Is he lying?

No, no! I decided to believe in my husband! Not to mention, he is not the type who'd ignore me. I can sense it, that Noah does like me, as a friend at least.

I met up with my troops at the dining hall. May sat down beside me as always. "So? Tell me, why did he never reply to your letters?"

"Noah said that my letters never reached him, he said he was actually looking forward to them since I told him I'd write him."

"That's weird, he doesn't seem like the type to lie. I can feel it, my gut never lies."

"Well... Your gut saved our ass so many times so I believe in it, not that I don't believe in Noah in the first place... Anyways, let's forget all about it. We have all the time in the world so I can fill him in about our adventures."

"Noah... He resembles Owen a lot... Not appearance-wise, I mean the air around him. They are siblings after all... I only had Owen for one year, but Noah had him all his life, I'm jealous." May said. I pet May's head gently who was trembling as she tried her best to hold back her tears.

May and Owen were best of buds. Their relationship was of a big brother and little sister, though May is three years older than him. May's feelings developed into romantic later on and she planned to confess to him after the war ends. Unfortunately, that never happened since Owen was killed.

In truth, May actually wanted to assign herself as the alchemist of his troop, but they already assigned one for his and she ended up in my troop and I'm glad she was. If it weren't for her help I might have died during our hunt for the dragon and even in the war. If she didn't contact Owen about our supplies being cut, we might as well be dead.

"Anyways! According to my observation and calculation of prince Noah, the possibility of him falling in love with you at this rate are extremely low." I choked on my food then glared at her. "It's science."

"H-How much the rage we're talking about?"

"I'd say 5%."

"Ugh so low... What should I do?"

"It is not what should you do, rather what should he do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean prince Noah's reputation is already bad from the rumors circulating about him, not to mention how everyone know about the letters. There is also his low self-esteem."

"I don't care about any of that, I just want to be with him."

"You might not care, but everyone-- including Noah cares. I think deep down he's thinking stuff like 'Do I deserve to be with an honorary knight?' or 'I am worthless, I would not be surprised if he divorced me and married someone like princess Hina.' and stuff like that."

"You're not wrong... He did actually confront me about the divorce."

"ooh~ the guy got some guts. You waited 2 years to be with him, now wait a couple of months until he falls in love with you."

"You're right... I finally have my love in my arms, I won't screw it by rushing him."

"Exactly! King Regis is awful for setting so many conditions for you to marry prince Noah. First getting the bracelet of the opposing enemy's king. After you got him the bracelet the bastard dared and took back his words by saying he'll only acknowledge you if you slay the dragon of the east-- which you did. He is so heartless for sending you out immediately after the war ended without even seeing your husband!"

"It is fine, it is all worth it if it means I can be with Noah."

"I just don't understand why someone like you is so in love with prince Noah! Like yeah, I understand he is a cutie, but I know you don't fall for looks nor were you hungry for his statue as a prince."

"Noah..." I sighed then I closed my eyes remembering how we cuddled in the carriage. "I have known him for a long time, my beautiful and misunderstood prince. I would kill all the beasts of the world if it meant to be with him."

"Cringe." I glared at May then karate chop her again. "Ow! You violent man!"

Noah POV.

I woke up to see that it is already nightfall. I spotted Theodore doing some paperwork on his desk. As though he sensed that I have awoken he stood up then approach me. "Good evening sleepyhead."

"Mhm... How long was I out?" 

"Three to four hours, don't worry the night is young."

"I'm hungry." I rubbed my stomach then Theodore smiled gently.

"I thought you'd be hungry, lucky for you it is dinner time, let's go to the dining hall."

"Okay, let me just freshen up." I went to the bathroom to wash my face and fix my hair. I grabbed my crown and fixed it up. Honestly looking at a hunk such as Theodore first thing when I'm awake is not bad.

Theodore escorted me to the dining hall. The hall was brimming with jokes and laughter, but as soon as Theodore and I entered, everyone went quiet and I froze in front of the door.

'We don't want you here' is written all over their faces. I am used to these looks, every time there is a party in our castle or if the royal family is invited to a banquet I get these stares. It doesn't make it less painful or suffocating, to be honest.

I started to retreat, but Theodore grabbed my hand firmly as though reassuring me that I'm needed by him. "OOOOIIII! WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE?!! HURRY UP AND JOIN US THEO, PRINCE NOAH!!" May shouted cheerfully. Her smile encouraged me to step forward and I join her.

"Finally, prince Noah joined us! I was wondering about your whereabouts during lunchtime." A man said.

"I-I was asleep, th-the long journey took a toll o-on my body." I answered.

"I see! I see! I thought you didn't want to sit with a bunch of lowly peasants, ahahaha!"

"Th-That is not true! I-I would like to know about Th-Theo's friends."

"Awww... Isn't prince Noah so cute?" May said petting my head which made me embarrassed.

"Oi, stop messing with my husband! He is mine!" Theodore said then pulled my head to his chest which made my face turn to a very bright shade of red. Theo's boobs are so close!

"Possessive much? Stop being clingy to prince Noah or else he'll get sick of you." May said.

"That's true! That's true!" Another man agreed with May. Theodore let go of me then looked down, he looks like a child that had just been scolded.

"I-It is okay i-if you want to be c-clingy Theo." I said which made Theodore cheer up.

"You heard him! Noah likes me the way I am!" Theodore said smiling confidently.

"What are you? A child? Ahahahaha!" May said.

"U-Um Ms. May, if it is okay with you, I'd like you to call me by my name only."

"O-Oh Okay Noah! You too! Just call me May!"

"Can I call you Noah too?" A man said which I replied with a nod.

"Me too! Me too!" Another man said and again I nodded. The lively mood returned to the dining hall as everyone gathered around me.

"You know our leader, he always talks about you."

"What does Theo say about me?"

"Like how beautiful your hair is and how much he misses--"

"Enough all of you!" Theodore shouted then covered my ears. "Stop teasing me in front of him!"

"But leader, we were all were waiting for this moment." A man said.

"No! You don't get to do that!" Everyone started laughing and I ended up joining them.

"Ahahaha!" I laughed loudly then suddenly everyone stopped laughing.

"Ooh~ So our cold prince is capable of laughing~" May said.

"You're so cute!" Someone said. I glanced at Theodore to see him staring at me while his face is bright red. He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss.

"Back off! My husband!" Theodore said.

We all ate then chatted more before retiring to our rooms. Apart from me and Theodore; May also lives in the castle. She has her own tower though, no one is allowed to enter other than Theodore and the cleaning staff. Theodore's subjects all live in the town with their families. Today was a special occasion that's why everyone was at the castle.

"Hey~ Noah~ Mind if you join me at the garden~?" May said showing me several cans of alcohol.

"Sure."

"I'll join you too." Theodore said.

"No, no! This is between me and my brother-in-law, I would like to get to know him personally. You do your work."

"Brother-in-law? Huh? Is May your sister?" I asked.

"No, but we are like one... Anyways, be nice to him." Theodore said.

"Sure~ Sure~" May said then we went to the garden.

We sat at a nearby bench breathing the night air. The moon is full which pleases me. Ever since I remember the sight of the moon always brought me joy and strength, I wonder why?

"So? Do you like it here at the castle?"

"Oh, yes, it is so lovely that I wished I came here earlier." Why did I never receive Theo's letters? Where did they go?

"Are you seriously telling the truth about Theo's letters never reach you? Theo is blinded by you so he'll believe anything you say, but not me."

"I am telling the truth! Before Theo departed he wrote a letter saying he'll write for me, I actually still have that letter. Every morning I would wait, one letter at least to know if he is faring well, but I never got any. I thought he was just flattering me."

"I see..." May said then she offered me a drink. "You're not lying, I can tell." 

"Thank you for believing me."

"Oh I don't believe you, I believe in my intuition and science. Your body was not shaking, nor were your legs were trying to find an escape by facing the exit." I looked at her surprised. "Body language, it is something Owen-- Your brother taught me."

"You know Owen...?!"

"Yep, I only had him for a year, but I felt like a lifetime when I was with him. Owen changed me for the better, taught me life is not just about science and alchemy."

"Wait... I remember, were you the crazy child he complained about...?"

"I-I'm not a child! I'm older than you all! I demand respect!"

"I-I didn't mean to be rude! Actually, Owen was very fond of you, he told me about the time when a crazy paintball flew around to paint the room, but the experiment failed and the ball ended up spraying the whole room and people in it."

"Ugh don't remind me, Owen made me clean all the mess." May said then drank some. "That idiot, I miss him a lot."

"Me too, he is a prince, he didn't need to participate in the war, but his pride didn't allow him to not go."

"Sniff... I loved your brother you know... Sob..." May started to sob. "I didn't get the chance to tell him about my feelings because I was too much of a coward to tell him how I felt... I wanted to confess to him after the war ended."

"... You know I think Owen liked you too."

"Why would you say that?" May said wiping her tears away.

"On Owen's last letter he said he'd take me to this new restaurant and he wanted to introduce you to me, you were the only girl he ever hanged with so frequently and spoke so fondly of."

"That doesn't mean I was special to him."

"That's the thing... When we heard that Owen... Died, we were all devastated. I would go to his room and cry, I actually stumbled upon a ring-- an engagement ring, I think Owen wanted to propose to you after the war ended."

"... Ugh... Sniff... So that was the urgent thing he wanted to tell me after things settled down." May tried to hold her tears, but she couldn't. "Ugh I'm sorry, I can't stop them from flowing, I will see you another day Noah. Thank you for telling me, I at least have closure about how Owen felt about me."

I saw her silhouette disappear as she headed to her tower. As for me I stayed drinking my sorrow away. I'm glad I at least gave her the reply she so wanted for years. I wonder what it'd be like to love someone to the point you'd cry for them. Do I have someone like that? 

I closed my eyes and the first face that came into my mind was Theo's. I quickly open my eyes and drank more. No, no, I don't deserve to love or be loved by someone like Theodore. He deserves so much better than a good-for-nothing prince like me.

I do want to be his strength, I want to help him. Theodore has been nothing, but nice and gentle to me. I will try to be a good husband. My eyes felt heavy as I watch the full moon as though it is guiding me to it.

...

..

.

Suddenly I felt familiar arms holding me. I open my eyes slowly to see that it was Theodore. Did I fall asleep on the bench? I didn't bother to wake up and went back to sleep.

Theodore POV.

It was getting late and I started to worry about Noah who hadn't returned yet. I went to the garden and he was there fast asleep. I swear to God, I will beat May for leaving him. He looked so cute, I don't know, but for some reason, I felt like the moonlight is trying to steal him. I quickly carried him princess-style while making sure I would not wake him up.

Once we reached our bedroom, I laid him on our bed. He seemed bothered by his clothes as he clinched into his collar. I gulped at the enticing sight of Noah being vulnerable, I quickly undo his tie and plant a kiss on his now exposed collar bone.

"Goodnight." I can't sleep next to him, not with my hard-on, I held it then placed a medicine for Noah, I'm sure he'll get a very bad headache tomorrow.

I quickly went to the bathroom to relieve myself then slept on the couch.

To Be Continued...

Author Note: Hello my cherries, sorry for not updating chapter three on time, I thought I schedule it XD