Chapter 331 - Pull him closer

Chapter 331: Chapter 331 - Pull him closer

Ryan had expected many things when he returned from the forest.

He had expected the officials to inspect the bear, the other hunters to crowd around, and the Crown Prince to complain about being beaten after proudly bringing back a mountain lion.

He had not expected Eric to run straight into his arms.

For a moment, Ryan simply stood there, completely stunned. Eric’s arms were wrapped tightly around him, his face pressed against Ryan’s chest without the slightest concern for the blood covering his hunting clothes. The embrace had been so sudden and enthusiastic that Ryan’s mind went completely blank.

Then Eric laughed against him.

"You did it! I knew you could do it."

Something warm spread through Ryan’s chest.

Only a short while ago, he had been riding through the forest trying to understand what it meant to love someone. Now that very person had crossed half the field without caring who was watching and thrown himself into Ryan’s arms.

Ryan’s expression softened, and his body moved almost before he thought about it. One arm slid firmly around Eric’s waist while the other settled across his back, pulling him closer until there was barely any space left between them.

Eric froze.

The hug had originally been his idea. Unfortunately, he had been far too excited about his winnings to consider the consequences of hugging a man who had apparently only recently discovered that he enjoyed physical affection.

Ryan’s body was warm despite the cool breeze, and the arm around Eric’s waist tightened enough that Eric became painfully aware of exactly how much stronger his husband was.

His smile slowly faltered.

Why is he hugging me back like that?

Worse, Ryan lowered his face slightly, his cheek almost brushing Eric’s hair, and showed absolutely no intention of releasing him.

Eric blinked.

A moment ago, all he’d been thinking about was the enormous pile of money waiting for him beneath the canopy. Now his thoughts had become considerably less organized. He could feel Ryan’s chest pressed against him, the man’s hand resting securely against his lower back, and, for some reason, the steady thump of Ryan’s heartbeat seemed far too noticeable.

Then Eric remembered where they were.

They were standing in the middle of the imperial hunting grounds with half the nobility watching them.

He cleared his throat and quickly pulled back. Ryan’s arms loosened, though somewhat reluctantly, and Eric immediately straightened his robes as though fixing them had been the reason he’d moved away in the first place.

"Well." He coughed. "Good hunt."

Ryan looked at him strangely. "Good hunt?"

"Very good hunt." Eric nodded solemnly toward the enormous bear. "Extremely profitable hunt."

Ryan’s brows drew together slightly.

Eric merely smiled.

There was absolutely no reason to explain that part yet.

Before Ryan could question him, attendants hurried forward to deal with the bear. It took several men just to move the massive animal into the open judging area, and once it was dragged fully into view, another wave of excited murmurs spread through the gathered crowd. Even among experienced hunters, bringing down a bear of that size was an extraordinary achievement.

Eric followed beside Ryan, feeling considerably better now that his heart had stopped doing strange things because of one stupid hug.

The Crown Prince was standing near his own mountain lion.

Until Ryan returned, he had clearly been the center of attention. Nobles had surrounded him with congratulations, and even the officials had seemed confident that the mountain lion would secure him first place in the opening hunt.

Now most of those people were staring at Ryan’s bear instead.

The Crown Prince’s smile remained in place, but it had grown noticeably stiffer as his gaze moved between the enormous animal and Ryan.

Eric noticed immediately.

Oh.

He glanced between the two catches. The mountain lion that had looked terrifying only a few minutes earlier suddenly seemed considerably less impressive beside the bear.

Eric almost felt bad for the Crown Prince.

Almost.

Then he remembered his money.

Sorry, Your Highness. Better luck next time.

The Crown Prince eventually looked toward the raised imperial pavilion at the center of the grounds. The Emperor sat beneath a golden canopy surrounded by officials, guards, and members of the imperial household. His expression revealed very little as he examined both kills.

For the briefest moment, father and son exchanged a look.

The Emperor gave a small nod.

It was subtle enough that most people would have missed it, but Eric happened to be watching. Before he could wonder what it meant, the Emperor turned his attention toward Ryan.

"General Ryan."

Conversation across the field gradually quieted.

Ryan stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty."

The Emperor’s gaze moved toward the bear. "What an impressive kill. Even among the royal hunting grounds, finding a bear of such size is rare. Bringing it down is even more difficult." His smile was warm, making him appear every bit the pleased sovereign praising one of his greatest generals. "You have surpassed yourself this year."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Eric remained several steps behind Ryan, watching quietly.

Something about the Emperor’s tone bothered him.

The praise sounded genuine enough, but the man’s eyes were far more difficult to read. Eric’s suspicion only grew when the Emperor leaned back and continued.

"Such a magnificent kill deserves an equally worthy recipient."

Ryan raised his gaze.

"In previous years, you have generously presented your finest catches to members of the imperial family." The Emperor glanced briefly toward the Crown Prince. "Will you give this one to the Crown Prince as well? Or perhaps the princess?"

Eric’s brows rose.

There it was.

That didn’t sound much like a question.

Apparently even dead bears were political.

The crowd around them had become noticeably quieter. Several officials looked toward the Crown Prince while others watched Ryan, clearly waiting to see how he would answer.

Eric slowly folded his arms.

So that’s how it is.

The Emperor had praised Ryan publicly and then immediately reminded everyone of what Ryan had done in previous years. Refusing now would look very different from simply deciding to keep the bear in the first place.

Eric glanced at his husband.

Ryan remained perfectly calm. There was no visible hesitation or irritation, certainly none of the awkwardness Eric had seen whenever he teased him over something stupid. Instead, Ryan simply bowed again.

"Your Majesty is correct. In previous years, I had little use for my catches, so I was honored to present them to the imperial family."

The Emperor’s smile widened slightly, and the Crown Prince’s expression visibly eased.

Then Ryan continued.

"But this year is different."

The Emperor’s smile paused.

Eric blinked.

Ryan turned his head, and their eyes met across the short distance between them.

Eric suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Ryan looked back toward the Emperor and bowed once more. "This year, I have someone I wish to give it to."

A strange silence settled over the hunting grounds.

The Emperor studied him. "And who might that be?"

Ryan answered without hesitation.

"My wife."

Eric’s mouth fell slightly open.

For perhaps two seconds, nobody reacted. Then the entire field seemed to erupt.

Whispers broke out everywhere. Several noblewomen beneath the canopy immediately began talking at once, fans lifting to conceal excited smiles, while even some of the soldiers exchanged amused looks.

Eric stood completely still.

Me?

He looked at the bear, then at Ryan, then slowly back at the bear.

He is giving me a bear?

Of all the gifts Eric had received across his many strange experiences, this was definitely a first.

What exactly was he supposed to do with it? Put it in the bedroom?

Good morning, husband. Lovely weather. Thank you for the enormous dead animal.

Eric rubbed his forehead.

Ryan could have brought him sweets. Flowers existed. Jewelry existed. There were thousands of perfectly normal things people gave their spouses.

This man had apparently looked at a bear and thought, My wife would love this.

Then Eric noticed the reactions around him.

The women who had spent most of the morning discussing embroidery were staring at him very differently now. One younger lady looked positively delighted and was whispering rapidly to the woman beside her. Even the Crown Prince appeared surprised.

Eric’s confusion slowly turned into suspicion.

Wait.

Was this actually romantic here?

He looked at Ryan again. His husband stood calmly before the Emperor as though he hadn’t just publicly announced his intention to give Eric an animal large enough to eat him.

The Emperor clearly hadn’t expected the answer either.

For the briefest moment, something cold passed through his expression, but it disappeared so quickly Eric almost wondered whether he’d imagined it.

Then the Emperor laughed.

"So that’s how it is."

The sound seemed to give everyone else permission to relax, and the tension across the field eased slightly.

The Emperor looked toward Eric before turning back to Ryan. "Our great general has finally become smitten."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Ryan remained composed, although Eric, who had recently become embarrassingly familiar with the man’s reactions, noticed the faint redness beginning at the tips of his ears.

The Emperor’s smile deepened.

"And with a man, no less."

The remark was delivered lightly, almost teasingly, but something about it made Eric’s smile fade.

Ryan didn’t move.

For a moment, Eric wondered whether he would retreat now that the Emperor had put it so plainly in front of the entire court. He could easily laugh it off, blame the marriage on imperial arrangements, or say something suitably polite to soften what he’d just done.

Instead, Ryan lifted his head.

"He is my wife, Your Majesty."

His voice was calm, without even the slightest trace of embarrassment.

Several nearby whispers immediately died.

Eric stared at him.

Ryan hadn’t tried to explain the marriage away. He hadn’t laughed along with the Emperor’s remark or acted as though choosing Eric over an imperial prince or princess required justification. He simply stood there as though there was nothing strange about any of it.

Something warm and uncomfortable twisted inside Eric’s chest.

This guy...

He really needed to stop doing things like this.

Eric had only recently realized he might be getting a little too smitten with Ryan himself. The man was supposed to give him time to recover from that revelation, not publicly hand him bears and call him his wife in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor watched Ryan for several seconds. Whatever irritation had briefly appeared was hidden behind a pleasant expression once more.

"Very well," he finally said. "Since General Ryan wishes to present his finest catch to his new wife, who are we to interfere?"

Ryan bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor gestured toward the bear. "Then it belongs to him."

Eric looked at the enormous animal again.

Wonderful.

He owned a bear.

Ryan returned to his side a moment later, and Eric immediately leaned toward him.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with that?"

Ryan looked genuinely confused by the question. "Whatever you want."

Eric considered that.

"Can I sell it?"

Ryan stared at him.

Eric stared back.

"What? You gave it to me."

For the first time since returning from the hunt, Ryan looked as though he might regret his romantic gesture.

Eric’s lips twitched.

His gaze wandered toward the Crown Prince, whose mountain lion was suddenly receiving considerably less attention, before eventually moving back toward the imperial pavilion.

The Emperor was still smiling.

But he was no longer looking at the bear.

His attention remained fixed on Ryan.

Eric’s amusement slowly faded.

Perhaps there was more happening here than a hunting competition after all.