Not Yours (BL)

William placed the picture back, lay down, and drifted off to sleep.

Morning

Bertram entered the room with a tea trolley and spoke in a calm tone. "My lord William, it's time to wake up."

William stirred, slowly sitting up as Bertram poured him a cup of tea. He rubbed his temples, feeling unwell.

"My lord, if you're not feeling well, you should rest more," Bertram suggested with concern.

"No, I don't want to sleep. I have many things to do—I need to visit someone," William replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

Bertram sighed. "Very well. I will prepare some medicine for you." He left the room.

Just then, a man in knight's armor made his way to William's quarters. Spotting Bertram, he greeted him with a warm smile. "Hey, Bertram, it's been a long time."

"Sir Aclaric, good to see you," Bertram replied, bowing slightly.

"Where is William?" Aclaric asked.

"He is in the bedroom," Bertram informed him.

Aclaric nodded and stepped inside.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked as he walked in.

"Ah… stressful," William sighed. "What about you? What brings you here?"

Aclaric took a seat in the chair beside William and said, "The Crown Prince has been sending us messages in the form of files, but it's not safe."

William furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I caught a maid snooping through the files in your office. She's currently in my secret basement. But when I checked her... she turned out to be a man in disguise, using makeup and a maid's dress to hide his identity," Aclaric explained. His tone was serious. "Be careful, William. You trusted one of the maids and even asked her to check on the others."

William let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Aclaric asked, noticing his exhaustion.

"Yeah, I think I have a fever," William admitted.

"You should rest," Aclaric said as he stood up. "Now, I have duties to attend to. You know, knights are very busy people." He smirked and gave William a playful wink.

William's face turned slightly awkward.

With a chuckle, Aclaric turned and left the room. 

Bertram was in the kitchen, where Jonathan was busy helping with the café duties.

"Hey, Jonathan, you're handling the work pretty well," Bertram remarked.

Jonathan grinned. "Yeah, I've learned by watching you."

Bertram nodded. "Lord William isn't feeling well. Here—take this medicine and give it to him," he said, handing Jonathan a small vial.

"Alright, I'll take care of it," Jonathan replied.

As they glanced out the window, they noticed a carriage pulling up outside.

Jonathan raised a brow. "That must be Lady Seraphina."

Bertram sighed. "I'll go check."

He stepped outside just as Lady Seraphina descended gracefully from the carriage.

"Welcome, Lady Seraphina," he greeted with a slight bow.

She glanced at him, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Oh? You're back at work?"

"Yes, I am," he confirmed as they walked into the mansion.

"Where is Walter?" she asked.

"The Young Lord isn't here," Bertram informed her.

Seraphina turned to face him fully. "He's not here?"

"No, my lady.."

She sighed, just as Jonathan walked into the hall where they were standing.

"Hey, Jonathan," she greeted.

Jonathan approached and gave a small nod. "Welcome, Lady Seraphina."

She studied him for a moment before smirking. "Looks like you're doing pretty well. Do you know where Walter is?"

Jonathan hesitated. "No… how would I know?"

"Oh? You really don't know?" she pressed, her voice laced with suspicion.

"No, Lady Seraphina," he answered firmly.

Seraphina sighed. "I thought you knew." She turned on her heel and walked toward the carriage. "I'm leaving," she said before stepping inside. With a flick of the reins, the carriage rolled away.

Bertram watched her go and shook his head. "Ah, the Young Lord never stops causing trouble."

Jonathan let out a small chuckle before suddenly remembering something. "Oh! I should give Lord William his medicine." Without wasting another moment, he hurried toward William's bedroom and entered the room.

But the bed was empty.

Jonathan looked around in confusion. "Lord William…?"

Before he could react, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Hey, Jonathan," William's voice murmured near his ear.

Jonathan tensed, realizing William had just taken a bath. The only thing covering him was a loosely wrapped towel around his waist.

"My lord, you should get dressed," Jonathan said, trying to keep his voice steady.

William smirked. "Oh, it's alright. I'm fine like this."

William suddenly pushed Jonathan onto the bed, pinning his wrists above his head. Leaning over him, he smirked.

"Ah… this look on your face—you look like a cute little kid," William teased.

Jonathan's face flushed. "My lord, please… not now," he murmured, trying to keep his composure.

William chuckled. "Ahaha, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything." His voice dropped into a whisper. "I just want to kiss you."

Before Jonathan could protest, William cupped his face and captured his lips in a deep, lingering kiss. When he finally pulled back, a satisfied grin spread across his lips.

"Now I'm feeling good," William said, standing up.

Jonathan quickly sat up, trying to shake off his flustered state. "M-My lord, you should take your medicine."

William let out a light laugh. "No need. I'm already feeling better after tasting you. This…" He tapped his lips. "…is my medicine."

Jonathan sighed, covering his face with his hands. "My lord, you're impossible."