“It’s a shame Aleric hasn’t been speaking to him. It bothers Zacharie.”
Pfft. Hardly.
“It’s not like I’ve stolen his little brother, but I think that’s what he feels,” continued Gautier. “I do wish they’d make up.”
“Once you two are married, I’m sure he’ll eventually get over it,” said Jaime.
Gautier paused. “At this point, I’m starting to doubt it. I do wish Aleric would make an effort to talk to Zacharie and clear the air.”
“They’re both getting older, and Aleric will likely get remarried someday so he can have an heir. He’ll have other things to worry about, and I doubt they’ll still be bitter later once you’re all married and have your own little families. That’ll take precedence.”
“You speak with more sense than some lords. Let’s hope Aleric learns to think like you. I’d hate for a rift to remain between them.”
Pfft. He was such a bullshitter. Jaime could barely stand to look at him.
As they neared the stairs, a man hurried into the entrance hall. “Alexandre, can I talk to you?”
“Of course. I’ll see you later, Jaime.”
Jaime said bye and didn’t hurry up the stairs since he was curious as to what the other man wanted to speak of. As both wandered toward the main entrance, the man started complaining that the horse he’d planned to buy for his daughter had already been sold.
“That's why I told you to put some money down on it,” said Gautier. “I doubt you’ll find one that fine with the coloring she prefers.”
“Do you know of anyone who might have one with unicorn blood?”
Their voices faded as they stepped out, and Jaime continued upstairs. Buying special horses didn’t sound treasonous. He wanted Aleric to return soon so he could tell him about it. Even though Aleric wanted a break from him, and Jaime couldn’t pretend that two people should always be plastered at the hip, he also wanted him to return because…
He’d grown used to the future lord. He wasn’t sure if a friend was the right word since Aleric wasn’t that open with him. Technically, Jaime was his employee. They talked at times, but there wasn’t what he’d call a lot of sharing, and Jaime had to becareful to remember little fibs about his past if he brought up anything.
But he hadn’t made friends with anyone at the Castle, so Aleric was pretty much all he had. He was also used to him being around, and without them verbally clawing at each other, Jaime couldn’t pretend he didn’t like looking at a pretty face. He’d been careful not to make comments especially about Aleric gagging on his cock since that hadn’t gone over well.
Not that he didn’t think about it. It was hard to not imagine dirty things when he jerked off in the privacy of the privy room. A gorgeous man he couldn’t touch wasn’t far away. Sometimes, he wanted to bend Aleric over something, pin him, hear him beg to be bred, and sink himself into Aleric’s slick, tight ass. Jaime hadn’t been with anyone else in a while. Besides making the future lord cum on his cock, he wouldn’t mind a nice cuddle and touch beyond sex.
Aleric had called him pushy, and Jaime didn’t want him to be perpetually uncomfortable. He was stuck with his hand for the foreseeable future.
Since Aleric wasn’t back, Jaime headed for the library to wander through the shelves. He ended back in the section where he’d seen a few abundant male books. Since the opportunity was right there, he might as well take one in case he was lucky enough to marry an abundant male in the future. The librarian barely looked at anything Jaime wanted to read, and he’d simply push over a huge ledger. Anything removed was supposed to be recorded, and the books were to be returned in a couple of weeks, although the rule wasn’t strictly enforced.
Jaime didn’t keep books in general while drifting. They were heavy and took up space in his pack, and if he collected any while staying somewhere long-term, he sold them before moving on. They also cost money and selling a used book didn’t bring much profit, so he often didn't get to read as much as he liked.
He selected a different one he hadn’t seen, scanned through it, and decided he’d make sure Aleric didn’t see it. A Guide for Husbands of Abundant Males During Pregnancy wasn’t a book to leave lying around since it might seem like Jaime was hoping to get Aleric up the pole and in the Temple for marriage. That wasn’t the best idea since he’d mentioned he hoped to marry an abundant male one day.
When he returned to the sitting room, Aleric wasn’t back yet. He settled on the couch with his new book.
The foreword made him frown when it mentioned abundant males could be hard to deal with during pregnancy because they tended to get emotional and whiny.
Men such as Aleric shared a similarity with women since they could have a baby, but Jaime certainly didn’t view him or any abundant male as a woman. What was the husband supposed to deal with? They’d still be two men in a relationship, and it didn’t matter if one happened to have the ability to conceive and birth a child. If the pregnant one was emotional or crying, maybe that had a reason. The author sounded like he thought abundant males were a nuisance.
He hadn't gotten far when Aleric returned.
“Anything happen?” he asked before Jaime could say a word.
“Gautier talked to me.”
“What did he say?” Aleric stood behind the armchair and leaned on the back while Jaime recounted the conversation.
Once he finished, Aleric rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he’s congratulating himself that he got to have a talk with you.”
“I’m sure he’d prefer to have you dead by next summer if he’s actually planning to marry Zacharie then,” said Jaime. “Or after the wedding if he can’t manage it before. Get you out of the way, let Lord Monet grieve, wait a while…You know. Hopefully, he thinks you’ve told me nothing important, and I’m clueless.”
