CHAPTER 68: MADAM AND PARTNER

He looked annoyed, but even that was endearing. Dominic didn’t mind one bit and carried him all the way up the stairs to the second-floor room.

It was the same room Shiao Yi had once teleported into before. But because Dominic had carried him in his arms this time, it felt different—like he was bringing home a bride, and that filled him with a warm joy.

Suddenly, Dominic’s cheeks were grabbed and stretched outward.

"Shiao, what are you doing?" Dominic mumbled through pulled cheeks.

"I’m a man! I’m not a Madam!" Shiao Yi said, pouting as he tugged Dominic’s cheeks out as far as he could.

"Ow, that hurts, stop it!" Dominic protested.

"You were grinning like an idiot, Dominic," Shiao Yi scolded him.

"Okay! Okay!" Dominic cried out, trying not to laugh.

It felt like his character was about to change completely. As soon as Shiao Yi released his cheeks, he jumped down from Dominic’s arms. Dominic gently rubbed both sides of his face—surely they were red by now.

"Don’t pout," Dominic said, speaking to Shiao Yi’s turned back, which clearly showed his irritation. "I don’t think of you as a woman. I’m not trying to make you take a woman’s place, either."

Shiao Yi kept his back to Dominic, clearly still upset.

"But," Dominic continued, "I was just really happy. Everyone in the household has always been concerned about me getting married. They think of me as the heir, even if it’s not official. And now, they called you ’Madam’—even though you’re a man. Do you understand what that means? It means they accepted you as my partner. Of course, not everyone may agree, but having Jude and Eline accept you—it means a lot to me."

Dominic wrapped his arms around Shiao Yi’s slender body from behind.

"Those two have been by my side since I was a child. They’ve always watched over me. They’ll be your strongest allies too. That’s why I was so happy."

Finally, Shiao Yi turned around. He standing on tiptoe and gently kissed Dominic.

"Alright. I’ll deal with it—even if Jude and Eline keep calling me ’Madam.’ I’ll bear it," Shiao Yi said.

"Thank you, Shiao," Dominic whispered as he hugged his sweet, stubborn partner close.

"But Dominic, you really were happy when they called me ’Madam,’ weren’t you?" Shiao Yi asked.

"You’re my lifelong partner and since you’re not my husband then wouldn’t that make you my wife?" Dominic replied.

"Ugh... ugh... But still, I really don’t like the sound of that..." Shiao Yi muttered, clearly uncomfortable.

"You’re so cute, Shiao. Whether they call you ’Madam’ or anything else, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re my one and only, and my partner for life. Isn’t the title unimportant?" Dominic said, smiling.

"I just don’t want ’Madam’ to become the norm," Shiao Yi said, still frowning.

Dominic found Shiao Yi’s stubbornness absolutely adorable. He was so tempted to push Shiao Yi down onto the bed right then and there. But just at that moment, there was a knock on the door. So, Shiao Yi quickly pulled away from him.

A maid entered with tea. It was probably arranged by Eline.

On the simple table in the center of the room, which was covered with a plain white cloth, the maid quickly set out a tea set, some baked sweets, and even added a small vase with pink flowers.

Once the preparations were done, the maid quietly left the room without lingering. Just like the butlers and valets, the maids never stayed in Dominic’s room longer than needed. That was because Dominic disliked having people around more than necessary.

Dominic had always preferred to be alone. But now that he had Shiao Yi, being alone felt unbearable.

Shiao Yi poured tea into both his own cup and Dominic’s as if it were the most natural thing in the world. When Dominic sat down in his chair, Shiao Yi placed the cup in front of him with ease and familiarity.

"It smells really nice," Shiao Yi said after taking a small sip, smiling happily.

Dominic suddenly remembered that the last time Shiao Yi had come, they hadn’t been able to enjoy tea at all. That time, the tea had been spilled by Lambard, and both of them had been too tense to sit down and enjoy anything anyway.

Now, Dominic took a sip as well, letting the fragrance and flavor sink in. It had been a long time since he felt this relaxed. At the western fortress, it had been hard even to get decent tea leaves, let alone find the time to enjoy them.

Although Jude had accepted Shiao Yi as their Madam, Dominic was still thinking about what to actually do with Shiao Yi’s day-to-day life. He couldn’t just keep Shiao Yi locked up inside the mansion forever. Even if, deep down, he wished he could.

Then, Shiao Yi broke into Dominic’s thoughts and said, "Hey, Dominic. I want to learn how to read and write the language of this world."

Dominic looked up, surprised by the sudden request.

"Aaron said that even after he goes back to the royal capital, he wouldn’t mind coming by to keep teaching me. Or I could even go visit the Central Magic Association. Mr. Vundo also said I should definitely drop by and see him."

At that moment, Dominic set his teacup down with a clink. He could feel the tension rise in his face.

"No! There’s no need to have someone like Aaron teach you anything! And you must not go to the Association either!"

"Why not?" Shiao Yi asked, looking puzzled. "They’re offering to teach me. And I already promised to help with their experiments with science too."

"If it’s about learning the language, I can teach you myself!" Dominic insisted.

"But Dominic, you’re busy all the time. When you’re away at the mansion, I don’t have anything to do. I want to learn quickly," Shiao Yi said, not backing down.

"Why are you in such a hurry to learn the written language?" Dominic asked.