Julian woke up panting, with cold sweat dripping down his neck, soaking his clothes, and causing him to shiver.

He rubbed his arms, feeling the cold seep into his system. The winterizing balm had expired and he didn’t even have a blanket over his body.

But of course, it wasn’t the cold that startled him out of sleep. It was one of those same mornings. He took out the winterizing balm, however, to calm the chill before he could regain his sanity from the sudden jolt.

He looked around, worried that he had startled the Duke awake, and he had seen his frantic mess, but noticed he was in his own room.

For a moment, he paused.

How did he get there? No, when did he get there?

He was confused, because the last thing he remembered doing was passing out due to exhaustion in Lucius’s room and then now...

He drove his hand through his damp hair, frantic and unable to think straight.

’What is happening?’ he wondered, but then looked towards the window, the sun peeking at the horizon, over the morning snow clouds.

He was in his room alright, and it was morning.

Nothing seemed real at the moment so he decided to take a deep breath. This was probably a result of how he woke up.

There was never a day he woke up with a sane mind.

After taking a few breaths in and out, he finally calmed down, stood up, and washed his face from the bowl of cold water on his desk.

Now, he was fully awake.

"Nothing happened," he mumbled to himself. "Somehow, I got to my room, but I’m sure nothing happened. The Duke..." He paused, recalling how the Duke fell asleep with his head on his thigh.

The Duke had given in to his vulnerability and shown that side to a mere tutor... Should he interpret this as the Duke feeling more comfortable with him?

Was it because the affection level increased a lot?

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it for long. It was only something that happened in the moment, if he put too much meaning into it, he would only be getting himself into unnecessary trouble.

From now on, he wouldn’t need to come in contact with the Duke, so he could dismiss any thoughts of him.

Or so he thought.

Julian, fully dressed and ready to start the morning class with Lucius, stood still, speechless. The words wanted to come out but what exactly could he say?

Right now, the Duke was seated next to Lucius, his arms folded and looking directly at Julian.

What was he doing here?

And... Why was he staring at Julian like that?

Julian turned his face aside. Did he do something that he couldn’t recall? He tried to think but nothing came to mind, so why... Why was the Duke here?

"What are you doing?" The Duke asked and Julian turned to face him. "Aren’t you going to start the session?"

"I am but, if I may dare to ask, what... What are you doing here, Duke?" He asked and the Duke leaned forward.

"I’m on a journey to becoming a better parent." He said and Julian nodded.

"Yes, that’s wonderful but... How does that have to do with the study session with the young Lord?"

Duke Alaric looked at Lucius.

He seemed timid and a little nervous, his eyes fixed on the quill in his hand, trying hard to ignore his father’s gaze.

"Let’s just say I’m curious about the child’s daily schedule." He said.

Julian was glad the Duke’s eyes were open and he was finally trying to take responsibility, but why did it have to be in his class?

How could he concentrate with the Duke staring a hole in his forehead?

"You can just ignore my presence."

As if that was possible.

He was huge, with broad shoulders, a lean waist, tanned skin, and wild locks of blonde/golden hair that he refused to tie properly.

How was Julian supposed to ignore him and carry on with the class like normal?

"Ahem," he cleared his throat.

Nevertheless, he was a skilled teacher who had even endured the presence of external supervisors during his class... That tension was somewhat similar to the Duke’s presence... So he could manage.

"Then, may I be bold to ask you for something?" He asked and the Duke cackled.

"It’s funny hearing you sound so respectful when you had such a loose tongue the other night." He said and Julian pursed his lips.

Yes, he had been rude, discourteous and even pointed out all the bad traits the Duke had... That was indeed bold of him. But it was the situation that called for it.

Julian bowed his head, his head low and his waist bent.

"I’ll apologize to you formally for my discourtesy and rudeness towards you, your grace." He said and did not wait for the Duke to accept before lifting his head. "Now, shall I make my request?"

The Duke looked at him and then nodded.

He wasn’t particularly offended, and neither was he particularly amused, but he wasn’t bored either.

He was eager to know how good Julian’s teachings were for him to be so bold and claim a right to worry about his child’s well-being.

But of course, if he were just a phony, the kid wouldn’t listen either and wouldn’t be so comfortable with him, so he decided to see for himself how interesting the class was.

"Very well. You may make your request."

"Then, I request that you actively participate in this class, but do not hinder the child from learning on his own." Julian boldly requested.

The Duke paused for a second and then realized this class was indeed going to be interesting. He leaned forward, dropping his hands on the table and interlocking them.

’Let’s see how interesting the class is going to be. If he needs my active participation, then it’s probably not something boring, right?’

He was going to judge if this was better than sitting in his study, looking over brown parchments of disputes in his land.

"You have my cooperation."

Lucius heard this and chuckled.

They both turned to him, surprised but he hid his face in his hands.

Julian was surprised. He had never seen Lucius so happy before. It was probably a result of his father’s presence.

This is why having a caring parent is important for a child’s growth.