The Story Of Bunny And Fox

Vol 5 (Side Story 2): Chapter 1.2

Only you can love me this way

The Shanghai Grand Prix is Karlyle Frost's least favorite Grand Prix. He had never seen it until he started sponsoring Formula One. He and China don’t get well together, dare he say it’s almost as bad as the perpetually crowded New York. Also, China's air quality is simply unbearable, and the noises there are getting worse as years go by. The only good thing about China is the food. He has no reason to come all the way to Shanghai to see the Grand Prix, unless it's for business purposes.

Over the past few years, Shanghai's air pollution has gotten so bad that Karlyle even figures it’s a good thing that Ash didn’t accompany him this time. Of course any travels he embarks upon with Ash would be a moment to celebrate and immortalize forever, but he can't let Ash breathe such filthy air. Ash, sweet, angelic Ash should only ever breathe clean air and experience clear skies. He might get sick if he were exposed to the polluted air in Shanghai, for the air quality here is even worse than London's.

"Why are you looking like that?"

Someone puts their hand on his shoulder as he's sitting on the sofa. Other than his sweetheart Ash's touch, the only contact Karlyle is receptive to comes from his family. So this kind of contact rouses his ire ever so slightly. However, instead of showing it on his face, he keeps his usual cold expression, then opens his mouth in a warning.

"Richard, I said that this kind of contact was uncomfortable, didn't I?"

"You hugged me so tight back then, though."

He turns his head back, coldly staring at the silver-haired man of about the same height as him. The man in front of him is Richard Cavendish, the only son of the Duke of Westminster. So to speak, the Cavendish clan has maintained a long and enduring relationship with the royal family. Perhaps the spoiled Richard is proof itself of that.

"When we were children." Karlyle amends.

Karlyle decides to condense many reasons for his discomfort into only one. He has done his best to keep the utmost courtesy. If it were someone else, he would have dodged the amorous hand with no hesitation and told the offender off, but he knows how to distinguish between public and private relations. And Richard Cavendish toys at the line in the most frustrating ways. To satiate his whims, he’ll invoke his family’s power at any opportunity.

"It has been a while, aren’t you happy to see me? It's been four years."

Richard sits down at the table in front of Karlyle. Just like everyone else in attendance, Richard is a real aristocrat. The people he has been hanging out with since childhood are members of the royal family. It's only natural, he was born and raised as a dominant Alpha in a family where he could have everything.

Something about his soft, moon-colored hair and bewitchingly indigo eyes makes Karlyle feel a little nostalgic. The first time he met Richard was more than ten years ago. Karlyle was in his final year of university at that time. And he tutored Richard, seven years younger than him, during vacation. As for why he became his tutor, it's because Richard was such a petulant child. But he liked Karlyle and listened to him when he met Karlyle at a meeting to build relationship between families.

So Karlyle took him on. It was a beneficial relationship despite all the trouble. Also, seeing Richard going to Eton School reminded him of his younger brother Kyle. Even if his mother hadn't told him to, he would have accepted the Duke's request anyway. Had he not been kidnapped, Kyle would have graduated from Eton on schedule and attended the same school as Karlyle. With the small age gap, he could have been in the same university as his brother for about a year.

And Richard is a bit similar to Kyle in the smallest ways. They both don't particularly feel inclined to talk about their feelings, but they treat their underlings well, not to mention their shrinking purple-blue eyes. Individually, they are not alike, but Karlyle still thought of Richard as his brother. He took care of Richard as he hadn't been able to take good care of his younger brother before. Kyle left their family when he was young to be with Nicholas, so he couldn't stay by Kyle's side. Tutoring Richard is the job for his family anyway.