Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!

Leon knew one thing for certain:

He didn't want the throne anymore.

Maybe once, a long time ago, he thought being king was the most important thing. Maybe he believed he deserved it, simply because he was the only son and everyone kept telling him how special he was. But those days felt like they belonged to a different person.

When Riven looked at him with that mix of pity and disappointment, something inside Leon had cracked. Riven had shown him things he never bothered to see before.

The towns that looked beautiful from the palace balcony were full of children with no shoes. The farmers worked from dawn until the stars came out, while he sat in meetings and signed papers without even thinking about them.

He felt like a fraud.

He was a fraud.

And he didn't want to be anymore.

Leon looked out the window again, something he had been doing too often.

He remembered playing there when he was little, chasing after Catalina's skirts while she tried to teach him about wild herbs and bugs. Back then, he didn't care about thrones or titles. He just wanted everyone to love him.

Maybe that was the problem—he never learned how to be someone without needing everyone's approval.

He pressed his fingers to his temples. His thoughts were spinning, but one thing kept coming back:

He couldn't keep pretending he was happy as king.

He wanted to live for himself.

He wanted to see the world. To learn something real, something that didn't come from dusty scrolls and shallow ceremonies. Maybe he could work for a while. Maybe he could find a way to actually help people instead of just talking about it.

It made his heart beat faster—not in fear, but something close to excitement.

He hadn't felt excited about anything in a long time.

He thought about the letters he'd sent his sisters. He was still waiting for an answer. He wondered what Catalina would say. Probably something sharp. She would never soften the truth, and he respected that about her. Maybe she'd never forgive him, but if she was willing to take back the crown, he'd gladly step aside.

He thought about Sofia. Sweet, gentle Sofia, who always tried to hold the family together. She'd been so sad after their father died. He didn't even know if she had the strength to step into the chaos. But maybe she did. Maybe he had always underestimated her.

He thought about Sofia and how she'd looked at him across that little table when he finally admitted he was wrong. He didn't deserve even that much understanding from her, but she'd still given it. Maybe that was what family was.

As for Celeste... She was perhaps the only one who was strict with him among everyone in his family, but she still made sure to spoil him. The look of disappointment she gave when he chose the throne, it was like she expected it, like she never had any hope for him.

Leon rubbed his chest, feeling the tightness there ease just a little.

He stood up and paced across the room, restless. He was tired of sitting still. Tired of waiting for everything to fall into place.

He paused by the mirror. His reflection looked pale and worn out. But there was something different in his eyes. A kind of determination. He'd never seen that before.

He almost smiled.

He knew he couldn't just drop everything overnight. Well, he could if Catalina returned, she was just that smart.

Even if they never forgave him completely, he was going to try. And after he left the palace—left this kingdom behind—he knew exactly where he would go.

To Riven.

Meanwhile, Riven was not thinking about anything nearly so sentimental.

He was thinking about how bored he was.

Being on bed rest had been torture. Now that he was allowed to move freely again, he intended to make up for all the lost time by annoying everyone in the estate.

He started with Ronan.

Riven slipped into the Alpha's study without knocking—he never knocked—and surveyed the scene with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Ronan was at the massive oak desk, papers stacked in neat piles, a quill in hand, focused and silent.

How dull.

Riven walked over, leaned both elbows on the desk, and tilted his head. Ronan didn't look up.

Riven narrowed his eyes.

With an exaggerated sigh, he planted one knee on the polished wood.

Still nothing.

He lifted the other knee and boldly climbed onto the middle of the desk, knocking over a few rolled documents.

That finally got Ronan's attention.

His icy blue eyes lifted, Riven finally got what he wanted.

"What," Ronan asked in his low voice, "are you doing?"

"Existing," Riven said primly. He crossed his legs and rested his chin in his palm, gazing down at Ronan as if he were the one in charge.

Ronan didn't argue. He simply reached up, big hands closing around Riven's waist, and lifted him effortlessly off the desk.

Riven fully expected to be deposited in a chair or shooed out of the room.

Instead, Ronan settled him in his lap.

The chair creaked a little under the combined weight, but neither of them cared.

Ronan's chin came to rest on Riven's shoulder, warm breath brushing his neck. And just like that, he went back to reading reports.

Riven blinked.

That was not the reaction he'd hoped for.

He shifted, wiggling a little to see if Ronan would react.

Nothing.

He tried again, this time with a more purposeful squirm, letting his hips press back against Ronan's stomach.

A deep, almost imperceptible breath left Ronan, but he didn't say a word.

Riven smiled, he definitely felt something down there, he was getting Ronan all worked up.

He smiled as he felt the alpha's warm breath against his neck, it got hotter and hotter, but then- ouch! Ronan bit him!

"You have to fully recover before I can touch you, so don't test me." He warned, his eyes filled with desire but also reluctance.

Aww man.