How about Berkut falling in love with an s/o that's his retainer/servant?
berkut falling for a retainer! this is going to be from a reader’s perspective, hope that’s alright!
you were born to a family of mid-rank nobility and chose to pursue the life of a knight at an early age
you found yourself quite skilled in many tasks, and despite your home having servants to take care of things for you you were eager to learn all the skills you could
you practice every task you can daily, and often find yourself exhausted by the end of the day
one evening your family plays host to the royal family of rigel, and despite your nerves things go quite well
you’re seated nearby berkut, and he makes conversation easily with you
you manage to keep the conversation going well, he seems rather interested in your skills and your accomplishments
by the evening’s end as they leave to return to the castle, berkut bids you goodbye personally
a few days pass and a messenger arrives at your home, informing you to report to the castle immediately
at first you panic thinking you did something wrong, but you go anyway, knowing better than to ignore orders of the king
but when you arrive everyone is welcoming and eager to speak to you
berkut informs you he has chosen you as his retainer- quite the honor, he assures you
you’re blown away that he would choose you for such a thing, but you agree nonetheless
he regularly requests you join him for training and you take your job of protecting him and serving him seriously
others around tell you he’s taken a liking to you, and you imagine that’s the case- but it’s still a bit embarrassing to hear him bragging about you from others
as time progresses he calls on you more and more often, for more than just the usual excuses. he calls for tea several times a day now and even though it’s a bit of a pain you can’t help but find it charming
soon enough he realizes he can’t keep making up excuses and starts just outright saying he wishes to spend time with you
he starts taking every chance he can to touch you- even if it’s merely a hand on your shoulder or brushing hair from your face or dust off your clothes
you’re starting to realize you enjoy the attention as more than just praise from your liege, but your heart pounds every time he summons you
one day after training he drags you on a horse ride, one that takes you from the capital to a snowy forest
as snowflakes flutter down he dismounts, waiting for you to follow before he walks away
he seems frustrated by the flakes falling on him, brushing them off and running his fingers through his hair to remove them
when he slows down, you reach out and brush some off for him, and he freezes in place
he tries to say something, he very obviously wants to say something to you
but instead he places one hand on your chin, holding you in place, placing a soft kiss on your lips.
he can’t stammer out a confession, even, but his face is beet red as he pulls back
you’re too stunned to react, at least at first
but once it sinks it what just happened, your hand reaches up to his and you find yourself smiling like a child given candy
“i’m honored”, you tell him, and the corners of his mouth twitch upward a bit
he’s trying so hard to remain serious, but it’s very obviously a struggle at this point
and finally he’s able to say it
“i’ve fallen in love with you. i wish for you to be more than merely a retainer- regardless of who you may be.”
you can’t help but think his blush is cute, but you’re blushing just as much really
you give him a hug, pulling yourself close to him and resting your head on his chest
he returns it eagerly, holding you tightly
“you are more dear to me than anything else.”
