The Duke of Hermont’s Male Mistress
Chapter 15
Raul hurled his lighter to the ground with all his might. With a brief metallic clatter, it vanished into the darkness of the back alley.
Right. His mother, a former brothel whore turned opera singer, had been lucky enough to catch the eye of a high noble.
Though her vulgar origins kept her from ever being accepted into the family, she had monopolized the previous Duke’s affection, allowing Raul an easy entry into the ducal register. That, too, had been fine.
Even if he wasn’t the legitimate eldest son, he had taken succession lessons right alongside Vitor during their childhood.
So, if only the previous Duke hadn’t died in that carriage accident, the ducal seat might have been Raul’s by now.
“Vitor, Vitor, damn that bastard!”
The name rolled off his tongue like poison every time.
After the previous Duke passed away, the scales tipped drastically. Within the Ducal House of Hermont, Raul was treated like a shard of cracked glass.
Unbroken, yet so glaringly flawed that it made everyone who looked upon it grimace. His base bloodline was a shackle that constantly dragged him down.
To make matters worse, times were beginning to change.
The political landscape churned in turmoil, and the prestige of House Hermont, which had once held the empire in the palm of its hand, gradually began to fade.
Raul stepped into politics in Vitor’s stead, but people only mocked him as a hollow substitute.
And the family filled that vacuum of power with Vitor’s military achievements.
An imperial hero trailing reports of victory in his wake. The Emperor’s trust, the cheers of the nobility, and the adoration of the common folk.
As if they had been waiting for the moment, the family elders—led by Grand Duchess Leonora—placed him on the ducal throne.
Yet Raul knew.
Vitor was merely a wretch who had fled to the sea just to escape the family.
His heroism on the battlefield had been nothing more than a fluke, not renown earned out of any desire to become someone worthy of leading House Hermont.
Even now, he still showed no fondness for the ducal title. He went out of his way to dodge marriage prospects, deliberately tarnishing his own reputation and leaving blemishes upon himself.
Sitting in a seat he never even wanted, kicking away the fortune that had landed right in his lap.
‘If you’re going to act like that, you might as well hand it over to me…’
Yet despite how pathetic Vitor acted, people everywhere chirped his name like parrots—Vitor, Vitor—until Raul felt as though he would burst with rage.
Moreover, if he actually went through with marriage this time, his position as the head of the ducal house would be permanently cemented.
Raul had been so sick of that shameless bastard that he had tampered with the hunting ground’s wire fence just to screw him over, but the cockroach-like fiend had even managed to slay the bear that suddenly appeared.
The estate servants had gasped in endless admiration, swooning that, as expected, the Duke of Hermont was unmatched.
Raul’s chest grew so tight it felt as if his heart were rising into his throat.
“Raul!”
Evern approached, panting for breath. Without bothering to reply, Raul chewed furiously on the cigar hanging from his lips.
“Calm down a bit. Singing Vitor’s praises won’t last long anyway.”
“You call that ‘won’t last long’?”
Had this bastard come here just to fan the flames?
“If Vitor fails to marry again this year, wouldn’t your chance finally come?”
“If he actually set his mind to it, forget this year—he could walk down the aisle tomorrow. He’s already had plenty of matchmaking meetings.”
“How could he marry when the rumors are about to sweep through the imperial capital in no time?”
“Those are all lies. Don’t you know by now that his debauched gallivanting with multiple women was all an act?”
“If anyone doesn’t know, it looks like it’s you.”
“What?”
Raul, who had repeated the same tired point ad nauseam, shot back with a sharp edge. The corner of Evern’s mouth curled into a sly smirk.
“Vitor’s seeing a man these days.”
“A man…?”
The cigar slipped from Raul’s fingertips and hit the ground.
“You went to Clareville with Vitor and really didn’t know?”
“What’s there to see in that backwater village to spend the whole summer there? I just paid my respects to Grandmother and came right back up. But a man? What the hell do you mean by that?”
“My younger sister married into the Marquisate of Russen, remember? The young lady of that house had a matchmaking meeting with Vitor not long ago. Both families were gently pushing for it, and the atmosphere was great, they say. But…”
Evern paused abruptly, lowering his voice.
“Well, that young lady saw Vitor kissing a man.”
“Are—are you out of your mind? Is that for certain?!”
Raul’s eyes snapped wide.
“Yeah. She saw it clearly with her own two eyes. He even took the theater tickets from Lady Russen to go watch a play with that man, and introduced him right to her face as his lover.”
“Crazy bastard…”
Raul was so stunned that words failed him. He had always known Vitor was far from normal.
Yet this was on an entirely different level from the scandals he had stirred up before. Hadn’t he crossed the line by a mile?
It was practically self-destruction. Beyond mere defiance, it bordered on social suicide.
‘The head of a great noble house—the reigning Duke himself—introduced a man as his lover and kissed him right in front of a noble lady?’
It was a scandal scandalous enough to ruin the Hermont name forever.
If this ever reached Grand Duchess Leonora’s ears…
“Things are getting interesting.”
A grin spread across Raul’s face unbidden.
“But couldn’t this be an act like last time?”
Except for the fact that the partner was a man, the pattern was all too familiar, making suspicion inevitable.
“Even when Vitor flirted with women, did you ever see him actually kiss any of them? Stirring up a frenzy and slipping away unnoticed was his specialty.”
“True enough, but…”
Raul narrowed his eyes.
‘Then is it really true? Vitor has a male lover? Not just an act?’
Since he had been caught faking before, couldn’t he simply be playing the part more thoroughly? Raul found it hard to believe that Vitor actually fancied men.
Though they hadn’t been close when living under the same roof, he had watched Vitor for years. Not once had he ever sensed the slightest hint of him being attracted to men.
Vitor had always been surrounded by women, and had appeared to enjoy it.
‘Though whatever the truth is, what does it matter?’
What mattered was that gossip about Vitor dating a man was spreading. And thanks to that, Vitor’s marriage would be pushed even further out of reach.
This was a golden opportunity—perhaps the last one Raul would ever get.
“By the way, what does this other guy do?”
Just what kind of madman was playing along with Vitor? Raul suddenly grew curious.
“Supposedly a commoner. Word is he’s quite pretty. Pretty enough that she mistook him for a woman at first. Ah, and his hair was silver, apparently?”
Raul let out a scoffing chuckle.
‘That paints a clear picture.’
He probably just paid some gigolo to play along.
A pretty face, obedient, and decent enough at acting.
“A piece of work, as always.”
Raul’s mood brightened considerably. Right on cue, his carriage arrived.
The coachman opened the door and bowed in greeting.
“Ah, right. Ollie said he was sorry. He just couldn’t hold his temper for a moment. You know how hot-headed he can be sometimes. As an apology, he’s inviting you to his estate tomorrow. Said he even prepared some centuries-old vintage liquor. You’re going, right?”
“I won’t be in the capital for a while.”
“Why?”
Raul answered with a crooked smirk.
“To go enjoy the show. I hear the next Duchess might end up being a man. Or who knows, maybe Vitor will play the wife? Hahaha!”
Raul tossed out the crude joke and climbed into the carriage. Soon after, the wheels began to roll briskly along the road.
“Vulgar bastard…”
Evern muttered under his breath and stepped back into the gambling house. Whoever became the leader of the Black Eagle didn’t matter, so long as he backed the right horse.
A cool palm covered Roy’s lips.
In the distance, the shrill drone of cicadas echoed as a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves. The faint murmurs of passersby drifted in from the end of the alley.
‘He’s intensely focused.’
With lowered eyes, Vitor kept his senses sharply tuned to the alley’s entrance. Watching for anyone entering, anyone watching them closely.
Every nerve in his body was concentrated on that one spot.
Roy quietly looked up at Vitor. Her violet eyes filled with the sight of the man’s sculptured, handsome face.
This method of kissing had settled into place naturally ever since their first ‘performance.’
Instead of shielding their lips with a single thumb like that initial attempt, he completely covered her mouth with his entire palm before pressing his lips against it.
Roy’s breath was entirely trapped within Vitor’s large hand. Because his hands were so broad, there was zero chance of their lips accidentally touching.
Given that he had changed his method immediately afterward, seemingly conscious of that day’s accident, Vitor too appeared to consider what happened an honest mistake.
After all, they had nearly kissed for real.
And with a gamekeeper he believed to be a man, no less.
The Duke of Hermont’s male lover.
