Translator: Nox

The Duke of Hermont’s Male Mistress

Chapter 29

An unfamiliar heat burned in his eyes—something she had never seen there before.

Resolve, obsession, desire, and the fierce confidence of a man who would seize whatever he wanted, no matter the cost.

Roy looked at Franz as if seeing a stranger.

Does this mean my master will change again?

From the Duke of Hermont… back to Franz?

“I am… ugh.”

Roy started to speak, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, making her sway on her feet.

“Roy? What is it?”

Franz caught her by the shoulders at once. His eyes widened in shock the instant he felt her skin.

“You’re burning up. Are you unwell?”

“I was fine just a moment ago…”

Her mind grew hazy. Hot breaths slipped past her teeth.

A fever spread from deep within her core, sapping all strength from her limbs like an overwhelming drunkenness.

While her senses dulled, strangely, the warmth where Franz’s hands gripped her shoulders felt searingly distinct.

What is happening to my body?

The moment she registered the heat, her senses grew painfully acute, and vertigo rushed over her in full force.

I didn’t even drink alcohol, so why am I so hot…?

Then she remembered the glass of champagne the young lady had handed her. And the murmuring glances that followed when she drained it in one go.

Could it be…?

“I think… I drank something strange…”

“What did you drink?”

“Someone handed me a drink, and there was something wrong with it…”

With no strength left to support herself, Roy collapsed downward. But just before she hit the ground, someone caught her swiftly.

A solid, dependable embrace enveloped Roy. A cool warmth settled over her, carrying the sharp scent of the sea to the tip of her nose.

“Roy…”

Franz watched in disbelief.

Roy was cradled in Vitor’s arms.

“Just what on earth happened here?”

Even knowing who stood before him, Vitor’s sharp accusation turned instinctively upon Franz.

Roy buried her face against Vitor’s chest and lost consciousness.

---

He couldn’t fathom it. Why had that sight felt so unbearable?

Vitor had been deeply vexed to find Roy with an unfamiliar man.

Seeing her smile in front of him with an expression she had never once shown Vitor had stirred something turbulent from the depths of his chest.

And the instant he realized the man was the former master of Elysia Mansion and the Crown Prince, his heart had dropped entirely.

“Louise. Wake up.”

Before he could demand an explanation, Roy went limp in his grasp like a doll whose strings were cut.

Catching her just in time, Vitor drew a sharp breath. Her body was like a ball of fire.

The heat was so intense it seemed to bleed straight into Vitor.

“Duke of Hermont. Listen, this was not my doing…”

Franz offered a flustered excuse before Vitor’s murderous aura. Then he recalled Roy’s parting words right before she collapsed.

“She said she drank something strange.”

“Drank something strange?”

“Yes. Her face has been flushed for a while, and she appeared intoxicated. It seems someone played a prank with her champagne…”

“Ha.”

Only then did Vitor catch the sweet, sharp scent of alcohol wafting from Roy.

It was not uncommon. Not at these liberal Southern banquets.

They often hazed newcomers making their debut in high society, either slipping something into their drinks or purposely humiliating them.

Thinking no one would dare pull such a stunt with Vitor standing right there, he hadn’t warned Roy—and that was his mistake.

What the hell was Alan doing?

Misdirected fury flared, particularly toward Alan, to whom he had entrusted Roy just in case.

Roy’s breathing turned ragged as tremors wracked her frame. Seeing her like this, his rage refused to settle.

Yet this was no time to lose his temper.

Even in this secluded corner, the figure before him was of such exalted status that prying eyes never truly looked away.

“We must move elsewhere for now.”

“Where do you intend to take her?”

As Vitor swept Roy into his arms, Franz took a step forward.

“I need to check how severe her condition is away from public view.”

“Then I shall accompany—”

“Your Highness must not come along.”

At the razor-sharp refusal, Franz’s eyes flew wide. Vitor’s face had already frozen into cold detachment.

“Whatever the circumstances, Louise collapsed while in Your Highness’s company. You hold a position that cannot afford to be entangled in such an affair.”

“…”

Franz pressed his lips tightly together, unable to find words.

The Crown Prince seen in private conversation with a person rumored to be the Duke’s secretary—or his male lover. That alone was more than enough to ignite a scandal.

Furthermore, with the political landscape surrounding the imperial succession so delicate, not a single misstep could be allowed.

Vitor was not barring him simply because he disliked seeing Roy with the Crown Prince. He bore a duty to protect the Crown Prince’s honor and safety.

Because he was a soldier of Rostria.

Franz said nothing for a long while. Yet neither did he tell them to go.

Was it a relief that he didn’t throw a fit insisting on following? With his patience wearing thin, Vitor spoke first.

“Your Highness, may I take my leave?”

“…You may.”

At the reluctant permission, Vitor offered a curt nod and turned on his heel without hesitation.

In that instant, Franz’s voice caught him once more.

“Duke of Hermont.”

Vitor paused.

“I will visit Elysia Mansion in the near future. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you seriously.”

“Whenever you wish. I shall await His Highness the Crown Prince’s visit.”

Vitor replied without the slightest hesitation.

With that brief exchange concluded, he departed, carrying Roy in his arms.

---

Her body felt heavy. Her mind was wrapped in a thick fog.

Her limbs were limp, and the inside of her mouth was parched dry.

Consciousness returned in agonizingly slow increments. The first thing she felt was a gentle warmth.

A heavy, solid, and surprisingly grounding warmth.

Something she could lean on—no, something she was already leaning against…

“Are you awake?”

As she lifted her heavy eyelids, a familiar voice drifted from right beside her. Roy barely recognized him through her hazy vision.

“Your Grace…?”

Vitor was looking down at her, his face taut with concern. The shoulder she had been resting against belonged to him.

He let out a long breath of relief.

“Thank goodness.”

Roy slowly turned her head to take in her surroundings.

Inside a hedge maze shaded by lush, overgrown shrubs.

It was dim where the light didn’t reach, and the music sounded distant, as though they were far from the banquet hall.

“…Did I faint?”

“Yes. It seems there was something strange mixed into the drink you had, Roy.”

“Ah…”

The moment she heard his words, her sluggish thoughts snapped rapidly into place. As memories from before she collapsed resurfaced one by one, Roy’s face drained of color.

“I-I am so sorry! What about His Highness? Collapsing out of nowhere, I caused such trouble for nothing. I should go back, ugh…”

“Where do you think you’re going in that state?”

As she scrambled to stand, losing her balance, Vitor caught her swiftly. He gently settled her back onto the bench and spoke.

“I explained the situation to His Highness. He said he would contact us again later and has already departed.”

“I see…”

He must have been so startled when she suddenly collapsed. To think Vitor had cleaned up the mess on her behalf left Roy thoroughly mortified.

Seeing that he had brought her to the garden, was it to fuel the rumors while he was at it?

She had heard that nobles sought out places like hedge mazes for secret trysts.

Regardless, even though she had regained consciousness, the heat inside her refused to subside. An inexplicable, burning sensation swirled like a vortex within her body.

It wasn’t that she was cold, yet she found herself constantly seeking warmth in a strange, compelling way.

“Your Grace, do you happen to know what it was that I drank?”

Judging by Vitor’s calm demeanor, it didn’t seem to be a dangerous poison. Yet his expression lacked its usual ease, which made her uneasy.

His eyes narrowed as he studied Roy intently before replying.

“An aphrodisiac.”