Translator: Nox

The Duke of Hermont’s Male Mistress

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“A—an aphrodisiac?”

“From what I hear, once it takes effect, you lose consciousness for a short while, and the fever starts building as soon as you wake.”

“Then an antidote…”

“There is no way to relieve it other than expelling the heat.”

Roy’s pupils trembled wildly.

Watching Roy continually part and press her lips together with a flushed face, Vitor clicked his tongue softly.

“Fortunately, it is not life-threatening, but you will be quite uncomfortable for as long as the drug lasts. I should have warned you not to accept drinks from strangers, but I left you alone for no good reason…”

“No, it’s my fault for being careless.”

Roy shook her head at the self-reproach buried beneath his cool tone.

“How do you feel right now?”

“Better than before. But… how long does this effect last?”

“It varies from person to person. Half a day at the earliest, or it could last as long as a week.”

“A whole week?”

Her breath caught in her throat.

Was she supposed to live with her senses heightened like this until then? She could barely even stand properly right now.

Even if it wasn't life-threatening, the situation was utterly disastrous. Besides, expelling the heat was the only way to relieve it?

Did that mean she had to pleasure herself? She had never done such a thing in her life, and she certainly couldn't make such a disgraceful display in front of Vitor.

Yet going back to the cabin like this was even more out of the question. She needed to return in a normal state before Harper woke up…

After agonizing with a conflicted look on her face, Roy finally spoke in a small voice.

“Um, for now… if there is an empty room, could you take me there?”

Vitor’s eyebrow arched slightly.

“What do you plan to do?”

“……”

Why ask when you already know…

Blushing, Roy averted her gaze.

As the heat gradually pooled downward, her knees squeezed together on their own.

* * *

He wasn't sure whether to praise Roy for trying to make a rational decision even in this state, or find it odd that Roy didn't ask to be taken to his girlfriend.

Then again, after going off to play the part of a male lover only to return in such a state, even the most understanding girlfriend wouldn't be able to hold back her anger.

Still, leaving Roy alone in an empty room weighed heavily on his mind.

This was clearly Roy's first time being exposed to such a drug; what if some unforeseen side effect occurred?

“Shall I help you?”

That was why. Vitor swallowed a short breath and offered.

“Wh—what?”

As expected, Roy looked utterly shocked.

Seeing those round eyes widen before hurriedly looking away, it seemed Roy hadn't failed to understand the meaning behind his words.

“I can at least help with a kiss. When the drug is strong, even that level of stimulation should be quite effective.”

“Ah, a kiss…”

Roy echoed, stammering.

“Did you think I was offering to do more?”

“N-no. It’s just, the way you said it was so… strange, Your Grace…”

Roy’s face flushed visibly darker.

The moment he saw that, Vitor’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.

From constantly licking and biting them, Roy’s lips shone far redder and wetter than usual.

Naturally, the sensation of the kiss that had brushed over them crept back into his mind.

The memory he had forced himself to forget.

The memory of that day, when he had felt lust toward a man for the first time.

‘What on earth possessed me back then? Had I just been pent up for too long?’

Even so, Vitor was not one to be swayed by physical urges. Even on the rare occasions when bodily desires reared their head, he had always brushed them aside with indifference.

Yet that day had been different.

He had been so engrossed that merely having no aversion to it couldn't begin to explain it. Even the fact that Roy was a man had blurred, and he had nearly crossed the line.

Despite his empty promise to protect Roy's first kiss, he had rubbed his lips against Roy’s with enough force to spill far past his thumb.

It was fortunate that the young lady of the marquisate had interrupted them then. Had she not appeared, Vitor would have regretted that day for the rest of his life.

Even now, he could hardly comprehend the fact that he had felt lust toward a man. Then, the words Roy had spoken suddenly came to mind.

“C-could it be that you’ve always liked men?”

Back then, Vitor had confidently answered that he was heterosexual.

That remained true even now. The mere thought of being in close physical proximity with other men filled him with disgust.

Roy was the sole exception to that feeling.

‘Why is that?’

Why else? Because Roy smelled so good.

Roy was prettier than most women, with soft skin, an adorable personality, and on top of that…

‘…Crazy bastard.’

No matter how many times he questioned himself, it was a endless loop. He was merely recounting reasons he already knew, without finding the fundamental cause.

The answer hovered just out of reach, yet remained entirely elusive.

In the end, Vitor forced himself to simplify it, deciding it wasn't something worth agonizing over so deeply in the first place.

‘I suppose I’m just healthy enough to react to a man too, that’s all.’

Even after he switched to kissing with his palm blocking their lips, looking into those clear violet eyes automatically brought back that day, though he had pretended otherwise.

He had occasionally wondered how far things would have gone if the young lady hadn't appeared that day, though he had tried hard to ignore it.

When he undressed Roy in the dressing room to re-button the clothes, his mind had been filled with wicked fantasies about how soft and fragrant the bare skin beneath would be, yet he had acted entirely unfazed.

‘…And yet, here I am in the end.’

Having had such thoughts, it was only natural that doubts followed as to whether this offer was truly for Roy’s sake.

But let’s keep it simple. Roy was in a difficult spot right now, and Vitor was in a position to help.

That was all.

“I know you are conservative about such things, Roy-ssi, but it is no big deal. Especially between men.”

Seeing Roy hesitate, Vitor spoke in the calmest tone he could muster.

“When you go on long voyages, there are hardly any opportunities to meet women. So men often relieve each other’s desires as if it were just a game.”

Though he was personally someone who felt revulsion toward such acts, he spoke as though it were the most trivial matter in the world.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, think of it as a form of treatment. Having someone else help you will be far more effective than doing it alone.”

In truth, unless they were rolling around in debauchery, the effect was much the same. But Vitor kept the truth thoroughly hidden beneath the tip of his tongue.

“Is it truly out of the question?”

Roy was still hesitating, biting down hard on trembling lips. Vitor knew full well what kind of effect this drug produced.

The fact that Roy hadn't lost all reason and lunged at the person right in front was already a display of immense endurance.

Pretending to be perfectly fine while looking up at his face and swallowing hard this whole time.

“Cat got your tongue?”

Vitor urged softly.

There were moments like this sometimes.

Moments when one realized that no matter how this scene unfolded, it was bound to happen eventually.

Right now, it was precisely that for Vitor.

Even if he shook his head and told himself he shouldn't, the opportunity had arrived before his eyes once more, like an inescapable current.

Perhaps it was because, deep within his subconscious, Vitor harbored an impure curiosity toward Roy.

Unless he cut ties with Roy entirely, a similar situation was bound to find them again.

If so, it was better to settle it decisively right now.

If all these feelings were merely 'curiosity born from never having tried it,' then doing it once and casting it aside would be the end of it.

Vitor no longer wanted to be trapped in such impure thoughts regarding Roy either.

A faint self-disgust welled up at how he was using this excuse and that to covet the gamekeeper before him, but he had no desire to stop.

Roy was colored far too beautifully to feign ignorance this time as well.

And deep down, Vitor had endured for far too long.

Vitor spoke in a low voice tinged with resolve.

“I will take it slow, so turn your head away if you don’t want it.”

He could clearly see Roy's throat move with a swallow.

Vitor leaned in slowly enough to allow Roy to pull away if Roy wished to.

It was his final courtesy, a promise not to force it.

Even so, Roy did not turn away. In that brief second their eyes met, Vitor knew.

Roy would not pull away. No matter what he did today, Roy would not push him away.

Though fear could be read within those violet eyes, an anticipation no less intense coexisted alongside it.

When they drew close enough for their breaths to mingle,

Roy cautiously parted her lips and drew a short breath, and Vitor, unable to endure even that fleeting moment, devoured her lips.

The Duke of Hermont's Male Concubine