Ah, how could this be.
Just standing before him had been thrilling enough to make his breath catch. Was this what they meant by being able to get aroused from a single look alone. Ivan praised himself inwardly for barely managing to hold back, then looked down at his own fingertips. It felt as though the heat of last night still lingered there. He wanted to feel that sensation again. No — he wanted to touch him.
“I’ll have to move a little earlier today.”
Ivan’s eyes gleamed as he wet his parched lips.
And so late evening arrived, and Ivan began to move again. From midday all the way until now, the hours had dragged unbearably. Perhaps it was because he had been so eager for the night — but the time simply would not pass.
Ivan drifted around the area outside Leonard’s room again, checking the situation. Thanks to Leonard’s disposition — he despised being disturbed by others — no one lingered near his room unless he called for them himself or there was business to attend to. In other words, there was no one around.
Leonard was currently working through documents. And once again, Leonard asked one of the servants to bring him a cup of tea. Ivan quietly followed the servant who went to prepare it, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he went. Unlike Leonard’s room, this was a place teeming with servants — and the moment Ivan appeared, whispers broke out all around. Ivan paid those sidelong glances no mind and walked on as though he had no idea what was happening. Even the servant tasked with preparing the tea noticed Ivan’s presence, but with Leonard’s orders to fulfill, there was no room to spare attention on Ivan.
Casually watching the servant begin to prepare the tea, Ivan slipped into the space between them under the pretense of being there on other business. Another servant tried to start trouble with him at his appearance, but Ivan simply excused himself with the claim that he wanted a cup of warm water and drifted toward the teapot. The servants shot him the expected looks — of course, just as I’d expect from you — before dismissing him cleanly and returning to their own tasks.
When the servant preparing the tea looked away toward the teacup to find the tea leaves, Ivan naturally tipped a powder into the water and reached past to take a cup for himself.
Truly, this estate had everything one could need, and that was a wonderful thing.
Nobody paid attention to him here. Whether he slipped into the Duke’s room in secret, or crept into someone’s room or the storage and pilfered something like this — no one ever knew.
Ivan enjoyed the little thrill of it as he poured himself a cup of warm water and added a drop of lemon juice. Of course, another servant promptly snatched the cup away, saying that something as precious as even a drop of lemon juice was wasted on the likes of him, and shoved a cup of cold water into his hands instead — but well. That had never been the point to begin with, so there was no reason to feel hurt over it.
Ivan had already achieved his goal, and something as trivial as water didn’t matter in the slightest. Still, he had to keep up appearances, so he made a show of drooping his face miserably, ducked his head in meek resignation, and reached out to take the cold water cup as though grateful for even that. He turned to leave — and then another one decided to make trouble.
“Ugh——!”
Crash!
Déjà vu struck. Someone tripped him again, and Ivan went down. As he fell and lost his grip on the cup, it hit the floor with a loud crack and shards of glass scattered across it, and the water soaked his hand and clothes.
Ivan felt the stinging pain in his palms and knees, then reached to cup his aching wrist.
“Pfft——!”
Snickering broke out around him.
Despicable lot.
Well, he had braced for this from the moment he arrived here. But did they really need to go so far as to create extra mess for themselves just to torment him like this. Insults alone would have sufficed.
Ivan clicked his tongue softly and picked himself back up. From beside him came the sound of someone spitting — or mimicking it — alongside peals of laughter. Fine, do as you like. Ivan arranged his face into an expression of weary resignation, then made a show of wiping at his eyes before breaking into a run and fleeing the place. Staying any longer would only wear him down — now that he had accomplished what he came for, it was simply time to withdraw.
Right. For the great harvest of the night ahead — endure.
His objective had been achieved, so all Ivan had to do now was wait. His body was wet and soiled, so he would need to wash. That would fill the time nicely too. Ivan headed straight for the bath. He could have bathed in the Duke’s room, but he had a separate plan for that as well. Ivan stepped into the bath with a smile full of meaning.
After washing up fully, he stood before Leonard’s door once more. If Leonard had drunk the tea, he would surely be asleep by now. Ivan pressed his ear quietly against the door. The room was well soundproofed, so he couldn’t hear much of anything — but he thought he might at least be able to sense whether someone was there. Ivan held his breath entirely and read the stillness.
But there was no sound of pages turning, nor any sign of movement inside. Ivan read the silence for a moment longer, then quietly opened the door.
As befitting a noble’s estate, the door swung open smoothly without so much as a creak. Having already been inside once the night before, the interior was familiar. He stepped in naturally and made his way toward the bedroom — and there was Leonard, coming into view, seated at the desk beside his bed.
From the back, he had the look of someone absorbed in documents. But his hands weren’t moving, and his head was bowed — whether asleep or not was unclear. Ivan moved quietly to Leonard’s side to confirm. As far as he could tell, he was definitely asleep. Had he been awake to begin with, Leonard’s voice would have reached Ivan before he ever got this far into the room.
Leonard, asleep without the slightest guard up, looked just as brilliant and composed as he had the night before. A different side from the one that held Ivan in contempt.
“How can you be so completely defenseless, Young Master.”
The corner of Ivan’s lips curved in a sharp, knowing smile. He would never imagine he was being done like this by someone he despised. Even if he did find out — by then, it would already be too late. Above all, Ivan had every confidence that his scheme would not be discovered.
“Still, I’d love to see the moment you figure it out.”
What reaction would he have then.
Ivan reached out naturally and took hold of Leonard’s chair. The body that had been angled toward the documents turned toward Ivan instead, and Ivan climbed lightly onto Leonard’s thighs.
Perched atop him, Ivan began undoing the buttons one by one. He had dressed without fully drying himself after the bath, so his skin was still damp — his hair still held moisture too. He stripped off his trousers as well.
As he sat atop Leonard imagining taking him into himself and moving, Ivan’s body flushed hot in an instant and his member swelled. Compared to Leonard’s, it was an altogether smaller, more delicate size — but it suited Ivan’s body well.
When would Leonard wake.
As though nudging him to hurry, Ivan leaned down and brushed along the shell of Leonard’s ear, bringing his lips close. The lips that hovered near his ear breathed out a whisper.
“Open your eyes, Young Master.”
And as though that were the signal, Leonard’s eyes opened. At that, a smile bloomed on Ivan’s face of its own accord — the eyes that curved so beautifully were no different from those of a creature whose sole purpose was to seduce. Leonard’s eyes widened at the sight of Ivan, expressing surprise. But Ivan paid it no mind and let the hand that had been at his ear travel naturally past his nape, across his chest, and come to rest over the front of his trousers.
The sensation filling his palm was, as ever, large and solid. This time he pressed his upper body flush against Leonard’s as well, bringing their faces close — it would be vivid enough to pass for reality even if Leonard were awake.
Ivan acted with everything calculated, so his movements flowed naturally from one to the next. Even beneath his unhurried touch, the member steadily swelling in response was unmistakable. It really was a situation that couldn’t help but draw out a smile.
“How does it feel, Young Master?”
Getting aroused by someone you dislike so much.
Words that could only be called degrading poured from Ivan’s lips. They were words he often heard from the Duke as well.
“Are you frustrated? Excited? What have you been feeling when you look at me?”
Ivan’s voice carried a note of genuine delight as the words spilled out. Unlike last night, he increased the physical contact — to blur the line between dream and reality for Leonard. Not just his hands, but his lips as well. Against his own lips, he felt the slightly rougher texture of Leonard’s. He licked along them with his tongue to coax them soft and wet, and at the same moment gripped his cock firmly — and Leonard’s body gave a sharp shudder.
He began to stroke slowly, and the way it grew larger was somehow almost lovely to watch. The member, now too large to be held by a single hand, carried thick veins and warmth. He truly wanted to drive it straight into his hole and work his hips right then and there — but it wasn’t time yet. If he took him now, he would fail to achieve what he actually wanted.
The more he held himself back, the more he had to stoke Leonard’s arousal — drawing out the desire coiled within him. Making Leonard want him, crave him. Even after giving in to that craving, ensuring that Ivan would still linger in his mind.
“Haah, how can it be this big.”
Those were the words that slipped from Ivan’s lips when he pulled them away. Every bit of his own suppressed desire was packed into that one utterance. He released the hand that had been gripping and stroking the member and took hold of Leonard’s hand instead. Yesterday it had ended at showing — today it was time to let him feel, however lightly.
“Truly vulgar and wanton.”
That phrase suited Ivan himself. But it suited the other party just as well. What else could you call someone who felt desire for a man branded a male prostitute, if not vulgar. Ivan guided Leonard’s hand behind himself and pressed two of his fingers into the opening.
It might have been expected to meet resistance — but having already worked himself open alone in the bath, the fingers slid inward smoothly. How thick his fingers were. With Ivan’s own fingers, three or four would have been needed to feel full — but Leonard’s just two were more than enough to fill the opening completely. The stretched hole clenched around the fingers. The inner walls, damp and hot, closed around them.
