“Haa……”
Still reeling from the lingering sensation, he thought Benedict was taking ‘a little’ far too long.
“Your Highness,”
He called out weakly.
Benedict, who had been concentrating with brightened eyes, looked up. He had definitely heard about some medical condition from Lucia.
“There’s a condition… where you can’t reach it quick—ly… Could it be that Your Highness also, ah, ah, haah!”
Benedict suddenly moved dangerously. Then he lifted his waist completely.
In an instant, his knees were pressed down on either side of his face. All the private things happening below were spread out right before his nose.
The slightly swollen, hotly flushed entrance was greedily swallowing the dark red head. It swallowed the thick shaft all the way to the end, and when it pulled out, it twitched healthily with a sheen. Below that, the reddened, swollen perineum was plumply raised, the center slightly split open.
He hurriedly reached out to cover it. Benedict, who laughed lowly, removed his hand. It was a dangerous and indulgent laugh.
“Did you know? That you, excited because of me, become like this.”
When he tried to cover it, Benedict pushed his hand away, and when he kept trying to cover it, he grabbed and pinned down his wrists, and when he turned his head away to avoid looking, he grabbed his chin and held it fixed. Benedict thrust in hard as if to show off while gently stroking the split part of his perineum.
“Ha, aah……!”
He could feel every rough fingertip on that sensitive area. When he panted, that soft place was pressed hard and rubbed roughly. His mouth naturally opened and was kissed as it was. It was a kiss as if he would devour him.
Benedict kept his promise.
He pulled out without going all the way to the end. Instead, as if not understanding why he should hesitate about other things, he boldly expressed the desires he possessed.
He didn’t enter again, but kept touching. As if he couldn’t hold back, he made him expose his sensitive places and rubbed hard against them.
Shameful heat spread upward from below. Their most intimate parts pressed and rubbed against each other. Slippery, lewd, and sometimes even stinging sensations. It was uncontrollable and his whole body trembled. His vision blurred.
Benedict, satisfied, did that several more times. By then, his head was filled only with fog.
At the gently pressing lips, he habitually stuck out just the tip of his tongue. His knees spread apart and the area between his legs was pressed again. It stung. He barely managed to murmur that it hurt.
He felt him checking. He offered his weakened legs while only panting breathlessly. The stinging place was touched carefully. His body was turned to the side.
While he was dazed, his arms and legs began to tremble.
“Ah……”
Benedict was rubbing against his body. It felt like the fog in his head suddenly cleared.
He didn’t know what to do with that hot and vivid sensation. On his thighs, on his buttocks, on his waist—it was only that, but he didn’t know why he felt as shamefully hot as when he offered his most vulnerable skin. With his face turned bright red, he endured the hot and lewd feeling that touched him. This time too, only the wool rug beneath them quietly became soaked.
At last, he finished.
“This festival has never once been good.”
While saying so, he kissed briefly. Hot breath brushed past.
“If, when the hunting festival ends.”
“……Yes.”
“What if I want to see you again?”
The corners of his eyes were wet and his nose tingled. Benedict pressed his lips to his reddened nose tip. The touching sensation was warmly and softly ticklish. He lifted his hand and stroked his eyebrows just a little with his fingertips. The dark eyebrows resembled gracefully extended branches of red pine. If you want to see me, then just see me again. That’s what he told him.
**8. Half-Truth (1)**
Pre-trial negotiations began.
Despite it being a preliminary hearing, many nobles who came to watch could be seen. Among them, several would be those whom Duke Yorick and Rilke had influenced. Just as Mikhail had sent people.
“I didn’t start this lawsuit to benefit House Meyer. I simply judged that it wasn’t right to bury the vile things that happened in House Meyer that I know about.”
It was time for Rilke—or rather, House Yorick—to speak. That child chose to speak directly instead of through an attorney.
After the brief opening statement ended, it became our side’s turn. His eyes met with a man wearing a monocle. It was House Meyer’s attorney whom Mikhail had hired for a large sum.
Together with him, the anticipated situations included the case where Rilke would speak directly. The attorney nodded, expressing that it wouldn’t be bad for me to make the prepared statement directly as well.
“I am Joachim of House Meyer. I am the younger brother of the current Count Meyer, Mikhail Meyer.”
He retraced what he had memorized in his head. He spoke carefully so it wouldn’t sound like he was refuting Rilke’s words.
“The honor of the family is at stake, so I cannot reveal it here. However, Rilke Yorick, who was my younger sibling, did unjust things. House Meyer suffered great damage from his actions, and when it was discovered, we had to send him away. Moreover, despite that, my older brother,”
The attorney handed over documents.
“Tried to quietly send that child away by giving him considerable assets. He prepared a white lie to protect his honor. You can confirm the supporting documents and dates here.”
The judge asked if he would submit it as evidence. He answered that he would.
“Joachim. To really go this far—”
“Please only make relevant statements.”
The judge who was looking through the documents warned. Rilke made a sad expression and bowed his head, then whispered like a sigh, ‘You really are so thorough.’ He looked at that child for a moment then just closed his mouth.
That’s how the pre-trial negotiation ended.
It was on the way out after applying for a lawsuit delay as advised by the attorney to avoid being swept up in the flow led by House Yorick.
“Joachim, everything is always so easy for you.”
Rilke was waiting.
As an extension of the preliminary hearing, that child had tearful eyes.
Because he didn’t use honorifics, he knew that child was there to put on a show-like performance. The nobles who had been watching the preliminary hearing remained and glanced this way.
“How much I’ve worked for House Meyer… It was just one word. Just one word was enough for you to kick me out.”
The behavior of that child, pretending to murmur self-deprecatingly, really felt tiresome.
“Stop this boring play.”
At my words, Rilke’s eyes widened.
Looking directly into those eyes, he spoke.
“I hope you can prove in court what you did for House Meyer.”
Rilke continued to look surprised. Perhaps because he had acted like a tamed beast all this time, it seemed like he was surprised whenever I refuted him even a little.
“This year’s subjugation army return banquet, I prepared it.”
That child answered.
Gradually, a forlorn look was overlaid again on his bare face.
“And?”
“……And, I had to go out into society instead of you who couldn’t do so.”
“You mean you went out into society and solidified your own position.”
People were watching. The attorney who analyzed ‘Joachim Meyer’s’ social reputation said my expression and tone should be gentle—like Rilke—but it was difficult.
“I don’t know by what standards you conducted social activities, but I wouldn’t call that way contributing to the family.”
“Joachim…… How can you, say such things.”
He glanced back at House Meyer’s attorney. He wondered if he might reproach him, but his face was calm as if everything was going according to plan.
“In reality, it was Count Mikhail who made efforts to maintain good relationships with House Meyer’s trading families through social activities.”
The attorney helped with appropriate words. Rilke made a heartbroken face. House Yorick’s attorney stepped forward.
“However, you cannot ignore that Prince Rilke raised House Meyer’s prestige through his social activities.”
“Well. It was merely a ‘point of pride,’ not a form of contribution to the affiliated family.”
Our attorney answered.
“There are no documents, no assets, no legal evidence. For example, Count Meyer or here, Prince Meyer. Documents stamped with their seals, profit verification documents derived from them—such things exist. Those become court evidence of contribution to the family. On the other hand, Prince Rilke Yorick, hmm.”
The attorney trailed off dramatically.
“The truth can be confirmed once the trial begins. Attorney for House Yorick, aren’t you too ignorant about your own client? Or are you pretending not to know?”
From time to time he keeps looking at his pocket watch and retracing today’s date. It was to forget the slow speed of passing time.
And finally, it was today.
It was also the day one week before the trial.
His eyes opened wide from dawn. He tossed and turned for a while because of his pounding heart, then got up from bed.
He washed, chose clothes. Even after tidying the room unnecessarily, there was still time left. After even taking a walk, the sun had risen. He moved his steps to the main building to eat breakfast.
“You came early.”
Mikhail, who also couldn’t sleep lately, was already out early.
He could feel Mikhail with his haggard complexion looking at him suspiciously, but his heart was still pounding. He ate breakfast with an excited heart.
“What’s gotten into you to leave food?”
He was full even without eating. He was so happy and excited that he couldn’t get past the appetizer. The dessert was the same.
While being so absorbed in excitement that his surroundings barely entered his vision for a moment, he couldn’t help but notice that Mikhail wasn’t budging and was slumped in his chair.
“What are you doing?”
Mikhail was rarely slumped like a spoiled vegetable with the back of his neck against the chair back.
“Since you’re finally leaving meat behind, I was watching to see if the world is about to end.”
“……”
“It would be nice if it would just collapse. My reputation—”
Mikhail, who wasn’t in his right mind these days, muttered whatever came to mind.
