It was three days ago that Sir Rood officially protested the sheet music theft incident.
Sir Rood said things that were all too correct—that he couldn’t present the piece he wanted on the day of the music festival because of Mikhail, and that an artist’s autonomy had been violated. Mikhail, who still hadn’t recovered from Rilke’s attack, suffered another tremendous blow to his body and mind.
I heard someone approaching the dining room. Mikhail quickly sat with dignity.
“Jake, what brings you here?”
Mikhail, who had become quite conscious, cut his meat with particular elegance. Jake, whose eyes sparkled as she gave a warm greeting, pointed at me with her gaze.
“I went to the young master’s room but you weren’t there! My goodness, why did you come to the dining room so early?”
“Does it seem that way to you too?”
Mikhail looked at me suspiciously again, saying today seemed particularly strange. My swelling heart gradually subsided.
“Keep a good watch on that guy.”
“If he does anything improper, he’ll handle it himself!”
Jake’s eyes were sharp.
“My goodness, why are you doing this at such a critical time!”
Recently, Jake didn’t want to leave Mikhail’s side, who had become like wilted lettuce.
If only she would neglect Mikhail’s order to monitor me.
“I’m leaving this person here! I’ll ask when I get back!”
In the end, Jake couldn’t completely ignore Mikhail’s words. A friend maid was assigned to me.
Fortunately, unlike Jake who seemed like she’d jump out a window if Mikhail ordered it, I could barely shake off the friend maid just in time.
‘Young master. Young master?’
The maid around my age who had followed me belatedly rattled the locked door, then gave up and disappeared. I checked the pocket watch I was holding.
I was relieved I wasn’t late.
The place I’d hidden was Mother’s room.
Leaning against the window where sunlight slanted in, I looked down at the count’s garden that came into view at a glance. In one corner, the gardener and servants were clearing fallen leaves. I saw several new faces who had recently entered the mansion.
I realized anew that my world was changing.
The familiar and comfortable faces had become unfamiliar due to my choices. The roads I already knew had long since changed, and familiar paths suddenly transformed into wilderness, wastelands, lawless lands approaching me.
The me from before knew the roads where storms raged. I also knew how to turn storms into drizzle. But in the end, I entered a road filled with unfamiliar faces.
I don’t know when heavy rain will fall on this road, or how to calm that rain even if it does. I can only cover my head or find shelter each time.
But very pretty things were also appearing on the new road. Things that weren’t on my road before. Things that felt good to be with, that made me warm.
And the best among them.
“You came?”
With wonder and excitement, I greeted Benedict.
The main conditions for using the secret passage in Mother’s room, which my mother who was a mage taught me, are as follows.
To have Meyer blood mixed in.
To know the spell recognized by the passage.
When House Count Meyer was a ducal house, there was a history of producing two empresses. I thought it might not work, but it really did. A door of light that had been hidden beside the closed door appeared and Benedict came out.
This was the first time I’d seen someone come out since Mother demonstrated it.
“I had a hard time shaking off Miss Sana.”
Benedict, who had truly walked like a mage, stood before me. I was amazed for a while and asked if he’d come well.
“The passage was really impressive.”
He made me laugh as he went on about his impressions of the pitch-black interior.
“Mother slept here.”
I introduced the origin of the not-large room.
“Father hated me coming and going here, but Mikhail hyung didn’t particularly show he disliked it. Hyung doesn’t know there’s a magic passage like this here.”
I’d been secretly worried. Because I kept remembering what happened here with Rilke and Benedict in the past.
But as we sat side by side by the window, that worry became meaningless. It felt like the memory was fading and being filled with something else. Benedict’s presence, looking straight at me and no one else with the well-lit sunlight at his back, was that intense.
“Can I tour your room too?”
Before we knew it, we were sitting side by side facing the magic door that had disappeared without a trace.
Benedict suggested we secretly go to my room with eyes full of interest. I wanted to enthusiastically agree with his playfulness.
“My room is in the annex.”
Then I remembered that he’d come to my room at the beginning of the year. Benedict seemed to be remembering the same moment.
I changed the subject.
“Ah, there is a room I used until I was fourteen. Would you like to see that place at least?”
It was the room Rilke had been using until recently. Of course, even if I showed him the room, I wouldn’t mention that unless he asked.
“I’m curious about that place too, but I want to go to the bedroom you’re using now.”
My face grew warm at his words about wanting to lie on my bed.
“I’m also curious what you see out the window in the morning.”
“…It’s really just grassland there.”
The annex’s rear garden still hadn’t been organized. Everyone had clearly forgotten such a place existed.
Anyway, I could understand too well what Benedict meant.
Because I was curious about him too. I wanted to know everything, even the most trivial things.
Because I understood, I barely managed to answer that I’d show him later.
“I can’t believe it.”
Even though I kept promising, he mischievously asked if I’d really show him.
“Because you don’t easily show me anything.”
It was absurd. Even when I didn’t want to show,
“You always look at whatever you want anyway.”
The person who had seen me in more detail than I saw myself was right before my eyes. Then I became flustered at Benedict’s following words.
“No, that’s.”
Benedict said he wanted to smell my pheromones.
“…You know, don’t you?”
There probably wasn’t anyone who didn’t know what my pheromones were like.
Even when I couldn’t control them and they stung sharply—most people expressed it as lewd—and ran wild, whether I released them wildly or normally, the essence of the pheromones didn’t change. Moreover, even now I sometimes pretended not to perfectly control my pheromones and released them to lower Rilke’s guard.
“Because you thoroughly hide them in front of me.”
“……”
I’d been at a loss for words since earlier.
Benedict raised the corners of his mouth as if he knew why. Like a surrendering knight, he lightly raised both hands.
And just like I’d always given in whenever Benedict kept urging, this time was the same.
I slowly released my pheromones. With the feeling of mixing thinly into the sunlight surrounding the room. I just wanted Benedict to feel good. I had no intention of stimulating him, but Benedict, who had been sitting still and appreciating, seemed to have a different feeling.
He approached at some point and smiled, lightly kissing the tip of my lips. He lowered his lips once more. At the soft kiss, I felt that way too. I also kissed his cheek.
Our legs intertwined. The fabric rustled.
Benedict’s hand was inside below the hem of my top.
“Fragile and faint like this place.”
While talking about my pheromones, he pulled my waist with his other hand.
Benedict continued to move his fingertips while kissing. My lips, tongue, and chest all tickled too much. The slightly cold hand became hot with my body temperature. It gradually became difficult to breathe. The sound was muffled at the tip of my nose.
Without knowing it, I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and avoided his kiss.
The wet lips slowly descended. He pressed and licked my lips near my ear and under my chin, making me keep shrinking. Soft hair touched my nape.
“Haah—”
Before I knew it, my shirt buttons were completely undone.
As if handling something easily damaged, he carefully licked and touched my chest. He handled it with meticulous attention as if dealing with something delicate. Just slightly licking with the tip of his tongue, gently sucking with his lips to make it heat up and ripen. The opposite side his lips didn’t touch was only lightly caressed with very small movements.
When I pushed away at the tingling ticklishness like goosebumps rising, his lips came like a tender beast suckling. He bit deeply and sucked gently. The hand on his shoulder kept curling up. I was thinking it tickled so much I wished he’d just bite when—
‘Young master!’
It was Jake’s voice.
Benedict stopped moving.
I didn’t even have time to answer. Click, goosebumps spread at the sound of a key being inserted and clunk, the doorknob turned.
“Young master, I’m coming in!”
Unable to make a sound, I floundered and urgently pulled Benedict’s head into an embrace, covering him with both sides of my open shirt.
“Why do you keep locking the door—”
Jake’s eyes opened wide.
I could see the shape of her mouth. ‘Oh. My god.’
“Ja—”
She hurriedly closed the door and left. Kyaa kyaa, her shrill voice said something, and before I could do anything, she came back in instantly.
“How could the young master!”
Her rushing eyes had become the most terrifying I’d ever seen.
“How could the young master with a strange man! With a strange man! If you think of His Excellency, you can’t do this!”
Jake, who had run over tap-tap-tap, tried to tear my arms away.
“This crazy bastard shamelessly! Seducing our naive young master! Come out right now!!”
“Huk, no, Jake!”
Jake began to grab and tear at Benedict’s head and shoulders hidden in my arms and clothes. I hurriedly embraced him protectively below my chin and was torn at instead.
“How did I raise the young master! How did I raise him!”
“Ja… ugh, Jake!”
“You fucking bastard! To such a pathetic bastard!”
“Ugh! Stop, no!”
As I kept getting hit, Benedict slowly pushed me away and emerged disheveled. Jake, who had been hurling all kinds of curses, rushed at him then hesitated.
“…Red hair?”
Benedict, whose hair was completely disheveled, had a slightly troubled face.
Slam—
“What’s going on, Jake!”
The door burst open once more.
“What’s happening that you’re calling me back and forth—”
Mikhail, standing there, gaped.
Mikhail’s shocked eyes looked at Benedict, looked at me, looked at my open front, then looked at Benedict again.
I could see Mikhail’s lips twitching and his eyes flickering. Looking like he was about to explode immediately, I stood up abruptly and blocked him while saying.
“It’s all my fault—”
“Get married!!”
