He’s some cousin nephew from a marquis family and his name was Eli, I think.
“Me? Horseback riding and also….”
“Oh, you like horseback riding? Are you interested in the fall derby this year? I don’t usually hang out with commoners, but I think you and I can communicate.”
As expected of someone from nobility, his fresh audacity of cutting off my words mid-sentence is noticeable. But I like the fall derby too, so I’ll forgive him. Hmm.
“Haha. Really? A commoner like me isn’t common, right?”
When I winked and played it cool, the guys around me laughed uproariously. Especially Eli, who was almost leaning against my body, laughing pleasantly.
“Mellans, you’re really funny!”
“Huh. When did class end? I’ll head out first!”
Before I knew it, class had ended, and I quickly grabbed my crossbody bag and stood up. Then Eli also hurriedly packed his bag and grabbed me.
“Mellans. Your next class is accounting at South Hall, right? Let’s go together. I’m taking that too.”
“Ah….”
At his suggestion, I quickly scanned the classroom. I was worried I might run into Cesare. At a glance, Cesare had already disappeared, so I said to Eli with peace of mind.
“Then take your time packing your bag and come out. I’ll stop by the bathroom and be in front of the stained glass on the first floor.”
“Okay!”
I was a bit bored lately, and since he liked the fall derby that I also occasionally enjoyed, I accepted his suggestion thinking I’d have more conversation. I should ask what team he roots for too. Hehe.
When I quickly went to the bathroom and came back, Eli was staring at me in utter bewilderment with an extremely stiff face. His face was ashen as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, uh. Mellans. Sorry. So… go alone. I can’t go with you. I was trying to say that. Bye!”
“Hey. Eli!”
Before I could even call him, he started running away quickly in terror. He even seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat. As I tilted my head at his strange behavior, I recalled one reason and nodded.
‘Whoa. Don’t tell me it’s sudden diarrhea?’
That’s understandable. Yeah. The person who doesn’t understand that is worse. Dude. You really had to go badly.
The moment I saw Cesare passing through the side corridor, I quickly hid in the dark part of the stained glass. But… would it be my imagination if Cesare looked angry enough to kill someone?
* * *
Today too, I quickly bought a lunch box and headed to the dormitory to avoid Cesare. As soon as I entered my room, I locked the door and plopped onto the bed.
“Aigoo. Today was tough too. Have you been well, fox-like pillow and rabbit-like blanket?”
“Yeah. It must be really tough. Running away from someone.”
“……!”
At the suddenly heard voice, a chill ran down my spine. Just blinking my eyes, thinking whether I had heard an auditory hallucination, I heard the voice again.
“Lionel. You seemed busy these days, so I stopped by to personally dote on you, but are you going to pretend not to know like this?”
“Hiiik!”
When I jumped up, a black form immediately pounced on me and knocked me back onto the bed. I tried to scream because I was so surprised, but a large hand covered my mouth first.
“Shh. It’s not like I came somewhere I shouldn’t. Between people who’ve even kissed.”
“Mmmbmph!”
Cesare Yanox!
“I gave you a few days’ grace, but our little doggy didn’t know that and ran around getting treats here and there thinking his leash was off. Hmm?”
“Mmmph….”
“Shh? You have to be quiet, my puppy.”
An ambush! How cowardly! Eventually, I looked up at Cesare with a tearful face in surrender.
Seeing me completely drained, Cesare slowly removed his hand. I couldn’t say anything and just gaped. I was surprised that he suddenly came, but what surprised me more was that he touched me without hesitation. Normally, straight guys who get hit on by same-sex lovers would hate even a fingertip touching them.
“Lionel. Are you trying to provoke jealousy?”
“Huh?”
“Eli Hawkins. Devari Noah. Dienon R. Ferguson. And….”
He rattled off the names of guys who had been hanging around me lately. Well, it’s ambiguous to say they hung around because they all had irritable bowel syndrome or something—they were with me and then ran out with strange faces. They’re guys who never talk to me again, as if feeling ashamed even though I didn’t say anything about their sudden diarrhea. This is why nobles are annoying.
Anyway, I rolled my eyes and timidly responded.
“I-I don’t really know what you’re talking about….”
“Why did you kiss me?”
“Be-because I like you…?”
I answered timidly while watching Cesare’s reaction.
“Then shouldn’t you only look at me?”
“Huh…?”
As I remained dazed, not understanding what he meant, Cesare let out a deep sigh and held his head.
“Ha. Never mind. It’s my fault for thinking I could talk sense into you.”
“I-I… am only looking at you though…?”
“…Haah. I’m going crazy.”
Isn’t that the right answer?
As befitting a male lead candidate in a romance fantasy novel, he spat out the words “I’m going crazy.” Usually that sentence is only uttered when the female lead does something cute or when it’s really difficult to the point of going crazy, and since I’m not the female lead, it must be the latter meaning.
While a bead of cold sweat ran down my spine, Cesare, who let out another deep sigh, suddenly grabbed my collar. And uttered a shocking statement.
“Lionel. Kiss me one more time.”
“……?”
What?
When I didn’t understand, he snapped irritably.
“Do it one more time. I changed my plan.”
What plan? But wait. Can you just kiss whenever? No.
I was speechless, my brain overloaded from him barging in out of nowhere and making an absurd demand.
“Do I always have to do this for you to listen?”
Then Cesare, as if frustrated, laid me down first and brought his face close. In the instantly shortened distance, Cesare’s handsome face was fully captured. And the moment I thought our eyes met, a strange light flowed from his jewel-like pupils.
‘Huh? I can’t see ahead… This is… again….’
I tried to hold onto my consciousness that was trying to turn hazy, but my body gradually became dull, and soon I felt fluffy as if my head was full of clouds.
“Lionel.”
“…Mmnh?”
“[Kiss me.]”
My head was confused. I understood the words, but I couldn’t understand the meaning of the sentence. His words didn’t make sense. I responded to him blankly.
“Whyyy?”
“Just do it.”
A strange voice kept ringing in my head telling me to kiss him. But right now I didn’t want to follow that voice. Because there was no valid reason. So I asked carefully.
“Do you… love me…?”
“…No! Why would I!”
At the sight of Cesare hesitating and then snapping angrily again, I tilted my head.
“But then why… do I have to kiss you…?”
“Damn magic. Just listen to me, please. [When I tell you to kiss me, just do it without talking back!]”
An even stronger wave of mana burst out from Cesare’s fingertips. My head started ringing heavier, but the question remained unresolved to the end.
“Kisses are… something people who love each other do…? Right? Hehe. You don’t like me…. Then I can’t. No.”
I grinned and sought his consent. But Cesare panicked even more and grew anxious. After pondering for a while, he suddenly pressed down firmly on my shoulder and said seriously.
“Now. Lionel, you idiot. Whew. Fine. Let’s try again slowly. You love me, right?”
It was funny because Cesare, who usually had a stiff way of speaking, was using baby talk. I’m an idiot but not a baby. I answered while giggling.
“Yeah! Kekeke.”
“[When you love someone, you want to be with them.] Right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then you should be by my side.”
“That’s right!”
When I nodded enthusiastically, Cesare finally smiled slightly and stroked me.
“Honestly, I’m uncomfortable without you too. Cain is even stupider than you and can’t match my tastes, so I need you, not anyone else.”
Right. I was a somewhat capable lackey. But I shouldn’t be by your side, right? You’re going to drain my fortune.
At the sudden thought, I quickly pushed him away.
“Mm. But you said you don’t love me. And you’re dangerous. So we need to keep our distance.”
“I’m dangerous? Were you thinking of secretly pouncing on me…? A kiss wasn’t enough? Ha! Your boldness pierces the sky.”
Cesare muttered to himself. After thinking for a bit, he soon opened his mouth again.
“Lionel. I understand why you’re keeping your distance from me. But I want to keep you by my side. No, I have to. I even swore on my family name last time. Remember?”
My head was still hazy, but now I was starting to understand what Cesare was saying to me. That he had to keep me by his side because he had sworn on his family last time. In noble society, an oath made on one’s family was absolute.
“Oh, right? Then you have to keep it!”
“Since we have no choice but to be together, I also have to try not to feel disgusted by you, right? So [we’ll get used to each other through contact]. You said you want to be doted on. This worked out well.”
“Huh. Cesare! You’re a genius?”
When I was purely impressed by Cesare’s clever plan, he stroked my head again, pleased.
“Good. Lionel. Look this way again.”
– Snap.
“Cute Rye. Let’s listen well, okay?”
When Cesare snapped his fingers, I felt like my vision instantly brightened.
* * *
‘What was I thinking about?’
There are times like that. When you have something to say but suddenly forget everything in your head. This happened to be one of those times. For some reason, with my uneven state of mind, I was lying on the bed blinking blankly when Cesare urged me.
“Lionel. Do you understand a bit now?”
“Huh? Understand….”
At the confident expression of the guy in front of me, I groggily got up from the bed and organized my thoughts in order.
So Cesare swore on the Yanox family to keep me by his side, so he has to keep me by his side even if it’s forced. So even if he feels disgusted, he has to stick with me, and he says we’ll get used to each other “through contact.”
‘But does that lower the disgust…? Won’t it increase instead….’
The moment I had doubts.
– Hey. Shh.
Suddenly, a strange “shh” sound seemed to be heard in my head, so I stopped thinking.
But then doesn’t this mean my distancing plan failed? I sighed again at my patheticness for confessing without thinking and being happy that the distancing succeeded. Anyway, since I understood the situation itself, I shyly nodded toward Cesare.
“Okay. I just… have to try kissing, right? But are you really okay with it?”
“Ahem, I know. But if I’m going to keep you by my side, there’s no choice. Hurry up and try it.”
Well. Since it’s not just any family but an oath made on the Yanox ducal family, he can’t easily break it, so he has no choice either. With the thought that since it’s come to this, I might as well fill my personal desires with a kiss, I took a deep breath.
Mitche was glittering his eyes as he watched from inside my heart, so I flicked his forehead with my finger just before.
‘You little thing. What are you trying to watch?’
In the state of sitting facing each other on the bed, I slowly bent my upper body toward him. The moment I swallowed dry saliva, closed my eyes, and grabbed his cheek.
“You’re taking your damn time.”
Suddenly Cesare’s lips approached and overlapped, and a soft tongue entered between my lips.
“Hnngh!”
Too surprised, I was the one who became flustered instead. Then, as if targeting that gap, Cesare attacked fiercely, laying me down on the bed and strongly intertwining his tongue.
“Mmnh…!”
Unlike last time, his aggressive tongue movement thoroughly ravaged my entire mouth and completely took my mind away. The breath that couldn’t escape in time from the sudden kiss sweetly entangled with his exhalation.
At the rough and wild kiss that coiled tongues together, my fingertips that had been gripping the sheets collapsed powerlessly. All I could do was twist my head while helplessly surrendering my body to the rapidly rising pleasure.
“Chuup, haanh.”
‘Why is he so aggressive? Is he trying to take the lead?’
I thought he must have been quite hurt in his pride from being suddenly kissed and pinned down last time. Anyway, this thought was brief too, and soon I couldn’t think about anything at all with his hand coming to embrace the back of my head. Swish, swish, along with the sensual sound of sheets wrinkling, the sound of wet lips colliding continued endlessly.
