BR 1.10

While heading downstairs to have tea with Nike and waiting for dinner, Erons suggested they have tea together. Lelis gladly agreed and led him to the tea room.

“I’ll fetch the refreshments. Please wait a moment.”
“Yes. You know, Lelis. Is there a table in the garden where we could have tea? The weather’s nice, so having tea outside would be – “
”You won’t have gone far yet, so I’ll go ask His Grace for permission, shall I?”
“… I don’t feel like going out anymore. I’ll wait here.”
“Yes, my Lord. I’ll be right back.”

Erons waited in the tea room for her return, just as he’d told Lelis. Or rather, he tried to wait. If only that ring hadn’t fallen to the floor.

Erons, who had been sitting quietly, jumped up the moment he spotted the ring. Small and slender, it was too small to fit most men’s fingers.

He hadn’t seen it when he came in, so he assumed Lelis must have dropped it.

… Since I’m going to drop it off anyway, how about a quick stop?

Squeak.

Erons immediately turned thought into action. The tea room door opened, and he peeked his head out, scanning the surroundings. The heavens were on his side.

Not a single soul was roaming the hallway. Erons pretended to head toward the kitchen and walked toward the lobby. Since the kitchen was on the opposite side of the hallway from the tea room, he had to pass through the lobby anyway.

He just needed to make it to the lobby and sneak open the front door when no one was around. He had time to brew the tea, so just five minutes. Just enough time.

He just needed to get some fresh air and come back. His plan was perfect. But that damn curiosity was the problem.

He made it to the lobby just fine, but then he spotted an extremely old wooden door located at the base of the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Was this here before?”

It was different from the other doors. Its level of decay. The smell emanating from it. 

It didn’t fit this mansion at all. It had a bizarre appearance, like something you’d find attached to an abandoned house.

Yet, strangely, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from that hideous thing. As if spellbound, Erons moved toward it.

“Ugh..!”

What was that sound?

“Ah…”

The strange sound that grew louder as he approached heightened the eerie atmosphere. The faint noise became clearer the closer he got. 

The door was tightly shut, muffling it, but it was unmistakably…

“Aaah! Ah, ugh…!”

A scream. A human scream.

Thinking he might have misheard, he pressed his ear against the door several times, but that action only turned his suspicion into certainty. 

The door, as if possessed, gave him chills, stiffening his body. The screams didn’t stop, and he couldn’t shake the dread. 

He should have turned back quickly, scared as he was, but a pointless sense of justice began to stir within Erons.

What if someone was inside? If they were screaming in agony like that, shouldn’t he save them?

“Ugh!”

Erons touched the doorknob. But he received an unbearable shock and was immediately flung back. 

It looked perfectly normal, but as if a powerful current was flowing through it, the hand that had touched it turned bright red and swelled up as if burned.

“It hurts…”
“Get lost.”
“Huh?”
“I said, get lost.”

It was a familiar voice. 

Looking around and seeing no one else, he lifted his head. Fedor, perched precariously on the stair railing, dangling his toes, was glaring down at Erons with obvious displeasure.

“Young Master Fedor…?”
”Don’t call me that. I don’t want to hear ‘young master’ from you, too.“

A frown creased his handsome brow. Fedor’s sharp tone made Erons instinctively slump his shoulders.

”I’ve told you several times. Get lost, from there.”
“Ah… I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t touch other people’s things so presumptuously.”
“Yes…”
“Act like an orphan if you’re an orphan, brat. Either wallow pathetically in a corner crying, or shut your mouth and live like you’re invisible.”

The barbed words kept flying.

Anger? Disgust? Whatever it was, it held no trace of kindness. Apparently, his attempt to enter this place had rubbed Fedor the wrong way. But he couldn’t just turn back now.

“Hey…!”
“What?”

A scream echoed from inside, no matter whose space it was. It wasn’t an auditory hallucination. In fact, it was still faintly audible even now.

“There’s this weird noise coming from here. Like a scream… Could someone be inside…!”
“Hah. Did you even hear me?”
“Gah! It’s dangerous!”

Fedor, who had leaped from that high railing, landed so softly it made Erons’s cry seem pointless. 

A normal person would have been badly hurt from that height, but he was perfectly fine. He settled down as if he weren’t human, as light as a feather.

In contrast to that lightness, the weight of his sharp gaze was immense. Just facing him made your body stiffen, and you felt something pressing down on you, enough to make your mouth go dry.

“Hey.”
“Yes, yes…?”
“An outsider like you shouldn’t meddle. Don’t bother yourself. Stop scurrying around like a rat.”

With each word, he pushed Erons’s forehead in an unpleasant manner. The recoil sent his head jerking back, causing both discomfort and a sharp sting of hurt.

Erons’s voice trembled slightly, “I’m sorry… I just heard someone’s voice…”
“That’s none of your concern.”

“My Lord!” Just as tears threatened to spill, Lelis’s voice rang out. She must have come looking for him since he wasn’t in the tea room.

He turned his head briefly at the familiar voice, then looked back at Fedor and witnessed a strange sight.

He was gone.

He had been right here just a moment ago. He hadn’t walked past him, nor had he heard the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs. Yet Fedor had vanished without a trace.

Was it a hallucination? Or… a ghost…?

As he stared blankly at the spot where Fedor had been, Lelis came running breathlessly.

“My Lord! You suddenly vanished, you know. I was startled.”
“Uh… Did you come looking for me?”
“Of course. Why did you come out? I told you I’d be right back.”
“Ah, well, that… I came looking for Lelis!”
“Me?”
“Yes, to give you this. It’s yours, right?”

He held out the ring Erons had brought. Seeing the ring, Lelis touched her throat, and her face lit up. The change in her expression made it clear it was hers and probably quite important.

“It is mine. Thank you.”
“I knew it. I’m glad I found it.”
“If it weren’t for you, my Lord, it would have been a disaster.”
“Not at all. It was only natural, really.”

Lelis smiled softly and slipped the ring onto her pinky finger. The ring fit her finger perfectly, but the pink sapphire set in it looked cute, slightly mismatched with her elegant image.

“I wore it around my neck because it was uncomfortable while working and I didn’t want it to get wet, but the chain must have worn out and snapped.”
“Then you should get a new one that won’t break like a gold chain. It’s important, after all.”
“I suppose so. I’ll bring a few options. Would you mind choosing one for me, my Lord?”
“Is that alright? I have absolutely no taste when it comes to jewelry.”
“It’s just picking a cord, so it shouldn’t be hard. Well, the tea might have cooled by now, but shall we head to the tea room?”
“Yes, let’s go.”

Following her as she led the way, Erons kept glancing back at the lower part of the staircase.

It was a strange place. The shape of the door, the sounds coming from behind it, even the brief time he’d spent with Fedor there.

That day, the oddities didn’t end there. Fedor didn’t attend the banquet. It wasn’t unusual for him to skip it, so Erons thought nothing of it.

But Nike didn’t attend either.

“Is he busy… He never skips meals.”

Recalling the serious expression on Keld’s face when he called, it seemed like something very important. Because of that, Erons had to stay alone in the dining hall for the first time ever.

“… Ah, ugh, aah…!”

And as time passed, the screams of someone unknown echoed through the dining hall. Now they even walked past the dining hall and reached Erons’s bedroom window.

Even with every door in the room tightly shut, the sound penetrated. Just how loud were they screaming to make it like that?

He wished he could ignore it and sleep, but the sound was too unsettling; Erons simply couldn’t fall asleep.

“Er, Lelis.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“I keep hearing strange noises outside.”

He didn’t say it, but Lelis already knew. The door at the bottom of the stairs where he stood, the screams reached up to the third floor. Those two things alone provided the answer.

Add to that Nike, who had left Erons alone, and the answer became even clearer.

Lelis had a hunch what it was, but she couldn’t tell Erons anything. If she did, it might drive away any sleep he had managed to find, and he might end up staying up all night.

He might even try to escape from this mansion.

“The moon is especially bright tonight, so the beasts must be running wild. They’re sensitive to moonlight, you see. I’ll bring you some warm milk, so please calm your mind and try to sleep.”

No. That wasn’t the cry of a beast.

He knew human screams well enough from having heard them many times. But pressing further would likely yield no truth, so Erons reluctantly nodded.

Drinking the milk Lelis brought began to ease his tension. Thanks to that, he finally managed to fall asleep.

Only for it to happen again.

“Ugh…”

The erotic dream that set his body aflame had started once more.

Whenever he suffered these erotic dreams, someone always stayed by his side. But whether this counted as protection was debatable.

“Huh, Your Grace, my lord… Ahh…”
“Shh, calm down. Don’t tremble.”
“Your Grace…. Ha, uh, Your Grace….”
”My dear child, you are quite adorable.”

Nike didn’t just think about how much he missed him. He acted on it. The moment he entered the bedroom, he released his pheromones.

Erons’s honest body heated up instantly, soon emitting moans of pleasure. Ironically, the name the child, who thought this situation was a dream, mumbled for rescue was none other than Nike. 

What an adorable child.

“The one who so desperately desires you is none other than me, the one you seek so fervently. Yet you search for me, unaware.”

Stroking Erons’s head, who, even with sleep-filled eyes half-open, failed to recognize his presence, he showered kisses without restraint, covering cheeks and lips alike. 

He should have woken up by now, but no matter how fiercely he kissed him, Erons couldn’t shake off his drowsiness. Thanks to that, the frequency of his visits increased.

He’s so slow.

“Your… Grace… Huh… Your Grace…”
“Keep calling me. Call my name.”
“Your Grace… Please save me…”
“Yes, child. Never forget that I am the only one who can save you, anytime.”

His eyes glinted beneath closed lids. Nike stopped his outpouring of pheromones and held Erons close, soothing him until his sobs subsided. It was a truly ridiculous situation.

It was Nike who had driven things to this point, yet now he was the one comforting him until he stopped crying.

Erons was truly a simple, easy child to handle. As if he’d never cried at all, he quickly fell asleep. 

It was a shame to stop right here, but the opportunity wouldn’t be limited to just today. 

Nike gently laid Erons down on the tidied bed and slipped out of the bedroom.

“Don’t you ever get tired of this? Doing this every night.“
”Who’s there?“
”It’s me.“
”You…?“
”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you at this hour, Father.“

The source of the sound was Fedor. That eccentric who hated dealing with people, the very one who trembled at the mention of Erons.

Why had he come to Erons’s bedroom door?

“What brings you here, you bastard?”
“Bastard? To your own son? Don’t you think that’s a bit much? I’m your flesh and blood, yet I get treated worse than some stray you picked up off the street.”
“Enough. Get to the point.”
“Right. I heard something quite amusing. I wondered if you might know about it too.”

Nike grew wary of his son’s unhurried demeanor.

Fedor wasn’t armed, nor was he in an offensive stance.

Yet here was a father baring his claws at his own son.

Fedor’s wry smile, the moonlight spilling over his head, made his monocle and black hair shimmer. The dark eye that swallowed the shadows blended with it, creating an eerie yet mysterious aura.

“Get rid of that useless glass first.”

“It’ll vanish the moment I reach the bottom. That bastard’s asleep anyway, so he won’t see this. No need to be so wary. Did you know that lately, every night, there has been a faint moaning sound? In this mansion, where only Alphas and Betas reside. Ah, not anymore. An Omega has entered.”

“So? What are you trying to say?”
“The words said by the one who makes that lowborn cry are quite interesting. Riman, was it? That’s what he said. To that foundling.”

Though positioned neither too close nor too far, Fedor’s small voice struck Nike’s eardrums as clearly as if he were speaking directly into his ear.

Starting from his narrowed brow, wrinkles that had not yet formed creased Nike’s face into a distorted mess.

He hated that Fedor even mentioned Erons. He knew Fedor harbored hostility toward the child. He was the sort who might cause harm if you looked away for even a moment.

“So, I came to see if this Riman is the same Riman I know.”

Fedor’s lips curved upward. The smile that played across his handsome face was captivating enough to bewitch countless people.

But not Nike. Even though he was his son, Nike felt repulsed by Fedor. To his eyes, the Fedor standing before him now was no different from a demon with its wings torn off.

“Is that bastard truly Riman?”
“Ha.”

Feeling it wasn’t even worth answering, Nike snorted derisively. What if he is? Even if he is Riman, does that change anything?

Does it make any difference?

“You don’t need to know.”
“Why not? It’s a name closely tied to me as well.”
“Shut up.”

In an instant, the fury in his eyes flared, the blue light flickering fiercely, as if it might shatter into pieces. He had been openly displaying his rage, but now he slipped his hand into his pocket.

“Don’t concern yourself with that child.”

“Child… you mean him?” Child. It was a rather irritating word. “Well, it’s a rather fitting label, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“At first glance, it seems like a word for a son, doesn’t it? Child, my child, therefore my son. Everyone else would think that, right? That the boy is his father’s adopted son. Probably most people in this mansion think that too. Who would know that the true meaning behind it is entirely different? So it’s a rather fitting label.”

“… Shut up.”
“Since it’s a word whose meaning seems certain yet uncertain, shall I guess what Father meant by it?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up!”

A dagger, cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound, flew toward Fedor. The blade stopped just a hair’s breadth before Fedor’s eyes. The blade, trembling as if stuck in a wooden board, hovered in midair for a moment before clattering limply to the floor.

”Shh. You’ll wake the little one Father cherishes so much.”

The dagger had been thrown by none other than Nike. A father threw it at his son. The reason was absurd. He had mentioned the adopted son, causing his father’s mood to sour.

Thus, Fedor had to catch even the knife his father threw.

“That boy still seems to know nothing. Your Grace, wearing the mask of such a tender father, hides such a cruel heart within.”
“You’re barking freely now that your mouth is open.”

“That’s all he’s learned from anyone. If he knew that the one who lusts after his body every night isn’t a dream, and that the stranger he thought he was dealing with is actually the man destined to be his father, I wonder just how long that boy could endure it.”

“If you’re only going to talk nonsense, get out of here immediately.”
“Yes, yes. If that’s what you wish, I’ll leave.”

Fedor snorted, stepped down from the windowsill, and turned his back. 

Then he simply walked away.

He was no ordinary nobleman, but a young Master, yet he didn’t even offer a simple nod of greeting. Fedor’s words and actions, unbecoming of his station, made Nike press his hand to his forehead.

“Wait.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on that child. Even you won’t get away with it.”

That child this, that child that.

Fedor paused for just a moment, then turned his head to stare at him. It was a gaze devoid of anger, curiosity, or anything else, just utterly dry and emotionless.

With a single shrug of his shoulders, Fedor dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished without a trace.

Ugh, yeah…. Haa….

“Haa, this is utterly vulgar.”

A faint moan spread through the thoroughly disheveled space.

Leaning his arms on the desk, so cluttered with old books that there wasn’t even room for a single sheet of paper, Fedor rested his chin on his hand.

The sweet moans flowing in his ears made the corners of his mouth curl up eerily.

The source of the moan was none other than Erons. The amethyst he’d planted in his bedroom was doing its job perfectly. It was a listening device.

Who could easily accept the reality of an unfamiliar, uninvited guest being their new sibling?

And him being ‘Riman’?

It was a situation where you couldn’t help but be concerned.

For the first few days, it was quiet, making him wonder if he was really just sleeping. Just as he began to feel a hint of regret, thinking he’d wasted his magic for nothing, something finally started making noise.

What reached him through the piercing until late dawn was none other than moans.

It wasn’t even funny.

He looked so innocent, but his actions were the complete opposite.

Well, he was an Omega. That vulgar blood of his wasn’t going anywhere.

“There’s nothing more to hear –”

“Riman.”
“….”
“My child… Riman.”
“So I didn’t mishear back then.”

It was crystal clear.

Nike’s voice calling Erons ‘Riman’.

It was even a sultry voice.

From that day on, Fedor visited Erons whenever he heard moans. The days he expected to be sparse were surprisingly frequent.

Almost every day.

When he waited outside the bedroom for someone to emerge, it was always Nike who cautiously opened the door.

He’d thought they were unnaturally close, but never imagined they’d be doing this behind his back.

Setting aside hostility, curiosity arose.

How sweet must that body be to make him cling and lick it every single night? And was he really Riman as Nike believed?

“Maybe I should go in.”

Overcome by curiosity, Fedor finally stepped into Erons’s bedroom, the very place he had firmly resolved never to enter. He entered right after Nike came out.

The room was sweltering.

Part of it came from the fireplace, but the pheromones and heat from the two of them mingled and swirled.

“You two really went at it.”

Erons was drenched in sweat, almost pitiable, when he walked over.

It wasn’t strong, but there was a faint sweet scent. It seemed Nike had enjoyed himself thoroughly alone and hadn’t bothered to soothe the boy afterward.

The blanket was wrapped around him, and the way he was panting looked quite painful, so Fedor yanked the blanket off. 

Even exposed to the cool air, Erons’s heat showed no sign of cooling.

Just how dirty had they been playing for him to be this hot?

He lifted the thin nightshirt. 

Not only the nightshirt, but the delicate underwear beneath was soaked through, utterly useless. The liquid that the drenched underwear couldn’t contain trickled down his thighs.

“… Huh.”

Even for an Omega, this was intense. Could there really be this much fluid? Or had they played so hard that this was the result?

The liquid on his thighs glistened in the moonlight. The droplets clinging to his pale skin captured his gaze. 

Fedor unconsciously undid the lace of the underwear. Peeling away the fabric clinging to his skin revealed his buttocks.

Having endured a long period of abstinence, his mouth watered involuntarily, even though his partner was Erons.

Fedor instinctively reached out with his hand first. Unable to bring himself to touch the buttocks, he grasped the thigh, glistening with sweet moisture. It was soft and supple.

It felt so delicate, as if squeezing it just a little harder would crush it into an unattractive mess. Would it really crush? Should I squeeze a little harder?

As he thought and applied force, flesh bulged between his fingers.

“Ugh…”
“…”

The combination of the soft skin under his touch, the sight of the plump, pale buttocks, and the erotic moan stimulating his hearing created a perfect storm.

For a fleeting moment, he felt an urge to pounce on Erons. It was instinctive. An impulse he would never feel in a rational state.

Fedor was flabbergasted.

Of all things, to even feel lust for that despicable, insignificant thing he had always scorned…

Was it the pheromones?

Yeah, I’m an Alpha; that bastard’s an Omega. This is instinct.

It was only natural. The way of nature. 

After rationalizing it away like that, Fedor, unable to resist the urge, released his scent.

”Huh, ah…”

The scent grew thicker in proportion to his instincts, overpowering his reason. As he covered the sweet scent with his own, Erons let out a flushed moan.

“Haa.”

Just sleeping and releasing a little pheromone, and he feels this much? The only thing I touched was his thigh.

Omegas really are shallow. 

Dirty and so frivolous.

Yet Fedor couldn’t pull his hand away. 

Fighting the urge to go a little higher with the last thread of his reason, he only squeezed the thigh hard enough that he felt like he might crush the bones.

Even though he only repeated that action, Erons’s moans showed no sign of stopping. 

Watching his body respond to pleasure even in sleep, Fedor felt a dull ache grow in his lower body.

… I want to enter him, just once. If I could come inside him, reach the end… If I could see every single one of those tiny folds spread open…

“Damn it. What the hell are you thinking?”

He shook his head violently at the absurd thoughts flashing through his mind. Even if it was instinct, how could he have such thoughts about this guy?

Amidst this, Erons shifted his body, exposing a slightly larger area. His fingertips brushed the curve extending from the end of those well-toned legs.

The contact intensified the Alpha’s pheromones.

And the Omega’s pheromones intensified, too.

Blocking a recessive Omega’s pheromones wasn’t difficult. Yet Fedor offered no defense. He absorbed the pheromones completely.

They were too sweet. The intoxicatingly sweet scent was overwhelmingly addictive.

His moans of excitement were incredibly erotic.

Fedor’s previously sluggish cock finally stood fully erect. It was dangerous.

The thought swept through him that if he stayed like this, he might actually pounce on that thing.

When he finally pulled his hands away, they glistened like Erons’s thighs. Each time he spread his fingers, the long, trailing liquid glistened.

The thin thread carried the same sweet scent emanating from Erons. What would it taste like? Would it be sweet, like that fragrance? Fedor unconsciously brought his fingers to his mouth

“Cold…”

As Erons mumbled, his bare lower body exposed to the air outside the blanket, Fedor’s hand stopped moving just before it touched his lips. 

His senses returned.

Fedor alternated glances between the still-sleeping Erons and his own wet finger, then burst into hollow laughter.

“Ha… Ha, ha ha. I’m crazy. I’m really crazy.”

He jerkily wiped his finger on the blanket, then swiftly turned his back, ready to leave. 

If he’s cold, he’ll cover himself with the blanket. 

I can just leave it like this.

“… Damn it.”

He strode back toward Erons. 

As the purple piercing glowed, the thoroughly soaked underwear dried and became fluffy, then returned to its rightful place on its own. 

He didn’t bother wiping the liquid off his body. It would just spill again and get wet anyway. 

The blanket crept up, covering Erons’s body. It was the moment the obscene scene returned to the ordinary sight of someone sleeping.

Only later, having left that place, did Fedor find himself unable to comprehend his own actions, no matter how hard he thought about it. Even if it was instinct, he’d never experienced anything like this before.

Moreover, he’d never held a man. Whatever the trait, it had to be a woman. He was simply drawn to women. Yet Fedor found himself pointing his lower body toward Erons, a man, and an Omega at that.

“…. I’m crazy.”

Fedor had to struggle to kill his own stubbornly erect penis, unaware of his own need. Even after spending time on it, it wouldn’t die, so he ended up having to masturbate.

While recalling the situation from earlier. He looked at his semen-stained hand with apparent disgust. What the hell was it about Erons that made his body react like this?

Though the process was far from pleasant, his dilemma about what to do with Erons going forward was neatly resolved.

“Getting involved with that bastard might actually be pretty fun, don’t you think? If he really is Riman, that is.”

He would get close to Erons. 

He would keep Erons by his side, not Nike’s.