“――We’ll meet again soon.”

That voice echoed relentlessly in his ears, refusing to leave.

“…… So noisy…… I’d rather listen to something else…… I don’t want to hear your voice.”

Christoph murmured weakly, his hand trembling as he nervously rubbed his ear.

On the way back to the hotel from the fair, Jeong Changin and Richard were chatting non-stop in the car. Their conversation wasn’t anything special. It was just congratulatory remarks about succession or a few work-related topics.

Richard was driving while Jeong Changin, seated in the passenger seat, kept the conversation going. Christoph, on the other hand, was staring out the window.

Of course, he didn’t think he would ever meet that person again.

The words that man had said before leaving Berlin “We’ll meet again soon” had left a deep imprint in Christoph’s mind, almost like a foreboding omen.

But he didn’t want to meet him again. He truly didn’t.

Still, Christoph thought that after some time had passed, everything would be okay. Time would eventually dull the memories and emotions.

If only that person hadn’t reappeared in front of him so soon.

“――We’ll meet again soon.”

That phrase continued to echo in his ears.

Even after he entered the room without turning on the lights and lay in the darkness, wrapped under the covers, that sound wouldn’t stop. Though his mind was weary to the point of exhaustion, Christoph couldn’t fall asleep.

“Medicine…… at least medicine……”

Christoph muttered involuntarily and sat up. But when he looked around at the unfamiliar darkness, he realized he didn’t have any medicine in this strange place.

But he couldn’t leave things like this. If he stayed like this, not only would he be unable to sleep, but the noise in his ears would torment him all night. His eardrums might even burst from the constant noise.

Christoph got out of bed. He hastily threw on some clothes and rushed out. When he reached the elevator, the man standing beside it, seemingly on guard, looked at him curiously.

Maybe the hotel had some spare medicine. No, but over-the-counter medicine wouldn’t ease his headache and tinnitus. He needed the specific kind he regularly used, but it wasn’t the kind sold at normal pharmacies.

It wasn’t until the elevator was almost at his floor that Christoph realized this and clicked his tongue in frustration.

What should he do now? Should he try what he did before, like sticking something into his ear to stop the noise? Last time, even when he drove a pen into his ear, the noise in his head didn’t stop. But maybe this time would be different?

No, but if he took more of the medicine, perhaps it would help a little. Not just one or two pills, but more……

While Christoph was caught up in these thoughts, the elevator arrived. The doors slid open with a soft, mechanical sound.

Thinking it might be better to ask for spare medicine from the hotel instead of looking for a pharmacy at this hour, Christoph was about to step into the elevator.

“Well, well. Where are you off to in such a hurry? From the way you’re dressed, it doesn’t seem like you’re going far.”

A figure blocked his path, and a familiar voice rang out from above him. It was a voice he knew all too well. It was the same voice that had been echoing in his ears this whole time.

Christoph looked up, startled, to see Richard slowly stepping out of the elevator, blocking his way. The elevator doors closed behind him, and it began to descend.

“Where are you headed?”

The gentle voice asked.

“……My ears are too noisy, so I was going to get some medicine.”

Christoph muttered, and Richard was silent for a moment. Then a short, mocking laugh escaped him. “Still the same, huh” – He said curtly.

“What kind of noise is bothering you so much?”

“…………It’s your voice……”

Silence fell again.

Christoph worried that if the silence continued, the noise in his ears would return, so he murmured again with dry lips.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore…… I don’t want to hear your voice.”

Christoph could feel the gaze from above looking down at him. But he didn’t want to raise his head. He didn’t want to meet Richard’s eyes.

“All right. Then how about we go back to your room and talk?”

Richard spoke briefly. Only then did Christoph lift his head, revealing a look of discontent.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Why not? You refused Tarten’s offer and walked away, but there are still many matters to resolve. How much you owe and how you plan to repay it, the extent to which your legal rights in managing Tarten have been reduced. Even if you have no responsibilities or obligations toward Tarten, there are still some minimal things you need to settle. Besides, there are a few other issues as well. ——Oh, and even if you no longer care, there’s also news about your mother.”

Richard listed off the matters with a businesslike tone.

Christoph clamped his mouth shut. He wanted to refuse, but he didn’t know what to say.

Richard glanced at the guard, who was watching them with a puzzled expression, then grabbed Christoph’s arm without a word and said: “Let’s go back to your room.”

Without even asking, Richard led the way to Christoph’s room. Christoph was almost being dragged, and he tried several times to shake off Richard’s hand from his elbow, but Richard didn’t look back or let go.

Even when they reached the door, Richard forcibly rummaged through Christoph’s pockets to find the key and opened the door. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut behind them that Richard finally released Christoph.

“Okay, let’s talk. About your future legal rights regarding Tarten. You know, rights and obligations always go hand in hand.”

Richard’s voice began in an extremely businesslike manner, as if he were a lawyer responsible for family matters, coming to deliver contracts or agreement papers.

Christoph glanced at the papers Richard had spread out on the table without actually reading them, just giving them a quick glance. Although Richard read through the sentences mechanically, almost as if he had memorized them, none of it really reached Christoph’s ears.

“……That’s enough. Stop. I’ll give up all my rights related to Tarten, and I won’t take on any obligations either. Ah, that’s right, as for the debt, I’ll pay it all off, so just focus on that.”

Christoph interrupted Richard halfway through. When he muttered wearily, Richard stopped talking and looked at him.

“It’s best to settle everything properly now so that no one can say later that they didn’t hear things clearly.”

“Huh…… What? Do you think I’ll come back later and talk about legal matters or demand my inheritance?”

Richard looked at Christoph for a moment, then said: “All right.” and let go of the papers.

“I’ll take care of the paperwork and send it to you later. As for the inheritance, Christoph, ever since you withdrew from the succession race, you’ve forfeited that right. The only thing you can inherit——Oh right. When my great-aunt passed away, the assets in her name will go to you.”

Richard leaned against the table, watching Christoph standing still in the middle of the room, and continued: “Oh, by the way, my great-aunt has moved to the northern villa. It seems she won’t leave unless she leaves Tarten.”

Richard’s words floated lightly, almost carelessly, but Christoph shuddered slightly and stiffened. He slowly raised his head to find Richard staring straight at him. When their eyes met, the corner of Richard’s mouth curled up slightly.

“At last, you’re looking up.”

“——Did my mother say she liked it there?”

Christoph asked. However, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he already knew the answer.

Richard let out a faint and dry laugh: “Not at all. You know full well that she always preferred Tarten’s Dongik over any other place.”

Yes, he knew that.

The Dongik area of Tarten was reserved for the heads of the Tarten family. Only a select few in the empire were allowed to stay there.

But for Bianka, his mother, to want to move to the villa – a place usually reserved for secondary branches of the family – seemed unbelievable.

Richard seemed satisfied as he watched Christoph’s stunned expression, and he continued: “Right after I completed my succession and returned from Berlin to Dresden that night, she moved to the villa…… Actually, it’s for the best. As soon as she moved, she fell ill, so that quiet villa is probably a better place for her to recuperate than Dongik.”

“……”

Christoph’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but then he closed them again. Richard, lowering his head and observing every movement, suddenly murmured in a low voice: “Consider yourself lucky that things have only gone this far.”

Suddenly, those low murmurs reminded Christoph of that night, when Richard had roared in rage.

He remembered the cold voice echoing; “I’ll kill her!” and the icy, piercing glare flashing vividly in his memory like a scene on a screen.

Christoph silently watched him. It seemed Richard also recalled that night, as the cold smile that had briefly appeared on his lips vanished without a trace.

“I’ve told you before, your mother never thought ill of you. In any situation, she never saw you as a bad person.”

Christoph spoke softly. Richard’s gaze, which had lost all signs of a smile, turned sharply toward Christoph. A flicker of anger briefly flashed in his eyes, and then, once again, a brief, cold smile appeared on his lips.

“Yes, she apologized to me.”

“……”

“That night, when I returned to Dresden, I asked her if she had said those words to you, and she went pale and told me so. She apologized to me. It’s all your fault…… Hah, forget it. Talking any more will just make my mouth dirty.”

Richard clicked his tongue softly and turned his head away.

Christoph remained silent. He could guess what she had said.

However, Richard remained quiet for a moment, then suddenly smiled wryly, as if something occurred to him.

“Yes, I have my own business to worry about. Besides, you already have someone else to be angry and grateful on your behalf.”

Christoph frowned slightly. He tilted his head, looking at Richard as if he didn’t understand what he was saying. Though he didn’t quite grasp the latter part of the statement, he understood the first part.

“Taei…… he could only do that much for me.” – Christoph muttered expressionlessly.

The meaning was clear: Jeong Taeui could only do so much for Christoph. Anything beyond that wasn’t Christoph’s responsibility. And it wasn’t Taeui’s responsibility either. Both understood this clearly, just as Taeui had said many times before, and Christoph knew it too.

But after staring down in silence for a while, Christoph lifted his head. His face showed a faint discontent but remained silent.

“Fine. If I keep going to that house often, who knows what might happen.”

“What could possibly happen……?”

Christoph nodded.

But even though he said that, he didn’t think anything would change between him and Taeui. Even so, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t expecting any kind of relationship like the one Riegrow had. Just keeping things as they were now was enough.

“Besides, that house is fine. Just like you said, there are people who want to protect me.”

Christoph said, and his lips pressed together slightly. The intention to mock was in his words, but it seemed he couldn’t carry it out, so he fell silent again.

Richard coldly looked at Christoph. At one moment, his gaze narrowed, and then he spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

“Kyle, then——”

The sentence was cut off abruptly. Richard seemed to be looking at Christoph’s face but also staring past it, as if focusing on something distant. Perhaps he was recalling some lingering image from his memories.

His lips quivered slightly. But his clenched jaw held the silence before he continued, his tone frozen:

“Kyle is old. Moreover, he may seem easy-going and careless, but in fact, he is extremely meticulous and thorough. He’s two-faced. And his tastes are far too eccentric. If he were only interested in books, that would be one thing, but it’s almost like an obsessive disorder.”

“……” – Christoph blinked in confusion.

Richard suddenly began berating Kyle without any regard for the flow of conversation, leaving Christoph’s thoughts disrupted.

Richard’s expression grew increasingly stern as he continued, clearly dissatisfied with Kyle.

Christoph glanced down at the floor. Perhaps Richard was upset about how Kyle had thrown him out of the house, which was why he was badmouthing Kyle so much.

“……But in any case, he never lies.”

Christoph spoke gently, feeling a little guilty that Kyle was being criticized because of him.

Kyle didn’t lie. He had never lied to Christoph…… at least as far as Christoph knew.

“……He never jokes around to hurt people either.” Christoph added once more.

Suddenly, Christoph wiped the expression off his face. A voice echoed in his ears.

“――I like you, Christoph.”

A soft and warm phrase. Suddenly, his heart clenched.

Did he really want to hear those words? From anyone?

From anyone……?

He tilted his head slightly. Meanwhile, an unexpected chill crept into his body, causing him to shiver.

Kyle had said those gentle words many times, either like a brother or even like a father, with a voice full of care.

But even hearing those words didn’t warm Christoph. He wanted to hear more, more, but no matter how many times he heard them, he still felt cold enough to curl up.

Whimpering, Christoph rubbed his hands over his arms. Just thinking about the cold made him feel it even more intensely.

But then.

As Christoph was rubbing his arm, a strong hand gripped his shoulder, squeezing it so tightly it felt like it might crush him. Startled for a moment, Christoph glared fiercely at Richard.

“You! That hurts――”

The rough voice slipped out through gritted teeth, but then he abruptly fell silent. Even so, Richard didn’t loosen the pressure on his shoulder, staring down at him with a conflicted gaze. His eyes seemed anxious and impatient.

Finally, contrary to that anxious gaze, Richard’s voice rang out, low and slow.

“You’ve never truly suffered.”

What he said wasn’t wrong.

Christoph had never admitted to suffering. Because if he said it once, he feared he’d keep repeating it, saying endlessly: “I’m suffering.” So he didn’t say it. And Christoph believed he wasn’t in pain.

“You’ve never suffered, never truly felt joy, never laughed, and never cried. I’ve never seen you like that.”

Yes, Richard had never seen him that way. Richard muttered as if talking to himself.

“Tell me, Christoph. If I truly said I liked you――if I really said I wanted you, would you come back to Tarten?”

Richard’s voice sounded strange. It was a voice Christoph had never heard before. It was agitated, unstable, shaking, and dangerously fragile. It was a feeling Christoph had experienced once before.

“Don’t assume things that can’t happen. You hate me, Richard Tarten.”

Christoph looked calmly into his eyes.

At that moment, Richard’s eyes widened as if he had just seen something strange. He stared at Christoph intently and then muttered: “That’s right.”

“I remember now, I said something like that before…… And you said that no matter what I said, you wouldn’t listen anymore, right? Yes, I used to hate you. I truly hated you.”

Richard let out a soft laugh. Then he suddenly tilted his head. But strangely, his voice seemed to mutter something insignificant.

“Then what if I said this? That I like your body.”

That voice whispered, full of bitterness and sarcasm.

It was so hot. Not ordinary warmth, but heat that felt scorching. Every part of Christoph’s skin that was touched felt like it was burning.

Christoph leaned back and stared blankly at the pillow above him. His lips occasionally parted, letting out faint, indistinct sounds. Or maybe he was intentionally not hearing the words clearly.

“……It’s over.”

There was a feeling of something sad, maybe even angry. Maybe anger was the most accurate.

“From the beginning…… —The deadline we set from the start has……—”

Christoph’s trembling voice gradually became clearer, enough for others to understand its meaning.

At that moment, Richard’s lips gently bit the soft skin of Christoph’s arm, enough to make him frown. So Christoph’s words halted and couldn’t continue.

After leaving two or three small marks on Christoph’s arm, Richard moved from the arm to the shoulder. Christoph shuddered, his body trembling slightly. Every time Richard’s lips touched his body, Christoph reacted.

“Yes, it’s over. From the beginning, I said it clearly. Until I completed the succession. Now that’s done. The time limit we agreed on. Just as you said, it’s finished.”

Richard’s low voice echoed.

Yet, after a while, his lips still brushed gently against Christoph’s shoulder. Then suddenly, as if he was angry, Richard bit down hard on his shoulder.

“――!”

A clear bite mark was left.

“But I never said I’d stop after the succession was over.”

“Don’t force it……!”

“Force it?” Richard murmured, then let out a soft laugh. His breath lightly grazed Christoph’s shoulder, causing a tickling sensation.

“I didn’t say anything wrong. Hmm…… But come to think of it, does it matter if it’s forced? I hate you. There’s no reason I have to obey someone I hate, right?”

As Richard’s mocking voice dropped, Christoph fell silent. His cold blue eyes paused as they looked at Richard. Richard stared into those eyes and then suddenly smirked.

“Now you say you won’t listen, even though I’ve said it dozens, hundreds of times, but it seems you listen carefully when I tell you I hate you…… Well, that’s fine.”

Richard leaned down slightly. Watching Christoph take a deep breath, as if releasing pressure from his chest, Richard grabbed the inside of Christoph’s knee. Despite Christoph’s eyes widening at him, Richard spread his legs open.

“Richard……! Stop forcing it; I’ve kept my promise! Until the deadline, I kept my word, I listened to you! I did everything you asked!”

But even as Christoph shouted in a low, growling tone, Richard positioned himself between his legs. He gently stroked his own hardened member a few times. With that, it stiffened even more, standing proudly.

“So what?”

Richard said shortly. Then he grabbed Christoph’s waist and lifted him. The head of his erect member touched the unguarded space between Christoph’s thighs.

“And I no longer have any reason to listen to you.”

Christoph gripped Richard’s arm tightly. He poured strength into his hand as if he could push Richard away at any moment.

Richard paused just before moving his hips. He looked down at Christoph with an expressionless face and then smiled.

“You won’t listen anymore…… Then what do you think will happen?”

“What will happen……?”

Richard leaned in closer. Their chests pressed together. Richard’s lips brushed Christoph’s cheek and then his ear. His firm body lightly touched the inside of Christoph’s thighs, tilting his body open further.

Christoph instinctively recoiled. As a result, just as the object was about to enter him, it slipped out.

“Don’t do that, Christoph.”

Richard whispered into his ear.

His voice was unusually gentle. As if gently pleading, sweet as honey.

“What……—”

When Christoph suddenly froze, Richard continued speaking in that soft tone.

“You know, Christoph. Until now, you’ve ‘not liked it, but followed along because of the promise, and occasionally felt satisfied.’ But from now on, you’ll be ‘hated but forcibly raped unwillingly.’ ——This is what it looks like.”

At that moment.

Richard thrust his hips forward forcefully. So hard that there was no time to breathe. There was no warning. The sound of flesh colliding violently echoed. Richard’s hips slammed into Christoph’s.

Christoph’s eyes widened in shock. The unfamiliar sensation made his mind go blank.

Before long, his face flushed red with anger, and then it turned pale.

“You, Richard――……”

Even the short, broken name couldn’t be fully uttered.

It was too hot.

The thing pushing deep between his legs, the friction between their bodies, the tongue filling his mouth, all of it was burning.

But more than anything, Christoph’s mind was. His mind was shattered and boiling.

“…………”

His trembling lips couldn’t even form a groan.

And at that moment.

In Christoph’s blurry vision, he saw something.

Richard’s lips, sometimes leaving his face and then returning, as if muttering something. But the sound didn’t reach Christoph’s ears. Richard’s lips, after being silent for a long time, seemed to want to say something again but then clenched shut.

Christoph saw Richard’s face.

It was a face Christoph had never seen before.

Christoph couldn’t understand the expression on Richard’s strange, distorted face.

Bitterness. Pain. Suffering. Exhaustion.

Regardless of the fleeting moments of stimulation or pleasure, that face showed such emotions before quickly disappearing.

That should have been Christoph’s face. Those should have been Christoph’s feelings. But why did this man have that face? Christoph couldn’t understand.

And so, for a brief moment, Christoph forgot everything and just quietly stared at Richard with dazed eyes.

Then, suddenly.

Christoph swallowed hard. Because he couldn’t breathe.

His throat burned. The heat from his throat spread throughout his body as if he had swallowed fire. His chest grew hot. Each exhale made his throat burn as if it were being scorched. Eventually, the fire spread throughout his body, and its final destination was his face. His eyes burned so much he had to close them. It was so hot it felt like they would blister.

Christoph raised his hand to cover his eyes. Richard’s lips touched his hand several times.

When Christoph pressed the back of his hand against his eyes, Richard’s lips continued touching his palm. Over and over again. Finally, those lips slid down and covered Christoph’s lips. Richard’s eyelashes lightly brushed his fingers.

Christoph couldn’t understand why Richard’s face was filled with such pain and suffering. But that face made Christoph realize something. If Richard hadn’t made that face, Christoph would never have realized this.

Richard was raping Christoph.

For the first time.

In Christoph’s mind, the truth became clear: Richard was raping him.

His eyes burned. But he didn’t dare open them, afraid that the fire in his eyes would ignite and burn everything. Instead, he pressed the back of his hand harder against his eyes.

Then, suddenly.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, something warm and wet touched Christoph’s fingers. Where Richard’s face had been buried, now Christoph’s hand was gradually becoming soaked.

His fingers instinctively recoiled at the wetness. Immediately, Richard kissed those recoiling fingers. He gently pressed his cheek against Christoph’s palm and kissed it again. Beneath Richard’s eyes, faint traces of moisture remained.

Christoph didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see. He shouldn’t see Richard’s face at this moment.

So Christoph kept his eyes closed and bit his lip hard.

Then suddenly, a faint laugh brushed past his ear. A low, dry, and bitter laugh followed by a deep, hoarse voice.

“What are you thinking?”

“……―.”

“I feel like I’m going insane.”

The deep, hoarse voice accompanied by the laugh dragged on for a long time. It truly sounded insane.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? Doing such despicable things…… but still being unable to suppress my desire.”

While doing such contemptible things, Richard’s low voice whispered in Christoph’s ear like a fleeting breeze before disappearing.

Richard’s movements started to become faster.

Although the moisture had vanished from Christoph’s palm, each time Richard moved, the corners of his eyes occasionally brushed against his fingertips, and he could still feel that dampness.

Richard held Christoph’s waist tightly, gripping him with all his strength.

The wet sounds between their hips echoed. That was the only sound that could be heard.

Richard no longer laughed, nor did he whisper. Occasionally, he placed soft kisses on Christoph’s lips, filled with affection.

Finally, when Christoph’s body felt completely overwhelmed, as though there was no more room to hold anything, a powerful sensation surged from within his abdomen, flooding him from the inside.

Christoph’s body recoiled, curling up in response. If Richard hadn’t been holding him so tightly, Christoph would have curled into a tight fetal position.

Richard clung to Christoph as he convulsed, releasing everything from his body into him.

Soon after, as the silence settled in, Richard released his grip from Christoph’s cheek and buried his face in his shoulder.

Christoph stiffened slightly, wondering if his shoulder might be wet, but it wasn’t.

Richard just held Christoph tightly, lying still like that for a long time without moving.

He wasn’t sleeping, but there was a moment when Christoph lost consciousness. Like a soul wandering aimlessly, Christoph stared up at the ceiling for a long time, then suddenly snapped back to awareness.

It was warm.

It wasn’t so much a thought as a sensation – a feeling of warmth that made Christoph blink.

Little by little, his mind began to clear. His thoughts, scattered in the air, gradually came back together, slowly recreating his sense of self.

After the warmth came a sense of weight.

Richard was lying on top of Christoph, his body limp. He was still holding Christoph’s waist and back, his face pressed against his shoulder.

Richard seemed to have fallen asleep since he wasn’t moving.

At some point, Christoph had gently placed his hands on Richard’s back.

He began to lift his hands slowly. Immediately, Richard’s shoulders trembled slightly. Christoph quickly placed his hands back where they were.

Glancing at Richard, who still didn’t move, Christoph frowned slightly. On second thought, that reaction wasn’t necessary.

“……”

Something felt strange.

What was strange? Christoph thought for a moment, and then he realized.

The weight lying on top of him, unmoving, was rising and falling steadily with each breath.

This was the first time.

Christoph felt suffocated. He wondered if he should push Richard off. But after thinking for a while, he decided not to.

Then he realized something else. Maybe it was a late realization, but the warmth — even the heat — radiating from Richard’s body no longer felt unfamiliar. It no longer gave Christoph that cold, constricting feeling in his chest.

The fact that the warmth of another person’s body no longer felt foreign left Christoph feeling confused, and he tilted his head slightly in surprise. That slight movement made his body sway.

At that moment…… Richard stirred as if he was about to move, but instead, he sighed deeply and rested his head back on Christoph’s shoulder.

It seemed he had truly been asleep.

Christoph looked at Richard with a strange expression. He couldn’t pinpoint his emotions — there was a bit of frowning, a bit of confusion, and a bit of surprise.

As Christoph watched Richard with that somewhat confused gaze, he noticed that Richard’s still-sleepy eyes were quietly looking down at him. But then Richard lowered his head again, burying his face in Christoph’s shoulder, as if telling him not to wake him up.

“…… Richard.”

Christoph was silent for a moment, then quietly called his name. There was no response for a few seconds.

As Christoph pondered whether he should call again, Richard suddenly sprang up and looked at him with a startled expression, as though he had just been roused from a nightmare.

“…… Get off. You’re too heavy.”

Christoph muttered, and Richard immediately rolled off him without saying a word. His face still looked a little disoriented.

But as Christoph got up and began picking up his clothes, Richard seemed to shake off his grogginess. With just a sweep of his hand through his hair and a sigh, Richard had returned to his usual self.

Richard sat at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms, staring down at the foot of the bed with a serious expression for a long time. Then he glanced over at Christoph, who was tugging at the bed sheets, pulling them off.