Christoph muttered silently to himself. Richard’s sharp, narrowed eyes were filled with satisfaction as if he could see the turmoil boiling inside Christoph. All Christoph could do was curse silently in his mind.

“That’s right, after all, we won’t be seeing each other again soon.”

Christoph spoke coldly and turned away. He glanced down at the urn Richard had just caressed. A pristine, pure white urn.

“……I understand……. Even if your mother stays here, it wouldn’t make any difference.”

Richard’s voice dropped, giving his words a deeper meaning.

Christoph recoiled slightly. He slowly stared at Richard’s face, which still bore a faint smile.

“Yes. Even so…… After you succeed in taking control, my mother will forget about me soon enough. So, what’s the difference?”

Richard remained silent. His expression seemed different from before, but eventually, a cold smile slowly appeared on his face. It was strange.

“Oh dear, Christoph. Are you upset because Aunt Bianca likes me more?”

“……That has nothing to do with this.”

“In that case, the next time we meet might be at her funeral. Otherwise, you’ll never come back to this place again.”

“That’s right. I won’t come back. Never. And I’ll never see you again, either.”

Christoph forcefully pulled his arm away from Richard’s grip on his elbow. But it was no use. Richard only tightened his grip, holding Christoph’s elbow even more firmly.

“Alright then…… Give me a gift, Christoph.”

“What?!”

“Now that you’re never coming back here, give poor Olivia a gift. If you can’t offer her a flower, at least shed a tear for her—just one, for all the tears she shed for you.”

Richard squeezed Christoph’s elbow so tightly it felt like it would break. But instead of pain, what haunted Christoph’s mind was the overwhelming oppression as he was dragged toward the door bearing Olivia’s name.

“This is the last time, Olivia. The person you loved so much will never come here again, so take one last look at him.”

“……Stop spouting nonsense……. Olivia isn’t here. She was buried in Moritzburg.”

“Yes, her body was. But she loved this forest, so her spirit might still be wandering here…… Isn’t that right, Olivia?”

“Don’t joke around like that! She’s gone! She’s dead! Right now, no matter what you say or do, she can’t hear you anymore!”

Richard stood close behind Christoph as if blocking his retreat. The arm wrapped tightly around Christoph’s waist felt particularly strange, even though they embraced like this every night. Perhaps it was because their bodies didn’t transmit warmth through their clothes.

“Olivia was such a fool. She didn’t know that you hated her so much you threw a dead animal into her grave.”

“That……— that dog was——”

Christoph didn’t intend to defend himself. He didn’t intend to convince anyone. He didn’t care if someone hated him or criticized him.

But right now, he felt the need to speak up. Suddenly, the thought appeared in his mind. But just as he was about to open his mouth, Richard stopped him by sliding his hand into Christoph’s mouth. Richard’s familiar fingers slowly glided across Christoph’s tongue.

“Are you going to say you did that for Olivia, Christoph?”

“……—”

“No matter how shameless you’ve become, you were always cold to her when she was alive, so you can’t say you did that after she died. Right, Christoph? You always hated Olivia from beginning to end. You never liked anyone……. Isn’t that right?”

Horrifying memories gradually surfaced in Christoph’s mind. Richard always understood Christoph. So much that it was terrifying.

“Ri…… chard—”

But before Christoph could stammer out Richard’s name, Richard moved his hand from Christoph’s mouth to his neck. Before Christoph could realize it, Richard’s breath was close to his cheek.

“Did Olivia really like you? Even though you were so cold to her, did she not resent you at all when she closed her eyes? ……No, if it were me, I wouldn’t have felt the same.”

Snap, snap, snap. The buttons on Christoph’s shirt were gradually undone. The golden afternoon sunlight had now turned crimson. Soon, the sky would shift to a deep blue.

“Richard, don’t……!”

But before Christoph could finish speaking, Richard had already scratched his chest with his rough nails. A sharp pain pierced through the bruises that Richard had bitten and kissed all night.

“Even now, do you intend to say you like someone?……Ha. If it were me, I would never forgive you. No matter how many tears fall from those eyes or how many moans escape that mouth, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Why…… why here of all places…… Let’s go outside, go outside…… I’d rather do it outside…… I won’t care what you do……!”

“No, it has to be here. This is the perfect opportunity. I need to make it clear to my poor sister.”

The cold sensation of Richard’s tongue in his ear made Christoph instinctively push him away. He hurried toward the door, but his feet caught on his half-pulled-down pants. Richard’s firm hand grabbed the waistband and pulled him down, rolling them both onto the floor.

Before Christoph could stand up, Richard was already on top of him. After struggling a few times, Christoph gave up, turning his face away and glaring at Richard.

“You give up so easily.” – Richard murmured, laughing softly as he slowly bent down. A familiar breath touched Christoph’s neck. The tension made all of Christoph’s senses hyperaware.

“Do you know something, Christoph?”

“……?”

Richard suddenly said something incomprehensible, causing Christoph to look down at him in worry. Richard lightly kissed Christoph’s collarbone, then buried his face beneath Christoph’s ear. And he didn’t move for a moment. Christoph could feel his heart beating at the spot where Richard’s lips touched.

Suddenly, Richard began groping around his chest, pressing his finger firmly into the hardened flesh on Christoph’s chest. The numbing sensation made Christoph take a deep breath.

“Ever since I tasted a man – that is, since you started spreading your legs for me – I’ve been able to smell you…… Maybe it’s the scent of a female in heat attracting males?”

“……!”

“I can smell that scent all over your body. The scent that drives people mad.”

“YOUR NOSE IS CRAZY OR YOUR MIND IS WRONG!”

Christoph shouted in humiliation, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Is that so? If it’s just my mind that’s twisted, then that’s lucky. I can’t let others fall for your tricks. If someone neglects their work because they’re seduced by your crotch, it won’t be good for the family……. Understand? If you seduce an innocent person, I won’t let it go.”

Richard ended his words in a low, threatening tone as he gripped Christoph’s chin tightly. His sharp eyes stared at Christoph as if he would really kill him if it came to that.

“You…… are you crazy…… this…… this filthy thing……”

“Haha…… yes, exactly.”

Richard laughed comfortably. Suddenly, he seemed to pull back slightly and the heavy pressure on Christoph’s chest vanished, making him sigh in relief. But it lasted only for a moment.

“RICHARD!”

A scream, more like a roar, escaped Christoph’s mouth.

He looked down at the head of the man who had wedged his face between Christoph’s thighs. It felt as though Richard was about to devour him. At the same time, Christoph’s flesh was touched by the wetness of Richard’s lips.

Christoph took a deep breath. His hand trembled as he gripped Richard’s hair. When he tried to push him away with all his strength, he broke out in goosebumps as Richard’s tongue slowly but forcefully licked up his flesh.

“Don’t…… lick……— it’s filthy——…… that—”

“Filthy? If it’s filthy, then why is this place of yours twitching like this?”

Richard whispered mockingly in Christoph’s ear.

Christoph released his hand from Richard’s head. Instead, he covered his mouth with his hand to stop the gasping sounds from escaping.

The wet sounds from below echoed. The sounds of lips and tongue were like someone savoring a delicious meal and it was clear that Richard was doing it on purpose so that Christoph could hear.

“Don’t do that……”

Christoph weakly mumbled and Richard paused for a moment. Instead, a faint laugh sounded.

“Don’t do that? Ha, maybe you’re saying that because you can’t see your own condition right now. But, Christoph. After all, it’s still your body, so don’t you realize? It’s twitching, begging for more.”

“No…… that’s not true……!”

At that moment, Richard stood up without hesitation, quickly reached down for a moment and pulled up his shirt. Then, he immediately wedged himself between Christoph’s thighs.

What had once been soft, moist flesh was now filled with something that Christoph was familiar with – yet still felt foreign – and it was soon deeply embedded.

“—……!!”

Christoph involuntarily let out a moan and quickly covered his mouth with his hand. His eyes widened in panic, staring at the skylight above. That moan couldn’t possibly have been his.

“Ha, you moan beautifully. Look, can you see? My cock is getting harder just from that one moan. I can feel the change in myself very clearly and what about you? Your body is trying to pull me in, to swallow me deeper and yet you don’t realize that? — ……It’s deadly.”

Richard let out a deep sound mixed with a sigh of pleasure. Then, immediately after, he began to move his hips roughly.

After some time, a low, rumbling laugh echoed. Immediately after, Richard leaned down and whispered as if crushing Christoph’s ear.

“Olivia, look. This isn’t something that belongs to you. No matter how much you loved Christoph, in the end, he’ll never be yours…… A sweet child like you shouldn’t get close to such a vulgar bastard like this, someone who is so blissfully happy being penetrated by a man’s thing between his legs.”

Instantly, Christoph’s eyes widened in horror as he looked at Richard with disbelief. His pale lips trembled and soon spat out a curse.

“YOU CRAZY……! ARE YOU SHOWING THIS TO YOUR SISTER……!!”

“Didn’t you just say earlier that she can’t hear anything anymore?”

Richard laughed loudly. Then he looked down at Christoph with eyes that were hard to read, seemingly aroused by some vague desire and then gradually narrowed them.

He leaned down and as Christoph flinched and turned his head away, Richard followed, biting his lip. His large hand stroked Christoph’s waist, then stopped between his legs and squeezed tightly. Christoph’s body jerked.

“You’ve never done this with someone you liked, have you, Christoph? You’ve never done this with someone you loved.”

“……”

“How pathetic. You want to know what that feels like, but you don’t even understand.”

Richard’s lips brushed over Christoph’s and words like venom dripped from Richard’s mouth into Christoph’s.

“Do as I say, Christoph.”

Richard whispered. His voice now rough and filled with excitement. His breath, like the panting of a beast, flooded Christoph’s ear.

“You said you wanted to know what it feels like. Then do what he did. By doing that, maybe you’ll understand what it feels like……. Do as I say.”

As he urged Christoph to follow, Richard gently pressed his lips against Christoph’s, a feeling strangely soft. Richard’s voice was also gentle, matching that odd sensation. It was strange. It couldn’t possibly be, but Christoph felt it was truly soft, making him open his eyes wide.

“Did he look satisfied? How did he do it?”

The gentle voice, like a spell, suddenly made Christoph recall a brief memory.

A fleeting image flashed in his mind. But it was etched deeply into his memory, vividly clear as if printed on his retinas.

Jeong Taeui clinging to Riegrow. He wrapped his arms around Riegrow’s neck and squeezed his hips tightly with his thighs and even though his face was buried in Riegrow’s shoulder as if he was struggling, he looked utterly satisfied. The deep, urgent sounds of whispered moans continuously fell from his lips.

“Ri……”

Christoph’s lips parted slightly. He seemed to hesitate or was reluctant, so he only managed to utter one word before his lips quivered. The sharp pain from a powerful thrust made him gasp and continue speaking.

“Ri…… ch…… rard…… Ri…… chard…………”

As if trying to recall a mathematical formula, Christoph reluctantly dredged up those brief, fragmented memories and hurriedly, haltingly, spat out the words with trembling lips.

He reached out his hand. Before touching Richard’s skin, he paused for a moment, but then his hesitant arm slowly wrapped around Richard’s neck. While doing so, his shoulders shook slightly several times and his body tensed.

Finally, before he could utter another word, he heard what seemed like an indistinct whisper in his ear. Inside him, he felt the weight and hardness of Richard’s body, growing taut. He felt suffocated.

“You too.”

A deep, hoarse voice whispered. Just like Riegrow had done before.

Christoph widened his eyes, staring at Richard. Richard suddenly gave a bitter smile as he looked down at Christoph’s astonished gaze.

“Are you delusional? Did that person say it like that back then? Or did they say it differently?”

So, that’s how it was.

Christoph stared blankly at Richard for a moment, then shook his head. Afterward, he pressed his lips against Richard’s shoulder.

Yes, it was indeed said like that. Back then, Riegrow had said the same thing to Jeong Taeui. Just as Richard had just said.

“I like it too. I also…… Only you.”

Although Richard’s whispered words were not his, the rough voice caressing his ear sounded so tender that Christoph unconsciously shuddered and let his body flow with the current of emotions.

“Richard likes…… likes…… —uhm…… likes, likes……”

With each word he spoke, his body trembled more violently. The force from the thrusting hips became increasingly fierce. His body tightened, emitting creaking sounds.

His pupils dilated, glowing as if with a glimmer of blue water inside.

Contrary to the words he uttered, his eyes remained anxious and worried as he looked at Richard as if trying to grasp onto a straw in an endless deep water.

A wave of anxiety overwhelmed him. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of unease, to the point of madness. The coldness of his body no longer mattered. But there was nothing to hold onto.

――Why can’t you?

They looked so happy. Jeong Taeui held Riegrow tightly. Completely satisfied, his sweat-soaked face wore a content smile.

Why can’t you? Why can you never be like that? Why are you always empty?

Why are you……

“……Christoph.”

He heard a voice calling his name. It was a voice calling out to him.

Only then did he suddenly snap out of it. Before him, Richard was looking down at him.

How strange. What a strange face. This was the first time he had seen such a face.

Not smiling, not angry…… alright. The guy looked at him with a confused expression as if unsure what to do as he looked down at him.

Christoph stared intently at that face in a strange way, then blinked. At that moment, something flowed down his temple and over his ear.

“……?”

He blinked a few more times in surprise and then realized that his eyes were teary. That was strange, so he blinked again.

In front of Christoph, Richard was still looking at him with a bewildered and unsure expression.

“……Why.”

Finally, when that brief, cold voice sounded, Christoph felt a bit relieved because at least that voice was not as strange as that face. The voice seemed angry, and that was something Christoph was familiar with.

“Nothing, just thinking a bit. It’s nothing.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Nothing important, it’s just,…… I don’t need to tell you.”

Christoph spoke dreamily, then suddenly frowned.

Richard silently looked down at Christoph and then softly whispered – “I see……” – before lowering his head. He licked Christoph’s lips. Slowly and stickily. Not just the lips, but also the cheeks and eyelids; Christoph’s entire face was licked thoroughly, leaving no part untouched.

“Stop that!”

Christoph shuddered with disgust at the sensation and shouted, while Richard whispered in his ear.

“What were you thinking?”

“—……Why can’t I? Can’t I think like that?”

“Huh……?”

“WHY CAN’T I EVER? WHY AM I NEVER ENOUGH? WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE WHO CAN’T? CAN’T I THINK LIKE THAT?”

Christoph shouted in frustration. But as soon as he did, he turned his head away as far as he could to avoid showing his face to Richard. Even so, he could still feel the gaze fixed on his cheek.

Slowly, Richard’s lips touched Christoph’s cheek. Those lips slid from the cheek to the chin, then found Christoph’s lips that were trying to avoid them and covered them.

“From the beginning, you chose the wrong person.”

“……―.”

“From the start, you only ever looked blankly at people who would never turn to look at you. Whether it was your mother or that man.”

Christoph opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, Richard’s tongue swiftly invaded his mouth. Christoph was hindered by the exploring tongue in his mouth and the lips that sucked on him, so he had to swallow back the words he wanted to say.

“Say it again.”

“……?”

“Repeat after me. Repeat my words.”

Richard whispered against Christoph’s lips and began to move his hips slowly. The sensation of something deep inside filling him started to move smoothly again. Gradually, the wet sounds from below quickened.

The groin and the area around it were soaking wet. That wet, slippery sensation was so vivid that Christoph shuddered slightly and closed his eyes. Some leftover tears spilled out and rolled down.

He rested his forehead on Richard’s shoulder in front of him. Heavy breaths echoed. It was unclear whether it was his own breathing or the man’s.

Christoph whispered. In a voice so weak it was almost inaudible, he began to repeat the words he had heard long ago. He thought that by doing so, perhaps he too could feel the emotions or sensations that ‘that person’ once experienced.

Though he thought his voice was too quiet to be heard, somehow it grew louder. At some point, when he gathered his senses, Christoph realized that Richard was silently responding to his words.

Just like back then. Just like when the two of them entwined in a frenzy.

Perhaps because of that.

Christoph did not hear the sound, even though he usually would never let that happen at any time.

The sound of light footsteps approaching the door and then stopping. A sign of holding one’s breath. A gaze so stunned it seemed to freeze the air.

Richard seemed to stop moving for a moment, but then he quietly stroked Christoph’s hair, covered his ears, and pulled his head into his chest, making Christoph suffocate. Just like that, Christoph felt like he was suffocating and continued to whisper in the heat.

So Christoph whispered incessantly as if carried away by a fever. He vaguely thought that if he kept whispering like that, perhaps one day he would truly understand what that feeling was.