It was the season when the leaves had just begun to fall. A time when the trees in the garden were slowly staining themselves in shades of crimson. The sweltering heat had faded, and everything held its breath in anticipation of the change.
In such a season, the Emperor had changed. And with that change, the manors of countless prominent nobles collapsed. One of them was the estate of House Rainerio. An ancient lineage, which had endured more steadfastly than any other, was ruined solely by the hand of his father.
No, it wasn't just his fault.
Nox flashed a self-deprecating smile. He, too, had been foolish enough to be deceived and discarded by Peltion, the man who was now Emperor. Thrust into a room that wasn't his, unable to comfortably sit or stand, he had no right to resent anyone.
Creek.
The bathroom door opened once more. Emerging from it was Khalid, clad in a robe identical to the one Nox wore. Perhaps noticing Nox staring out the terrace window, he spoke slowly, yet firmly.
"Even if you jump from here in that state, you'll only end up with broken legs."
"I wasn't thinking of escaping..."
Nox suddenly realized he could no longer speak so freely.
"...I was not."
At those words, a crooked smile played on Khalid’s lips. Rather than lowering his head, Nox looked him straight in the eye. There was so much he wanted to ask.
How did you live after that? Was your life alright? ...Did you resent me much? If you did, how much must you have hated me to keep me alive now? There were too many words he could not let pass his lips.
Nox looked at Khalid in his robe. What had he been wearing when they first reunited? Right—it was that rusted, blood-scented armor. Nox narrowed his eyes, unable to discern the man’s true intentions. At that slight, searching gaze, Khalid strode forward and clamped a hand around his throat.
"Gah!"
"Why? Do you think looking at me like that will let you see inside my head?"
Holding him by the neck with one hand, Khalid dragged him across the floor and threw him onto the bed. His breath hitched, and Nox let out a short, ragged cough. Before he could even stop coughing, Khalid pinned his shoulders down and climbed on top of him. It was a slow, heavy movement, executed with a rough dominance—like a predator who knew all too well that there was no one left to stop him.
Forced onto his back, Nox tried to brace his hands against the mattress to push himself up. But the heavy weight of the body above wouldn't allow it. He couldn't move. This was no longer the small child he had once held. The reality of that fact felt vividly sharp... and a strange sense of terror pressed down on him.
"...Khalid?"
In his anxiety, he uttered the name he shouldn't have. Khalid’s eyes transformed instantly. He squeezed Nox’s throat again, slamming him back into the pillows.
"That is not the title you are to use for me."
His voice sounded like a low, simmering boil.
"And my name is not something a creature like you is allowed to speak."
"..."
Nox bit his lip hard. It felt as though every word he had spoken in the past was now being returned to him in full. Looking down at the silent Nox, Khalid leaned in close. He whispered against his face.
"From this day forward, this is your duty."
Releasing Nox’s neck, Khalid sat up and pulled his robe open, letting it fall back. Nox exhaled slowly, trying to catch his breath as he looked up at the man claiming the space above him.
Khalid’s body, exposed from the shoulders down, was covered in scars. Nox saw the frame that had become sturdy, the thick forearms, and the lean waist. And then...
"..."
Nox lost his words as he discovered the large, turgid member standing between Khalid's legs. He couldn't believe that the child from his memories had grown up to be in heat for the man who was now his slave. Instinctually, while pinned beneath him, Nox gripped the sheets and tried to pull himself away. Immediately, a firm hand clamped back down on his shoulder.
"If you resist, this experience will only become more like hell."
Nox stammered, "No, this... this isn't right..."
I don't think this is right. At those words, Khalid let go of his shoulder and grabbed Nox by the hair, yanking his head back.
"Urgh...!"
"What isn't right?"
His voice was a low whisper.
"This is exactly why I brought you here."
Nox felt suffocated. He had never once imagined that Khalid might desire him. He had imagined a life of being treated like a true slave, burdened with all sorts of labor and falling to the bottom to be mistreated—but he had never imagined lying on Khalid's bed. With trembling hands, Nox gripped the sheets tight.
"Please, please Khalid. Don't do—"
His plea to don't do this was cut short as his mouth was clamped shut by a large palm. The hand was so large it covered both his nose and mouth, pressing firmly against his face and allowing no room for breath. Nox reflexively clawed at the back of Khalid's hand, twisting his shoulders to escape. But the more he struggled, the harder Khalid pressed his weight down.
"I will say this for the last time."
The words were spat out, ground between his teeth.
"A thing like you has no right to pronounce my name."
It fell like a final warning. With his face turning red from lack of air, Nox nodded. Khalid stared down at his face for a long time, not removing his hand until Nox was nearly delirious with the lack of oxygen. Further, further. Just as Nox felt his eyes were about to roll back, Khalid pulled his hand away. The sound of Nox frantically gasping for air filled the room.
Cough, cough. After coughing several times from the sudden intake of breath, Nox realized Khalid was undoing his own robe. The belt around Nox's waist was slowly unraveled and cast aside, and the robe slid off his body, revealing him completely naked. Scanning Nox’s exposed form, Khalid asked:
"How did I say you should address me?"
"..."
Nox’s lips quivered. He thought he had accepted everything, but apparently, he hadn't. Noticing the hesitation, Khalid looked at Nox’s bruised cheek—the mark left by another man's strike. Khalid clicked his tongue and raised his hand.
Slap!
Nox’s eyes widened as his head was snapped to the side before he could even scream. The boy—no, the man—had struck his face. The taste of blood returned to his mouth as the wound reopened. In all his life, Nox had never imagined such a situation. Naturally, his breathing became shallow and ragged. Khalid looked down at him coldly and raised his hand again, as if ready to strike once more.
"Again."
"...Master."
"Good."
Khalid lightly scraped his fingernail across the cheek he had just turned bright red. He etched every one of Nox’s flinching reactions into his memory.
How long had he longed for this moment? He swallowed hard and slowly stroked Nox’s body as the other man looked up at him. As the robe fell away to reveal a well-built physique, Khalid gritted his teeth slightly.
Broad, firm shoulders, hips that tapered into a narrow waist, and thighs defined by solid muscle. There was nothing about him that didn't provoke him. Khalid let out a low growl from deep in his throat and grabbed Nox’s legs, forcing them apart.
"Ah, wait...!"
Finding himself completely exposed between his legs, Nox bit his lip hard. He covered his eyes with both hands. He hadn't expected to be treated like this, but he knew that if Khalid—who was now his master—wished it, he must comply. Even so, he couldn't stop his toes from trembling. Khalid grabbed Nox’s shaking ankles and hoisted them up.
His body tilted, and his entrance was laid bare. Nox felt a flush of heat rush to his face. He was of age and knew, at least in theory, how men engaged in such acts. Instinctively, Nox struggled to pull his ankles free, but the legs held in Khalid’s grip were going nowhere.
"Tsk."
Khalid clicked his tongue. The opening was far too small to take him. Yet, that also meant the man had never received another. Khalid lightly stroked the dry rim with the tip of his thumb. He felt the body, stiff with tension, shudder beneath his touch. After teasing the area, he pushed his index finger inside the unlubricated hole.
"Ah...!"
Nox sucked in a sharp breath and gritted his teeth. There wasn't a hint of moisture in the passage that tightly clamped around the finger. It would be nice if he got wet on his own like a woman. He was, quite literally, a slave who required a great deal of effort.
Khalid clicked his tongue again and reached for a bottle of fragrant oil he had prepared in the nightstand drawer. As he opened the cap, a sweet scent reached Nox’s nose. To Nox, however, that sweet fragrance only brought a faint sense of dread. The reality that Khalid had brought him here for this purpose from the very beginning finally sank in.
Khalid poured the oil generously between Nox's legs. The oil was slippery and slightly viscous. The liquid, flowing over the perineum and down to the entrance, slowly tickled the skin. Nox’s legs instinctively tried to close. Khalid gripped them tighter, spreading them wide as he let out a sharp hiss.
"Stay still."
The opening that had been tightly biting Khalid’s finger was now thoroughly drenched. But that was only on the outside; it had yet to soak into the inner walls.