4.4 The Gift

It was about eight months after he had left for Saudi Arabia that Christoph Tarten visited the mansion.

That day was also a day when almost all the bloodline members close to the direct line among those using the Tarten name gathered at the mansion. Those who could not attend due to unavoidable circumstances sent their regards along with luxurious gift boxes.

It was the first birthday of the new master since the ownership of Tarten had changed.

In the perception of the people, the absolute authority of Tarten still resided with the old master, whom they called the Elder, Adolf Tarten, but that authority was slowly and steadily shifting to the new master. And it was his birthday.

When Christoph Tarten visited the mansion on that day, the one day a year the Tarten bloodline gathered, many people were surprised, though they did not make it obvious.

As the butler greeted him while hiding his astonishment, Christoph spoke bluntly instead of offering a greeting.

“Where is the Elder?”

As the butler was about to answer while taking the bag from Christoph, who was surveying the mansion—which was busier than usual—without hiding his annoyance, some people appeared, coming down from the landing of the central staircase. Once they were visible, the butler no longer needed to answer.

“Oh, Chris. You’ve come.”

The old man, who had been descending the stairs slowly while talking to the person beside him, spoke welcomingly upon seeing Christoph entering the foyer. The man walking beside him, supporting the old man, also turned his gaze toward Christoph.

Following the old man was the man who had become the new master of this place, Richard Tarten.

Richard and Christoph’s eyes met.

His eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but he soon spoke calmly.

“I thought you wouldn’t come since there was no word, but you did. You’ve worked hard coming such a long way, Christoph.”

Without responding to Richard’s formal greeting, Christoph bowed his head slightly toward the old man.

“Yes. I am glad to see you look healthy, Elder.”

“Yes, yes. I heard you’ve been doing well over there, but is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No, thanks to you.”

Christoph gave a greeting that was barely a smile, then briefly glanced at the man standing on the other side of the old man, opposite Richard. He offered only a nod of greeting to the man who had been in charge of Tarten’s tax-related affairs for a long time.

“Indeed. I was just about to go out for a walk, so since you’ve arrived, let’s go together.”

The old man beckoned Christoph. Christoph hesitated for a moment, looking at them.

The old master of Tarten, the new master, and the tax [Read on Read BL Novels]accountant—it wouldn’t be a simple walk. During the walk, they visit our sitewould discuss visit our sitematters that could not be comfortably shared with outsiders.

When Christoph shook his head in refusal, the old man burst into a hearty laugh, as if guessing his thoughts.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. We’ll only be discussing things everyone already knows anyway. Let’s stroll slowly and hear some of your stories too. Come here. Help this old man with bad legs.”

Christoph hesitated a bit more, but when the old man beckoned again, he stood beside him as if defeated. He began to walk, supporting the old man while standing between the old man and the accountant.

Richard looked at him for a moment from the other side of the old man, but Christoph did not give him his gaze. Richard turned his head and let out a silent, smirk-like laugh.

“……Therefore, if you transfer the title through the foundation, the lowest tax rate within the legal range will be applied. Although it will cost a considerable amount, it is lower than the gift tax, and above all, there are no legal flaws.”

Or there are shortcuts, the accountant said, dividing the options into two or three. After listening, Richard smiled and chose the method first recommended, saying, “One must live by the law.”

The conversation regarding the matters the accountant had to handle ended with the discussion of the villa in Doha, a gift from his uncle on the first birthday he celebrated after becoming the master of Tarten.

“Doha……. It would be closer to visit from where Chris is than from here.”

When the old man spoke abruptly, Richard raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Christoph. At the sudden mention of his name, Christoph also looked at the old man and then glanced at Richard.

Richard spoke with his usual generous smile.

“I suppose so. Since he might visit our sitebe able to use it more usefully than I, I wouldn’t [stolen content]mind giving the stolen contentvilla to him if he wants it.”

As Richard spoke in a tone that was not a mere formality and showed no sign of regret, Christoph frowned. He quickly smoothed his expression before the old man noticed, however.

“I cannot possibly receive something that was given as a birthday present to another. I will gratefully accept the thought.”

After politely conveying his answer to Richard’s proposal to the old man, Christoph fell silent again.

The old man, strolling through the cool forest path where fresh new leaves were in full growth along with his nephews, suddenly murmured to himself, “Let’s see…….”

“Your second uncle gave you a villa, so I ought to give you something wonderful for your birthday as well… How about it, Richard? Is there something you desire?”

At the old man’s question, Richard smiled and shook his head.

“I am grateful for the thought alone, Elder.”

The old man looked at Richard with gentle eyes.

“Indeed, you’ve likely received so many material gifts already that there is nothing left to bring you joy.”

Faced with a comment that was awkward to respond to, Richard simply smiled in silence. Beside him, Christoph listened to their conversation, his face faintly furrowed.

Suddenly, Richard turned his gaze toward Christoph and spoke subtly.

“Just having someone like Christoph take the time to come from so far away to celebrate my birthday is enough to make me grateful.”

Hearing those words, which could be interpreted with a subtle nuance depending on the listener, Christoph looked slightly bewildered. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.

“I came straight from Riyadh, so I wasn’t able to… prepare anything in particular, but I plan to go out and look for something later… If there is something you need or want, it would be helpful if you told me.”

It was the first time Christoph had spoken directly to Richard. Richard narrowed his eyes as he looked at Christoph, then gave a benevolent smile.

“No, really, I am grateful just that you took the time to come. Sincerely.”

Across from Richard’s kind words, the accountant following half a step behind them could be seen taking out a handkerchief to wipe away sweat.

It seemed he found it quite surreal to see the two—whose relationship was so famously like cats and dogs that no one in Tarten was unaware of it—acting like polite and harmonious cousins in front of the Elder.

Looking back and forth between Richard and Christoph, he cleared his throat with a “hem” and changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, Mr. Jacob gave me a wedding invitation a while ago.”

Mentioning the name of a sixth cousin of the same generation as Richard, the accountant—who had worked at Tarten for so long that he now felt almost like a relative—nodded with a pleased expression. At this, the old man spoke cheerfully, wrinkles forming around his eyes.

“Yes. After Sven and Olburn got married two weeks apart this spring, he kept complaining that [visit our site]he [unauthorized copy]was bored because unauthorized copythey wouldn’t play with him anymore. Then, within a few months, that rascal brought some good news as well.”

Christoph, the only person present who was hearing this news for the first time, simply nodded calmly without any sign of surprise. His face showed a complete lack of interest.

Then, the old man suddenly turned to Christoph.

“What about you, Chris? Are there any decent young ladies there? I would be very happy if you brought someone, whether she be a foreign lady or anyone else.”

Christoph stiffened. He lowered his head and stared at his feet for a moment. For some reason, the pair of eyes gazing intently at him from beside the old man felt exceptionally piercing.

“I… I am sorry, Elder.”

As Christoph spoke and quietly shook his head, the piercing gaze seemed to soften.

The old man, who had been staring blankly at Christoph, slowly raised his hand. He then placed it on Christoph’s arm.

Even though he had seen the old man’s hand approaching, Christoph flinched slightly the moment it touched him. The old man smiled broadly and patted Christoph’s arm a couple of times. Each time he did, Christoph’s expressionless face—which he was struggling to keep neutral—twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.

“Well, someday you will find someone you can get used to. It’s alright; you can wait patiently.”

The old man held Christoph’s arm quietly for a moment before finally letting go. Then, as if to change the subject, he turned readily toward Richard.

“Come to think of it, your shoulders have grown heavy now, so you must find a good woman to share that burden. So, what kind of woman do you like? If I cannot Read on Read BL Novelsfind a suitable gift for [unauthorized copy]you, I shall inquire around and act as a matchmaker.”

When the old man’s words turned to him, Richard smiled as if momentarily troubled. He stroked his chin and said, “I wonder…”

“She would have to be someone capable of shouldering Tarten with me. Other than that, nothing in particular… Ah. If I had to say, there will be many unpleasant tasks to handle, so it would be troublesome if she were too fastidious. She would also need to interact with people smoothly and without hesitation… Otherwise, even just knowing her would be exhausting.”

Richard’s gaze drifted toward Christoph as if it were nothing.

Christoph’s expressionless face turned subtly cold.

The accountant, thinking that Richard was needlessly picking a fight with Christoph, wiped his forehead with his handkerchief again. Christoph’s aversion to touch, which bordered on mysophobia, was also known to everyone within Tarten.

However, Richard withdrew his words nonchalantly, as if there had been no hidden meaning.

“But for now, there is so much I must learn that I have no room to think of other things. Later, when I feel that I can shoulder Tarten with ease, I will consider it then.”

As Richard smiled and spoke politely to the old man, Christoph looked at him with a brief look of disapproval before turning his head away.

“Christoph is here?! Why?!”

“What do you mean why… it’s the first birthday since Richard succeeded, so he probably came for that.”

Jacob answered Aivin, who was asking back Read on Read BL Novelswith [unauthorized copy]wide eyes as if he had heard an stolen contentabsurd hallucination, though Jacob himself looked extremely skeptical of his own answer.

In truth, even though Jacob had seen Christoph enter the mansion with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it. No, perhaps he had seen wrong. The sight of Christoph encountering the Elder as soon as he arrived and setting off on a walk with the Elder and Richard might have been a phantom Jacob had seen. Come to think of it, perhaps his health had declined because he had neglected exercise for a while while preparing for his wedding…

“Ah. Or maybe he came for some business, completely unrelated to Richard’s birthday? That could be it. Al Faisal, who currently employs Christoph, maintains close ties with our Tarten, so he might have come to handle some affairs.”

Over the past few days, relatives had been gathering in Tarten one after another. It was because it was the first birthday of Tarten’s new master. And it was at such a time that Christoph visited.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, there was no possibility that Christoph had visited to celebrate Richard’s birthday. They were not on terms where they would exchange celebratory greetings, even formally.

Hearing Aivin’s words, Jacob also nodded, saying, “Yeah, that could be it.”

He wondered what urgent and important matter could possibly require him to come personally from Riyadh, but it was still far more plausible than the theory that ‘Christoph traveled a long distance to celebrate Richard’s birthday.’

Just as they were tilting their heads with skeptical faces and walking toward the stables to go riding, the “tiger” they were speaking of appeared, riding a horse back from the direction of the forest.

“Oh,” Jacob stopped in his tracks. A bit later, Aivin, who had also spotted the tiger, slowed his pace.

Christoph, dressed perfectly in riding gear without a single flaw, was trotting toward them with a straight and correct posture, as if demonstrating a model of equestrianism.

“He really did come…”

Aivin muttered, as if he had remained half-doubting even [Read on Read BL Novels]after unauthorized copyJacob’s words. [unauthorized copy]“I told you,” Jacob muttered lacking confidence.

“That guy is still the same, even after all this time…”

When Aivin spoke again, Jacob also muttered, “I guess so…”

Christoph, walking toward them with a face as expressionless as if carved from ice, containing only a hint of boredom, had not changed.

Still beautiful, still cold, still in another world.

Christoph saw them as well. His blue and deep eyes, which could make one’s heart stop if encountered suddenly while lost in thought, swept over the two men’s faces. That familiar look of annoyance flickered for a moment.

“What does it matter. Whether he’s here or not. As long as you don’t touch him, he’s basically a non-entity.”

Jacob shrugged and started walking again.

That was true. Although Christoph was a headache-inducing and troublesome breed that one couldn’t handle, he never picked a fight first as long as the other party didn’t provoke him.

“True, he’s the type to ignore whoever is in front of him and not say a single word. …I just hope no accidents happen on such a celebratory day,” Aivin muttered.

At the same time Richard was chosen as the successor and took over Tarten, the animosity among the younger generation had almost vanished.

Those who had originally been on bad terms still exchanged hostile glances privately, but they weren’t foolish enough to drag out a feud within the same bloodline over [stolen content]a matter that [stolen content]had already been decided. In the first place, the competition had been for the sake of the family.

Therefore, unless someone had been directly harmed by Christoph in the past, there was no reason to be hostile toward him. Although there were quite a few who had been directly harmed, so there was no end to those who glared at Christoph and cursed him.

In the case of Jacob and Aivin, there was a precedent where a friend of theirs had poked Christoph and ended up in the hospital, but they personally held no grudge. Still, the distance remained, and they had no intention of speaking to him first. Christoph Tarten was still the number one person to keep at a distance. Not only Jacob and Aivin, but most people felt that way.

Passing each other at a distance of only a few steps, they passed by as if they hadn’t seen each other. Both Jacob and Aivin remained silent under a needless sense of pressure.

It’s okay, it’s okay, as long as we don’t get close. In fact, there’s no breed as safe as him as long as you don’t provoke him first. He’s a guy who ignores almost everything.

It was just as they were thinking that and passing the horse Christoph was riding.

After they had moved a few steps away, a voice suddenly came from behind them.

“Hey.”

That low, cold voice that sounded as if ice were dripping from it.

Flinch. Jacob almost tripped. Glancing sideways, he saw Aivin looking at him with a similar expression.

What do I do? Did he call us? No, he didn’t. Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear and go. But we’re the only ones around here. No, still, just…

“…Jacob. Aivin.”

However, just as they tried to stiffly move forward while pretending not to hear, the voice came again. This time, he called their names unmistakably.

Flinch. This time, he actually tripped.

Beside Aivin, who was frozen like ice and not budging, Jacob, who was at least a year older, slowly turned his head.

“…What?”

As he hesitantly looked back, Christoph was sitting on his horse a few meters away, looking down at them. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the furrow in Christoph’s brow made it seem as if he were glaring.

Christoph said nothing for a while. Jacob also stared at him intently, waiting for him to open his mouth.

Why did this guy suddenly call us? Don’t tell me that in the time we haven’t seen each other, he’s changed his approach to picking fights even if we don’t provoke him first? That would be a huge pain.

While Jacob was facing him as if in a staring contest, his mind racing with countless thoughts, Christoph, who had been frowning in silence as if contemplating something, finally spoke.

“…Are you healthy?”

“… …Huh?”

At first, Jacob wondered what language Christoph was speaking. It were words Read on Read BL Novelshe knew, but [stolen content]he couldn’t understand them.

As he asked back while tilting his head, Christoph closed his mouth and scanned them from head to toe.

“You look healthy. Uninjured anywhere.”

“… … …Yeah. You too.”

Jacob replied skeptically, his head still tilted.

What is this? What is it? Does he mean that since I look fine, he’ll break one of my legs?! What did I ever do to this guy?!

“Jacob. I heard you’re getting married.”

Suddenly, the arrow hit Jacob.

Jacob muttered an ambiguous “Uh…” and looked at Christoph.

How did he know that? More importantly, what does he intend to do about it? What does my marriage have to do with this guy? Come to think of it, I heard there’s a bad custom called ‘wedding bread’ in some Eastern country; did he learn something like that while abroad?!

As expected, a myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind. Beside Jacob, Aivin also looked back and forth between them with a tense face.

—Jacob, what on earth did you do to that guy? Why is he suddenly talking to you?!

—I don’t know. I really don’t know. Why me of all people?!

It was while they were having this silent conversation.

After another long silence, Christoph spoke with a subtle expression, and then, after a few more seconds, he said:

“Since you’re getting married, con…”

Con—he couldn’t even guess what word would follow.

Why? What’s the problem? What’s bothering you?

Christoph glared for a moment at the two of them, who were staring at him in tension. His mouth seemed to move a few more times, but no more audible sound leaked out.

Christoph suddenly frowned and turned away. Then, as if nothing had happened—though his shoulders were tense as if he were angry—he walked away on his path.

The two, who had remained frozen and watched his back until it grew distant, only then slowly looked at each other after Christoph disappeared from sight.

A brief silence followed.

“…What happened? What was he trying to say?”

“Wedding con… ? Con… grat…ulations? No way.”

“There’s no way. Unless that guy has fallen ill or something.”

“Right? Then what was it? Why did he stop us?”

Jacob could give no answer to Aivin’s question.

For a while, the two remained in confusion, staring blankly at each other’s faces.

Then, at some point, as if a screw in his head had come loose from overthinking, Aivin muttered.

“By the way, Christoph… I never noticed until now, but his voice is kind of, how should I put it… bittersweet.”

“I guess so…”

The two of them blinked at each other, looking as if they had both let the screws in their heads come loose.

“Christoph has an incurable disease?!”

When the rumor, which had spread locally through Tarten in an instant, reached unauthorized copyYohan’s ears, he [Read on Read BL Novels]was in the middle of carefully setting up dominoes.

Yohan, who had been sitting in a corner of the hall in the basement of the west wing, carefully placing domino pieces for two hours, blinked several times while holding the last few pieces.

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“A while ago, Nico was heading to the east wing and passed Christoph, and that guy suddenly spoke to him. Without even being provoked, he started it! Do you know what he said? He said, ‘It’s been a long time,’ ‘It’s been a long time’!”

Yohan stared blankly at Dick, who was delivering the news with eyes wide open, almost rolling back.

It wasn’t just Yohan.

Several young men who had been enjoying cards, billiards, and other games throughout the hall stopped what they were doing and listened to this ghost story.

Yohan stared intently at Dick, then quickly reached a concise conclusion.

“He saw things.”

“Huh?”

“Nico has been taking stomach medicine lately because his stomach hasn’t been great. But just the other day, it was in the newspaper that some medications sold on the market were mixed with problematic substances. There must have been a problem with the medicine he took.”

Adding that the problematic unauthorized copyRead on Read BL Novelssubstance must have been a hallucinogen, Yohan carefully placed another domino piece.

But it was then. Pollock, who had been fiddling with a dart with a somewhat dazed expression, muttered seriously.

“Then… was that really Christoph earlier…?”

As everyone’s gaze shifted to Pollock at once, Pollock continued hesitantly.

“No, I was in a hurry because of some urgent business, and I bumped into Christoph on the landing. …But he supported me to help me up, asked if I was okay, and then left.”

“…Did you take stomach medicine lately too?”

A short silence followed the skeptical question of his cousin. In the midst of that, someone muttered.

“Unless he’s actually fallen ill with an incurable disease and had a change of heart, this is impossible.”

“Or perhaps he’s just someone who looks remarkably similar, and isn’t actually Christoph.”

An unsettling atmosphere drifted through the hall. In the midst of it, the only sound was the rhythmic clack, clack of Yohan carefully placing dominoes.

It was then.

The sound of slow footsteps descending the stairs reached them.

Since it was a place where people were always coming and going, no one paid much mind to the footsteps; they remained immersed in their own uneasy moods, playing their games in silence. Even as a new person entered and walked silently, everyone continued to stare intently at their own game boards, lost in subtle contemplation.

And then.

“Gah…! Ack!!”

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted loudly from the corner. A rapid clatter-clatter-clatter of small, light sounds spread instantly.

“Ack, ack! Ack!! I only had seven more to place to finish!!”

Beside Yohan, who was screaming while clutching his head, the grand line of standing dominoes was collapsing in a beautiful, sequential chain. And at one end of those dominoes stood a man, frozen stiff, having entered the hall without looking properly at his feet and accidentally knocking them over.

“You—you bastard… Chris!!”

Yohan leaped up, kicking a domino aside as he stormed toward the man. With eyes brimming with tears, he glared at him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently.

“What are you going to do about this, what are you going to do! My masterpiece that took two whole hours! You ruined it in a single instant! What are you going to do about this!!”

In front of Yohan, who was shouting blindly in a rage, Christoph remained silent, staring back at him.

And as they watched the scene, the other people became like stone statues.

This was not a man who should be here.

Christoph was not the kind of person to come to this hall without a purpose.

Furthermore, Yohan was actually gripping Christoph’s shoulders and screaming at him.

And Christoph, who reflexively flinched and shrank back, was frowning as he looked down at Yohan’s hands—with eyes that seemed to be deeply contemplating how to handle this.

Throughout the entire situation, the people simply watched them in dead silence.

“…. I’ll fix it for you.”

Finally, words fell from Christoph’s lips.

At that, Yohan, who had been gripping his shoulders and screaming, immediately let go and nodded with a small “Yeah.”

The situation ended.

Under the gaze of those who were still staring with wide eyes, Christoph sat down and began to set up the dominoes again. From the opposite end, Yohan began to set them up as well.

For several dozen seconds, no sound was heard other than the click, click [stolen content]of dominoes being placed. While the people silently turned their attention back to their own games, their eyes unauthorized copycontinued to dart back and forth as if possessed.

The one to break the silence was Yohan, who was carefully placing a domino atop a mini-staircase.

“By the way, I heard you have an incurable disease.”

“Hmm?”

When Yohan asked abruptly, Christoph responded with equal indifference.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Right, then that’s fine. Anyway, take care of your health.”

“Yeah. …. …. You too.”

After a brief silence, Christoph added the response as if he had just remembered, and their conversation ended. They simply continued setting up the dominoes from their respective seats.

Isaac, who had been glancing at Christoph while rubbing a billiard cue for no reason a short distance away, spoke up as if suddenly remembering something.

“Come to think of it, that guy stopped by a while ago.”

As he threw the comment toward Christoph, Christoph briefly lifted his gaze from the dominoes in his fingertips and asked.

“? Who.”

Isaac, who hadn’t actually expected a proper answer despite being the one to start the conversation, looked at Christoph skeptically and said.

“You know, the guy you worked that guy to the bone last year. What was it, Kim Young-soo—no, was it Jeong Tae-ui?”

The hand placing the domino stopped. Christoph stared blankly at Isaac, looking puzzled. When those deep blue, almond-shaped eyes looked straight at him, Isaac instinctively flinched and shrugged his shoulders.

No, no. Now that he thought about it, that man had a face that was bad for one’s heart.

Watching Isaac brush down his chest, Christoph asked.

“Why did he come here?”

“Oh, Rick—I mean, Richard—said he probably wouldn’t be in Germany for his birthday, so he stopped by to give his regards in advance. He came with him.”

“With Rick?”

“Yeah. Where was it, Korea? He said he was going there for a bit.”

As he rattled off everything he knew in response to Christoph’s question, Isaac kept stealing glances at him. As Christoph tilted his head like a child and blinked, long eyelashes cast shadows over his eyes. Isaac found himself quietly averting his gaze.

“Korea? …Ah…. …Hmph….”

Christoph muttered as if he had guessed the reason, then suddenly let out a scoff as if slightly offended. Pouting his lips, he returned to setting up the dominoes.

He’s completely lost it, completely lost it, that bastard Rick, Christoph grumbled in an incomprehensible mutter, then suddenly fell silent. He stared intently at his fingertips as if lost in thought.

Then, at a certain moment.

A small chuckle escaped.

His ice-blue eyes curved slightly, and his expression became as soft as the elegant curve of his lips.

Christoph was smiling.

It was an expression too faint to be called a full laugh, but it was definitely a smile. One that held a warm light.

Thud, clatter. Sounds of things dropping echoed here and there. Some people stared blankly, not even realizing they had dropped what they were holding, while others startled and quickly bowed their heads to pick up their things.

Yohan, who had paused his hand and stared intently at visit our siteChristoph, stolen content[Read on Read BL Novels]eventually moved his hand again with indifference and muttered.

“I don’t even take stomach medicine, so why am I seeing hallucinations….”

Tilting his head, he muttered and looked at Christoph again. Then he spoke casually.

“But you should smile more often. I mean, really, shouldn’t you give the people watching some room to get used to it?”

Christoph frowned and looked at him, seemingly puzzled by Yohan’s words and not quite understanding, but he shrugged and nodded anyway.

Then, staring at his fingertips, he continued to set up the small plastic pieces one by one.

When Richard entered the dining room, most of the seats were already filled. Some had already started eating, but since they had only just begun, their appetizer plates were only slightly empty.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Though he had become incomparably busier since succeeding Tarten, Richard—who still maintained his position as their kind and reliable cousin—greeted everyone with a smile and took his seat.

The formal celebration of his birthday with the blood relatives would be held tomorrow.

Today, he planned to have a light dinner and a few drinks with close relatives of the same generation, as usual. Most of the people seated there were cousins he had often spent time with back when he stayed in the west wing.

Today had been frantically busy. From morning until now, there had been a mountain of work to handle. His only break had been a short walk with the [unauthorized copy]Read on Read BL Novelsvisit our siteelder in the afternoon. Immediately after, he had to rush back to his office.

“…….”

Richard, who seemed to have remembered something and fell into thought for a moment, soon chuckled and lifted his glass.

After moistening his lips with wine before touching the food, Richard immediately noticed the subtly restless atmosphere of the table. It was the kind of atmosphere that existed when there was some interesting piece of gossip.

Pulling his appetizer plate toward him, he asked Claude, who was sitting nearby.

“What is it? For some reason, it seems there’s an interesting topic today.”

“Huh? Oh… no, well, it’s nothing much….”

Seeing him trail off vaguely, it seemed it wasn’t anything particularly important.

Richard raised an eyebrow in curiosity but didn’t press further and picked up his fork.

As he ate, exchanging usual greetings about the day or mentioning trivial things that came to mind, Richard glanced around. He had known since he entered, but there was one empty seat.

“…. Where is Christoph? Is he not eating?”

As Richard brought it up [unauthorized copy]casually, Claude Read on Read BL Novelshesitated slightly and [Read on Read BL Novels]shrugged. It meant he didn’t know.

“Hmm. It would be nice if he joined us.”

Richard spoke out of courtesy and returned to his fork.

Claude nodded in admiration.

Perhaps after succeeding Tarten, Richard’s heart—which had already been full of tolerance—had grown even wider. To think he would look after Christoph, with whom he had been such arch-enemies.

Even if it seemed like a mere formality, the fact that he said it was surprising.

“Should we call Christoph over?”

Yamin, who was sitting a bit further away, asked abruptly.

Richard raised an eyebrow in surprise while eating. He likely hadn’t expected anyone to say such a thing. After all, as far as he knew, there was no one present who enjoyed sharing a table with Christoph.

Richard looked at Yamin for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

“That would be fine. But seeing as he didn’t come on time, he’s probably already eaten. I wonder if he’ll actually come? He’s not one to socialize with people without a reason.”

“True….”

Yamin nodded in agreement.

Just then, Yohan, who was performing the feat of practically sweeping a plate’s contents into his mouth at the end of the table, spoke up.

“Let’s just call him. Who knows? Maybe he’ll come down obediently since he has an incurable disease.”

As he said this, he began making a call with the phone he pulled from his back pocket. Watching him, whose mouth never rested even while calling, Richard tilted his head with a strange expression.

“Incurable disease…? What does that mean?”

His smile vanishing, Richard put down his fork.

Yohan, who was in the middle of telling Christoph to come down to the dining room to eat and talk, was so preoccupied with multitasking the call and the meal that he didn’t hear Richard.

Richard slowly looked around.

“Did Christoph… catch some kind of disease?”

As Richard spoke slowly, his expression was faintly stiff. Claude, who had been humming with a subtle look, eventually shrugged and said.

“No, it’s not that he’s Read on Read BL Novelsactually sick, it’s just that [Read on Read BL Novels]there’s Read on Read BL Novelsa rumor going around that he might be.”

“A rumor that he might be? That he’s sick? …Why?”

When Richard asked again with a slight crease between his brows, Claude looked at Richard—who was rarely devoid of a smile—with a puzzled expression and shrank back.

“I mean, you know how they say people do things they never did before when their time is coming.”

“…? And so.”

“Christoph has been doing some strange things.”

Richard gazed steadily at Claude. He seemed to be trying to gauge what he meant, but eventually, unable to figure it out, he asked quietly, “Strange things?”

Claude scratched his head. He glanced around, checking the reactions of others. The other people had similar expressions.

It was that subtle atmosphere where it wasn’t forbidden to speak, but for some reason, one felt hesitant to do so.

“Christoph… greeted someone.”

“…. What?”

“Christoph greeted someone. While passing through the hallway. To Nico. He did it first.”

Richard fell silent.

Richard wasn’t so ignorant of Christoph that he would think greeting someone you pass is normal and wonder why initiating it was a big deal.

Richard pondered for a moment, then asked Claude again.

“Is that all? Meaning, he’s not actually sick?”

“Uh, yeah. …Probably.”

The reason he added “probably” was that while the rumor of an incurable disease was far from the truth, there was a sliver of possibility that Christoph might have fallen ill without anyone knowing.

Claude continued eating, thinking it was a bit unexpected; he thought Richard would have clicked his tongue in pity and said “That’s too bad,” while not actually caring if Christoph had an incurable disease. Richard was by no means a bad person—in fact, he was a very good person to them—but everyone knew he was cold specifically toward Christoph.

As if his smile had never vanished, Richard returned to eating with a gentle smile and suddenly said jokingly.

“But that is certainly a strange thing. For Christoph to greet someone first. A man who usually ignores people even when they greet him first. Did he have a change of heart while he was in Saudi Arabia?”

As Richard laughed, the people around him laughed along.

Only then did the atmosphere seem stolen contentto return to normal. The dining [unauthorized copy]room filled with the sounds of moderate conversation and the enjoyment of the meal.

At that moment, Yohan snapped his phone shut and said casually.

“He says he’ll come.”

Though his voice wasn’t particularly loud, the dining room fell silent instantly. Gazes converged on him.

Despite a dozen pairs of eyes focused on him, Yohan continued to stubbornly gnaw on a turkey leg, only lifting his head with a late “Huh?” He wiped his greasy lips with the back of his hand and looked around, asking “What?”

“Is he really coming? …Didn’t he eat earlier?”

“Yeah, he said he already ate. But I told him it’s been a while and we should talk, and after hesitating for a long time, he said he’d come. Knowing his personality, he’ll probably dress up perfectly, so it’ll take some time.”

Another strange silence followed.

He really must have an incurable disease, Maybe he’s terminally ill, How much time does he have left? Such whispers overflowed here and there.

In large gatherings, people usually split into two or three groups to talk, but today they were united in a single topic.

Amidst those unsettling whispers, Richard, who had been eating quietly, fixed his gaze on Yohan.

“Yohan, were you close with Christoph?”

“Hmm? I dunno? We never fought, but we weren’t particularly close, right?”

Yohan, who maintained a mediocre relationship with everyone—neither specially close nor fighting—rolled his eyes. Right, you were like that, Richard thought, nodding.

The table, which had been buzzing with the same stories for a while, gradually shifted to other topics. Yet, unconsciously, glances continued to drift toward the door.

Someone abruptly spoke to Richard.

“I thought he wouldn’t come, but he is. You two aren’t on such great terms. I thought he’d just ignore your birthday, but I guess he does have some awareness of being a member of Tarten.”

They added that he seemed to behave well enough in Saudi Arabia not to soil the Tarten name.

Richard lifted his glass to moisten his lips and smiled ambiguously, saying, “As for me, I’m just grateful he traveled such a long way.”

At that, the people nodded, looking somewhat bewildered.

Come to think of it, just before going to Saudi Arabia, shortly before Richard was decided as the successor, Christoph did work to help Richard. Maybe their relationship improved then, such whispers circulated.

It was around then.

The dining room door opened, and Christoph entered.

A very brief silence swept through, as if they had all been waiting for him.

Christoph, who had entered quietly, looked at the people with a puzzled face when he noticed the sudden, unnatural silence the moment he stepped in.

Soon, as everyone returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened, Yohan, who was eating his third steak, waved the hand holding his knife. Christoph hesitated for a moment but silently went and sat in the empty seat beside him.

“Hey, you’re popular, huh? Everyone seemed happy that you were coming.”

Yohan spoke while grabbing the remaining leg of the turkey—the other leg having already been torn off by Yohan himself—from the large platter in the center of the table and ripping it away.

At those words, Christoph made a strange face, and simultaneously, the people sitting there made strange faces as well.

I never liked them, I just thought they were strange, he wrote across his forehead, yet he lacked the courage to say it aloud. Looking around at the people eating their meals in silence, Christoph gave a vague answer. “Uh…”

Seeing that blunt, desolate face, Yohan asked abruptly while munching on a turkey leg, “Are you feeling awkward? Shy? We all know each other, so why act like this all of a sudden?”

Once again, many people muttered inwardly, Where on that face is there anything awkward or shy? However, Christoph said nothing and merely shot Yohan a sidelong glare.

Then, he suddenly locked eyes with Richard, who was sitting in the seat of honor, his usual spot.

Richard slowly averted his gaze. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued the conversation he visit our sitehad been having with stolen contentthe person sitting next to him.

“…”

Christoph stared at him for a moment before looking away and silently placing a few pieces of cooked vegetables on his empty plate.

“Is that enough? Eat some meat, meat. Your face is as white as a ghost because you only ever eat those greens.”

Yohan lifted his spoon and scooped a generous portion of braised meat onto Christoph’s plate. Christoph immediately frowned.

“Why are you putting things on my plate without my—.”

But he stopped mid-sentence. He frowned for a few seconds, thinking about something, and then looked at Yohan with a serious gaze, as if staring him down, and spoke as if reading from a textbook.

“Thank you for your consideration. I will enjoy the meal.”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

Yohan nodded nonchalantly. However, after chewing and swallowing a piece of meat, he seemed to realize something was off and looked at Christoph with a puzzled expression. Most of the people nearby who had heard Christoph’s words shared the same look.

“Hmm… do they teach character education the Spartan way in Saudi Arabia?”

Yohan tilted his head in confusion, but [Read on Read BL Novels]as soon [stolen content]as large pieces stolen contentof cake and fruit were served for dessert, he brightened up and dove in.

Jacob, sitting across from them, had been glancing at Christoph for a while. He had been bothered ever since he received a cryptic greeting from Christoph earlier that day—something about “Congratulations on your marr…”.

However, like most of the people present, the timid Jacob didn’t dare ask Christoph about it and was instead left wondering until his head nearly exploded.

Because of this, even while cutting the cake, his gaze unconsciously kept shifting between Christoph and the cake. Perhaps noticing the stare, Christoph glanced back. Their eyes met.

Flustered, holding a cake knife in one hand and a plate in the other, Jacob blinked anxiously and asked impulsively.

“Do you… want some cake?”

Only after asking did he realize he had said something unnecessary.

Christoph didn’t particularly like desserts.

Furthermore, whenever someone spoke to him without a specific purpose, he tended to show his annoyance quite blatantly.

However.

“…I don’t like cake.”

After a brief silence, Christoph—quite unexpectedly—seemed to show a hint of annoyance, stolen contentRead on Read BL Novelsbut [unauthorized copy]then changed his expression and spoke flatly.

It would have been better if he had stopped there, but Jacob, who was currently receiving strict etiquette training from his fiancée since he was soon to be a groom, asked again almost reflexively.

“Then how about the fruit salad?”

While regretting his own loose tongue, not even knowing why he was being so persistent, Christoph frowned slightly and spoke sullenly.

“Then give me a little bit. Thank you.”

Jacob froze, his eyes widening at the content of the words, which didn’t match that displeased tone at all.

Christoph looked at Jacob with confusion when he remained motionless.

Only then did Jacob snap out of it, hurriedly put down the cake knife, and picked up the salad spoon. He began scooping the salad onto a new plate.

“Here, here you go.”

As Jacob murmured while hesitantly handing over the plate, he received another “Thank you,” which again didn’t fit the tone.

In front of the people who had forgotten to eat and were staring blankly at this strange phenomenon, Jacob—whose mind was just as confused as theirs—placed the plate in front of Christoph and accidentally bumped into the plate containing the braised meat.

“Uh…!!”

Mistakes always happen in an instant.

The braised meat spilled all over Christoph, and his spotless white shirt was instantly stained yellow.

“Oh, oh no… what do I do…”

Poor Jacob was nearly in a state of panic. He looked around, and finding nothing suitable, he began rubbing Christoph’s shirt frantically with his own sleeve.

Rubbing a shirt with a sleeve wouldn’t remove the stain; it would only spread it and stain his own clothes as well, but without any room to think, Jacob scrubbed Christoph’s stomach and chest, which were soaked in meat gravy. A few beats later, he realized the atmosphere around them had turned ice-cold.

“…Gasp…”

The moment Jacob realized why, he froze stiff. The sleeve he had been rubbing stopped dead.

Right now, though it wasn’t his intention, he was touching Christoph all over.

I’m dead.

That thought flashed through Jacob’s mind.

Unless it was a very slight touch resulting from unauthorized copy[Read on Read BL Novels]a pure accident, Christoph never let anyone who touched his body go unpunished.

And now, Jacob had even dumped braised meat on him.

I’m going to die today without even getting married. I’m sorry, Adele. In a matter of seconds, countless thoughts raced through his head.

After offering a final prayer to God, Jacob very slowly lifted his head, prepared to face his end.

However.

“…Could you move aside a bit?”

The distance between him and Christoph, who had been pressed close while cleaning the clothes, was barely a handspan.

Up close, the beautiful statue, looking even more imposing, spoke quietly.

Jacob quickly took a couple of steps back. He raised both hands and scrambled to make excuses. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t!”

But Christoph looked down at his soiled clothes for a moment, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and said:

“Forget it. It happens.”

“…Even though I, I touched you, it’s okay…?”

After blurting that out, Jacob wanted to tear his tongue out for the third time today. Why do I keep saying things I don’t need to and asking for trouble?

But contrary to Jacob’s expectations—where Christoph should have narrowed his eyes coldly and said, No, that is unacceptable. Now you die, (though in reality, he wouldn’t have said it and just acted)—Christoph took two deep breaths to compose himself and spoke as if he had made a great decision.

“If it’s just a little, I don’t mind touching other people. Just a little.”

He emphasized “just a little,” but the person who said it was definitely Christoph.

At that moment, the dining room became terrifyingly silent. Only the occasional clink of something being dropped could be heard.

In his dazed mind, Jacob thought, These guys were all pretending to talk about other things, but they were actually listening intently.

“Is it really okay? Let me see.”

The first to react was Yohan, who quickly pulled the plate of cake Jacob had served and forgotten, finishing it in exactly three bites.

While munching on the cake, he abruptly reached out and grabbed Christoph’s hand.

For a moment, under the subtle gaze of everyone, Christoph flinched slightly in the arm that was held. He looked at Yohan’s hand holding his with great displeasure.

However.

“…Now that you’ve held it, could you let go…?”

Christoph spoke quietly and calmly.

Yohan, having held it, seemed surprised himself. “Uh, oh,” he said, widening his eyes, and rubbed the back of Christoph’s hand a couple of times with his palm before letting go.

“I thought it was a country with nothing but oil and sand, but Saudi Arabia is worth visiting. Their character education system must be top-notch.”

“Yohan. Are you picking a fight with that comment?”

“No, no. No way! I’m just purely impressed! Hey, you’re… no, as expected, your hands are soft. Rolling around in that barren desert and yet your skin is just… it’s a mystery of the human body.”

Yohan looked at Christoph in admiration while pulling another food plate toward himself. Looking at the pile of empty plates already in front of him, Christoph muttered with a face that looked like his stomach was getting heavy just imagining it.

“I don’t think the ‘mystery of the human body’ is referring to me.”

“Huh? What?”

“…”

Christoph silently cut and ate a piece of cake with his fork.

While he quietly moved his mouth, a few people, who had been keeping a subtle silence and gauging the situation, slowly leaned in.

“Can… can I touch it too?”

“Me too, let me see…”

Slowly, hesitantly—though they didn’t dare go near his torso and only reached for his hands or arms—several hands approached, gently stroked him, and quickly retreated.

Each time, Christoph flinched very slightly, staring at the cake plate with a face etched in patience, but the words “stop it” never left his lips. When one reckless hand touched the nape of his neck, he flinched noticeably and glared fiercely at the hand until it withdrew.

The people’s gazes were gathering subtly. It was truly subtle—a prickly yet buzzing atmosphere.

Ahem. Someone standing a distance away cleared their throat, picked up a water glass, and headed toward the water purifier in one corner of the dining room. On the way, they lightly brushed Christoph’s shoulder. Then, they walked away with a triumphant, shy smile.

Occasional coughing sounds began to be heard here and there.

Yohan, who had swept the last piece of meat on his plate into his mouth, looked around the dining room in confusion while smacking his lips.

“What are you all doing, you bunch of clowns? Stop eating.”

But no one answered Yohan.

Amidst the people suddenly busying themselves by going back and forth to drink water, only Christoph was gradually freezing up.

Then.

Screech. With the loud sound of a chair leg dragging, Richard, who had been eating in silence for a while, stood up.

Wait, is Richard going to do it too?! The people who turned their surprised gazes toward him froze when they saw his face.

There was almost no trace of a smile on his face. It looked like a face trying to smile but failing.

“I have some remaining work to handle, so I must excuse myself first.”

Perhaps it was just a feeling, but even his voice sounded cold.

The atmosphere of the room suddenly chilled. In the midst of it, Richard strode out of the dining room. As he left, he shot a desolate glance at Christoph but did not speak.

After he left, a subtle atmosphere flowed through the dining room, which had been silently quiet for a moment.

He seemed to be in a bad mood.

But he looked fine until the meal started.

Then, as expected… is it because of Christoph?

Why? That guy didn’t even do anything. In fact, he seems more human now.

No, but he has a terrible relationship with Richard. It’s understandable he’d be annoyed if clueless people were hovering around Christoph like adolescent boys.

Ah. Like when someone you hate becomes popular?

Right, exactly.

Amidst them whispering and putting their heads together in serious discussion, Christoph only poked at his cake gloomily. Even then, the hands creeping toward him did not stop.

 

* * *

 

“Phew…”

He let out a long sigh.

He was exhausted.

It felt as if his nerves were frayed to shreds.

Even after washing up, Christoph didn’t leave the shower booth, standing still under the falling water.

His arms and hands were reddish. It was because he had scrubbed them several times harder than usual.

“I shouldn’t do this…”

He muttered to himself like a lament, then stood blankly for a long time, only turning off the water when the stream began to feel painful.

He dried his hair first with a dry towel, and then as he dried his body and reached his arms, Christoph frowned slightly.

Most of the places that had been touched were his hands or arms. There was one guy who had patted his shoulder, pretending to be friendly.

If anything, it was a relief that they hadn’t touched anywhere else. Whenever someone tried to touch other areas, his face would reflexively harden, and he would glare at them fiercely.

He knew he could do it if he endured, but he wondered if he really had to go that far, and he felt somewhat sorrowful.

Touching other people had improved a lot stolen contentcompared to stolen contentbefore, but [visit our site]he still didn’t want to be touched on purpose.

“Still… I have to endure it.”

Christoph muttered like a sigh and stepped out of the bathroom.

The guest room in the west wing.

Since he was only planning to stay for a few days, he decided to stay in the guest room.

Come to think of it, whether it was when he lived in this mansion as a child or when he stayed here for a month last year, he always had ‘his own room,’ so this was the first time he had used a guest room.

Still, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It had everything necessary to ensure a comfortable stay. Moreover, it was in the quietest location at the very end of the hallway, so depending on how he looked at it, this place might even be better than his old room. The view showed the forest right nearby.

Maybe I should just stay in this room even if I have to stay here for a long time in the future. Though he didn’t know when that might be.

After washing himself, he felt much better. He let out a light sigh, put on a robe, and stepped out of the bathroom, but he paused as he moved to open the window.

Richard was sitting on the couch by the window, though he didn’t know since when.

“…Why are you here?”

Christoph spoke bluntly without realizing it. After speaking, the thought [visit our site]Ah, that was too cold unauthorized copyRead on Read BL Novelsflashed through his mind, but the words were already out. Since it had come to this, he decided to remain consistently blunt.

Richard, who had been leaning deep into the couch lost in thought, glanced at Christoph. However, as if his thoughts weren’t finished, he didn’t speak.

“Your room is over there. …If you have business, tell me by phone.”

Christoph gestured with his chin toward the east wing.

Checking the clock, he saw it was already past ten.

After Richard left the dinner table, Yohan had caught Christoph, who wanted to finish his meal in silence and return quickly. He told him that since he was already down here, he should stay and build dominoes one more time.

Feeling the subtle, glittering gazes of those around him, he wanted to return immediately because he was tired, but he suppressed those feelings as much as possible and followed him.

In the end, he deeply regretted it by the time the dominoes were half-finished, as there was a constant stream of people following him, playing other games nearby, striking up random conversations, and peeking in.

“Did you have fun?”

“Huh?”

Christoph, who was thinking I’m never following him again, I’ll just eat and go straight to my room, looked up and asked back shortly at Richard’s sudden question.

With his arms crossed, slowly rubbing stolen contenthis chin with a stolen contentfinger, Richard was staring intently at Christoph.

A face without a trace of a smile wasn’t particularly new, but for some reason, he looked to be in a bad mood.

“Well… just.”

“I heard you hung out with those guys after dinner. My ears are already ringing with the talk.”

Christoph frowned, wondering how such talk could have spread when he had been back in this room for less than an hour. Richard lightly tapped his foot.

“I saw several guys with wide eyes on my way here. …Your sociability has improved quite a bit while I wasn’t looking, Christoph.”

“Uh… yeah. I can’t stay like this forever, so I’m trying to get along with other people more comfortably now.”

Christoph spoke as if it were nothing, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

His heart calmed down a bit.

His sociability has improved.

Hearing those words from Richard’s mouth made him feel a little better.

It was worth enduring that exhausting dinner.

“Being comfortable with other people… that’s a good thing. A very good thing.”

Richard nodded. He murmured to himself that it was for the best, but his expression seemed somehow unsettled. Christoph figured he must have misread him; there was no reason for Richard to feel that way.

Come to think of it, Richard had once told him while they were entwined, ‘You need to learn how to mingle and get along with people. Otherwise, how on earth are you going to cure that mental illness of yours?’

At the time—even thinking about it now—the term ‘mental illness’ had made him flare up, but strictly speaking, Richard was right that it was better to live while interacting normally with others. That way, he wouldn’t flinch in surprise whenever someone accidentally touched him.

“I suppose people were kind to you in Riyadh? Was it like that there too?”

Only then did Richard show a slight smile. It was the same gentle-looking smile as always, though he rarely showed that particular smile to Christoph.

“Um… something like that.”

Christoph hesitated for a moment before mixing in a bit of a lie. About ninety percent of a lie.

Since his job involved helping train the private soldiers, it was impossible to avoid contact with others entirely. However, after Christoph had displayed his disgust—almost like a seizure—a few times, it had become easier for people to give him orders without needing to touch him.

“I see you’ve cured your haphephobia a bit.”

“It’s much better than [stolen content]before. I [Read on Read BL Novels]can handle contact with others to some extent now. You saw it earlier.”

Christoph lifted his head proudly as he added that last sentence. If he didn’t get at least this much satisfaction, he wouldn’t be compensated for the effort he’d put in earlier.

“I see… That’s good.”

Richard nodded. He seemed to be thinking about something, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.

“…?”

Christoph frowned slightly and looked at him.

‘That’s good’ was the reaction he wanted, but it felt a bit weak. Perhaps it wasn’t a big deal to Richard.

Suddenly, Christoph’s mood soured.

Tossing the wet towel into the basket, Christoph asked bluntly, “Why are you here?”

But no answer came.

When he turned back in confusion, Richard was still sitting in the same spot.

Resting his chin on his hand, Richard slowly rubbed his mouth as stolen contentif covering it. The moment Christoph tilted his head [stolen content]in curiosity, Richard suddenly lowered his head, smiled faintly, and let out a sigh.

“As I thought… I can’t let this slide.”

“…? Let what slide?”

As Christoph asked, Richard stood up from the couch without hesitation. Step by step, he walked across the thick rug and approached Christoph head-on. He looked him straight in the eye, smiling.

“So.”

“…?”

“Are you just giving your body away to any random guy now?”

“What?!”

Christoph snapped back, his eyes narrowing.

For a moment, he went blank, unable to fully comprehend what he had just heard.

“My body? Giving it…?!”

“Guys are swarming around you like a pack of dogs, touching you however they want, and you’re just quietly taking it all? Ha… at [visit our site]this rate, unauthorized copyyou’ll trade your haphephobia for a mental illness centered on a craving for touch.”

“What the…”

Christoph’s face hardened instantly. His tongue felt frozen, and he couldn’t even speak properly.

As Christoph stared at Richard, his lips merely twitching, Richard continued to smile calmly. Then, as if slightly troubled, he whispered softly.

“I want to think the best of you… but come to think of it, you once said you wanted to sleep with several guys at once.”

“I never sa—!!”

Christoph shouted, his eyes wide. He was so bewildered and appalled that he couldn’t even finish the sentence.

He had never said such a thing, nor had he ever even thought it. He didn’t know where Richard had heard such a thing or how, but it wasn’t true in the slightest—

“Didn’t you say several other guys would be better than just me?”

“I never—”

He started to yell but suddenly trailed off.

A memory from long ago suddenly surfaced.

He had said something similar. But it was absolutely not in the nuance Richard was implying now.

As Christoph stopped speaking and glared at Richard in a daze, Richard let out a sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as if exhausted.

“Typical Christoph. I don’t think I’ve stopped hating you to that extent yet.”

“…—”

“Seeing as I have absolutely no desire to grant your wishes.”

The moment he finished speaking, Richard, who had stopped just a step away, reached out.

“I never dreamed that in my lifetime, I’d hear someone else describe your skin as soft.”

Richard whispered quietly, as if talking to himself.

In fact, it was a monologue. The only person who could hear him was in no position to listen.

As he whispered with his lips buried just below the nape of the neck, between the shoulder blades, Christoph’s body kept flinching and shrinking, as if tickled.

The trembling of his thighs was transmitted clearly through their touching skin. A cloudy, sticky fluid slowly traced a line and [stolen content]Read on Read BL Novelsflowed down from the inside. That dripping liquid stained [visit our site]the fingertips of the hand stroking Christoph’s groin.

“Tsk… since you hate it when things get damp on your body, I tried to plug you up tightly so nothing would leak… but it spills out every time I push in a bit further. My apologies.”

Richard whispered as if he were genuinely sorry. As he spoke, he thrust his hips upward strongly once more.

As the squelching fluid from the inside soaked through the friction of their skin, Christoph, who had his face buried in the pillow and was gripping the pillowcase, let out an unintelligible sound.

“But they probably don’t know that you’re this soft on the inside, too.”

With his hips buried deep against the inner thighs, Richard made light thrusts where there was no more room to enter. He loved this feeling of softly scraping the deepest part. And he loved the rhythm that would soon follow—the way Christoph would tremble and tighten around him so hard it almost hurt.

“Who but me would know that while you accept and wrap around my penis so softly, the moment I try to pull out, you cling to it and suck me back in, begging for more?”

“…—”

Christoph’s shoulders twitched. He seemed to shake his head slightly as if denying it, but when Richard applied pressure to the organ he was massaging, Christoph’s shoulders trembled again, and he buried his face deeper into the pillow.

Richard wrapped his arms around the waist of the wriggling Christoph, who seemed to be trying to twist away. He pulled him closer.

Their lower bodies pressed tightly together, and the wet sounds returned.

Mixed in was Christoph’s faint voice, barely audible as it was muffled by the pillow.

“You’re not crying, are you?”

After a short pause, Christoph shook his head very slightly. However, seeing as he didn’t make a sound, he might have been halfway to crying and forcing himself to endure it.

Richard looked down at him for a while.

The white back. The spine extending straight down from the nape, the body line where soft curves and smooth lines connected exquisitely.

He knew exactly how this body felt. It was far softer than any silk he had ever touched. He knew every inch of this skin, which was as fluffy as a child’s and so smooth that nothing caught his fingertips.

“…Only me.”

Suddenly, Richard murmured lowly. A faint spark of anger leaked through his teeth.

“You only need to open your body to me. There’s no need to have contact with others. Why should any other bastard have a reason to touch you? Just live as you have always lived. I’m the only one who needs to know about this.”

Whether it was a monologue or something he wanted Christoph to hear.

Earlier, at the dining hall.

His heart had turned ice cold. Then, it visit our sitegradually grew hot. It felt [stolen content]as if a burning mass was about Read on Read BL Novelsto surge up from his chest.

His heart had chilled the moment Christoph—who usually didn’t attend social gatherings for no reason—appeared there. One by one, people looked at Christoph and brushed past him. They spoke to him, and though he was blunt, he responded to them.

Richard had never seen him like that.

And only then did he realize a fact he had never even considered.

He never wanted to see that side of him. Not in the past, and not in the future.

A hot mass had surged up to his throat, forcing him to leave the dining hall, but he regretted it immediately after. What is he doing now? Is he still among those people, or has he already returned to his room?

Those thoughts occupied his mind, and in the end, he could barely touch the work he was supposed to do.

“Did I leave you quietly in Saudi Arabia just to see this? …Answer me, Christoph. Do you intend to keep doing this? Tell me if you plan to keep giving your body away as you please.”

“…—. ….”

Christoph seemed to be saying something. But it was muffled by the pillow and couldn’t be heard.

Richard began to thrust his hips in more forcefully. The roughened thrusts deepened along with the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

The snow-white body trembled violently. Every unauthorized copytime Richard hugged, [stolen content]stroked, or touched that body, it always unauthorized copyflinched and shrank like that.

Suddenly, Christoph’s stiffened member trembled in his hand. The moment that tremor was felt, Richard rubbed the tip with his fingertip. Christoph’s entire body seemed to shake, and Richard’s hand became drenched. As he caught the fluid pouring out in two, three consecutive tremors, Richard let out a low groan.

The body that had tightly gripped his penis down to the root contracted violently. At the force of that sucking, which felt like a child fussing, Richard surrendered to his own release.

A thick, whitish fluid oozed out from the already drenched interior.

Letting out a low, growling groan, Richard bit into the nape of Christoph’s neck, like an animal mating, and in that moment, he realized.

He could no longer survive without this body. Therefore, this body could not survive without Richard. He had to possess it entirely.

Without giving a single fingertip to anyone else.

Anger surged again. He was so angry at Christoph that his vision turned red. And more than that, he felt a rage toward those who had gathered around him, a rage so intense he felt he could kill them.

After the passion had subsided, Richard kept his still-semi-erect member inside the body and hugged Christoph from behind, nibbling on the nape of his neck.

Unable to bear the sensation more than the pain, Christoph tried to shrink away to avoid him, but Richard would not let go.

“Stop… it.”

Only then did Christoph, who had finally lifted his head slightly from the pillow, mutter. His voice unauthorized copywas low, locked and hoarse; he must have cried. visit our siteHe decided unauthorized copythat he should be the only one to hear this voice.

“Stop it…? You let other guys touch you however they want, but you tell me to stop?”

Richard repeated the words and laughed. After laughing for a while, he suddenly lowered his voice and whispered.

“Christoph. I’ve decided that I’m not going to hate you anymore. Not anymore. But you’re the one making me cruel.”

As he finished speaking quietly, Richard gripped Christoph’s member, which was still slippery and limp in his hand. He held it as if he might crush it and make it useless.

“…!!”

The body jolted violently. However, after fluttering a few times within the firmly locked arms, the body simply curled up like a shrimp and trembled finely.

The face, pale and drained of blood, was drenched.

“Tell me to stop one more time. If you do, I’ll make this a body that you can never show in front of others again.”

“…—, …if, ….”

The pale, trembling lips let something slip. Richard kissed his cheek and smiled serenely.

“What was that?”

“…if I’m, …too fastidious, …it’ll be troublesome… I have to, …get along with people, …without hesitation, ….”

With a dying voice, as if all the strength had left his body, he moved his lips so softly it was almost impossible to understand.

What? Richard frowned in confusion, but in the next moment, the expression vanished from his face. The strength left the hand gripping Christoph’s member.

Christoph’s body began to tremble. The trembling gradually grew larger.

“I didn’t have, …anything worthy of a gift… so I thought, if it was this, somehow… .”

Christoph’s shoulders were shaking noticeably. And from behind, Richard was watching that sight with a very strange expression.

Christoph, curling his trembling body, took a deep breath as if trying to calm himself. The sound of ragged breathing could be heard over his shoulder. Then, Richard saw him lift his hand and wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, pretending it was nothing, as if wiping away sweat.

“…!!”

Richard grabbed that hand and brushed it away. He gripped Christoph’s chin and forced him to turn. Half-lifting his body, Richard looked down at his face from directly above.

Wide blue eyes, startled, looked up at Richard.

“…You can’t be serious, Christoph.”

Richard asked lowly. Despite his efforts to suppress it, a hint of anxiety and urgency leaked through.

“You didn’t try to cure your haphephobia as a birthday present for me, did you?”

“…—. If I didn’t, …why on earth would I do such a… thing—.”

Speaking in broken fragments with a voice that was still locked, Christoph distorted his face. As his eyes narrowed, a single teardrop fell.

“… … … Christoph.”

After a long silence, Richard spoke quietly.

Slowly lowering his head, he pressed his lips against Christoph’s. The lips, which met lightly and softly at first, gradually revealed a greed that sought to swallow the other.

After ravaging every corner of the mouth for so long that it felt suffocating, Richard buried his face in Christoph’s neck and murmured in a low groan.

“It was the worst gift I’ve ever received in my entire life.”

“…—”

Christoph fell silent. Watching the way his [unauthorized copy][visit our site]mouth twitched and frowned, and visit our sitethe way his eyes turned away gloomily, Richard kissed him again.

“Well… it doesn’t matter. I can just receive another one—the best gift this time.”

“…What.”

Christoph, who had kept his mouth shut as if he would never speak again, eventually asked in a mumble, as if it were weighing on his mind.

Richard moved his hand down. He stroked the entrance that was still swallowing the piece of flesh that had settled inside Christoph’s body and was slowly regaining its strength.

“…!!”

Because Christoph reflexively flinched and tightened, Richard let out a low groan. And along with that groan, he laughed.

“There’s something I really want to hear from you.”

“…What is it… .”

Christoph suddenly looked anxious. Seeing that face, Richard laughed again.

Indeed, it seemed he had figured Richard out to some extent. To have that face, terrified of what words might come out.

However, Richard had no intention of backing down.

The fact that Christoph had thought of such a terrible gift—and for him, no less—made him unforgivably angry and left a bitter ache in his chest. To the point where he wanted to swallow him whole.

“I’d like you to tell me that you’ll never let another person touch a single finger to you, and that you’ll spread your legs only in front of me until the day you die. Ah, that’s right. It would be fine to add, ‘So please, embrace me passionately.’”

The moment the words left Richard’s mouth, Christoph’s face hardened instantly. Seeing that face turn red and purple, Richard felt his heart throb.

Now that he had said it out loud, he became even greedier. He felt a greed so desperate it was suffocating.

So, Richard kissed Christoph again. He left his warmth everywhere—lips, cheeks, eyes—as if stamping him.

With a face that flushed rapidly, Christoph moved his lips a few times, but eventually shut his mouth tight and glared fiercely. It had little effect, but Richard raised an eyebrow and let out a feigned, troubled sigh.

“If you don’t like that… well, other words are fine too. For example, something like this.”

He pressed his lips close to Christoph’s ear. Then, he whispered a few short words, so low they were barely audible.

In that instant, Christoph flinched, his body trembling for a moment before he froze completely.

Forgetting even to blink, his bright blue eyes gazed blankly at Richard, shifting slowly and bewilderedly. His face flushed red from the nape of his neck in an instant; he hesitated for a moment, seemingly at a loss for what to do, before quietly turning away and burying his face back into the pillow.

“Christoph. ……Chris.”

Richard called him softly, gently pulling at his shoulder. However, he clung to the pillow, stubbornly refusing to lift his face.

Richard looked down at him for a moment, then let out a laugh along with a sigh.

“Well, it’s fine. It’s only just past ten, so there’s still plenty of time. Since tomorrow’s first appointment is at ten-thirty, we have over twelve hours of leeway.”

As Richard murmured leisurely while checking the clock, the color seemed to drain from Christoph’s face, but Richard didn’t mind.

He had no intention of stopping after receiving only the worst of the gifts.

* * *

“……Ah, come to think of it, this isn’t anything grand, but.”

Just as they were about to part after exchanging polite greetings following the contract consultation, the other party suddenly remembered something and handed Richard a thin, wide box.

As Richard accepted it with a puzzled expression, the man smiled brightly and offered his congratulations.

“I happened to hear that today is your birthday. So, I prepared this small token of my appreciation.”

“Oh…… you really didn’t have to [unauthorized copy]go to such trouble. But I will stolen contentaccept it with gratitude.”

“Haha, I’m sure you’ve received many magnificent things, so I’m embarrassed that this is so insignificant.”

Shaking his head in denial to the smiling man, Richard handed the box to the secretary standing beside him.

“I heard there is a banquet at your home today as well?”

“It’s just a gathering for a meal with close relatives. However, it’s a very welcome occasion as I get to see relatives I don’t usually meet often.”

“Ah, so that’s why. I wondered what was happening when you said you had to cancel all your subsequent appointments and return home quickly.”

The man nodded with a kind smile and continued.

“Getting older is sad, but being celebrated is still a joyful thing. You seem to be in a good mood today, which makes me feel good as well.”

At the words of the man, whose hair had already begun to turn grey, Richard nodded calmly in agreement and spoke with a slightly awkward, bashful smile.

“Yes, actually, I received the most wonderful gift I’ve ever had in my life, ……even both of the things I wanted.”

“Aha, you must be very happy. Such gifts are quite rare to receive; a good person must have given them to you.”

Richard simply smiled without saying anything for a moment. No [Read on Read BL Novels]one noticed unauthorized copythe visit our sitewarm light that momentarily flickered in his eyes. Perhaps not even he himself.

“Yes, they are a good person. ……A very good person.”

Only the voice that whispered those words held a faint trace of that warmth.

[End of Gift]