By Zephyria 
“Alexis!”
Cecile cried out in shock. Alexis had lifted him up far too easily and was walking toward the interior of the greenhouse.
“Put me down! Let go!”
No matter how much he struggled, it was useless. Alexis carried Cecile as he was and pinned him against a thick wooden pillar.
“Move! What are you doing?!”
“Stop screaming. I’m on the verge of losing it myself.”
“Are you saying I’m the one in the wrong? You’re the one who pissed me off first!”
Cecile fought back fiercely. At this moment, honorifics and formalities were the last things on his mind.
As he repeatedly struck Alexis’s shoulder with his clenched fists, both of his wrists were pulled upward and pinned against the wooden pillar. Alexis’s knee slid between Cecile’s legs. He used his heavy weight to firmly press down on Cecile’s lower body, stifling his struggles. Cecile found himself fixed to the tree, unable to exert any strength.
Exhausted in an instant, Cecile could only pant for breath. He tried to twist his waist with the last of his strength, but that only served to stimulate Alexis further.
Their lower bodies pressed closer. Through the legs pressing firmly against him, he felt a prominent heat. Cecile couldn’t bring himself to look down. He felt that if he confirmed it, it would become a reality.
“I told you to move. I’m really going to scream.”
“Do you think I want to be forceful with you?”
Alexis barked in a low, heavy voice. He felt as though his heart was breaking and his anger was about to explode because he couldn’t close the gap between himself and Cecile. He hadn’t known that being rejected by Cecile would be this agonizing.
“Cecile. Just what do I have to do….”
Alexis clenched his teeth to swallow the anguish rising to the tip of his chin. He lowered his head and buried his nose in the crook of Cecile’s neck. He felt that if he couldn’t even do this, he might actually do something reckless.
The pulse in Cecile’s neck was racing. His body temperature was warm, and his skin was soft. It was proof that he was alive. As he breathed in the scent etched into his memory, his wild heart finally began to stabilize.
On the other hand, every time that ticklish breath touched his skin, Cecile’s shoulders flinched.
What is wrong with him? Am I the only one uncomfortable in this situation? He couldn’t understand Alexis, who was acting like a jealous lover.
He had barely managed to calm his own excitement, but Alexis’s unexpected behavior left Cecile bewildered. His heart began to thud and race uncontrollably.
Cecile took a sharp breath. As his chest expanded, the frozen Alexis slowly lifted his head. Cecile froze. It was the first time he had faced Alexis this closely.
His eyes were like a calm lake. They were so deep that if he dipped a foot in, he might be sucked in before he knew it.
With a lingering gaze, Alexis etched every feature of Cecile’s face into his mind. He had intended to just look, but overtaken by instinct, his head tilted.
A shadow fell over Cecile’s face. Cecile clenched his fists. In that moment, he knew Alexis was about to kiss him.
He could have just screamed and pushed him away, but his mind went blank, leaving him unable to react.
Eventually, his eyes closed. For the first time, Cecile realized that when a person’s heart beats too fast, the eardrums go numb and the heartbeat can be felt above them.
Their noses almost touched. Alexis’s hot breath poured over his face. His palms and soles tingled, and cold sweat beaded on the bridge of his nose.
“Haah.”
Cecile let out a trembling breath unconsciously. At that, the approaching face paused. Alexis realized his own actions belatedly.
“Ah. I… I didn’t mean to do this, sorry, I made a mistake.”
Alexis stammered, unlike his usual self, and pulled his head back. He released Cecile’s wrists and helped his staggering body stand straight.
When Cecile, whose entire body was flushed red, opened his eyes again, Alexis was already leaving the greenhouse, leaving him behind.
…He’s leaving? He does something like that and now he’s running away?
“That son of a bitch!”
A shout mixed with indignation echoed loudly through the vast greenhouse.
The ball was completely ruined.
Returning to the Peridot Palace immediately, Cecile dismissed his attendants, stripped off his clothes, and submerged himself in the bathtub.
He scooped up hot water and splashed it on his face repeatedly. He couldn’t tell if his flushed cheeks were due to the temperature of the water, his anger, or some inexplicable heat.
“…So annoying.”
Cecile rubbed his flushed face vigorously. The ill feelings didn’t dissipate easily. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt, and his anger boiled over.
“Why won’t this die down!”
Cecile glared at his lower body submerged in the water. Along with the pubic hair swaying like seaweed, he saw his erect member. Does this make sense? I clearly just fought with Alexis, so why is this thing standing up on its own!
Even though he tried to ignore it, once the heat had flared in his loins, it wouldn’t easily subside. He closed his eyes and tried to think of pious thoughts, but it wasn’t enough.
His eyelids snapped open, and his emerald eyes glared fiercely into the water. Eventually, he had no choice but to slowly slide his right hand down.
As he gripped the shaft and rubbed the urethral opening with his thumb, a viscous fluid, different from the water, began to smear across his fingertips.
“Huu, hng, ah.”
Cecile moved his hand diligently. As moans mixed with the breath escaping his lips, he had to bite his lip hard, fearing the sound would leak outside. The water in the tub surged like waves, and Cecile frowned. Since he hadn’t masturbated many times, his touch was incredibly clumsy.
He climbed out of the water entirely and perched on the edge of the tub. He applied scented oil to his palm and brought his hand back between his legs. The slippery sensation was quite pleasant, but it was an embarrassing sight to behold. He closed his eyes tightly and began to focus only on the sensation.
This isn’t enough. He wished a larger hand would grip his member. He wanted it to be gripped from the root to the tip and shaken roughly. To the point where he would instinctively cry out that it hurt.
To supplement the lacking sensation, he had to squeeze out his imagination. Naturally, the memory from earlier returned. The tingling wrists from the tight grip and the weight that had pressed down between his legs. Things like the lips that had almost touched under the guise of a mistake.
As the imagination became concrete, his hand movements grew faster. Every time the shaft rubbed against his palm, wet water splashed up. Cecile couldn’t overcome the dizzying sensation and tilted his head back. His knees, thighs, and the member in his hand all turned a bright red and trembled.
Soon, thick semen shot out in spurts. The climax lasted so long that his waist shuddered, as if he were releasing urine he had held in for a long time.
The semen drenched his palm, and most of it fell into the bathtub. Cecile watched his traces dissolve into a milky white in the water. Since it was already done, what could he do? He helplessly dipped his soiled hand into the water as well.
“Haah… I must be crazy.”
Cecile let out a lament. A wave of utter self-loathing washed over him at the fact that he had ejaculated while thinking of Alexis.
His mind was in turmoil. Is this normal? Although he thought of Alexis dozens of times a day, those feelings were mostly envy or vulgar jealousy. Was I actually admiring him? If not, why would I…
The reason for his confusion was obvious. It was because Alexis’s attitude had been strange lately. Instead of being cold to him, he kept shaking him up. As if he were in love with him.
Cecile felt his flat chest. When he thought of Alexis, the beat thumping against his fingertips was stronger than usual.
“Gasp! Why is it doing this! This can’t be!”
Cecile struck his chest in horror. My heart is just mistaken! There’s no way I could like a guy like Alexis!
The next day arrived. The Imperial Palace, where the ball had been held late into the previous night, met a calm morning as if nothing had happened. Cecile was strolling through the palace grounds. Just as he was passing by the training grounds, familiar faces caught his eye.
“Yuria Beatrice. I greet the Little Star of the Empire.”
The Saintess, Yuria, who was conversing with Claude, greeted Cecile. Beside her, the Knight Commander also wiped away his awkward expression and gave a polite bow. Cecile’s gaze immediately sharpened.
“What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you spent the night at the palace?”
Yuria smiled awkwardly, and Claude stepped closer to Yuria, wary of Cecile.
“No, I am not. I have come on an errand. The Duchess asked me to deliver a change of clothes to Claude….”
“An errand?”
Only then did the bundle of clothes hidden behind her back come into view. It was hard to understand why a Saintess would take on a task usually handled by servants. He was certain there was a hidden motive.
As Cecile’s gaze became ominous, Claude stepped forward to add an explanation.
“I hope you will not misunderstand. Yuria is currently staying at our home.”
“I know that. However, it is not a good look to be coming and going from the palace so early in the morning.”
“Since we are to be married soon, surely you can overlook this much.”
“Married? Who?”
At those words, Claude grasped Yuria’s left hand. Seeing their firmly locked hands, Cecile’s eyes widened.
“You two are getting married?”
“Yes. Since we are still busy, it is difficult right now, so we plan to start with an engagement.”
“…Then what about Alexis?”
Cecile unconsciously worried about Alexis. He had naturally assumed that Yuria and Alexis were in a deep relationship.
No, wasn’t it not just him, but many people who believed that? What on earth had happened for Claude and Yuria to get married? Isn’t that… a betrayal?
“Does His Highness know about this? That you two… are in such a relationship?”
Cecile’s finger circled in the air. Unable to believe what he was seeing, his large eyes blinked repeatedly.
“Of course. He was the first person we told.”
Claude replied calmly. Instead of letting go of her hand, he wrapped his arm around Yuria’s shoulder, openly displaying their relationship. Yuria blushed, appearing shy.
“…It’s the end of the world, truly the end.”
Instead of congratulations, Cecile let out a lament. Still unable to shake off the shock, he shook his head and left the scene first.
The absurdity wouldn’t fade. As he continued his walk, he kept chewing over what had happened.
Alexis, did you… have the woman you love stolen by a friend you trusted?
“So that’s why he’s been acting like a madman lately.”
Only now did his eccentric behavior make sense. For the first time, Cecile felt pity for Alexis. He’s a pitiful human, so I’ll go easy on him for a while. I can’t offer comfort, but I can at least give him some sympathy.