DHMM 14

Chapter 14

Heat and the scent of a body poured over them with Vitor’s thumb between their lips. An unfamiliar breath.

Roy could only tightly grip the hem of Vitor’s clothes.

Whether it was because she was shocked by the sudden situation or because she was too tense, her heart was beating violently.

She was so anxious that even Vitor, who was pressed closely against her, might hear it.

‘He won’t notice the bandages wrapped around my chest, right?’

She was sure he would not know unless he took off her clothes.

But every time she felt Vitor’s firm and elastic chest muscles, she could clearly feel how different her body was from a real man’s body. Every nerve in her body became tense.

“You have to breathe.”

Vitor whispered as if he was worried about Roy, who had unknowingly stiffened like a statue.

Roy quickly inhaled, not even realizing that she had been holding her breath.

But once her breathing became tangled, it did not easily return to normal. Like a broken machine, she could only take short, shallow breaths.

Vitor silently watched her. Then he slightly pulled his lips away and moved the hand that had been resting on her waist upward, slowly running it down her back.

“Eut……”

A small sound escaped between her lips.

The defenseless sound, almost like a wet moan, made Vitor’s thumb, which was still resting on her lips, feel wet.

Vitor’s gaze slowly darkened.

It was hard to tell whether it was because he was standing with his back to the light or because his expression had become almost blank.

Vitor pressed his thumb firmly against Roy’s lips, as if stamping a seal.

Naturally, the area of contact became wide enough to cover his thumb.

Then he brought his lips against hers again.

His lips repeatedly brushed against hers over his thumb, touching and pulling away.

Every time that happened, Roy’s hand gripping his clothes flinched as if struck by electricity.

She curled her lips, desperately trying not to let them touch.

The raw breathing of the man so close to her and the hand rubbing around her waist made her body grow hot.

Her lower abdomen tingled, and her face felt like it was on fire.

Roy awkwardly breathed through her nose in irregular breaths and slowly opened her eyes.

And then her entire body froze in shock.

Vitor was completely absorbed, looking at her with eyes so hot that they sent chills through her.

His lips rubbed against hers so much that the finger separating them seemed meaningless. Even slippery saliva had begun to spread between them.

Her body twisted from the strange tickling feeling inside her chest.

‘Somehow, I also……’

‘It feels like I want to touch him a little more……’

“Duke of Hermont?”

Her hazy mind suddenly returned to reality at the sound of a woman’s voice.

Over Vitor’s shoulder, Roy saw the Young Lady of Rüssel.

She stood there with a confused expression.

Her gaze was still fixed on the two people clinging closely together.

“Who is that person……?”

“Ha……”

The Young Lady’s eyes moved back and forth between the two of them as she hesitated.

Vitor frowned deeply, as if irritated at being interrupted at an important moment.

The lips that had been touching lightly beyond the finger finally separated.

Roy’s heart began pounding like crazy only after the moment had passed.

Her lips were burning.

Vitor composed his expression, then turned around. He put an arm around Roy’s shoulders and pulled her toward him as he said,

“He is my lover.”

“L-Lover?”

“Yes.”

Peck—.

A short but clear sound.

With a light kiss, he put an end to her question.

The Young Lady of Rüssel’s face instantly turned pale.

“It’s okay to bring my lover to the performance, right?”

A golden chandelier cast a soft light over the room.

Refined cigar smoke slowly rose beneath the high ceiling.

It was a luxurious gambling house visited only by the upper class of the capital.

Raul silently stared at his cards as he rolled his chips across the velvet-covered table.

A triple Jack and a pair of Queens.

In most cases, this was a strong hand that gave him no reason to back down.

But the moment the dealer slowly turned over the cards, he was greatly disappointed.

“Four of a kind.”

The game ended in an instant.

“My goodness. Four of a kind here?”

At the seat beside him, his friend Ollie let out a laugh that pretended to be surprised.

“You were a little unlucky, Raul.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. I guess it wasn’t my game.”

Raul downed his whiskey and put the empty glass down with a sharp sound.

“How many chips do you have left? That huge pile is starting to disappear.”

“You play with chips for the pleasure of losing them. What are you doing, dealer? Aren’t you dealing the cards?”

“Would you like to continue the round?”

“Of course.”

“Understood.”

The dealer began shuffling the cards with practiced movements.

The cards moved across the table, cutting through the air with a soft swishing sound.

Ollie checked his cards and smiled lazily before speaking.

“But what has Vitor been doing lately?”

Raul’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“……He’s probably enjoying his vacation.”

“Is he staying at that villa? The imperial summer villa. The Swan Palace that he received as a reward for the victory.”

“Swan Palace, my ass. The royal family members who like to show off their dignity just gave it a fancy name. I went there myself, and it was nothing but an old mansion. It looks good on the outside, but it’s cold and empty inside.”

“Anyway. Our shipping business is also interested this time, so put in a good word for us with Vitor.”

Raul’s gaze quietly left the cards and turned toward Ollie.

Noticing his cold stare, Ollie spoke a little awkwardly.

“Why? Honestly, it’s true that investments go well when his name is attached to them. Last time, investors lined up just because of the rumor that Vitor had invested in the Baillern family’s shipping route development project. Of course they would. He’s a hero of the Empire.”

“How much would a soldier know about investments? They’re all fools.”

“Come on, it’s all about his reputation. Just talk to him for us. Just hearing his name already gets us halfway there.”

As the conversation went on, the sons of other families gradually began to show interest.

“If Vitor is investing, should we join too?”

“If Vitor is interested, it should be worth doing.”

The atmosphere around the table slowly moved in a direction that was unpleasantly familiar.

Raul’s patience snapped in an instant.

“If Vitor does it, you’ll tell us too, right? Got it, Raul?”

Crash!

The glass Raul threw at the wall shattered with a sharp sound.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the gambling house froze.

“What am I, a pigeon that carries your messages to Vitor?!”

“N-No, that’s not what we meant. It’s because you’re Vitor’s older brother……”

“Older brother? Forget being my brother. Do you bastards even think of me as a member of the Hermont family? Back then, you wouldn’t even have been allowed to sit at the same table as me!”

Raul jumped to his feet, breathing heavily.

Hermont was not simply a noble family.

It was a symbol of overwhelming power even among the Empire’s nobles.

It was a family with deeper roots than the imperial family. There had once been a saying that went, ‘It is not the imperial family that chooses the emperor, but Hermont.’

They had ruled at the center of the Empire’s political world to such an extent that whenever the person in power changed, Hermont was always behind them.

Bloodline, reputation, tradition, political power.

Everything about them was overwhelming.

The only family nobler than the imperial family.

They were like a black eagle above the crown, an existence that even other nobles could never dare stand beside.

“Look at you. A half-noble acting all high and mighty?”

Angry, Ollie sneered and argued back.

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know your mother came from Lumiere? She was a woman who sold her body! If she hadn’t been lucky enough to catch the eye of a great noble, you wouldn’t even have been able to look us in the eye. You were miraculously added to the noble register, so you should be grateful and live quietly. All you have is that mouth!”

“What? You son of a bitch……! Are you done?!”

Raul reached out to grab Ollie by the collar.

It looked like he was about to throw a punch at any moment.

“Hey, hey! Calm down! Raul, stop! If you cause trouble again, you won’t be able to handle it this time!”

Evern Laval, who came from a long-standing vassal family of the Duke of Hermont, hurriedly pushed himself between the two men.

“Did you forget that you barely got out last time by paying bail? They said they wouldn’t let you off if you got into trouble one more time.”

“Damn it!”

Raul kicked the leg of a nearby chair and turned away.

“What’s wrong with Raul?”

“What do you think? His inferiority complex exploded again. What an idiot. This is why you shouldn’t bother associating with lowborn people.”

Whispers filled with mockery spread from table to table.

Raul clenched his teeth and left the gambling house.

When Raul appeared earlier than expected, the servant standing at the entrance was startled. He quickly bowed and approached him.

“Bring the carriage right now. Now, immediately!”

“Yes! I’ll bring it right away!”

Still angry for no reason, Raul took a cigar from his pocket and put it between his lips.

He flicked his silver lighter several times, but only the sound of click, click came out. No flame appeared.

“Damn it!”