PT | Chapter 3.5

Goosebumps crawled up from his spine to his nape. Nearly dropping the tray, Aubrey managed to set it down on a nearby table and mustered the courage to glance at the bed.

The room, or at least the young master’s room that Aubrey was using, had luminescent stones attached to the headboards of the beds. Despite being jewels, these pricey things emitted a faint light. Thanks to that, there was no need to fumble around in the dark when getting up for a drink of water or going to the bathroom at night. And right now, it gave a clear view of Lennock, who had his trousers down to his thighs, busily pleasuring himself with both hands.

“……”

It wasn’t an unexpected scene. Aubrey had thought he would just turn his head away in disgust right away, but that wasn’t the case. As if hypnotized, his eyes locked onto Lennock who was moaning softly and briskly stroking his erection.

One would think it’s normal to feel disgusted watching someone else masturbate. But why couldn’t he look away? Perhaps it was because it was Lennock of all people doing it. No matter his true nature or any entangled issues, at least his appearance was top-notch.

Then, as Lennock rubbed his head against the sheets, he looked up at Aubrey. A glimpse of his eyes through the tousled hair hit Aubrey like a wave, and he blushed, feeling too embarrassed as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Sorry, I mean-.”

He turned his head as he apologized and flinched.

Why do I need to say sorry to him in this situation?

He was the one who had nearly been violated by Lennock. Moreover, the bed Aubrey was supposed to sleep in tonight would undoubtedly end up a mess because of Lennock’s actions. Lennock should be the one apologizing. The problem was that he might not fully understand what was being said to him…

Aubrey opened the pouch the butler had given him and pulled out a white pill. It seemed like the butler knew what had caused Lennock’s condition. Could this pill calm him down? Aubrey turned to look back but froze in place.

Lennock was standing right behind him.

“……”

When did he get so close?

Feeling uncomfortably close, Aubrey tried to push Lennock away.

“Hey, back off a bit. Why are you so close……”

Without thinking, Aubrey looked down and saw the undone front of Lennock’s trousers and the erection that proudly stood out, and lost his words. Seeing it laid out on the bed and actively asserting itself right in front of him were two different problems.

With a face set hard in disgust, Aubrey shoved Lennock’s shoulder.

“If you can stand, go to the bathroom.”

How dare he stand such an eyesore before me.

Aubrey quickly threw the pouch with the pill downward, but it bounced off the erection and fell to the floor, and at that moment, Lennock moved. The sudden closing of the distance startled Aubrey, and he swung his fist.

“Stay back!”

However, his fist was caught by Lennock, and he was pushed backward. Trying not to fall, Aubrey moved his legs quickly, and thus was pushed up against the wall. What a rough day it had been.

“People with not a drop of blood in common sure do act alike today.”

Mumbling to himself, Aubrey glared darkly at Lennock and murmured ominously.

“What are you trying to do by pushing me like this? Planning to poke around with that disgusting thing?”

“……”

“I’m giving you a break because you’re not in your right mind, but if you cross the line here…”

“It hurts down there.”

If Lennock was acting like this because he wanted to do those things to him, like Gray, he wouldn’t just stand by. Lennock was effectively flaunting a man’s biggest weakness. Aubrey had been about to threaten to knock him senseless, but he hesitated.

What did I just hear? Lennock, who had firmly grasped Aubrey’s shoulder, bent his head and panted.

“It just hurts to touch, and my body feels weird.”

“……”

“Suddenly it’s all swollen up… what is this?”

His faltering words made Aubrey’s expression harden.

He’d been drugged to make rape easier. That’s why Lennock had been continuously masturbating in bed. Was he trying to deal with the arousal himself? But maybe he just instinctively reached for it because it was throbbing and blood was pooling.

Recalling that Lennock had just been gripping his member and not actually masturbating made Aubrey think.

“Have you never actually masturbated before?”

Lennock looked up at Aubrey then.

The normally unflappable jerk’s cheeks flushed red and his eyes were moist. He seemed troubled by not knowing what to do, and seeing such an expression on his face for the first time left Aubrey equally bewildered. So without thinking, he reached down and grasped Lennock’s stiff member.

Lennock groaned and bent his head as Aubrey’s hand took hold of the core. Lennock’s forehead rested on Aubrey’s shoulder and his hair tickled Aubrey’s cheek. The sensation and warmth, along with his body scent filling his nose, made Aubrey blink rapidly.

“……”

What on earth is this?

What am I doing?

Despite the question, Aubrey’s hand kept moving up and down Lennock’s erection. Matching the steady rhythm, Lennock’s hips swayed and brushed against Aubrey’s abdomen several times. Startled, Aubrey was about to tighten his grip when Lennock, who had his face buried in Aubrey’s shoulder, moaned.

The moan tickling his ear made it feel like he was tormenting Lennock.

Lennock, having faced many come-ons as he was practically an adult, should have been well past this kind of fiddling.

Aubrey, having undergone countless regenerations, had never noticed such things. He had no desire to know about Lennock’s masturbation or sex life.

But why was he doing this now?

Then Lennock, who had been clutching Aubrey’s shoulder, instead pressed against the wall. Pressing the wall as he matched Aubrey’s hand movements, it seemed he naturally figured out what to do even though he had never properly masturbated before.

“Ugh…!”

Lennock groaned painfully through clenched teeth as he reached climax. As he pressed his body against Aubrey and rubbed his abdomen, Aubrey felt chills.

This shouldn’t be happening.

Today wasn’t supposed to go like this. Aubrey remembered the existence of the pill he had been holding all along. Then, just after climaxing and panting heavily, he slightly pushed Lennock away and said,

“……The butler brought some medicine. It might help you feel better.”

It might not calm him down right away, but it would prevent the situation from getting worse.

And the moment Aubrey mentioned the butler, Lennock tensed up. Feeling his body stiffen, Aubrey, wondering what was going on, let go of the erection and pressed lightly against his stomach.

“……Lennock?”

He didn’t want to use Lennock’s name in this atmosphere.

So he asked him using the usual title why he was acting this way.

Then Lennock, now detached from Aubrey, looked at him with somewhat calmer eyes.

“The medicine the butler brought?”

“……Yes.”

Gritting his teeth, Lennock spat out,

“I’m not taking that crap.”

“……”

The reaction indicated that he knew the butler was involved in his current condition.

The butler couldn’t disobey the orders from the marquis. He had to follow orders from above. But if Lennock had been the marquis’ blood, none of this would have happened.

Even after regressing over twenty times, it was too late to find this out. Of course, knowing wouldn’t change anything…

Aubrey looked at Lennock, rarely showing emotion. The complexity in his gaze—anger, humiliation, resentment, and hostility—was surprisingly okay. It was better to see him express a variety of emotions, even negative ones, than not knowing what he was thinking at all.

Not that he needed to accept it.

“What will you do if you don’t take it? Should I spend all night shaking your thing?”

“……”

Your dick, your problem to shake it.

He wanted to yell something more explicit, but he couldn’t quite manage it because of the face so close to his. Instead, Aubrey wiped his palm, now dirty with sticky semen, on Lennock’s shirt.

“If you’re given this, it can’t be that bad. You should take this to calm down.”

Then he lifted the pill up, urging him to take it, but Lennock stubbornly clamped his mouth shut. His pouting, almost childish demeanor made Aubrey click his tongue. Even without saying anything, the act of clicking his tongue conveyed Aubrey’s discomfort.

Lennock still kept his mouth shut, but his eyelids seemed to droop slightly. It was as if he was waiting for Aubrey’s cue.

That Lennock jerk, watching him for a response. In the last moments of death, when Aubrey had faced Lennock, it had always been him begging on his knees for his life. But back then, Lennock had burned him without changing his expression.

It seemed anger and frustration were worn out by constantly going around in circles. The killer standing before him was now in this pitiful state, yet Aubrey felt nothing.

Maybe it’s because the man who burned him to death in another life wasn’t the same as this one. Unlike him, Lennock and everyone else only lived once. So what’s the point? Was he the fool for always wanting to grind his teeth and kill Lennock every time he saw him?

“……It’s really ridiculous.”

There was too much happening today, clearly his mind wasn’t right. That’s why he was doing these pointless things. Aubrey popped the pill into his own mouth. The white pill tasted bitter yet sweet as it touched his tongue. Rolling the pill with his tongue, he lifted his head and looked at Lennock, who was watching him with a confused gaze, then grabbed his nape.

He tugged, and Lennock resisted. It seemed the pill might just melt in his mouth if he kept this up, so Aubrey grumbled uncomfortably.

“I tasted it too. If something goes wrong, we both go down. Just take it.”

Even if the pronunciation was unclear, the message would have been conveyed correctly.

Still stiff, Lennock hesitated then lowered his head. As he bit into the end of the pill, Aubrey turned his head. Pushing the pill with his tongue, he bit Lennock’s lower lip.

“……!”

Lennock flinched, and seeing the crease on his forehead, Aubrey immediately turned away.

The bitter residue of the medicine in his mouth was unpleasant, and he wanted to spit it out, but this was his room. Reluctantly swallowing, Aubrey covered his mouth with one hand and glanced at Lennock.

“I even taught you how to masturbate. Loosen up your face and calm down, then go back to your room.”

Aubrey said this while looking down.

But that damn dick was still standing proudly. What was the point of him climaxing earlier? It was still erect as if it was about to stab him. Disgusted, Aubrey pushed Lennock away. Unlike before, Lennock stepped back obediently. Aubrey glanced at him and then stood by the table.

He poured water from the glass the butler had prepared, gargled, and then opened the window to spit it out refreshingly. Then he held the glass up. He wasn’t examining the glass, but the thought of having touched Lennock’s thing with these hands crossed his mind.

Ah, I want to wash my hands clean, what should I do?

Once he was aware of it, his neck, which Gray had choked, seemed to tickle. He wanted to wash himself from head to toe. Aubrey scowled and closed the window. Then he saw Lennock still standing where he had been before, with one eyebrow raised.

“If you keep standing there, what will you do? Good thing you left.”

Though he had brought him here, sending him away was more of a hassle. Thinking this, Aubrey walked to the bed.

As soon as he stood by the bed, a tremendous fatigue hit him. He just wanted to throw himself on the bed and sleep deeply, but the memory of Lennock awkwardly trying to masturbate while lying sideways surfaced.

“……This is driving me crazy.”

This mansion was supposed to be the one place where he could find some peace of mind, but it seemed ruined now. Aubrey pulled at the blanket and sheet. He roughly stripped them off and threw them to the floor, then lay on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. It felt like he might catch a cold if he slept like this. But once he lay down, he didn’t want to get up again.

He removed the towel he had draped around his neck, spread it wide over his chest, adjusted his position, and then closed his eyes and wearily sought sleep.