* * *
Unlike his body, which obediently responded to pleasure, the realization that he had gone nearly half a year without experiencing Zeroth’s rut left Sylvian feeling somewhat melancholic.
“Hngh… Ahh…”
A few days later, Sylvian clamped his mouth shut, muffling his voice as he lay on the library sofa.
Zeroth, who had been too busy to do anything for a while, had been set ablaze thanks to Elgana.
Ever since that night in the sitting room, when they tangled together with Sylvian dressed in nothing but a short outfit, they had been at it every day.
But none of those times had been during a rut.
He had read that knotting during a rut increased the chances of an alpha impregnating their partner.
Even outside of a rut, there was still a chance, but the most certain way was to time it with both the rut and heat cycle.
Zeroth clearly had no intention of having a child with him.
It was obvious—he either took rut suppressants or spent his rut with someone else.
“M-Master, hngh…”
“Shh, you need to be quiet in the library.”
“Yes….”
He barely managed to suppress a moan as Zeroth lightly tapped his butt.
Zeroth had mastered the way to handle his body.
Instead of causing pain, he controlled him with gentle pats, almost like a soothing touch.
“Did a letter from Marquis Rooster arrive today as well?”
A nod.
Sylvian didn’t understand why Zeroth kept speaking to him when he had ordered silence, but he pressed down below and moved his head in response.
Just from the contents of the marquis’ letters, it was impossible to determine whether the man was insane or perfectly normal.
His words about economics were filled with such enthusiasm that it truly seemed as if he was simply exchanging letters for the joy of sharing something he loved.
“It seems he’s quite fond of his wife.”
Although he dutifully sent letters to maintain a sense of closeness, the Marquis Rooster wrote to his wife far too often.
Is he keeping an eye on him?
Zeroth muttered as he teased Sylvian’s sensitive nipple between his fingers.
A sharp cry rose from below, but it quickly quieted as Sylvian caught his gaze.
“What book were you reading in the study?”
“H-Hah… The one the Marquis recommended… Ngh.”
Zeroth was well aware of the contents of the letters the Marquis sent.
One day, Whisen had come to him with a deeply displeased expression, dropping one of those letters onto the desk as he declared that the Ducal House was being slighted.
“He’s an exceptional talent, graduating at the top of his academy. The books he recommends are all of high caliber; they should be of help to you, my Lady.”
That was fine and all, but what truly bothered him still bothered him.
It was one thing to offer assistance, but to mock his wife in return was something he could not tolerate.
“Hm, I suppose I should invite the Marquis to the duchy soon.”
“Aah!”
Zeroth pulled Sylvian close, settling himself more comfortably on the couch.
“You truly have no sense of restraint in the study, my Wife.”
The shift in position caused Sylvian to take him in deeper, his body trembling as he reflexively squeezed his thighs together.
“Mmnh, hngh…”
“I’ll keep your mouth covered so those obscene sounds don’t escape. Now, move on your own and take me in properly.”
Zeroth’s large hand clamped over his lips, his gaze urging Sylvian to act.
Hesitantly, Sylvian placed his hands on Zeroth’s abdomen, lifting himself slowly.
The sensation of the thick length dragging along his inner walls was strange, yet he knew that if he refused to move as ordered, he would be held captive like this until nightfall.
Thrust.
Thrust.
“Mmngh!”
His muffled cries barely escaped past Zeroth’s hand.
Each time he lowered himself before fully withdrawing, a new angle pressed against his insides, making his body tremble from the overwhelming sensation.
His body, drowning in pleasure, moved instinctively.
Each time Sylvian’s hips trembled and lifted, his walls clung desperately to Zeroth, refusing to let go.
“When the Marquis arrives, shall I show him just how composed and dutiful a wife you are?”
Sylvian frantically shook his head.
“If he sees how eagerly you take your husband’s length, he will surely recognize your dedication to your marital duties.”
The meaning behind Zeroth’s words sent a jolt through his body.
S-Show him?
Sylvian writhed in alarm, but Zeroth only lowered his hand to firmly grasp his waist.
“Ngh! No, I-I don’t want that! Only you, Zeroth—only you can see me like this!”
“Good. You’re as clever as ever, Sylvie. A sight like this should only be for your husband’s eyes, yes?”
“Yes… Only my husband should know… how much of a bitch I’ve become for him…”
Hearing Sylvian obediently recite the words he had been taught, Zeroth pressed a kiss to his lips.
His long and thorough training was finally bearing fruit.
Not long ago, Sylvian had been too shy to even utter a single improper word.
Yet now, he was calling himself a bitch with his own lips.
Zeroth smirked as he latched onto Sylvian’s chest, sucking as if trying to coax out milk that wasn’t there.
“Ah! Ahn—Z-Zeroth!”
He shouldn’t call him that.
Sylvian bit his lip hard, pretending to be overwhelmed in an effort to avoid using the nickname Zeroth had recently given him.
It was a bad sign.
He wasn’t even Zeroth’s main partner—so why give him a pet name? He didn’t love him.
And yet… he had called him Sylvie.
The more he thought about it, the more it unsettled him.
It felt like a silent warning: There’s no escape, so just accept your fate and remain by my side.
In a situation where nothing was certain, he couldn’t afford to let a simple pet name set his heart on fire.
But ever since Zeroth had given it to him, he had found himself murmuring it under his breath without even realizing it.
The leash Zeroth had placed around his neck kept getting tighter.
He had done the same to his main partner.
If he hadn’t fallen in love, then Sylvian’s chances were even slimmer.
Sylvian never wanted to be bound by oppression and coercion.
If even the main partner couldn’t make Zeroth fall in love, then he would need to find another method.
Where did it all go wrong?
“Hngh!”
“You still have the energy to think about other things?”
“Ahh, n-no, Zeroth! Hnn!”
I was thinking about you, damn it!
Sylvian shook his head, sealing their lips together in a desperate kiss.
Zeroth, satisfied, shifted in his seat, lifting his hips to relentlessly tease Sylvian until the time for reading had long passed.
* * *
