* * *
David pulled something from within his coat and handed it to Adam, who accepted it with a puzzled expression.
It was a rectangular envelope.
“A letter from Miss Ross.”
Adam’s eyes widened.
Miss Ross—there was no doubt it meant Emily.
His heart pounded, and his hands trembled as he held the envelope. Hurriedly, he tore it open.
The moment he saw the word “Brother,” his heart swelled.
The letter spoke of how kind the doctors at the hospital were, and how relieved she was that her brother had found work with the Carlisle family.
She worried that he might be overworking himself.
Adam read that sentence about his health over and over again.
“Once a week, we send someone to the hospital Miss Ross is staying at. They check on her and speak with the doctor. The letter came back during that visit.”
“Ah… I see…”
“Oh, and rest assured, Lord Ross. We didn’t reveal anything about your current position. It seemed you didn’t want your sister to know, so I kept things vague.”
“Thank you… Thank you so much.”
Adam gently stroked the envelope like it was a treasure.
“I feel a little relieved now. I’ve been so worried. I haven’t had a chance to see her in person…”
“Understandable. Perhaps, if the chance arises, we could ask the dukes for permission—to let you visit her.”
“You… you think they would allow that?”
David paused to consider, then nodded.
While the dukes were inherently arrogant, they weren’t heartless.
A trip to see family in another region was something they’d likely allow.
“Thank you…”
“Haha, how many times will you thank me? You should be thanking the dukes. They’re the ones who ordered us to care for your sister so well.”
Adam’s nose tingled.
He had never imagined he would receive a letter from his sister.
Maybe that’s why—his chest felt so full, he thought he might cry.
“Yes. I’ll thank them directly.”
He pulled the letter out again and read it once more.
Watching him do so, David was quietly moved as well.
“Who knew a single letter could bring such joy? It’s like he’s been given a box of jewels.”
David couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the upright, handsome young man.
He knew what the dukes planned to do with Adam that night.
And all he could do was hope Adam wouldn’t be too shocked.
Unaware of any of it, Adam kept smiling as he read the letter again and again.
That night, Adam was summoned to prepare for evening service.
Perhaps because it wasn’t his first time, the trembling he had felt before wasn’t there.
What startled him instead was how familiar he had already become with it.
“Humans really are creatures of adaptation…”
He muttered to himself briefly, then looked around.
The place he had been brought to wasn’t a bedroom.
Countless glass windows glimmered in the moonlight, a golden brazier lit the room, and the sound of clear water echoed around him.
It was a bathhouse built separately behind the castle.
Adam had never seen such a large, spacious bathhouse before.
The air was thick with sweet fragrance, and the room was filled with multiple large bathing pools.
After a moment of hesitation, Adam stepped into one.
Warm water instantly wrapped around his entire body.
“Haa…”
The rising steam made his muscles relax.
With drowsy eyes, Adam gazed at the window.
A large, pale moon looked down at him.
“I wonder if Emily’s looking at the moon too.”
His sister, emotional and dreamy, had always loved looking at the moon.
Especially full moons like this—she used to tug at her brother’s clothes, insisting he watch it with her.
Remembering her delicate face and bright, intelligent eyes, Adam softly murmured,
“Emily…”
His whisper was soaked in longing.
He missed her.
He worried about her.
But all he could do now was pray she would overcome her illness.
Because this body—right now—no longer belonged solely to him.
“Emily?”
“…!”
A man’s voice echoed behind him.
Adam sank deeper into the water on reflex.
Laughter followed, amused by his reaction.
“Haha, shy, are we?”
The sound of water splashing signaled someone entering the bath.
Through the misty steam, Chester’s figure emerged.
He strode toward Adam without hesitation.
Adam tried his best not to look at the droplets trailing down the other man’s neck.
“Sh-she’s my younger sister.”
“Ah. The one who’s been ill.”
Chester nodded, then swept his wet hair back.
The strands clung to his forehead as they dripped.
“How’s your body holding up?”
“I’m fine, thanks to you…”
“Yeah? Show me your wrist.”
Adam hesitantly extended his wrist, puzzled.
A faint mark lingered on his pale skin.
Chester traced the imprint with his finger.
“You had bruises back then. Must’ve hurt for days.”
“N-no, it didn’t hurt at all.”
“Didn’t hurt?”
“…No.”
The embarrassment outweighed the pain.
That mark only reminded him of what happened during their first night together.
Adam tried to pull his hand back, but Chester suddenly lowered his head.
“Then can I bite you too?”
A warm breath tickled his wrist.
Chester pressed his lips against the flinching skin, his soft mouth pressing insistently over the mark.
“Ah—!”
“Why not? You said it didn’t hurt. Then I should leave a fresh one, shouldn’t I?”
Chester’s gaze lifted as he spoke nonsense.
Moonlight caught in his upturned eyes, turning them into gleaming amethysts—beautiful, dazzling.
Adam, spellbound, parted his lips.
“Do… as you please. This body belongs to you, my lord.”
“You say that with such a pitiful face. Makes me feel like a villain.”
Chester then opened his mouth wide.
Adam braced himself, inhaling sharply as he imagined the sharp pain—
“Mmph—!”
Instead, a tender kiss met his skin.
Chester’s lips brushed over his wrist before trailing up his arm.
Heat rushed through Adam, and he clapped a hand over his own mouth to stifle the moans threatening to escape.
“Adam. Come closer.”
The soft command echoed through the bath.
Chester gripped his arm and pulled him in.
The sound of sloshing water rang in Adam’s ears.
“Hng—!”
His body stiffened like a statue as Chester’s damp lips met his.
His mind blanked, thoughts scattering.
Then a tongue slipped into his mouth, coaxing his own stiff one.
The sudden pressure made Adam squeeze his eyes shut.
Thud, thud, thud!
His heartbeat pounded so violently it hurt.
Chester’s tongue soon grew bolder, flicking against the roof of his mouth.
The teasing sensation sent shocks down his spine.
Belatedly, Adam shuddered, arching his back.
Droplets cascaded from his skin with every movement.
“Haah… haah…!”
The moment the kiss broke, Adam gasped for air.
Chester stared down at him, perfectly composed.
“You’re terrible at kissing. Like it’s your first time.”
“Hah—cough! cough!”
“Tch, now you’re coughing.”
Adam wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
Unlike him, Chester’s breathing hadn’t faltered at all.
How can he be so calm?
The memory of that tongue exploring his mouth still burned vividly.
“Breathe through your nose.”
As if reading his mind, Chester tapped Adam’s nose bridge.
His lips glistened with moisture—whose saliva was that?
The realization sent a fresh wave of shame through Adam.
“Y-yes, I-I’ll remember.”
His stuttering voice betrayed his fluster.
Even to his own ears, the trembling was unbearable.
He averted his gaze—only for Chester to cup his face with both hands.
“What’s this reaction?”
Chester’s whisper was low, his eyes glinting with something like disbelief.
“Was it really your first time?”
“……”
“Why so quiet? Your eyes keep darting around.”
Chester furrowed his brows.
* * *
