DMHS 111

Frederick was surprised.

―Are you still under the potion’s effect m? You do not show any sign of that.

―There has not been any excessive physical excitement since that day. I only asked because I was curious about what kind of drug it was.

―I see. I should’ve explained first, but I didn’t get the chance. I’m sorry for suddenly bringing it up. Actually, that drug was just a simple stimulant.

―Didn’t you say it was a potion that makes people fall in love?

―That was only a nicer way to describe it. But strictly speaking, it’s not completely unrelated to affection. It triggers sexual arousal, but only toward someone the person already feels interested in.

―……

―You didn’t know? I thought you must’ve realized that day too. There were others present when you drank the potion besides me. But you didn’t react to any of us. The effect only started working after you saw Lucien coming down the stairs.

Frederick cleared his throat twice and finished.

―In any case, the potion’s components leave the body through bodily fluids. It also comes out through urine, so it stays inside no longer than a day or two. After that, there’s no effect. Once again, I was careless back then. Doing something that stupid, I lost my focus after my body had grown.

Kian slowly gathered his thoughts.

―No. You already apologized, and that matter is behind us. More importantly…

―Were you worried about something because of the potion?

Kian smiled.

―No. Now that I think about it, I probably knew it myself. That not everything that happened was because of the potion.

It’s always the last drop of water that pierces the solid rock.

Now he could clearly define what he felt for that person.

Kian grabbed Lucien’s wrist.

“It’s late. We should go up and rest.”

They climbed the stairs together. When they reached the door, Kian took a deep breath.

“Phew.”

Then he spoke in a rather solemn voice.

“Let’s sleep in my room tonight.”

That was Kian’s attempt at seduction, spoken after mustering his courage. But Lucien completely misunderstood his intention.

“If it’s something we can postpone, I’d rather talk tomorrow. Like you said, it’s late.”

“Ah…”

Kian hadn’t expected Lucien to reject him, and he was flustered. His dark eyes wandered awkwardly toward the ceiling.

“Hmm?”

Lucien noticed something strange too.

But even when he looked up at the same ceiling Kian was staring at, there was nothing unusual to see. Lucien turned back to him.

“Didn’t you have something to say to me?”

“Well…”

“It must be something important then. All right. Let’s go into your room first.”

The well-behaved dragon obediently followed Kian’s words.

Inside Kian’s room, Lucien sat in the chair by the table and turned on the lamp. The orange light glowed softly over both of them sitting across from each other.

Kian slowly regained his focus.

‘This is bad.’

Inviting Lucien into his room had been impulsive. The moment he realized he liked him, he couldn’t stop wanting to be close to him.

But when he found himself alone in the room with him, he finally realized what he had ignored.

‘How am I supposed to seduce him?’

Unfortunately, Kian knew nothing about that sort of thing.

‘No, think. What did those guys at the tavern say when they were bragging while drunk?’

According to the drunk men, every partner they met fell under their charm.

Young men who had just come of age often went to the tavern to ask for advice.

―Help us, sirs! I’m going on a trip alone with my girlfriend, and I don’t know what to do.

Their hearty advice went like this.

―The most important thing is atmosphere. First, the place matters. Spend your savings and get a decent inn room. At least make sure it’s somewhere you can lock the door securely.

Kian glanced around his guest room.

‘The room is good enough.’

―Next, the lighting. Prepare a small lamp with a magic stone. Then, in a dark room, turn off everything except the lamp and sit facing each other.

‘The lamp light is good too.’

―And what’s the last and most important thing? Alcohol.

‘Ah…?’

―Have some wine ready beforehand. The first sip should be sweet, and the alcohol level should be just right. As you drink and talk about different things, once the mood ripens, you’ll know what to do, right?

‘I don’t. I really don’t know…’

Even so, he couldn’t just go down to the dining room to look for alcohol now.

Fortunately, his mind, which always worked quickly in these moments, recalled another memory.

―But I get weak with wine. Isn’t there any other way?

‘Right. That’s it.’

―No wine? Of course there is. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but you go to an island. Even better if there’s no ship to return by.

The Spirit King’s mansion stood on an island of sheer cliffs above the endless sea.

‘That was an excellent choice of location.’

―Then, you borrow an empty house where the owner is away.

‘Rowan won’t wake up until morning. The others wandering in the mansion are just wooden dolls.’

―Next, you wait until it rains.

‘Ah…?’

―If you get caught in the rain, your clothes will get wet. Use that as an excuse to take turns bathing. Then you dry the other person’s hair, and while you do that, you slowly build the mood. Understand?

‘I don’t. I really don’t…’

Even aside from the fact it was the middle of the night, the mansion on the cliff didn’t even have a small path to walk on.

There was no chance of sudden rain either.

When Kian felt trapped with no way out, Lucien’s voice reached his ear.

“Did you bathe in this room earlier? Ah, I saw the robe laid out.”

Lucien casually pointed at the hanging bathrobe.

Kian answered without much thought.

“I went into the tub because I had something to think about. Maybe because of the sea wind, I felt refreshed after washing. Now that I think about it, haven’t you washed yet, Lord Lucien?”

“I was busy looking around the mansion earlier. That’s why I’m still dirty, unlike you who are all clean.”

“Oh… I didn’t mean to brag that I washed alone.”

“Of course you didn’t. You’re the one who stopped me when I was about to go back and wash.”

“Now that you say it like that, I feel even more sorry.”

“Then I’ll wash here. You haven’t finished what you wanted to say, so if we take turns washing, we’ll save time, right?”

“Alr… right.”

Lucien said he would go first and walked into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.

To pass the time, Kian took a book from the guest room shelf. But even after several minutes, the book didn’t move past the first page.

Gulp.

He swallowed, and the sound of his throat was loud in his ears. He was too nervous to read even a single line.

The sound of running water finally stopped.

Lucien opened the bathroom door and came out. As if nothing had happened, he was calmly drying his hair while wearing the bathrobe.

“Are you going in?”

“Yes.”

Kian walked toward the bathroom, his left hand and foot moving at the same time.

He threw off his clothes and stood under the water. He tried to calm down.

‘There’s no need to be nervous.’

He was the only one with strange thoughts about the other.

‘After washing, I’ll just mention something about the Spirit King and end the talk.’

Then Lucien would think he had said everything he wanted and go back to his own room.

Kian would be alone in his room, and in his dreams, he would satisfy the desire he couldn’t show.

‘Tonight will pass no different from last night.’

Kian pulled himself together and finished washing. When he put on a spare robe and came out, Lucien was sitting on the chair with one leg crossed.

When Lucien saw him, he put down what he was holding on the table and stood up.

Before Kian could say anything, Lucien stepped up to him and pulled away the towel on his head.

“Sit here.”

Lucien pointed to the spot in front of the dressing table.

Kian quietly sat on the stool, and Lucien stood behind him and began drying his hair.

“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep like this.”

Kian couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s what I said once before?”

“Yeah.”

Lucien briefly answered while moving his hands. His touch was careful, as if it was his first time drying someone else’s hair. His fingers brushed Kian’s hair and lifted away softly.

‘It tickles.’

Kian closed his eyes. The long fingers stimulating his scalp felt unfamiliar but not unpleasant. It felt like he was being looked after with care.

As Lucien was brushing away the moisture, he suddenly held Kian’s head with one hand.

“Why is your head so small?”

He didn’t seem to expect an answer, because he continued talking.

“We used the same shampoo, but you smell way better.”

Lucien pressed his face into Kian’s hair, played with his ear, and murmured.

“Your skin’s so soft.”

The warmth touching his ear was hot. Kian felt his body heat rise too and lowered his head.

In that moment, Lucien licked the back of his neck. His lips followed the curve of the neck and stopped at his shoulder. He softly bit it.

Kian’s body recoiled. Even with such light contact, every spot that Lucien’s hands and mouth touched burned.

He could feel the nerves in his head pull tight.

“……”

Then Lucien softly whispered in his ear.

“If it’s fine with you, do you want to drink wine together?”

When Kian turned, he saw the wine bottle and glasses on the table. It was the item Lucien had been preparing earlier, which he had glimpsed when coming out of the bath.

By that point, Kian couldn’t help but realize what was happening.