A Kiss Meant to Hurt

Judging by Kazen’s reaction, this seemed like something he shouldn’t have mentioned, but he couldn’t exactly take it back now. Looking down at the back of Kazen’s hand gripping his robe, Eren continued calmly.

“I witnessed the two of you sharing an intimate moment at the Imperial Palace party. Wasn’t that something Your Grace already knew?”

Only then did Kazen let out a short exhalation, as if finally understanding what he was talking about.

“Did you think that just because I kissed Harold, we were having an affair?”

Eren had firmly believed ever since witnessing the two of them in an intimate embrace that they were secretly in love. Anyone who had seen such a scene would have thought the same.

“…Was I wrong?”

Slowly, Eren began to suspect he had been mistaken. Kazen let out a scoffing sound, as if finding it absurd.

“Does kissing someone once make them your lover?”

At Kazen’s mocking question, Eren gripped the edge of the tub, hesitating. Eren had never received any proper s*x education. The first person to teach him about such things was the orphanage director.

‘There are ten rules that humans must follow. Among them, what we’ll learn today is abstinence. The sexual union of a married couple is a sacred act that should only be performed to have children.’

Eren had always adhered to abstinence as an iron rule. His friend John had once told him this:

‘The thing about being a man is, as long as you can put it somewhere and ejaculate, that’s all that matters.’

‘But I was told that sexual union is a sacred act that should only be performed by a lawful married couple to have children.’

Seeing Eren’s frustrating response, John had chided him.

‘Even dogs and cows give birth to offspring. Kissing is the truly sacred act that only humans do. s*x doesn’t mean anything. Just save kissing for the person you love.’

It was quite convincing, so Eren had taken his words to heart.

“…Because that’s something you only do with someone you love.”

“I knew you were innocent, but I didn’t expect this much.”

At Eren’s cautious reply, Kazen let out a sneer, as if finding it absurd. Having answered seriously only to be laughed at, Eren felt a little embarrassed.

“I already told you. That day, I kissed Harold only to show you. Harold and I are nothing.”

It was a fact he should have expected, but his heart still felt as if it had dropped into his stomach. Even though they were nothing, Kazen had kissed Harold just to show Eren.

Why? Why had he done such a thing?

No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure it out. So he decided to simply ask Kazen. Since he would be leaving him soon, he needed an answer right away.

“May I ask why you did it?”

Looking into Eren’s eyes, which were as transparent as glass and laid his feelings bare, Kazen curled his lips into a smile.

“Because I wanted to hurt you.”

Instantly, Eren’s mind went white. His words felt like a cold dagger stabbing into his heart. Kazen slipped his hand inside Eren’s robe, gripping his stiff thigh, and drove the point home.

“So that you wouldn’t harbor feelings for anyone else.”

Eren could no longer think. The sharp, thorny words pouring from Kazen’s mouth made it hard even to breathe. His stomach throbbed as if he had been punched in the gut.

“I told you not to let anyone other than me into your heart.”

Eren had never once disobeyed Kazen’s orders. He had never held anyone other than Kazen in his heart.

“I….”

“It was you who broke my word first. So think of this as your punishment.”

Each word felt like it was cruelly digging into his chest. It hurt more than anything Kazen had ever said to him. It was more than enough to achieve his purpose of wanting to hurt Eren.

“So, does that mean you no longer have any excuse to refuse me?”

When Eren remained unable to answer, Kazen asked first. Still unsure what to say, Eren merely moved his lips.

“Well….”

Eren already knew that he felt desire for Kazen. So why did he feel so reluctant to engage in this act with him?

Perhaps taking Eren’s silence as affirmation, Kazen moved his hand from his thigh upward, gently stroking his skin.

His large hand, tracing up Eren’s soft skin, wrapped around his slender waist. Even though he had just eaten dinner, Eren was sadly thin, with bones visible no matter where he touched.

“Why do you keep losing weight?”

Probably because his condition was deteriorating. But that was something Eren didn’t want to say, either.

Whether Kazen knew what was going on in Eren’s tangled mind or not, he spread his large palm and slowly stroked from Eren’s stomach up to his chest, as if measuring the distance. His arm rifled inside Eren’s robe, loosening the tie at his waist.

“Your Grace, my robe….”

“Just leave it. It’s going to come off anyway.”

Eren tried to hurriedly catch his falling robe, but Kazen grabbed his wrist and lowered it.

“I’ll teach you how it’s done, so watch and learn.”

Kazen’s touch, which had been tracing down Eren’s flat stomach, slid lower and reached his center. At the unfamiliar sensation on his sensitive area, Eren’s shoulders tensed sharply.

“Ju-just a moment….”

“You react as soon as I touch you? Sensitive, aren’t you?”

It was an area that had never been touched by another, so it was bound to be sensitive. Feeling his legs about to give out, Eren gripped the edge of the tub tighter.

Kazen’s long, slender fingers coiled around Eren’s member like a snake. An unbearably ticklish sensation made Eren bite his lip.

“Ngh….”

Kazen firmly supported Eren’s stiff, tense back with one hand while slowly stroking his newly hardened member with the other.

Unable to stop himself from groaning, Eren hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand.

“You’ve really never touched yourself before?”

Kazen asked, watching Eren’s flushed face with amusement. As he spoke, he cupped the soft glans in his hand and gently traced the indentation at its tip with his thumb.

Eren, drained of strength, slumped and struggled to exhale his increasingly labored breath. Even though he had done nothing, his breathing came fast, as if he had been running, and his heart began to race.

“No… ngh, no.”

“Never? Why? Were you preserving your chastity?”

Though the orphanage had emphasized the importance of chastity, after meeting John, Eren no longer particularly clung to it. Rather, he’d never had the opportunity to lose it.

“I just… never felt the need to.”

As if finding Eren’s answer interesting, Kazen let out a small hmm sound.

“It seems you’re feeling that need now, fortunately.”

Kazen cupped the glans and moved his hand up and down, as if playing with it. The water in the tub rippled with the movement of his arm. Unlike the cooling water, Eren’s body grew hotter and hotter.

“Haah, ah, it tickles….”

His stomach tickled, and a tingling sensation ran down his spine. It felt like the urge to urinate, but also like being ticklish.

“That feeling is natural, so just feel it.”

Kazen whispered, his eyes narrowing in amusement at Eren’s reaction. Eren could feel his hands moving more busily, the water becoming more violently agitated against his skin.

“Hnn….”

As the stimulation rising from his waist grew stronger, his lower abdomen tightened.

Eren curled his back as if to escape, lifting his hips. At the same time, his upper body bent, and he inadvertently rested his forehead on Kazen’s shoulder.

“Feeling this much despite having never done it before… what a waste.”

Eren could hear Kazen saying something, but he couldn’t understand him. His mind was boiling over with heat, making it impossible to think anymore. He was filled only with the desire to release this heat boiling in his lower abdomen.

“It’s coming, hnn, I think it’s coming.”

Even amidst this, not wanting to be rude to the bathwater, Eren struggled to push Kazen away by his chest.

“Just let it out.”

“Hngh, but….”

Sensing Eren was about to climax, Kazen moved his hand more boldly. At the long, squeezing motion, Eren could no longer hold back. His back trembling, he came into Kazen’s hand.

Wet with the ecstasy of his first-ever orgasm, Eren exhaled deeply. His energy completely drained, he found himself slumped in Kazen’s embrace.