Chapter 56

Ultimately, Lino abandoned the desserts, not even managing to finish half of the ice cream. Sleep eluded him just as thoroughly. Yuneria’s lingering question to Grondil—”Shall I prepare for tonight, then?”—tormented him until dawn. He spent the entire night locked in a miserable cycle of self-interrogation.

Why am I so on edge about that… that Beast? I know he only ever had eyes for Yuneria from day one. Did he just play with me while Yuneria was away recovering? Wow, putting it like that makes me feel utterly pathetic. 

Grondil had acted like he despised Yuneria at Erin’s restaurant, and even showed his distaste in the dining room yesterday. So why the sudden harmony? Why was Yuneria preparing himself for the Beast at night?

What are they doing? What do you think? They’re doing ‘that’.

By the time the hazy dawn light began to bleed through the curtains, his grueling mental interrogation finally ceased, not because he had found answers, but because stress, hunger, and sleep deprivation had dragged his consciousness into a fog. Blinking his dry, aching eyes, Lino finally succumbed to sleep, his head dropping forward as he slumped awkwardly against the headboard.

Click, rattle. From the hallway, the door handle shifted, a stealthy visitor attempting entry. It was such a subtle noise that one would miss it without straining to listen. If it had been Grondil or Enoch, they would have simply used a key. Finding the door secured, the mysterious intruder rattled the handle a few more times before giving up. Lino, who slept like the dead once he finally went under, remained entirely oblivious.

Fortunately, every window in his room had been replaced with panes that couldn’t be opened from the outside. Upon seeing Lino temporarily secure the window latch with a belt after Yuneria’s return, Grondil had casually replaced them with anti-terrorism bulletproof glass, telling him to rest easy. Lino had wanted to ask why the Master of Isberg was pouring so much money and effort into a temporary bodyguard’s room, but he swallowed the question. To a man who mined mana stones like an endless cornucopia, installing military-grade glass was probably cheaper than buying a pack of gum.

Regardless, Lino trusted those imperial-grade windows. He had physically barricaded the door from the inside, too, ensuring only a key-holder could enter from the outside. Yet, those defenses couldn’t stop something as trivial as a white envelope sliding quietly through the gap beneath the door.

***

“Did you not sleep well?” Grondil asked, watching Lino massage his stiff neck and shoulders with hollow, exhausted eyes.

“Something… like that.”

Mental exhaustion didn’t require physical torture, and Lino deeply regretted not lying down properly. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he had passed out, but he remembered the agonizing angle of his spine. It was shocking to realize he had slept this uncomfortably over a problem completely unrelated to Baron Haklan. When he was constantly on the run from the Baron, dreading another stint in confinement, he had slept with one eye open. Aside from that, even in the absolute squalor of the slums, he had always slept soundly.

And now my sleep is ruined over some guy? He corrected himself. Well, not just ‘some guy’. It’s the Grand King of Isberg. And he’s… a Beast. 

It made perfect sense to be on edge.

The man who promised to protect him was parading around with Yuneria again, the very person who had insulted him as a male whore and literally attacked him with a sword yesterday. Yuneria was bound to aim for his life next, not just his food or clothes. With both Baron Haklan and Yuneria gunning for him, a commoner with zero backing had no choice but to cling to this man. Naturally, he had to overanalyze the Beast’s every move. Lino tried desperately to justify his sleepless night as a matter of personal security. But then—

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong with your vision? Can you not see me clearly?”

It was impossible to look squarely at the Beast, who had undoubtedly spent a night of burning flesh and passion with Yuneria. Lino stared blankly as Grondil offered him a bright, untroubled smile. Countless questions clawed at his throat, but he couldn’t force them out. Interrogating him about last night would make it seem like Lino thought he actually meant something to this Beast, so he viciously swallowed the words back down.

“My eyes… are perfectly fine.”

He managed a nonchalant reply to hide his turmoil, but Grondil simply tilted his head, piercing right through his facade.

“To my eyes, you look burdened by such heavy worries that you couldn’t even stomach Erin’s desserts, let alone sleep.”

Lino remained stubbornly silent. A sudden, chilling wave of air washed over him as Grondil leaned his massive torso across the table. Wasn’t the table placed here to maintain a respectable distance? Lino stared up at the imposing figure. To a massive predator, the meager gap provided by a piece of furniture was a laughable illusion.

“I-I just… tossed and turned because of a nightmare, that’s all.”

“What kind of dream was it?” Grondil pressed.

“I don’t remember.”

“Was I in it?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” Grondil narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Lino in a slow, calculating search. Lino’s throat went dry under the scrutiny, but he held the eye contact, feigning perfect indifference. He had nothing to hide; he hadn’t dreamt at all, let alone about Grondil.

“Was Sir Disson in it?” Grondil propped one knee onto the table, his shadow stretching larger and darker across Lino. Lino shook his head in denial. “Did you dream of Sir Disson and I having a filthy roll in bed?”

“Why would I ever—!”

“Then why,” Grondil growled, shoving his face dangerously close to Lino’s bristling expression. His eyes, swimming with dark intent, choked off Lino’s words. “Why are you looking at me with eyes mad with jealousy?”

“J-Jealousy…? Me? No, I’m not!”

Evading that intense gaze, Lino scrambled to deny it. Grondil let out a sharp chuckle at the hilariously transparent reaction. Trying so hard to play it cool, when you’ve been whining and pacing like a puppy desperate for a piss since yesterday afternoon. Grondil kept his thoughts to himself; Lino would have thrown a fit if he heard them. When Yuneria had approached him with that pathetic attempt at flirting yesterday, irritation had flared violently within Grondil. But seeing Lino vibrating with anxiety had been so overwhelmingly appetizing that he had purposefully played along. Watching Lino agonize over the thought of him tangling with Yuneria, Grondil had fought the urge to whisper in his ear that his palate was far too refined to eat anything he didn’t absolutely crave.

He’s so cute I want to play with him a little longer… but I suppose this is enough.

Grondil’s tongue darted out, dragging a wet, rough trail up Lino’s cheek. The feeling of that soft, yielding flesh against his tongue was deeply satisfying.

“Hick!”

Startled, Lino shrank back, a bizarre whimper escaping his lips. If any other bastard had made a noise like that, Grondil would have beaten them for hurting his ears, but he was so thoroughly blinded by infatuation that even that weird squeak sounded adorable. A twenty-three-year-old male should reek of musk, with a thick bush of hair under his arms, down his legs, and between his thighs. Yet, inexplicably, Lino Cliff had virtually no body hair—he possessed a completely bald, pristine white cock.

Insane. A completely hairless cock. 

Just the thought of it cleanly shaven would have made Grondil drool, but hearing that it naturally grew no hair had nearly sent a physical shockwave through his nose. He had almost burst a blood vessel imagining that bare, smooth crotch. 

I must have been blind, Grondil thought, mentally berating himself for focusing solely on Yuneria during their first meeting while completely ignoring Lino.

Thank the gods he had approved the paperwork despite the atrocious ID photo. If he had rejected the application, he would have missed out on this magnificent Letia, a creature not only sporting a pristine white cock but capable of taking a beast’s massive member entirely and surviving the brutal knotting process.

“Whatever Your Highness chooses to do with Sir Disson… I do not care.”

“You don’t care?”

“Yes… I merely…” Lino reflexively lowered his head as Grondil’s voice plummeted to sub-zero temperatures, radiating a chilling aura. Still, he needed an absolute guarantee. Squeezing his eyes shut to summon a scrap of non-existent courage, he forged ahead. “I merely… as long as Your Highness honors the promise you made to me, I do not care what else happens…”

“Ah, the promise. The one where I vowed to protect you?”

“Yes.” Lino exhaled a silent breath of relief. Thank God. He hasn’t forgotten. He had been terrified Grondil had lost his mind to Yuneria again and discarded their agreement.

“I think I need to reconsider.”

Lino’s head snapped up. 

What did I just hear? Am I going deaf? 

He scrubbed frantically at his ears and stared at Grondil, whose lips were twisted into a deeply treacherous smile. The expression was so thoroughly villainous that a violent shudder ripped through Lino’s body. One wrong move, and this man would strip him down to the lint in his underwear.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and it feels like I’m the only one giving here.”

Grondil currently bore a striking resemblance to the loan sharks of the slums, the predators who employed vicious schemes to drain the very marrow from the helpless. Every survival instinct screaming in Lino’s brain warned him not to nod, not to agree. Yet, the gap between the Grand King of Isberg and a street-level loan shark was vaster than the heavens, so he ignored the blaring alarms.

“Therefore, you must make at least one… no, two promises to me in return.”

“Two of them…?”

“That’s right. I forgave you for deceiving me, and I blocked Sir Disson’s nasty little scheme. I saved your life in the Baron’s underground auction and relieved you when you were out of your mind on aphrodisiacs. I even brought you to my country, where only vital diplomats are permitted, promising to shield you from Baron Haklan.”

Put like that, Lino realized he had received a staggering amount. Even the luxurious room, the expensive electronics, and the high-end clothing he enjoyed simply for being a bodyguard felt undeserved. Yielding to the overwhelming debt, he agreed.

“I will do it.”

“Anything?”

“A-Anything… Yes, well…” He wouldn’t ask for an arm or a leg, right? Not like he has any use for them. Once again trampling his survival instincts, Lino agreed. A second later, he wanted to drop to his knees and beg those instincts for forgiveness.

“It’s nothing major. Very simple,” Grondil stated. “First, you must trust me unconditionally.”

Lino’s nodding head froze mid-air. Conditional trust was one thing, but unconditional? It was a deeply suspicious, dangerous demand.

“You said you would do anything. A Holy Knight serving the Lord Aquila wouldn’t go back on his word, would he?”

Trapped by the invocation of his deity, Lino yielded. “Yes. I… I shouldn’t do that.”

“Excellent. Shall we move to the second promise?”

Lino’s face contorted into a grimace of regret. He desperately wanted to retract the first promise, but his escape route was firmly sealed.

“If you feel even the slightest abnormality in your body, you must tell me immediately.”

“My… body?”

Expecting something far more draconian, Lino was thoroughly disarmed by a demand that sounded genuinely concerned for his well-being. “My body is perfectly healthy.”

“Of course it is. Neither your top mouth nor your bottom mouth is coughing up blood, which means both are perfectly healthy enough to take my cock to the hilt. I am well aware of that.”

Lino scrubbed a hand down his face, fighting to iron out his disgusted expression. Who measures health like that? Before he could recover, Grondil seized his wrist, pulled his hand down, and abruptly thrust his hot, wet tongue against Lino’s lips. Startled by the ambush, Lino clamped his mouth shut, but as the Beast persistently tapped against his seam, he ultimately surrendered.

The thick muscle breached his jaw, sweeping over the roots of his tongue, the roof of his mouth, and his molars before driving straight down. The Beast’s rough tongue struck his uvula with terrifying speed, the massive intrusion causing Lino’s esophagus to contract and his stomach to lurch with nausea. Just as quickly, the abrasive muscle cataloged the interior of his mouth and withdrew. Released from the invasion, Lino doubled over sideways, hacking violently.

“Completely healed,” Grondil assessed with satisfaction. “I want to check your lower mouth right this second, but if I do, I’ll have to postpone my entire schedule for the day. I will hold back.”

Still coughing, Lino gasped out, “Th-Thank you… for holding back…”

Grondil smirked, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face. Whenever Lino saw this Beast display such a vivid, human range of emotion, his aversion to the creature’s non-human nature blurred a little more. Now, there were times when seeing Grondil in his human skin actually felt unnatural.

“But… what do you mean by an abnormality?” Lino asked, wiping his mouth. “Do you mean symptoms like a cold or a headache?”

“Anything. But especially if your stomach hurts. You must never forget to tell me. If you can’t reach me, tell Erin or Enoch. Do you understand?”

He had said anything, yet he specifically emphasized the stomach. He spoke as if it was an absolute certainty that Lino would experience abdominal pain.

“How is your digestion? Is eating still difficult? Looking at the refrigerator, it seems you haven’t touched Erin’s food.”

Lino pondered how to answer. He still had zero appetite for the mansion chef’s meals, but Erin’s desserts were divine. He had only stopped eating because a very specific, distracting element had ruined his focus. Having stubbornly blamed the missing green liquor yesterday, Lino finally surrendered to the truth: the food tasted bland because Grondil hadn’t been there.

“Wait a moment,” Lino muttered, pushing Grondil’s shoulder away to rise and approach the refrigerator.

Returning with Erin’s dessert boxes, he sat across from Grondil. Under the intense scrutiny of the Beast’s gaze, he took a bite. The fluffy sponge cake dissolved instantly, the crystallized sugar crackling and flooding his mouth with saliva. He swallowed the decadent bite almost without chewing, blinked, and stared at Grondil.

It was undeniable.

Having Grondil here made it delicious.

So why did I feel sick in the dining room when Grondil was right there? Was it because Yuneria was present? Was the chef’s skill lacking? Were the ingredients spoiled? Contemplating the mystery, he tried another dessert. He took a bite, looked at Grondil. Swallowed, looked again. The longer he looked, the more the flavors seemed to amplify.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Grondil asked, amused.

“Excuse me? How am I looking at you?”

“Like you’re absolutely dying to eat me.”

“Uh… well… the desserts are just really delicious. Haha.”

“Then you should be looking at the desserts. Why are you staring at me while you eat?” Grondil scoffed out a breath of laughter. “Anyone watching would think Lino is desperate to devour me.”

“No, that’s really not it…”

“Do you want to eat me?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Liar.” He leaned in closer. “I’ll let you eat until your stomach bursts very soon, so just be patient.”

“I… I will politely decline.”

Lino had a terrifyingly accurate idea of exactly what Grondil intended to feed him until his stomach burst, and he had no desire to confirm it.

Dropping his head, he hurriedly shoved the cold sweets into his mouth. The rapid influx of frozen sugar sent a violent, stinging brain freeze radiating from his esophagus down to his stomach, making him violently shudder.

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Grondil abruptly shifted to sit directly beside Lino. “Shall I hold you?”

Before Lino could even formulate a reply, Grondil spread his arms and pulled him into a crushing embrace. The crisp, bracing scent of winter flooded Lino’s nose, yet the body enveloping him radiated a furnace-like heat. The Beast’s impossibly soft, dense fur transferred its intense warmth, immediately melting the goosebumps off Lino’s skin until it was completely smooth.

Haa. His tense muscles liquefied, and a sluggish, contented sigh slipped out unbidden.

Stroking Lino’s back with a massive hand, Grondil murmured, “No matter what happens, you must trust me unconditionally. And if you feel even the slightest change in your body, you must notify me. Do not forget.”

The phrase ‘no matter what happens’ struck a discordant note, but Lino didn’t dwell on it. In his current reality, Grondil was the only entity he could reasonably place his faith in.

“And stay quietly in your room for just a few more days.”

“But… I didn’t do anything wrong. Why am I the one being locked up?” Secure in the Beast’s cozy embrace, Lino’s forgotten grievances flared up again, and he jutted out his bottom lip in a portrait of pure injustice.

“I don’t need to see it to know exactly what happened. Sir Disson provoked you with vulgar insults, and when you didn’t yield to his whims, he drew his sword.”

“If you knew that, then why—!”

“Lino, you have many enemies in this mansion.”

Grondil’s tone was dead serious. Lino decided then and there to classify every single person in the estate as an enemy, save for Grondil and Enoch. Even if some were innocent, at least half were undoubtedly on Yuneria’s payroll. The person who slid that letter under the door last night must be one of them. The thought of the unmarked envelope he had stashed in his battered travel bag flashed through his mind.

“That’s enough talk about promises,” Grondil declared smoothly. “Let’s sleep now.”

Lino, who had practically melted into the Beast’s chest, went instantly rigid. He stared up at Grondil, frantically trying to decipher the true meaning behind the word sleep. Was it a command to spread his legs, or a literal invitation to pull up the blankets?

“Why are you so tense? I told you earlier. I don’t have the time to bury my cock in your bottom mouth today.” It’s a damn shame my schedule is so tight when this hole is the absolute best. The hand that had been soothingly stroking Lino’s lower back plunged further down. A thick finger wedged itself into the intimate cleft between Lino’s buttocks, digging into the soft mound as Grondil whispered slyly. “Close your eyes. If you don’t fall asleep right this second, I’ll say to hell with my schedule and fuck you right here.”

“I-I’m sleeping.”

Lino squeezed his eyes shut as Grondil pressed a firm finger directly into his belly button with a low, vibrating snarl. The mere pressure on his navel triggered a visceral flashback to the Beast’s massive knot penetrating him that deeply. His lower abdomen instantly tightened, a heavy pool of heat gathering in his groin. There was no way the Beast’s hyper-sensitive instincts would miss it. He knew perfectly well that the little fledgling in his arms had gone into heat from the touch of a single finger.

A searing blast of hot breath huffed from the Beast’s wet nose. Burying his pronounced snout into the crown of Lino’s head, he murmured lowly, “Sleep well. And since you’re sleeping, dream of me. I’d prefer it if you devoured me deliciously.”

The final words were swallowed by a primal, guttural rumble that vibrated against Lino’s skull. Yet, the meaning must have transmitted flawlessly, because the delicate, tightly puckered skin between Lino’s cheeks gave a helpless, needy twitch.