Chapter 3. Beauty (13)
***
Ardwino lay flat on his back, casting a blank stare at the ceiling. Something unpleasant and anxious kept jabbing at his senses. The beast-like instincts that had allowed him to survive on battlefields where the god of death always lingered were telling him not to ignore that sensation.
‘He was definitely… the commander, wasn’t he?’
Not long ago, when Ardwino had come to Duran to meet Hakan, he’d coincidentally encountered Eckart. Eckart, who should have been at the Papal Court or at least in papal territory, was strolling through Duran where he had no connections whatsoever. And he seemed to be going somewhere so urgently that he passed by without hearing Ardwino calling out to him.
Up to that point, it could be dismissed as him having some business there… The problem was the familiar figure that caught his eye immediately afterward.
Whether he was coming out of a small cathedral, the man descending the steps in a dress was undoubtedly Ronen. According to what Hakan had told him, Ronen could never wander around alone. He was mostly confined and only very occasionally taken out by the Grand Duke. Like walking a pet.
But he had witnessed him boarding a carriage alone with no one else around. Was prayer at least permitted, even if nothing else was allowed?
‘He didn’t seem overflowing with that kind of consideration…’
Moreover, Eckart also appeared to have walked from that direction, in what seemed like a very flustered or distracted state.
Eckart, who had no reason to be here, and Ronen, who happened to emerge from the cathedral and board a carriage…
‘Could they have come to meet on purpose?’
How the two had met, whether they’d been secretly exchanging correspondence, whether such a thing was even possible – there were countless things he didn’t understand, but he had a conviction-like premonition that the two had definitely met.
He recalled Eckart, who would pretend not to be affected but clearly was whenever Ronen’s name came up. While he’d teased him about it for amusement, he never thought his feelings ran deep enough to actually come meet him separately like this. After all, the Eckart he’d observed all this time was a man with a heart like stone. He’d believed that someone who devoted his entire life to God wouldn’t pour his heart and time into others.
For such a man’s heart to be moved, he wanted to cheer them on and hope things went well for them, but of all people, it had to be Ronen…
‘It’s dangerous…’
Grand Duke Canis’s face flashed before his eyes. The man who had glared at him with such cold and dangerous eyes merely for speaking to Ronen. It had been only a moment, but it was chilling enough to remember even now.
To think he belonged to such a person… It was too dangerous. And there was no way that snake-like Grand Duke wouldn’t notice this fact, making it even more so. If the two ever happened to encounter each other…
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
The sudden voice barely pulled him from his thoughts. Though Ardwino was startled, his expression didn’t change at all, and he calmly turned his head toward where the voice had come from. There was Hakan, lying face down and looking at him.
“Just something that’s been bothering me a bit.”
At Ardwino’s words, Hakan turned on his side and propped his chin on his hand. Thanks to this, he could freely admire Hakan’s body, which wasn’t wearing a single thread.
His skin, covered with blotchy marks from their activities, was slick with sweat and gleaming, and his moderately muscled physique was pleasing to look at. As he took in the sight down to his swollen nipples from Hakan’s caresses and his lower body still stained with semen that hadn’t been wiped clean, Hakan asked in a voice tinged with languidness.
“Did you perhaps hear about that matter too? Hmm, I thought you might know since you frequent the area often.”
“What matter are you referring to?”
When Ardwino looked at him with a puzzled expression, Hakan let out a deep sigh.
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately too. Worrying a lot. Especially about you.”
While he still couldn’t grasp what Hakan was talking about, Hakan continued.
“Grand Duke Canis is also moving busily because of that, so don’t worry too much. They say it’ll probably blow over somehow, but just in case, I’ve even prepared an indulgence for you. Hmm, I probably brought it with me… Anyway, I like you this much. Don’t forget that.”
“An indulgence?”
“Yes. Aren’t you deeply troubled by what the Pope is trying to push forward this time? They say he’s even taking issue with same-sex relations, so I thought someone like you, who’s mixed bodies with various knights, might be anxious… Wasn’t that it?”
Only then understanding what Hakan was referring to, Ardwino naturally responded.
“Of course I’ve heard about it, but I didn’t think it was a big enough problem to involve me.”
Though not as much as before due to meeting Hakan, he still followed Eckart around, so he frequently visited the Papal Court. Because of this, there were several stories he’d heard whether he wanted to or not.
Pope Severus had proclaimed this at his first public appearance after his enthronement:
“I have been most displeased with this corrupt empire. Left as it is, it will surely perish. I believe that my taking this papal seat is because God wished to show me the work I must do and the path I must take. Now is the time to wash the empire anew according to God’s revelation.”
And the ‘work to be done and path to be taken’ that the Pope spoke of meant the punishment of sinners as described in doctrine and scripture.
“Since when has he been so virtuous? If he brings up forgotten doctrines, there won’t be anyone who can escape. Even if that person were the Pope himself. But the situation isn’t good. With the new Pope acting like this, everyone seems to be keeping a low profile… Anyway, they’re like bats.”
Ardwino asked with a puzzled face.
“I don’t know the exact details, but… I heard prostitution is what he takes the most issue with. Prostitutes and their buyers. I’m not interested in such things, and on the battlefield we just released pent-up desires with each other – there were no transactions or anything like that, so it should be fine.”
Whether he found Ardwino’s simple thinking both endearing and worrying, Hakan looked at him with a strange expression before speaking.
“Well. From what I can see, prostitution seems to be just an excuse. That’s why Grand Duke Canis is being so diligent about it too.”
“Wasn’t it because of Ronen?”
“Hmm? Didn’t I mention it? I think I told you that Grand Duke Canis sponsors people who have talent but unfavorable circumstances?”
“Of course I heard about that.”
He remembered thinking it was an unexpected hobby, especially since the man seemed to have no interest in other people whatsoever.
Hakan continued.
“There are many kinds of talent. Grand Duke Canis sees appearance and personality as part of talent too. I feel the same way… So he also sponsors exceptional beauties or people with rare appearances. Or he introduces them to people who want them, or sells them. Royalty, of course, and many clergy including cardinals are his main customers.”
“…That feels a bit different from the sponsorship I was thinking of. Wouldn’t that be included in human trafficking?”
“Well, yes, but if they want it or are already bound by other contracts, isn’t he just arranging better masters or situations for them? Ronen was in the same situation. The only thing that changed was the owner on the contract from Lady Cornelia to Grand Duke Canis. Thanks to that, he enjoys a luxurious life and only receives appropriate clients… Though by chance he captured the Grand Duke’s heart and ended up in a situation like being imprisoned.”
When his thoughts turned to Ronen, Hakan clicked his tongue softly as if feeling sorry. Ronen was the only one Grand Duke Canis coveted. Ronen was also the only one who rebelled against Grand Duke Canis and wanted to escape. Because of this, the emotion had transformed into something closer to greed and obsession rather than affection, and he was cruelly pressuring Ronen.
Though Hakan had tried to persuade the Grand Duke to give him some breathing room because it was painful to watch him deteriorate, that too wasn’t an easy task. Despite the expression that he was a male prostitute who could be fucked for money, the Grand Duke always covered his face because he didn’t want to show him even to Hakan, so if Hakan actually paid to embrace Ronen, the Grand Duke might never see him again.
After all, Hakan was a philanthropist who loved everyone. The only person who could buy Ronen would have to be someone slightly strange who would drain their fortune being entranced by his appearance but had no interest whatsoever in his affection.
For example, people like mute painters whose sole goal was to capture Ronen on canvas.
‘If he had quietly accepted the Grand Duke’s offer to become his mistress, it wouldn’t have escalated to this situation…’
If he was going to live as a prostitute anyway, it would be more comfortable physically to become the Grand Duke’s mistress, but he could only think how remarkable Ronen was for maintaining his pride and holding out nobly without bending his stubbornness. Having touched the Grand Duke’s towering pride and with countless escapes and captures, the emotional rift between the two had become irreparably twisted.
Thinking of the surrounding gazes that mocked him for failing to win the heart of a mere male prostitute, it wasn’t incomprehensible that the Grand Duke was pressuring Ronen to the point of taking out his anger on him.
Of course, Ronen was understandable too. Given the Grand Duke’s personality, he would never have made a gentle love confession, and he probably said things like “If you’re going to spread your legs anyway, wouldn’t it be better to deal with just one person?” or “Be satisfied with me.”
‘Well, all these thoughts are pointless anyway. It’s not like I can do anything about those two people…’
Quickly withdrawing his problematic sympathy, Hakan continued what he’d been saying.
“Anyway, Grand Duke Canis seems to have realized it too. That prostitution is just an excuse, and he’ll actually take issue with same-sex relations. That’s probably why he’s going around meeting customers who’ve bought same-sex lovers through him.”
“Hasn’t there never been such a thing before? If anything, it was encouraged.”
“Right. Especially on battlefields, same-sex sleeping arrangements were actively encouraged.”
They used to actively encourage them to solve things among themselves, worried that troublemakers might emerge or those who couldn’t overcome sexual desire might run away.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
