Chapter 113
Ruan recalled Ralph’s gift, carefully hidden in a drawer. Dried plant pieces that emitted a peculiar scent despite being tightly sealed.
‘I didn’t expect to get catnip. And such high-quality catnip at that.’
Catnip, a plant known as a drug for cats.
While some cats don’t respond to it, for those that do, it can be quite effective in relieving stress.
He wasn’t sure if the Northern Grand Duke was a cat that responded well to catnip, but… given his current foul mood, it might not be a bad idea to try it to improve his spirits.
‘And if it works well, I could take advantage of his good mood to bring up the topic of spies, ever so slightly.’
The spies hidden in Ardenheim had been a long-standing concern for Ruan. After all, they were the potential catalysts for future calamities in Ardenheim, as well as a means for the imperial family to exert influence at any time.
Whether they contributed to Louise’s schemes as mentioned in “Tales of the Sirah Empire,” or helped the imperial family meddle with Ardenheim in other ways, Ruan couldn’t ignore these potential threats to Ardenheim’s future.
Of course, given that the masterminds were likely individuals like Volker or Louise, it would be difficult to completely eradicate the spies. But that didn’t mean he could ignore them either.
Until now, Ruan had been secretly tracking the spies within Ardenheim.
‘I had hoped it would become unnecessary as the situation changed, but… with Volker’s recent incident, and according to Ralph, Erich unexpectedly continuing to support Louise, it seems I need to discuss how to deal with the spies with the Northern Grand Duke soon…’
The problem was that the topic of spies might trigger unpleasant memories for the Northern Grand Duke. After all, he had already lost his parents and territory because of spies.
Given the situation, Ruan had been pondering how to broach this subject recently. But if the Northern Grand Duke was in a good mood… perhaps he could cautiously bring it up.
Ruan picked up the small package containing the high-quality catnip and opened the door to the bedroom where the Northern Grand Duke would be.
“Your Grace, it’s Ruan Daen. I’m coming in.”
As expected, the Northern Grand Duke, who had likely sensed Ruan’s approach with his keen senses, was sitting on the bed, just flicking his tail even as Ruan entered the room. With each flick of his tail under the streaming sunlight, his jet-black fur scattered light.
‘I’ll have to use the lint roller before bed tonight too. Good thing I haven’t packed it in the carriage yet.’
Ruan approached the Northern Grand Duke, wondering if asking for permission to brush him as a couple would earn him another rebuke about making advances.
“Your Grace, I’ve returned after finishing packing.”
Ruan noticed the Northern Grand Duke’s black cat ears twitching slightly, indicating he was listening despite pretending not to look. Encouraged by this reaction, Ruan sat down next to the Northern Grand Duke. Even then, the Northern Grand Duke kept his gaze fixed elsewhere. Ruan’s eyes fell on the package in his hand.
‘I wonder if the Northern Grand Duke will respond to catnip…’
Given that he’s a cat who often experiences stress, if the catnip works, it could be quite helpful. But since many cats don’t respond to catnip, Ruan looked at the package with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty as he spoke.
“Your Grace, I brought something with me. Would you like to take a look?”
And with a pounding heart, he slightly opened the tightly sealed package.
“This is catnip… Oof!”
Ruan’s body tilted onto the bed as the Northern Grand Duke suddenly pounced on him.
The problem was that Ruan had just opened the package. His eyes darted to the catnip bundle that was about to spill.
‘You shouldn’t use too much at once!’
With the quick reflexes of a caretaker who had witnessed countless cat mishaps, Ruan minimized the damage. He swiftly grasped the package to prevent the catnip from spilling out.
Of course, focusing on the catnip meant he couldn’t support his falling body, resulting in him lying flat on the bed… But at least he hadn’t spilled the catnip, right? As he was feeling relieved about that, Ruan felt a heavy weight pressing down on his body.
“Your Grace?”
The Northern Grand Duke, who had pounced on Ruan, buried his nose in Ruan’s chest. His pupils were fully dilated, indicating excitement. After seriously sniffing for a moment with his round pupils, the Northern Grand Duke began to rub his cheek against Ruan’s chest.
It was exactly like a cat responding to catnip. Perhaps some catnip had spilled when he fell, despite thinking he had caught it all.
In any case, judging by his enthusiastic cheek-rubbing, it seemed the Northern Grand Duke was a cat with a strong reaction to catnip.
‘That’s good, but why on my chest…’
As the Northern Grand Duke’s movements became increasingly intense, Ruan felt a bit embarrassed and tried to slip away slightly, but the Northern Grand Duke firmly gripped Ruan’s shoulders to hold him in place.
Then.
Lick.
He licked Ruan’s chest where the catnip had scattered.
Startled by the sensation felt through the thin fabric, Ruan froze. Meanwhile, seemingly pleased with the catnip, the Northern Grand Duke began to lick, lick, lick the areas where it had been sprinkled. It wasn’t particularly surprising, as some cats do eat catnip.
‘But the problem is, this is a bit…’
The heavy weight pressing down on his body, the thick forearm planted beside his head, the other hand firmly gripping his shoulder. And his lover, with his head buried in his chest, lapping with his tongue. Even if the catnip-intoxicated cat had no such intentions, it was a situation that naturally evoked strange feelings in the human on the receiving end.
As the atmosphere gradually became more ambiguous, Ruan closed his eyes to block out the visual stimuli and reminded himself:
‘No, Kim Ha-jin. This isn’t that. And we have to ride in a carriage all day starting tomorrow, so this fragile body would definitely be wrecked. Also, once the Northern Grand Duke calms down a bit, I need to talk about the spies…’
Recalling the terrible ride quality of the carriage he had endured all the way to the capital and the tasks ahead, his mood became a bit more somber. But that sobriety didn’t last long.
With his eyes closed, he was completely unprepared when the Northern Grand Duke’s tongue, which had been roaming his chest, licked over his nipple.
“Ah!”
The moan burst out without resistance, too sudden to hold back, and the Northern Grand Duke lifted his head to look at Ruan. Startled by the unexpected surge of pleasure that swept through him, Ruan could only stare back at the Northern Grand Duke with wide eyes.
For a moment, the two remained silent, just looking at each other.
The Northern Grand Duke was the first to move his gaze. His eyes, which had been meeting Ruan’s gaze filled with bewilderment and lingering excitement, swept over Ruan’s flushed cheeks and the lips that had just let out a moan. Then they returned to Ruan’s eyes.
Ruan thought the Northern Grand Duke’s pupils had dilated even further.
And then.
With their eyes still locked, the Northern Grand Duke slowly lowered his head. The Northern Grand Duke’s face drew closer to Ruan’s chest bit by bit. Finally, when only a very narrow gap remained between the Northern Grand Duke’s face and Ruan’s chest, the Northern Grand Duke extended his tongue, all while gazing directly at Ruan, who was looking down at him with anxious eyes.
Ruan swallowed hard, feeling as if that red tongue would touch his chest at any moment.
And just as Ruan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, the Northern Grand Duke’s tongue pressed firmly against the small protrusion on his flat chest and glided across. The movement was so slow that Ruan could clearly feel the soft flesh being compressed under the pressure of the tongue, then springing back firmly as the tongue passed.
Ruan sharply inhaled.
The Northern Grand Duke, who had been observing this reaction, began to move his tongue in earnest.
It didn’t take long for the thin cloth to become wet as the tongue passed over it several times. The sensation, which had been dulled by the clothing covering the skin, became more distinct on the wet fabric.
The rough tongue traced around the areola, then pressed and passed over the nipple. The nipple, which had become erect and sensitive, sent jolts of pleasure each time the wet cloth was pressed against it.
“Ah, Your Grace. That’s, don’t, mm.”
Feeling his lower body gradually becoming heavy, Ruan tried to stop the Northern Grand Duke. But the Northern Grand Duke, who seemed to back off slightly at the pushing hands, instead of pulling away completely, moved his hand to the front of Ruan’s shirt.
“Your Grace?”
Then he opened the front of the shirt.
Ruan’s erect nipples and white chest were exposed as they were. The Northern Grand Duke, who had been staring down with pupils dilated to their limit, snatched the package that was being crumpled in Ruan’s hand.
Seeing this, Ruan, coming to his senses, exclaimed:
“Using too much at once will give you a stomachache!”
Looking somewhat disgruntled at this, the Northern Grand Duke said:
“Do you really have to say that right now?”
‘Did I just get scolded for ruining the mood by a cat? And a cat high on catnip at that?’
While Ruan was taken aback, the Northern Grand Duke tilted the package to sprinkle a little dried catnip onto Ruan’s bare chest.
“This much should be fine, shouldn’t it? More importantly, answer me.”
The Northern Grand Duke asked, rolling the plump, erect nipple with his rough finger.
“Does it feel good when I lick here?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
