Chapter 9 – Strange Groans (2)
After a long time, Rei finally came out of her room. She donned her best outfit; a dress embroidered with roses and the only pair of shoes she had. She kept messing around with her hair, only feeling satisfied with how it looked after the third time. She wanted to look her best.
She was planning to use the book Clodan had lent her in order to meet him. She’d return the book and come up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t read it. Ever since that day, she couldn’t take her mind off of him. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts constantly kept shifting towards him.
But unlike the time she’d hidden herself underneath the blankets, she had managed to come to terms with it. Rei walked down the maze-like hallways and took a deep breath once she reached the bottom of the staircase.
She felt guilty for deceiving him. She wanted to tell him the truth and laugh about it with him. Perhaps it’d be fine to let go of her embarrassment? She’d managed to let go of all the burdensome feelings when she was sick, so she was feeling quite optimistic.
But before she could make up her mind, she needed to find Clodan. She looked for him everywhere but to no avail. Philip merely shrugged his shoulders and the rest of the servants ignored her when she asked them about his whereabouts. This manor belonged to Clodan. If he wanted to hide, then no one could find him.
After circling around the third floor for a second time, Rei plopped onto a small chair and leaned into it. It was a rare occasion; the sun was shining at its brightest. The sunshine hit the old furniture and illuminated the once faded blue pattern on the carpet. The languid morning relaxed her and she sighed as she stroked the spine of the book. Soon, she felt bored and began flipping through the book to pass time. Her gaze landed on the pictures inside the book and she found herself mesmerized by them.
“Ah…”
A sudden, soft groan snapped her out of her trance. She looked up, searching for the source of the noise. Her ears led to determine the source to be behind the wall.
“Ahh…”
She held her head next to the wall, trying to catch the sounds. Suddenly, the small ring on the wall caught her eye. Wasn’t this the ring that Clodan had pulled back then? He must be inside then. But it seemed like there was something wrong with him. Without any hesitation, Rei tugged at the ring. If Clodan was in trouble, she needed to help him!
The door slowly budged open, but something seemed to have got in its way. Rei looked down and found a bottle of liquor lodged in between. She bent down and picked it up, giving way for the door to move.
“Hah… Hah…”
She could hear him breath harshly as she took a step inside the room. A warm, humid gust of air greeted her. The temperature inside the room seemed to be hotter, making Rei feel like she’d just entered a pond warmed by the sun at noon.
“L-lord Clodan?”
Rei quietly called out to the owner of the room. Her gaze wandered around the room in search of him. The groans became louder and her eyes were naturally drawn towards their source. Her breath hitched. In front of her, amidst the pool of white blankets, lay Clodan. And he…he… Oh, she couldn’t even form a coherent thought anymore.
Clodan lay atop a pillow, only a shirt covering his figure. He moved his naked hips, kneading his loins into the soft pillow. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, splashing onto the already drenched shirt that was stuck to his back. Soft pants fell out through his parted lips. Although Clodan seemed to be at peace and enjoying himself, his bottom and hands were moving with a new-found ferocity.
Rei stood still with shock as Clodan threw his head back, mirth dancing in his eyes as his gaze met hers. He smirked, clearly meaning to ridicule her. He began to play with himself even more passionately, the pleasure evident from his eyes. He furrowed his brows as his chest heaved with the harsh intake of breaths; he was inches away from his sweet release.
“Oh, Rei…”
He came as he moaned her name, his release now splattered across the blanket and pillow, a few drops managing to land on his chest. Clodan slowly calmed himself down and caught his breath. He rose to his full glory and splashed water from the pre-prepared basin on his side onto his face. The soft sound of water sloshing around filled the room as the two fell silent. After washing his face, Clodan used the leftover water to clean up his nether region.
“Why are you here?”
He turned around and pinned her with a cold gaze, speaking to her in a distant tone. Rei stuttered, unable to get the words out of her mouth. Her face burned as her tongue refused to listen to her.
“I-I-I j-just wanted t-to return this…”
Rei trembled as her body flushed red from head to toe with embarrassment.
“I see. Leave it there and go.”
Clodan threw her an uninterested glance as he pulled out a cigar from a drawer and put it between his lips. But Rei neither put down the book nor did she leave. She was so embarrassed, she couldn’t even bring herself to move.
“I-I’m sorry. I’m v-very sorry, your lordship!”
He bit at the unlit cigar and stared right into her eyes.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“T-that… I s-s-saw that and…”
Hot tears pooled into her eyes as she turned into an incoherent mess. But Clodan didn’t care. He continued to look at her indifferently.
“Just leave.”
Rei concluded that Clodan no longer held any favourable feelings towards her. Is this because he found she was illiterate? He might be thinking that she was no more than a slow-witted, illiterate girl from a fallen noble family and now she’d even caught him during an intimate act. Of course, he’d find her distasteful.
Rei bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her tears. She carefully put the book down. Her actions were slow, she was hoping that he’d at least look at her one last time. But he didn’t give her the time of the day.
“I-I’m really sorry…”
Rei bolted out of the room, wanting to hide her embarrassed self again. Her vision blurred with tears. When she finally felt she was far enough, she immediately collapsed to the ground. She pulled her knees close to her head, wanting to shrivel up. But the longer she cried, the angrier she became.
He was the one who touched her first!
She made up her mind. Rei bit her lips in determination and stormed down the hall, walking back to Clodan’s room. But the closer she got, the more her insides churned with doubt. She almost stopped herself once she reached the wall that led to his room, but a wave of emotion took over her and she pulled the ring.