Chapter 24 - The Mermaid Princess's Little Brother

Translator's Note:

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The Anklet of Bronze〘2〙

 

 

Suddenly, Julius felt a strong grip on his wrist, pulling him away from the cupboard door, leading him deeper into the demon's lair. His mind raced, half consumed with fear—would Theo wake? Would the cupboard door creak open, exposing his brother? Yet before Julius could think further, the demon's voice commanded him to ascend the stairs.

 

The demon's dwelling was a small, two-story house, with a strikingly red staircase that led to the upper level. Julius had no choice but to obey, his heart pounding as he reached the attic room. Moonlight spilled through a window set in the roof, illuminating the shapes of objects without the need for a lamp. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, the room took on clearer form. It was small, the ceiling sloped sharply, and it was cluttered with books. A simple attic chamber—but it was the demon's domain.

 

"I had planned to feast tonight," the demon muttered, his deep voice thick with irritation. "But while my back was turned, my meal was stolen. You'll have to pay for what you've eaten properly..."

 

Julius, standing now at the foot of the bed, could see the glint in the man's eyes. It was a hunger that went beyond the need for food. Those black eyes, reflecting the moonlight under sharp brows, shimmered like a predator's gaze, filled with a desire that was unmistakable.

 

"For tonight, I've bought your body in exchange for that meal. Out here, in the wilderness, it's not easy to find a partner... So amuse me tonight."

 

"...You're not going to... eat me, are you?" Julius asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, staring into the face of the creature before him.

 

He was no longer a child, but still too young to be considered a man. Yet it wasn't hard to imagine his body becoming prey to a ravenous wolf.

 

At Julius' question, the demon laughed—a low, rumbling sound filled with hidden meaning. He smiled like a satisfied cat, toying with its prey. Raising the corners of his mouth, he touched his lips with one finger.

 

"Eat you, you say? Such tender, fragrant meat... smells so delicious."

 

Julius' breath caught in his throat as he braced for the demon's touch. But instead of a hand on his shoulder, the demon suddenly kissed him. Julius' eyes flew open in shock. There was no time to react as the laces of his shirt were swiftly undone, and he was pushed onto the bed.

 

"Mm..."

 

The demon's lips were demanding, his tongue bold. The dark beard scratched against Julius' skin, while the man's fingers moved with unnerving skill.

 

Fear gripped Julius. He knew what the demon wanted. He would take his pleasure in human form first, and then... then, he would become a wolf, and the true hunger would begin.

 

(But perhaps... perhaps it's for the best. Once he's sated on my flesh, maybe he'll lose his appetite for Theo. My brother is clever—he might be able to escape once the wolf's belly is full...)

 

Yet even as the thought crossed his mind, another stabbed through his heart. If Julius were gone, Theo would be left alone, lost and hopeless. He might return home, only to find himself one day wearing the same cursed bracelet. In that case, what point was there in running away at all?

 

"Hey, don't make such a sad face. I'll lose my appetite if you look so miserable," the demon growled, his voice laced with mockery. "You're supposed to be a whore, aren't you? So act like one."

 

"...I'm sorry..." Julius muttered, choking back his tears.

 

"Don't go mad with fear," the demon said with a sigh. "I don't like forcing things. If you let me take what I want and enjoy it, I'll make sure you have a fine meal afterward. Perhaps I'll even treat you to dinner tomorrow."

 

"R-really?"

 

Julius' breath hitched as he looked up at the demon, now looming over him. A flicker of hope stirred within him, thawing the cold terror that had gripped his heart. If he could satisfy this creature's lust, perhaps he could survive to see another day, another meal. And maybe—just maybe—there would be a chance to escape with Theo.

 

"I'll do anything. If I can eat tomorrow, I'll do whatever you want."

 

The demon chuckled, his smile widening. "Now that's a better look on you. You must really like my cooking, hmm?"

 

"Yes... it's very good," Julius replied, forcing a smile as awkward as it was sincere.

 

It wasn't a lie. His stomach had long since twisted with hunger, and the thought of food was the only comfort he could cling to. As the demon began to undress, Julius followed suit, slowly pulling off his own clothes. His eyes, now fully adjusted to the moonlight, took in the demon's form. His body was lean, like that of a beast, his skin gleaming faintly in the dim light. His broad chest was covered in thick hair, and he exuded a musky scent that would no doubt entice any woman.

 

(He smells like a male...)

 

Though Julius had never found himself drawn to men, his body reacted involuntarily. Even when you didn't choose your partner, there was always a difference in how the body responded to the one who claimed it.

 

"Mmm..."

 

The demon's passionate kisses were far more intoxicating than the stale ones Julius had known before. There was no laziness in his movements, only a raw, untamed strength. Julius didn't hate the feeling—the heat of the demon's body pressed against his, the primal scent of a powerful man. There was a vitality in this man that sparked something within Julius—a flicker of envy and, perhaps, a glimmer of desire.

 

"Ha... Ah..."

 

Their lips met again, both now fully unclothed. The man pulled Julius closer, their hips pressed together, and Julius felt the blood rush downward as their bodies entwined. As their mouths danced in unison, the pressure below intensified, the heat between them rising.

 

"Mn... ugh!"

 

The man moved his hips, grinding against Julius. This was not something men often did, and the sensation of the man's hardness brushing against his own caused Julius to tremble with unexpected pleasure.

 

Male prostitutes were cheaper than women, often seen as nothing more than substitutes. As a result, few ever bothered to see or touch Julius's body in such an intimate way.

 

When Julius cracked his tightly closed eyes, he met the man's dark gaze. The man chuckled softly and whispered, "It's hard." It wasn't clear who he was referring to—both their members had grown firm, as though they longed to merge. With every movement, their erect organs rubbed against one another, slick with natural fluids.

 

"Mn..." Under the man's intense gaze, Julius' lips were kissed again and again.

 

The man's eyelashes, long and dark with a bluish tint like his beard and hair, surprised Julius. Without that heavy beard accentuating his masculinity, he might have appeared younger, perhaps even charming. Perhaps this demon could shift his appearance at will, but at least his kisses were tender and gentle. His touch was careful, too.

 

"Ah... gh... ha-a..."

 

The man's lips left Julius' mouth, and soon, his fingers traced over Julius' chest, brushing the sensitive peaks of his nipples, already hardened from the kisses alone.

 

"Mm... ugh..."

 

"They look like the fruits of the redwood," the man murmured, licking Julius' neck and sucking sweetly on his skin.

 

"Ah... Ah!"

 

"The roof and walls of this house, and the stairs we climbed just moments ago, are all painted with a dye made from those nuts. They're sweet to taste, and their color makes for a fine stain."

 

(That's a lie...) Julius thought. It had to be. The color resembled human blood. There were rumors that the blood of the first child to perish here had stained everything, and that the demon painted the house with it to trick children into drawing near, enchanted by its vivid color.

 

"A beautiful hue that stirs the appetite, wouldn't you say? Though I must admit, your own shade is far more delightful..."

 

"Mn... Ah!"

 

The man lowered his head, his lips brushing over Julius' tender skin. His tongue swirled around the nipple, which indeed resembled a small nut, hard and round. As the man suckled, his beard brushed against the sensitive skin, sending sharp tingles through Julius' chest, making his whole body burn with excitement.

 

"Ha... u..."

 

One of the man's hands slipped between Julius' legs, his fingers wrapping around the young man's hardness. Slick with their combined fluids, the obscene sound of wetness filled the air.

 

(This... this is something I usually do... But why does it feel so good?)

 

The touches continued, blurring the lines of who had purchased whom for the night. Normally, Julius would be the one using his hands or mouth, often taken from behind without so much as his shirt being removed. Rarely did anyone care to kiss him, let alone take him to bed. More often than not, he was merely a replacement, a body pressed up against a tree in the forest.

 

A male prostitute was nothing more than a substitute for a woman—a hole for a man's pleasure, nothing more. There was no shame in purchasing a male prostitute, but there was shame in treating one with care, in spending too much on them, or handling them like a lover.

 

"You seem surprisingly unspoiled," the man mused.

 

"U-uh... No... W-wait..."

 

The man's lips slid lower, from Julius' chest to his navel, and further still to the throbbing organ dripping with arousal. Julius flinched, nerves coiling tightly in his gut. This was the first time someone would pleasure him this way, and he tensed, curling in on himself in nervousness.

 

"Nm... Ah..."

 

The heated tip of his hardness was enveloped by the man's warm mouth, and with a flick of his tongue along the sensitive ridge, he took Julius deeper. The man's strong hands lifted Julius by the knees, spreading his legs further apart. The crease between his trembling thighs opened wider, allowing moist fingers to brush against his most private entrance.

 

"Ah... W-wait... That's..."

 

Male prostitutes were expected to prepare themselves, stretching their own bodies in secret as they worked to please their clients. No one had ever taken Julius this deeply into their mouth, nor handled him with such care.

 

(Is it because he's not human? Because he's a wolf who feasts on flesh?)

 

For a moment, Julius forgot the demonic nature of the man and was frightened by the sheer depth of his own pleasure. His already trembling knees shook even more violently. What if the man suddenly transformed into a wolf mid-act, and what if—what if he devoured him whole, starting with his most vulnerable parts?

 

The thought terrified him. Would he cry out in agony as the man tore into him? Would Theo, asleep in the cupboard downstairs, awaken to this horror? The demon could decide a child's flesh was more appetizing than that of a grown man... the danger loomed heavy in Julius' mind.

 

"U..."

 

He bit his lip, determined not to make a sound, even as fear brought tears to his eyes. The moon, visible through the skylight above, seemed to blur and double as he blinked away the haze.

 

"Does it displease you so much?" the man teased, his voice a low murmur. "It shouldn't, not when you're like this."

 

"Ah...!"

 

Julius cried out as the man prodded his stiff member with a teasing finger. He instinctively moved to bite down on his lip again, but was quickly stopped by the man's voice: "Don't bite." The face before him, slightly irritated yet amused, hovered above his own, the man's dark eyes shining with curiosity.

 

Seeing the fear in Julius' expression, the man sighed.

 

"I have no desire to force someone against their will. If you're trembling this much, we can stop."

 

"No, no... it's not that... It's just... You touched me, you licked me... I'm not used to this..."

 

"Isn't that how it's done in your northern village?"

 

"I'm... I'm a male prostitute... I'm the one who's supposed to be pleasing you..."

 

"There's nothing odd about this," the man chuckled. "Isn't it only natural to want to enjoy ourselves? What's the fun in sharing a bed if there's no pleasure in it? The men from your village sound like a dull lot."

 

"Fua-a..."

 

With a wet, slick sound, the man's fingers slipped inside, and Julius collapsed back against the bed, clutching at the sheets. The man's fingers moved skillfully, widening the narrow passage with practiced ease.

 

"It would be a sin not to enjoy yourself with a response like that."

 

"Mn... ugh..."

 

"You look like you're enjoying it quite a bit. Such a sweet expression."

 

Unable to refute the man's words, Julius arched his back further, stifling the soft cries that escaped him. His limbs refused to obey, his toes curling in response to the intense sensation. It was as if the man had unlocked something deep within him, finding the most sensitive places and pressing upon them with purpose.

 

"Ha-a... Ah... Ah!"

 

The man's fingers quickened their pace, sending shudders through Julius' body. The creaking of the bed echoed in time with the rising tension, drawing him closer and closer to the inevitable peak.

 

"Fua... A-a..."

 

But just as he neared that sweet release, the man slowed his movements, leaving Julius suspended on the edge, writhing in delicious agony.

 

"Ugh... U-u... Mn..."

 

Tears gathered in Julius' eyes as he looked at the man, filled with both frustration and pleading. His body, yearning for more, tightened around the fingers inside him, as though desperate to pull them deeper, to beg for another taste of the pleasure he was being denied.

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