Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 82

Christoph didn’t even know what sounds were erupting from his own mouth.

He just twisted and convulsed frantically, like a fish on a live wire, with all his might, as if to die.

For a while, Richard also suppressed Christoph’s body with all his might, clinging to his nipple like a newborn, but then he moved off his body.

Their chests and stomachs, which had been pressed together, and the arms that had tightly embraced his back, all separated at once.

The body heat that had been hot enough to burn his skin vanished, replaced by the cool air familiar to Christoph, enveloping his skin.

Christoph panted for breath with his whole body, staring blankly at Richard, unable to even blink his wide eyes.

Richard was kneeling on the ground about half a step away from Christoph.

He had a very strange look on his face.

Christoph had expected him to be sneering as usual, or looking down coldly, but Richard’s expression now was unreadable. Christoph couldn’t tell what kind of expression it was.

Then, suddenly, he faintly stiffened.

Richard’s penis was erect and swollen.

The dark, hideous mass of flesh was greatly engorged, with veins standing out, and it was raised high.

“…Don’t come near me.”

Christoph mumbled, shrinking his body.

His body trembled.

It was physically unbearable, regardless of fear or anger. His body simply couldn’t accept contact with anyone.

Richard frowned, about to say something, then closed his mouth. Then, suddenly, he looked coldly at Christoph and spoke in a low voice.

“Why now, all of a sudden? Didn’t you say you’d already had sex—that kind of relationship—with me? Then there’s no need to be so cautious now.”

“That doesn’t matter. I don’t care if you’re perverse or beat me or do anything, but don’t touch me!”

Richard said nothing. Quietly, he scrutinized Christoph. His gaze swept from head to toe, then traced its way back up, lingering on Christoph’s lips.

He stared intently at the lips he had just moments ago bitten and sucked as if to swallow, then slowly lowered his gaze. To the body they had embraced, and then to the red, swollen, wet nipples.

And.

“…”

Richard suddenly raised an eyebrow. His eyes widened slightly, as if he had seen something strange, then he returned his gaze to Christoph’s face.

He slowly raised a hand and lightly cupped his own penis. He began to stroke the already stiff, erect member.

Unlike before, when it had hung limp and powerless even after being stroked for quite some time, the penis, which had already been somewhat raised, swelled even larger after a few strokes.

To Christoph, who was looking at him with horrified eyes, Richard gave a laugh that resembled a sneer. And he said,

“You should check your own crotch before telling me not to touch you.”

Christoph looked down in bewilderment. Then he was dumbfounded and speechless.

His own penis, though only slightly, had gained strength. It wasn’t limp as usual, but slightly aroused.

Why…?!

Christoph’s eyes widened as he stared down for a long time, then slowly raised his head. To Christoph, whose face was pale but whose eyes were wide, Richard took a step closer.

“No need to look so clueless. It’s simple. Regardless of your twisted mental structure or your near-obsessive sensitivity, you’re just built that way. Your body is just absurdly sensitive. …Lucky you, Christoph. The suffering will only be for a moment.”

As Richard said that and took another step, Christoph’s face turned ashen.

Naturally, Malik and his entourage were seated at the head table—the elder was not attending the banquet.

That point was, of course, understandable. This banquet was prepared for them.

However, Jeong Taeui couldn’t understand why he was seated at the limited banquet table, which only had about a dozen seats. Even if he were given the very last seat, he would have been grateful—though still wondering why he was invited—but he was seated not far from Malik.

And Jeong Taeui soon realized the reason.

“By the way, I heard Mr. Jeong Jaeui recently completed his research related to RCS?”

“Is Mr. Jeong Jaeui planning to stay at UNHRDO?”

“We are always looking for excellent talent. My superior believes there is no resource as excellent as human resources.”

“UNHRDO strictly limits personal contact. But if you’re brothers, you must be in frequent contact.”

To Malik, who spoke to Jeong Taeui once every ten sentences, Jeong Taeui gave empty smiles and answered only in monosyllables: “Yes,” “Well,” “Is that so?” “No.”

It could be called honest, but it was remarkably blatant. If there wasn’t some other hidden meaning, it would be difficult for his intentions to be so transparent.

If Jeong Taeui had been planning to go to Frankfurt, he might have unconsciously said, “Yes, I’ll convey your message.”

While Malik was talking to a Tarten member seated next to him, Jeong Taeui idly poked at his appetizer and quietly looked around.

If someone from Tarten was seated here, they must be someone with influence over the succession decision. Indeed, most of the unfamiliar people seated at the table were formidable-looking middle-aged or elderly men.

Amidst them, one seat was conspicuously empty.

It was across from Malik, two seats away from Jeong Taeui.

Recalling the person who should have been in that seat but was absent, the answer came easily.

“Was the tiger balm that potent…?”

Jeong Taeui muttered quietly to himself, looking at Richard’s empty seat. He felt Ilay’s gaze next to him, but Ilay simply said nonchalantly, “He’ll be here soon.”

Jeong Taeui thought that even if Christoph wasn’t visible, Richard should definitely be here, but again, Malik suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

“Speaking of which, I heard Mr. Jeong Jaeui is going to Frankfurt soon, so you’ll finally meet him.”

“Huh? Oh… no, I won’t be going.”

Jeong Taeui shook his head. Then, suddenly remembering the chilling brotherly reunion plan of the man sitting right next to him, he quickly added,

“There’s no real need to meet him. I’ll meet him later if the opportunity arises. When it’s convenient for both of us.”

As Jeong Taeui smiled and spoke, Malik nodded, saying, “I see.” Was it just his imagination, or did even that ‘I see’ sound somewhat significant?

Jeong Taeui shrugged, thinking of the man who was this man’s superior. Recalling the man who paid a cruel price for kidnapping and confinement, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue bitterly.

To summarize, Malik came for the contract signed with a Saudi Arabian state-owned company. And that kidnapper is said to be Malik’s superior. At the same time, he is the protégé of a full brother of a prince who is engaged in a power struggle within the regime…

Thinking that far, Jeong Taeui pressed his temples, which were beginning to throb. He decided to sort that out later, as further thought would give him a headache, and opted for a joke to clear his head.

“By the way, which Saudi state-owned company? Surely not Aramco or something like that? Haha.”

Jeong Taeui’s light remark, spoken softly enough for only Ilay next to him to hear, was a pure joke.

“You know it well.”

However, the light response was not in a joking tone.

Jeong Taeui’s smiling face stiffened slightly. Then he looked at Ilay with very dubious eyes and unnecessarily poked his side with his elbow.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“…”

Jeong Taeui closed his mouth. The smile had already vanished from his face.

The reason he mentioned that company’s name was simply because it was the only Saudi state-owned company he knew of with his limited economic knowledge.

“The Aramco I’m talking about is a very successful unlisted company…”

He mumbled, wondering if there was another company with the same name, and Ilay next to him responded just as lightly.

“There’s no unlisted company with a higher corporate value than that one in the entire world.”

This time, Jeong Taeui truly closed his mouth.

He felt a headache coming on. Suddenly, Malik, who was sitting at the VIP table ahead, seemed quite formidable.

“That man, Raman… was he in an important position at Aramco?”

As Jeong Taeui muttered with a disgusted look, Ilay looked at Jeong Taeui with a strange expression for a very brief moment, then said, “Ah, I see.”

“Right, there was a misunderstanding. Raman is that man’s superior, but he has no connection to Aramco.”

“What do you mean?”

“That man’s superior, to be precise, is Al-Faisal. He was originally Al-Faisal’s chief attendant. Although he temporarily held a position at Aramco instead of going to Al-Faisal’s business, he is still essentially Al-Faisal’s chief aide.”

“…Could you explain it more simply?”

“There was an agreement between Aramco and Faisal, where Aramco granted Faisal full authority over the loan repayment negotiations. That’s why that man temporarily got a position at Aramco. He’ll probably return to Faisal once this is over.”

“No, more simply, simply.”

Jeong Taeui said, pressing and rubbing his temples.

Ilay, who lightly moistened his lips with a glass of water, explained it very simply.

“It means that Al-Faisal can be considered the actual creditor in the loan repayment.”

“Good. Very easy to understand.”

Jeong Taeui took his hand off his temples and put his mouth to the beer glass he had requested from a servant.

Al-Faisal.

He was the full brother of Prince Ali, a key figure in the faction that ultimately won the power struggle that had secretly raged within the Saudi Arabian royal family for several years until about last year.

Although he had withdrawn from the power struggle early on, if he could negotiate independently with a state-owned enterprise of that scale, his power must be beyond imagination.

And at the same time, that man—.

“He’s Raman’s guardian, then…”

Somehow, the beer tasted bitter, Jeong Taeui muttered, putting down his beer glass.

“And a guardian who gives him very strong support, too.”

Ilay added, as if reading Jeong Taeui’s thoughts.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head, “Hmm.”

That was why.

The reason he couldn’t easily relax, even though the man named Malik had been showing him a very favorable attitude.

As far as Jeong Taeui remembered, Raman had disliked Jeong Taeui. He didn’t know why. Anyway, he had disliked Jeong Taeui from the first time they met.

“And since he ruined that magnificent villa and escaped, how hateful he must have been. Of course.”

Jeong Taeui nodded to himself.

This time, the one who had ruined that magnificent villa said nothing.

Oh well, I don’t know. I just have to hope we never meet again.

Just as Jeong Taeui sighed lightly and began to use his fork again.

The door opened and Richard entered, belatedly.

Apologizing to everyone for being late, he sat down in the empty seat and soon blended into the conversation as naturally as if he had been there from the beginning.

“Is the food to your liking?”

When Richard asked, Malik smiled broadly and nodded.

“Every dish is excellent. I feel like I could live here.”

“Ahaha, please feel free to stop by anytime you come to Germany. It’s quite regrettable that you can only stay for a few days this time.”

Even though it was a formulaic, manual-like conversation, one of Richard’s great qualities was that when it came from his mouth, it felt like genuine sincerity.

Jeong Taeui looked admiringly at Richard, whose friendly smile never left his face, seeming utterly without pretense. Meanwhile, Richard and Malik’s social conversation continued.

“Before dinner, I took a walk and looked around the estate, and the walking path in the forest is very nice.”

“Ah. Beyond that, it connects to the foothills of the mountain, so you should be careful not to go too deep, or you might get lost. However, the mountain terrain isn’t too rugged, so there’s never been a big problem so far.”

“Oh, a mountain. That’s good. When I was young, I often went hunting during my holidays, but I haven’t been able to enjoy it since I got busy with work.”

“In that case, during your stay here, since tomorrow is already scheduled, would you like to go for a light run the day after tomorrow? Around this time of year, red foxes come down from the mountain range.”

“Red foxes, it’s been quite a while.”

Glancing at Malik, whose eyes sparkled with delight at the mention of hunting, Jeong Taeui felt a slight relief that he probably wouldn’t bring up Jeong Jaeui for a while, and focused on his meal. Indeed, the best way to change an unwanted topic is to introduce another topic the other person likes.

Jeong Taeui enjoyed his meal, grateful to Richard for throwing out a perfectly good topic, even if it wasn’t for Jeong Taeui’s sake.

At the same time, he kept glancing towards the door.

He had expected Christoph to come with Richard, but it seemed Richard had come alone. He wondered if Christoph would follow a little later, but since he hadn’t arrived even though the meal was halfway through, it seemed he wouldn’t be coming to this gathering.

He had overheard earlier that Richard and Christoph seemed to have had a rather rough fight, and seeing Richard come alone somehow made him a little uneasy.

He didn’t think someone of Christoph’s caliber would be dying in some corner, but still.

“By the way, isn’t Christoph with you?”

Jeong Taeui subtly asked, taking advantage of a brief lull in the conversation.

With the same easy smile on his face, Richard turned his head towards Jeong Taeui. Their eyes met.

“…?”

Was it his imagination? His gaze felt a little sharp for a moment.

But when Jeong Taeui tilted his head and looked again, Richard was smiling kindly as usual.

“He’s not feeling well and is probably lying down now. Actually, if you don’t mind after dinner, please look in on him. Jeong Taeui will be happy if you go. …Though I don’t know if he’ll be awake.”

Jeong Taeui replied, “Ah, yes,” to Richard, who spoke with a slight shake of his head, as if concerned.

Judging by his tone, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured. Indeed, Richard, who often fought Christoph almost equally, was sitting perfectly fine, although there were still traces of wound treatment on his forehead and neck.

Next to Jeong Taeui, who was busily using his fork, thinking he should stop by Christoph’s room before returning to his own after dinner, Ilay looked at Richard with cool eyes.

“Wouldn’t you be displeased if this fellow went to see Christoph?”

At Ilay’s low words, Richard looked at him with strange eyes. Then he laughed in disbelief.

“No. Why would I be displeased?”

“You don’t seem to intend to hide it.”

This time, Richard frowned slightly, smiling as if displeased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rick. Isn’t there such a thing as pretending not to know when you do?”

Ilay put down the glass he was holding. And he spoke quietly but firmly.

“As long as you don’t involve people who shouldn’t be involved, I don’t care about your business at all. I would be displeased if this fellow went to see Christoph, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to send him. Although I understand what you’re trying to show.”

Richard looked at Ilay for a moment and was silent. A faint smile briefly appeared on his lips, as if he was thinking about something. Then he smiled gently and slightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Rick, I have no other intention. I just thought that since they’re good friends, it would be nice if he went to check on Christoph, who is unfortunately confined to bed.”

“If he’s so unfortunate, you take care of him.”

Ilay’s voice remained low.

However, it wasn’t so low that Jeong Taeui, sitting right next to him, couldn’t hear it.

Some subtle conversation was happening…, and it didn’t feel refreshing.

It wasn’t clear what Richard was trying to say, or what Ilay was implying.

“What? Is Christoph very unwell?”

Jeong Taeui interjected, taking advantage of the brief pause in their conversation.

For a moment, no answer came.

As Jeong Taeui’s mouth slightly twisted at the subtle unease, Richard quietly answered instead of Ilay.

“There’s nothing to worry about. He’s been mentally exhausted and physically drained lately, so he just has a slight fever right now.”

“Ah… yes…”

Richard quietly pressed his mouth with a napkin, waiting for a new plate. A brief silence followed.

As Jeong Taeui tilted his head in ambiguous confusion, Richard suddenly spoke to his uncle, who was sitting nearby, as if something had just occurred to him.

“By the way, Uncle, I’m thinking of bringing Aunt Bianca to Dresden soon.”

His uncle, who had been talking to the person next to him, asked back with a puzzled expression.

“Aunt Bianca, you mean…?”

“Aunt Bianca, that is, Christoph’s mother.”

Regarding Richard’s calm answer, his uncle was silent for a moment. He frowned in bewilderment for a while, looking at Richard, then asked again, “Hmm?”

“You mean, you’re bringing her back to Tarten?”

Richard smiled and shook his head.

“No. Since the succession date is approaching anyway, and Christoph seems a bit unstable, I just thought that her staying for a while might calm him down a bit.”

Then his uncle slowly nodded.

“Indeed, the succession date is approaching, so it’s almost time for others to gather. Do as you please.”

Richard gave a trustworthy smile and concluded the conversation.

And Jeong Taeui, unconsciously, stopped his movements and looked at him.

Christoph’s mother.

—If Christoph’s mother comes, he’ll become even more unstable.

Words he had once heard suddenly flashed through his mind.

—The way that guy thinks, in a similar way to other people, is because of his mother. His mother, who terribly fears and loathes him.

Along with those words, he recalled the elegant, gentle voice that had leaked through the receiver. And Christoph’s face when he picked up that receiver.

His face, turning pale and stiff. His lips, trembling with a bluish tint. In contrast to such an appearance, his quiet, calm, short answers whispered into the receiver.

That pale face, unstable like thin glass that could break at any moment, overlapped with Richard’s face, who was smiling gently next to him.

Jeong Taeui quietly put down his fork. His appetite was gone.

Then, suddenly, he noticed white fingers tapping on the table directly in front of him.

He looked up and saw Ilay looking down at him.

“When the succession date approaches, close relatives come to Tarten unless there’s a special reason not to.”

Christoph’s mother, too, would come to Tarten soon enough, whether late or early.

Jeong Taeui nodded, looking at Ilay, who quietly reiterated the fact. “Yes,” he quietly replied.

As he said, the succession decision date was approaching.

There wasn’t much time left to stay at Tarten.

Nor for the day when their future direction would be decided.

[To be continued in Volume 4]