Chapter 8: In Plymouth (1)

Right before his eyes was a face as delicate and cold as a sculpture of ice. Since the proximity was too close to know where to look, Claire lowered his head and pushed against Elpian’s chest with what little strength he had.

“Don’t do this. Someone like you could have anyone you want.”

“Did Mary Read advise you to negotiate with me using obedience as bait?”

Elpian caught Claire’s chin with his large hand, forcing him to make eye contact.

“There’s no such thing. I just heard about your… promiscuous lifestyle.”

Though Claire spoke accusingly, a glint of amusement appeared in those vivid green eyes. Elpian’s satisfied gaze fell upon Claire’s damp blond hair, his flushed cheeks, his sweet pink lips, and the straight line of his neck. Feeling the blatant desire, Claire’s face burned.

“You don’t need to do this to me. It seems there are plenty of people who want you. Or is it a perverted hobby of yours to enjoy forcing yourself on others?”

“Perhaps it is.”

Even with the deliberate provocation, Elpian seemed unbothered. He leisurely peeled away the linen cloth Claire was still wrapped in. Claire grabbed Elpian’s fingers as they began to undo the ties of his loose shirt.

“You said you kidnapped me because you needed a doctor! If you keep doing this, I won’t cooperate, ugh—!”

Elpian pushed forward with such force that Claire couldn’t finish his sentence. Toppled back and sinking into the bed, Claire looked up at Elpian, who loomed over him and bared his white teeth in a threatening grin.

“Don’t try to be clever. Just empty your mind and do as you’re told.”

“Do you take me for some kind of fool?”

“A fool. Hearing the things you’re saying now, it’s certainly a plausible thought.”

Elpian continued coldly with a sneer.

“If you heard about me from Mary Read, you should know well enough. If you aren’t an idiot, wouldn’t it be better to be submissive for a week or two until I tire of you, rather than wasting your energy?”

“Don’t act like a week or two is nothing! To the person suffering, it feels like an eternity! If I’m going to be here anyway, then from the start, treat me properly—”

“Did you think I would believe you and let my guard down just because you said you’d become a pirate?”

His true intentions exposed, Claire fell silent. Elpian brushed Claire’s hair back and brought his face closer.

“This little head is filled with nothing but transparent, foolish thoughts.”

Claire glared at Elpian in a surge of resentment. Elpian accepted the gaze with ease and laughed.

“This is your honest face.”

“Is forcing me to a breaking point really what you want?”

“Honest defiance is simply better than false obedience.”

Elpian pressed his red lips against Claire’s. When Claire clamped his mouth shut in refusal, Elpian bit his neck hard. Claire let out a low cry of pain, and Elpian’s tongue surged deep between his parted lips.

The sound of the waves, which dominated the ship all day, felt like it was coming from far away. Since everything else was silent, only the lewd sound of lips being explored echoed in the room. After violating Claire’s tongue for a long time and leaving his own saliva inside the other’s mouth, Elpian pulled his persistent lips away.

Resting his forehead against Claire’s—who was still gasping, unaccustomed to the kiss—Elpian whispered in a low voice.

“Once you truly obey me from the bottom of your heart, you’ll get your share without having to play these tricks. And I will stop restraining you.”

“That day will never come.”

Knowing there was no point in lying, Claire spoke flatly. Elpian kissed Claire’s soft cheek with a distinct pop and laughed.

“Everyone says that at first.”

Claire hated that confident voice, but he couldn’t speak because of Elpian’s hands, which had suddenly slipped beneath his clothes. Elpian kissed him again as he untied the strings of his shirt.

In an instant, his top was removed, and his trousers and underwear fell to Elpian’s hands as well. Stripped bare, Claire curled inward, but he ended up with his legs forced apart under Elpian’s weight.

Elpian admired the flawlessly white, soft body without a hint of hesitation.

Though it was a body he had already seen, the shame remained. Elpian bit into Claire’s neck and began to tease his nipples with his fingers.

“No, don’t.”

“Your mouth says no, but your body is reacting.”

Elpian rubbed Claire’s nipples, which had grown pointed under his touch, before licking them with his tongue. The lips of this man, who spoke only cold words, moved with surprising softness, causing Claire to suck in a sharp breath.

The sensation of a tongue rolling over and sucking a nipple that had never been touched before was unbelievably stimulating. While Claire arched his back and tried to hold back his groans, Elpian’s hand firmly wrapped around the member between his legs.

Startled, Claire’s voice rose.

“Don’t do that! Just… just do what you want to me. Why, why are you—ah—!”

It would have been better if Elpian had simply pursued his own pleasure and finished, but instead, he was driving Claire toward arousal. Tears welled in the corners of Claire’s pretty eyes as he felt his own penis swelling within the man’s skillful grip. It felt more wretched than when he had been forced to take the man in his mouth.

“No matter how much you say you hate it, this is what happens with just a little stimulation.”

“No, this… it’s a lie.”

“Go ahead and deny it. How long can you hold out? A week? Two?”

Claire shook his head frantically to drive out the whispers echoing in his ear. But every time the tongue licked upward from below his nipple, his movements subsided. Lacking any immunity to the touch of another, Claire could not withstand the lewd handiwork and eventually let out a high-pitched moan.

As if enjoying the reaction, the fingers stimulating his genitals became more intense and rhythmic. Under the hand that swept up and down with strength, Claire finally couldn’t hold back and released himself.

The chillingly intense pleasure lasted only a moment, quickly replaced by a devastating sense of self-loathing. After wiping the semen-stained stomach with his fingers, Elpian brought his hand—covered in the white, sticky fluid—up to Claire’s face. He pushed his fingers between Claire’s red lips and spoke.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop. You won’t escape anyway.”

“Ugh… stop… mmgh…”

“If you want to be liberated from suffering, then be tamed. That is the only path to freedom.”

Claire bit down on the fingers, but Elpian didn’t flinch, instead pinning Claire’s tongue down. Only after a long while, when Claire’s struggling had ceased, did Elpian release him with a satisfied expression. Leaving a single long trail of a tear, Claire closed his eyes as if he had given up.

The next morning, Claire woke up in Elpian’s bed.

Only after looking around the room and confirming he was alone did he relax his tension. He looked down to check his body.

He saw the marks Elpian had left on his chest and neck. However, he was clean, with no traces of saliva or ejaculate. He moved his limbs cautiously; there was no discomfort, and he actually felt refreshed. He felt a small sense of relief that nothing worse seemed to have happened after he lost consciousness.

He wanted to leave the room before Elpian returned, wherever he had gone. Hurriedly putting on the clothes laid out on the table, Claire stepped outside and immediately ran into Mary Read in the corridor.

“Oh, you’re finally up. You were making some good noises last night, so I guess you slept well.”

Claire frowned in displeasure as his face reddened, but Mary Read was beaming.

“You used that much energy, so you must be hungry. Shall we go to the mess hall?”

“I don’t really want to eat.”

“Don’t be like that, come on. No one’s there right now.”

Mary Read forced Claire along by the wrist. Judging by the shadows from the large windows in the corridor, the sun was high, yet the mess hall was empty.

After rummaging through the food bins and pulling out some ship biscuits, Mary Read handed one to Claire and sat across from him. As he nibbled on it, Claire suddenly realized he could barely feel the ship swaying.

“We arrived in Plymouth much earlier than expected.”

Mary Read spoke as if she had read his mind. Claire’s mouth parted slightly at the news that they had reached Plymouth while he was asleep.

“Everyone, including the Admiral, has gone down to the docks. Right now, it’s just you and me in this corridor.”

He was about to ask why she hadn’t gone out when he realized she had stayed behind as his guard. Mary Read began to chatter, biting into the hard biscuit with a loud snap.

“We’ll be anchored in Plymouth for a week. We’re going to overhaul the ship, restock the cannonballs, and give her a good scrub and polish. After all, we’re meeting the First Fleet. We can’t look shabby.”

He had been discouraged because he hadn’t even confirmed if Henry was alive, let alone helped him escape before reaching land, but the fact that they were staying in Plymouth for quite a while was a small comfort.

“We stayed in London for too short a time. When Giltre comes back, I’m going out too and buying a ton of food. Want me to get you something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Don’t be shy. I found some pretty good stuff when I went to where the prisoners are held yesterday.”

“How are the prisoners doing?”

“The prisoners? They’re all sunburnt, haven’t eaten properly, and they’re tied to posts looking like they’re half-dead.”

Claire’s face paled at the thought of the suffering Henry must be going through.

“Are they just kept tied up like that?”

“Until they’re released, I guess.”

Answering dismissively, Mary Read only then noticed that Claire’s complexion was poor. Realizing he was worried about his friend, she added quickly:

“Most of the prisoners will be processed and moved out here in Plymouth. We need to clear space in the hold for cargo. As long as the ransom is paid properly, you shouldn’t have much to worry about.”

Even those words didn’t put him at ease. Henry’s only family was his widowed mother, and as far as Claire knew, they didn’t have the means to pay a massive ransom. Furthermore, he needed Henry’s help to escape.

Since he had been tied up for days, Henry wouldn’t be able to walk immediately even if he were released. He had to find a chance to locate Henry and hide him as soon as possible. Claire asked a question, trying his best to sound casual.

“What about Elpian? When is he coming back?”

“He’ll probably be back when it’s time to set sail. The Admiral is quite busy on land, you know. The women won’t leave him alone.”

Mary Read suggestively rolled her hips to imply what kind of ‘business’ Elpian was busy with. However, that was the last thing on Claire’s mind. His brain was working rapidly.

‘You said you could see right through what I’m thinking? You told me not to plot anything?’

No matter what that man had prattled on about, Claire didn’t have the slightest intention of giving up on his plan. In fact, he was filled with a desire to stab the back of the man who had humiliated him so.

Now that Elpian was gone, this was his golden opportunity. Claire clenched his white fists tightly under the table, hardening his resolve.

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