Chapter 67: Chapter 67:
[Don’t read for now]
D
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comical if not for the circumstances. There was Alaric, his handsome face etched with worry as he gazed down at Carlton - and surrounding them were their seven children, all mirroring their father’s concern.
Cristian, Cristina, and Cristyn were perched on either side of Carlton’s prone form, their little bodies pressed close as if trying to shield him from further harm.
A sense of déjà vu washed over Carlton as he took in the scene before him. But then it all came rushing back - the mind-blowing sex marathon with Alaric from another world, the shocking realization that he’d been unknowingly cuckolding his own self...
Carlton quickly clutched at his body with both hands. He had passed out naked and covered in the evidence of their lovemaking - cum dripping from his ass, hickeys and bite marks adorning every inch of skin. The duke relieved to find that he was fully clothed this time around. Thank heavens for small mercies!
Alaric seemed to understand exactly what was going through Carlton’s mind. He leaned in close, stroking Carlton’s hair with a tenderness that belied the mischievous glint in his eye. His warm breath tickled Carlton’s ear as he whispered seductively:
"Relax my love," Alaric purred, his voice like honey. "I took the liberty of cleaning you up and dressing you while you were out. I couldn’t have our precious little ones seeing the, uh, ’love notes’ I’ve been inscribing upon your exquisite body these past few days now, could I?"
He looked like he’d just had the best few days of his life - which of course he had, since those days were spent balls deep in Carlton’s royal booty. The duke couldn’t help but blush at the memory.
Carlton swallowed hard and tried to gather his scattered wits He glanced around nervously at their children - but thankfully they seemed too young to understand the implications behind their parents’ conversation.
As Carlton slowly sat up with Alaric’s help, he couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly things had changed between them. Gone was the awkward tension from before; in its place was a newfound intimacy.
Carlton’s heart raced as he had made a promise to himself - one that he intended to keep at all costs. No matter how tempting it might be to lose himself in Alaric’s arms once more, Carlton knew that he could never again allow himself to become entangled with another man...especially not when that man was married to his own self.
With a face as flat as a pancake, Carlton muttered his thanks to Alaric, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for cleaning my body and dressing me," he said softly. "I don’t want our children traumatized by seeing...well, you know."
Alaric’s expression shifted rapidly from one of smug satisfaction to stunned disbelief and finally settled on crestfallen disappointment. The emperor had been so certain that their time together had changed things between them - that Carlton would return from his slumber warm and loving and clingy as he used to be.
Who would have thought that sleep could make such a difference? If only Alaric had known, he would have locked Carlton in their room for a week straight! Fucked him senseless until he was too exhausted to think of anything but him and the pleasure only he could give him.
But alas, it seemed that the duke was as stubborn as ever. Alaric sighed heavily, knowing that pushing the matter further would only drive Carlton away. For now, he would simply have to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to present itself.
With a forced smile, Alaric leaned in close to Carlton’s ear. "Of course," he murmured smoothly. "Our children’s well-being is of the utmost importance. I’m glad we’re on the same page about that at least."
Carlton nodded in response to Alaric’s words, he then turned to their children with a forced smile, trying to act as if everything was normal. But before he could fully process this bombshell, a trio of mini-missiles struck his stomach with deadly force.
Cristian, Cristina, and Cristyn all lunged forward simultaneously, their tiny arms wrapping around Carlton’s midsection in a lethal embrace. The duke felt like he’d been hit by a freight train as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He swore he could taste blood at the back of his throat.
Good grief... I feel like I’m more likely to die at the hands of these kids than on any battlefield!
As if on cue, Alaric looked positively apoplectic at the sight of his children attacking their father. He quickly pried the triplets off Carlton and began rubbing soothing circles on the abused area.
"Are you alright?" Alaric asked anxiously, one hand already reaching for the summoning crystal that would call for the court physician. "Should I fetch Lucas?"
Carlton waved off his husband’s concern with a dismissive hand, still struggling to catch his breath. "It was just a little love tap," he wheezed. "I’ll be fine..."
But Alaric cut him off before he could finish, eyes wide with panic. "Just a little tap? Darling, you can’t be so flippant about this! Especially not in your condition!"
"Condition?" Carlton echoed blankly, brain short-circuiting at the implication. He stared at Alaric as if the emperor had suddenly sprouted a second head.
Alaric gripped Carlton’s shoulders tightly and shook him slightly, trying to snap him out of his stupor. "The baby!" he exclaimed impatiently. "Our baby! You’re pregnant!"
Carlton stared at Alaric blankly, his brain short-circuiting as if it had encountered an error message.
".....?????"
Baby... what baby.... ?
He blinked slowly, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he tried to process this revelation. The idea that he was now carrying another man’s child was almost too absurd to comprehend.
Maybe I really did die on the battlefield and this is some sort of twisted afterlife. At least it would explain why I keep waking up to increasingly ridiculous scenarios. I’d almost prefer being told I have to marry a gorilla than be saddled with this particular bombshell.
*****
in, save for a hastily ctivities.
rlton come to see you y displaying the physician’s own arousal. It seemed even a naked kidnapping by royal decree could not dampen Lucas’s lustful spirits.
God, this man is shameless. But if he knows where Carlton is, I’ll ignore the fact that he looks like he’s about to audition for a very different kind of royal service.
to return to his chamber."
Alaric’s eyes widened in alarm at Lucas’s revelation. Carlton had indeed been experiencing the effects of the fruit, just as he’d feared! The emperor’s heart raced with a full effects of that fruit right about... now." The physician glanced pointedly at the dark sky beyond the window.
was out there somewhere, vulnerable and needy, and he wasn’t by Carlton’s side to provide the comfort and release he so desperately required.
"wn a surge of frustration - he needed answers, and fast! But for now, all he could do was pray that Carlton was safe... and
Under the silver glow of the moon, the hedge dy feel like it’s on fire? And why am I suddenly overcome with this...this insatiable need for Alaric?"
The empress paused mid-step, bracing himself against one of the hedges as a wave of desire crashed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will away the intense arousal that threatened to consume him. But it was no use - every nerve ending in his body screamed for release.
"Is this some sort of aphrodisiac?" Carlton wondered aloud, desperation creeping into his tone. "But when did I ingest such a thing? And why would Alaric...?"
His thoughts trailed off as another shudder wracked his frame. Carlton’s mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation even as his body betrayed him. He knew he should return to the palace, seek out Alaric and demand answers...but the mere thought of seeing him sent a fresh surge of heat coursing through his veins.
The heat coursing through his veins demanded release - no, insisted upon it! But Carlton fought against it with every fiber of his being.
"I mustn’t give in," he ground out through gritted teeth. "I am Duke Carlton! I will not be ruled by my desires!"
But even as he spoke those defiant words, Carlton’s body betrayed him once more. His legs buckled beneath him and he pitched forward, his outstretched hands scrabbling for purchase against the dense foliage. For a moment, it seemed as though he might catch himself - but then his fingers slipped on the dew-slicked leaves and Carlton tumbled headlong into the hedge wall.
The impact knocked the wind from his lung, sending stars exploding across his vision. And in that instant of disorientation, Carlton felt something else take hold of him - a sensation like drowning in an endless sea of blackness. His thoughts scattered like leaves on the wind and all at once, everything went dark...
