DLBF Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Wait a Minute!

Chapter 2, Part 2.3

Novel Title: ルーデンドルフ公と森の獣 (Duke Ludendorff and the Beast of the Forest)

Author：かわい有美子 (Kawai Yumiko)

Illustrator: 周防佑未 (Suoh Yuumi)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 藤森賢士 (Kenji Fujimori -MC), ユリアン ルーデンドルフ (Julian Ludendorff -ML)

*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Fujimori, half in disbelief, allowed himself to be led by the hand.

Though a part of his mind was lightly panicking, his entire body still felt the lingering, soft afterglow of the kiss.

In Germany, he hadn’t had many close conversations with people, and since Americans aren’t as common in Japan, he wasn’t sure what to expect once you got close to someone. He had heard that Germans, despite their serious demeanour, could be quite eccentric when it came to sexuality. But he had never witnessed it firsthand.

The most likely explanation that came to mind was that Julian might be gay… But it was a difficult question to ask directly.

Even if Julian was gay, a man as beautiful as he was would probably have no trouble finding a partner…

Or perhaps, despite his shy nature, he was surprisingly open and free-spirited when it came to sexual matters.

As Julian placed the tray on the desk and prepared the Chesterfield chair for Fujimori, Fujimori’s mind was racing at an incredible speed, trying to make sense of everything.

“Thank you.”

As Fujimori sat down in the chair and accepted the cocoa, he expressed his gratitude. Julian responded with a gentle “You’re welcome,” and to Fujimori’s surprise, he perched himself on the armrest of the chair Fujimori was sitting in.

Startled by the unexpected closeness, Fujimori looked up at Julian, studying him intently.

“What is it?” Julian, on the other hand, asked with a somewhat sultry expression as he noticed Fujimori’s gaze.

“No, I’m just a little confused… about earlier…”

Fujimori found it difficult to outright say that he didn’t understand why he had been kissed by a man. And along with that, he couldn’t bring himself to ask why Julian was sitting so close.

“Uh… Is it okay to do that?” He unintentionally muttered in Japanese, which caused Julian to show a slightly troubled expression.

“You mentioned before that you’re not in a relationship, that you don’t have a steady partner, right? And that you’re not married.”

“I did say that…”

Fujimori nodded, remembering that he had mentioned those things while teaching Julian some Japanese as part of a self-introduction. Julian now looked even more perplexed.

“Did I offend you then?”

“No. I was just a bit surprised…”

Fujimori hesitated.

When asked if he was offended, that wasn’t it at all. On the contrary, he felt like he was floating. He was still dazed from the kiss. There was no sense of rejection or disgust at all.

But before even considering that they were both men, he was more puzzled by the lack of any concern over it from Julian’s side. Or perhaps, he had already missed the moment when he should have objected.

“I’m glad,” as Julian exhaled in relief, his face brightened with a genuinely happy expression.

Still unsure of what to make of the situation, Fujimori found his hand taken and lightly kissed.

Having never done or experienced anything like this before, Fujimori could only look up at the man in stunned silence.

“Wait… hold on a minute…” Realising what had just happened made him even more embarrassed than when he had been kissed earlier.

Feeling his face heat up as if it might catch fire, Fujimori tried to pull his hand free from Julian’s grasp. He had unconsciously reverted to speaking in Japanese.

After all, when someone kisses your hand like that, it’s hard to know how to respond. He had never once thought of kissing someone’s hand, let alone imagined being the recipient of such an act.

“You don’t like being kissed on the hand?”

Julian, still holding Fujimori’s hand with surprising strength, furrowed his brow.

“It’s not about liking it or not!”

Even though Julian wore a troubled expression, Fujimori was flustered. He felt like he was the one being inconsiderate.

To his horror, Julian leaned in closer. He was still holding Fujimori’s hand, bringing his lips closer once more.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute. No, I mean, wait!”

Fujimori managed to place his hands on Julian’s chest, who was much larger than him, and stopped the kiss from happening.

At such a close distance, with their breaths almost mingling, the sweet scent from earlier wafted up again.

Fujimori nearly staggered again from the intoxicating aroma. He barely managed to chide himself to stay composed.

“Could you please wait a little longer…?”

His pronunciation of German was shaky from the distress. But at that moment, he didn’t care about it.

Though usually he wouldn’t even make eye contact, Julian now stared directly into Fujimori’s eyes from an incredibly close distance with his silvery eyes half-lidded.

Fujimori thought to himself that this beautiful man seemed somewhat otherworldly.

Julian’s strikingly handsome face was frighteningly perfect, making Fujimori feel like he was being consumed. This was indeed happening. But it also felt like there was something otherworldly and monstrous about him.

Whether it was due to Julian’s terrifying beauty or the overall atmosphere…

In this dimly lit study with a mood straight out of a film or fairy tale, Fujimori was afraid of being swept away by this beautiful blond man.

In truth, he secretly thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be swept away… This was a secret he kept deep inside his chest.

Fujimori tried to find a small escape from his overwhelming turmoil, attributing his feelings partly to the atmosphere and partly to his natural curiosity.

Otherwise, he was terrified that his sense of identity as a man might collapse.

“…How long?” The low, hoarse voice of the man sounded almost like a growl.

Fujimori’s sight briefly wandered to Julian’s slightly pronounced canine teeth. Huh, aren’t his canines a little too protruding?… But this stray thought was likely due to his mind trying to escape from the current situation.

“At least one night…”

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*Translator’s Note: Is Julian releasing some kind of trapping pheromones like we normally see in Omegaverse??? I don’t know about you guys but I kinda sense some lust in that growl… -K

Next update: 2024.11.11

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