The winding road twisted and turned as far as the eye could see. Lucianus slowed his horse to a trot. He wanted to cross the ridge before sunset, but if he exhausted his horse before then, he wouldn’t have a chance. After a short climb, he came upon a fork in the road. There were no signposts, and both ways seemed equally wide—he wasn’t sure which path to take.
“Is something wrong?” said a man behind him. “Are you lost, red-haired beauty?”
Lucianus recognized the chubby man as the one who’d grabbed his arm last night and demanded him to pour a drink. The man approached the noble.
“Do you want to climb over the mountain?” he asked.
Lucianus nodded.
“Then you should take the path to your right. The left is a dead end—there’s only an abandoned charcoal hut.”
Lucianus bowed in gratitude and tried to lead his horse ahead when the man stopped him once more.
“One of the strings tying your belongings looks loose. You should fix it.”
When the noble turned back, he indeed found one of the strings almost undone. He’d left in a rush and must’ve been sloppy with his knots. He hopped off his horse and retied the string.
“Now you’re good,” the man said with a smile.
Maybe he’s actually a nice guy. But when Lucianus tried to mount his horse once more, the man grabbed the horse’s reins.
“It’s worrisome for a lady to be crossing the mountain alone,” the man said. “There’s a blizzard up there. Come on, you should head back.”
Lucianus was confused. Was this stranger being kind, or did he have some sort of ulterior motive? In any case, he had already resolved to cross the mountain and tried to grab his reins back from the main. After a short scuffle, the man tackled Lucianus, pushing him away.
“It’s your fault for not listening to my warning,” the man said. “It’s dangerous for you to keep climbing. Won’t the rest of you help me prevent her from going off on her own?”
Only then did Lucianus notice four men behind him—the ones who had caused a fuss while drunk last night. A lecherous smile stretched across their lips. They were likely after money and women, but they would have no hopes of gaining the latter if they attacked Lucianus.
“I’m a man,” the noble declared, knowing that his identity would be discovered sooner or later. “I’m dressing as a woman because I have to. I’ll give you a decent sum of money, so I ask that you don’t interfere with my journey.”
The men looked back in astonishment as they mumbled to each other.
“A man?”
“I don’t believe it. She must be lying.”
“But her voice is that of a man’s.”
“Don’t fret,” a man rumbled. His friends silenced as he emerged. This burly man with a scar on his cheek had been punched by Dominatus the night before. “I don’t care if he’s a man. He’s got a pretty face. Men and women are no different—they’ve both got a hole we can fuck. In fact, I think we can have more fun with him than some ugly woman on the streets.”
“He’s right,” the other men agreed, grinning once more.
“I don’t care if you’re a lady or a man. I don’t need your money. All I want is to take you by force.” The burly man turned back to his comrades. “Take him to the hut. Old Man Torres hurt his hip and is stuck in bed. I don’t think anyone else is there.”
The men quickly surrounded Lucianus and attacked the noble from behind before he could even unsheathe his blade. In the blink of an eye, Lucianus’s short sword was taken and he was carried to the hut. He screamed and struggled the entire time, but his efforts were in vain. He was carried into a hut a short distance from the fork in the road where a charcoal burner lived. It was a dirty and shabby place.
The men removed Lucianus’s cloak and fur coat, tied his arms behind his back, and rolled him onto the floor. The noble sat up and glared at the men.
“Don’t touch me,” Lucianus snapped. “I’d rather die than sleep with any of you.”
“What the hell are you saying? I don’t think you understand your situation,” the burly man replied. “Your husband—no, I suppose he isn’t. Well, in any case, he isn’t here, and no one’s around to protect you.” A cruel smile was plastered on his face; perhaps he was taking his rage against Dominatus out on Lucianus.
“All right, money first,” the man said.
He grabbed a small pouch around Lucianus’s waist. The noble had left half of his money for Dominatus, but there was still a decent amount inside. The men tipped the pouch over and scattered gold and silver coins all across a table.
“Holy!” one man shouted happily. “Look at all these gold coins, Boss!”
“I’d like to celebrate with a pint,” another said.
“Let’s buy some liquor later.”
Leaving behind his excited comrades, the burly man with a scar crouched in front of Lucianus and grabbed his hair. The wig came off, revealing his golden locks.
“You’ve got beautiful, blond hair,” the man said. “What a waste to hide it.”
He roughly tugged on the noble’s hair, placed a hand on his cheek, and forced him to look up.
“Oh, I’ll have some good fun with you,” the man said. “I’m far better than the man you were with.”
In response, Lucianus spat on the man’s face.
“You brat!” the man roared. He struck Lucianus across the cheek, sending him to the ground. The taste of blood started to fill his mouth.
“Once we’ve all enjoyed ourselves, I’ll sell you to a slave merchant,” the man growled. “You’d best be prepared.”
Lucianus was scooped up and he laid face down on the table. The hems of his clothes were rolled up to reveal his lower half, and the men tried to undo his waistcloth. Lucianus did his best to push away the men with his restrained arms.
“Stop it!” Lucianus yelled. “Don’t touch me!”
He didn’t want to be assaulted by these men. He’d strongly believed that only Dominatus could ever penetrate him, but Lucianus’s struggles were in vain. His waistcloth easily slipped off.
“You’ve got a smooth ass for a man,” the burly ruffian said. “It’s pale and round and soft. I can’t believe it! I’ll have more fun than I thought.”
He reached out and grabbed Lucianus’s buttock, his nails digging into the skin. Lucianus’s face twisted with pain. Behind him, he heard the man undo his own waistcloth. No! I absolutely don’t want this! I’d rather bite my tongue and kill myself than have these men play with my body as they please! For a split second, Lucianus considered doing just that, but he’d never get to see Dominatus again. The gladiator was so dear and precious to him.
Even if Dominatus’s love for Lucianus had waned and the gladiator betrayed him as he pleased, Lucianus’s love still lingered. I love only Dominatus. That fact won’t change, no matter what. Being defiled by these men makes me so furious that I’d much rather die, but I must survive. I want to live and see Dominatus again. I just want to see him once more.
One of the men spat on his hand and rubbed it onto his dick. Lucianus felt something dirty pressed against his anus. To survive, he had no choice but to accept this cruel and absurd fate. He squeezed his eyes shut and feared the worst.
“I thought I told you last night. Don’t you dare lay a finger on my wife,” a low voice rumbled, reaching Lucianus’s ears and encouraging him to open his eyes. That sounds like…
“When did you…” the burly man trailed off. He’d been a breath away from penetrating Lucianus, but he backed away hastily, and the other men also prepared to defend themselves.
Dominatus was standing by the door, the longsword he’d been gifted by Anela gripped firmly in his hand.
“I would’ve let you off if you just took the money, but you just tried to sully the most important thing in my life,” Dominatus said. “For that, you’ll pay a high price. Atone for your sins with your death.”
The pure wrath that he emanated from his body was completely different from the aura that surrounded him in a gladiator battle. The intense air that enveloped him was overwhelming.
“Y-you dare sound so high and mighty!” a man shouted.
The one closest to Dominatus raised his blade in the air and pounced, but Dominatus was too quick. In an instant, he pierced the ruffian’s chest with his blade. The man couldn’t process what had just occurred and gazed down at the sword emerging from his chest. When Dominatus drew his weapon back, the ruffian fell to the ground with a deafening thud.