Gay Harem

Lover Number 7.1 ― The Start Of Everything

"Alf," Li Jie's body throbbed with exhaustion, his every muscle aching with a heaviness that mirrored his heart. Nothing about the previous night felt pleasurable or consensual to him. "I slept with someone."

Alfred paused, his gaze locked on Li Jie's troubled expression. The air grew thick with unspoken questions, with the weight of understanding hanging in the silence between them.

"The emperor ordered me to do so," Li Jie sighed, the weight of his duty pressing down upon him like an iron shackle.

They sat in the dimly lit room of the old tavern, a place that had become a sanctuary for the Orphic Order, their haven away from the suffocating walls of the palace.

After enduring two dates with different concubines and one night of unimaginable torment, the emperor finally granted Li Jie a day of respite from his duties.

But the memory of the emperor's smile, the pat on his shoulder, sent shivers down Li Jie's spine, an unshakeable feeling of disgust seeping into his very core.

"Was it... consensual?" Alfred's voice quivered with uncertainty, his words heavy with unspoken concern and empathy.

"He thought it was," Li Jie replied, his gaze drifting toward the window as if seeking solace beyond its glass pane. Then, he turned to face Alfred, his eyes clouded with a feeling of sorrow that threatened to drown him. "I can't even complain."

Alfred's heart ached for his friend, for the weight that Li Jie carried upon his slender shoulders.

The words struggled to find their way out of Alfred's mouth, stumbling over one another in an attempt to offer solace and understanding.

"But... Li Jie... That's not..." Alfred's voice trailed off, his heart breaking for the prince who seemed to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

"You're allowed to feel sad," Alfred finally managed to utter, his voice laced with tenderness and unwavering support.

"I do feel sad," Li Jie chuckled hollowly, his laughter devoid of any true joy. "I feel like I'm suffocating, but I just don't know how to show it."

Alfred's eyes filled with an unspoken understanding as he observed Li Jie, his once vibrant and spirited friend now reduced to a shell of his former self.

Alfred reached out and gently grasped Li Jie's hand, offering what little comfort he could at that moment.

"I've gathered the information you wanted," Alfred said, his voice filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. Completing the task assigned to him by Li Jie was the only way he knew to offer support. "About the harem and the nobles."

"Let's talk about the harem first," Li Jie said.

Alfred's grip on Li Jie's hand tightened ever so slightly. "The emperor promised the night routines to the harem members. It's one of the ways that we assume he managed to gain the support of certain officials and countries."

"Promised?" Li Jie scoffed bitterly, his eyes brimming with disillusionment. "He truly has no shame. So, the emperor begged for the harem members' support, huh?"

Alfred cleared his throat, a lump forming in his throat as he continued, his voice laden with a mix of apprehension and determination.

"Not necessarily. The position of the empress holds great weight, and most harem members come from esteemed families. They value their reputation, something that a mere concubine lacks, despite their potential strength."

Alfred paused, his eyes locking with Li Jie's, the weight of the truth hanging heavily between them.

"These are only my assumptions, but I strongly suspect that each harem member was promised more than just the chance to vie for the power of the empress. Otherwise, why would noble families agree to send their firstborns?"