<Chapter 26>
#3. The Only Ones Who Don’t Know (6)
Calix, who had politely waved his palm side to side to signal “goodbye,” slammed the carriage door with all his might. He glared at the coachman who was frozen in place with a bewildered expression, unable to properly grasp the situation.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”
“Y-yes, sir…?”
The expression disappeared from Calix’s face as he looked at the bewildered coachman. Breaking out in a cold sweat, the coachman made a gulping sound and fixed his gaze straight ahead. Then he hurriedly drove the carriage back the way they had come. Watching the carriage grow smaller until it was barely visible, Calix wore a satisfied expression as he turned his head to the side.
Melty, who couldn’t readily understand why the carriage had disappeared again with Johaim in it, still wore a confused expression. Calix grabbed his arm and pulled him close to his side, then vigorously dusted off his clothes.
“Look at all this dirty sheep wool on you. Why were you coming with that guy anyway?”
“I just happened to meet him while walking around town, and he said he was staying here too…”
A “bang-bang” sound rang out with each swipe of his hand. He was dusting so aggressively that Melty’s body involuntarily flinched with each pass of his hand. They had merely been in the same carriage space; there had been no special close contact with Johaim. To begin with, Johaim was a sheep beast-person, not an actual sheep, so there was no way wool would have stuck to his clothes. Nevertheless, Calix continued to click his tongue and dust off Melty’s clothes repeatedly.
“What’s with the ‘-ssi’? Call him a bastard.”
“……”
Melty rolled his eyes at Calix’s language, which was clearly filled with animosity, and looked at Angel. In response to Melty’s gaze that demanded a detailed explanation, Angel could only offer a bitter smile. Angel had already suffered enough because Melty had gone down to the village alone, even before Calix’s instructions not to let Melty go to the village alone could be carried out.
Giving up on getting an answer from the exhausted-looking Angel, Melty turned to Calix, who appeared to be the only one who could explain the situation.
“Um, but… was there a problem with the invitation?”
“Problem? What problem.”
At Calix’s indifferent response, Melty blinked with a blank expression. Since he had been held by Calix continuously after getting out of the carriage, he had heard all the conversation between Calix and Johaim clearly. But contrary to what he had said to Johaim, Calix was acting as if there was no particular problem. With a puzzled expression, Melty added more detail to his question.
“You told him earlier to check the date on the invitation carefully…?”
“Yes. I told him to check the date carefully.”
Melty frowned at Calix’s ready agreement. His curiosity only grew because Calix wasn’t giving a straightforward explanation.
“Is there something like a date of permitted entry to the mansion written on the invitation?”
“There’s no such thing.”
Calix, who had responded as if it were obvious, scanned Melty’s attire. Seemingly still dissatisfied despite having dusted him off thoroughly, he put his arm around Melty’s shoulders and started walking toward the mansion. Naturally being led along by him, Melty’s face was filled with curiosity.
“Then why did Johaim-ssi go back to the village?”
In response to Melty’s repeated questioning about whether there had been some reason, Calix snorted and replied.
“How would I know? That guy just went back to the village on his own, didn’t he? I only told him to check the date written on the invitation.”
Melty was left speechless at Calix’s brazen response. To anyone watching, his words had seemed to indicate that Johaim couldn’t enter the mansion. Even searching his memory, it was Calix who had sent the carriage back to the village. Yet here he was, acting like “I did nothing wrong.”
Melty’s mouth fell open at this absurd and outrageous situation. Then Calix, who smiled sweetly at him, lifted Melty’s chin to close his open mouth.
“Once you’re in the mansion, wash up and go to bed.”
“…But I haven’t had dinner yet…”
Wrinkles formed between Calix’s brows at Melty’s mumbling voice. Frowning, he looked down at Melty and opened his mouth.
“What time do you think it is? What have you been doing all this time without eating?”
“…Just… walking around and before I knew it…”
Although he had bought and eaten skewered meat, it wasn’t enough to count as dinner. Calix clicked his tongue lightly as he watched Melty rolling his eyes with his hand on his stomach, and continued.
“I’ll tell the chef to send food to your room, so wash up first before eating.”
Melty nodded obediently at his words. Turning his head slightly backward, he saw an empty space where the carriage had been as if it had never existed. Watching Calix carefully, Melty cautiously opened his mouth.
“But why did you just send Johaim-ssi back? After all, he’s a… guest…”
“Why would that guy be a guest? He’s an uninvited visitor.”
But he brought an invitation…
Melty’s mouth, which had opened to object, quietly closed at Calix’s irritated face. Even to an outsider like Melty, it was clear that the Padrian family, who dealt with medicinal herbs, and the Sarvie family, who practiced medicine, couldn’t avoid having a relationship. Nevertheless, Calix was openly showing his dislike for Johaim.
Instead of speaking, Melty’s gaze dropped downward as he wiggled his fingers and watched Calix’s reaction. Judging from how Calix wrinkled his face at just the syllable “Jo” of Johaim, it seemed that the relationship between him and Johaim was not good.
‘We agreed to go to the temple together tomorrow… How will I meet him?’
Since Johaim had said he was staying at the mansion too, Melty hadn’t thought their schedules might not align. That’s why he hadn’t set a specific time and meeting place. But due to Calix’s actions, their location was disrupted, causing a problem with the timing as well.
Unless Johaim, realizing he had been deceived by Calix, returned to the mansion to stay, Melty had no way of knowing where Johaim would spend the night. In other words, it meant he couldn’t go find where Johaim was staying to convey a message.
Calix frowned as he glanced at Melty, who remained lost in thought even after arriving at the mansion. He had received the news too late that Melty had gone out alone without anyone accompanying him and hadn’t returned until late. He was just about to press Angel and go searching when, of all things, Melty showed up with Johaim. Clicking his tongue at the irritating scene that still bothered him, Calix moved his hand to ruffle Melty’s soft hair wildly.
“You don’t need to worry about that guy. Ignore him the next time you see him.”
“Ack!”
Melty froze in place at Calix’s words filled with animosity. Calix’s eyes narrowed at Melty’s expression, which made no attempt to hide his surprise.
“What’s with that reaction?”
At Calix’s interrogation, Melty trembled and flinched with his shoulders. Calix grabbed Melty’s shoulders as he was slowly backing away as if about to run, and smiled brightly. Unlike his curved lips, his eyes, which weren’t smiling at all, were exuding a menacing atmosphere. Making a sad face while fidgeting with his interlocked fingers, Melty carefully opened his mouth while watching Calix’s reaction.
“I already promised to go to the temple together tomorrow…”
“What? What part of that guy did you trust to make such a promise?”
Annoyance was evident in Calix’s question. A faint trace of dissatisfaction appeared on Melty’s face as he closed his mouth while watching Calix’s reaction. It wasn’t as if he was lending money or becoming a guarantor; it was merely going to the temple together. Of course, they had just met today, but through their conversation, he could feel sufficiently that Johaim was a good person. Moreover, it was just agreeing to visit the temple together. Calix, unaware of Melty’s steadily accumulating dissatisfaction, spoke in a cold tone.
“Forget it. The promise will be canceled anyway…”
“No, it won’t.”
Calix hesitated at Melty’s sulky tone that cut off his words.
“What?”
“I said, it. will. NOT. be canceled.”
Melty glared at Calix and folded his arms. His folded arms raised his chest, pushing it forward prominently. That exaggerated movement, intended to show his anger, was both trivial and cute, leaving Calix at a loss for words with a strange expression that couldn’t decide whether to cry or laugh. Seeing his expression and thinking his behavior had worked, Melty continued in an even more dignified tone.
“You don’t like Johaim-ssi? Why?”
“Why, you ask? Should I like a guy like that?”
To Calix’s question that dripped with incredulity, Melty nodded emphatically. Calix was dumbfounded by his bold behavior. He had bought clothes for Melty, given him a rare “Ollua,” and paid him a lot of attention, yet Melty was taking the side of someone he had met just for a day, which displeased him. Despite flinching under Calix’s sharp gaze, Melty faltered but did not avert his eyes.
Meanwhile, Angel’s eyes grew cold as he watched the two people blocking the entrance to the mansion, engaged in what could either be a fight or some affectionate bickering disguised as squabbling. Angel, who had been following Calix all along due to his mood that had dropped like a low-pressure system, wanted to go home. Above all, he was cold from standing outside without having put on an overcoat. He sincerely wanted to move these two people aside and go inside quickly. Watching both of them carefully, Angel cautiously opened his mouth in the cold silence that had settled between them.
“Excuse me…”
“That’s why I’m asking. What kind of person is he anyway?”
“Um, I was just saying…”
“You can tell just by looking. Ah! That guy is a damned bastard!”
“…There’s someone standing here…”
“I don’t see that at all. Johaim-ssi is extremely kind and polite.”
Angel’s voice, trying to assert his presence by quietly raising his hand, was repeatedly drowned out by Melty and Calix raising their voices. Calix drew in a sharp breath as Melty closed his eyes, stuck out his tongue to make a face, and then turned his head away sharply. Unlike Calix’s blazing eyes, Angel, who had sneezed after shuddering violently, finally raised his voice significantly.
“THERE’S SOMEONE STANDING HERE!!”
Angel, who had raised his voice to the fullest out of frustration at being treated like an invisible person, immediately hunched his shoulders as two pairs of eyes turned toward him. With a “ahem” fake cough, Angel watched their reactions carefully and gathered his breath. It was scary, but it was obvious that if he missed this chance, another opportunity wouldn’t come.
‘There are many people behind me.’
Angel, who clenched his fist and gathered strength, spoke with force in his eyes.
“Could you please have your important conversations in your room, and for now, can we go inside? Ah, haha…”
