<Chapter 77>
#9. Each One’s Role
Calix watched Melty, who was occupying the mansion’s library, with his chin resting in his hand. Perhaps because of the books stacked like towers on the desk, he looked as if he was buried. Calix furrowed his brow as he watched Melty’s hands moving busily.
His small stature and unusually round eyes greatly emphasized his innocent appearance. Moreover, whether because he had only recently become an adult or because he had been raised protectively by his family, his naive, innocent demeanor that knew little of the world was adorable beyond measure—it was lovable. The problem was that he wasn’t the only one who felt this way when looking at Melty.
‘So that’s why every single one of them is teaching him strange things.’
Recalling the things Melty had learned from people of other families, including the recent “offensive gesture” comment, Calix’s mood gradually sank. Just as he was mentally sharpening his knife, thinking he should clear out all those guys soon, he felt a gaze.
“What?”
“…That’s what I should be asking.”
Calix’s lips spread into a smile at the sight of Melty with his arms crossed and his lips pushed slightly forward. Calix tilted his body more toward him while still resting his chin in his hand.
“What were you going to ask?”
“If you have something to say, just say it. When you stare at me so intensely like that, I can’t concentrate at all.”
In response to Melty’s grumbling, filled with discontent, Calix reached out and took the notebook that Melty had been diligently writing in. Calix, who had scanned with his eyes the types of herbs that Melty had organized in his rounded handwriting similar to his own, smiled brightly and answered.
“For someone who can’t concentrate, you’ve organized this quite well, haven’t you?”
“I’m naturally good at organizing things!”
Melty, who seemed pleased with the compliment, puffed out his chest with a satisfied expression, then looked at Calix again with cold eyes.
“But this is something we need to handle quickly, right? So why are you distracting me, Calix-ssi? Weren’t you supposed to be busy?”
Calix, who had been staring at Melty with his chin resting in his hand, laughed softly at his question.
“I am busy.”
Although he had spoken the truth with his mouth slightly open, Melty didn’t seem to believe him at all. Calix, extending his hand toward Melty’s eyes full of distrust and suspicion, grabbed Melty’s nose lightly and then let go.
“I really am busy. I have a mountain of things to do.”
“Then why are you just observing people here?”
“I have many things to do, but I need to be able to do them.”
Question marks floated over Melty’s face at Calix’s words. To help him understand the situation, Calix kindly added an explanation.
“You probably didn’t notice because you’ve been stuck in here since before the sun rose, but it’s raining heavily outside right now.”
“Ah….”
Melty belatedly understood the situation after Calix’s explanation. After receiving the paper with the disease symptoms from Johaim, their workloads had been clearly divided.
Unlike Calix, who was going around checking the types and quantities of herbs that could currently be grown, Melty was meticulously organizing the materials within the Padrian estate. Following Calix’s instructions, his role was to organize which of the herbs effective against the disease that Johaim had listed should be available at this time of year.
It was a labor-intensive task because, although there was only a large volume, he had to go through books and documents that were organized haphazardly. As he had felt when he first started assisting Calix, Melty had quite an aptitude for organizing these things.
“In weather like this, even if I went out, the fog would be so thick that I couldn’t properly look for herbs.”
Since there were no windows in the library, it was impossible to notice the weather outside or the time. At Calix’s explanation, Melty nodded obediently in agreement. Calix chuckled as he watched Melty’s small head nodding compliantly to his words.
After being lost in thought for a moment, Melty looked around with a serious expression. After confirming that no one was around, he leaned far forward. With a smile on his lips, Calix willingly bent his head toward Melty, who was making a grave expression and gesturing for him to come closer.
“…But isn’t there something here too?”
“What?”
“You know, that… The Secret Garden.”
This place was restricted to outsiders, prohibiting entry without direct lineage permission. Even though there was no chance of anyone coming in, Melty whispered with his voice lowered considerably. As soon as he finished speaking, Melty covered his mouth with his hand and looked around from side to side. Calix let out a chuckle at his clumsy and careless movements that would have been detected within a minute if he had been infiltrating somewhere.
“Of course there is.”
“Shouldn’t you check there too?”
“You don’t need to worry about that place. Since it’s directly managed, the production amount and quality are quite consistent.”
Just as Melty, who had resolved his curiosity thanks to Calix’s kind explanation, was about to return his upper body to its original position, Calix cupped his chin with one hand as if he had anticipated Melty trying to escape. Calix smiled brightly while pressing and kneading Melty’s soft cheeks with his fingers and whispered.
“Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
Because his cheeks were firmly pressed by Calix, Melty’s pronunciation came out clumsily. Clearly showing on his face that he wasn’t satisfied with the answer, Calix brought his head even closer and asked.
“You seduce someone and then try to get away with just one question?”
“S-seduce? When did I! I didn’t do such a thing!”
“You did.”
Calix responded nonchalantly to Melty’s protest, who had widened his eyes in surprise. Melty put his hands on the desk and pulled his body backward to escape Calix’s hand.
“When?”
“Hmm. Just now.”
Finishing his words with a smirk at Melty’s cry full of indignation, Calix swiftly stole a kiss from Melty’s plump lips. Melty’s expression became deflated after Calix retreated, leaving a soft sensation on his lips. Melty, who had been released at last, rubbed his cheeks with both hands and buried himself deeply in the chair, glaring at Calix.
“Haven’t the instances increased too much lately?”
“What does it matter? We’re lovers.”
“……”
Melty looked at Calix with a discontented gaze while rubbing the cheeks that had been held by him. Recently, as if his reins had been loosened, Calix had increased the frequency of light skinship. He often ambushed his lips like a sneaky thief, as he had just done, and frequently wanted to seat Melty on his lap. To be more specific, he wanted to be close to Melty.
Calix came and went from Melty’s room as if they had originally been assigned the same room. It wasn’t that Calix didn’t have his own room here. This place was one of the many mansions of the Padrian family and was also where Calix had grown up.
Melty had frowned at how Calix treated his room as if it were his own and had even invaded Calix’s room using the same excuse. He had been speechless at the sight of Calix’s magnificent room, which was at least three times larger than where he was staying.
“Why? Didn’t you like it?”
Calix, who had keenly noticed Melty’s complex expression, asked with his chin resting in his hand. Since their first kiss, strangely enough, whenever he faced Melty, his soft and moist lips captured his attention first. Like someone who had touched drugs, skinship with him was extremely addictive, too addictive.
He might have restrained himself at other times, but there was no particular need to hold back in this place. Thanks to the increased skinship, Melty no longer fidgeted or blushed because of kisses. Calix liked how Melty, who was very timid and highly vigilant, was diligently adapting to skinship with him.
“…There are other people’s eyes, you know.”
“Does it bother you?”
Calix asked while reaching out to tuck Melty’s hair behind his ear. At his question, Melty answered by nibbling on his lips. Due to his tall stature and flashy appearance, Calix was someone who easily drew others’ attention. Perhaps finding it strange that such a person followed the tiny Melty around, the employees sometimes looked at them as if they were witnessing an extremely rare scene.
“A little.”
“I didn’t know you cared so much about other people’s gazes. Then I’ll make it so you don’t have to worry.”
Disbelief appeared on Melty’s face at Calix’s words, whispered in an affectionate voice. Although Melty clearly knew that Calix was someone who kept his word, his way of handling things wasn’t exactly gentle.
Somehow, Melty felt that he would make the situation worse. Calix responded to Melty’s sour expression with a smiling face. Realizing that further conversation would not get through to him, Melty let out a deep sigh and drooped his shoulders.
Suddenly, a letter tucked between the piles of books caught Melty’s eye. He had prepared the mail in advance, thinking that Calix would have moved to the herb garden as usual. Belatedly remembering the existence of the letter, Melty hurriedly handed it to Calix.
“By the way, a letter came from Angel-ssi.”
Calix, who had been making a puzzled expression at Melty’s words, reached out to receive the letter. The clear seal on the envelope and entrance was unmistakably from the Padrian mansion. Calix, who had been looking puzzled at his choice to use the form of a letter rather than a carrier pigeon, took out the letter paper inside.
“What does it say?”
Calix answered Melty’s curious question by showing him the letter paper.
“What do you think it says?”
“Huh? What is this?”
Melty frowned as he took what Calix handed him and saw an empty piece of paper with nothing written on it. Even after examining the front and back of the letter paper, there was not the slightest trace of ink. His gaze fell on the letter envelope. Angel’s name was clearly written there.
“Did they send the wrong contents?”
“I don’t think so.”
With a playful smile, Calix muttered and took the envelope to a nearby candle. Moving the envelope back and forth to char it without burning it, Calix frowned at the letters that appeared on the envelope.
“Can you learn something by doing that?”
Curiosity appeared on Melty’s face. In response to Melty’s question, Calix placed the envelope on the desk. Above where Angel’s name was written, there was information about the recipient of the letter. Strangely, what appeared there was Melty’s name.
“Wow. How did you do that?”
Smiling slightly at Melty’s amazed expression, Calix pointed to the empty letter paper and said:
“If you’re curious, try it yourself.”
Letters appearing when charred by fire was a very simple trick. The problem was that they couldn’t understand why Angel would use such an easy method to send a letter. Although he spoke to Melty with a smile, it was strange from the start that he used such a simple method on letter paper that was easily detectable for something meant to be secret. If something had happened at the mansion, he should have contacted Calix, not Melty.
“Huh…?”
Melty, who had been concentrating on charring the letter paper over the fire with his tongue slightly out, hesitated at the clear letters that appeared on it. Very concise words had appeared on the large letter paper.
‘Help me.’
