<Chapter 98>
#11. Love is a Hurricane (3)
Melty, frozen in place, blinked rapidly. Yet what he was seeing didn’t change. The situation was so shocking that he couldn’t hear a word of their conversation.
– Calix Kuse Padrian is the perfect person. There aren’t many men with both outstanding looks and ability.
Suddenly recalling what Lila had told him at the exchange meeting, Melty clenched his fist. When she had seriously said those words, Melty couldn’t agree with her opinion at all. That’s why the words he had let slip by then now came back clearly.
Only when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed back with a scrape did Melty finally regain his senses. Seeing them about to walk toward the door, Melty hurriedly hid behind a nearby pillar.
“Would you escort me to the garden?”
At the proud female voice mixed with laughter, Melty swallowed hard. The image of them engaged in an intimate conversation earlier kept flashing in his mind. His hope that Calix would immediately reject her hand was instantly shattered by Calix’s next words.
“Let’s go.”
She laughed softly at Calix’s statement delivered in a flat tone. Lost in the gentle sound of laughter, Melty was only able to peek out from behind the pillar when the sound of their footsteps had faded considerably.
Despite thinking he should chase after Calix and confront him, his legs gave out. Squatting on the floor with his back against the pillar, Melty gently stroked Naru’s head, who was looking up at him with concern.
“They say there’s no one in the world to trust…”
The faces of family members who had warned him not to trust people carelessly appeared and disappeared in his mind. Of course someone who looked great in his eyes could also look great in others’ eyes. But it was an entirely different matter for others to see him that way and for Calix to willingly adopt such an attitude.
His nose stung involuntarily. There hadn’t been any particular issues in his relationship with Calix. When the landslide occurred, he had been a burden to Calix, but Calix had said it was okay. If there had been an issue with him then, Calix wouldn’t have smiled when he told him he liked him.
The thought ‘How did it come to this?’ repeatedly appeared and disappeared in Melty’s mind. The deeper he thought, the more his lower lip was chewed up and became ragged. Only after a long time did Melty notice the condition of his lips from the taste of blood in his mouth, and he stopped biting them. Nevertheless, as if his energy had been drained, he couldn’t move a muscle.
Perhaps concerned about Melty’s dazed appearance, Naru busily tapped his hand with its snout. Despite Melty’s forced smile at Naru’s desperate movements, the corners of his mouth immediately dropped.
His mind was filled with the question: “Why would Calix?”
– Some people lose interest once they’ve got what they want.
The image of his second sister, who had been angry saying such people were the most dangerous and wicked in the world, also flashed through Melty’s mind. Thinking back, Calix’s attitude had changed dramatically not long after Melty and he had officially started dating.
Melty didn’t want to think Calix was such a wicked person, but his thoughts kept leaning that way. The image of Calix grumbling about when the word “temporary” would be removed flickered in Melty’s mind.
Crouched behind the pillar, losing track of time in his dejection, Melty was eventually discovered by a staff member who helped him get to his room after some time had passed.
***
“I’ve finished organizing the documents.”
“Good work. Then I’ll be off to the meeting…”
As Calix tried to continue the conversation as usual, he stopped at Melty’s impure gaze on him. Though he thought it impossible, Melty’s eyes now looked like they were viewing filth.
“…Do you have something to say?”
“Of course I do.”
Melty’s current job was to check the quantity of Tonka being produced by the Padrian family. When each region reported their production amount and remaining inventory, organizing how much herbicide could be produced was quite a busy task.
At any other time, Melty would have thought Calix had entrusted him with this job because he trusted him, but after witnessing his “misconduct” yesterday, Melty’s thoughts branched in a different direction. Perhaps Calix had assigned this paperwork to him to cheat behind his back. Thinking this way, his discontent rose again.
“Calix-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Who exactly do you have these meetings with every day?”
“With Durasen Botenta and his retainers. Coming here in the first place was for negotiations.”
Though Calix added that the old man was being stubbornly difficult, it didn’t register in Melty’s ears. There was no immediate way to restore the regions already affected by drought.
While it wasn’t yet possible to determine how much land had been affected overall, the most concerning aspects of the current situation were the “refugee” and “famine” crises caused by the damaged land. And the Botenta family, which had the highest agricultural production, was one of the most important families in resolving this incident.
“So yesterday when you went out saying you had a meeting, you were talking with Durasen-ssi as well?”
“Of course.”
“Not talking with someone else~?”
Melty’s right eyebrow moved vigorously up and down. His probing question was filled with suspicion, as if he knew something. Watching Melty with a bewildered expression, Calix let out a chuckle at his eyebrow, which was uncharacteristically bobbing up and down.
“Is there a specific answer you want to hear?”
Calix’s extended hand gently stroked Melty’s hair. At this extraordinarily affectionate gesture, Melty hardened his expression.
“I’m asking your conscience.”
While he couldn’t understand why the question had escalated to invoking “conscience,” Calix lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“You could just say you were lonely.”
“Do you think I’m a child?”
“Or you could say you don’t like me talking with other people.”
For some reason, the corners of Calix’s mouth kept turning upward. Staring intently at Melty’s flabbergasted expression, Calix tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Should I skip the meeting?”
“What’s with that? You always run off like your feet are on fire.”
Melty raised his hand and brushed away Calix’s hand that was fiddling with his hair. Thinking he was upset, Calix laughed softly and met his eyes.
“When have I ever moved like my feet were on fire? It’s just that there’s no benefit to delaying matters, so I’ve been trying to handle them quickly.”
“…So you were busy?”
“If my darling wants, I could skip a day.”
Almost falling for Calix’s sweet whisper, Melty regained his senses by vigorously shaking his head. Staring intently at his own face reflected in Calix’s sparkling golden eyes, Melty crossed his arms.
“Who told you not to go? It’s fine, go quickly.”
Melty quickly chased away Calix, who looked like he was about to insist on staying. Watching Calix’s retreating back with a regretful expression, Melty remained with his arms crossed, lost in thought.
‘Was he really just busy?’
Despite vowing not to easily fall for Calix’s excuses, his heart wavered like a reed. Melty slyly raised his hand and touched his hair that Calix had been fiddling with until just moments ago.
“No. Strange is still strange.”
He had forgotten since it had been a while since Calix’s small gestures of skinship, but in the past, Calix would have kissed his forehead instead of touching his hair. As this realization belatedly struck him, Melty firmly solidified his wavering heart.
“He wasn’t even meeting with Durasen-ssi in the first place.”
In the wide-open meeting room the day before, there had clearly been only Calix and an unfamiliar woman. While it occurred to him that the meeting might have ended early, he still couldn’t understand why there was a need to stay behind and have a conversation with an unfamiliar woman. Moreover, the fact that he had escorted her for a garden walk had long since eliminated any mercy.
“Just let me catch you with evidence. I really won’t let it slide.”
The only reason he hadn’t confronted him was because he had nothing but suspicion. Taking a deep breath, Melty took a robe out of the wardrobe and wrapped it tightly around himself. Thoroughly concealing his body so no one would recognize him, Melty carefully surveyed his surroundings as he walked.
If he hadn’t been too shocked that day, he would have gone to the path to eavesdrop on their conversation. Blaming himself that he could have understood the situation more clearly if he had, Melty lightly patted his cheeks with both hands. There was no use blaming what had already passed. What mattered was the present moment.
“What kind of getup is that?”
Melty’s plan to hide well until the meeting ended and then follow Calix was shattered by the unexpected appearance of someone. At the high, haughty tone, Melty forcibly moved his stiffened neck. Discovering the familiar dark hair and tall stature, Melty bit his lip slightly.
It was the appearance of Calix’s potential affair partner.
