<Chapter 155>
#17. The Beast God’s Arrangement (7)
“What kind of brother are you!”
“Ah, just stop it already.”
Malek frowned deeply and rubbed his back, which had been thoroughly beaten just moments ago. Elisa, the second child of the Crosel family who stood in front of him, brandished her clenched fist in the air. At her gesture, Malek closed his mouth without protest.
“Elisa. You shouldn’t hit your younger brother like that. Malek is still recovering, you know.”
“What recovery… He’s not just healed, he’s perfectly fine. Am I the only one who saw him running wild?”
Madel, the eldest, who was standing at a distance with his arms crossed and watching the situation without interfering, clapped his hands lightly to draw their attention. He had spoken up to stop them, but he couldn’t help but agree with Elisa’s sharp outburst.
During the time Melty was unconscious, it wasn’t just Elisa and Madel who had been running amok. Malek, who had quickly recovered his health with the medicine provided by the Padrian family, had also been recklessly dashing around. Especially when it came to cutting out the tongues of those who spoke ill of Melty, Malek had been the most passionate.
“More importantly, shouldn’t we be concerned about what happens next?”
“What next? Melty is going to live with me for the rest of his life.”
“But Noona is already married.”
“Shut up. What does marriage have to do with anything? I’ll keep him with me.”
Madel shrugged lightly at Elisa’s voice, which shot back with sharp eyes. Although Malek and Elisa’s bickering continued, he sipped his warm tea as if he were in a different space from them.
“How can we trust that guy with our child?”
“He’s trustworthy enough.”
Two pairs of fierce eyes fixed on Madel as he refilled his empty teacup and spoke. Despite the burning gazes, he leisurely emptied his teacup.
“We all saw firsthand how sincere he is toward Melty, didn’t we?”
“……”
The two fell silent at his words. Calix hadn’t left Melty’s side for a single moment while he was unconscious. While watching him act so desperately, as if his own life depended on it, their anger slowly subsided.
“Even so, I’m against it!”
“Melty is an adult, and if he says he’s happy, what can you do by opposing, Noona?”
“What? You agree too?”
Malek rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head to the side at her question, her eyes full of intensity.
“It’s not that I like that guy. It still doesn’t feel real that Melty is getting married already.”
“But?”
“…I don’t want to be hated by our youngest. And I want to see cute nephews and nieces too…”
Elisa, with her arms crossed, opened her mouth in a fierce voice at Malek’s words.
“Nephews and nieces all of a sudden? If you want to see them, come to my house and help my husband.”
“Well, your kids are cute too, but…”
“But? What? You’re not saying there are cuter nephews and nieces than my children, are you?”
It was Madel, not Malek, who answered Elisa’s question.
“They haven’t been born yet, but if they’re Melty’s children, they’ll surely be the cutest.”
“…If they’re Melty’s children, they’ll definitely be pretty and lovable, but…”
A question arose on Elisa’s face as she continued speaking. She thought something was strange about the conversation they were having. There’s no way Melty would be two-timing, and there’s no possibility of having children with his current boyfriend, Calix. Looking at Elisa’s face, which clearly read ‘Is that possible?’, Madel smiled brightly.
“He’s pregnant.”
“…Huh?”
Elisa blinked with a blank expression, picked at her ear with her pinky, and then moved closer to Madel.
“Did I hear something wrong? What did you say?”
“Our lovely youngest is pregnant.”
Madel told her once more with a bright smile, ignoring her fierce glare. Elisa’s brow furrowed at his words. Just as she clenched her fist, convinced that he was playing a prank on her.
“It’s true.”
“What? You’re joining in on this nonsense too?”
“I went with Melty when he got examined, so I know for sure. The blessing Melty received at his coming-of-age ceremony was ‘Fertility’.”
Madel laughed softly as he glanced sideways at Elisa, who had frozen with her mouth wide open.
“I heard from Melty today that it’s twins… I’m in favor as long as my sibling is happy. Besides, we received a lot of gifts, didn’t we? With that much sincerity, we could look at him a little more kindly.”
Malek let out a low sigh as Madel nodded his head and muttered. Elisa, with her eyes full of intensity, grabbed Malek by the collar and shook him vigorously.
“Y-you should have told me something like that earlier!”
“I told you I didn’t have time to think about it.”
“So! That guy pounced on my brother?! Before they even got married!!”
Elisa screamed with both hands on her cheeks. Malek raised the corners of his mouth as she flailed about, asking how that could be possible. It was a moment when he could fully convey to her the shock he had experienced. Lightly patting her shoulder, Malek shook his head and said:
“Noona. It was our brother who pounced on him.”
***
Melty slowly lifted his eyelids at the touch of a hand stroking his hair. As he blinked hard to focus his blurry eyes, he heard a soft laugh coming from above his head.
“Calix-ssi…?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
Calix, who promptly answered Melty’s call, kissed his forehead. Melty burst into laughter at the ticklish feeling on his forehead and reached out toward him.
“Did you have a good talk with my family?”
“Yes.”
Melty laughed softly as he answered. Calix whispered, kissing his forehead, eyelids, and cheeks in order.
“I bought what you said you wanted to eat. Do you want to have it now?”
“…Not now, later.”
“Are you going to sleep more?”
Melty rubbed his eyes and shook his head at Calix’s question. After gently stroking his hair until he was fully alert, Calix whispered with a playful face:
“Then let’s go play.”
“…Where are we going?”
Melty twisted his body toward Calix and smiled broadly.
“A really interesting place.”
Calix held out his hand, watching the curiosity in Melty’s eyes. To the question ‘Want to go?’, Melty obediently stretched out his arm. Now accustomed to it, Calix picked Melty up in his arms and started walking.
“I can walk on my own, you know.”
“Not yet.”
At this firm response, Melty docilely surrendered himself to Calix’s arms. He merely muttered ‘overprotective’ quietly under his breath.
“So where are we going?”
To Melty’s question, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, Calix held a subtle smile on his lips.
“I told you it’s a fun place.”
“Come on, don’t be so vague.”
Melty pouted, grasping and gently tugging at Calix’s long, flowing hair.
“We’ll be there soon.”
Calix reached out and, with familiar movements, fiddled with the ornaments on the wall. There was a creaking sound, followed by the sound of machinery moving. Melty’s eyes widened at the feeling that he had experienced this before.
There was no noisy downhill path like last time. Calix carefully descended the stairs. Each time he took a step forward, lights came on in the space that had been completely black, brightening their view. Although there were things Melty couldn’t see properly on the day he first arrived, he could now slowly take in the interior as it brightened.
And Melty opened his mouth, as if entranced by the revealed space. The flowers blooming in the wide space were even more splendid than in his memory. The moonlight falling directly onto the beautifully bloomed flowers enhanced the mystical atmosphere.
After carefully observing Melty’s expression, Calix cautiously set him down from his arms. At the center of the flower garden, Melty tapped the beautifully bloomed flowers with his finger.
“Prettier than before, right?”
Melty burst into a soft laugh at Calix’s confident voice and nodded emphatically. At his nod, Calix held a satisfied smile. Hearing a rustling sound, Melty looked down and smiled even more brightly at the sight of Naru rubbing its face against his ankle.
“Naru!”
Melty’s sparkling eyes met Calix’s as he carefully embraced Naru with both hands.
“Is Naru okay now too?”
“Yes. It was severely intoxicated by the drug, so it still needs treatment for a while, but it’s fine now.”
“That’s a relief…”
Melty carefully placed his cheek on Naru’s head, muttering in a tearful voice. Even after regaining consciousness, Melty had been worried about Naru. The last time he had seen Naru, it hadn’t been in a healthy state, which added weight to his concern. Although he had been holding back due to Calix’s assurance that it was being treated, he was overjoyed to be able to see it directly like this.
Naru also seemed happy to be reunited with Melty, as it flicked its tongue and wrapped itself around his wrist. It felt like it had been a very long time since Naru had wrapped around his wrist, making Melty laugh out loud.
Calix, who had been calmly taking in the sight of the joyful Melty, rubbed his clothes with a nervous demeanor. He cleared his throat loudly to draw Melty’s attention to himself and opened his mouth, lowering his eyes.
“I should have done this earlier…”
“Earlier? Done what?”
Watching Melty’s puzzled expression, Calix rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small, luxurious-looking box. The custom-made item he had ordered when they went to the Botenta mansion was finally finding its owner.
Calix knelt on one knee in front of Melty and took one of his hands while Melty was in a daze. Then he took out the ring from inside the box and slipped it onto his finger. A red jewel that sparkled just as beautifully gleamed brilliantly.
“Last time it was flowers, but this time I prepared properly.”
Melty’s eyes widened at Calix’s whispered words with a serious face. Looking into his brown eyes, Calix smiled and kissed Melty’s finger where the ring was placed.
“So, will you marry me now?”
At his straightforward proposal, Melty, who had been biting his lips, smiled broadly with tears welling up in his eyes.
“Yes!”
With his answer, Melty spread his arms and ran toward Calix as if asking to be hugged. Calix received him with his whole body. Although he lost his balance and fell backward due to the sudden weight, burying himself in the flower bed, Calix’s mood was extraordinarily good just from seeing Melty’s bright smile.
Calix kissed the top of Melty’s head as he tousled his hair, while Melty tightly hugged his neck. The brightly shining moonlight was illuminating their figures.
