“Who is it?”
“It’s Diego.”
“…!”
Roman’s shoulders flinched. When he slowly turned his head, his eyes met Isabel’s.
“Did you have a prior appointment?”
“…It seems I did.”
Prior appointment, my foot. Muttering to himself, he sighed. Every evening the butler had informed him that Diego came to the house, and each time Roman had ordered him to send Diego away with the words that he was absent. Organizing his feelings was not as easy as he’d thought. He just needed to say one word to end it, but that one word was so burdensome that he’d repeatedly committed the cowardly act of avoiding it.
But it seemed that too would end today. Setting down the pouch containing the crystal orb, Roman continued in a voice mixed with a sigh.
“Go ahead and head home for today.”
“Understood.”
Isabel stood up without asking or questioning. See you tomorrow. Leaving a clean greeting as if she’d been someone just waiting to be told to leave work, she opened the door and went outside.
Beyond the open door, Diego’s face was visible. Roman unfolded his arms and approached closer.
“What is it?”
“…I kept coming to your house, but you weren’t there.”
“Something came up.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say that he had deliberately avoided him. At the same time, he thought that this really was the last time. Moving his gaze that had been directed elsewhere for a moment, Roman looked at Diego and slowly continued.
“You came at a good time. …Let’s stop this.”
Fortunately, his usual voice came out. The thought that followed was ‘It’s nothing special.’ Something he could say this easily—why had he foolishly avoided and turned away from it until now?
It was so easy that he almost laughed. In contrast, Diego’s expression hardened frighteningly.
“What did you just say?”
“Let’s end it. Meeting every Bloody Cycle.”
Was this what it felt like to be hit on the back of the head out of nowhere while walking down the street? Roman wore his usual relaxed expression, but he didn’t seem to be joking. With his gaze fixed on him, Diego barely managed to force out a sound.
“Why all of a sudden…”
“It’s not sudden. For a while now, gradually…”
Bang—
That’s when it happened. At the sudden sound of the office door opening, Roman turned his head in surprise. He saw an unexpected person standing there.
“How did you get here…”
The other person who had come without notice was Grand Duke Kailton. He soon smiled faintly and shrugged playfully.
“You weren’t coming, so I came to find you myself. It seems you were in the middle of a conversation, so go ahead and finish talking. I’ll wait outside.”
Soon the door closed again. Only then did Roman realize that he had come because of the matter they’d discussed yesterday about going to Eslen. He had jokingly said they should write a contract, and it seemed to be because of that.
Thinking it was coincidental but good timing, Roman brought out his last words.
“Go ahead and leave.”
He turned around first and moved his steps. No, the moment he tried to walk, a strong force snatched his wrist. When he turned around, Diego was gripping his wrist with a terrifying expression.
“What?”
“…Is it?”
It was a terribly low voice. When Roman grimaced in pain, he saw Diego’s expression harden even more.
Diego’s heart began to beat in a completely different sense than before. He wanted to remain composed, but it was absolutely impossible in this situation.
Platinum hair noticeable even from afar, features reminiscent of a sculpture, and an overwhelming presence emanating from his entire body. There was no need to ask who it was. It was undoubtedly the extreme dominant Benic, Grand Duke Kailton, whom Antonio had mentioned before.
“That hurts. Let go of this…”
“Is it because of that person?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you’re saying to end it because of that person.”
Only then did Roman realize what Diego was saying. Because of Kailton—that couldn’t be. While it was true he coveted the trait of extreme dominance, the two were as good as blood brothers. Moreover, now that he had a partner, it was even more absurd.
But…
At that moment, Grace’s face came to mind. Along with it, a childish desire rose to give Diego—who shamelessly said ‘I came because I missed you’ while having someone else—a wound that wasn’t quite a wound. It was a shallow lie that would be discovered immediately, but right now his thoughts didn’t even reach that far.
Soon Roman’s gaze turned to face Diego directly.
“That’s right.”
“…!”
“If you understand, let go. He’s such a busy person that every minute and second is precious.”
At that moment, more strength was added to the wrist being held. It was considerable grip strength—enough that he almost let out a groan. At the surging pain, Roman tried to shake off Diego’s hand.
“This…”
“Really.”
At the voice that continued again, Roman looked up at Diego. Pitch-black eyes so deep their depth was unknowable looked back at him.
“Are you really saying to end it because of that person?”
“I said that’s right.”
A voice tinged with irritation flowed out without him realizing it from the pain. Though he surprised himself, soon thinking it worked out well instead, Roman carelessly spat out words.
“I said from the beginning, didn’t I? That I proposed it for convenience, and it was a relationship that could end at any time. …You seem regretful about losing a dominant, but if you’re too greedy you’ll be punished. Isn’t what you’ve enjoyed until now enough?”
“……”
“If you understand, let go. I don’t want to be misunderstood for no reason.”
Slowly—the hand that had been gripping him fell away very slowly. In that brief moment he had gripped so hard that the handprint was vivid. Raising his head again, Roman added one more word with an expression mixed with a sigh.
“You’re probably acting this way because I suddenly told you in a notification style, but it was a matter of time anyway, so just think of it positively and move on. …Then, be careful going home.”
Step, step—the sound of footsteps gradually grew more distant. Soon the presence completely disappeared, but Diego couldn’t move a muscle, like someone with their feet nailed down.
‘…It ends like this? Like this…?’
He couldn’t believe it. The situation that had swept through like a storm didn’t feel real at all.
But it wasn’t a dream. The words that flowed from his mouth were clearly a notice of separation.
‘If you understand, let go. He’s such a busy person that every minute and second is precious.’
‘You seem regretful about losing a dominant, but if you’re too greedy you’ll be punished. Isn’t what you’ve enjoyed until now enough?’
So cruelly and coldly that he couldn’t even dare to hold on.
***
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.”
“…I said I’m fine.”
“What a temper.”
Though irritation surged up, there was no room to argue back. Roman let out a long sigh and fixed his gaze on the ground.
Suddenly feeling a throbbing pain, he looked down at his wrist. Belatedly recalling what he had done, he squeezed his eyes shut.
He hadn’t intended to end things this way. A little more, just a little more slowly—after organizing his feelings, he had planned to bring it up while pretending to be fine with a smile. Just as it had been at the beginning. So composed, so that Diego wouldn’t feel any burden.
‘…Why did I do that?’
Though he regretted it, it was already too late. As he covered his face with his palm, Kailton’s voice came from beside him.
“Don’t you need to catch him?”
“Pardon?”
“He just passed by.”
There was no need to ask who he meant. After a moment, Roman emerged from the corner between buildings where he’d been hiding, and Kailton followed behind.
When he opened the door and entered the guild, Hubert sent a gaze that said he didn’t know what to do. Pretending to be fine with a smile, Roman entered the office again with Kailton.
“Did you come because of the contract?”
“Right. I was planning to make it definite before you changed your mind… but it seems there’s no need for that.”
