The words that suddenly surfaced melted one corner of Rubens’s mind, bringing several more things to mind. The face crying while crushed beneath him, the green eyes heated with excitement, the panting breaths while clutching his shoulders…….
Bernard hadn’t known what to do within Rubens’s grasp. Rubens lowered his head and buried his face in Bernard’s nape. Their gazes entangled tenaciously through the mirror. Unable to avoid even a handful of that gaze, Bernard was frozen stiff. Heat rose in his nape, making Rubens even more displeased. Suddenly, he recalled what people around him had said when describing Bernard.
“Blond hair and green eyes would be Elliot Weil. He attends parties here and there originally, and if you fell head over heels, it must be the older brother. He’s also from that university.”
“The older brother?”
“He has a younger brother…… To have such a gloomy younger brother beneath such an older brother. That’s rather a curse.”
And what did Elliot say?
“Bernard seems to like you. He seems to admire you.”
“I’m tired of hearing about your younger brother. Talk about yourself.”
“But we can’t be talked about separately. Mm, then I’ll talk about something else. Our first night, how pretty was I?”
“It’s a shame you don’t remember properly because you were drunk…… I made a very romantic confession. Of course, I don’t remember everything either.”
“But it’s fine since you remember me.”
He overlays Elliot’s gently smiling face over Bernard’s expression. The lovestruck, excited appearance is identical. Rubens calmed his lips that were about to twist and raised his head. He detested idiots who didn’t know their place. And he hoped such things would crash somewhere and shatter to pieces. That was the same for the person standing before him now.
“Elliot.”
“……”
“When I call you Elliot, you must answer. Understand?”
“Ah, yes… I’m sorry.”
Stupid Bernard’s nape reddened again with embarrassment. Bernard, dressed up nicely, certainly resembled Elliot. Rubens looked down at the well-crafted work and called out again.
“Elliot.”
“Yes.”
Right, shabby and wretched things had never existed in Rubens Hurt’s life. He was always a man who grasped only the most valuable and best things. A subtle sneer crossed Rubens’s lips. There was one thing he wanted to confirm.
“Love me at the party.”
A person who has never failed sometimes blinds their own eyes when facing their first failure. Like now. Without ever making the hypothesis that the person from that night might be Bernard.
***
Bernard’s face looked pale and wan before the party. Wearing new clothes, receiving makeup, having his hair done…… Everything was burdensome.
“But is it okay for other people to know that I’m pretending to be Elliot like this?”
“It’s fine. If they keep their mouths shut poorly, the compensation amount is large, so there’s no way they can talk.”
At Rubens’s arrogant words, the people around subtly lowered their gazes and affirmed. Under the bright lights, Bernard closed and opened his eyes several times. It was a childish thing to say, but it felt just like magic cast on Cinderella.
“There, all done.”
After lightly fixing his hair with spray, the woman who had finally brushed off his collar smiled broadly. The question “Do you like it?” was directed not at Bernard but at Rubens. And the woman read satisfaction on Rubens’s face and soon tactfully vacated her seat.
Bernard fell silent, finding his reflection in the mirror quite unfamiliar. His hair, groomed and parted then swept back, cleanly revealed his round forehead, and beneath it, in his dark green eyes different from Elliot’s, he even wore brighter green colored contacts.
His eyebrows were arranged and his lip line was lightly redrawn…… Everything was awkward beyond compare. He had never dressed himself up so deliberately like this. Elliot’s words that he would look much different if he took care of himself had always sounded like a dream, but it was true.
“……Not bad.”
Rubens’s voice, gripping the chair from behind, was heard close by, and Bernard’s shoulders stiffened rigidly. At the tingling sensation around his waist, Bernard unknowingly tensed his thighs. Rubens, with his head lowered, was thoroughly examining Bernard’s face through the mirror. It was a gaze as if appraising him.
“Become that perfect Elliot.”
“Yes, Mr. Hurt.”
“Call me Rubens.”
“……Yes, Rubens.”
Their gazes met again in the mirror. In his cold blue eyes, a faint heat was rising. Rubens seemed to have something to say but soon straightened his back. Bernard swallowed his held breath only after he had moved away.
“Shall we go?”
As he grasped the hand Rubens extended, Bernard felt a nausea that made him want to vomit. The terrible feeling of unpleasant excitement and fear mixed together was awful. When he climbed into the back seat of the car and the door closed, he only wanted to run away immediately. He had an ominous premonition that everything would crash.
“Security guards are prepared at the party, but I’ve deliberately arranged them more loosely than before, so be aware. I’ve also asked them not to check invitations too strictly, and above all, since it’s also an outdoor party, it’s easy for strangers to enter from anywhere.”
“……”
“You just need to act more defenseless than anyone.”
“Defenseless.”
“Those who are loved don’t usually think someone would harm them so easily.”
Excessive paranoia rushed in at the designation “those who are loved.” Rubens’s words seemed to assume that Bernard was someone who had never been loved. But since it was true, Bernard quietly bit his lip carefully.
“Trust me. I’m the only one who will take responsibility for you there.”
Aren’t you also the one who dragged me into this trap?
Words he couldn’t spit out died inside Bernard. However, the fact that his insides were boiling even in this situation was probably because remnants of that night remained in his body. That single moment of tenderness must have devoured everything of Bernard’s. Even though it wasn’t tenderness directed at Bernard…….
“……Yes, thank you for your consideration.”
Giving a pathetic answer, Bernard smiled quietly. After that, there were no words exchanged in the car. The cold air was suffocating, so he lowered the car window a little. Bernard glanced sideways at Rubens’s complexion, then quickly checked his phone.
There was still no contact from Rhino. He had told his family he had work, and Elliot would just be lying in bed with signs of a cold. He was worried that Rhino’s displeasure seemed to be lasting longer than usual, but there was no way to resolve it immediately. He quietly pressed and held the phone’s power button to turn it off. It would be troublesome if a call came during the party.
“We’ve arrived.”
At the driver’s voice announcing their arrival, Bernard’s eyes, looking at the scenery beyond the car window, trembled faintly. Though it wasn’t a landscape he was seeing for the first time, it was still an unfamiliar place. A party venue where people wearing fancy dresses and suits gathered. A gorgeous building with long hanging lights and one entire wall made of glass windows. The landscaping trees surrounding the wide garden instead of a fence looked quite expensive even to a layman’s eyes.
“Elliot.”
The person who opened the car door called his name reproachfully. At that, Bernard let out a short “Ah” and hastily grasped the extended hand. As soon as he got out of the car, the sound of camera flashes going off here and there rang out noisily.
So, this was close to a fantasy. The well-built man standing at the party venue entrance confirming identity and opening the antique door. And the several paparazzi who couldn’t enter hiding their bodies against the wall and clicking their tongues. As he entered stepping on the well-laid grass, all the gazes gathering from here and there. Everything was a story far, far removed from Bernard.
“Mr. Hurt. Thank you for attending the party. This is……”
“Elliot Weil. My lover.”
The man who approached busily greeted them first and made eye contact with Bernard. The feeling of floating unreally gave him a sensation of being drunk on alcohol despite not having drunk. When pretending to be Elliot, the world was always kind to Bernard. Bernard drew a painted smile, suppressing the bitter laugh that was about to emerge.
“……You can call me Elliot.”
A gentle smile spread across Bernard’s face. His curved eye corners had a quality that somehow took one’s breath away. When he grasped the hand the other person extended and shook it lightly, a faint fragrance lingered in the air. The perfume he wore today was a floral-based perfume. When Bernard said it didn’t suit him, the man had dismissed it, saying “It suits Elliot.”
“It’s an honor. I’m **Chessy Hailey**.”
Rubens was silently watching the two people greet each other. He felt a strange déjà vu at Bernard’s face smiling as if nothing was wrong, but his thoughts didn’t deepen that much.
“Mr. Hurt. You’re attending a bit late today?”
People began to flood in like a wave. Rubens was always a figure standing at the center of parties. There were more than enough people desperate to have their names called by him even once more. Though everyone must have clearly known, they greeted him as if seeing his lover for the first time and requested to be introduced by his own mouth. Bernard laughed in the midst of it as if embarrassed. Like a very unfamiliar person.
It was funny how everyone showed favor to Bernard wearing Elliot’s mask, but it was actually natural. Who would disparage the lover that Rubens said he loved in front of him? However, setting that aside, Bernard had a strange atmosphere.
“Mr. Weil really catches the eye. When I saw the photos, I thought he had weak features and a delicate feeling…… but seeing him in person, his sharp aspects are stronger.”
The woman who said the feeling was different from the photos smiled, belatedly adding “Oh my. Was I rude?” However, since it wasn’t a bad evaluation, Rubens smiled lightly. The orchestra playing in one corner of the party venue stopped, and as if tuning in the middle, the sound of them matching notes slowly spread through the venue.
“Two glasses of champagne this way.”
At Rubens’s words, a passing waiter lowered the height of the tray, so Bernard could also grasp a champagne glass without difficulty. A sweet alcohol scent rose to the tip of his tongue. Bernard smiled like Elliot, contrary to his drooping mood.
All his nerves were focused on the stalker problem that could appear at any time. The anxiety of not being found out by people also gnawed at his nerves. The vain desire to remind Rubens of that night had long since died. His toes curled under his shoes from tension.
“……Excuse me, but if it’s all right, I’d like to be introduced as well.”
Another voice suddenly interjected through the gaps of people surrounding the two. Several people frowned faintly, but Bernard didn’t have the presence of mind to look around at those people. It was a very familiar voice. Hair neatly swept back, dressed in a high-quality suit unlike usual, yet despite that, his tie pin was from a cheap brand that didn’t match.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rhino McPherson.”
At the gray eyes looking directly at him with bright intensity, Bernard could only squeeze his eyes shut tightly.
