<Chapter 102>
#11. Love is a Hurricane (7)
‘Calix Kuse Padrian…’
Suppressing any signs of his presence, Malek moved quickly. The Botenta family mansion was large and spacious, but not to the extent that a Crosel couldn’t infiltrate it. No, there was no place that the people of the Crosel family couldn’t penetrate.
Inside his breast pocket rested a letter from his youngest brother, soaked with sorrow and confusion. Running his hand over the thick letter that could be felt from the outside of his clothes, Malek slowly scanned left and right.
After entering the Padrian mansion in search of his brother and subduing Angel, the first thing Malek had done was to examine the room where his brother was said to have stayed. The spacious room was filled with things perfectly suited to his brother’s taste, which lent credibility to Angel’s claim that he had never treated him poorly.
That didn’t mean he had any intention of ignoring his brother’s letter. But it was true that his heart had softened, so there wasn’t as much hostility as when he first visited the Padrian mansion. Planning to have a brief conversation with Calix under the cover of night, Malek easily slipped into the room, only to freeze at the sight before him.
“Mmm…”
The fluffy brown hair and perky little ears. The one rubbing his face with low sleep-talking was undoubtedly his cute and lovable youngest brother. The problem was that he was rubbing his face against some man.
“……”
A small creature moving slowly came into Malek’s view as he stood frozen in shock. A thin, small snake sitting at the head of the bed was staring at Malek while making a “sss-sss” sound.
‘…Should I kill him?’
Malek ground his teeth as he saw the red marks and bite marks left on Melty’s neck and shoulders, exposed due to his tossing and turning. There was no need to guess who had left those marks. The man sleeping while tightly embracing Melty had his lips buried in his hair as if by habit.
‘Where has he been putting that mouth!’
Burning with rage, Malek drew the dagger he had kept inside. Completely abandoning his plan to have a “conversation” with Calix, Malek changed his objective to “elimination.”
Sss-sss
Along with a faint sound that seemed to brush past his ear, Calix’s closed eyes opened. As if he had been awake for a long time, Calix moved his clear eyes to stare at Malek with a fully awakened gaze. There was no way he could see clearly due to the deep darkness that had engulfed the room, but Calix calmly opened his mouth.
“A Crosel?”
“That’s none of your business. Come with me.”
“I’ll wake him if I move.”
Malek’s eyes shifted to the hands still embracing his brother and the neck in close proximity. Cutting it wouldn’t be a problem, but he didn’t want his brother to be covered in blood. No matter how capable he was, it would be impossible to prevent even a single drop of blood from spraying on someone so close.
Though Malek hadn’t given a proper answer, Calix had quickly recognized that he was from the Crosel family and responded leisurely. Unrefined curses ran wild in Malek’s mind.
“Mmm…”
At his brother’s faint sound of sleepy grumbling, Malek’s murderous intent that had been flickering ominously instantly dissipated. With his breath halted, Malek’s gaze fell on Melty. After thoroughly rubbing his face against Calix’s chest, Melty resumed his even, soft breathing.
“…Come out while I’m asking nicely—”
“Hyung…?”
“……”
Malek’s mouth closed again just as he was about to snap that Calix should come out while he was still asking nicely. With a small yawn and a half-asleep face, Melty rubbed his eyes and, recognizing Malek, beamed widely.
Melty’s smile only briefly calmed Malek’s sharp energy. When Melty raised his upper body and the blanket fell down, revealing his bare body covered with countless red marks, Malek could keenly experience what it meant to have one’s mind go completely blank.
***
“Hah.”
Brushing back his hair, Malek exhaled deeply to suppress the anger that still hadn’t dissipated. With his legs neatly together and hands placed on them, Melty sneakily rolled his eyes to check the mood of his brother sitting beside him.
“If you had business here, couldn’t you have given some advance notice?”
Only Calix was at ease. Staring daggers at him as he leisurely spoke, Malek opened his mouth in a stiff tone.
“The letter I sent should have been enough for that. Isn’t that right?”
“I haven’t received any letter, though.”
Calix shrugged and feigned ignorance. If it was a letter Malek had sent, it would undoubtedly have been sent along with Angel’s letter, but Calix had never seen that letter directly. Amelia, who had seen the Crosel family name written on it, had delivered it directly to Melty.
“You haven’t received it…!”
“The one that said to keep my neck clean?”
“…You saw it?”
“Yes. Wasn’t that sent to me from you, hyung?”
Losing his words at Melty’s innocent gaze looking up at him, Malek placed his right hand on his face and let out a deep, heavy sigh. He didn’t forget to shoot Calix a sharp glare. Receiving his visual attack, Calix said with a slight smile.
“You’re the one who trespassed into my room uninvited, so I don’t understand why you’re so angry.”
“Who’s whose ‘hyung’? If you call me by that title one more time, I’ll rip your mouth. And…, do you really say such things after seeing this situation?!”
Malek shouted, pulling his brother’s body closer to him. Though Melty had hurriedly put on clothes due to Malek’s yelling while grabbing the back of his neck, the hastily worn clothes of Calix couldn’t cover all the red marks on his body. Calix, who seemed to be savoring the traces of lovemaking on Melty’s body with his eyes, wore a deep smile.
“Pretty.”
“Pre…!”
Almost falling backward from the outrageous statement, Malek lost his words and took a deep breath. Seeing his brother’s face turning red as if embarrassed, looking like a new bride after her wedding night, Malek felt his nape stiffen.
“My brother is pretty. Pretty indeed! But that’s not the issue—why is my brother in your room looking like this?! You snake-like bastard, pouncing on my brother who’s barely come of age?!”
“Hyung.”
Melty shyly called out while slightly tugging at Malek’s clothes as he raised his voice while panting. At his voice, Malek turned his head sideways, still glaring fiercely. Watching his thoroughly angered brother carefully, Melty whispered with a disheveled smile.
“I was the one who pounced first…”
“……”
Malek was once again at a loss for words, but for a different reason. If one’s lifespan could be shortened by shock, Malek would be certain that today was his day of death.
“It’s true…. Hehe.”
While at any other time, Malek would have waved a white flag of surrender with both hands at just one of his brother’s cute eye-smiles, this time he couldn’t let it slide so easily.
“As Malek said…”
“Don’t act familiar by using my name.”
“Hmm…. Very well. As you said, we’re already lovers, and Melty is an adult, so what’s the problem with us having a relationship?”
“Huh?”
With his jaw now aching from the punches thrown alternately from both sides, Malek narrowed his eyes and stared at Calix. He had heard that snake beast-people had thick skin, but he had never heard it was made of steel. Malek vowed that if he returned home, he would spread the story of how snake beast-people’s faces had been changed to steel.
“Th-that’s right.”
“Right? You say it’s right? Do you call that a proper response?!”
Melty shrank at Malek’s sharp voice, which was usually gentle and kind. Clicking his tongue at the sight, Calix quickly moved to lift Melty into his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think? Why are you intimidating someone who just spoke the truth? Isn’t your meddling excessive, even for family?”
With his hand on his throbbing head, Malek lacked even the energy to argue. He had visited the Padrian mansion out of concern after receiving his brother’s letter and had made his way to where his brother was said to be now. He never thought he would encounter such a situation.
“Melty Crosel.”
“Y-yes.”
“Do our parents know? Or your sisters, brother, and third brother?”
“……”
Melty, who had been murmuring with his lips, hung his head low. Watching him, Malek once again exhaled a deep sigh.
“Do you think I supported you doing business outside so you could do this? Have you two been together for 1 year or 10 years? What kind of man did you think he was to give yourself over so completely?”
“……”
“Is there anyone on the continent who doesn’t know what kind of man I am?”
Calix responded on behalf of Melty while stroking his head, as his mood had plummeted. At his words, Malek bit down hard on his teeth and forced a smile.
“Would you mind shutting up? Do you think I’m talking to you right now?”
“Since we’re in the same space, it’s all the same anyway. Besides, we’re going to get married eventually, and husband and wife are essentially one body. We might as well consider ourselves one body in advance.”
“One body~? Marriage~? Husband and wife~?!”
At the appearance of words that transcended dating, Malek’s eyebrows rose as high as his voice tone. At his question, Calix smiled even more brightly.
“Since you’re here, you might as well be a witness to our engagement.”
“Who would be a witness to something like that?! You… thief!”
“It was your brother who stole my first time. Of course, I also stole your brother’s first time.”
“Ahh!!”
Malek let out a scream at the completely incomprehensible conversation and jumped to his feet.
“I absolutely cannot allow this. So wake up from your dream. Melty, you prepare to return home immediately.”
“Hyung….”
“Looking at me with that face like you’re about to cry won’t work. Pack your bags.”
At Malek’s firmly spoken words, Melty’s ears lost their strength. Calix frowned as he glanced at the drooping ears and opened his mouth.
“That’s troublesome considering I’m his employer. Melty-ssi can’t quit his job right now.”
“Employer? Ha! Okay, what kind of contract did my brother sign? Hand it over right now. I’ll tear it up.”
“I don’t carry contracts around with me all the time. And a contract signed by the person himself can’t be so easily nullified.”
Melty looked up at Calix with wavering eyes at his composed retort. After reassuring him by planting firm kisses on his moistened eyes, Calix turned his gaze back to Malek.
“Why can’t it be nullified? I heard there’s a penalty fee. I’ll pay whatever that penalty fee is right now, so nullify it. That contract is void.”
“Penalty fee…. Indeed, there was such a clause.”
Melty tightly gripped Calix’s clothes as he looked up at him, who was answering with a smile. While comforting the trembling Melty, Calix pulled out his hidden trump card.
“But did you know that the clause stating the penalty fee is only valid if the contract is nullified within one week of signing is also included?”
“…What…?”
Malek asked blankly with a dumbfounded face. Even Melty, who had been full of worry about being taken home by his brother, looked up at Calix with a bewildered expression. Calix, who cradled his face and brought his head back to his chest, smiled brightly at Malek.
“Oh dear, but a week has already passed. It seems you’ll have to go home alone.”
