<Chapter 11>
#2. A Hamster in the Snake’s Den
“Angel. That’s not it.”
“…How could you say that when you don’t even know what I was thinking!”
“I’m not trash, you know.”
“Ah, was it that obvious?”
Calix let out a deep sigh at the sight of Angel playfully hitting himself on the head as if he’d made a terrible mistake. Lowering his gaze, Calix stroked Melty’s hair, patting it gently. He thought he should feed the still-crying Melty some hot chocolate. When Calix raised his head to give orders to Angel since he couldn’t move himself, he had to swallow a groan as he noticed the numerous gazes fixed on him.
Starting with Jenny, the staff who had somehow gathered at the doorway were all wearing the same expression while looking at Calix. It was the exact same expression Angel had when he opened the door and entered. Staring at them all with “that look” on their faces, Calix genuinely wanted to kick Angel’s behind for not closing the door.
***
Angel yawned widely, scratching the back of his head as he walked at a leisurely pace. He knew that coming to work early would only result in being caught by Calix, who was like a mosquito when it came to ordering subordinates around, and having both his energy and strength completely drained. Of course, Calix always compensated him well with gold coins for such occasions. But sometimes, rest was more desperately needed than money.
It was while he was walking, proudly justifying his laziness to himself, that Angel tilted his head. He had often felt lately that the atmosphere of the mansion seemed different somehow, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed. However, at this moment, he could clearly tell what had changed about the mansion.
“…Flowers…?”
Angel, mesmerized by the large yellow flower that had bloomed with a bud big enough to be clearly visible, frowned deeply. The Padrian family owned a vast garden, but it was strange that such an ornamental flower was here. Calix, who seemed to have been born with his “sensibility” thoroughly dried out, was especially uninterested in “pretty flowers.”
As could be seen from how he categorized humans into “useful ones” and “useless ones,” for him, plants were also classified into just two types: “medicinal” and “non-medicinal.”
Naturally, this vast garden had long since been turned into an herb garden. No matter how he thought about it, the only one who could order flowers to be planted here was the master of the mansion, Calix Kuse Padrian. But that in itself was strange.
“They say when a person changes, it’s time for them to die…”
The first thought that flashed through his mind was “Could it be?!” but Calix was too full of vigor to be considered someone facing a grave situation. Angel, stroking his chin and deep in serious thought, could easily spot flowers blooming here and there throughout the garden.
“This flower definitely wasn’t here yesterday.”
The fact that a flower had bloomed fully in just one day meant that someone had deliberately transplanted already-blooming flowers here. This situation so uncharacteristic of the Padrian mansion made him wonder if he was dreaming, so he pinched his cheek hard, but all he could feel was the pain in his cheek. As Angel clutched his cheek and groaned, he heard a clear laugh.
‘Come to think of it, when did the air in the mansion start to change…?’
Angel got up and walked toward the sound. He had known that a different current was flowing through the mansion, but today was the first time he had felt it so tangibly. And as he turned the corner, he could see Melty with his warm brown hair, confidently situated in the garden.
“…Mr. Melty?”
“Oh? Mr. Angel.”
Angel awkwardly returned the smile to Melty, who greeted him with a bright smile. He quickly looked around. In the area where flowers were blooming particularly abundantly, there was a large cloth spread out with colorful food. To anyone looking, this was clearly a “flower viewing scene.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Flower viewing. Would you like to rest a bit too, Mr. Angel?”
Angel swallowed the words that were circling in his mouth at Melty’s bright smile and kind question. They were undoubtedly in the same situation, both employed by Calix, but the difference in treatment was too stark. Angel scanned the servants resting together with Melty.
“…Ah. I’m busy, so…”
“Oh, really? Um… would you like a sandwich then? I made them early this morning.”
Angel received the sandwich that was handed to him with a sparkling smile and immediately brought it to his mouth. Despite taking a big bite of the soft bread and the sweet jam inside, he couldn’t taste anything. As he mechanically chewed without tasting, Angel carefully observed Melty, who was chattering away. It felt like he was discovering for the first time that Melty could be such a bright, smiling person.
‘Why?’
Angel tilted his head to the right at the question that arose in his mind. Melty, following Angel’s movement, tilted his head as well, and as soon as their eyes met, he smiled brightly.
“Would you like something to drink too?”
Angel nodded at the careful question and received a drink as well. Even as he sipped through the straw, the feeling that ‘something is off’ wouldn’t leave Angel’s mind.
“Melty Crosel.”
“Eek!”
Melty’s shoulders trembled greatly as he recognized whose voice it was that spoke in a low tone. The person who immediately caught Melty’s waist as he tried to escape was none other than Calix.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Unlike Calix, who seemed triumphant at having caught him more easily than usual, Melty immediately looked tearful. Angel swallowed his inadequately chewed sandwich whole as Melty looked up at him with moist eyes, desperately seeking help.
Frowning as if displeased with Melty trembling in his arms, Calix moved his hand. Melty’s soft hair easily became disheveled under his rough touch. Sighing at Melty’s quiet, docile behavior, Calix soon released his arm from around Melty’s waist. And then, as if he’d been waiting for it, Melty shot off.
Although he could have caught him if he wanted to, Calix allowed Melty to escape, standing with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. After the maids hurriedly cleaned up the scene and bowed to Calix, they walked in the direction where Melty had disappeared. Calix, who had been watching them disappear for quite some time, finally turned his gaze to Angel, who was standing there in a daze.
“Angel Fryce.”
“Yes?!”
Startled, Angel unintentionally blurted out a foolish response and stared at the hand Calix extended toward him. Just as he tilted his head, thinking ‘What is this…?’, Calix’s hand stretched out once more. At that gesture clearly demanding he hand something over, Angel checked what he was holding. And soon realized that what he had in his hand was the sandwich he had taken one bite from.
“This… this?”
As Angel stood there bewildered, Calix’s eyebrows twitched upward. Realizing that he was about to explode, Angel hurriedly placed his sandwich obediently on Calix’s hand.
“What are you doing down here instead of coming up?”
“…I was on my way, but…”
Angel had to watch helplessly as the sandwich that had been in his hands just seconds ago went into Calix’s mouth. Ignoring his expression, Calix’s gaze was fixed on where Melty had disappeared. As Angel turned his head to follow Calix’s line of sight, he sighed as he looked at the corner where Melty had vanished.
“You still haven’t made up yet?”
“…How can I make up with him when he runs away as soon as he sees my face?”
Calix opened his mouth wide and took a large bite of the sandwich. As if to show his displeasure, he chewed with excessive force, and Angel, glancing at him, shook his head from side to side.
Come to think of it, the atmosphere in the mansion began to change from the day Melty had burst into tears so loudly. The biggest influence on the shift in atmosphere was, of course, due to Calix Kuse Padrian, the master of this place.
After the day Melty cried so much, the relationship between Calix and Melty changed dramatically.
To be precise, Melty ran away from Calix as hard as he could, and Calix diligently chased after him. The “Melty hair stroking” by Calix that Angel had just witnessed was also a small event that occurred every morning. Angel, who had turned his gaze in the direction where Melty had already disappeared, clicked his tongue and said:
“Couldn’t you have bullied him a bit less?”
“Whose side are you on right now?”
“Well…”
The words that he was obviously on the side of the poor hamster wrongly caught in the snake’s clutches got stuck in Angel’s throat and couldn’t come out. Angel’s gaze fixed on Calix’s hand. The gold coin in Calix’s hand caught the sunlight and sparkled exceptionally brightly. At the appearance of the gold coin, Angel smiled brightly as if he had become a slave to money.
“Of course I’m on your side, Master Calix. Ah~ Even though Master Calix has been ‘so’ considerate, Melty should have just given in. Mr. Melty is being too much!”
Angel, who until just now had been on Melty’s side saying “he has good reason,” instantly changed his attitude. Despite having seen it many times before, Calix was still amazed at how quickly his attitude could flip.
“It’s too obvious that you don’t mean what you’re saying.”
“I’m sincere. Of course.”
“How sincere exactly?”
“Well, naturally as sincere as one gold coin.”
Angel, with a bright smile, firmly stated and held out both hands together. The gesture clearly meant “give me what you’re holding in your hand since I said what you wanted.” Calix was astonished. Looking at Angel with his eyes shining brightly, Calix pulled back the gold coin in his hand.
“I don’t think it’s worth a gold coin though.”
“Aren’t you expecting too much from me?”
“Aren’t you trying to get away with too little effort?”
Angel pouted at his appearance, which showed no intention of giving in at all. Of course, it would have been strange if the great Calix had so readily thrown a gold coin.
“Then what should I do?”
“Come up with a solution needed for the current situation.”
“A solution for restoring the relationship with Mr. Melty?”
Angel tightly closed his mouth at the sharp look that seemed to say “why state the obvious?” According to the contract Melty had signed, Calix was the employer, and Melty was his exclusive chef. Naturally, Melty should be taking on the task of cooking for Calix, but that duty had been suspended before it even began.
‘He says his own face keeps appearing on the face he wants to eat… He can’t be asked to cook that.’
Angel’s nose wrinkled. The situation had partly become like this due to Calix’s mischievous pranks. Having seen Melty tear up several times because of his pranks, Angel’s conscience pricked him too much to take Calix’s side entirely.
“If you want to make up, be a little kinder to Mr. Melty.”
“How much more than this?”
“What do you mean ‘than this’…?”
Angel, who was about to ask with his face full of “What have you done?”, couldn’t get the words out. With the image of the gold coin still dancing before his eyes, he drew upon every ounce of patience from his infancy to endure. Belatedly, he recalled that the surroundings of where they were standing was a flower garden.
“You’re not saying that planting some flowers counts as being kind, are you?”
Calix frowned at Angel’s question, asked with narrowed eyes. Changing a garden that had only ordinary grass and trees into a place full of flowers overnight wasn’t something that could be done with ordinary dedication. Each flower planted here had been carefully selected through Calix’s hands. Besides that, he had also increased the types of desserts made in the mansion and purchased ingredients that Melty preferred. The sandwich that had been in his hand was long gone into his mouth. Wiping the seasoning from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, Calix said:
“I’m not assigning him any other duties, and do you know how many people I’ve attached to him so he can live comfortably?”
“Master Calix. That kind of thing isn’t called being kind.”
Angel waved his hands and swallowed a sigh. Calix had always been an extremely rational person, but especially after coming of age and obtaining his gift, he particularly distinguished clearly between people. Along with the thought that this seemed to have definitely become poison to his current way of thinking, Angel said in a calm tone:
“You’ve been ambushing Mr. Melty every morning.”
