<Chapter 134>
#15. Epidemic (8)
Melty let out a deep breath. He carefully placed a small flower he had picked in the morning along with a letter where he had poured his sincere feelings.
“Are you done?”
Calix had been lingering around, waiting for Melty to finish his task. Melty glanced sidelong at Calix, who was stretching his neck and pacing nearby, then nodded firmly as he handed over the envelope containing the letter and flower.
“Here. Do you really have to deliver it to hyung?”
“Of course. But… is that all?”
Seeing Calix pretending not to care while glancing repeatedly at the desk with a look of lingering attachment, Melty let out a small sigh. Unable to respond coldly to Calix’s cautious tone, Melty pulled out a letter he had kept in the corner of his drawer. Unlike Malek’s thick one, it was more like a mini-letter made by folding a single sheet of paper.
And instead of handing it to Calix, he tucked it deep into his pocket. A faint smile spread across Calix’s lips as he watched it disappear into his pocket.
“…If anything happens, please make sure to tell me.”
“I will. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Calix planted a firm kiss on Melty’s forehead before quickly turning around. Melty watched his departing back intently and was finally able to let the smile he’d been forcing drop from his face.
*Hiss… hiss.*
Naru, making the distinctive sound of a snake, caught Melty’s attention by flicking its tongue, seemingly worried about his visibly gloomy expression. A bitter smile formed on Melty’s lips as he met the snake’s gleaming eyes.
“I’m okay.”
Despite his brave words, Melty’s voice was shadowed with gloom. It was already the third day since Malek and Pel had covered themselves with infected blood to protect Melty.
Malek started showing symptoms on the second day after being exposed to the blood. The first symptom to appear was fever. Even though Melty had mentally prepared himself for the “worst-case scenario” since first hearing about it from Calix, he was still shocked to learn that Malek had contracted such a dangerous disease.
In his memories, Malek Crosel had always been a healthy and energetic person. Though he hadn’t received the blessing of health, he rarely even caught common illnesses like colds—such occurrences could be counted on one hand. Perhaps that was why Melty couldn’t quite grasp the current situation, and conversely, that was why it frightened him.
“I hope hyung will be okay…”
Muttering with a gloomy expression, Melty lightly slapped both his cheeks to pull himself together. On the first day of Malek’s quarantine, he had trembled with anxiety, and when his infection symptoms appeared on the second day, he had cried inconsolably. Though he suffered from nightmares fueled by guilt, he was able to regain his spirits thanks to Calix, who stayed close by to comfort him, and Malek’s letter that Calix had delivered.
It was easy to feel depressed. But that wasn’t helpful in the current situation. So Melty found something he could do. In place of the recently busy Calix, Melty was helping to organize the materials in the library. Although he had undertaken the task hoping to be of even a little help, he hadn’t yet found any effective medicinal herbs.
‘I think my gift might help…’
Melty absentmindedly looked out the window and quietly placed his hand on his belly. He had become more careful since learning there was a life inside. Gently rubbing his slightly protruding belly that now resembled a small pooch, Melty took a deep breath.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even mentioned it to Calix…’
Although Calix still didn’t show it in front of Melty, it was easy to tell that his nerves were on edge. While dealing with the aftermath of what had happened that day, Calix had also immersed himself in finding a cure for this disease. Despite the heavy fatigue that had settled on his face, Calix always smiled whenever he saw Melty. Recalling how he had tried to reassure him, Melty took a deep breath to calm his anxiety.
“It’s okay. I won’t cry. I’ll tell him when everything is sorted out.”
It was partly because he’d been too busy to talk about it, but thinking about it, he was also relieved he hadn’t said anything yet. Even when he first heard about the pregnancy, his mind had gone blank and he couldn’t collect his thoughts. Calix would surely be just as surprised when he found out.
Moreover, Calix was already being overprotective enough. It was easy to predict that if he learned about the pregnancy, his behavior would only become more extreme, never less. While it was nice to be cherished, Melty didn’t want to just sit around unable to do anything, especially in a situation like this.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Melty headed to the library with determined steps.
***
Calix let out a heavy sigh and firmly pressed his temples with his hand to ease his throbbing headache. The furrows between his brows, drawn together with all his might, showed no signs of relaxing. His skin, clearly showing the toll of his recent hardships, was quite rough, and his tired eyes were bloodshot with visible red veins.
“If you’re that exhausted, why don’t you take a rest?”
Angel carefully suggested as he placed documents in front of Calix. Unlike his usual self, Calix’s gaze settled on him a beat slower.
“In this situation?”
“What about the situation? Let me tell you in advance, if you collapse too, no one will be able to manage things here.”
Calix was left speechless at Angel’s sincere words. Certainly, the current situation was serious. As Johaim had said, the time it took for symptoms to develop was gradually shortening.
“I should have killed all those who escaped back then…”
A grinding sound accompanied the tension in Calix’s hand. Angel subtly moved his foot backward in response to the ominous and sharp aura.
“…What are you doing?”
Having barely suppressed his aura, Calix looked incredulously at Angel, who had retreated more than five steps away in that brief moment. Confirming that Calix’s eyes had returned from the brink of “losing it” to a calmer state, Angel restored the distance between them with a beaming smile.
“What did I do?”
“Huh? Where did the guy who was running away to that corner just go?”
“Running away? Who? Who are you talking about?”
Angel turned around with exaggerated movements, swinging his head from side to side.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“…Your shamelessness has strengthened again today.”
At Calix’s muttering, Angel smiled innocently as if he knew nothing. Clicking his tongue at Angel’s excellent social skills, Calix exhaled deeply.
“If you had killed the people who fled then, the confusion would be worse than it is now.”
“I know.”
Calix responded apathetically before swallowing a short sigh. He was aware of the annoying and troublesome rumors that trailed behind the Padrian family name. As he had felt when meeting Melty, he couldn’t understand why rumors about using people as test subjects were spreading.
Since such rumors had been around for years, he hadn’t bothered to respond to them. But he hadn’t realized that ignoring them out of both a lack of urgency and laziness would come back to haunt him like this.
The sealed-off area and the false rumors about the Padrian family had driven people into fear. Of course, it was uncertain whether they would have willingly submitted to Calix’s control even without the rumors, but Calix thought that at least the current headache wouldn’t have occurred.
“…So, how is Master Malek?”
In response to the question tinged with concern, Calix rubbed his face with his dry hand. Although he had offered reassurance to Melty that everything would be fine, in reality, Malek’s situation was not good at all. Fingering the letter Melty had given him, Calix exhaled deeply once more.
“He’s not in good condition.”
Although he couldn’t bear to tell Melty, Malek’s condition was deteriorating at an alarming rate. Contrary to what he had told Melty, Malek had developed a fever by the evening of his arrival at the mansion.
Since the incident occurred, Calix had been swamped with work cleaning up the outskirts area. As a result, the first letter Malek had written for Melty was delivered to him a day late.
“Don’t breathe a word about his condition to Melty.”
“Is it that serious?”
Angel’s expression hardened at Calix’s warning. Glimpsing the concern evident in his expression, Calix pressed his eyes with his hand, his face fatigued.
Melty and Malek had an exceptionally good relationship. And from what he had observed while being by Melty’s side, Malek’s presence was significant to him. It was evident on the day Melty heard that Malek had developed symptoms of the epidemic.
Calix had nearly suffered heart failure at the sight of tears falling incessantly from Melty’s large eyes. Melty, who had been silently weeping for a long time, was only able to stop crying after falling asleep from exhaustion. Calix had to hold him in his arms and soothe him as he screamed and gasped from nightmares, watching carefully lest anything happen to him.
“If a cure isn’t found, the situation won’t change. I hope his body can hold out until then…”
Though Melty was trying to act brave after receiving Malek’s letter, his eyelids were always slightly swollen, as if he had been crying in secret. If anything were to happen to Malek Crosel, the impact it would have on Melty was something Calix could barely bear to think about.
‘But it’s not like there’s a solution…’
Calix pulled out two letters from his pocket and fidgeted with them. A thick letter neatly enclosed in a pretty envelope, and a small letter that was closer to a folded piece of paper without even an envelope. It was obvious which one had more effort put into it. But he didn’t feel slighted by that.
“…Did Melty write another letter?”
“Yeah. It seems like it eases his mind, so I let him be.”
Malek hadn’t seen this letter, each word pressed firmly with the hope for his recovery. Lying in bed, feverish, Malek had rarely regained clear consciousness. Therefore, Calix had delivered all the letters from Melty to the bedside where Malek was.
After setting aside Melty’s letter to Malek, Calix opened the letter he had claimed for himself. In the middle of the wide white paper was writing in a round handwriting resembling Melty.
“Keep going strong today.”
Although that was the only text, Calix felt strength as if the words themselves carried power. It had been worth pestering Melty to write him a letter too, saying he needed it to keep his spirits up. With a soft smile on his lips, Calix muttered.
“This matter needs to be resolved quickly.”
“There’s a lot to worry about.”
Calix agreed with Angel’s murmur. The people who had been living in the outskirts had accepted residing in a temporary village located a short distance from here. It was under the pretext of “for treatment,” but fortunately, there was no resistance.
Once an epidemic broke out, they couldn’t leave them in the outskirts. At any other time it might have been different, but in a situation where some had escaped the quarantine zone and caused damage to the village, no one would refuse his orders. Moreover, the appearance of Johaim, the next head of the Sarvie family, had significantly increased trust.
“Where’s Johaim?”
In response to Calix’s question, Angel blinked his eyes before speaking.
“He probably went to the library. You gave him permission to visit the library yesterday, didn’t you?”
“That’s right… Wait, which library?”
“Well… If he got permission from you, he obviously went to the main building, not the annex.”
At Angel’s blinking response, Calix’s expression crumpled dramatically. If it was the main library, it was the area where Melty had been cooped up all day recently. Jumping up from his seat, Calix hurriedly moved his feet.
“Ca-Calix, sir! Where are you going?”
To Angel’s startled question, Calix answered simply and clearly.
“Going to protect my lover.”
