<Chapter 52>
#5. The Throb of Excitement (7)
As soon as Melty’s gaze met Lila’s confidently extended finger, he blinked with a bewildered expression. Lila, her eyes full of intensity, was desperately sending silent signals.
Pel, after confirming Melty’s face which perfectly expressed his confusion with round eyes, turned without hesitation to look at her. Then, in a rigid tone, he firmly grabbed her arm. He appeared ready to use force if she didn’t comply willingly.
“I’ll escort you to the annex.”
“No, I’m telling the truth! Right, Melty-ssi!”
Shouting desperately, Lila shuffled her feet in place. Perhaps because the gardener had tended to it early in the morning, her heels sank easily into the moist ground. As she began to resist by pushing strength into her legs, Melty opened his mouth with a dazed expression at her outcry.
“Th-that’s right.”
“…Is that true, sir?”
Pel, who had been about to drag Lila away, looked up at Melty. With an awkward smile on his lips in response to his concerned gaze, Melty nodded his head up and down.
Though he hadn’t actually made any promises with her, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore such a desperate look. After confirming Melty’s intention once more, Pel still looked at Lila with a suspicious expression.
“But why were you throwing stones in the garden?”
“Because it was already our meeting time but he wasn’t coming out, and I didn’t have a proper way to call him. Understand? Now, would you please let go of this?”
Lila spoke imperiously while shaking the arm that he was holding. Of course, everything she said was a complete lie. She had sensed with her intense “woman’s intuition” that Calix was heading to Melty’s room. Knowing already that he had his eye on the cute hamster beastman, such a deduction wasn’t particularly difficult.
Though she couldn’t follow Calix due to Angel, she was able to predict Melty’s room by tracking his movements to the end. Going to the garden behind the mansion, which the Padrian family managed meticulously, was unreasonable, but fortunately, the room faced the front. After that, all she did was gently throw stones at the windows of a few rooms she had guessed.
“…I apologize. But next time you have such business, please call an employee rather than acting directly yourself.”
“I will.”
With her nose held high haughtily, she lightly brushed off her arm that had just been released. Though she answered nonchalantly, she was confident that if a similar situation occurred, she would act the same way again.
‘As if telling an employee would actually get the message delivered properly…’
She had already clearly seen how Calix had followed Melty around with burning eyes at the previous day’s banquet. Afterward, whenever someone tried to ask about Melty, who had drawn the most attention in the banquet hall, he would silence them with a gaze colder than a well-sharpened blade. As for those under him, it was obvious without even looking.
“Then I’ll guide you to the reception room. Melty-nim. If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll come right away.”
“Okaay.”
With an elongated end to his reply, Melty’s small head popped back inside the room. Following Pel’s guidance, she moved to a different reception room than the one where Melty had negotiated with Calix.
‘As expected of the Padrian family.’
Though the atmosphere was different from where she’d been earlier, it was no less splendid. Clicking her tongue in admiration at the Padrian wealth, she tilted what must have been her umpteenth teacup. Only after emptying about three teacups did Melty enter the reception room.
“I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”
“No, not really.”
In truth, he was extremely late. Had it been anyone else or any other time, she would have pulled their hair out, but right now she was more gentle than the spring breeze. This was because the teatime with Melty hadn’t been scheduled in the first place, and she had already anticipated that he would need preparation time given the sudden situation.
“Um, but…”
Melty, who was about to speak, rolled his eyes around and subtly shifted his gaze. At the end of his line of sight was Pel, who had taken position by the door. Assigned by Calix as a safety measure, Pel was burning with determination not to leave Melty alone by stepping outside the room.
Discreetly checking on Pel, Melty lowered his voice considerably and asked.
“What brings you here?”
At his soft whisper filled with puzzlement and curiosity, and his gentle gaze, Lila smiled softly.
“What do you mean? Friends can enjoy teatime together.”
“Friends?”
This was news to him. With an expression even blanker than when he had peeked his head out the window, Melty blinked his eyes obediently. His only interaction with Lila had been their brief conversation at the banquet hall. For a moment, Melty wondered if the meaning of the word “friend” he knew was different.
“Why? Aren’t we? We’ve had quite a lot of conversation, haven’t we?”
Lila asked with a hurt expression as Melty still couldn’t hide his bewilderment. Seeing her drop her eyes downward while occasionally glancing up to signal her feelings, Melty hastily waved his hands.
“N-no, that’s not it… It’s just that this is my first friend.”
“Your first?”
“Yes.”
Embarrassed by Lila’s question, Melty nodded while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. The “friends” that appeared in books always formed deep friendships after overcoming all sorts of hardships and adversities. He and Lila hadn’t fought together to defeat villains or started a rebellion to conquer the world.
‘I guess books and reality are different after all.’
If just talking for barely two hours was enough to become friends, he couldn’t understand why all those characters in books went through such hardships.
“Really? I thought Melty-ssi and I were friends…”
Lila’s eyelashes lowered, creating shadows. Panicking at her dejected appearance, Melty waved his hands from side to side and said.
“I-I think so too.”
Though their first meeting had been a bit awkward, their conversation was comfortable and pleasant. Even if it happened by chance, he had made a friend for the first time in his life. If he were to return home, he would have stories to tell his family, neatly stacked up.
It was definitely different from when he always lay down, just waiting for his family. Now he was firmly doing his share at the mansion, making friends, and someone even liked him…
To shake off Calix who had popped into his mind against his will, Melty vigorously emptied his teacup.
“Hmm~ Then I’m your first friend. Nice to meet you.”
Lila, who had been closely observing Melty’s changing expressions, smiled gently, her eyes forming crescents. It was obvious what kind of environment he had grown up in, unable to hide even his facial expressions.
‘Being that innocent, he’s bound to get stabbed in the back somewhere.’
Though her curiosity about Calix had led her here, she quite liked the cute fellow before her. Having completed the quick and efficient greeting between newly formed friends, Melty’s feet swayed back and forth. Revealing his excited mood openly, he suddenly remembered something and asked with his ears perked up.
“But doesn’t Lila-ssi have to go to the meeting?”
Angel had clearly just urged Calix to attend the exchange meeting. It seemed strange that she, who was clearly a guest for the exchange meeting, wasn’t going to the meeting room.
“I’m neither the head of the family nor the heir apparent, so I don’t have to attend the meeting. I just attended this banquet for this exchange meeting.”
“Ah…”
Melty nodded as he finally understood why she wasn’t attending the meeting after her confident explanation. Looking at him, Lila smiled brightly again and whispered.
“By the way, Cutie.”
“Yes?”
Lila’s slender finger tapped her red lips. As if sharing a secret, she closed one eye slightly and whispered.
“Nothing special happened with Calix-nim?”
“Special… event…?”
Melty blinked his eyes obediently as his voice trailed off. Rather than “nothing special,” something “incredibly significant” had happened. But he didn’t know how to explain it. Moreover, despite being “friends,” he couldn’t tell her everything.
“No, nothing like that.”
Playing innocent, Melty quickly picked up a cookie and popped it into his mouth. Noticing Melty’s wariness, she smoothly changed the subject.
“Really? Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, contact me. I’ll give you my address.”
“Address?”
“You can come visit, or send letters. The McNeil residence has quite a nice view. Do you have paper and pen?”
When Melty was about to move at her question, Pel, who had been standing guard and observing the situation, quickly brought a pen and paper. Thanks to him, Melty didn’t need to get up, so he gave Pel a small word of thanks before handing the items to Lila.
“Melty-ssi is always welcome. Though, of course, I hope you’ll leave Calix-nim behind.”
“…Why? Doesn’t Lila-ssi like Calix-ssi?”
“I’m not interested in men who are already taken.”
She said firmly while waving her hand. Calix’s appearance was excellent for purifying one’s sight, but there were no merits beyond that. Moreover, she had no desire to meet Melty with a man who showed murderous intent in his eyes at the mere mention of Melty.
“Uh… Does Calix-ssi have someone?”
Melty echoed her words with a blank face, with confusion and betrayal flashing across his features. Observing his expression, Lila continued with her smile intact.
“Typically, those at the level of an heir apparent get married early. Even if they don’t hold the actual ceremony, it’s customary to have at least a fiancée.”
As Lila continued her explanation, Melty’s expression changed moment by moment. While working at the Padrian mansion, he had never seen Calix’s superior. Moreover, while organizing documents, he had seen that Calix was the final decision maker for all matters inside and outside the mansion.
‘He confesses while having a fiancée?’
Melty’s hands, which had been resting neatly on his lap, clenched tightly.
– “But I want to date you.”
– “This is the first time I’ve told someone I like them too.”
He could never forgive him for shaking people up using his sparkling face as a weapon. While observing Melty’s expression burning with anger, Lila sipped her tea with a deep smile on her lips. Then, as if in passing, she spoke.
“Of course, Calix-nim is postponing all talks of engagement, citing an unfortunate incident that occurred at a previous exchange meeting.”
“…Pardon?”
Melty looked at her with a puzzled expression at her unexpected statement. His hands, which had been trembling as if betrayed by someone he had trusted until just moments ago, lost all outlet for their emotions and released the strength with which they had been clenched.
His eyes, having lost their direction, settled on Lila. Looking at his brown eyes rippling with confusion, Lila smiled brightly. Moving her wrist, she pointed at Melty with her index finger and asked in a leisurely voice.
“So, something did happen between you and Calix-nim, didn’t it?”
