episode_0123

After putting the letter in my arms, I looked at Mel and smiled.

“Now you don’t have to send wine to the mansion.”

“Yes. Okay.”

Wow, you don’t ask me why I do that anymore. Unlike before, I looked at Mel in silence as she nodded without any criticism to my command.

As I looked at him like that for a while, I saw that Mel’s shoulders were trembling so slightly that if you didn’t look closely, you could just overlook it.

Hmm. You’re just trying to pretend you’re okay. Because something like that happened to me without me being able to resist, I was bound to remain traumatized. After looking at Mel for a moment, I turned my back.

“You can go now. As you saw earlier, I have a lunch appointment.”

“Yes. If there is any further news, I will come back then.”

Mel said that and bowed slightly, and I, who was about to head to the restaurant, stopped for a moment.

“Oh, that’s right.”

I turned around and walked towards Mel, who was still bent over.

Mel startled and trembled every time I got closer.

I came right in front of Mel and quietly stretched out my hand and lightly stroked Mel’s chin, making her look at me.

“Your complexion has improved a lot.”

When he said the same thing as before, Mel swallowed dry saliva and her eyes trembled.

Mel, who was suddenly looking at me with a look of complete confusion as to why I was saying this, answered with her lips quivering.

“Thanks to the young lady’s consideration… … .”

“My consideration?”

I laughed at Mel’s words and gently touched her cheek. As I was enjoying the soft feel of my thumb, I could feel Mel’s trembling through my fingertips.

“It’s my consideration… … . I didn’t do anything.”

The hand that was touching her cheek extended a little further to the nape of Mel’s neck and then to her hair. I lightly adjusted Mel’s hair using my hand like a comb, looked at the blue hair hanging from the tips of my fingers, then bent down slightly to face Mel.

“Mel.”

“… … Yes, miss.”

“Do you think your relationship with Mia has improved a lot?”

As I said that, I waved my blue hair in front of Mel’s eyes, and Mel’s eyes began to shake violently accordingly.

After looking at that for a moment, I smiled and let go of my hair without saying a word. The blue hair fell lightly to the floor.

“Okay. Getting along well is a good thing. Please take good care of that child in the future.”

While saying that, I straightened my back and patted Mel on the shoulder.

“Then I have to have lunch with Hermel, so I’ll just leave. Good job.”

Mel looked at me with trembling eyes and lowered her head. I just turned my back and headed toward the restaurant.

As I walked slowly, I smiled a little as I remembered Mel’s eyes when I last saw her. At that time, Mel’s eyes, which were trembling like aspen trees, clearly said this.

‘Aren’t you scolding me?’

That’s it.

Well, to be honest, Mel getting close to Mia is none of my business.

No, if I had to ask, I would rather welcome it than oppose it.

“Hehe.”

As Mel teaches Mia, she will try to treat her better, remembering the child she had to lose, and the more kindly Mel treats her, the more she will receive from Mel the love her sick parents were unable to give her.

The two will take care of each other, make up for each other’s shortcomings, and eventually develop into a very harmonious mother-daughter relationship. Even though they weren’t related by blood, they must have gotten along like a real mother and daughter.

If Mia had been a perfect orphan–it certainly would have been so.

“Has it already been almost half a year?”

But now, not only are Mel and Mia in the villa, but Mia’s biological mother is also there.

As long as her true blood mother is with her, no matter how well Mel treats Mia, Mia will never call her mother.

“It’s like pouring water into a bottomless pot.”

Gyeonmulsaengsim. Simply looking at an item is bound to spark a desire to have it in a corner of a person’s heart, but what if it’s something you want so badly that it hurts your bones?

How can I just pass by?

Even if you don’t have it, you will hang around it endlessly, hoping it will remain by your side.

‘It’s an obsession.’

But even though Mel knows this, she can’t help but pour out her love for Mia. Because it was something he didn’t have. Because it is something that can cover up a past full of regrets, even just a little.

Even though you pour out love, you will be distressed that that love will never come back. But even so, I can’t stop.

I was thinking that this was all I was allowed to do while on a leash.

“It’s stupid.”

I can’t believe he’s pouring so much love on her without even knowing that the real leash is Mia’s.

okay. snood. The reason I recruited Mia was to control her and her mother, who were the trigger for the rebellion, but also to put a leash on Mel, who was one of the elements of anxiety.

They even engrave it and ask what it says… … . That is only a minimum safety measure.

Think about it. Even though I personally engraved Mel and treated her with pain. I guess I was holding the book back because of the ambition I had in my heart.

What is the result?

‘Why are you treating Sera so harshly?’

‘If that freedom dies, doesn’t it mean nothing…? … ?’

‘No, no, no!! no–!!! Please, lady!!’

I twisted the corners of my mouth as Mel’s screams rang in my ears.

okay. You had doubts and reservations about me. It was like that even though it was engraved. If you don’t keep the leash on, you never know when it might bite you.

He’s clearly planning to escape from me, and he might stab me in the back the moment he undoes the imprint I engraved on him. It’s a risk factor.

So, so I–

“Charles!”

As I was walking blankly looking at the floor, I was startled and trembled at the sound of Hermel’s voice coming from in front of me and raised my head.

There was Hermel with his arms crossed and his mouth poking out, and I stared blankly at Hermel.

Hermel frowned exaggeratedly and let out a huffing sound.

“It’s late!”

After coming to my senses from that incident, I said with a small smile.

“Sorry. A little late, right?”

“Heehee, it’s okay! I thought it would be a bit late for some reason, so I deliberately didn’t order food!”

Hermel said with a bright smile as if it was all a joke, and I nodded slowly and went into the restaurant with Hermel.

Hermel, who sat down, smiled and ordered food from the chef, wondering what was so good about it. Since I didn’t mind anything, I asked for the same thing as Hermel.

After ordering food, Hermel looked out the window and clenched his chin. I looked at him for a moment and then slowly lowered my eyes.

‘Delusions of persecution. Paranoia.’

It looks like he relaxed a little and immediately looked like this. As soon as I had the chance to be weak, it immediately started eating away at me.

All I can do is sigh. really.

I laughed bitterly on the inside, looked at Hermel quietly, and sighed inwardly.

okay. Hermel is not at fault. Everything bad is me. It’s just because I’m weak and my mind is weak.

After looking at Hermel for a moment, I followed Hermel and looked out the window.

“Hermel.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Specifically? I’m not looking at anything.”

Hermel smiled and answered.

“Just. These are things I see every time, but they are so different… … . That’s what I thought.”

“Different?”

“Yes.”

Hermel took his hand off his chin, stretched, and said with a grin.

“I’ve read something like this in a book before. I don’t remember what the title was exactly, but I remember this line. The line was, ‘The world looks so beautiful!’”

“The world looks so beautiful… … .”

I quietly looked out the window, but as paranoia began to gnaw at my mind, everything seemed dangerous and disgusting.

Of course, I knew that these were all my delusions and illusions, so I just gritted my teeth and pretended not to know.

“Yes. Do you know when that line was said and who said it?”

“When did it come out?”

Hermel muttered for a moment, then his face turned red and his body trembled.

“Ugh! Just a moment, just a moment! Phew… … . Whoa… … .”

After saying that, Hermel suddenly took a breath and washed his face dry.

As I looked at him quietly, wondering what he was going to do, Hermel, whose face was bright red, took a deep breath, covered my hand with both his hands, and said.

“This is what the main character said when he was with his loved one.”

“Ah… … .”

The moment you hear those words, the moment that heart-throbbing sincerity is conveyed through your hands.

The ghost of doubt that was tormenting me, the anxiety that made me feel like someone would stab me in the back at any moment, disappeared as if they had been washed away with water.

Along with the pleasant tickling feeling in my chest, I also felt heartbreaking pain.

“Fuhu… … .”

“What, what! Why are you laughing! I spoke with great courage!”

“No… … . I guess that’s because I didn’t know that Ghermel would say such harsh words. Phuket… … . Ahahaha!”

But I laughed.

“Don’t laugh! You idiot!”

“But, but, it’s funny! Ahahaha!”

For the first time, I was able to smile sincerely, happily, and without any stains.