November 16, 2020
"…Is this all?"
"My apologies. There’s hardly anyone in the castle who eats sweets… But I placed an urgent order, so more will arrive soon."
Gajev had been about to smile, but under his superior’s icy gaze, he quickly shut his mouth.
The small glass jar on the table was too pitiful to laugh off.
Candy was a rarity, and no one in the castle particularly enjoyed sweets.
Even after searching every corner of the fortress, this tiny jar was all they could find.
"After all that boasting, this is all you have?"
Mikael shook the glass jar for emphasis, making the candies clink together.
He hadn’t gotten the mountain of sweets he had hoped for, but watching Cabelenus’s expression harden at the sound was entertaining enough.
"I told you, more will be here soon."
"Then brag after they arrive!"
"…Anything else you want besides candy?"
Cabelenus gritted his teeth as he muttered the words.
The fact that he was feeling humiliated over candy was infuriating.
"Why are you asking?"
"Just tell ."
"Hmm… Now that you ask, I can’t really think of anything."
"Didn’t you say before that you wanted a house?"
"Huh? You’re really going to buy a house?"
Mikael’s eyes lit up with genuine excitent.
"How many do you need?"
Cabelenus tilted his head, smirking.
A few mansions were nothing.
He could buy those before the ordered candy even arrived.
"I don’t need several. Just one! A huge one! So no one can say anything about our house ever again!"
"That’s easy. Gajev."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Gajev’s expression turned slightly strained.
Was he really going to buy the boy a mansion?
Cabelenus’s expression was far too serious for this to be a joke.
"Transfer the deed of the Santa Pen estate to his na by today."
"What’s a ‘deed’?"
"Proof that the estate is yours. It’s far more valuable than candy. Even your uncle could never buy such a place, no matter how many paintings he sells."
"If that’s true, then I want to move in today! With Mom!"
"…With your mother?"
Cabelenus’s brows knit together.
"Of course! Mom said she’s going to live with forever!"
"…Forget it."
"What?"
"Gajev, leave the deed as is. We need to reconsider this."
"You can’t do that! You just said it’s mine!"
"Pick sothing else."
"Are you just going to go back on your word again? First the candy, now the house! Have you ever kept a promise?"
Mikael pouted dramatically.
"This ti, I will."
"That’s a lie. I’m not falling for it. You’ve completely lost my trust, Mister."
Despite his complaints, he pulled out a candy from the jar and popped it into his mouth.
His frown didn’t last long—the mont the sweetness hit his tongue, his lips curled into a smile.
"This is really good. Do you two want one?"
"Ah, thank you."
"I’ll pass."
Unlike Gajev, who accepted imdiately, Cabelenus remained aloof, resting his chin on his hand.
Mikael ntally docked more points from Cabelenus’s "dad evaluation" and grabbed another piece of candy for himself.
"But Mister, you have a big dog, right?"
"You want to see it?"
"You’ll show ?"
"If you’re not afraid of my hunting dog, then sure."
"I’m not scared of anything."
"You cry too often for that to be true."
"I do not!"
Even jumping up and down, Mikael still couldn’t reach him.
Frustrated, he bit down aggressively on his candy.
"…I really need to reconsider letting you be my dad."
"And why is that?"
"You seriously don’t know?"
Mikael shot him a sharp glare.
"I think I’ve been treating you quite well."
"You call this treating well?"
"I’m entertaining an uninvited brat, aren’t I?"
"I’m not a brat!"
"Then you should grow up a little more before complaining."
Cabelenus glanced at Gajev, as if expecting agreent.
But Gajev only gave an awkward smile.
"Fine. I’ll just tell Mom you bullied ."
"When did I bully you?"
Cabelenus scoffed.
He had wasted precious ti humoring the kid, and now he was being accused of bullying him?
"Hitting isn’t the only way to bully! If you do things soone doesn’t like, that’s bullying too! Mom said so!"
"I don’t recall doing anything like that."
"People who hit never rember hitting!"
"…Where did you even hear that?"
Cabelenus let out a deep sigh but kept his gaze fixed on Mikael.
The brat was annoyingly talkative.
But watching him wasn’t unpleasant.
His ever-changing expressions were oddly amusing to observe.
"Mikael."
"…"
"Mikael."
"…Mister, did you just call my na?"
Mikael turned to him with a suspicious frown.
The man who never called him by na had just done so—twice.
It felt… strange.
"Nas exist to be used."
"You’ve never used my na before. You’re only doing it now because I said I’d tell Mom, aren’t you?"
"Not just because of that."
"Yeah, right."
Despite his grumbling, Mikael’s heart pounded in his chest.
As much as Cabelenus annoyed him, there were tis—like now—when his words made Mikael follow him without even thinking.
"We’ll be spending a lot of ti together. We should start getting used to that. Both of us."
"…"
"Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be good at this. But I’ll try."
"…That’s when you’re supposed to just say, ‘Let’s get along.’"
"Is that so?"
Cabelenus nodded easily, letting out a small chuckle.
Truthfully, dealing with children wasn’t sothing he was familiar with.
Even simple phrases between a father and son still felt distant, like they belonged to soone else.
He had never thought he would spend ti like this—idly, inefficiently.
Yet, for so reason, Mikael’s fleeting smiles weren’t so bad.
There was sothing oddly fascinating about recognizing familiar traces of himself in the boy’s face—
And, at the sa ti, finding pieces of Alicia in him.
"Mikael."
Mikael’s eyes widened.
The way he looked up at him now—
It was the sa way Alicia had once looked at him.
No one had taught this child to resemble his parents.
And yet, he did.
In that mont, Cabelenus had no choice but to acknowledge it.
The boy’s presence wasn’t as unpleasant as he had expected.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
***
"…Mikael?"
Alicia’s eyelids fluttered open and closed sluggishly.
Then they stopped.
She stared at the empty space beside her, unable to breathe.
Her hands frantically searched the sheets.
They were cold.
The warmth was gone.
Mikael hadn’t just left for a mont—he had been gone for a while.
The realization sent a shudder through her entire body.
Without a second thought, Alicia shoved the door open.
"Mikael! Mikael! Where are you? Mikael!"
Her mind was blank.
Everything had turned white.
"My Lady? Is sothing—"
"Mikael—my child—no, have you seen a boy about this tall with reddish-brown hair?"
"If you an the young master, he’s in His Highness’s office—"
"Where is it?"
"If you go down one floor, it’s the largest door—"
Alicia didn’t wait for the maid to finish.
She turned on her heels.
Her feet tangled beneath her, sending her tumbling to the ground in an ungraceful heap, but she couldn’t care less.
She had to see for herself that Mikael was safe.
Stumbling, limping, she forced herself forward.
She had to reach him.
When she finally found the door, she threw it open without hesitation.
"Alicia?"
"Mom?"
As the door swung open, startled faces turned toward her.
But Alicia saw only one.
The mont she spotted Mikael, she rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.
Only when she heard the quick, steady rhythm of his heartbeat did the tension leave her body.
The sob she had been holding back spilled out before she could stop it.
"Mom? What’s wrong?"
Mikael patted her shoulder awkwardly.
But Alicia didn’t answer.
She only clung to him, trembling.
"Did sothing happen?"
Sensing that the situation was serious, Cabelenus cautiously knelt beside her.
She was barefoot.
Dressed in thin sleepwear.
She had rushed out so frantically that she hadn’t even put on shoes.
"Should I call a physician?"
"That would be best. I’ll—"
"Why did you take him without telling ?!"
Alicia shoved Cabelenus’s hand away and glared at him.
For once, he was silent.
Her tear-streaked eyes were wide, bloodshot, and wet.
And more than anything—
She was shaking.
She wasn’t angry.
She was afraid.
"…I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would be worried."
He wanted to ask if she was still afraid of him.
But now wasn’t the ti.
The only thing he could do was apologize.
"…"
"This was my fault. I truly am sorry."
"…"
Alicia stared at him for a long mont.
Then, slowly, she lowered her head.
Deep down, she knew this wasn’t really Cabelenus’s fault.
"…No. I’m the one who should be sorry. I lashed out without thinking."
"It’s natural to be upset. You’ve been worried about him for a long ti."
"…You’re not mad?"
"Why would I be?"
His voice was so gentle that only then did she take in her surroundings.
The table was covered in candy.
Cabelenus hated sweets.
The only reason they would be here was obvious.
And Mikael… Mikael reeked of sugar.
"Mom…"
Mikael hesitated before tugging at the hem of her sleeve.
He was clearly nervous, though the effect was ruined by the candy stuffed in his mouth, puffing out his cheek.
"You should’ve told where you were going."
"I just… you were sleeping, and I was bored… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."
He stretched out his arms and hugged her.
Alicia exhaled softly.
She had no energy left to scold him.
Instead, she held him close.
She had once believed she could live without him.
Now, she knew that was impossible.
***
"It’s just a slight sprain. The bone is intact. If you rest for a couple of days, you should recover quickly."
"That’s a relief."
Cabelenus nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Alicia.
Her left ankle was now wrapped in bandages.
"Mom, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"
"I’m fine. Don’t worry."
She smiled.
But the light in her eyes was gone.
"You’re not actually fine yet."
Cabelenus shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Her thin nightgown had been bothering him.
"…Thank you."
He had expected her to refuse at least once.
But instead, she accepted it quietly.
Her face was still pale.
"…You were that scared?"
"…"
"If I had known, I would have been more careful—"
"No. You don’t need to apologize. I wasn’t trying to get angry… I was just so anxious that I…"
Her voice broke.
She covered her face with her hands.
"Can I ask what’s wrong?"
"…"
He had planned not to pry.
But sothing about her reaction didn’t sit right with him.
Alicia had always been protective of Mikael.
But this was different.
She was still acting like sothing was chasing her.
"You’ve been on edge since arriving in Schwarhan."
"…You noticed?"
"It’s you. Of course I did."
The warmth in his gaze made her throat tighten.
Alicia fidgeted with her fingers before letting out a deep breath.
She knew she shouldn’t trust him.
Her mind scread at her to be careful.
But every ti she looked at him, it was impossible.
Cabelenus had always been the one to make her weak.
She had told herself—over and over again—that it was over.
That there was nothing left between them.
And yet…
She still found herself drawn to him.
She had fought for her survival every day.
She had grown stronger because she had needed to.
But that didn’t an it hadn’t been hard.
There were monts—rare and fleeting—where she wished she could just say:
"I’m not okay."
That there had been tis when she wanted soone to hear her.
Soone to see her.
"Then… why haven’t you asked anything?"
"Because you don’t want to talk about it."
"…"
"If you don’t want to tell , don’t. It won’t change anything."
Her eyelashes trembled.
She knew the truth.
She didn’t trust him.
She wanted to.
She always had.
Cabelenus had always been the only one who could undo her.
Even now, his words echoed in her head, refusing to leave her alone.
And yet—
She wanted to believe him.
Just one more ti.
"…Sir Cloud, would you mind staying with Mikael for a mont?"
"Ah, of course."
"I don’t want to! I want to stay with Mom!"
"It’ll only be for a little while."
"But I don’t wanna…"
His tiny hands clenched at her nightgown.
Alicia gently held his hands in hers and smiled.
"Please, Mikael. Just for a mont."
"…Fine."
He pouted but reluctantly took Gajev’s hand.
Only when Mikael was completely out of sight did Alicia turn back to Cabelenus.
"I have sothing I need to tell you, Your Highness."
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