"…Is this all there is?"
"I'm sorry. It seems no one in the castle eats candy… but I’ve placed a rush order, so it should arrive soon."
Gazeff was about to laugh, but clamped his mouth shut under his superior’s icy gaze.
The glass jar on the table looked far too meagre to just brush off with a laugh. Candy was a rare luxury, and above all, no one in the castle enjoyed sweets.
They searched the castle like they were hunting for rats, but all they found was a small glass jar filled with candy.
"You made such a fuss, and this is all you have?"
Michael shook the glass jar pointedly, making sure it rattled loudly.
He hadn’t received the pile of candy he expected, but Cabelenus’s stiffening expression at the rattling sound of the sweets was quite amusing.
"I told you more would be brought later."
“Then save your big talk for when it actually arrives!"
"…Besides candy, is there anything else you want?"
Cabelenus clenched his teeth tightly and muttered under his breath.
It was deeply irritating to have to feel insulted over something as trivial as candy.
“Why do you ask?”
"Just say it."
“Well, now that you're asking, nothing really comes to mind.”
“Didn’t you say last time that you wanted a house?”
“Huh? Are you going to buy me a house?”
A subtle gleam of hope appeared in Michael’s eyes.
“How many houses do you want?”
Cabelenus curled one corner of his mouth into a smirk and tilted his head cockily.
He could easily buy several mansions even before the candy shipment arrived at the castle.
"I don’t need several houses, just one massive house! That way, no one can criticise our home!"
“Buying one isn’t difficult, Gazeff.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
‘Is he seriously thinking about buying a mansion?’
Gazeff responded, but couldn’t hide the troubled look on his face.
Cabelenus’s expression was way too serious to simply brush it off as a joke.
“Transfer the ownership of the Santafen estate to the boy’s name by the end of today.”
“What does ‘ownership’ mean?”
“It’s proof that the mansion belongs to you. It’s worth far more than candy and is something truly official. Even if your uncle spent his whole life painting, he’d never be able to buy a mansion like this.”
“If that’s true, I want to start living there today! With Mum, too!”
“…With your mum?”
Cabelenus’s brows furrowed noticeably.
“Of course we’ll go together. Mum said she’s going to live with me forever.”
“…Cancel that.”
“Huh?”
“Gazeff, leave the ownership as it is. I need to give this a little more thought.”
“That’s not fair! You just said you’d give it to me!”
“Ask for something other than a house.”
“So you’re just going to say things and never follow through? Candy, the house — have you ever actually kept a promise to me, Mister?”
Michael pouted, his lips sticking out like a sulky little fish.
"This time, I will keep it."
“Don’t lie. I’m not falling for it this time. You’ve completely lost my trust.”
Michael, unable to hide his displeasure, took a candy from the glass jar and popped it into his mouth.
Despite his complaints, the moment the sweetness touched his tongue, a natural smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“This is really delicious. Should I give each of you one, too?”
“Oh, thank you.”
“I’ll pass.”
Unlike Gazeff, who accepted it readily, Cabelenus rested his chin crookedly, looking sceptical.
Silently deducting points for Cabelenus in his mind, Michael popped another candy into his mouth without hesitation.
“By the way, Mister, you really do have a big dog, right?”
“You want to see it?”
“Will you show it to me?”
“As long as you’re confident, you won’t be scared when you see my hunting dog, then by all means.”
“There’s no way I’d be scared.”
“You cry way too often for that to be true.”
“That’s not true!”
No matter how much he jumped around, Michael just couldn’t reach Cabelenus.
In the end, he could only angrily crunch on the innocent candy as he vented his frustration.
"...Just as I thought, I really need to reconsider whether you’re cut out to be my dad."
“Why?”
“Are you seriously asking because you don’t know?”
Michael narrowed his eyes with a sassy glance.
“I think I’m doing a pretty good job so far.”
“How is this even a good job?!”
“I’m playing along with a kid who barged in uninvited.”
“I’m not a kid!”
“If you don’t want to be called a kid, you should come back after you’ve grown up a bit. Okay?”
Cabelenus glanced sideways at Gazeff.
He meant to get Gazeff’s agreement, but Gazeff just gave an awkward smile.
“I’m going to tell Mum you bullied me.”
“When did I ever bully you?”
He was even wasting his time entertaining the child, and yet the child accused him of bullying.
Cabelenus tilted his head in exaggerated annoyance.
“Bullying isn’t just about hitting! Doing something the other person hates is bullying, too! Mum said so!”
“I don’t really remember doing anything like that.”
“The one who hits usually doesn’t remember.” [1]
"...And where did you hear that from?"
Cabelenus sighed deeply but didn’t take his eyes off Michael.
The child’s constant backtalk was a bit annoying, but honestly, he wasn’t unpleasant to watch.
His ever-changing expressions were surprisingly entertaining.
“Michael.”
“...”
“Michael.”
“…Mister, did you just call my name?”
Michael turned to Cabelenus with a reluctant expression.
Hearing his own name come from the mouth of a man who so rarely — almost never — used it felt strangely unfamiliar.
"Names are meant to be called, after all."
“Since when did you start calling me by my name like that? You’re only acting like this because I said I’d tell Mum, right?”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“Yeah, right.”
He answered gruffly, but inside, his heart was pounding.
Though Cabelenus often spat out sharp words and was annoying, when he looked at Michael like that, Michael couldn’t help but quietly follow his retreating figure.
“We’re going to be living together from now on, so it’s about time we both got used to it — you and me.”
“...”
“To be honest, I’m not confident we’ll get along well, but I guess I should at least try.”
"…At times like this, you’re supposed to say, ‘Let’s try to get along, okay?’”
“Is that so?”
Cabelenus nodded obediently and let out a small chuckle.
He certainly wasn’t accustomed to dealing with kids.
Even the common phrases between father and child still felt distant, like someone else’s story.
He thought that spending time like this on such trivial matters was simply inefficient.
Still, the occasional faint smiles the boy let slip weren’t unpleasant.
It was surprisingly enjoyable to spot familiar traits on the child’s small face, and at the same time, notice those that were completely different.
“Michael.”
Michael, with his wide-open eyes staring at him, looked very much like how Alicia used to react.
And, without anyone teaching him, it was nothing short of amazing how naturally he took after his parents.
In the end, he had no choice but to admit it.
The child’s presence wasn’t nearly as bad as he had expected.
・・・・・
"...Michael?"
Alicia’s eyelids slowly fluttered open and closed. Then, noticing the empty space beside her, she froze.
She barely managed to breathe as she frantically reached out to the spot next to her.
There was no warmth left on the sheet.
The child hadn’t just disappeared for a moment.
The instant she realised this, Alicia flung open the door and bolted out.
“Michael! Michael! Where are you?! Michael!”
She couldn’t think of anything.
Her mind went completely blank.
“My lady? Is something wrong—”
"Michael, my child... no, have you seen a boy about this height with reddish-brown hair?"
"If it’s the young master, he’s in His Highness’s office—”
“Where is that?!”
"If you go down just one floor from here, you’ll see the largest door right away—”
Before the maid could finish, Alicia turned around.
She tripped over her own feet and stumbled awkwardly, but it didn’t matter.
She couldn’t stop running until she knew her child was safe.
Despite limping, Alicia managed to find the office door and flung it open roughly.
“Alicia?”
“Mum?”
Startled faces came into view as the door swung open.
As soon as Alicia spotted the face she was looking for among them, she ran straight to Michael and hugged him tightly.
Only when she heard the child’s rapid heartbeat did her whole body relax — and the tears she’d been holding back finally spilled out.
"Mum, what’s wrong?”
Michael gently tapped Alicia’s shoulder, but all he got in return were quiet, trembling sobs.
"Did something happen?”
Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Cabelenus cautiously sat beside her.
He didn’t know what had happened, but the woman who had rushed out wearing only a thin nightgown without properly putting on her shoes didn’t look well.
“Perhaps I should call for a physician?”
“That would be best. Let’s get a physician first—”
“Why did you take the child without permission?!”
Alicia roughly pushed Cabelenus’s hand away and glared at him.
Cabelenus said nothing and pressed his lips tightly together.
Alicia’s bloodshot eyes were soaked with tears, and more than anything, her body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
She wasn’t angry.
She was scared.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d worry.”
He wanted to ask if she was still afraid, but he couldn’t.
All he could do was offer words of apology to reassure her.
“...”
“It’s all my fault. I’m truly sorry.”
“...”
Alicia looked at Cabelenus, then couldn’t hold back any longer and bowed her head deeply.
She knew the truth — that it wasn’t Cabelenus’s fault.
“…No. It’s actually my fault for getting angry without thinking.”
“It’s only natural to be startled. You’ve been worried all along.”
“...Aren’t you angry?”
“Why would I be angry?”
Only after hearing the gentle voice did Alicia finally take in the scene around her.
She bit her lower lip as her eyes fell on the table piled high with candies.
Cabelenus didn’t like sweets.
The reason there were candies in his office was obvious.
Above all, there was an unmistakable sweet scent coming from Michael.
“Mum...”
Michael, who had been nervously glancing around, cautiously grabbed the hem of Alicia’s clothes.
Though Michael’s face was full of fear, the puffed-out cheek with candy in his mouth didn’t at all match the tense situation.
“If you were going somewhere, you should have told Mum.”
“I was just bored since Mum was sleeping... Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Michael spread his arms wide and hugged Alicia’s neck.
Her anger melted away at the warmth radiating from him, and she pulled him tightly into her embrace.
She hadn’t known before, but now she couldn’t even imagine a life without the child.
・・・・・
“It’s just a slight sprain. There’s no damage to the bones. If you rest well for a couple of days, it’ll heal quickly.”
“That’s a relief.”
Cabelenus nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Alicia.
Her left ankle was wrapped in a bandage.
“Mum, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Alicia smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“It’ll still take a while before you’re fully recovered.”
Cabelenus took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Her thin nightgown kept getting caught on things.
“...Thank you.”
He had expected her to refuse at least once.
But contrary to his expectations, Alicia accepted the jacket without protest.
Her pale face still hadn’t regained any colour.
“Were you that anxious?”
“...”
“If I had known, I would have been more careful—”
“No, there’s no need to apologise. I didn’t mean to get angry. I was just too anxious that I…”
Overcome with emotion, Alicia covered her face with her hands and couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Can I ask what happened?”
“...”
He hadn’t intended to ask, but Alicia’s unusually strong reaction weighed on his mind.
She had always been protective of Michael, but her reaction just now was definitely strange.
Even at this moment, she looked like she was being chased by something.
“You’ve been on edge ever since arriving in Schwarhan.”
“...You knew?”
“Because it concerns you.”
The warmth in his gaze made her throat tighten.
Alicia fidgeted with her fingers and then let out a long sigh.
She knew in her head that she shouldn’t trust so easily, but every time she saw his face, it was hard not to.
That man always made her feel vulnerable.
Even though she’d tried hundreds, no — thousands of times to convince herself it was over, she couldn’t help the way her heart kept going back to him.
She had fought tooth and nail to survive, and she could keep doing it for as long as needed. But that didn’t mean it hadn’t been hard.
There were times when she just wanted to admit she wasn’t okay.
She always longed for someone she could confide in about her struggles and wished to see them.
“Then, why didn’t you ask me anything?”
"You didn't seem like you wanted to talk about it."
“...”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. Whether you do or not, my stance won't change."
Alicia’s eyelashes trembled.
She knew it wasn’t certainty that made her believe him — it was simply that she wanted to.
Then and now, she had always been weak when it came to him.
Cabelenus was the only one who could truly break her.
Even now, she couldn’t forget the things Cabelenus said — but still, she couldn’t shake the thought that she wanted to trust him just once more.
“…Sir Claude, I’m sorry, but could you stay with Michael for a moment?”
“Ah, of course.”
“I don’t want to! I want to stay with Mum!”
"It'll just be for a moment."
“But I still don’t want to...”
The tiny hand clutching her clothes fidgeted.
Alicia wrapped both hands around Michael’s and gave him a gentle smile.
“Mum is asking you for a favour.”
“...Okay.”
Pouting, Michael reluctantly took Gazeff’s outstretched hand.
Only after the child had completely disappeared from view did Alicia look up at Cabelenus.
“I have something I’d like to say to Your Highness.”
Translator's Corner:
[1] This plays on the proverb “The one who throws the stone forgets; the one who is hit remembers forever.” It means that wrongdoers often forget their actions, but the victims carry the pain and memories long after.
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