“So, what’s this secret? If it’s not some big secret that gives you the right to take over my office however you like, don’t expect any snacks today.”
Caught off guard and led by Michael’s hand, Cabelenus voiced his displeasure without holding back.
“You talk as if you're the one who always looks after me. But my snacks are always brought by the pretty noonas.”
“There’s nothing in this castle that isn’t mine.”
“People aren’t objects, so you shouldn’t say that. Honestly, Mister, for an adult, you really don’t know much.”
Michael let out a long, helpless sigh and shook his head.
“Stop nagging and just tell me already. What’s this secret?”
"It’s obviously Mum’s birthday."
"…What?"
"Why are you so surprised? Don’t tell me you don’t even know my mum’s birthday?"
“...”
Cabelenus furrowed his brow without saying a word.
Even in hindsight, he couldn’t remember ever asking about Alicia’s birthday.
“You really didn’t know? Wow, you’re really terrible.”
“…So, when is your mother’s birthday?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
"Why?"
“I’m annoyed at Mister for not even knowing my mum’s birthday.”
Michael tilted his head mischievously.
“Then why did you say you’d share the secret with me?”
“I thought you already knew about my mum’s birthday, so I was curious what kind of present you prepared.”
“So, you’ve prepared a gift, haven’t you?”
Cabelenus stole a glance at Michael and cautiously began to speak.
He had to gently coax the child to get the answer he needed.
“Of course I have. You think I wouldn’t know my mum’s birthday like you?”
“If you tell me the birthday, I’ll give you twice the snacks today.”
“Even if you give me a lot, Mum won’t let me eat it all anyway.”
Michael shook his head firmly.
Cabelenus briefly touched his forehead, then slightly raised an eyebrow.
“Then, how about eating them here?”
"That’s…"
“You can do that for three days straight.”
“Let’s make it a week. Three days is too short.”
“You think I have as much free time as you?”
Cabelenus tilted his head to the side.
"I’m busy too!"
Michael’s eyes hardened, refusing to back down.
Their gazes met, taut in the air between them.
"…Fine. But only for an hour, then you have to go.”
“But if Mum finds out, you’ll be the one in trouble.”
"That’s…"
"Why? You don’t like it?"
Cabelenus’s mouth twitched ever so slightly.
No matter what, he didn’t want to be hated by Alicia.
But the stubborn child didn’t seem willing to budge an inch.
“…Alright, just tell me when her birthday is.”
"Next month, the 9th."
“So there’s less than a month left.”
"Whose fault is it for not knowing my mum's birthday?"
“...”
Michael stuck his tongue out and trotted toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
“I told you. I’m a busy person.”
"What?"
Cabelenus clicked his tongue at Michael, who waved his hand as if annoyed.
Seeing him like that, Cabelenus really had no idea who the child took after.
“I’ve got plans, so you go ahead and prepare a gift for my mum.”
“...”
“Of course, whatever you prepare probably won’t be as good as mine.”
Michael said that proudly before slipping out of the room.
The only one left in the room was Cabelenus, wearing a dumbfounded expression.
・・・・・
James stared blankly at the empty canvas.
He couldn’t do anything.
It was a brush he had naturally taken up even before he came of age, but his hand wouldn’t move.
He didn’t know what to paint and felt utterly at a loss.
It felt as if someone had stolen all his inspiration. No. More than that, the stronger feeling was that he didn’t want to accept that he was a painter.
‘It’s probably best to just stay silent. After all, if I remain quiet, Alicia won’t say anything either.’
Leaning against the wall, James covered his face with both hands.
He wanted to find fault with that man by any means, but he couldn’t.
Just like Michael’s exasperated comment about how that man was good at everything, Cabelenus really did seem perfect in every way, and the more he tried to tear him down, the more miserable he felt about himself.
Why hadn’t he been born a noble?
Would things have been different if he had been brave back then?
Every time all sorts of distracting thoughts gnawed at him, his mind grew dazed.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
James tried to ignore it, but the persistent sound finally made him get up.
“Uncle!”
The child's eyes curved delightfully as their gazes met.
It looked as if two small crescent moons had gently settled on the child’s face.
James forced a smile as he watched the child waving his arms excitedly, though they couldn’t even reach him.
“Michael. What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’? We agreed to paint together today.”
“Paint?”
“Mum’s birthday is coming up soon, so we decided to paint together as a gift for her.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
James avoided looking at Michael’s face and turned his gaze away.
Once he became aware of it, the child’s features kept catching his eye.
The child’s face bore traces of the man he resented.
“Michael, today—”
“Let’s paint quickly. We have to surprise Mum!”
It wasn’t exactly a surprise since Alicia was just pretending not to notice, but the oblivious child simply smiled brightly.
‘…Michael doesn’t know anything.’
James forced himself to compose his emotions and adjusted his expression once more.
It was shameful to let such feelings extend even to the child.
“Alright. Let’s paint.”
“Yes! Yes! Let’s hurry and paint!”
“Do you like it that much?”
“Of course. I want to paint amazing pictures just like Mum and Uncle.”
James pulled out the canvas Michael had been working on.
On the canvas was a clumsily drawn portrait of Alicia.
“Now we just need to add colour directly over this."
“...”
"What is it?"
“Now that I look at it, the drawing seems a bit off.”
Resting his chin like a critic, Michael narrowed his eyes.
"I think it’s good. Michael was satisfied with it last time, too, right?"
It had the clumsy touches of a beginner, but considering his age, it was quite a good sketch. Moreover, Alicia was the kind of person who would like anything if it were a gift from Michael.
"It was fine back then, but looking at it now, it’s not. At this rate, I’ll definitely lose to that mister.”
"Lose?"
"Honestly, isn’t it too much? That mister didn’t even know Mum’s birthday!"
“...”
"I don't know about anyone else, but I won’t lose to that mister who didn’t even know Mum’s birthday. I’m going to give her the coolest gift!"
Michael clenched both fists tightly.
Cabelenus would surely prepare something impressive, but Michael had absolutely no intention of losing.
"This won’t do. I’ll draw it again. Is that okay?"
“Go ahead if you want to.”
"Uncle, you really are the best!"
Michael beamed and quickly sat down, clutching his pencil.
"There’s still time, so let’s take it slow."
"Yes! Yes!"
Michael held his pencil as James instructed.
The child’s gaze on the canvas was serious, like an artist about to complete a masterpiece.
"We’re just sketching the outline for now, so ease your grip a little."
"Like this?"
"That’s right. Just like that. You’re doing great."
"Really?"
Michael smiled to himself.
"So don’t worry about anything else. Just draw however you like. If something seems off, Uncle will help you with it."
“Okay, got it!”
Michael nodded confidently and readjusted his grip on the pencil.
James listened to the soft scratching of the pencil as he watched Michael from behind.
Even though he lacked experience, Michael moved his hand without hesitation, perhaps a result of growing up surrounded by art.
There was no need to point anything out; once the sketch was finished, it would only need a few minor touches.
James quietly studied Michael’s sketch before carefully speaking up.
“You know, Michael…”
"Why? Is something wrong?"
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s about your mum.”
James let out an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.
After their awkward conversation, he hadn’t seen Alicia at all.
He was afraid that bringing up the topic again might ruin their relationship, but at the same time, he didn't want to stay silent and let things pass as if nothing had happened.
In the end, the only thing he could do was avoid Alicia.
“Mum?”
Michael stopped sketching and tilted his head back.
"How’s your mum these days?"
"Mum’s the same as usual. She reads books, plays with me, and sometimes meets that mister."
“…Does she spend a lot of time with him?”
James tried to sound calm, but his voice trembled slightly.
"Yes, she spends a lot of time with him."
“It seems like their relationship has definitely improved.”
"Even so, that mister's no match for me. Mum says she loves me the most. And of course, I love her the most, too."
Michael smiled proudly.
James forced a smile to match the child’s and spoke again.
"Other than that, how’s her health? Does she seem to be in any pain?"
"I’m not sure if she’s in any pain, but lately Mum’s been a bit clumsy."
“Clumsy? Alicia?”
"She did the same thing a few days ago, but today she almost tripped on her skirt again?"
"…She almost tripped on her skirt? How many times?"
"Hmm, I’ve already seen it happen twice just this week."
The corners of James’s eyes twitched slightly.
Alicia walked slowly, and her posture was straight.
It wasn’t common for her to almost trip over the skirt she wore every day.
"Was there nothing else? Like, did your mum look pale, or maybe tired…?"
“There was nothing like that.”
“Is that so? Then that’s a relief…”
James furrowed his brow.
Perhaps it was nothing more than a baseless worry.
But he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
Alicia had always been frail and prone to frequent minor illnesses, and on top of that, she possessed a power that slowly drained her life.
‘…She should be fine, right?’
Even after using her life force to wield her power, Alicia had remained perfectly fine up to this point.
There was no way a problem would arise now.
He wanted to believe that, but at the same time, other thoughts crept into his mind.
It wasn’t that she had been fine until now — it was that she had been enduring it all this time.
Perhaps the time given to Alicia was….
‘What am I even thinking right now? That can’t be true.’
James shook his head quickly, trying to shake off the distracting thoughts.
But once the thoughts had surfaced, they wouldn’t go away.
The more he gazed into eyes the same colour as Alicia’s, the deeper his thoughts grew.
“What’s wrong? Is Mum sick?”
Michael’s expression twisted as though he might burst into tears.
“No. It’s nothing like that.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
“...”
“Don’t you believe Uncle?”
When James smiled, Michael hesitated for a moment before cautiously nodding.
“I believe you, Uncle. But Mum never tells me when she’s unwell.”
“...”
“That’s why, even if Mum gets sick in the future, I might not even know.”
And he didn’t like that.
Michael’s shoulders sank.
“That won’t happen.”
“…Right? Besides, we’ve got that mister here now, too!”
“What does that man have to do with it?”
“Well, even if he’s annoying sometimes, he’s good at everything. If anything happens to Mum, I’m sure he’ll take care of it all.”
“…You could ask me for help too, you know.”
James’s voice dropped.
“Not you, Uncle.”
“Why?”
“You look far too worn out for me to ask you for anything, Uncle.”
He stared intently at James with his ash-coloured eyes.
Even the child had eyes and ears.
A perceptive child quickly noticed when adults were talking about something he couldn’t understand.
“Do I look worn out?”
“You like Mum too, Uncle.”
“...”
“It’s okay. I understand how you feel, Uncle. You don’t like the feeling of Mum being taken away, just like I don’t, right?”
Michael grinned widely, showing his teeth.
James let out a breath that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan, forcing a smile onto his face.
“The way I feel is different from you.”
“What’s different? Don’t you want Mum to be happy too, Uncle?”
“...”
“You’re kind, Uncle. You’ve got a big heart. So let’s just cut him some slack. That mister’s personality may not be great, but he’s not such a bad person.”
Above all, he was someone who made his mum smile.
Michael nodded firmly, clearly satisfied with his answer.
James tried to keep smiling along with the child, but in the end, his expression twisted.
“I’m not a kind uncle.”
“That can’t be true. You’re kind, Uncle. After Mum, you’re the one I like the most.”
Michael shook his head from side to side.
“…I thought you liked that man more than me.”
“We need to keep an eye on him a bit longer. After leaving Mum alone for such a long time, we can’t just accept him now that he is being a little better."
"For a long time?"
"Yes, for a long time."
James exhaled sharply at the gaze that seemed to silently ask what was wrong. Maybe Michael wasn’t as clueless as he seemed.
‘Since he’s such a sharp-witted kid, he might have already figured out who his real father is…’
James’s hand tensed.
He thought he knew the child well, but that was no longer the case.
The child’s eyes, which had once seemed so pure, now looked cunning.
After all, the reason Michael was lenient toward Cabelenus was that he knew he was his biological father.
With that in mind, Cabelenus’s features became even more pronounced on the child’s face.
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