By Zephyria A sigh escaped from between Leonardo’s teeth. The past, which was short if it was short and long if it was long, also swept by. The moments when he had clashed with this man, become entangled with him, and faced him again, circled around the clock tower like a panorama.
The man he had first met in the past had given him a pitiful look. Sometimes he was so cold that it made his heart ache, and sometimes he was so upright and kind that he felt resentful. But the face he was facing now was not in those memories.
Perhaps when he was running away from the Peninsula and climbed up a tree and looked back? Even then, his face was so bitter that it was etched in his mind, but it was different from now.
The futility conveyed in his eyes, as much as the narrowed gap between their hearts, now gripped a corner of his chest tightly.
Leonardo couldn’t speak easily.
It felt as if he was doing something terribly wrong to this man.
“Ah…”
He tried to answer right away, but a hoarse sound leaked out as if his throat was blocked. Was it because he wasn’t ready yet? A sad premonition swept over him that no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to give this man the words he wanted to hear.
As he hesitated at the edge of his lips, Hugo, who had been staring at his troubled Gold Eyes, lowered his eyes with a soft breath.
“I said something unnecessary. Never mind, Leonardo.”
As if picking up spilled water, he slowly stroked his own lips and chin. Then, he straightened his leaning upper body and looked straight ahead. He silently cleaned up the messy table as if nothing had happened. Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he watched him.
He didn’t want to indulge in such childish sentiments, but the ‘Leonardo’ that came out of his mouth sounded like a declaration that he was putting a distance between them instead of giving up hope. Just like when he said that the reason he was protecting him was only out of duty.
But he knew it wasn’t true.
Leonardo bit his lip tightly and watched his gestures quietly. Then, he suddenly reached out to the man who was trying to distance himself again and brought his hand to his smooth cheek, which was still difficult to touch rashly.
He hesitated with a slight gap, but only for a moment. The cool skin wrapped around his palm. Just as blue eyes were about to turn this way, Leonardo grabbed his chin first and pulled him to look at him.
The man, who was always inscrutable, was very transparent at times like this. His handsome eyebrows were raised high, as if he was surprised by the audacity of touching a Duke’s face.
“……”
His eyes also sharpened for a moment. He was afraid that he would show his displeasure, but contrary to expectations, his blue eyes quickly regained their light and closed and opened deeply.
There was no other action. He didn’t pull his head back. Leonardo realized that this was how His Excellency was allowing his impudence. Thanks to that, he mustered up the courage to proclaim.
“Don’t call me Leonardo.”
Silence flowed for a while at the sudden outburst. Hugo, narrowing his brow as if he was puzzled, asked back.
“…What?”
“Call me Leo. You’ve been doing that since the Peninsula.”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed as he didn’t understand the sudden remark, as it was the first time he had been grabbed like this. He had been calling him Leo as he pleased since some time ago, but he thought he didn’t care because he hadn’t said anything about it.
Hugo, who had been trying to figure out what he meant, suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to.”
Leonardo’s head spun for a moment. It was such a cautious answer that it sounded like he was being considerate of him, but that wasn’t the case. He knew everything, and he had been doing it all this time. He had just said that he was allowed to. The man was acting coldly as if their relationship was quite distant.
Leonardo stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. But the man only maintained a calm demeanor and was still aloof. Because of that, he slowly lowered his hand from his jaw that he had been holding onto. He was the one who was allowing the title, but he somehow felt like he was being held hostage.
A slightly resentful feeling rose, and the corners of his lips twisted. But this time, Leonardo seemed to be taking a step back, and he continued in a fairly calm tone with a sigh.
“Just one thing. Just ask one question today. Then I’ll answer truthfully, no matter what the question is.”
His red lips moved resolutely as if he had made a very big decision. He leaned back on the sofa as if trying to appear relaxed and crossed one leg. But the direction was outward.
However, Hugo’s eyes were quite surprised by the unexpected answer. At the same time, a strange elation flowed down his spine as if he had the truth he had been searching for right in front of him.
‘Answer truthfully?’
The blue eyes that were facing him slowly went down. Naturally, his gaze reached the black choker that constricted Leonardo’s neck. Leonardo’s Adam’s apple rose and fell once more as he felt it. It was a clear sign of tension.
The tense atmosphere was precarious, as if it would break. Hugo was overwhelmed with the urge to grab the bait in front of him right away. He didn’t show it on the outside, but how much had he longed for the truth? However, he didn’t feel comfortable because it seemed that he had ended up inciting Leonardo.
That was because the Gold Eyes, which had been pretending to be calm, were frozen as if they were assuming the worst. It was a headache to select just one of the questions that had accumulated so far, but he was more concerned that Leonardo, who would be forced to reveal the truth with his own mouth, would try to avoid meeting him later.
It had taken months since their separation to meet like this today… Everyone seeks out an environment that is comfortable for them and wants to stay there. That’s why he had been constantly trying to provide Leonardo with a sense of stability. He knew that his side was by no means a space that felt stable to him, so he waited until he came to him himself.
But if he burdened the guy who had finally opened his heart and approached him, wouldn’t this relationship freeze again?
Wouldn’t the person he couldn’t easily hold onto disappear from his sight again? Hugo was filled with all sorts of worries and remained silent for quite a long time.
Then, he barely opened his mouth. There was something he wanted to make sure of first.
“Leo, before that.”
Leonardo’s eyes, which had been tense, wavered.
“Let’s make a promise.”
“…What promise?”
“No matter what I say to you, promise me you won’t run away from me.”
Leonardo tilted his head, trying to figure out what he meant. …What does this mean again? He was very uneasy at the same time as he was dumbfounded when he faced His Excellency’s face, which looked as resolute as he did.
Suddenly, when he said ‘run away,’ he was reminded of the moment when he felt the prelude to his rampage right after he had dealt with the Queen Bee on the Peninsula and was driving himself. At the time, this man was the only one who had chased him to the end and grabbed him, saying, ‘Just don’t run away.’ But when such a person brought up a similar story to that time, he was afraid of what he was going to say that he was laying the groundwork from the beginning like this.
It was natural for a instinctive defense mechanism to come out.
“How can I promise that now? I haven’t even heard what you’re going to say yet.”
“Then, are you going to run away?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Following the situation where he was pouring out questions, Leonardo couldn’t guess what this man was doing at all.
There was no end to it like this. He cut him off firmly, lest he get caught up in the other person’s intentions.
“I don’t make such promises carelessly. More than that, are you going to ask or not?”
Hugo’s lips showed disappointment as he had been expecting a promise. But it was also ambiguous to delay any longer. If he did, he might miss the opportunity that this wary guy had given him out of the kindness of his heart.
Hugo, who had been agonizing over it, decided to use this strange ‘right to ask’ in the most wise and precious way.
He, who had been firmly closing his mouth, slowly opened the floodgates.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you today.”
Leonardo’s eyes, which had been listening to the increasingly serious atmosphere, changed.
“But I thought it would be better to ask for your opinion first. To put it briefly, my subordinate’s actions at the time you were arrested by the Council worked quite unfavorably for you. That action was a very big mistake. I only found out about it recently, and since your guardian was me, you probably didn’t know about it and just let it go.”
Instead of grabbing the bait right away, Hugo gently wrapped his hands around the bait in his hand so that it wouldn’t get hurt.
On the other hand, his golden eyebrows were raised sharply.
“An investigation is currently underway, but it will take some time to resolve it completely. We are in the verification stage after identifying the circumstances and securing statements.”
As Hugo said that, he meticulously observed even the slightest change in the other person’s expression. The flexible facial muscles gradually hardened.
“Of course, it’s already a thing of the past. What I mean is, there will be nothing that will be a threat to you. The investigation control is in my hands, and you have already been acquitted, so there is no reason for you to be sent back to the Council or get involved in internal affairs. No matter what activities you do in the future, this will not threaten your safety or hold you back. I guarantee that.”
The vague addendum became longer. Hugo himself was aware of that, but as he looked at Leonardo’s face, which had become increasingly still, he couldn’t get the words out as he wanted. He took a beat and lowered his eyes for a moment before facing him again.
“The reason I’m telling you this is because I thought you, as the person involved, had the right to know. If you want, I will explain the specific situation to you right now and order all the people involved to kneel before you and apologize. And I can’t overlook my negligence as the person in charge. You can blame and criticize me for not preventing the situation in advance. But―.”
“What’s the point? Do you want to know what that subordinate did wrong and why? …Or do you want to receive an apology?”
The tone of the question was quite cold. It was also the moment when Hugo’s mind, which had been unusually long-winded, was organized in an instant.
He revealed a slight embarrassment in his eyes, but soon answered in his usual calm tone.
“All three. Depending on the person, they may not want to know what happened in the past. Of course, no matter what answer you give, they will pay the price for their sins.”
Leonardo, who had been maintaining a blank expression, was silent for a while.
‘They,’ so it seems there’s more than one.
He didn’t seem confused, but his eyes sank as if he was organizing his thoughts. Hugo quietly waited by his side so that Leonardo could make a careful decision. At the same time, he was also worried that the quick-witted guy would intuitively realize what ‘that incident’ was. The repercussions that spread from it had shaken his relationship with him mercilessly.
As silence fell, another gust of wind blew. It was a warm breeze, but the sensation that brushed against his skin was nothing but cold.
Suddenly, Leonardo roughly swept his hair back. He turned his head and bit his lip slightly before twisting his lips.
He let out a sigh as if shaking off his deep thoughts, and turned back with a rather determined look.
“Can you really solve that?”
Hugo, who had been waiting for the words to come back, paused. Then, he answered not too late.
“I will solve it.”
“Can you find it to the root and completely pull it out?”
“I promise I will.”
“Then don’t talk about it.”
It was a firm statement.
Hugo’s face showed bewilderment as it was an unexpected reaction.
Leonardo seemed to have noticed the look and added nonchalantly.
“To put it bluntly, it’s not the first or second time your subordinates have done something wrong to me. It was worse when you weren’t around, so there’s a lot that only I know and you don’t know, right? Even if it’s not the Council, this world treats me pretty shitty.”
Hugo was speechless for a moment at the cynical tone. The other person seemed calm, but his words were gradually getting faster, perhaps because his emotions were rising. As if he was expressing his boiling insides.
“It’s not that it’s too late to argue about right and wrong now. But honestly, I don’t give a shit about the resentment or the shady bullshit they have against me. I don’t want to know, I don’t want to hear. Why are there so many trivial stories….”
“……”
“You know what? They sometimes think that their lives are the most miserable, tragic, and sad, so they rationalize what they’re doing like crazy people. They don’t even know how petty and ugly what they’re doing is. If I keep listening to such bullshit, I really want to kill them, it’s so disillusioning. So don’t talk to me about it. I was already living well without knowing. Of course, I’d have to say something if it gets in the way of my work or becomes a threat. But you said that. That it won’t hold me back, that you guarantee it.”
Hugo had only mentioned to Leonardo that his subordinate had done something very wrong to him, but he seemed to know implicitly that it was a deliberate act.
And Hugo had no immediate comfort to offer Leonardo, who had probably experienced such things countless times in places where his gaze didn’t reach, so he just nodded slowly.
“Okay. There won’t be any problems.”
Leonardo, who had poured out his frustrated feelings for a moment, bit his teeth tightly and let out a low sigh. Then, he took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions. Soon, he released his crossed legs and leaned his head against the back of the chair and looked up at the clock. He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, shifting his gaze to the man who was quietly waiting for him.
“I know that you’re a person who keeps the words you say. That you’re persistent and capable enough to make that possible.”
Hugo’s eyelids reacted slightly.
“…Yeah.”
“So I’m not running away because of this.”
Leonardo’s hand, which had suddenly reached out, grabbed his big hand. The warmth was very hot. The cold skin was slowly becoming lukewarm as it was burned by the pouring emotions.
Hugo stared blankly at Leonardo.
His beautiful eyebrows were contorted to the fullest. His face was contradictory to the words he was saying, but even that was strangely harmonious.
As if the emotions that had been entangled and intertwined had been wandering around without a place to go, and were revealed to him as they were.
“Because I want to trust you.”