48 – Cypress Mosaic

Elian ​also ​checked ​the ​wall clock hanging ​behind ​Lorenz. ​His ​eyes ​widened, as if he ​too ​found the passage ​of time surprising.

“Ah… ​you’re ​right. ​Lucas ​has ​history ​class after this, ​so ​we ​should wrap things ​up for today.”

No sooner ​had Elian ​finished speaking ​than the ​child rushed ​toward ​the ​study. He returned ​clutching a ​small ceramic box to ​his chest. Standing before ​Lorenz, the boy looked ​up at ​him ​with eyes that were cautious yet ​sparkling with anticipation.

“What… is ​this?”

Puzzled, ​Lorenz ​took ​the ​box. Inside were ​numerous stickers. ​Puppies, ​cats, squirrels, bears, ​rabbits… ​everything from various animals to ​stars, moons, ​suns, ​and different kinds ​of ​flowers.

Lorenz ​knew ​where ​these stickers ​came ​from. While ​his own childhood tutors hadn’t used such ​methods, he had ​heard from Margaret ​that children received stickers ​as rewards ​for their lessons.

Lorenz ​knew ​better than anyone ​what those soft ​brown eyes ​looking ​at him ​were ​hoping for.

“Father, ​I ​got a ​perfect ​score ​on my Spanish ​test.”

Before ​he had ​even ​entered ​school, ​when he stolen contentwas around the same age [unauthorized copy]as the current Lucas. At the time, Lorenz had already been handling an excessive workload. Compared to that, Lucas’s current schedule felt almost like play.

However, even when a mere six-year-old scored perfectly on a test of a hundred Spanish words, his father’s reaction had been cold.

“Do not make a fuss. This is a result you are expected to achieve. You must be superior to everyone. For the child who will become the heir to Lockhart, perfection is merely a basic premise. Do you understand?”

There was only one thing he had wanted.

A single word of praise from a father who would pat his head and be happy.

Oh, I see, Lorenz. That’s wonderful! Father knows how hard you work every day. I am truly proud of you.

How many times had he imagined and longed for such a scene? And how many times had he been disappointed?

Perfection was a basic premise. Therefore, one could not expect praise for being perfect. If even the slightest mistake occurred, only harsh criticism and punishment followed.

The look in Lucas’s eyes, craving recognition and praise, forced him to face his own past. That made Lorenz uncomfortable. He wanted nothing more than to avoid it.

Behind the child’s small shoulders, he saw Elian sitting on the sofa. He wasn’t forcing anything; he simply sat there, casting a quiet gaze. It wasn’t his usual indifferent look, but a gaze that seemed to offer encouragement and support just by looking—the same look he gave Lucas.

Lorenz’s dry lips parted with difficulty.

“I see. You worked hard…”

The light in the child’s eyes wavered.

“I can tell you worked hard.”

Lorenz himself felt that his words were clumsy. He was accustomed to objective evaluations and judgments devoid of emotion. However, he did not know the kind of tender words of praise that could make a young child happy. The situation, which he had never experienced, felt awkward.

A touch even clumsier than his words soon landed atop the child’s head.

The black hair was as soft as down, surprising Lorenz. It felt as if he were stroking the head of an angel.

At the same time, he was suddenly struck by fear at the child’s fragility and softness. How easily such a being could be hurt. Lorenz quickly withdrew his hand.

Elian was smiling slightly in his direction. An expensive smile that he rarely showed him. That warm gaze felt as if it were praising him for doing well. Truly, those eyes were like the sky.

■

On the desk in the study, the results of Lucas’s lessons for the week were [stolen content]spread out. Lorenz unauthorized copyexamined them one by one, meticulously.

Mathematics, natural science, reading, Spanish, and so on. The child had shown outstanding results in almost every subject. It was because he had heard from the tutors that Lucas was handling the material without difficulty that he had increased the number of lessons.

Among them, Lorenz looked particularly closely at the mathematics textbook.

The child had missed only one problem, in the subtraction of fractions. In the space for the answer, there were clear traces of the eraser having been used several times. It was an obsessive action, to the point where the printed letters around it had been erased and the paper had worn thin.

“But he is certainly pushing himself. I see signs that he feels a pressure to achieve.”

It was exactly as Elian had said.

“Hmm…”

Lorenz let out a sigh that sounded like a groan and put down the textbook. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

In the child, who excelled at everything yet feared even a small mistake excessively, he saw his own childhood overlapping.

The idea that he could heal his own past by giving the child what he had never received from his father—Lorenz did not believe in such theories. To heal his past, he believed the only way was to go back in time and receive compensation from his father himself. That was Lorenz’s conviction.

That thought surely wouldn’t change…

His loosely closed eyelids trembled.

He opened his eyes and opened his right hand.

The sensation of the soft hair still lingered on his palm.

And Elian’s gaze, looking at him with a tender smile he had never shown before, was as vivid as if he were seeing it right now. It was a smile so sweet it was addictive.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a quiet knock, Lorenz rose from his chair.

“Come in.”

As Elian Bellotti entered the room, the dim study, decorated entirely in mahogany wood, brightened. It was likely because of the blonde hair. With blonde hair that bright, one couldn’t help but look radiant even in hell.

“Thank you for your hard work. Please, have a seat.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Lorenz pointed toward the bar on the trolley and asked.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine.”

The two sat facing each other on the sofa.

Aside from spending thirty minutes a day in Lucas’s room, he had interviews with Elian like this at least twice a week.

“Recently, Lucas’s expressions have become more varied. It’s a sign that his ability to express himself is recovering. Until now, he had suppressed his emotions, so his expressions were monotonous. But now, it seems a certain level of psychological stability is being formed. It’s evidence that Lucas himself has instinctively begun to judge that it’s okay to express his emotions.”

Elian’s eyes sparkled with vitality as he explained the child’s changes. Usually, he was a man whose inner thoughts were hard to grasp, but he was different when talking about his work. His passion and sincerity for his profession as a counselor were directly evident in his expression and tone. To the point where one wondered if he could be this honest.

Lorenz nodded slowly.

“I have also noticed the changes in Lucas. He certainly smiles broadly more often. Compared to before Mr. Bellotti arrived, when he rarely smiled, the situation has definitely improved.”

As if Lorenz’s acknowledgment was unexpected, Elian stared at him silently. When those blue eyes, which emitted light while changing visit our sitedepth and saturation with every blink, met his [Read on Read BL Novels]directly, Lorenz felt a momentary dizzy spell. Unconsciously, he gripped the armrest of the sofa.

Elian’s lips moved.

“I believe the fact that Mr. Lockhart makes time every day has had a significant impact.”

“I doubt I was of much help. I don’t really do anything.”

“What do you mean you do nothing?”

“I recall Mr. Bellotti teasing me, finding it amusing that I couldn’t even match the cards correctly.”

At the joke delivered with a serious face, Elian let out a low laugh after a short pause. Watching him, Lorenz also chuckled. The two different tones of laughter blended softly together. The atmosphere softened in an instant.

“Lucas now completely trusts the fact that Mr. Lockhart visits every day. That alone is a huge contribution.”

Elian continued his explanation.

“You can tell just by the way he moved the chair today. That is also a form of self-expression. From Lucas’s current perspective, it was a very active way of expressing that he trusts Mr. Lorenz.”

“If it was helpful, then I’m glad.”

Lorenz didn’t know how to react to the passionate praise. It felt ridiculous to be happy just because a younger counselor praised him. But at the very least, it didn’t feel bad.

Watching Lorenz shift into a more comfortable position for no particular reason, Elian cautiously voiced his opinion.

“If things continue like this, Dr. Morgan and I are cautiously hoping that he will move on to the next stage soon.”

For a moment, they gazed into each other’s eyes. Just as they had on the day they happened to meet in front of the mansion while Elian was riding his bicycle home. Even making eye contact for this long, there was no feeling of discomfort. Just as no one needs to feel uncomfortable when looking into a night sky reflected in a still lake.