86 – Cypress Mosaic

When ​he ​returned ​to ​the hospital room, ​Elian ​was ​still ​asleep, ​exactly as he had ​been. ​Lorenz quietly took ​a seat in ​the ​chair ​beside ​the ​bed.

Once ​again, he gazed ​at ​the ​sleeping Elian, never ​tiring of the sight.

Everything ​had become ​clear, as ​if a ​hazy veil ​that ​had ​been blocking his ​vision had ​been cleanly removed.

The reason ​why his physical condition ​had improved after returning ​home for ​some ​time.

The reason why he had always ​felt at ease during ​the ​thirty ​minutes ​spent ​together in Lucas’s ​room.

Lorenz traced ​his ​memories back to ​the ​very moment he first discovered ​Elian.

The memory ​was ​as vivid as ​if ​it ​had ​been ​taxidermied.

8:43 PM. ​East ​46th Street.

With ​Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 playing in the ​background, the golden ​sunlight pouring down ​the moment ‘Dorian Gray’ ​took off ​his broken helmet.

From ​that ​moment on, Lorenz’s ​headache had vanished ​as if ​by ​magic. Although ​the ​symptoms had ​returned ​by the ​time ​he ​boarded the plane, ​his ​condition had ​definitely ​improved ​for ​an hour or two.

Now, he could explain why.

It must have been because he detected the pheromones of a Cypress Mosaic through the window, which had been left open by about a palm’s width.

It was an incredibly fickle disease. A disease where neither the cause of improvement nor the cause of deterioration could be identified. Because of that, he hadn’t thought there would be a consistent pattern. Yet, Elian had been present in every single healing moment where he escaped the headaches.

Looking down at Elian, who remained motionless, Lorenz was overcome with a shiver.

The days he had been absolutely certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that Elian was a Beta.

It was only natural.

Because while they were together, he had never felt any discomfort caused by an Omega’s pheromones.

It was only natural.

He…

This man is my…

Complex emotions that could not be defined by a single word swirled chaotically in his chest.

Lorenz wiped his face with both hands and let out a long breath.

Do not try to examine your emotions. It will only ruin things.

Focus only on the goal.

The goal.

Elian Bellotti.

Cypress Mosaic.

Pheromone Dependency Syndrome.

Marriage. Heir. PDD.

Elian Bellotti. Cypress Mosaic. Pheromone Dependency Syndrome…

He looked at Elian’s hand resting quietly on the duvet. Staring intently at the reddish finger marks he had left on the wrist, Lorenz reached for his phone.

After a few rings, the other party answered.

“This is Lorenz Lockhart.”

There was no trace of reluctance or tension in his voice.

“I’m afraid I have some regrettable news for Mr. Wesley’s family.”

Contrary to the content of his words, his voice was merely dry. He was remarkably calm and devoid of hesitation, considering he was delivering a sudden decision made just moments ago.

Lorenz gently placed his hand over Elian’s thin wrist.

Dr. Carver was right.

This was a miracle.

He would never let this opportunity slip away.

Not for a single moment, not for a single step. He would not allow him to drift away from him.

To the question from the other end, asking what was the matter in a puzzled tone, Lorenz’s lips let out a dry answer.

“It’s about the marriage.”

■

This was the second time Elian had dinner with Lorenz in the main dining room of the Lockhart estate. They had spent quite a lot of time together since the first meal. During that time, Elian’s impression of Lorenz had changed significantly. He had come to know more about the background of the man known as Lorenz Lockhart, and as such, he had come to understand him better. While joining forces for Lucas’s sake, a certain sense of camaraderie had also developed.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere of today’s meal was not comfortable.

It wasn’t for any other reason.

It was because they had become people who had spent a Heat and Rut together.

Furthermore, for some reason, Lorenz was hardly speaking. Leaving an awkward silence to linger, regardless of whether the other person felt uncomfortable, was one of his bad habits.

Elian tried to immerse himself solely in the act of cutting the food and chewing it. But it wasn’t as easy as he hoped. How could he be free from a gaze that stared so intently from directly across from him?

“How is the Arancini?”

That was the first thing Lorenz said after the appetizers were served.

Elian swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded.

“It’s delicious. Even though it’s filled with meat and cheese, it’s not greasy. I like the popping texture, too.”

Olive Arancini and salad. It was the same appetizer as the last meal.

“……That’s a relief.”

The look in Lorenz’s eyes as he looked across at Elian was unusual. He looked as if he had something else to say. He didn’t seem like someone who had simply asked a ritualistic question to check if the food suited the guest’s taste.

But that was all. A quiet meal continued once more.

Two days had passed since he spent the Heat with Lorenz.

During those two days, Elian had been given paid leave. It was the decision of his employer, Lorenz. Lorenz had insisted that he follow the doctor’s prescription to rest deeply for at least two days to recover his strength. While he was allowed to spend relaxing time painting or reading books with Lucas, his formal duties as a counselor were suspended for two days.

And today, the two of them visited the hospital again to check on his progress. Despite Elian’s repeated refusals, Lorenz insisted on accompanying him.

‘Are you trying to make me the kind of trash who sends the partner he spent a Rut with to the hospital alone?’

Because he had said so with such a stiff expression and voice, Elian could no longer refuse.

After receiving Dr. Carver’s diagnosis that a normal life was fully possible, Lorenz invited Elian to dinner in the car on the way home.

Elian speculated that the purpose was to tie up loose ends regarding the recent incident.

A sudden Heat and the subsequent chain reaction of a Rut. It had merely been a measure to resolve it safely. There was no reason for the positions of employer and counselor to change because of it. ⎯ He thought he would hear something like that. He was even prepared for him to say that it was just a measure to prevent serious aftereffects, so he hoped Elian wouldn’t get the wrong idea. He had even prepared a response for such a case.

However, Lorenz seemed to have no intention of opening his mouth.

He simply processed the food in silence, with elegant movements that made almost no sound.

Elian moistened his lips with champagne and glanced at Lorenz.

He’s not the type of person who would find it difficult to bring up a topic, regardless of what it is…

The servants took away the empty plates, and the unauthorized copytwo of them were left unauthorized copyalone in the dining [visit our site]room again. Gauging the appropriate timing, Elian politely started the conversation.

“I don’t think I’ve thanked you properly… Thank you for everything.”

“For what?”

Green eyes filled with curiosity turned toward Elian, as if he had done nothing worthy of thanks.

“You took care of me during the Heat, and afterward as well.”

As he continued speaking, Elian’s head gradually lowered, and his voice grew smaller. Even though he didn’t want to, the events of that night came back to him. He wished the memories had vanished along with the Heat. Although there were sections that were slightly blacked out here and there, the overall memory was as vivid as a movie he had seen yesterday.

“Ah, there’s nothing to be particularly thankful for. I was also in a state of Rut, so I simply made the best decision. The distance was too far to go back to Manhattan as we were. There’s no telling what would have happened to both of us. You heard Dr. Carver’s explanation, right?”

“Yes.”

Elian nodded.

The best decision, an inevitable choice… The flow of the conversation seemed to be going as Elian expected.

Dr. Carver had advised them to regard the incident as emergency first aid. He had also said that if they hadn’t returned to the cabin and started the Pheromone Exchange, both of them would have suffered significant damage to their nervous systems.

Lorenz spoke while stroking the stem of his champagne glass.

“We didn’t have sex that day. It was emergency first aid.”

“……”

“So, don’t let it weigh on your mind.”

As expected, is he trying to emphasize that that night meant nothing?

If that was the purpose for which Lorenz had arranged this meeting, he was putting in unnecessary effort. Because Elian had no intention of pretending to be his boyfriend using sex had during an emergency as an excuse.

“Rather, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“……”

When Elian remained silent at the apology of unknown meaning, Lorenz lightly tapped his own neck.

“Ah…”

Elian unconsciously fiddled with the area around his neck. A thin scarf was wrapped around his neck. It was an inevitable choice to hide the marks left from that night. There wasn’t just one or two, and the color was deep. The red marks, clearly the result of being sucked and bitten severely, inevitably made the viewer think of primal lovemaking. He couldn’t leave the room without covering them.

“It seems it will take two weeks for them to disappear completely.”

After chewing and swallowing all the food in his mouth, while bringing the champagne glass to his lips, Lorenz stared intently at Elian’s neck.

Due to the strange tension, Elian continued to fidget with the scarf wrapped around his neck.