96 – Cypress Mosaic

“Regarding ​that ​point…”

Once ​again, ​Lorenz’s lawyer attempted ​to ​speak ​on ​his ​behalf, but Lorenz quietly ​stopped ​her and answered ​himself.

“I am aware.”

It ​was ​the ​first ​time ​Lorenz ​had spoken directly ​to ​Elian ​in this office. ​Since entering the room, ​both of ​them had ​spoken only ​through their ​lawyers.

As ​if ​applying pressure, Elian’s ​lawyer continued ​to specify additional clauses.

“All ​interference is prohibited, including ​direct contact with family, ​surveillance, and ​private ​investigations.”

“Of course.”

Lorenz answered, his gaze fixed ​on Elian. Elian kept ​his ​eyes ​cast ​down ​on the documents. ​Only desolate ​exchanges ​of questions and ​answers ​followed, each side emphasizing their ​own requirements.

Even ​though ​Elian was right ​beside ​him, ​Lorenz ​felt ​a headache ​coming ​on.

Massaging his ​temples in a circular motion, Lorenz let ​out a small ​sigh and muttered ​in a weary voice.

“It ​feels less ​like we’re discussing ​a ​marriage and more ​like we’re negotiating ​a divorce.”

The ​lawyer ​looked back ​at ​him.

“Drafting a ​prenuptial ​agreement is ​not ​much ​different from this.”

Her ​tone ​was indifferent. ​She ​handed ​a ​fountain pen to her client.

“Since the main clauses have been verified by both parties, let us proceed with the signing.”

Lorenz and Elian each picked up a pen.

Lorenz signed immediately, but Elian hesitated for a moment.

He glared at the documents laid out before him. The knuckles of the hand gripping the pen turned white.

The contract, drafted after coordination and review with Lorenz, spanned twelve pages. The document was filled with detailed specifications of each other’s duties and responsibilities.

Elian’s heart raced, and his mouth went dry.

He lifted his head to look at the man opposite him.

Just as he had throughout the entire process, Lorenz was staring at Elian with a void, expressionless face. That blank look, which seemed to have stripped away all emotion, reminded him of the man he had first met.

The ’30 minutes every day’ spent in Lucas’s unauthorized copyroom, the times they had laughed together while wandering through the forest, the experience of exchanging comfort by revealing [Read on Read BL Novels]childhood wounds—it felt as if the man before him had erased it all.

Elian, Elian…

Even those tender whispers that made him feel as though he would be protected from any danger until the very end.

Are you really… the one behind that experiment?

The man who had put gloves on Lucas’s hands, who had agonized over his own qualifications as the child’s guardian, and who had struggled to grant his requests even during a Rut… could he have ordered and covered up such a horrific thing?

Lorenz’s lips, which had been staring coldly, twitched cynically.

“Surely you aren’t hesitating now.”

It’s a foolish thought.

Just because someone has committed an evil act doesn’t mean [Read on Read BL Novels]every single one of their actions is [Read on Read BL Novels]malicious. After all, how many cases are there where someone performs [unauthorized copy]acts of kindness on one hand while ruthlessly committing evil on the other?

Elian shook his head to shake off his personal emotions.

“Of course not.”

And finally, he wrote his name.

The two lawyers exchanged documents and completed the verification process.

“Congratulations.”

Lorenz’s lawyer offered her greetings. However, no one took those words to heart.

A conference room in a Manhattan skyscraper.

Without a single ring or a rose, without a [visit our site]single sweet vow of love, it was a marriage concluded [visit our site]in unauthorized copythe most desolate form possible.

■

Lorenz Lockhart’s bedroom was decorated relatively simply and calmly. There was a large bed tidied without a single wrinkle, nightstands on either side, a cabinet and a chest of drawers, a sofa set, and a lounge chair by the window.

There were almost no decorations that revealed personal taste or hobbies. Far from paintings, not even a single flower was in sight. Considering that lush fresh flowers are a staple of interior decoration for the wealthy, it was a rather rare choice.

As Elian looked around the room—a space where the occupant’s personality was barely evident and all belongings were hidden—his gaze landed on an empty vase.

Is it because of Pheromone Dependency that he doesn’t decorate with flowers?

He had said the side effects of the medication weren’t that strong, but perhaps they weren’t entirely non-existent.

In my case, flowers would certainly be unnecessary. Even if I can’t smell them, flowers are undoubtedly beautiful, but flowers that function only as beautiful decorations would only further emphasize the fact that I cannot smell.

Elian had been pacing the room for several minutes. He couldn’t stolen contentseem to calm [unauthorized copy]down, as if he had unauthorized copybeen left alone in a stranger’s bedroom.

And it was a stranger’s bedroom.

Even if Elian was to stay in this room from today as his fiancé, it was, in fact, strictly Lorenz Lockhart’s bedroom.

From the direction of the bathroom, the sound of water hitting the floor and the presence of someone were audible. Lorenz, having finished his daily routine, was showering.

Whew.

Rubbing his sweaty palms against his pajamas, Elian tried his best to compose himself.

As Vincent had said, this contract marriage was an opportunity. He would be able to reach places he couldn’t access before. Indeed, was he not currently inside Lorenz’s bedroom?

He had entered this room once before when Lorenz had been brought to the mansion unconscious. However, he had been too flustered at the time, and since it was such a short visit, he didn’t remember much.

Elian carefully looked around the bedroom once more.

On the surface, nothing related to a crescent moon caught his eye.

Listening to the sounds leaking from the bathroom, he cautiously opened the cabinet door. The first things that caught his eye on the neatly organized shelves were various medications. They seemed to be stabilizers for Pheromone Dependency Syndrome. He also saw headache medication in a cylindrical case.

He mentioned that headaches are a severe symptom of the dependency; is it because of that?

However, he couldn’t find any evidence related to North River Biomedical in the cabinet either.

He’s a thorough and cautious man. Even if it’s his own bedroom, he wouldn’t keep it in such a vulnerable place.

Just as he was about to look further inside the medicine box, a knock sounded from outside the door. Elian calmly closed the cabinet again.

“Yes.”

As expected, the visitor was Margaret.

“Mr. Elian, I have prepared some wine.”

“Ah… thank you.”

He had been finding it hard to endure while sober, so he thought this was perfect timing.

Wine, glasses, and simple nuts were set out on the sofa table. Elian couldn’t bring himself to sit down and hovered beside Margaret. She gave him a thin smile. Elian also tried to pull the corners of his lips up, though his face was clearly tense.

“By the way, Margaret, why are you calling me ‘Mr. Elian’…”

“You are the one who has promised marriage to Master Lorenz, so I cannot call you casually.”

“But that’s… just a contract.”

In the entire Lockhart family, Margaret was the only one unauthorized copywho knew the [unauthorized copy]secret of this marriage. She was almost the only person the suspicious and fastidious Lorenz trusted completely in this house.

Unusually for a butler, she personally assisted Lorenz by his side. This was because he felt uncomfortable around other employees.

“There’s no need to do that when it’s just us…”

“Mr. Elian, this contract must absolutely not fail.”

Margaret’s eyes and expression remained gentle, but a cautious and strict current was felt in her tone.

“If that happens, not only Master Lorenz but you as well, Mr. Elian, will be embroiled in complicated matters. You will already have enough notoriety from the marriage and divorce; you must not let the scandal grow beyond that.”

Elian’s gaze slid away.

“To terminate the contract successfully, we must not create any seeds that could become threats. Acting as if it’s real is not enough. You must become the real thing.”

It was similar to what Lorenz had said.

Elian agreed with those words. To play the part of Lorenz Lockhart’s fake lover, of all people—there were far too many eyes watching. Unless he became thoroughly real, suspicion would sprout somewhere.

“Mr. Elian.”

At the usual tender voice, Elian lifted his head again.

“I ask that you take good care of Master Lorenz.”

Margaret’s expression was earnest. He could feel a desperation, as if she were entrusting someone infinitely precious to him. However, he saw no reason why she had to go this far. He—that is, he was the great Lorenz Lockhart, was he not? He was the one who proposed the contract, and ending it was also up to his decision. Strictly speaking, it was a dynamic where Elian should be the one trying to make a good impression on him.

“I will fulfill the contract faithfully. Margaret, please don’t worry about that.”

As if that wasn’t what she meant, Margaret looked at Elian with eyes that seemed somewhat lonely.

“How much Master Lorenz has changed since you arrived here, Mr. Elian… you unauthorized copyprobably don’t [visit our site]know. Because you didn’t know him before.”

“……”

“But I do.”

A faint smile appeared on Margaret’s neat face.

“Mr. Elian, you are gradually changing not only Lucas but Master Lorenz as well.”