By Zephyria He examined the back of the letter, but there was no further content. He rummaged through the envelope, but it was the same.
The items he left behind were all over.
“……”
Although the time they had met was not long, a bitterness rushed in as if he had known him for a long time. Leonardo quietly looked down at the last address, then organized his complicated feelings and put everything away. He put it in an envelope, melted the wax and resealed it, then sighed softly. He looked out the window without meaning and asked into the air.
“How long until the full moon?”
“Full moon? I think it was the waning moon the day before yesterday.”
“…It’s still far away.”
As he was counting the days, Terzio gestured again.
“What is that, I’m asking?”
“…There’s someone the old man was going to introduce me to, and that’s their address.”
“What is he introducing you to them for?”
“He said they were well-versed in curses. I was wondering if they could find out anything about the Leash.”
It’s close to a riddle for an address, though. Terzio’s gaze was drawn to the vicinity of Leonardo’s neck as he murmured lowly. After staring intently for a while, he changed the subject.
“What about the ring?”
“I don’t know either. He said I’d know if I took it with me.”
“You’re going? What do you believe in about that old man?”
One of Leonardo’s eyebrows rose. Terzio added at the uncomfortable reaction.
“That’s right. Until a few days ago, you asked me to keep an eye on you in case you were related to the follower. And earlier, you were wondering if you could trust that woman, Dote. You’re going to take the address left by someone you haven’t known for long and go there?”
“Hey.”
His Gold Eyes became coldly.
“He’s someone who left a will to help me until he died. It’s true that I asked you to keep an eye on me, but now that things have turned out this way, there’s no point in suspecting him further.”
He carefully put the Artifact in his inner pocket and continued.
“Since he’s already gone, we can’t repay him or apologize, but let’s at least show him respect at the end. Us.”
Terzio, staring at Leonardo who was answering firmly, chuckled briefly. He leaned his arms on the back of the chair, crossed his legs, and supported his head with his palm.
“Yes, yes―, I misspoke. But doesn’t the prince know gratitude?”
His gaze, tilting his head and looking up, was filled with displeasure.
“Who was it that went undercover and told you the news because you asked me to?”
Leonardo tried to retort, but gave in and replied.
“Ah, yeah. I’m grateful for that―”
“You need to fix that father complex of yours.”
“…What?”
When Leonardo frowned and asked back, Terzio rubbed the scar on his lip and stared out the window.
“If an older man is just a little nice to you, you lose your mind and fall for him. I think you’re smart usually, but when I see you like this, you’re so naive.”
His narrowed golden eyes subtly distorted. His lips, unable to continue speaking, opened and closed. What kind of nonsense is this? Despite the fierce warning sent by his eyes, Terzio was relentless.
“Stop giving your heart away so easily. Especially to old men. It’s dangerous.”
“…Why are you picking a fight? And when did I ever go for old men―.”
“After getting played by the Emperor like that, you’re still acting dumb, that’s why.”
Leonardo was momentarily speechless. Terzio’s gaze once again drifted towards Leonardo’s neck. It was hidden by layers of clothing and a drooping hood, but his eyes were seeing something else within. Leonardo swallowed nervously and subtly averted his gaze.
“Let’s be a little wiser. If you need someone to lean on, how about this older brother? Much fresher.”
Terzio said that, slapping the damp pants clinging to his thigh. The sound rang out sharply. The playful tone but self-objectifying behavior was disgusting, beyond just unpleasant. Why is this bastard like this today? Leonardo, looking at his partner with incredulous eyes, abruptly stood up.
Terzio, raising his head to follow him, asked,
“Where are you going?”
“If you’ve got nothing to do, keep an eye on the situation here. I have something to check out regarding the League.”
“The League? The test matches are over. Are you going to that address now?”
Leonardo wordlessly pulled up his hood. Terzio, watching him prepare as if he were about to leave immediately, suddenly wore a cold expression.
“Are you going to the Legion Commander?”
The hand buttoning his coat paused momentarily. But he didn’t answer.
Terzio shot up from his seat.
“Are you going to Kajard?”
Again, Leonardo didn’t answer.
He had excused himself to Agrizendro, saying that urgent business had come up, but the timing was bad. He felt uneasy about leaving that person alone on his birthday. He couldn’t deny that he was worried because the face of His Excellency, who had come after hearing the message from the servant, wasn’t very bright.
At the time, the dinner had ended vaguely due to his health, and the good atmosphere had cooled down. In that situation, suddenly leaving would have been quite embarrassing for the host of the villa who had invited him.
But before leaving, he had heard that something sudden had also happened to that person. He didn’t know if he was just trying to match his mood so that he wouldn’t feel sorry… Anyway, it wasn’t a situation where he could return to the villa.
More than that, he had become uncomfortable being with Terzio, and he was about to go near the main stadium to get information about Appendix. But this guy seemed to have misunderstood something.
Since Leonardo remained silent until the end, Terzio, exuding the cold-blooded murderous intent unique to assassins, suddenly grabbed his forearm. Because his grip was considerable, Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed. Just as he was about to reflexively shake him off, Terzio’s right hand seized the opportunity and hooked around the back of his neck.
His hand gripped the collar as if snatching the nape of his neck. The hood, which he had carefully fastened, was carelessly opened by the unrestrained pull.
Snap, snap―
The button he had fastened on his collar was also torn off, and a navy handkerchief was briefly visible through the gap. Terzio’s eyes flashed fiercely, as if he had suddenly gone mad.
“Ha―.”
He pushed Leonardo’s shoulder hard. Leonardo, who had fallen onto the creaking bed, sat on the edge without resistance and raised his head. He didn’t show any particular reaction, but it was unexpected that the other person, who had climbed on top of him, tore off the handkerchief.
“Hey, you―.”
The soft piece of cloth became taut as if it would strangle his neck, then suddenly loosened. Leonardo’s urgent hand and voice fluttered after the navy handkerchief that had been taken by the rogue.
But he couldn’t take it back. When he tried to get up, Terzio pressed down on his left shoulder, preventing him from taking the handkerchief.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Leonardo said, raising his sharp eyes.
“Give it back.”
“Look at this.”
Terzio’s gaze was fixed on the pure white neck, reddened with hickeys and bite marks.
He gritted his teeth so hard that they made a sound, and asked.
“Did you sleep with that bastard?”
“What?”
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t flustered. He found it ridiculous that all he could do was ask back for a moment, but Leonardo quickly met his gaze with a murderous look. More than anything else right now, he was very displeased with the other person’s actions of snatching the handkerchief without permission.
“Did you sleep with him? Don’t make me ask twice.”
Besides, what was this situation that felt like an interrogation? The red lips, twisted with displeasure, twitched. If I had actually slept with him, it wouldn’t be so unfair. Leonardo, continuing the fierce staring contest, gripped the wrist that had crawled onto his shoulder as if he would break it.
“Whether I slept with him or not, what does it matter now?”
Pain flared as if a crack had formed in his bone, but Terzio didn’t care. He simply twisted his lips into a mocking smile and tilted his head back. Thick veins bulged along the neck and jawline that stretched towards the ceiling.
Then, lowering his eyes, he spat out as if deliberately pricking him with a needle.
“Do you even have a conscience? Does Kajard know that you contributed to the explosion incident?”
At those words, Leonardo’s mouth shut tightly. Terzio’s hand, which had been slowly moving over his shoulder, caressed the inflamed neck as if it had been violated.
His grip, colder than the owner of the handkerchief in a different sense, twisted Leonardo’s neck as if he would break it.
Leonardo’s face gradually turned red as his windpipe was pressed, but he only suppressed his hissing breath and didn’t cough. Rather, even in the gaze that glared up at him, exuding a burning spirit, he pressured the other person.
Terzio provoked him once more.
“Don’t you have any pride?”
Looking at Leonardo trying to find the mark of being a noble’s plaything, Terzio bit the inside of his mouth. A fishy smell brushed past him.
“Why are you trying to put a Leash on yourself again? And on the Emperor’s hound, at that.”