74 – Cypress Mosaic

Out ​of ​habit, ​Elian ​smelled it first, ​but ​he ​couldn’t ​detect ​any scent. If that ​were ​the case, the ​taste would likely ​be ​the ​same. ​He ​took ​a few sips ​of ​the ​drink. Whether it ​was a relief or ​not, it ​did indeed ​taste like ​nothing more ​than ​lukewarm ​water.

“Not as bad ​as you ​thought, right?”

Elian gave a ​vague nod toward Lorenz, ​who asked with a ​confidence that ​seemed ​to say, See?

As Elian set the ​glass down, he noticed ​something ​and ​let ​out ​a small chuckle.

On ​the tray, ​several ​marshmallows were piled ​up ​on long sticks. Most of ​them looked ​inedible, ​having been heavily ​charred ​brown ​on ​only ​one side. ​Judging ​by the ​clumsy handiwork, they were clearly Lucas’s creation.

“I ​think the marshmallows ​were roasted a ​bit too much.”

“Ah, those.”

Lorenz ​chuckled as ​he looked at ​the ​pile of skewers.

“That ​little guy found ​more joy ​in ​the roasting ​than ​in the ​eating.”

A ​smile lingered ​on ​Lorenz’s ​face as he ​picked ​up one ​of ​the ​blackened ​marshmallow skewers to examine it. He was clearly enjoying himself.

“Even though I taught him to roast them slowly at the edges so the flame wouldn’t touch them directly, he [Read on Read BL Novels]kept pushing them right into the fire. He’s a [unauthorized copy]quick learner, so it’s not that he didn’t understand. He probably just found the act of roasting them fun.”

Despite saying he had no intention of indulging the boy, he had let him roast this many marshmallows—more than he could possibly eat. He likely wanted to be generous today toward a child who had found something interesting while spending a joyful time for the first time in a long while.

A short distance away, Lucas was still fast asleep. His face looked utterly peaceful. He might even be exploring the forest in his dreams right now.

“He must have been exhausted.”

“Understandably so. He spent that much time running around the forest.”

Lorenz spoke with a smile, as if the boy were incorrigible. No matter how he tried to deny it, it was a smile filled with affection.

Listening to the crackle of the burning embers, Elian gazed quietly at the child’s face.

“Even though he’s become able to leave his room, this was his first time leaving the house, so I wasn’t sure how Lucas would react. But he adapted much better today than I expected.”

“Honestly, I was surprised too. That he could run and play so well…”

Before he knew it, Lorenz’s gaze had also shifted toward the child.

“Perhaps it’s because this place feels separated from the outside world.”

“Does that have an effect as well?”

Elian nodded at the cautiously toned question.

“As I mentioned, the reason Lucas couldn’t leave his room was ultimately anxiety. He couldn’t feel safe outside the room. While the outside world is full of unpredictable stimuli, inside the room, he can control his environment to some extent.”

Toby, who had been dozing off lying next to Lucas, lifted his head. The dog strolled over and took a spot in front of Lorenz.

“Even a normal adult gets nervous in an unfamiliar place they can’t control. So, for a child in Lucas’s situation, it goes without saying.”

As Lorenz stroked the dog’s neck and looked at the child, his eyes were tinged with pity and heartache. Though he didn’t try to display it actively, he couldn’t deny that such emotions existed.

Elian pulled his knees up and hugged them loosely with both arms.

“This place is secluded. Since it’s private property, it’s fair to say there’s almost no one around. There are no people anywhere the eye can see, and no man-made artificial products. Lucas probably felt safe here because of that.”

“I’m glad if that’s how he felt.”

Sincerity resonated through his blunt tone. For the past two months, Lorenz had consistently invested thirty minutes every single day in the child. A man like that couldn’t possibly be indifferent to the child’s changes.

“Mr. Lockhart, your influence is great. I mean that sincerely.”

“……”

Lorenz’s hand, which had been petting Toby, paused. He slowly turned to look at Elian. Perhaps because he was reflecting the flames from the fireplace, his green eyes looked exceptionally warm.

The moment their eyes met didn’t last long.

After a brief gaze, Lorenz turned his face away again, as if fleeing from or avoiding something. Then, while stroking Toby’s back, he muttered.

“Lorenz.”

“Yes?”

“Call me Lorenz.”

“But…”

“We see each other every day and live in the same house; isn’t it strange to keep calling me so formally?”

“But at the center, we rarely called the guardians by their names.”

“This isn’t the center.”

“I’ve already been calling you Mr. Lockhart for over two months…”

At the sudden suggestion, Elian merely fidgeted with the glass in his hand. To be asked to use his name now—it felt too awkward for the words to leave his mouth.

“Yet you call Margaret ‘Margaret’?”

“T-that’s…”

It was Lorenz’s characteristic, peculiar logic. It felt like a point that didn’t quite fit the situation, yet he couldn’t argue that it was wrong.

“Try it.”

“What?”

“Just try calling me once. It might not be that strange.”

Lorenz did not back down. Nor did his gaze. The way he stared intently, unbothered by the other’s discomfort, pushed Elian into a corner.

After parting his lips several times, a voice barely audible finally leaked out.

“Lo…renz.”

“……”

Despite being the one who asked for it, Lorenz couldn’t hide his flustered expression. His pale face froze, and he seemed to forget to even blink. It was as if he had accidentally encountered a moment he had only ever dreamed of.

Elian couldn’t bear the silence. He turned his head away with an awkward laugh.

“It is strange after all. You think it’s awkward too, Mr. Lockhart. Let’s just go back to—”

“Why are you deciding how I feel? I don’t find it awkward at all.”

With a firm voice, Lorenz grabbed Elian’s wrist. He pulled his arm with force, signaling him to look this way. The face he faced again could not have been more serious.

“There’s no reason for it to be awkward to call Lorenz ‘Lorenz.’ Call me that from now on.”

He had an aura that suggested he wouldn’t let go until he received a promise. When Elian slowly nodded, only then did he hesitantly release his wrist. As he gulped down the apple cider as if his throat were parched, his profile looked almost angry at a glance. But by now, Elian knew him well enough. He only looked that way because his expression stiffened from shyness.

Elian also took a few sips of the tasteless drink to avoid the awkwardness. Wood burned in the fireplace, the child slept, and Lorenz petted the dog. The surroundings were quiet and simply peaceful, as if separated from the rest of the world.

“I was a bit surprised today. You handle Lucas quite well.”

“Did it seem that way?”

“Think back to when you first started spending time with Lucas. Compared to then, it’s incredible progress.”

Lorenz gave a short laugh at Elian’s praise.

“I was just imitating my mother.”

“Your… mother?”

Though Damon Lockhart had been mentioned a few times, this was the first time Lorenz had brought up his mother himself.

“This villa belonged to visit our siteunauthorized copymy [visit our site]mother. Whenever we came here, the two of us would always wander through the forest.”

Elian felt his profile soften slightly. He seemed to be recalling a fond memory.

“Whenever I insisted on not going back even after it got cold enough for my cheeks to turn red, she would always soothe me with the fireplace, marshmallows, and cocoa. No matter how much more I wanted to play, my body was already cold and tired, so I was tempted every time I heard that.”

Through his research, Elian knew that his mother had passed away early. The news that Damon Lockhart’s first wife had died in a car accident had once caused a stir across the entire United States.

Lorenz, who gave a faint smile at the end of his sentence, fell into thought for a while. Under his skilled stroking, Toby’s eyelids closed completely.

“You mentioned it in passing last time. That your father was strict.”

When he spoke again, the smile had completely evaporated from his face.

“He didn’t hesitate to use corporal punishment. He was a man who believed that harsh education made his sons stronger. The places hidden by my clothes were always mottled with scars left by the switch.”

Elian recalled the photograph he had seen in the second-floor living room. A young child who looked as rigid as a soldier. Judging by the use of the word ‘switch,’ he could guess that the corporal punishment had been of considerable intensity.