Chapter 17 – ​17

Asking ​Melione ​to ​give ​him ​a ​tour of the ​mansion. ​That ​was ​one ​of today’s goals. In ​truth, ​he didn’t care ​one bit about ​what ​the ​mansion ​looked ​like; ​it was simply ​a ​little ​ploy to get ​closer to the Duke.

With ​the wedding ​only two ​days away, ​he couldn’t ​spend ​the ​remaining time in ​such an ​awkward state. Moreover, based ​on the meal today, ​Melione had been reasonably ​kind to ​him.

Since ​they both suspected one another and ​were equally clueless about ​each ​other’s ​true ​intentions, ​it was better ​to at ​least ​create opportunities to ​test ​the waters.

However, Melione seemed to ​have absolutely ​no ​intention of spending ​such ​private ​time ​with ​Euro. The ​slight ​frown on ​his face made his annoyance palpable.

Yet, Euro ​continued to smile ​as if he ​were oblivious. With his ​eyes, he ​was asking, ‘Are ​you ​really such a ​piece of work ​that you’d ​spit ​in the ​face ​of someone ​smiling ​at you?’

He ​didn’t ​know ​for what reason ​Melione ​was treating ​him ​with ​a ​mask of kindness, but he intended to act however he pleased until that mask was stripped away.

Who knew? Since the man must have led a lonely life, they might actually become decent friends.

“……Raymond.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Show him around.”

Friends, my foot. Without even meeting Euro’s eyes, Melione ordered Raymond to give the tour. It was a roundabout way of telling him to get lost because he was a nuisance.

But Euro wasn’t the type to back down quietly.

“No, no. I’d like to be guided by Your Grace. Would that be difficult?”

“…….”

“I really enjoyed the conversation we just had, so I’d like to talk more with you. I’m sure I’m being a bit bothersome, but…….”

“…….”

“Could you please spend time with me just this once? I promise I won’t pester you after this. I know you’re not feeling well, so I’m truly, truly sorry.”

Euro pleaded with the Duke in a coquettish tone. Everyone was appalled by Euro’s behavior, though they didn’t let it show. Melione merely stared into the void with a strange expression.

‘Maybe I moved too fast.’

Just as he was halfway to giving up, Melione, who had stood in silence for a long while, finally spoke.

“A tour of the mansion is difficult. It is too vast for my body to keep up.”

“Ah…….”

“Instead, a walk in the rear garden is fine. As briefly as possible.”

“Really? Thank you, Your Grace!”

Euro rejoiced, clapping his hands as if he couldn’t hide his joy. Inside, however, he was ruthlessly roasting Melione.

What was so special about a simple house tour that he had to play so hard to get? His excuse was great, considering he was still capable of walking. He wouldn’t be completely consumed by madness until the end of next year anyway.

Even when Clope died, he had walked perfectly fine to preside over the funeral, and after she passed, he had fought Euro—who had come to kill him—with a sword in hand.

Melione was the one who had swung that heavy sword around as if it were a plastic toy. While it was true that his body was frail, it wasn’t to the point where he had to make excuses about not being able to take a walk.

If Melione’s curse weren’t [stolen content]affecting him, Read on Read BL Novelshe wouldn’t be begging and [unauthorized copy]pushing himself so desperately.

‘Ungrateful bastard.’

Swallowing a curse, Euro flashed a pure, innocent smile at Melione.

“I’ve wanted to take a walk in the rear garden with you because it’s so beautiful. It’s an honor, Your Grace.”

Despite saying that, once they were actually walking in the garden alone, he found he had nothing to say. Melione walked straight ahead, as if he had vowed never to initiate a conversation.

Euro felt a surge of irritation, but he calmed himself as much as possible and carefully picked a topic. To naturally break the ice, he needed something trivial.

“By the way, when is your birthday?”

The topic he brought up was birthdays. He couldn’t exactly ask for his MBTI or blood type. Melione answered indifferently.

“Around June.”

“That’s not far off? About three months? What’s the date?”

“I do not remember. I do not celebrate my birthday. Raymond would know.”

It was a puzzling answer—that he didn’t know his own birthday—but Euro accepted it readily. Because it was Melione, it made perfect sense.

“May I ask why that is?”

“Because it is not a particularly good day.”

“Ah, um……. I see.”

‘This guy really has a talent for killing the mood.’

He understood, but the answer was so devoid of sincerity that the corners of his forced smile twitched. This damn bastard was really acting like this. Euro secretly clenched his fists behind his back.

However, he couldn’t let the conversation he had struggled to start end just because his feelings were hurt. The allotted walking time was extremely short.

He had answered just fine when they talked about Kisha. His whims were truly sky-high. If he could, he felt like delivering a satisfying smack to the back of the man’s head and telling him, ‘Smile, and stop ruining the damn atmosphere.’

“Actually, I don’t know my own birthday either, so I’ve never properly celebrated it.”

At Euro’s words, Melione came [unauthorized copy]to a dead stop. Noticing this, Euro Read on Read BL Novelspretended not [visit our site]to know and continued walking slowly, moving ahead of him.

“My mother never told me. Until I entered the Royal Palace, I lived in the slums and wasn’t in a position to celebrate birthdays.”

And that was true not only for Euro Leches, but for Kim Euro as well. Euro had grown up in an orphanage. His biological mother had left him as an infant in front of the facility with a letter and fled.

The letter contained only the name ‘Euro’ and the circumstances of why she couldn’t raise the child. That day had been a bitterly cold winter; it was practically a miracle that he had survived.

Even though he grew up in a facility, everyone he met there was kind to him. It wasn’t that he didn’t resent his biological parents, but after reading the letter his mother left upon becoming an adult, even those feelings vanished.

His biological mother had been a teen mother. She had said that when the sudden labor pains hit, she couldn’t even make it to a hospital and had struggled to give birth to him in a park restroom.

Since she had been only sixteen at the time, the twenty-year-old Euro couldn’t help but understand her. She must have been terrified. The image of the mother he imagined from the letter was that of a very young girl.

“I entered the Royal Palace around December. So, I just think of my birthday as whenever winter comes.”

“…….”

“As you know, Norden has no four seasons and is always winter, so it doesn’t mean much. But it just feels good to think every day is my birthday.”

“…….”

“The one thing I miss since coming here is that. Since it doesn’t snow in Silon……. I feel like December won’t feel like a birthday.”

Euro stopped walking and turned his head. He saw Melione gazing at him.

In truth, Euro’s words were a lie. He didn’t know exactly when Euro Leches had taken Helen’s hand and come to the palace.

The part about December being his birthday was the story of Kim Euro, not Euro Leches. December 25th, the coldest and most peaceful day when everyone is soaked in warm love. That was the day Euro had been found in front of the facility.

Euro smiled at the Duke. Then, he muttered inwardly, ‘How’s that? Ruining the mood isn’t the only thing you’re good at.’

It was a story that wasn’t even that sad to recall anymore. Being found on Christmas, and surviving because of it, was a very romantic thing.

The fans who had cheered for him always posted hashtags on SNS when Christmas arrived, calling him ‘Kim Euro is a Christmas gift.’

Thinking about it that way, he felt a bit sad. He wondered how those fans, who had supported him until he died—or perhaps even after—were doing now.

Supporting someone like him, who had no activities other than a survival show and no proper album, couldn’t have been an easy task. How heartbroken must those who had anticipated his performances more than anyone have been at that tragedy?

“……I’ve decided on December 25th for [stolen content]now. It always snows in [visit our site]Norden, but around that time, it really snows heavily.”

Feeling a lump in his throat, Euro turned away, avoiding Melione’s gaze. It was a pity that there was no Christmas in this world, so he couldn’t fully convey the meaning of his birthday.

“I love snow. Days with heavy snowfall are actually a bit warmer. Ah, maybe it’s just because I like warmth.”

“…….”

“Thinking about it that way, coming to Silon was a stroke of luck.”

Euro took a deep breath in and let it out. It was unfortunate, but it was all in the past and irreversible. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of apology.

There must have been a better way to say goodbye. He had never dreamed things would end up like this. Euro quietly searched his memories. What had he said to them before stepping onto the stage? Had he properly thanked them?