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CHAPTER 95…..
“Who are you planning to give it to?”
Is it for a woman?
Usually, men don’t give flowers to other men…
In that moment, a certain person popped into my head.
“Idris. There’s someone you like, isn’t there?”
The person who was the reason Idris had entered into a contract relationship with me.
I didn’t know his every move, but up until now, it didn’t seem like he’d been going to see that person.
Maybe it was a situation where he couldn’t meet them.
‘Could it be that he’s going to see them now?’
If that were the case, as his partner, I ought to congratulate him.
But…
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
For some reason, a corner of my chest felt tight.
Was it because I still hadn’t completely saved him from the accident that would happen in the future?
I forced down my anxiety and stepped into the mansion.
“Idris.”
Only then did Idris notice my arrival and greet me.
“Did you have a good meeting with the little lady?”
“No. She didn’t care about me at all — she was only looking for you.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. If it weren’t for that thoughtless appointment I got dragged into, I would’ve gone with you.”
“Next time, let’s go together.”
Instead of answering, Idris smiled. That was his way of saying yes.
Seizing the moment, I asked casually,
“By the way, are you going somewhere tomorrow too?”
“Tomorrow?”
“I heard you talking about a bouquet just now.”
“Ah, I’m going to see my mother.”
Oh.
As soon as I heard his answer, my nervousness melted away like a lie.
Perhaps interpreting my reaction as puzzlement, Idris added,
“I mean my birth mother, the one who gave me life.”
Whenever I saw how gentle he was, I couldn’t help but wonder.
For someone who was supposedly the villain of the original story, he seemed far too kind.
Even the claim that he had tried to kill his legal mother, the late Empress, felt hard to believe.
Hiding my confusion, I continued the conversation naturally.
“Is tomorrow her death anniversary?”
“No. The anniversary’s already passed, but my mother loved hydrangeas. So I make a point of visiting around this time of year.”
“You’re a good son.”
“I only hope she knows that.”
“I’m sure she does.”
At my words, Idris gave a small laugh.
Even without saying anything, his expression looked a little lighter.
“If you haven’t had dinner yet, let’s eat together later.”
“Alright.”
As I headed toward the annex, I hesitated for a moment, then turned back, having made up my mind.
“Idris.”
Halfway up the stairs, he looked down at me with a questioning expression.
“Tomorrow… is it alright if I come with you?”
It was the first time in a while I’d seen him look genuinely surprised.
The next day, we visited the cemetery as planned.
Idris’s mother was buried in the largest public cemetery in the capital.
The Emperor’s official wife, the Empress, was buried in the royal tombs, and recognized consorts were buried in their family’s estates.
But his mother had been a palace maid of common birth.
“After I got my title, I thought about bringing her to my estate… but that felt more like it would be for my own comfort than for her.”
When we arrived at her grave, Idris brushed the fallen leaves off the headstone and continued,
“She was born and raised in the capital, so I thought it would be better to keep her here rather than in some unfamiliar place. Not that all her memories of this city would be good ones.”
“Still, this is where she gave birth to you, raised you, and loved you. I’m sure she’d rather stay here.”
It was a sincere thought, but Idris gave me a strange look.
“Why are you so sweet today, partner? You’re making my heart flutter.”
“I’m always sweet, you know.”
At my shameless reply, Idris burst into laughter.
The low sound of his laughter carried by the breeze was pleasant to hear.
“So why did you want to come with me today?”
“Wouldn’t it seem cold if I let my lover visit his mother’s grave alone?”
“True enough.”
It had been meant as a joke, but he accepted it without hesitation.
In the end, I found myself speaking my honest feelings.
“Honestly, I just thought you might feel lonely going by yourself.”
As a child, I often spent my own mother’s death anniversary alone.
After she died, my father brought my stepmother into the house right away, and of course, he never marked the anniversary.
The servants ignored it too, out of consideration for the new lady of the house.
Every year, when I went alone to place flowers on her grave… what had I thought about then?
I can’t recall exactly, but the feelings of that day were still vivid.
The grief and longing I could share with no one.
And the terrible loneliness of feeling like I was the only person in the world.
Because I knew that feeling better than anyone, I didn’t want Idris to go through it alone.
To explain the root of this, I’d have to talk about my childhood and my father…
‘…But I don’t want to go that far.’
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant story.
But as if reading my mind, Idris suddenly asked,
“You must have spent your mother’s anniversary alone before, haven’t you?”
I froze, but couldn’t bring myself to deny it.
“When is it?”
Not understanding his intent, I blinked for a moment before answering a beat later.
“It’s still a while off — early autumn.”
His eyes widened slightly in surprise, then softened with sadness.
“…So that’s why you couldn’t come that time.”
That time?
I tilted my head, not knowing what he meant, when he made an unexpected suggestion.
“Let’s go together this year.”
For a while, I just stared at him blankly, unable to answer right away.
‘He probably doesn’t know anything…’
But those words felt like they were quietly comforting the loneliness of my childhood.
When I felt the carriage stop, I opened my eyes wide.
‘Huh, when did I fall asleep?’
After leaving the cemetery, I must have dozed off while watching the scenery go by.
When I woke up, I realized I’d been sleeping with my head on Idris’s shoulder…
“…!”
I quickly straightened up in shock, and Idris’s hand, which had been reaching toward my face, paused.
“Sorry. I must’ve been heavy.”
“For lovers, this is nothing. Was my shoulder comfortable?”
“…Thanks to you.”
Mumbling an embarrassed reply, I was about to get out of the carriage when Idris suddenly leaned closer.
His gaze locked on my face with a strange light in his eyes.
More precisely…
‘…My lips?’
The sudden closeness made me hold my breath without realizing it.
Just then, Idris’s lips moved.
“You drooled.”
…What?!
Startled, I completely forgot the subtle atmosphere from moments earlier and touched the corner of my mouth.
Idris twitched his lips, then burst into laughter as he confessed,
“That was a lie.”
This man!
After we got out of the carriage, I pinched his side repeatedly.
“Ow.”
But despite his groans, his muscles were too solid for me to get a good pinch in.
‘I had a feeling he was fit, but this is ridiculous…’
The fact that he was pretending to be hurt made him even more annoying!
Still fuming, I kept pinching until I froze —
Because the butler waiting by the carriage door met my eyes.
‘…Isn’t it a bit much for me to rough up a royal like this?’
Especially in front of the staff.
I quickly shifted gears.
“Ahem, sorry.”
“It’s fine. I like it when you hit me.”
“…Don’t say things like that, or people will get the wrong idea!”
In the end, the butler chuckled at our bickering.
“It seems you had a good trip.”
“Nothing happened while we were gone?”
“Ah, a letter arrived for Lady Leticia.”
Normally, letters came in the morning, and any that arrived late would be sent straight to my room.
The fact that the butler had kept it on him meant it was something he considered important.
‘Is it from the Imperial Palace?’
Puzzled, I accepted the letter — and froze when I saw the seal stamped on the envelope.
The Viscount of Cloel.
It was from my father.
