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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Comforting Embrace
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The inside had gone quiet.
After a long wait with no response, I knocked again.
A moment later, the door flew open.
Startled, I looked up to see Luciano holding it.
He seemed surprised by my presence too, his eyes widening slightly before settling back into a curt expression.
“What brings you here?”
I gave an awkward smile.
“Can I come in?”
“Come on in. The guest was leaving anyway.”
Harrison’s head drooped.
I couldn’t bring myself to step inside and just hovered at the entrance.
Luciano stared at me for a moment before striding out.
“Never mind. Let’s move somewhere else.”
With that, he actually came out and shut the door.
“What about the guest?”
“He’ll figure it out.”
Unable to resist Luciano’s hand gently nudging my back, I found myself walking along with him.
Glancing back, I saw Harrison emerging from the parlor, shoulders slumped.
He looked so pitiful, like I had to ask if he was okay.
The gloom radiating from him every inch of his body made my head throb.
Harrison shot me a look full of envy before turning away.
Both Luciano and Harrison were nursing deep wounds.
I hoped they’d reconcile soon—what could I do to help?
But thinking of Luciano stopped me from intervening.
It was his worst memory, after all.
He still had trauma from anyone feeding him food.
Yet thinking of Harrison made it hard to just ignore it.
As a reader, I knew Harrison’s side of the story.
What had happened in that incident.
So I understood his feelings, how sincerely he was apologizing to Luciano.
Of course, if I had to choose between them, I’d side with Luciano without question.
No need for this dilemma at all.
‘After all, he’s the one closer and more precious to me.’
Still, guilt toward Harrison kept nagging at me.
I had made things worse.
If I hadn’t told Harrison to prepare sweets.
If he hadn’t brought food for his first apology.
‘Would Luciano have rejected him this much?’
The question lingered.
I couldn’t shake the thought that because of me, Harrison was hated even more by Luciano.
“Come on.”
Impatient with my pause, Luciano grabbed my hand and pulled.
Caught off guard, I was dragged along.
His quick pace forced me to hurry my steps.
“Where are we going?”
At my question, Luciano’s footsteps halted abruptly.
It seemed getting away from the parlor was his only goal.
So innocent.
Or maybe his mind was that preoccupied.
He’d poured out his emotions on Harrison, yet acted like nothing happened in front of me.
Though he couldn’t hide his stiff expression.
Whenever I showed up, he suppressed his anger like someone desperate to keep his past hidden.
What could I do seeing Luciano like this?
“Lu.”
I grabbed Luciano and turned him to face me.
“Yeah.”
Pretending to be calm, I pulled him into a tight hug.
I wanted to hold him warmly, like my parents had done for me.
But since he was a bit taller, it ended up looking like I was in his arms.
We used to be about the same height before.
This guy had grown alone.
Had I fed him too well?
“E-Espin? What’s this all of a sudden?”
Luciano’s panicked voice reached me.
It was his first time with contact like this, so he was startled.
I’d thought it’d be embarrassing, but once I did it, it wasn’t a big deal.
Sensing him squirm to push away, I hugged him tighter and said what I wanted.
“It’s okay.”
Luciano’s body stiffened.
Our closeness let me hear his heart pounding anxiously, loud and clear.
So I whispered again.
“Good things will happen from now on, lots of them.”
Realizing I was comforting him, the tension drained from his body.
Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around my back.
He held me like that for a moment, squeezing tight.
His stomach must have been churning, and seeing him pretend otherwise hurt me too.
What trials did this boy, who should be out playing carefree, have to face?
Hoping my small warmth would soothe him, I stayed still in the embrace.
“Really?”
Luciano’s murmur lacked strength.
He truly seemed to doubt if good things would ever come his way.
His despair tugged at my heart.
“I’m here. I’ll help make lots of good things happen for you.”
Sorry that all I could offer were these actions and words.
I pulled his body even closer.
A long while later, Luciano whispered softly.
“Thanks.”
He tightened his arms around me.
The strong squeeze was almost suffocating, but feeling his pain, I stayed still.
Hoping my warmth brought him some comfort.
Please, let this conflict end soon.
* * *
Lately, Luciano’s sensitivity was off the charts.
No matter how much I soothed him, it didn’t help.
The biggest reason was Harrison visiting every day.
The second was that training with Kail wasn’t easy.
When the body tires, the mind loses its patience.
Sometimes Luciano scared me so much I hesitated to even speak.
So today, I’d brought dessert.
Tiramisu!
The one that made his eyes go wide the first time he tried it—he loved it that much.
But since it had coffee, I rarely made it for him.
Caffeine wasn’t good for kids, after all.
Luciano was still a child!
Still, today I’d made plenty as a special treat.
‘This should lift his mood, right?’
Then I’d invite him home for a delicious dinner.
Since starting training, he seemed to be losing weight bit by bit.
With more activity, he needed to eat more, but given his personality, he’d just eat haphazardly.
Sigh, I wouldn’t even let my own son get like this.
Wait, lately it felt like I was raising a prince.
The genre was shifting weirdly.
Come to think of it, my dream of enjoying a carefree childhood kept getting interrupted.
I loved playing the most.
Right now, I just wanted to play freely.
“Haah.”
With so much on my mind, a sigh escaped naturally.
I arrived at Luciano’s palace and headed to the parlor.
Lately, that’s where he spent most of his time.
Before knocking, I pressed my ear to the door.
“Why won’t you listen? Do I look that ridiculous?”
“No, sire. Not at all. I just hope you’ll accept my sincerity.”
As expected, voices drifted out.
Harrison had come again today.
Amazingly, he visited without fail, day after day, never tiring.
Even coming back hurt each time, he kept showing up steadily.
“No more to say? Then leave.”
“Please, just hear me out a moment.”
“A guest is coming, so go.”
Luciano’s voice turned irritable.
After hesitating, I left without knocking.
Once out of Luciano’s palace, my destination was set.
I walked a bit further to the ‘Lavender Garden’.
It was where Luciano had lost to Prince Steven before and avoided afterward.
Since it was a favorite spot of the late Empress, Luciano’s mother, hardly anyone came here.
Arriving at the Lavender Garden, I took a deep breath.
A fresh scent wafted strongly.
Actually, despite the name, there were no lavender plants here.
It was just called the Lavender Garden.
The palace gardens were all named after flowers like that.
It felt kinda lazy.
Moments like this really drove home that this was a romance fantasy world.
“But what should I do…….”
My troubled heart led to mumbling aloud.
At first, I thought keeping them apart was best.
The more they clashed, the worse their relationship would get.
But no.
It seemed real conversation between them was more important.
Luciano hated me meeting Harrison.
Whenever I arrived, he’d make a fuss to send Harrison away.
Or drag me elsewhere, so it was obvious.
Because of me, they weren’t talking properly.
That’s why I’d stepped away today.
Giving Harrison a small chance.
‘I’ll come back after a short while.’
If I stayed too long, I might miss out on feeding him the tiramisu I’d made.
As I moved to find a spot to rest moderately,
‘Huh?’
One person caught my eye.
It was odd enough that someone was here.
The noblewoman clutching a stone statue from behind looked unwell.
I rushed over.
“Are you alright?”
Sure enough, up close, the somewhat elderly noblewoman’s face was pale.
Too weak to reply, she waved her hand.
Worried she’d collapse any second.
Clearly high-status.
Why was she alone, though?
Usually with maids.
I looked around frantically—no one.
“Did you come with anyone?”
She nodded slowly.
“Can you walk? There’s a place to sit just a short way.”
“Sorry, could you help support me?”
Wow, I figured she was a noblewoman, but she was so graceful.
First time meeting a noble adult using formal speech with me.
Of course I had to help someone like her.
“Yes. Hold onto my shoulder.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned her weight on me.
