BR 1.4

He’d clearly left his blanket behind the partition, but when he came out after washing, the blanket was gone, and a nightshirt lay in its place.

Since Lelis said she’d come only if called, he wondered if Nike had prepared it.

It was a nightshirt, but it was in a different league from the ones he usually wore. The material was luxurious, unlike anything he’d ever touched before.

It was an ambiguously long garment, giving the impression of a dress rather than ending at the knees. It seemed likely to be a nightshirt tailored to Nike’s height.

When he stepped out wearing it, Lelis was still waiting outside for Erons.

“Have you finished bathing?”
“Yes. You’ve been waiting here this whole time?”
“Yes. I told my Lord I would be here, so I must keep my word.”

Erons’s face flushed slightly. His fingers fidgeted as he bit his lip. He remembered how, just moments ago, he couldn’t hold back a lewd moan under Nike’s touch.

He’d even forgotten that Lelis was right outside the door.

Noticing Erons’s preoccupation, Lelis quickly changed the subject. “The banquet is ready. Shall we proceed to the dining hall?”

“Ah, right.”

Having grown up in an orphanage, Erons had no way of knowing what a ‘banquet’ was. He’d racked his brain earlier but couldn’t figure it out.

He couldn’t just ignore it, especially since Nike had asked to meet during the banquet.

“Lady Lelis, this might be a silly question… but what exactly is a banquet? The Duke mentioned it earlier, but it’s a term I’ve never heard before.”

The concept of a banquet was so fundamental to the basics one must learn to enter a mansion that it wasn’t even documented.

Knowing he’d asked something too simple, he bit his lip and glanced at Lelis. Fortunately, Lelis regarded Erons like a younger brother and struggled quite a bit to pull down the corners of her mouth, which kept rising.

“Simply put, it’s dinner. Breakfast is called breakfast, and lunch is called lunch.”
“Ah, so it was dinner.”
“Is your curiosity satisfied?”
“Yes. I’m such an idiot. Not knowing something like this….”
“Not at all. Only nobles use the term ‘banquet’; ordinary subjects hardly ever do, so it’s only natural, so don’t worry about it. Shall we go now?“
”Yes, please.”

But upon arriving at the dining hall, Erons regretted not soaking in the bath longer.

Seated at the seemingly endless table were Nike and Fedor, who had arrived earlier.

Nike pointed to the seat next to his own and told Erons to sit down. But as luck would have it, Fedor was seated directly across from him. Every time Fedor’s piercing gaze fixed on him, Erons’s shoulders slumped further.

“… You can’t seriously expect me to share a table with that lowborn?”
“I warned you. If you let your mouth run wild any further, I won’t let it slide.”
“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll take my leave. Having to face this foundling across the table while food is served… isn’t that too much? It’s almost like torture.”

Bam!

Nike slammed his fist on the table. The sound made Erons flinch in surprise, but Fedor didn’t even blink.

“If you’re going to spout nonsense like that, get out!”
“I was just about to do that.”

As he rose, his chair rattled loudly. 

Fedor, who had glared at Erons until the very end, calmly walked past him and disappeared.

Nike wrinkled his brow at his son’s behavior, which seemed utterly unbecoming of a noble.

“Hah… What am I to do with that boy?”
“… I’m sorry, Your Grace. I’m sorry for interrupting your meal…“
”What nonsense. Not at all. You’re not at fault, so don’t apologize.“
”If it weren’t for me, the young master wouldn’t have gotten so angry.“

”Don’t think like that. You can forget whatever that brat said. You only need to listen to me. You must be quite hungry after traveling so far. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I didn’t know what you liked, so I told the chef to prepare as many of his specialties as possible. Don’t refuse, just eat.“

”… All of this?“
”You can leave some if there’s too much.”

‘Even if we all ate together, there’d still be leftovers.’

Suddenly, he thought of the children left behind at the orphanage.

They’ve probably never even seen food like this. I’m lucky to have been taken in by such a kind person and enjoy this luxury, but the other kids… I don’t know what kind of parents they’ll meet or what type of home they’ll end up in.

Thinking about them probably eating bread and soup that’s almost gone bad again today, just like every day, made him feel uneasy.

It didn’t feel quite right.

“… I’ll eat well.”

Everyone… Are they doing okay?

In the far corner of the dining hall, a group of people waited for their meal to end. Among them were several maids, including Lelis and Jowen.

Just as everyone was growing weary from waiting for a meal that seemed to have no end, Jowen gently tugged at Lelis’s sleeve.

“I’ll show them to their rooms. You go ahead and rest, sister.”
“Huh? I’m fine. I’ll do it.”
“I just remembered something I didn’t finish earlier. I thought I’d take care of it while I’m on my way. I also want to check the fireplace again.”

Truthfully, Lelis was feeling a bit tired from handling chores that were reserved for maids for the first time in a while, so Jowen’s suggestion was somewhat tempting. 

After a moment’s thought, Lelis accepted Jowen’s offer.

“Alright. Make sure the room is well warmed so he doesn’t get cold at night.”

Upon Lelis’s permission, Jowen’s lips turned up in a broad smile. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant-looking smile. “Of course. Don’t worry.”

Though uneasy, Lelis decided to trust Jowen, reasoning that she wasn’t so malicious as to harm someone sleeping in their bed.

But she shouldn’t have trusted her with Erons.

Jowen led Erons into the room she had cleaned so diligently that she had broken out in a sweat.

When the door opened, Erons’s mouth fell open wide and wouldn’t close. It wasn’t particularly large, just the typical size for a noble’s bedroom.

But for a commoner, this width was almost equivalent to an entire house, so his surprise was understandable.

“Really… this is my room? A room just for me?”
“Yes, yes. It’s a room just for you.”

When Erons just stood there admiring it without entering, Jowen, growing impatient, shoved him hard in the back. The rough push sent Erons tumbling straight to the floor.

“Ah!”
“Hurry up and get in, will you?”

Thud!

The sharp pain from his knees hitting the floor spread through his entire body.

Jowen pressed her bare foot firmly against his pitifully hunched back.

“What are you doing, not getting up? I can’t leave until you lie down.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Ha… You’re vulgar, slow to act, slow to speak. Truly the worst.”

It wasn’t that late yet. Though dim, bedtime was still hours away. But under Jowen’s violent stomping, Erons had to hurry to the bed.

He’d felt it during the day, too – Jowen disliked Erons. Disliked him so much she didn’t even try to hide it, as if he were a nuisance.

“I’m turning off the lights.”
“Uh, uh…?”

Even though he hadn’t said it was okay, Jowen lit the fireplace and extinguished all the candles that had been lighting the room.

Fortunately, the fire in the hearth and the moonlight streaming through the window kept it from getting too dark.

Anyway, whether the lights were on or off, all he could do now was sleep, so the darkness didn’t matter.

“I’m leaving.”
“Wait, just a moment, Jowen!”
“What is it?”
“Um, can I ask you just one thing…? ”
“Speak quickly. Didn’t you hear me say I’m leaving?”
“I’m sorry. It’s nothing big. I was just curious about what ‘foundling’ means. Earlier, the young master said it, and it was the first time I’d heard the word, so…”
“Huh? Ha.”

Jowen openly mocked Erons. The sneer on her face, her upturned mouth, and her condescending gaze were enough to make anyone uncomfortable just looking at her.

“Foundling.”
“Yes…?”
“Foundling, foundling. When a noble openly calls someone an orphan, it looks undignified, doesn’t it? That’s why we call it something else. A euphemism you lowly scum would never understand.”

As Jowen sneered, Erons recalled the words Fedor had spoken. Words he hadn’t even been able to understand properly, too preoccupied with his own self-consciousness in the dining hall.

No wonder that gaze had been so full of contempt and scorn. Now that Erons understood the meaning of those unfamiliar words, his sigh was filled only with sorrow.

“You don’t need anything, right? Not that I was planning to bring it anyway.”
“No… I don’t…”

Slam!

Jowen stormed out, slamming the door hard enough to make the mansion shake. The room, not preheated, immediately grew cold.

Wriggling under the covers, Erons pulled the blanket – which wasn’t thick enough for winter – up to his chin.

He wanted to befriend Jowen. Even if she was cold toward him, he thought that if he approached her first, she might gradually open up.

But it seemed Erons’s wish wouldn’t come true.

‘Orphans really aren’t welcomed anywhere, no matter where they go. Would things have been different if I were an Alpha…’

The cold air lingering in the room seeped through the gap in the open quilt. Perhaps because of that chill, Erons felt inexplicably sad.

It was the coldness he’d always received as an orphan, but today it hit him harder. If it weren’t for Nike and Lelis, this sadness would have burst forth, and tears would be streaming down his face.

“…It’s cold.“

He forced his eyes, which refused to close, shut. Afraid he’d cry all night if he didn’t sleep, he stubbornly begged for sleep that wouldn’t come.

A figure appeared beside him as he snored deeply.

”Tsk, of all places, you had to come in here. This is inconvenient.”

The man clicked his tongue and looked around the room. It was a fairly spacious room. Excessively large and fine for an orphan to occupy. It was plain to see that this child was cherished by the lord of the house.

A large fireplace dominated one wall of the expansive room. Yet it gave off not a shred of warmth, hardly deserving the name.

To give such an extravagant room to a guest of such importance, and not even light the fire properly?

“That maid must have a nasty temper.”

The one who gave him the room had surely ordered the fireplace lit. Some insolent servant had dared disobey.

He guessed it was probably because the child was an Omega.

The logs placed on top of the fireplace were nearly burned down, and the ones stacked below were soaked with water, preventing the embers from catching.

No wonder it’s so cold. The embers died before they could catch properly.

The man uncrossed his arms and stretched them toward the hearth. Instantly, the moisture vanished from the wet logs, and the fading embers transferred to the wood below. Tiny sparks, barely visible before, burst into a fierce red blaze.

The heat was intense. Sparks flew from the hearth, scattering throughout the room. The sparks spread everywhere before quickly vanishing, but the heat they carried lingered, warming the room.

Shivering from the cold, Erons slept soundly, tightly wrapped in his blanket.

Usually, if the bed is this cold, he will wake up at least once.

“Sleep well, sweet boy.”

As the man’s finger touched Erons’s forehead, the crimson light radiating from his fingertip seeped into the blankets.

Then, Erons’s slightly furrowed brow melted like snow. Strangely enough, he even wore a faint smile.

The man let out a dry chuckle. It was amusing how, even asleep, his expression changed constantly, as if he were awake.

He brushed back Erons’s long, fallen bangs. His already handsome face glowed even more beautifully in the moonlight streaming through the curtain gap.

“You’re beautiful. Seeing you like this feels new.”

A gust of wind blew from the fireplace. The semi-transparent curtains fluttered in the breeze, spilling countless streams of moonlight.

The man’s hair, glistening in the moonlight, took on a slightly eerie crimson hue, as if drenched in fresh blood.

“When we meet next time, I hope you’ll be happier than you are today.”

For you. And for me.

“Good night, my precious one.”

The man who bowed and kissed him vanished. The red light that had lingered where he stood dispersed.

As if announcing his coming and going, it circled the area for a long while before disappearing.