Unreasonable Honesty

Ensi turned his gaze away from Agniele, who was carefully reading his mood, and looked out over the garden.

“I heard she put a great deal of effort into bringing the forest into the mansion.”

He had been told that she visited the woods near the Lord’s castle countless times just to design the garden. She wandered in search of scenery that would suit the mansion accompanied by painters and landscapers, and met with numerous merchant groups to replicate the views she had seen there exactly.

“Hearing that made me reluctant to change it…… so I decided to leave it as it is.”

Since he had no intention of hosting banquets at this mansion anyway, there was no need for a renovation. So long as he remained the master of this house, this place would only evolve with the flow of time, never disappear.

“If it’s a garden touched by the Madam’s hands while she was alive, who was the previous owner of this mansion?”

“My maternal grandfather—Baron Ludwig. I bought it from him.”

He had been stubborn about not selling, so Ensi had put in a significant amount of time and effort. Recalling how troublesome that work had been made a headache feel as though it were returning.

Ensi let out a sigh that sounded like a lament, as his grandfather’s blunt face flickered before his eyes at the mere thought.

“I was lucky. Baron Ludwig had no remaining descendants, so he was in a position where he had promised to bequeath the title to Enrique Alemir.”

Since the Barony was going to his older brother, there was no reason for the old man to cling to the town house in the capital. Thus, Ensi was able to buy this mansion by practically throwing a tantrum. If not for that, he would have had to watch with envy from the sidelines no matter how much he wanted it.

“That is fortunate. To have things work out as you wished.”

“Isn’t it?”

Letting out a small laugh, Ensi moved his stalled legs. Agniele followed Ensi as he stepped into the forest.

As soon as Ensi and Agniele crossed past the dense trees that stood like a boundary, the servant who had been following quietly stopped.

Both Ensi and Agniele noticed him, but they soon put it out of their minds. Whether it was a message left by Noah or Emma, the servant was simply following instructions.

It wasn’t a particularly important matter. Ensi only spoke after the servant was sufficiently far away, just as they had intended.

“Are you not busy?”

“It seems your friends are busier than I am.”

Agniele felt apologetic every time he realized that fact. Even now, the mansion was buzzing with activity, accompanied by a faint commotion. The two people staying at Ensi’s mansion were likely at the center of that bustle.

“It is simply that the work they are doing is different. Even Lily, who was the one who planned to set up a base in the capital, isn’t pouring everything into finding a cure right now.”

Lily was currently being dragged around to various social gatherings under the leadership of Marquis Florence. It was the result of being caught by the Marquis, who had welcomed her saying she had arrived at a perfect time.

Because of that, Donovan had voiced a small complaint that he wasn’t receiving materials from the Imperial Library. Luke needed materials just as much, but perhaps because his expectations were low to begin with, he just scoffed and moved on, saying he knew it would happen.

“Is that so? Florence did say he would look for records in the Imperial Library.”

“Yes, he did.”

Agniele’s eyes sparkled like a man who had just heard good news.

“Then I shall look for them instead. I was feeling troubled because I haven’t been able to provide any help.”

It wasn’t much, but it was fortunate if he could lend a hand in this way. Since Agniele looked ready to run to the Imperial Library this very second, Ensi gave him a sidelong glance for showing such excessive enthusiasm.

“The Imperial Library is only open until 18:00.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Does that mean you intend to stay in the library until you find suitable materials?”

“If I can find a clue to treat your illness, gladly.”

……What should I do with this clueless man?

Thanks to Agniele focusing only on the fact that he could be helpful, Ensi’s expression turned sullen for a moment. He tilted his head and kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Ensius?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Sensing something was wrong belatedly, Agniele called out to him. Ensi answered faithfully but did not meet Agniele’s eyes.

Seeing Ensi walking ahead while looking only straight forward, Agniele almost reached out to grab his shoulder instinctively, but he held back. He quietly withdrew his arm and clenched his fist until his palm stung slightly.

What could be the problem? It was the first time Ensi had reacted this way. He had been flustered before, but he had never expressed dissatisfaction.

A faint light seeped into his wavering golden eyes. The hairpin holding the hair that swayed with his footsteps—thanks to being tied high—was familiar. Even in the garden where only faint light filtered through the thick trees, the dimly glittering blue flower was etched clearly into Agniele’s sight.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Seeing the pin that matched this place perfectly, he felt it was foolish to agonize over it. If he didn’t know, he could just ask. Was the person who could give him the answer not right in front of him?

“……If you stay in the Imperial Library until late, doesn’t that mean you’ll be busy from now on?”

Making a small groaning sound, Ensi spoke in a whisper after a moment of silence. Unfortunately, he did not have the personality to speak as bluntly as Agniele.

So, Ensi expressed it the best he could, but it seemed his meaning was insufficient to reach Agniele. Agniele stared intensely at Ensi’s back with a puzzled expression, as if he still hadn’t caught on.

At that intense gaze, Ensi looked up at the sky, which was hard to see through the tree branches.

Agniele was straightforward, but he lacked intuition. Perhaps it was natural, as he was a person who never needed to sensitively perceive situations or the emotions of others to act.

Of course, as the heir of a house, he likely possessed some level of social grace, but this was strictly a different field.

Taking a calm breath, Ensi decided that he would be the one to understand the other person. Having made his decision, he turned around to face Agniele.

Ensi closed the distance in an instant and grabbed Agniele’s wrist. When Ensi pulled the arm he held with force, Agniele did not resist and followed submissively.

“You said you missed me. That the time we spent meeting was insufficient. Was that a lie?”

“Never. I was sincere.”

The voice that came out without a hint of hesitation was unwavering. Staring straight into the eyes that sparkled while looking only at him, Ensi reached out his other arm and cupped Agniele’s cheek.

“Then you should come to see me. Not say that you are going to go to the library.”

“Is that…… how it is?”

Agniele had never lived a day being conscious of his own cheeks, but all his nerves focused there simply because Ensi’s hand was touching them.

Agniele swallowed hard and blinked his eyelids rapidly at the blue eyes looking up at him. Ensius was so radiant that even the flickering darkness felt like a disappointment.

“But I wanted to be of help. Since this is something that began because of my greed, I did not want to irresponsibly neglect it.”

Even without that, Agniele wanted to find a cure as soon as possible. The cold temperature he felt every time they touched weighed on his mind.

“There is nothing particularly important in the materials to be gained there. It is nothing more than checking to prepare for any possibility.”

Donovan and Luke would surely have scowled if they had heard these words from Ensi. But so what? It was more important for him to entice the man in front of him right now.

Ensi stroked Agniele’s cheek as if to soothe him, then moved the hand holding the wrist down to wrap around the back of his hand.

“Or is it…… more important to find records than to see me?”

“The most important thing to me is you, Ensius.”

It had been that way since the moment he faced Ensi in the greenhouse he had found by chance that day. That was a fact like a universal truth for Agniele, one that would never change.

Agniele turned over the hand covering the back of his own and carefully pressed his palm against Ensi’s. Even though Ensi had approached first, his action felt somewhat cautious, as if he were worried about being rejected. He felt relieved when Ensi showed no sign of pulling away.

Slowly, gently so as not to startle him. Agniele’s fingertips slipped between Ensi’s fingers, touching the smooth, white back of his hand.

“Even if it is not important, I wish to check for the sake of that one-in-a-thousand chance. Since it is not good for time to be delayed, I will start tomorrow if possible.”

Agniele, putting slight pressure on their interlaced hands, leaned his cheek submissively against the cold palm.

“In the end, it means you won’t be seeing me for a while.”

“That could never happen.”

Not seeing him. That was an unthinkable thing. After returning to the capital, Agniele had felt the three days they couldn’t meet like a lump in his chest. That was why, despite having met yesterday, he had visited here again as soon as the day broke.

He knew it was rude, but he couldn’t control himself. Agniele exhaled a breath tinged with a faint heat. He didn’t think he used to be this anxious before.

It must be because it had overflowed once. Or perhaps it was because he could see that Ensius was willingly accepting him.

Agniele reached out his remaining arm and wrapped it around Ensi’s waist.

“Even if it is after the sun sets, Ensius. If you are willing, I wish to visit. Since you told me to do as I wish, I intend to lean on that.”

Please, accept my greed readily.

The suggestion to visit when the darkness fell was a clear impertinence. It would be like adding oil to the rumors burning in the social circles.

Even though Ensi performed the calculations in an instant, he could not say anything harsh to Agniele, who was looking at him with wavering eyes and lowered brows.

“……Do as you wish.”

In the end, it was Ensi who backed down first. Unable to bring himself to stop Agniele, he once again gave him permission to do as he pleased, just as he had yesterday.

Though the reply was somewhat blunt, a smile appeared on Agniele’s lips at the clear permission. Ensi’s own lips trembled slightly as he faced him at such close range.

For some reason, the waist where Agniele’s hand rested felt as hot as if fire were blooming there.