A Day in the Zoo (1)

“His attitude has changed a lot.”
At Theron’s words, which seemed more like a vow than a conviction, Orlando chuckled.
“When your will weakens, it helps to remember why you need money.”
“…”
“The land you’re trying to buy on the Rigus Coast, it’s not empty land, but a vineyard, surprisingly.”
Theron slowly turned his gaze.
A hint of displeasure appeared in his empty eyes for a moment.
“If you’re so curious about me that you’re having me investigated, you should marry me yourself, Colonel, instead of your niece.”
The rumor that Colonel Orlando had been able to lead the war to victory by using spies appropriately seemed to be no exaggeration.
Considering how he attached people even to a commoner like himself and found out about things in a corner that no one knew.
‘What a disgusting person.’
He was the kind of person who would go in and out of his house without him knowing and even find out how many pairs of socks he had.
“I already have a loving wife. Besides, can you tell me why you’re trying to buy a vineyard?”
“…”
“A person who deals with money wouldn’t suddenly be interested in winemaking.”
Although Theron didn’t answer, Orlando’s sharp question made him think of the woman in the hospital.
The reason he was trying to buy the land on the Rigus Coast, a vineyard that had nothing to do with him, was all because of that woman.
“If you don’t want to say, then don’t. But you seem quite desperate to buy that vineyard, so you should hurry up with your marriage to Selene. Time is not so kind, is it?”
Theron glared at the leisurely smiling Orlando.
“Come to think of it, what you want, Colonel, doesn’t seem to be just the title.”
“…”
“It’s as if you sometimes dislike Selene herself.”
Even at the rather direct question, the corners of Orlando’s mouth remained raised.
“Of course not. How could I dislike my only niece? She’s also best friends with my only daughter.”
“Unlike your words, you don’t seem to like her very much. Isn’t the ducal family’s succession case quite famous?”
Theron perhaps wanted to attack him.
He thought it wouldn’t matter if he paid him back this much for subtly prodding him since before.
As expected, Nicholas, the late Duke of Ashcombe and Selene’s father, was a sore spot, and Orlando’s expression hardened considerably.
It was the first time Orlando had lost his smile since he had entered this place.
“My only brother died tragically in the war. It’s only natural that I feel sorry for Selene.”
‘I’m sure you do.’
Theron inwardly wanted to ask if that’s why he had even bribed the judges of the competition, but he didn’t think it was necessary to push him that far.
However, he needed to warn him.
“If you feel sorry for her, don’t touch Selene Ashcombe any more than this.”
Orlando let out a “hmm.”
“What do you mean by ‘touch’?”
“I mean doing this kind of useless thing. Attaching people to deceive Selene.”
“I don’t think that’s something the person who is deceiving her should say.”
Theron bit his lip for a moment.
“Is the reason for that warning that you suddenly feel sorry for her? Or something like a guilty conscience?”
As Orlando tried to read his inner thoughts without missing a beat, Theron, who had kept his mouth shut, opened it.
“Whatever it is. I won’t break my promise with you, Colonel, so you should also stop at making your niece a divorcee.”
“If you faithfully carry out the task you’ve been given.”
Orlando replied, pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“You have nothing more to say, I suppose.”
Theron nodded and stood up from his seat.
“I’m leaving.”
Theron left the drawing-room immediately without hearing Orlando’s farewell.

Hooo.
Theron, who had come out of the private residence, undid the buttons of his jacket and let out a big breath as if to exhale the contaminated air.
He felt his health worsen every time he went there, as if the colonel smoked cigars all day with the windows tightly shut.
But in fact, Theron knew.
He used to smoke cigars whenever he had a chance, and he wouldn’t feel so stuffy just because of that.

“I don’t think that’s something the person who is deceiving her should say.”

That was the word that had decisively put a heavy weight on Theron’s already low spirits.
After sleeping with Selene, that inexplicable stuffiness had worsened.
It was ridiculous to feel guilty now, but sometimes he felt as if his chest was being crushed, as if he were being chased by something.
Deceiving Selene and approaching her was not something that could be undone.

“The land you’re trying to buy on the Rigus Coast, it’s not empty land, but a vineyard, surprisingly.”

And the fact that he needed that vineyard would not change no matter what he did.
Theron, who had arrived home with a heavy heart, wet like a dark rain cloud, found a letter left by the mailman.
It was a letter from Selene, who had said she didn’t have time to spend leisurely.

Selene, who had decided to go out for the first time in a while, did so after seeing an article in the newspaper.

[The long-awaited Cantora’s Dallas Zoo finally opens!]

Selene felt that the world had changed a lot when she saw articles like this.
This gray paper, which had been covered with terrible news as if the world were about to collapse due to war, was now pouring out information that people would cheer for, as if nothing had happened.
Things like a car that could run at over 100 km/h being developed, or that people could fly in the sky in a giant lump of iron.
Of course, it was much better than the time when only gloomy news poured out, but she found herself thinking once in a while if it would have been impossible for this to happen without experiencing war.
‘Then my parents wouldn’t have died.’
As the train of thought that had started with a newspaper article led to a meaningless assumption, Selene decided to focus again on the newly opened zoo in the capital.
Selene had never been to a zoo in her life.
The same went for circuses and festivals.
She had hated crowded places since she was young.
Nevertheless, the reason she was interested in this zoo was because she had seen the word ‘mole’ in the article.
Mole.
Selene truly liked that animal.
It looked cute, and the fact that it lived in burrows gave her a subtle sense of kinship when she was young.
‘Maybe it’s because I was cooped up in the piano room after my parents passed away.’
But if she had to give a proper reason for liking moles, that would be it; there was no great meaning in having a soft spot for that furry animal.
Selene decided she had to go to the newly opened Dallas Zoo.
For that reason, she had sent a letter to Theron Cox for the first time in a while.
She had already rejected his request to meet twice, so she was a little worried he might be sulking, but Theron had called her the day the letter arrived.
He had said he was fine with it right away, without any other words.
‘Theron will be here soon.’
And today was the day she had promised to visit the zoo with Theron.
Selene stood at the main gate, waiting for Theron’s car.
Before long, a familiar black car was seen in the distance.
As usual, Theron arrived 10 minutes before the appointed time.
“Why were you out here first? The weather has gotten quite cold lately.”
A faint scent of soap came from Theron, who got out of the car with a light scolding and opened the passenger door.
The scent, which she hadn’t really noticed until now, felt new, probably because the last thing they had done together was deep and intense.
She thought the memory had faded a bit, but it gently bloomed as she met him.
It was a little strange that they were meeting again in such neat attire, as if they had both forgotten that day of their tryst.
“Because you always arrive 10 minutes early, Theron.”
“…”
“I know that, so there’s no need to make you wait.”
At Selene’s answer, Theron was dazed for a moment before blushing.
Theron often blushed like that in front of her, and the sight of a reddish tinge on his cold impression felt new every time.
“You said you wouldn’t speak informally…”
“Come to think of it, you don’t always use polite language either, Mr. Theron, so I don’t think I need to either.”
He had spoken informally in bed too.
Of course, more than half of it was lewd and perverted words that were not fit to be uttered.
“I like it.”
Theron briefly swept his reddened cheek and helped Selene into the car.
The car started towards the zoo.
“By the way, I was a little surprised that you wanted to go to the zoo, Miss Selene. Is this outing also helpful for inspiration?”
“No. It’s just that it’s not far from here.”
Theron’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.
“No, didn’t you say you didn’t have time to spend leisurely because your performance was going well? I guess you had time to spend leisurely at the zoo?”
His excited voice resembled that of a whining child.
“It was true that I didn’t have time. Lately, my performance has been going so well that I wanted to focus on the piano. But a person can’t stay cooped up in the house forever.”
Theron’s eyebrows remained furrowed for a while, as if that answer was not very helpful.
Selene asked nonchalantly, “Did you wait for me?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I looked at the mailbox for a while like a husband waiting for his runaway wife. Ah, and the phone too.”
“…”
“Still, I thought we had gotten a little closer, but since you kept refusing to meet, I even wondered if you had gotten tired of me after we slept together.”
She tried to gauge if he was exaggerating a little to express his disappointment, but Theron really seemed to have been desperately waiting for her call.
“Sleeping with someone and then abandoning them is one of the things I loathe the most.”
So much so that she had pushed Theron Cox into a fountain when she had initially misunderstood him to be that kind of person.
“Yes, I know, but when you don’t hear from someone you like, you tend to think in extremes. You let your imagination run wild. Still, it was a relief that I got a letter from you, Miss Selene, before I could wonder if you had used me and thrown me away.”
‘Used and thrown away…’
However, Selene, rather than being surprised, knew that she had to tell him her honest situation first.
“Theron.”
Selene calmly lowered her eyes.