Chapter 9: The Meaning of the Sapphire

He really isn’t as bad of a person as the rumors suggest.

Mikeron thought so as he observed Leviat Kinesis, who was hostile toward him but unable to act coldly toward a commoner child.

‘They said he was completely crazy about Mariel, but that doesn’t really seem to be the case either.’

Because Leviat Kinesis, who usually never showed his face at parties, had suddenly attended, Mikeron had suspected he came because of Mariel.

However, after their eyes met in the party hall, Leviat was nowhere to be seen, making Mikeron wonder where on earth he had gone.

“Mikeron, are you looking for someone?”

Mariel, who was sipping champagne beside him, tilted his head and asked.

It seemed Mikeron had been looking around a bit too much.

With withdrawing his gaze from the distance, Mikeron offered a faint smile to Mariel.

“It’s nothing.”

***

He was tired.

Being jostled among the crowd for so long left him utterly exhausted.

Having finally escaped the crowd, Mikeron searched for a quiet place and made his way up to the rooftop garden.

In the place where he thought no one would be, there was an unexpected person.

He saw Leviat sitting in front of a table, conjuring a tiny flame.

In front of the brightly burning flame, his crimson eyes shone.

Though Mikeron knew he wouldn’t hear anything pleasant even if he spoke to him, he was captivated by those eyes and slowly approached.

As he stood before him, Leviat turned his head.

The moment their eyes met, Leviat’s straight brow furrowed ruthlessly toward Mikeron.

A silence as cold as the wind howling between them fell over the space.

Mikeron slowly looked down at him and spoke first.

“What are you doing here?”

He had asked out of pure curiosity as to why Leviat was sitting out in the cold, but only a sarcastic reply returned.

“You said I was impossible to communicate with. Why do you keep talking to me?”

“Ah. Are you suspicious that I might be up to something? My, what a magnificent sense of justice you have.”

‘Why does he always act so hostile?’

Mikeron found it difficult to understand Leviat’s attitude, as he didn’t even bother to hide his dislike whenever they ran into each other.

Leviat had been hostile toward Mikeron ever since the first day they met.

Until now, Mikeron had assumed Leviat disliked him because of Mariel, but since the day Mikeron first visited him, Leviat hadn’t done a single thing to harm Mariel.

As Mikeron let out an annoyed sigh, the flame burning in Leviat’s hand went out.

The moment the warmth vanished, Leviat’s slender frame could be seen shivering, likely due to the cold.

Considering he had been out here even before Mikeron arrived, it was only natural.

Concerned by his shivering, Mikeron had taken off his outer coat and offered it, but even when showing goodwill, the only return was annoyance as usual.

Mikeron tightly gripped the coat that Leviat had irritably returned.

He didn’t know the real reason why Leviat hated him, but honestly, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted when Leviat acted like that every single time.

Leviat was not the person Mikeron had been looking for.

Not only because of his haggard face shadowed with deep dark circles, but also because there was no way that person would behave so hostily toward everything.

Mikeron thought he should truly stop meddling now, but upon stepping out onto the stairs, he saw Leviat’s back slumped over on them.

‘I should ignore him and keep going…’

Yet seeing that troubled back, he simply couldn’t pass by and ignore it.

Feeling that this would be the final time, Mikeron approached him.

“I told you… to ignore me! Stop meddling in things that are none of your business!”

‘Ah, how irritating.’

In the heightened atmosphere, Mikeron ultimately scowled as well.

Just as he prepared to raise his voice and clash properly in anger, Leviat spoke, laughing as if he had lost his mind.

“Stop pretending to be nice. Just be honest and say I’m creepy. You find me dreadful too, don’t you, Duke?”

The moment he heard those words, Mikeron was speechless for a while.

The anger that had surged just moments ago gradually subsided, and his mind began to cool down.

This was because Mikeron had read the thick self-loathing embedded in the words Leviat uttered with a smile.

Mikeron had never once thought Leviat was creepy, nor did he find him dreadful.

Though he occasionally grew angry because of Leviat, he had never felt that much dislike.

Yet there was no reason for Mikeron to tell him he had never harbored such thoughts.

Especially to an opponent who did nothing but complain.

Even so, Mikeron rushed toward Leviat as he was about to fall.

His feet had moved faster than his reason.

‘The reason I end up meddling this much despite thinking I should ignore him… it’s probably because his eyes are crimson.’

***

A few days after Count Export’s party, at Mariel’s request to accompany him because there was something he wanted to buy, Mikeron went out with him.

Possessing sharp senses, Mikeron realized shortly after arriving on the street that someone was watching them.

Leviat’s face flashed across his mind, but he deliberately shook the thought away.

Though Leviat was a difficult person to trust in many ways, Mikeron didn’t want to jump to conclusions and assume he was stalking.

However, as he heightened his awareness, before long he discovered that the identity of the person stalking them was indeed Leviat.

‘Even though he promised on his honor.’

Disappointment crawled up from his toes, coloring his entire body.

He didn’t know why he felt disappointed in Leviat.

‘Was I harboring expectations of him in a corner of my heart?’

“Mariel, go ahead and eat first.”

“Huh? What about you, Mikeron?”

“I just remembered some business, so I’ll be back shortly.”

“If you’re going, we should go together…”

“No. I’ll be right back.”

Because he couldn’t bring Mariel to where Leviat was, Mikeron stepped outside alone.

As soon as Mikeron stepped out, Leviat also exited his carriage.

Without hesitation, Mikeron marched directly toward Leviat.

Then, he saw Leviat walking over with cautious, tentative steps.

Instantly, a surge of emotion welled up inside Mikeron.

It was obvious that Leviat’s ankle, which had been injured at the party, hadn’t fully healed yet.

Furthermore, one side of his face was swollen as if he had been in a fight somewhere.

‘He has to stalk even in that condition?’

Mikeron couldn’t understand Leviat.

No, he didn’t even want to understand.

Mikeron firmly grabbed Leviat’s forearm.

“You probably won’t believe me, but it’s really not like that. I wasn’t stalking Baron Mariel.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have believed his words.

After all, Leviat was a person with a highly colorful record of stalking, judging by the rumors.

But it wouldn’t be too late to judge the situation after hearing his explanation.

When asked for an explanation, Leviat remained silent for a while before letting out a sigh and tossing something over.

It was a small case made of a luxurious-looking material.

‘Tossing a box when asked for an explanation.’

Wondering what on earth he was doing, Mikeron stared at Leviat.

Leviat spoke up bluntly.

“I was biding my time to give you this.”

“What?”

“Ah, damn it. I was going to just have a servant deliver the gift, but then I felt I should hand it over in person… I was biding my time to quickly give it to you and leave.”

So this… although he was grumbling with an irritated expression, it seemed to be a gift.

In that moment, a pleasant warmth spread through Mikeron’s chest.

Mikeron blankly stared at the gift, then looked at Leviat.

Now that the truth was revealed, his heavily scowling face looked slightly cute.

“Does it contain a hazardous substance…”

“Ah, fine. Just go ahead and throw it away.”

An impatient Leviat reached out to snatch the box back, but Mikeron was taller than Leviat.

When Mikeron stretched the hand holding the gift straight up, Leviat scowled.

Whether it was because his face was amusing, or because he felt relieved upon realizing Leviat hadn’t been stalking Mariel, a laugh escaped Mikeron’s lips.

Mikeron politely apologized for doubting Leviat.

Though Leviat replied bluntly, he soon massaged the back of his neck and mumbled.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you when you helped me back then. …Thank you.”

Mikeron doubted his ears.

He never expected such words to come out of Leviat’s mouth.

Until now, he had thought he would be lucky not to hear complaining.

He felt good.

No, saying he felt good was far from enough.

A thrill ran through his entire body.

Seeing Leviat approach him so honestly without pretense, he was somehow reminded of that child.

After parting with Mariel, Mikeron boarded his carriage and opened the case.

“This is.”

It was a brooch.

Specifically, a brooch embedded with a blue sapphire.

It was a familiar item.

Earlier today, he had seen this exact brooch at the jewelry shop he visited with Mariel.

Upon seeing the brooch, Mariel had admired it, saying:

“Wow, this looks like Mikeron’s eyes.”

“Ah, that brooch—Count Kinesis purchased the exact same one today…”

“What?”

At the shopkeeper’s words, Mariel had worn a highly bewildered expression.

Mikeron had also heightened his vigilance the moment Leviat was mentioned.

“Perhaps he bought it as a gift for Baron Mariel. It might be wise to be careful, just in case.”

“Haha… surely not. I was just beginning to feel relieved because the stalking stopped lately. I don’t need any gifts, I just wish he would lose interest in me.”

Mariel had smiled faintly, stealing a glance at Mikeron.

‘Is he trailing us because he wants to give that to Mariel?’

Mikeron, who had suspected Leviat was stalking, assumed as much.

Having guarded against Leviat the entire time like that, he never imagined that the brooch was actually a gift for himself.

“This looks like Mikeron’s eyes.”

He didn’t know why those words Mariel had uttered were coming back to him now.

‘Did Leviat Kinesis also have the same thought when he looked at this brooch?’

‘And is that why he gave it as a gift?’

“There’s no way.”

Mikeron stared blankly at the blue sapphire and chuckled softly.

The gift had been handed over almost reluctantly.

There was no way Leviat had purchased it with such thoughts in mind.

He probably told a servant to choose anything, and this just happened to be picked.

Regardless of Leviat’s thoughts behind buying this brooch, Mikeron liked the gift he was given.

Mikeron placed the brooch into a jewelry box with careful hands, as if worried it might break.

***

“Ah, so annoying.”

After being treated by my family doctor, I returned to my room, piled the table high with desserts, and began stuffing my face.

“Does being strong make him everything? Seriously, carrying a person like some luggage…”

My head was boiling.

My only thought was that I had to gain weight by any means.

So that he couldn’t just lift me up easily.

“Obnoxious bastard.”

Though I hated Mikeron Leilight to death, recalling the strange emotion I felt briefly today made my heart instantly grow solemn.

On one side of the table lay the ointment Mikeron had forced into my hand.

“I really dislike him.”

Recalling the playful smile I saw before we parted made my mood feel even more complicated.

I threw the completely untouched ointment into the trash bin and took a large bite of a cookie.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

You Need to Start Streaming Now!

Age GapBLBoys Love

Read Now →
Not interested