December 28, 2020
"So, what exactly is this secret? If it’s not something grand enough to justify taking over my office, you won’t be getting any snacks today."
Dragged into the room by Mikael’s small hand, Cabelenus didn’t bother hiding his annoyance.
"You talk like you’re the one who gives me snacks. The pretty ladies always bring them to me, you know."
"Everything in this castle belongs to me."
"People aren’t objects, so you shouldn’t talk like that. Seriously, for an adult, there’s a lot you don’t know."
Mikael sighed dramatically and shook his head as if disappointed.
"Enough lecturing. Just tell me what this secret is."
"Obviously, it’s Mom’s birthday."
"...What?"
"Why are you so surprised? Don’t tell me you don’t even know my mom’s birthday."
"......."
Cabelenus furrowed his brows but didn’t respond. As he thought about it, he realized he had never once asked Alicia when her birthday was.
"You really don’t know? Wow, you’re terrible."
"...So, when is it?"
"I’m not telling you."
"Why not?"
"Because it’s outrageous that you don’t even know my mom’s birthday."
Mikael tilted his chin up smugly.
"Then why did you say you were going to share your secret with me?"
"I just assumed you’d already know. I was curious about what you were planning to get her as a present."
"So, that means you already have a gift prepared?"
Cabelenus subtly probed. He needed to coax the answer out of the boy.
"Of course! I’m not clueless like you."
"If you tell me, I’ll double your snacks today."
"Even if you give me more, Mom won’t let me eat all of them anyway."
Mikael shook his head firmly. Cabelenus rubbed his forehead before arching an eyebrow.
"What if you eat them here?"
"That’s..."
"You can do it for three days straight."
"Make it a week. Three days is too short."
"You think I have that much free time?"
Cabelenus tilted his head.
"I’m busy too!"
Mikael shot back, his eyes blazing with determination. The two locked gazes in a silent battle.
"...Fine. But only for an hour."
"But if Mom catches me, you take the blame."
"That’s—"
"What? You don’t like it?"
Cabelenus’s lips twitched slightly.
No matter what, he didn’t want to get on Alicia’s bad side. But Mikael was stubborn and wasn’t backing down an inch.
"...Fine. Now tell me when her birthday is."
"It’s on the 9th of next month."
"That’s less than a month away."
"Exactly. Who told you to not know my mom’s birthday?"
"......."
Mikael stuck out his tongue playfully and trotted toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I told you—I’m a busy person."
"Hah?"
Cabelenus clicked his tongue as Mikael waved him off like he was some pesky insect.
Where did this kid even get such an attitude?
"Go prepare a gift for my mom. I have things to do."
"......."
"Of course, no matter what you get, mine will be better."
Mikael declared triumphantly before disappearing through the door.
All that was left was Cabelenus, staring after him with an exasperated expression.
James sat staring blankly at an empty canvas.
He couldn’t do anything.
Since before he could even remember, holding a brush had always felt natural to him. And yet, now, his hands refused to move.
He had no idea what to paint.
It felt like someone had stolen all of his inspiration—no, perhaps it was more accurate to say that he didn’t want to accept the fact that he was an artist.
‘Maybe it’s best if I just stay silent. If I don’t say anything, Alicia won’t bring it up either.’
James leaned against the wall and covered his face with both hands.
He wanted to find fault in that man.
But he couldn’t.
It was frustrating.
No matter how much Mikael complained about him, Cabelenus seemed perfect at everything.
The more James tried to tear him down, the more pathetic he felt instead.
Why hadn’t he been born into nobility?
Would things have been different if he had been braver in the past?
The endless spiral of thoughts gnawed at him, suffocating him.
Then, suddenly—
Knock, knock.
James ignored it at first, but the persistent knocking finally made him move.
"Uncle!"
The moment their eyes met, Mikael’s face lit up. His eyes crinkled into small crescent moons, smiling brightly like a child who had just found a hidden treasure.
James forced a smile as Mikael waved his hands in excitement.
"Mikael. What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? We were supposed to paint together today!"
"Paint?"
"Mom’s birthday is coming up soon, remember? We’re making a painting for her!"
"...Right. We were."
James averted his gaze.
Now that he was thinking about it, he couldn’t stop noticing Mikael’s features.
The boy’s face carried traces of his blood.
"Mikael, today I—"
"Hurry up! We have to surprise Mom!"
It wasn’t really a secret.
Alicia was just pretending not to know.
But Mikael was completely unaware, smiling happily as if he were pulling off something grand.
‘...Mikael doesn’t know anything.’
James forced himself to suppress the emotions welling inside him.
There was no point in burdening a child with such things.
"Alright, let’s paint."
"Yes! Yes! Let’s do it!"
"You’re really excited about this, huh?"
"Of course! I want to paint something amazing, just like you and Mom!"
James pulled out the canvas Mikael had been working on.
It was an unfinished painting of Alicia’s face.
"Now we just need to color it in."
"......."
"What’s wrong?"
"Now that I look at it, something seems off."
Mikael frowned and rested his chin on his hand like a critic.
"I think it looks great. You were happy with it last time."
It was a bit rough, as expected from a beginner, but for his age, it was well done.
Besides, Alicia would love anything Mikael made for her.
"I was happy with it before, but now I’m not. If I leave it like this, that uncle is going to win for sure."
"Win?"
"Isn’t it unfair? That uncle doesn’t even know my mom’s birthday!"
"......."
"I don’t care about anyone else, but he can’t beat me. I’m going to give my mom the best present ever!"
Mikael clenched his fists with determination.
There was no doubt in his mind that Cabelenus was going to prepare something amazing.
But losing was not an option.
"Nope. I need to start over. Is that okay?"
"If that’s what you want to do, then go for it."
"You’re the best, Uncle!"
Mikael beamed as he grabbed his pencil and quickly sat back down.
"We still have time, so let’s take it slow."
"Yes! Yes!"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Mikael gripped the pencil under James’s guidance. His gaze fixed on the canvas with the seriousness of an artist about to complete a masterpiece.
"For now, just outline it lightly. Don’t press too hard."
"Like this?"
"That’s right. Just like that. You’re doing well."
"Really?"
Mikael beamed with pride.
"So don’t worry about anything else and just draw as much as you want. If something seems off, I’ll check it for you."
"Okay! Got it!"
Mikael nodded confidently and adjusted his grip on the pencil. James watched him, listening to the soft scratching sounds as he sketched. Despite his inexperience, Mikael didn’t hesitate as he moved his hand. Perhaps because he had grown up watching paintings being made, his movements were surprisingly natural. It looked like only a little refining would be needed once he finished the sketch.
James observed the lines gradually forming on the canvas before hesitantly speaking.
"Hey, Mikael."
"Hmm? Did I mess something up?"
"No, it’s not that..."
"Then what is it?"
"Your mom."
James let out a small, awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Ever since his conversation with Alicia had been cut short, he hadn’t seen her once. He was afraid that bringing it up again might damage their relationship beyond repair, yet ignoring it entirely and pretending nothing had happened felt just as wrong. In the end, he had chosen to avoid Alicia altogether.
"Mom?"
Mikael paused mid-sketch and tilted his head back.
"How’s your mom been lately?"
"She’s the same as always. Reading books, spending time with me, and meeting with Uncle."
"...She spends a lot of time with him?"
James tried to sound casual, but his voice betrayed a slight tremor.
"Yeah, a lot of time."
"They must have gotten pretty close."
"But he’s still not as important as me. Mom said she loves me the most, and I love her the most too."
Mikael grinned with satisfaction. James forced himself to smile along with him before speaking again.
"Has she been feeling okay? She hasn’t seemed sick or anything?"
"I don’t know about that, but she’s been kinda clumsy lately."
"Clumsy? Alicia?"
"Yeah! A few days ago, she almost tripped over her dress, and then she almost did it again today."
"...She stepped on her dress? How many times?"
"Hmm... This week alone, I’ve seen her do it twice."
James’s eyes twitched slightly.
Alicia had always walked with poise. She was slow and deliberate in her movements, and she had worn dresses every day of her life. There was no way she would suddenly start tripping over them so frequently.
"Anything else? Did she look pale? Seem more tired than usual?"
"No, nothing like that."
"I see... That’s good, then."
Even as he spoke, James wrinkled his nose in concern.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
But something didn’t sit right with him.
Alicia had always been weak, prone to catching colds easily. But more than that, she possessed a power that consumed her own life force.
...She’s fine, right?
Even after using that power for so long, Alicia had never shown any real signs of decline.
There was no reason for anything to go wrong now.
At least, that’s what he wanted to believe.
But another thought surfaced in his mind—
Maybe it wasn’t that she had been fine all this time.
Maybe... she had simply been enduring it.
Maybe her time was—
What the hell am I thinking? That’s ridiculous.
James shook his head, trying to drive the thought away.
But once the idea had taken root, it refused to leave.
The longer he stared into Mikael’s gray eyes—the same as hers—the deeper his unease grew.
"Why do you look like that? Is Mom sick?"
Mikael’s expression twisted, as if he were about to cry.
"No, that’s not it."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"......."
"You don’t believe me?"
James smiled reassuringly, and after a moment of hesitation, Mikael slowly nodded.
"I believe you. But Mom never says when she’s not feeling well."
"......."
"So if she gets sick later, I might not even know."
Mikael’s small shoulders slumped.
"That won’t happen."
"...Right? Besides, Uncle is here now too!"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, even if he’s annoying, he’s good at everything. If something happens to Mom, I know he’ll fix it."
"...You could ask me for help too."
James’s voice grew quieter.
"You can’t."
"Why not?"
"Because you already look like you have too much to deal with."
Mikael’s gray eyes stared straight into his.
The boy had ears. He had eyes.
Even if he didn’t understand everything, he could tell that the adults around him were keeping secrets.
"You think I look like I’m struggling?"
"You love Mom too."
"......."
"It’s okay. I understand. You don’t like the idea of losing her, just like me, right?"
Mikael grinned, showing his teeth.
James exhaled—half sigh, half bitter laugh—as he forced a smile.
"What I feel is different from what you feel."
"How is it different? You want Mom to be happy too, don’t you?"
"......."
"You’re a good person. You have a big heart. So let’s just let it go, okay? Even if he’s a pain, that uncle isn’t such a bad guy."
Most importantly, he makes Mom smile.
Mikael nodded as if he had just said something profound.
James, trying to follow suit, started to smile—
But in the end, his expression crumbled.
"I’m not a good person."
"That’s not true. You’re kind. After Mom, I like you the most."
Mikael shook his head adamantly.
"...I thought you liked him more than me."
"I need to keep watching him a little longer. He left Mom alone for a long time, so just being nice ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) now doesn’t mean he’s automatically forgiven."
"For a long time?"
"Yeah. A long, long time."
Mikael looked up at him, oblivious to the weight of his words.
James let out a shallow breath.
Maybe Mikael wasn’t as clueless as he had thought.
Maybe he knew.
Maybe he had already figured out who his real father was.
James’s fingers curled into a fist.
He had thought he knew Mikael well.
But now, he wasn’t so sure.
The boy’s clear, innocent gaze suddenly looked sharp.
No, not just sharp—calculating.
And if Mikael was being so lenient toward Cabelenus, then it could only mean one thing.
He had already realized the truth.
That was why, as James stared at Mikael’s small, round face—
He could only see Cabelenus in it.
