February 11, 2021
Mikael opened his eyes—or at least, he tried to, before wincing. His eyelids were swollen and puffy, making it difficult to see. Even so, he stubbornly forced his eyes open as much as he could. The boy had a habit of burrowing into his mother’s embrace upon waking. But instead of the warmth he expected, the first thing he saw was a pair of golden eyes.
"Unc—"
"Shh."
Cabelenus gestured with his chin toward a spot nearby. Following his gaze, Mikael saw Alicia, still asleep. He blinked a few times before pressing his index finger to his lips. He didn’t want to wake his mother from her peaceful sleep either.
"Come here."
Cabelenus’s voice was barely above a whisper, but Mikael hesitated before carefully climbing down from the bed.
"What is it?"
Instead of answering, Cabelenus picked up a small box from the bedside table. Inside were medical supplies—bandages, ointments, and other small tools.
"Give me your hand."
"My hand?"
"Just do it."
At the insistence, Mikael lowered his head. He hadn’t noticed, but his hand was already wrapped in a bandage.
"It needs to be changed."
"But you’re not a doctor."
"I can handle simple treatments."
Cabelenus began unwrapping the bandage, revealing the wound beneath.
"Ow...."
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
Mikael jutted his chin out defiantly, refusing to show any weakness. Cabelenus tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.
"You’re lying."
"I’m not!"
"Then if it hurts, tell me."
Cabelenus soaked a cloth in antiseptic and pressed it against the wound. Mikael's eyes widened in shock. A sharp pain shot through his hand, sending chills down his spine. Had he not been mindful of his sleeping mother, he might have screamed.
"Does it hurt?"
Cabelenus’s hand paused mid-treatment. Mikael tried to endure it but eventually gave a small nod. It was too painful to ignore.
"If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t get injured in the first place."
"Who gets hurt on purpose?"
"Fair point."
Cabelenus let out a brief chuckle. Mikael rolled his eyes, watching him carefully.
"...Do we have to keep going?"
"If you want to heal quickly, yes."
"...."
"And if you don’t want to worry your mother, you’ll let me finish."
Before Cabelenus could even finish his sentence, Mikael extended his hand again. Cabelenus sighed as he reached for the antiseptic, glancing at the boy, who was now squeezing his eyes shut and trembling.
"If you endure this like a brave boy, I’ll give you a reward."
"Do you think I’m a child?"
"Do you not want one?"
"I didn’t say that."
Mikael cut in quickly, a small smirk creeping onto his lips.
"Then what do you want?"
"The best, most expensive paintbrush."
"A paintbrush?"
"Actually, my uncle seems really mad at me."
"...."
"So, if I give him a present and apologize, maybe he won’t be mad anymore?"
Mikael’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Cabelenus stared at him for a moment before looking away.
"...Do you like him that much?"
"Of course. My uncle is a good person. He’ll forgive me soon."
Mikael nodded firmly. Without another word, Cabelenus finished applying the ointment and wrapped the bandage neatly.
"You’re surprisingly good at this," Mikael remarked, grinning as he inspected his freshly bandaged hand. Cabelenus watched him quietly before speaking in a careful tone.
"...He called you a monster."
"How do you know that?!"
"And you don’t resent him for it?"
"Maybe... I really did do something wrong."
Mikael lowered his gaze.
"You didn’t do anything wrong."
Cabelenus placed a firm hand on Mikael’s head. The boy stared up at him. His touch wasn’t like his mother’s—it wasn’t warm or gentle. But at the very least, it was careful.
"You don’t know anything."
"I do. You did nothing wrong."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because you’re not the kind of child who would ever hurt someone."
Mikael’s reddish-brown hair slipped through Cabelenus’s fingers. The boy bit his lip before hesitantly reaching out, gripping the hem of Cabelenus’s sleeve.
"Uncle said... it’s because of me. That’s why you and Mom separated."
"...."
"Is it true? Did you really break up because I was born?"
"No. That’s not it."
"Are you sure?"
"It was my fault, not yours."
Cabelenus’s voice was firm. But Mikael’s eyes still wavered.
"Mom had such a hard time raising me."
"...."
"But if you had stayed with her, she’d be living in a big castle like a princess, right?"
Mikael’s voice trembled as if he was on the verge of tears. Looking back, his mother always seemed to struggle because of him. Maybe his uncle was right. Maybe his birth had made her unhappy.
"That’s why Uncle resents me. Because I made Mom suffer—"
"That’s not true."
"...."
"Don’t listen to nonsense like that."
Cabelenus cupped Mikael’s face, forcing the boy to look at him. He wasn’t someone used to catering to others' feelings. Comforting people wasn’t something he was good at. But right now, more than anything, he didn’t want the boy to cry.
"Your mother never once regretted having you."
"But—!"
"You didn’t make her unhappy. You made her happy."
"...."
"At least, that’s what I believe."
Even after Cabelenus’s grip loosened, Mikael didn’t pull away. He had tried not to show weakness, but in the end, he couldn’t help it. The warmth of Cabelenus’s large hands was too steady, too reassuring.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
***
"Mom, you're awake?"
Mikael beamed as his eyes met Alicia’s, immediately burrowing into her embrace. The moment Alicia opened her eyes, she instinctively tightened her arms around the small, warm body rustling against her.
"Are you alright, Mikael?"
"Yeah! Yeah! I’m totally fine!"
"What happened? You scared me so much."
"There was something that made me sad, but... it’s all better now."
"Better?"
Alicia furrowed her brows. But aside from the puffiness of his face, Mikael looked the same as always—smiling brightly, as if nothing had happened.
"Mom, you’re happy because you have me, right?"
"Of course. Mikael, you’re my greatest treasure."
"Really?"
"Have you ever known me to lie?"
Alicia lowered her head and pressed a kiss to Mikael’s forehead.
"No! Never!"
Mikael threw his arms around her waist, squeezing her tightly. Being in his mother’s arms made laughter bubble up inside him so easily.
"So don’t ever scare me like that again. If I lost you, Mikael, I’d be truly heartbroken."
"Okay. I won’t do it again."
Alicia smiled as she watched him nod with determination.
"That’s my good boy."
She gently ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) stroked his back, but her eyes soon caught sight of the bandage wrapped around his hand, and her expression hardened.
"I hope this doesn’t leave a scar."
"It won’t! That’s what Mister said."
"...Mister?"
"He’s the one who treated me."
Mikael proudly showed off his bandaged hand.
"He did a good job."
"Yeah, he did. And..."
Mikael hesitated, fidgeting with his fingers. For some reason, saying what came next felt embarrassing.
"What is it? Weren’t you about to tell me something?"
"Um, well... Mom, what do you think of Mister?"
"Hm? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?"
"I just... I don’t think it’d be so bad if he became my dad."
"...."
"But it’s not like I need a dad! I only need you, Mom!"
Mikael flailed his hands wildly, as if to erase any misunderstanding. His cheeks were flushed, turning a rosy red.
"Do you like him?"
"Uh, well, he’s got a huge castle, and he has Rex, and lots of candy, and..."
"And?"
"...You won’t tell him if I say it, right?"
"As long as my dear son wishes it, I won’t say a word."
Alicia gave him an affectionate smile. Mikael took a deep breath before finally blurting it out.
"...I think Mister has been kinda cool lately."
"Hm?"
"Whenever I get scared, he just—bam!—shows up like magic."
"So, you like him?"
"I wouldn’t say like exactly..."
"Really?"
"...Okay, maybe I do."
Mikael’s face turned even redder, while Alicia’s smile grew warmer.
"He’d be happy to hear that."
"No, he’d just tease me."
"He wouldn’t. Mister cares about you a lot, Mikael."
"No way."
"He does. When you went missing, he was the first one to go looking for you."
Alicia smoothed down her son’s messy hair. Mikael chewed on his bottom lip before cautiously asking:
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"Then it’s fine now. I think I’m ready to forgive him."
"Forgive?"
"He took too long to come."
For a moment, Alicia’s hands stilled. She had assumed Mikael would be shocked after hearing what James had told him about his father. She had worried about how to break the truth to him gently. But now, looking at his peaceful face, she realized there was no need. He had known for a long time—far longer than she had guessed.
"Mikael... do you know who he is?"
Alicia swallowed her words, her mind racing through all the moments when Mikael had seemed strangely aware.
"He said it first. That he’s not my dad."
"..."
"That’s why I got upset. He showed up so late, and then he didn’t even act like a dad."
What if Mom started liking him more than me? Mikael pouted, fiddling with his bandaged hand. He still wasn’t completely sure about Cabelenus, but he wasn’t that bad. Even if he was strict and didn’t smell as nice as Mom, he still wanted to keep him around.
"You know, Mom... I always thought my dad was a bad person."
"...Why did you think that?"
Alicia swallowed down the lump in her throat as she gently cupped Mikael’s cheek. The thought of her child knowing the truth yet keeping it bottled up all this time broke her heart.
"Because everyone said he abandoned you. He never once came to find us. So I thought I’d hate him forever."
"..."
"But... after seeing him over and over, he’s not as bad as I thought."
That’s why I decided—I’m ready to forgive him.
Mikael grinned, a bright, full smile that showed all of his teeth.
