It was a place so beautiful it seemed like a true paradise. Between the densely packed trees and their intertwining trunks, a faint darkness filled the space.
As if the Milky Way had descended from the heavens, countless fireflies formed a bridge of light, while below them several more fireflies wandered about as if searching for their mates.
At the breathtaking sight, Riu felt an irresistible urge to paint.
“Well? Wasn’t the difficult carriage ride worth it for a view like this?”
“Yes. Incredibly so…”
Still entranced by the scene, Riu murmured absently. Then he hurriedly pulled out paper and tools from the art supply bag on his shoulder.
“Wait! Just wait a moment.”
As Riu looked at him questioningly, Albert removed his outer coat and laid it on the ground. Unfortunately, the coat he wore was a bright white color. Feeling burdened, Riu adamantly refused.
“Don’t do that… I can just sit on the ground.”
“No. I wouldn’t be okay with that.”
As if expecting the refusal, Albert grasped Riu’s shoulders and seated him in place. Finding himself seated unintentionally, Riu tried to stand, but Albert plopped down beside him.
“Already sitting, so it’s done, right? Let’s just paint.”
Grinning, he pulled tools from the art supply bag. Feeling that another refusal would make things more awkward, Riu silently picked up his brush.
Riu filled the pre-prepared water container and squeezed paint onto his palette. After thinking about what to paint, he quietly began drawing on the paper.
“Finished already?”
“Yes. You?”
“I’m a bit…”
Absorbed in his own painting, Riu hadn’t noticed, but Albert’s paper was nearly blank. Puzzled, Riu tilted his head, and Albert scratched his cheek.
“I just… didn’t know what to draw.”
“…”
“Maybe I wanted to paint something other than that scene.”
Since Albert often painted outdoors, Riu had naturally assumed he liked landscapes.
“Was it because of me…”
“No, it’s not that. But next time I’d like to paint a portrait…”
“I’d like that.”
Watching Albert trail off, Riu answered agreeably. He was grateful Albert had brought him all the way here.
“Thank you, Riu.”
Unlike the uncomfortable ride there, the carriage back home was merely boring. Overcome by drowsiness, Riu briefly closed his eyes and rested his head against the window.
He’d only meant to rest his eyes for a moment, but much time must have passed as the carriage had grown quiet. Riu slowly lifted his eyelids and looked out the window.
“…You should have woken me up.”
Riu rubbed his eyes, speaking in a drowsy voice.
“You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”
What time could it be? Looking outside, darkness had already fallen. Startled, he hurried to stand, but Albert caught his wrist and stopped him.
“Be careful going in.”
Expecting something more, Riu laughed flatly at the simple words.
“Yeah, you too. See you tomorrow at the academy.”
“Right.”
Leaving behind Albert’s reluctant reply, Riu stepped down from the carriage. Unlike his expectation that it would leave immediately, the carriage lingered for a moment before departing.
At that, Riu finally began walking toward his house.
“Albert Alexander. So you were with him the whole time?”
At the figure emerging from the darkness, Riu let out a startled cry. Then, recognizing the person as Matthew, he clutched his shocked heart in relief.
“…You scared me.”
“Where have you been until this late hour? After leaving me with René, no less.”
Radiating an unsettling aura, he pulled his lips into a crooked smile. At the eerily chilling expression, Riu swallowed hard.
“Well, that’s… actually I was going to tell you. But you seemed so busy…”
He might think Riu was making excuses, but it was sincere. However, Matthew laughed incredulously and ran his hand through his hair.
“Busy, you say…”
“…”
“Yes, I was busy. I hosted a demanding event recently. But you never once contacted me. Even if you couldn’t visit, you could have sent at least one letter, couldn’t you?”
Of course, as Matthew said, Riu could have sent a letter. But letters had many prying eyes, so he’d wanted to lay low as much as possible. Unlike Matthew, who had marriage prospects open to him, Riu’s situation was different.
But seeing Matthew express his hurt feelings, Riu felt a wave of guilt.
“Don’t you think some explanation is needed about what’s going on?”
“I’m really sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
“This isn’t your answer to my request to wait, is it?”
“I’ll explain everything from the beginning. Shall we go inside first?”
This didn’t seem like a conversation to have standing here, so Riu tried to move locations. But Matthew firmly refused and pulled Riu toward his carriage.
“For a location, somewhere no one will disturb us would be appropriate. In that case, wouldn’t our villa that only we know about be perfect?”
With orders to depart, Matthew seated Riu on his lap. Shocked, Riu frantically tried to stand, but the more he struggled, the more forcefully Matthew pulled his waist.
“I’ll send word to Count Carter that you won’t be able to come home for a while.”
“This isn’t right. Just let me… let’s talk once more…”
“I gave you a clear opportunity, and you threw it away. I told you clearly. I have no intention of giving you up.”
Matthew’s large hand slipped inside Riu’s collar. His already cold body temperature felt even more chilling, making Riu flinch and flutter his eyelids.
“So bad children must be punished. Isn’t that right, Riu?”
In a languid voice like a cat basking in sunlight, Riu let out a soft moan.
“Come to think of it, there’s something I haven’t told you yet. Your academy leave of absence… I’ve already filed it. You don’t need to go to the academy for the time being.”
“What are you talking about?”
“From now on you’ll be eating, sleeping, and living at my villa, so there’s no need to go to the academy, is there?”
At Matthew’s words, Riu’s pupils shook violently. As Riu resisted this unwanted talk of a leave of absence, Matthew gripped his wrist.
“It would be best not to keep provoking me. I haven’t told your friend about our relationship yet.”
“Why are you doing this…? You’re scaring me when you act like this.”
Matthew stared at Riu’s face, drained of color and terrified. Slowly gazing as if stroking his cheek with his eyes, he pulled Riu’s upper body close.
“You should have behaved better. If only you’d realized I was being considerate by waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. At least to my father…”
“That’s nothing to worry about. I told him I’d take responsibility for your future from now on.”
At the unexpected words, Riu’s lips trembled with disbelief. He’d thought they would just date and then part ways, but apparently that wasn’t Matthew’s perspective.
“…What about my opinion?”
Of course, he didn’t dislike Matthew. At first he’d been simply an object of curiosity and admiration, but now Riu liked Matthew. Matthew, with his completely opposite temperament, was enviable yet impressive, making his heart flutter.
But right now their relationship was ambiguous, hardly that of lovers. Even compatible couples broke up all the time, yet Matthew had rashly decided on marriage without consulting him.
“…At least to me… shouldn’t you have said something first?”
How could he decide something so important so easily on his own? Despite speaking, Riu shook off Matthew’s hand at his still composed face.
“I’m going back. Let me out.”
“You’ve become quite bold. Looking me in the eye and speaking so clearly like this.”
“…Please. I want to go back.”
Like a mouse before a cat, the terrified Riu struggled desperately to escape. He tried hitting, pushing, using everything he could, but Matthew, his face completely unmoved, laid him down on the seat.
“If you keep provoking me like this, it won’t end well for you. Will that be alright?”
“…”
“Surely you don’t want to give those outside a show?”
Matthew slipped his fingers through Riu’s dark brown hair. When his fingers reached the ends, he lightly gripped them.
“Either way is fine with me. I’m not particularly picky about location.”
Like a demon from hell, he pulled his blood-red lips into a smile, revealing even teeth. As if considering which part to taste first, he slowly looked over Riu’s body.
As Riu gasped in fear, Matthew roughly tore the clothes he was wearing. He hadn’t expected even cheap fabric to tear so helplessly.
“Y-you’re not doing it here, are you?”
Through Riu’s denying question, his voice shook roughly. Tears welled up in Riu’s large eyes as if he would burst into tears at any moment.
“Matthew, I was wrong… If there’s something you want… I’ll do it all. Please? Please don’t do this.”
“I’m scared”, Riu bit his lip as he added. He tried to hold back tears, but they eventually flowed down his cheeks.
“Riu.”
“…No, I don’t want to.”
“Are you scared of me? Why? I haven’t done anything to you yet.”
Matthew licked the tears flowing down Riu’s cheeks with the tip of his tongue. As if they were sweetened liquid, he sucked them deliciously.
“But what should I do? I don’t want anything but you.”
“…I was wrong.”
“What will I do to you from now on… if you could see inside my head, you might have sobbed. I’m not the good person you thought I was.”
It was a place so beautiful it seemed like a true paradise. Between the densely packed trees and their intertwining trunks, a faint darkness filled the space.
As if the Milky Way had descended from the heavens, countless fireflies formed a bridge of light, while below them several more fireflies wandered about as if searching for their mates.
At the breathtaking sight, Riu felt an irresistible urge to paint.
“Well? Wasn’t the difficult carriage ride worth it for a view like this?”
“Yes. Incredibly so…”
Still entranced by the scene, Riu murmured absently. Then he hurriedly pulled out paper and tools from the art supply bag on his shoulder.
“Wait! Just wait a moment.”
As Riu looked at him questioningly, Albert removed his outer coat and laid it on the ground. Unfortunately, the coat he wore was a bright white color. Feeling burdened, Riu adamantly refused.
“Don’t do that… I can just sit on the ground.”
“No. I wouldn’t be okay with that.”
As if expecting the refusal, Albert grasped Riu’s shoulders and seated him in place. Finding himself seated unintentionally, Riu tried to stand, but Albert plopped down beside him.
“Already sitting, so it’s done, right? Let’s just paint.”
Grinning, he pulled tools from the art supply bag. Feeling that another refusal would make things more awkward, Riu silently picked up his brush.
Riu filled the pre-prepared water container and squeezed paint onto his palette. After thinking about what to paint, he quietly began drawing on the paper.
“Finished already?”
“Yes. You?”
“I’m a bit…”
Absorbed in his own painting, Riu hadn’t noticed, but Albert’s paper was nearly blank. Puzzled, Riu tilted his head, and Albert scratched his cheek.
“I just… didn’t know what to draw.”
“…”
“Maybe I wanted to paint something other than that scene.”
Since Albert often painted outdoors, Riu had naturally assumed he liked landscapes.
“Was it because of me…”
“No, it’s not that. But next time I’d like to paint a portrait…”
“I’d like that.”
Watching Albert trail off, Riu answered agreeably. He was grateful Albert had brought him all the way here.
“Thank you, Riu.”
Unlike the uncomfortable ride there, the carriage back home was merely boring. Overcome by drowsiness, Riu briefly closed his eyes and rested his head against the window.
He’d only meant to rest his eyes for a moment, but much time must have passed as the carriage had grown quiet. Riu slowly lifted his eyelids and looked out the window.
“…You should have woken me up.”
Riu rubbed his eyes, speaking in a drowsy voice.
“You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”
What time could it be? Looking outside, darkness had already fallen. Startled, he hurried to stand, but Albert caught his wrist and stopped him.
“Be careful going in.”
Expecting something more, Riu laughed flatly at the simple words.
“Yeah, you too. See you tomorrow at the academy.”
“Right.”
Leaving behind Albert’s reluctant reply, Riu stepped down from the carriage. Unlike his expectation that it would leave immediately, the carriage lingered for a moment before departing.
At that, Riu finally began walking toward his house.
“Albert Alexander. So you were with him the whole time?”
At the figure emerging from the darkness, Riu let out a startled cry. Then, recognizing the person as Matthew, he clutched his shocked heart in relief.
“…You scared me.”
“Where have you been until this late hour? After leaving me with René, no less.”
Radiating an unsettling aura, he pulled his lips into a crooked smile. At the eerily chilling expression, Riu swallowed hard.
“Well, that’s… actually I was going to tell you. But you seemed so busy…”
He might think Riu was making excuses, but it was sincere. However, Matthew laughed incredulously and ran his hand through his hair.
“Busy, you say…”
“…”
“Yes, I was busy. I hosted a demanding event recently. But you never once contacted me. Even if you couldn’t visit, you could have sent at least one letter, couldn’t you?”
Of course, as Matthew said, Riu could have sent a letter. But letters had many prying eyes, so he’d wanted to lay low as much as possible. Unlike Matthew, who had marriage prospects open to him, Riu’s situation was different.
But seeing Matthew express his hurt feelings, Riu felt a wave of guilt.
“Don’t you think some explanation is needed about what’s going on?”
“I’m really sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
“This isn’t your answer to my request to wait, is it?”
“I’ll explain everything from the beginning. Shall we go inside first?”
This didn’t seem like a conversation to have standing here, so Riu tried to move locations. But Matthew firmly refused and pulled Riu toward his carriage.
“For a location, somewhere no one will disturb us would be appropriate. In that case, wouldn’t our villa that only we know about be perfect?”
With orders to depart, Matthew seated Riu on his lap. Shocked, Riu frantically tried to stand, but the more he struggled, the more forcefully Matthew pulled his waist.
“I’ll send word to Count Carter that you won’t be able to come home for a while.”
“This isn’t right. Just let me… let’s talk once more…”
“I gave you a clear opportunity, and you threw it away. I told you clearly. I have no intention of giving you up.”
Matthew’s large hand slipped inside Riu’s collar. His already cold body temperature felt even more chilling, making Riu flinch and flutter his eyelids.
“So bad children must be punished. Isn’t that right, Riu?”
In a languid voice like a cat basking in sunlight, Riu let out a soft moan.
“Come to think of it, there’s something I haven’t told you yet. Your academy leave of absence… I’ve already filed it. You don’t need to go to the academy for the time being.”
“What are you talking about?”
“From now on you’ll be eating, sleeping, and living at my villa, so there’s no need to go to the academy, is there?”
At Matthew’s words, Riu’s pupils shook violently. As Riu resisted this unwanted talk of a leave of absence, Matthew gripped his wrist.
“It would be best not to keep provoking me. I haven’t told your friend about our relationship yet.”
“Why are you doing this…? You’re scaring me when you act like this.”
Matthew stared at Riu’s face, drained of color and terrified. Slowly gazing as if stroking his cheek with his eyes, he pulled Riu’s upper body close.
“You should have behaved better. If only you’d realized I was being considerate by waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. At least to my father…”
“That’s nothing to worry about. I told him I’d take responsibility for your future from now on.”
At the unexpected words, Riu’s lips trembled with disbelief. He’d thought they would just date and then part ways, but apparently that wasn’t Matthew’s perspective.
“…What about my opinion?”
Of course, he didn’t dislike Matthew. At first he’d been simply an object of curiosity and admiration, but now Riu liked Matthew. Matthew, with his completely opposite temperament, was enviable yet impressive, making his heart flutter.
But right now their relationship was ambiguous, hardly that of lovers. Even compatible couples broke up all the time, yet Matthew had rashly decided on marriage without consulting him.
“…At least to me… shouldn’t you have said something first?”
How could he decide something so important so easily on his own? Despite speaking, Riu shook off Matthew’s hand at his still composed face.
“I’m going back. Let me out.”
“You’ve become quite bold. Looking me in the eye and speaking so clearly like this.”
“…Please. I want to go back.”
Like a mouse before a cat, the terrified Riu struggled desperately to escape. He tried hitting, pushing, using everything he could, but Matthew, his face completely unmoved, laid him down on the seat.
“If you keep provoking me like this, it won’t end well for you. Will that be alright?”
“…”
“Surely you don’t want to give those outside a show?”
Matthew slipped his fingers through Riu’s dark brown hair. When his fingers reached the ends, he lightly gripped them.
“Either way is fine with me. I’m not particularly picky about location.”
Like a demon from hell, he pulled his blood-red lips into a smile, revealing even teeth. As if considering which part to taste first, he slowly looked over Riu’s body.
As Riu gasped in fear, Matthew roughly tore the clothes he was wearing. He hadn’t expected even cheap fabric to tear so helplessly.
“Y-you’re not doing it here, are you?”
Through Riu’s denying question, his voice shook roughly. Tears welled up in Riu’s large eyes as if he would burst into tears at any moment.
“Matthew, I was wrong… If there’s something you want… I’ll do it all. Please? Please don’t do this.”
“I’m scared”, Riu bit his lip as he added. He tried to hold back tears, but they eventually flowed down his cheeks.
“Riu.”
“…No, I don’t want to.”
“Are you scared of me? Why? I haven’t done anything to you yet.”
Matthew licked the tears flowing down Riu’s cheeks with the tip of his tongue. As if they were sweetened liquid, he sucked them deliciously.
“But what should I do? I don’t want anything but you.”
“…I was wrong.”
“What will I do to you from now on… if you could see inside my head, you might have sobbed. I’m not the good person you thought I was.”
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