Chapter 104
“Very well. Then I’ll speak to my secretary and have everything prepared so we can check it right away.”
“Right now? Thank you.”
My heart fluttered at the thought of having a luxury apartment of my own.
While I was so excited I nearly felt like skipping, Frederic’s expression remained stiff.
The lawyer studied Frederic closely. Frederic kept his mouth tightly shut, saying nothing.
“……”
Breaking the awkward silence, the lawyer called in his secretary and explained the situation. The secretary nodded knowingly and said,
“You can go see it immediately. Shall we go, Miss, Young Master?”
As Frederic was about to head out, the lawyer stopped him.
“Wait a moment. Frederic, stay and talk with me for a bit before you go. Is that all right, Miss Delphine? Would you mind looking around first?”
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll go take a look first, then. See you later, Frederic.”
Frederic completely ignored my greeting and turned his head away.
Before I could even feel awkward, the secretary spoke.
“Miss, I’m sure you’ll love that place. This way, please.”
“Yes.”
Leaving behind Frederic, whose expression had hardened completely, I followed the secretary out of the law office.
Anthony leaned against the window and slipped a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket. When he pulled it out, he was holding a small tin.
—Click.
He opened it. Inside were neatly arranged cigars. Anthony took a thick cigar between his lips, picked up a matchbox from the windowsill, and asked Frederic, who was sitting on the sofa,
“Frederic, you smoke?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Good. There’s nothing healthy about it. Since you don’t smoke now, make sure you never start.”
—Fsssh. Snap!
Anthony lit the cigar, closed his eyes, and drew in a deep puff. After savoring the smoke, he exhaled slowly.
Holding the cigar between his fingers, he spoke again.
“Hey, kid. Do you remember? When you were little, you always begged me to give you a piggyback. You’d climb all over me. Every time I came back after seeing you, my whole body ached for days.”
Frederic shook his head.
“I don’t remember.”
“You never remember things that don’t suit you, kid.”
“I don’t remember much from when I was young.”
“……”
Anthony’s expression stiffened. He recalled the incident Frederic had gone through—but he didn’t want to talk about Frederic’s parents.
The kid wouldn’t want that either.
Exhaling smoke, Anthony said,
“Didn’t you miss me?”
Frederic looked at him as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I’m asking if you missed me. And my parents, too. We were practically brothers when we were kids. To my parents, you were like another son. But then you suddenly cut ties—over ten years of complete isolation, never showing your face once. Do you know how worried they were?”
Anthony frowned deeply. Frederic lowered his head and remained silent.
“My parents were always worried about you. Afraid something terrible had happened to you. They went to see you countless times, and I went even more often than they did. Did you know that?”
“…Yeah.”
“So you did know. I thought maybe you truly had no idea, since you always sent only your butler out.”
Anthony ran a hand through his hair.
“Well, I don’t know which is worse—knowing and refusing to see us, or not knowing at all.”
“……”
All the disappointment, resentment, and worry Anthony had bottled up poured out at once. The more he spoke, the less Frederic had to say.
Anthony took another deep puff and exhaled.
“Ha… forget it. What’s the point of saying this now? Still, seeing you living well—it’s a relief.”
He smiled bitterly, murmuring to himself,
“Well… I don’t know if you really are living well.”
Anthony stubbed out the cigar in the ashtray and crossed his arms, leaning against the windowsill.
“Frederic. You like Miss Delphine, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
Anthony curled one corner of his lips into a smirk.
“Look at you, getting flustered. It’s obvious. You know what I do for a living—I meet people every day. I can tell when someone’s lying. I see it all the time with my clients. And…”
Their eyes met.
“I know you well. Ever since you were a kid, whenever you were hiding something or keeping a secret, I could tell immediately.”
Frederic turned his head sharply, his ears burning red. Anthony chuckled, finding him adorable.
“But she doesn’t seem to have feelings for you anymore. Well, not none at all—but it looks like she liked you before and has already sorted out her feelings. You missed your timing again, didn’t you? Hesitated, couldn’t find the courage, and ended up losing the person you loved.”
Frederic looked at him. He knew it was impossible to deceive Anthony.
“Hyung, why don’t you quit being a lawyer and become a fortune-teller instead?”
“So it’s true. Miss Delphine seems like a decent person. But it looks like she already has someone else in her heart—and she’s even looking for a place to live with him. Who is it?”
Frederic gave up and began speaking freely.
“His name is Tiago. Do you know him?”
“Tiago?”
Anthony’s eyes widened.
“If you mean Tiago the dark mage, he’s famous— in more ways than one. Money, power, looks… and that notorious womanizing streak. And he’s involved with Miss Delphine? That sweet-looking young lady? She looks gentle and kind. That’s an unusual pairing.”
“……”
“That woman must be something special. To capture the heart of a playboy like him.”
“I don’t know,” Frederic said quietly.
“And I don’t want to know.”
His voice sank low as he clutched his head with both hands and bowed forward. Anthony straightened and asked,
“Frederic. Are you going to marry Miss Charlier now?”
Frederic didn’t answer.
“She’s the one, isn’t she? The reason you shut yourself away. After that breakup, you cut yourself off from the world.”
“……”
“I’ve seen her a few times when we were younger—I remember how much you liked her. Personally, I never liked that girl.”
Frederic said nothing. It felt as though sorrow alone might cause him to collapse. Anthony looked at him with pity.
“Frederic. If my parents saw you like this now, their hearts would break. Because of that Charlier woman, you locked yourself inside your home. And wasn’t it because of Miss Delphine that you finally came back out into the world? And now, you’re about to lose her too.”
Frederic’s face stiffened instantly. He had never thought of it that way—but it was true.
Anthony moved closer and sat beside him on the sofa, patting Frederic’s shoulder a few times.
“Looks like you finally realized what she means to you. You’re always slow like this. Always making people worry.”
Frederic couldn’t say a word.
Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Anthony stared ahead and said,
“I’ll give you one piece of advice. This is your last chance. Either run after her right now and tell her how you feel—or bury these feelings forever.”
He turned his head and looked out the window.
“That house? She’ll probably love it. And once she sees it, she’ll buy it immediately. It’s the best listing that’s come out recently. So you don’t have much time.”
“……”
“If you truly love her—if you truly want to be with her—you have to find your courage.”
Frederic’s eyes trembled.
He knew all of this already.
He just couldn’t bring himself to act.
Anthony stood up.
“Frederic, get up. You still have time. Go. Who knows? She might be waiting for you.”
Stretching lazily, Anthony held out his hand. Frederic lifted his bowed head and looked at it.
“Get up.”
Frederic grasped Anthony’s hand tightly. Anthony pulled him to his feet.
In a small voice, Frederic said,
“Thank you, hyung.”
“Before you go—come here. Give me a hug.”
Anthony pulled Frederic into a tight embrace. Frederic hugged him back, breathing in the faint scent of cigars.
In a low voice, Anthony said,
“I’m sorry, Frederic. I couldn’t help you when things were hardest. From now on, if anything happens, come to me right away. Your hyung will always be here. Got it?”
He patted Frederic’s back. Frederic stepped away, bowed his head, and replied quietly,
“I understand, hyung.”
“Go on, kid. You’ll be late.”
Anthony pushed him gently from behind. Frederic gave him a look of gratitude and began to run.
