An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 35

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#35

This time it was my turn to hesitate. Perhaps misunderstanding my hesitation, Gert quickly released my arm and smiled awkwardly.

“If you’re not in the mood for it, that’s fine.”

“It’s not that I’m not in the mood, that’s not why I was hesitating.”

While performing in front of someone who didn’t understand art wasn’t particularly enjoyable, Gert was an exception.

Why? Because he was my patron.

Patron was a versatile word that could boost both patience and motivation.

I had the motivation, and the atmosphere wasn’t bad either. Yet the reason I was still hesitating was…

‘Gert’s heroic poem… it’s still unfinished…’

Judging from Gert’s reaction last time, he was clearly only interested in songs about himself. So his request to hear another song couldn’t be what he meant.

To ask about my work progress even while sick. No, maybe he was asking precisely because he was sick.

‘Had he been wanting to ask all along but held back? And now his mind is a bit loose from being ill.’

How much had he wanted to ask while attending gatherings with me all this time?

I wasn’t without excuses either. After all, I had been following Gert to those gatherings entirely for the sake of the heroic poem!

But I couldn’t reveal that.

Faced with this sudden inspection, I fumbled for excuses while watching Gert’s expression.

“Well, I was writing your heroic poem but found parts I didn’t like, so I’ve been completely overhauling it recently… It feels awkward to let others hear it when it’s not finished.”

For a writer, it would be like showing a first draft; for a painter, like showing a sketch. If the draft looked good, I’d worry the finished version wouldn’t measure up, and if the draft was poor, that was worrying too, so it was easier not to show it at all.

Gert furrowed his brow as if wondering what I was talking about, then burst out laughing.

“Any song you want to sing is fine. Why on earth did you think I’d only want to hear my heroic poem? Do I seem like such a narcissistic person?”

“…”

“…I don’t, right?”

“But… you always made displeased faces whenever I performed. But you said you were looking forward to ‘your’ heroic poem… So naturally I thought you’d only want to hear your heroic poem.”

“Haaaaaaaaaaah…”

Gert let out a deep sigh. Perhaps because of his chest pain, the sigh seemed to go on endlessly.

“Don’t tell me you’ve thought all this time that I disliked hearing you sing? No wonder. I thought it was strange that I hadn’t seen you sing once in three years. I just assumed you were too busy writing the heroic poem…”

“You… don’t dislike it?”

“Of course not!”

So startled was he that Gert, who had been lying in bed, sprang up like a fish.

Perhaps due to the recoil from his massive frame, the bed I was sitting on swayed. For a moment I couldn’t maintain my balance and tilted. When I came to my senses, I found myself lying on the bed with Gert looking down at me.

Looking up at Gert was nothing new, but it was rare to meet his eyes like this while lying in bed with him looming over me.

Being in this position brought back memories of that night I had barely managed to forget.

The only difference from then was his eyes looking down at me. Unlike that time when they were hazily clouded with alcohol, now they were passionate blue eyes that seemed to burn and sizzle like a boiling sea.

If Gert were to seduce me again now, like that time…

As soon as that thought reached me, the space between my legs touching Gert’s thigh tingled and my heart pounded.

‘Am I sexually frustrated?’

This had never happened since that night. It must be because I’d never been this close to Gert before.

His chest, visible through the gap in his shirt collar, was glistening with sweat just like that time. My Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

Those are sour grapes. I desperately tried to calm the heat in my body.

Meanwhile, Gert’s attention was focused solely on proving his innocence. Completely oblivious to my confusion, he opened his mouth as if trying to convince me.

“If I made displeased faces, it wasn’t because of you, but…”

“Okay, I get it, so move away. You’re heavy.”

Gert’s body pressed against mine was hot with fever. No matter how much I tried to calm my heat, it was useless while being pressed against him like this.

As if his heat kept transferring to me…

Worried that the sound of my pounding heart might reach Gert’s ears, I tried my best to distance myself from him.

Perhaps thinking my resistance meant I was dismissing his words carelessly, Gert instead pressed his body closer and asked persistently.

“Are you really okay with it? It doesn’t seem like it.”

“I know! I know!”

Only after I cried out desperately did Gert reluctantly move away from me as if he’d let it slide this time.

Only after his rock-like body separated from mine could I finally catch my breath.

‘…Does this bastard know everything and is just playing with me?’

My eyes were full of resentment as I glared at Gert. That sour grape bastard…! Why does he have to look so delicious…!

‘Or should I find another man instead?’

Otherwise, I felt like I’d keep being swayed by Gert like this. By a man who doesn’t like me and never will!

‘But there’s no suitable man around…’

While I was pondering this, Gert suddenly spoke up.

“Anyway, if I didn’t think your singing was good to begin with, I wouldn’t have let you write my heroic poem.”

“…Really?”

The thoughts about what man I should find instantly vanished. That’s because I never expected to hear such pleasant words from Gert.

Honestly, this was among the most delightful things I’d ever heard from Gert.

‘This is as happy as when I got permission to write Gert’s heroic poem, and when I heard I could get divorced.’

He was quite shy by nature, so he wouldn’t normally say such things. His fever must be quite high.

‘Come to think of it, the way he didn’t move away easily and held his ground earlier was probably because his reactions were slower than usual due to the fever.’

What was the point of having a power struggle with a patient? Thinking about it, I was the only one being conscious of Gert, while Gert probably had no idea.

Realizing this fact made me feel unnecessarily embarrassed, so I cleared my throat.

“Ahem. Then I’ll just sing anything?”

Gert turned his body diagonally toward me and nodded. Then he rested his head and watched me bring over my lyre and tune it.

‘What would be good?’

I lightly plucked the silver strings of the lyre.

Ding—

‘Given Gert’s condition, a gentle song would be best.’

Ding, diring, ding—

Once I made up my mind, my fingers moved as they were accustomed to, beginning to create familiar harmonies. A familiar arpeggio swept through the air like a feather.

The tones scattered here and there like a mirage, gathering and dispersing repeatedly, then became a low, gentle, steady melody.

A simple tune that might seem easy at first glance.

But to carry all these notes evenly required careful control of fingertip pressure. Since it was the same melody throughout, even a slight difference in fingertip pressure would be noticeable.

Like rocking a cradle to put a baby to sleep, I repeated the melody. When the gently laid melody began to feel rather quiet.

I added my voice over the lyre’s melody.

***

Sleep now, sleep now, in the quiet night

Moonlight caresses your forehead

The gentle wind sings a lullaby

Let the burning fever now subside

‘…Fever. Is this the aftermath of the madness episodes becoming more frequent?’

Honestly, he hadn’t expected Orphea to notice his fever so quickly. Even Hilias, his close aide, as well as Gert himself, had been completely unaware.

When he was constantly struggling with pain like nails being hammered into his head, a fever like this felt like nothing.

Still, thinking about what had happened because of the fever, he didn’t feel too bad about it.

Gert’s gaze slowly traced over Orphea, who was concentrating on her performance.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————