Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25

“I’m sorry about that time…”

However, Kermanomon showed a nonchalant attitude toward her apology.

“I don’t know what you’re always so sorry about. You don’t need to bow your head over everything like that. I never wanted that from you.”

“But I…”

“Enough. If anything, I was the one being overly sensitive back then. I just didn’t want to bring up that story, so I took my frustration out on you.”

Despite his faint smile, a bitter shadow fell across his face. After a long silence, his lips slowly began to move.

“He was my only close friend. He asked me to look after his child for a while, then left forever.”

“…”

“Without knowing the truth, I told empty words every day to a child who missed his parents. That if he didn’t throw tantrums, if he ate well, if time passed, his parents would return.”

His eyes gazing at the stars were tinged with sorrow and guilt. It was a deep wound that could never be healed with a few words of comfort.

“I heard the news too late, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell that young child about his parents’ death. How could I say such a thing to a child who fell asleep calling his parents’ names every night? It was better for me to be hated as a liar.”

“Grand Duke…”

Looking up at the dark night sky, Kermanomon recalled the past. How flustered he had been when Garulus was suddenly left in his care. It was even more so despite this not being his first meeting with Garulus. Playing with a child occasionally was completely different in weight from taking full responsibility.

Kermanomon wanted to give the child his best. He wanted to feed him the finest food, dress him in the most expensive clothes, and provide excellent nannies and private tutors to care for him splendidly. However, contrary to his intentions, his relationship with Garulus grew increasingly strained.

To comfort the child searching for his parents, he told small lies, and to cover those up, he had to tell bigger lies. As time passed, he could feel Garulus’s growing disappointment in him, but there was no particular way to remedy it.

‘Why didn’t they come again today! Kerman always lies! I hate Kerman! I hate him!’

When he heard news of Garulus’s parents, his heart sank with a thud. Seeing his own childhood reflected in the child left alone without anyone to lean on filled him with fear. He wanted to treat him well enough that he wouldn’t envy anyone else, but he felt guilty that he seemed only to torment the child more.

“So you don’t need to worry about it. This wound is my karma to bear.”

He was all too familiar with enduring pain alone.

“It must have been really hard for you too, Grand Duke.”

At Mellis’s completely unexpected words, his movement came to a subtle halt. He looked at her as if asking what she meant.

“Me?”

“You lost your closest friend. That alone must have been painful enough, but you couldn’t even show it because you were worried about Garulus.”

“…”

“I just think it would have been too hard for me if I were in your position.”

With Garulus before him, he hadn’t even had time to feel anguish over merely losing a friend. When he announced the death to the estate people, everyone only worried about Garulus, and Kermanomon naturally accepted this as well.

Unlike Garulus, who wasn’t even six years old yet, he had lived a long time and had grown numb to death.

“Encountering death while living is natural. Life is too short to grieve over each instance.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s not painful. The fact that you care for Garulus shows how precious your friend was to you. How could losing such a precious person not be difficult?”

“…”

“Everyone needs longing, don’t they?”

Everyone needs longing. He silently closed his mouth and briefly recalled his friend’s image.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m meddling again when it’s not my place…”

Flustered by his silence, Mellis hurriedly spoke up.

“No, it was very helpful.”

Kermanomon raised his head again to look at the night sky. He watched the bright moonlight and densely scattered stars pouring out starlight, then gently closed his eyes.

And he sincerely mourned his friend who had departed first. This was the first time he had commemorated his friend with pure longing, without being tormented by anguish and guilt. The burden on his heart, which had felt only heavy, seemed to lighten a little.

* * *

The next evening. As if to finish the rain that couldn’t fall yesterday, it poured down from the dark sky since morning.

“….”

Kermanomon, who had been stationed in his office all day since early morning, silently focused on his work. However, his concentration was disrupted several times by the sound of raindrops pattering against the window.

‘How could it not be difficult when you’ve lost someone precious?’

The conversation he had with Mellis in the early dawn echoed in his ears. He gazed into space for a moment, recalling his own childhood. He too had experienced the terrible ordeal of losing his parents at a very young age. How agonizing it had been to lose the most important presence in his life overnight.

Because his affection for his parents had been so deep, he had struggled immensely and wandered for a long time. That’s why he didn’t want to inflict the same wound on Garulus.

“….”

Recalling Mellis’s words, he stared blankly into space. Perhaps Garulus too needed time to bid farewell to his parents and miss them. Just as he himself had done as a child.

As she said, it couldn’t remain a secret forever. There was an appropriate time for everything. Originally, he had planned to confess everything when the child matured enough to handle it all someday. However, by that time, it might already be too late to turn back.

“Haah….”

He let out a deep sigh and ran one hand through his hair. Strength entered the hand holding the quill pen, and after closing his eyes tightly, he slowly opened them. His eyes were filled with firm resolve.

Before he knew it, the clock hands were pointing to 8 o’clock. Kermanomon set down his quill pen with a sharp sound and silently rose from his seat. His footsteps toward Garulus’s bedroom were heavier than usual.

“….”

Having arrived in front of Garulus’s bedroom, he stopped in his tracks.

“Hiyah! Take this sword of mine!”

“Garulus, be careful!”

Peeking inside, he saw Garulus and Noel engaged in sword fighting. The warm commotion seemed to reach even here beyond the door. At the thought of having to shatter that peacefulness, he bit his lips tightly.

As he hesitated about whether to just turn back, his vision caught sight of Mellis laughing joyfully. Soon, clenching his fist, he knocked on the door.

“Garulus.”

“Hm? It’s Kerman!”

Garulus, whose feelings toward him had considerably softened, immediately ran over with his sword and pretended to swing it.

“Have you come to fight with me? Come at me!”

Kermanomon smiled faintly and briefly stroked the child’s head. Then he murmured in a low voice toward the two people.

“Could you give us some privacy for a moment? I have something to discuss with Garulus.”

“Ah….”

Mellis, seeming to understand his heart, nodded resolutely and stepped outside with Noel. When the sound of the door closing was heard, Garulus asked with curiosity.

“Why did you send those two away?”

“Garulus.”

Carefully taking Garulus into his arms, he moved to the bed. Where on earth should he begin this story? He watched Garulus, who was staring at him intently with an innocent face.

Pitter-patter, the raindrops that had grown thicker were now tapping against the window. In the silence, after briefly moistening his dry lips with his tongue, he slowly parted his lips.

“I have something to tell you.”

Kermanomon slowly opened his mouth with a more serious and careful voice than ever before. He had absolutely no idea where to begin this story.

“Is something wrong?”

Sensing the serious atmosphere, Garulus’s eyebrows drooped sadly. He was tightly hugging a large doll. Seeing that small body made him realize once again just how young Garulus was.

He ultimately decided not to overthink it. He could have fabricated the story and told another lie, but he didn’t want to do that.

Instead, Kermanomon carefully brought up the story he had been hiding all this time, in as calm and truthful a tone as possible.

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