IRMY Chapter 17

Asking Melione for a tour of the mansion was one of Yuro’s goals for the day. He didn’t actually care about the mansion; it was a ploy to get closer to the Duke.

They were getting married in two days, and he couldn’t spend the remaining time like strangers. Moreover, he had noticed during lunch that Melione was being quite kind to him.

They were both suspicious of each other, their true intentions hidden. In that case, it was better to create opportunities to test each other.

However, Melione didn’t seem interested in spending any private time with Yuro. He frowned slightly, his expression clearly showing annoyance.

But Yuro smiled, feigning ignorance. His eyes asked, “Are you such a jerk that you’d spit on a smiling face?”

He didn’t know why Melione was wearing a mask of kindness, but he intended to take advantage of it until the mask came off.

Who knew? Perhaps they could become friends, considering Melione’s lonely life.

“…Raymond.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Give him the tour.”

So much for friendship. Melione, without even making eye contact with Yuro, instructed Raymond to give him the tour. It was a polite way of telling him to go away.

However, Yuro wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“No, no. I want Your Grace to give me the tour. Is that a problem?”

“…”

“I enjoyed our conversation earlier, and I’d like to talk more with you. I know I must be bothering you…”

“…”

“Would you spend just a little time with me? I won’t ask again after this. I’m so sorry for bothering you when you’re not feeling well.”

Yuro pleaded with the Duke in a coquettish tone. Everyone was aghast but remained silent. Melione simply stared into space with a strange expression.

‘Was I too forward?’

Just as he was about to give up, Melione, after a long silence, finally spoke.

“I can’t give you a tour of the mansion. It’s too large, and my body won’t cooperate.”

“Oh…”

“But a short walk in the gardens would be fine. Keep it brief.”

“Really? Thank you, Your Grace!”

Yuro clapped his hands in delight, pretending he couldn’t contain his joy. Inwardly, however, he was criticizing Melione.

Why was he making such a fuss over a simple mansion tour? He was still capable of walking; it was a pathetic excuse. He wouldn’t be completely consumed by madness until the end of next year.

He had walked perfectly fine and presided over Clope’s funeral, and even after her death, he had fought skillfully against Yuro, who had come seeking revenge.

Melione had wielded that heavy sword like a plastic toy. He might be weak, but not to the point where he couldn’t even take a walk.

If it weren’t for the curse affecting him, Yuro wouldn’t be groveling like this.

‘Ungrateful bastard.’

Yuro swallowed his insults and gave Melione an innocent smile.

“I was hoping to take a walk with you in the gardens, as they are so beautiful. It’s an honor, Your Grace.”

Despite his enthusiasm, now that they were walking together in the gardens, he couldn’t think of anything to say. Melione, as if determined not to initiate conversation, walked straight ahead, staring fixedly forward.

Yuro was inwardly fuming but tried to control himself, searching for a suitable topic. He needed something trivial to break the ice.

“When is your birthday?”

He decided to ask about his birthday. He couldn’t exactly ask about his MBTI or blood type. Melione replied indifferently,

“Around June.”

“It’s coming up soon, isn’t it? About three months? What’s the date?”

“I don’t remember. I don’t celebrate my birthday. Raymond would know.”

It was a strange answer, not remembering his own birthday, but Yuro accepted it without question. It was perfectly in character for Melione.

“May I ask why?”

“It’s not a particularly happy day.”

“Ah, um… I see.”

‘This guy is really good at ruining the mood.’

Although he understood, the indifferent answer made Yuro’s forced smile twitch. This damn bastard, he thought, clenching his fists behind his back.

However, he couldn’t let the conversation die just because he was annoyed. Their time together was limited.

He had answered Yuro’s questions about Kisha readily enough. His mood swings were extreme. Yuro wanted to smack him upside the head and say, “Smile, you mood killer!”

“Actually, I don’t know my birthday either, so I’ve never celebrated it properly.”

Melione stopped walking at Yuro’s words. Yuro noticed but pretended not to, continuing to walk slowly ahead of him.

“My mother never told me. I lived in the slums before entering the palace, so we couldn’t afford to celebrate birthdays.”

That was true for both Yuro Lechis and Kim Yuro. Yuro had grown up in an orphanage because his mother had abandoned him as a baby, leaving him with only a letter.

The letter contained only his name, “Yuro,” and a brief explanation about her inability to raise him. It had been a bitterly cold winter day, and his survival was a miracle.

Although he grew up in an orphanage, everyone he met there was kind to him. He had resented his parents, but after reading his mother’s letter as an adult, those feelings had faded.

His mother had been an underage, unwed mother. She had given birth to him alone, in the restroom of a park, without even being able to go to a hospital due to the sudden onset of labor.

She had been only sixteen at the time, so Yuro, now twenty, couldn’t help but understand her. She must have been terrified. The mother he imagined from the letter was just a young girl.

“I entered the palace around December. So, I just assume my birthday is sometime in winter.”

“…”

“As you know, there are no seasons in Norden, it’s always winter, so it doesn’t really matter. It feels good to think of every day as my birthday.”

“…”

“That’s the only thing I miss since coming here. It doesn’t snow in Ceylon… so it probably won’t feel like my birthday even when December comes around.”

Yuro stopped walking and turned around. He saw Melione staring at him intently.

He was lying. He didn’t know exactly when Yuro Lechis had entered the palace with Helen.

The December birthday wasn’t Yuro Lechis’s, but Kim Yuro’s. December 25th, the coldest yet warmest day, when everyone was enveloped in love. That was the day he had been found abandoned in front of the orphanage.

Yuro smiled at Melione, thinking, “See? I can ruin the mood too.”

It wasn’t a particularly sad memory anymore. Being found on Christmas Day, and surviving because of it, was rather romantic.

His fans always posted on social media with the hashtag “Kim Yuro is a Christmas gift” on Christmas Day. 

Thinking about them made him feel a little sad. He wondered how his fans, who had supported him until his death, and perhaps even after, were doing.

Cheering for someone who had no proper albums or promotions, aside from survival shows, couldn’t have been fun. How heartbroken must they have been by his tragic death, after watching him perform with such high hopes?

“…I just decided it’s around December 25th. It always snows in Norden, but it snows heavily around that time.”

Yuro turned away from Melione’s gaze, feeling a lump in his throat. He couldn’t fully convey the meaning of his birthday because Christmas didn’t exist in this world.

“I like snow. It’s usually a bit warmer when it snows heavily. Ah, maybe it’s because I like warm things.”

“…”

“Come to think of it, coming to Ceylon was a stroke of luck.”

Yuro took a deep breath. It was sad, but it was in the past and couldn’t be changed. However, he couldn’t help but feel apologetic.

He wished he had said a proper goodbye. He had never imagined things would turn out this way. He tried to remember what he had said to them before going on stage. Had he properly expressed his gratitude?