He opened the door to the garden. The view that unfolded as soon as I took a step left me speechless.

A temporarily setup terrace behind the store was filled with Celotia flowers fluttering in the spring wind. Seeing the perfect Hertian sitting at the white table in the midst of it, it felt like I had arrived in heaven.

“Are you an angel?”

Even a white suit suited him well.

He noticed me and smiled.

“There’s still much I want to do before dying.”

I sat across from him, enjoying the flowers as I walked.

“What do you want to do?”

“To live a hundred years with my wife.”

Apparently, there was even a staff member.

Whenever he dropped such lines, someone seemed to be watching Hertian and me.

However, nobody was around.

Even the door was closed. Thinking he was mistaken, I whispered to him.

“There’s nobody here now. You can be comfortable.”

He then slightly tilted his head.

“I am as comfortable as usual.”

“Really, Hertian.”

We laughed at each other, unable to hold back.

“When did you prepare such a place? Even yesterday, we were walking a tightrope between life and death.”

“There’s nothing I can’t do for my wife.”

Is it now ingrained in him? Even now, his courtesy remained in places hidden from the public eye.

‘That must be comfortable.’

Misunderstanding could happen if I hid it.

I decided to understand him and act as thoroughly as Hertian. This was the capital full of hyenas, not the north.

“Thank you. I sometimes missed the food from here even in the north. You have no idea how glad I am.”

“Still, you didn’t come often because you dislike the noise?”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

The exact reason.

However, Hertian’s expression was as if it was only natural.

‘How much does Hertian know about me?’

I was curious to what extent he found out from the contract partner investigation.

Because he always seemed to see through even these small details.

“You shouldn’t be surprised already.”

Just then, the door opened and a series of dishes were brought in. A juicy veal steak, a salad sprinkled with aromatic fruit dressing, and a potato dish. All my favorites.

I swallowed at the procession of dishes coming out.

“Eat twice as much to make up for what you couldn’t eat yesterday.”

“Hertian is the best!”

Indeed, the person who buys delicious food is the best.

Moreover, it was just the two of us here. This place was nothing short of heaven.
I briefly lost myself as I scanned the dishes to prioritize, then proceeded to tackle the soup placed before me first.

Eating the food under the warm sunlight and the gentle breeze was undeniably exquisite.

“Hertian, aren’t you eating?”

“I am, but watching you enjoy your meal makes me feel full.”

It sounded like something a mother would say.

Sometimes, Hertian looked after me more than my own parents did. Perhaps overprotective was the right word. He had a tendency to worry about me excessively, maybe because of his poor health.

‘He himself has an arrhythmia.’

I added a generous heap of vegetables good for blood circulation along with a piece of meat and handed it to him.

“If you keep this up, I might start calling you Dad.”

“Dad? Did I just sound like a count?”

An instantly irate Hertian asked repeatedly.

“Really? Do I really look like a count to you?”

It was a joke.

Seeing his strong reaction made me want to tease him more.

“Yes! It’s very professional and nice when Hertian takes care of me in front of others, but sometimes you overdo it. Sometimes it feels like I’m more important than Hertian.”

I sharply retorted.

Hertian’s complexion turned increasingly pale.

He looked as if he had taken a severe blow. How could he look even more serious than when he was extracting a dragon’s eyeball?

I chuckled as I observed his changing expressions and took out a box from my bag.

It was a gift box, beautifully wrapped with a silk ribbon.

“Here, take this.”

Feeling sorry, I specially stood up to hand over the gift directly. Hertian looked at me hesitantly, still recovering from the shock.

“What is this?”

“It’s a filial gift for Dad.”

Clatter.

He even dropped his fork.

“It’s a joke. A joke! Can’t I even joke with Hertian?”

He looked at me with suddenly mournful eyes. Maybe the joke was too harsh.

‘Calling a young man ‘Dad’ was a bit too much.’

As I firmly placed the gift in his hand, he asked again.

“Was it really a joke?”

“Of course. You might take care of me like a father, but you are clearly not my parent.”

I soothed him with a soft and friendly tone.

His face relaxed, and he chuckled lowly.

“It was a joke on my part too. How you see me doesn’t matter.”

Then he nonchalantly took a sip of wine.

A wave of bitterness swept over me.

‘Doesn’t matter how I see him because it’s just a contract?’

Even if I dislike it?

Because there would be no more meetings once the contract ends?

Just when the gift I had prepared for him felt increasingly worthless,

He looked straight at me and firmly stated,

“Because you are mine.”