* * *
"Father, why are you overdoing it when you're not feeling well?"
Ricardo held on to Diego, who wasn't budging.
"Stop going inside."
Ricardo's face stiffened.
Diego still couldn't calm down and tried to push Ricardo away with blood on his forehead.
"Ricardo, get out of my way! Now I'm... "
"Father, that's enough."
Ricardo, however, rather tightened his grip on Diego's hand. He spoke to Diego in the most determined manner ever.
Diego turned his eyes to Ricardo, who stood next to him.
Ricardo had also heard Diego and Hilise talk from the entrance of the garden.
But it wasn't too late to stop Diego when he just started shouting.
Ricardo's dissuasion of Diego now was complex. First of all, the selfish heart that he didn't want to reveal anymore in front of Axion Berzet was the biggest.
But there's a concern about Hilise, who might be offended by his father for showing him face to face like this in front of a guest.
The mind was partly involved. Of course, the guilt of turning a blind eye to Hilise again at Amelie's party yesterday was tenuous underlying it.
"I'm sorry. My father's been a little nervous lately because of his health. I'll take you in because you're tired of it."
Ricardo apologized politely to Axion. By then Diego had regained some of his lost rationality.
"Yes, Hilise...you're...misunderstanding. We have guests now, so let's talk candidly later."
Violent emotions were also heavily stamped on the voice that was chewed out.
However, Diego, who was not confident of overcoming the humiliation, had no choice but to step down.
His face, supported by Ricardo as if he hadn't won, was stained with deep humiliation.
Diego forgot to say goodbye to Axion and gritted his teeth and left the garden first with Ricardo.
Then, on the green-leaved road, Hilise and Axion were left alone.
"Excuse me. I unintentionally attract customers to the problem of Inoaden."
"No, it's not." Axion answered Hilise's apology.
He then tried to add something to it and shut up again because nothing seemed appropriate in this situation.
Axion's face was still stiff.
"You don't have to worry about what your father just said. Let's make the next appointment." He said and looked towards Hilise. However, her face was unreadable.
Axion stared at her calm gold eyes for a moment and opened his mouth even in this situation.
"I'll do it if you want."
But he stuck his foot in the back.
"But Diego's words also have a bone to pick me up."
It was when Hilise's face was frowned on.
"Let's do this."
Axion's subsequent actions then gradually opened the eyes of Hilise, who had never revealed her feelings.
A warm hand, as warm as the wind blowing through the sun-stained leaves, wrapped around the hands of Hilise who was a little cooler.
The man, who stood like a solid wall in front of his eyes, bowed slowly. The black hair tickled the back of the hand first, and then the forehead of the Axion touched it.
At that moment, Hilise cringed at Axion's hands.
Just then, a low-pitched voice penetrated Hilise's ears, leaving an echo-like afterimage.
"Including both direct and indirect physical threats, I will never do you any harm intentionally in the future."
The golden brand on the neck of Axion was dizzy in front of his eyes with the light selected.
The pattern glowed dimly on Axion's hand, crawling up to the back of Hilise's hand in contact with him.
"I swear to you, in the name of Axion Berzet, that I am before you."
For a moment, the time around seemed to stop. Hilise stood firm and held his breath, unable to bear any response.
What Axion did now was an oath of accomplishment. Traces of the old days that have now disappeared.
It has long since been used by no one in the four largest families these days, as it is a powerful constraint in itself, causing serious counteraction if violated.
"I hope this makes you feel a little relieved."
However, Axion calmly removed her forehead from her hand and recited as if nothing had happened after even Hilise had done something that would have hardened into shock.
Hilise gazed at the face facing each other with his motionless eyes, not even thinking of pulling his hand out of such Axion.
(Does Axion Berzet know what he's done now?)
From the last seventh life scratched the inside of Hilise sharply like a rake that uses fallen leaves.
"......you didn't have to do this."
A subdued whisper came out of the barely sweet lips.
"I thought it was necessary."
"Is it because there is no indication of the wave of emotion sweeping her inside?" Axion replied calmly again.
Just= like a man who doesn't know the least bit about what he's done now.
"You'll regret it."
It was an impulse to bring it up.
Hilise uttered words that ran to the end of his neck, unable to clearly define what emotions were making a noise.
Then deep blue eyes gazed at Hilise.
Standing under the swaying leaves, Axion's face was a mixture of light and shadows.
"No."
Finally, a gentle whisper that felt like talking to oneself permeated the silence. Axion gave a definite answer, looking at Hilise with such unwavering eyes.
"I won't regret it."
* * *
Hilise sent Axion out and went to Diego's room afterwards.
"You...! What are you doing in front of the head of Berzet?"
Upon entering the room Diego threw the medicine bowl in his hand at Hilise.
"Father!"
Ricardo, who was sitting on Diego's chair by his bedside, was shaken up with surprise. Hilise used this ability to take the flying vessel apart into the air.
Instead of broken glass pieces, red petals poured down from the air.
Diego's behavior was familiar to Hilise, who has gone through the last seven lives and is now at the moment. But not for Diego and Ricardo now.
Diego looked at Hilise's face and threw the object impulsively, but he seemed a little surprised.
But soon he bit his lip tightly and grabbed his two fists against the blanket again. Diego's roar flew in and stuck, tearing the petals of roses flying in all directions.
"I can't believe you're talking about problems in the family in front of people outside. As expected, you are not the vessel of the head."
It's been a long time since he got up from his seat, and he was again holding the back of his neck right now and feeling like he was going to collapse.
"It's all father's fault, why am I to blame?"
Hilise's dry reply further fueled Diego's anger.
"Father, calm down."
And then he falls down again.
Ricardo said so to Diego, and this time turned to Hilise.
"Hilise, that's enough for you. Don't provoke him anymore and go back to your room."
Hilise opened her mouth again, looking at Diego, who was breathing hard, unable to calm his anger.
"As Ricardo said, father should rest in his room for a while."
At that very moment Diego quickly realized that what Hilise said now had a different meaning.
Diego looked at Hilise with suspicious, stiff eyes.
"Are you... are you going to do something strange to me?"
He wouldn't want to admit it, but there was also a slight sense of unease in it. As Diego predicted, Hilise was going to impose sanctions on him.
Diego crossed the line set by Hilise in the garden a while ago.
Hilise took action straight away without an answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________